Episode 31: Family Harvest Eating with Keith Snow

Posted on April 9, 2011 by admin

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This week we had the pleasure of interview chef Keith Snow of harvesteating.com. Keith’s website and podcasts cover cooking and eating seasonally with fresh, nutrient-dense ingredients. He’s a great source of ideas and inspiration for the ever-plaguing question: what should I prepare for family meals today?

Topics discussed:

  • The philosophy behind local seasonal eating
  • How to work seasonal eating and preparation into a busy family schedule
  • Planning ahead to save time in food preparation by cooking larger batches and freezing
  • How to get kids to eat more healthy
  • Preparing on-the-go healthy snacks for your children and yourself
  • Involving kids in food preparation

References:

As mentioned in the intro, here’s a picture of my chicken tractors: new on left, old on the right.

Posted in Children, Food, Homesteading, Podcasts | 1 Comment

The Avian Aqua Miser: Review and Installation

Posted on April 8, 2011 by admin

I recently ordered the Avian Aqua Miser 3-nipple kit from Anna and Mark at waldeneffect.org. All I have to say is, I love things that just work. Easy to put together, and the chickens immediately figured it out. One less hassle in the daily ritual.

If you have chickens, do yourself a favor and get one of these. End of story. See my video on how easy it was to install in a five gallon bucket. It’s probably just as easy to do with a smaller jug, but we have a lot of these buckets laying around…

You’ll notice in the video that I don’t have a drill press. It worked fine with a cordless drill (even one handed.)  The 3 nipple kit came with the 3 nipples, a page of quick instructions, a CD with detailed instructions and extra chicken books and a butchering video, 3 wire hangers, and the extra drill bit I ordered. Here’s a quick video showing all the parts:

And here’s a short video of me installing the final nipple one handed!

Posted in Chickens, Homesteading | 3 Comments

Episode 30: Poor Richard’s Almanac

Posted on April 2, 2011 by admin

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Okay, so it’s not Poor Richard, but in the style of this lively almanac of yesteryear, we’d like to do some homestead updates. Join us this week as we discuss our updates and sample a little bit of wisdom from the legendary Benjamin Franklin. Topics discussed:

  • Chicken tractor updates and doubling our flock
  • Cows and picket pins
  • Kookoolan Farms
  • Why most organic farms are not using organic compost
  • A nuclear physicist and farmer, Koorosh Zaerpoor, informs us about radiation fallout on the West Coast
  • Some nuggets of wisdom from the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

References:

 

Posted in Homesteading, Podcasts | 5 Comments

Episode 29: Off Grid Living With Cam Mather

Posted on March 26, 2011 by admin

epi-00029-Off-Grid-with-Cam-Mather.mp3 [ 1:00:02 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3618)

This week we had the great pleasure of interviewing Cam Mather, an experienced homesteader and off-grid blogger. Cam operates the independent Aztext Press from his remote 150 acres in Ontario, Canada. Cam can certainly teach us much about marrying technology with a rural lifestyle. Join us as we discuss:

  • Frugality as a pre-requisite to buying land
  • Choosing a homestead site
  • Internet connectivity options
  • Mineral rights, tractor as a good investment
  • Solar panels instead of 401k
  • Water heating options
  • Wood heating as a responsible renewable option
  • Growing and storing food and root cellars
  • Homesteading replacing the gym workout
  • Making the transition with pre-teen kids

To benefit from Cam’s accumulated wisdom, please consider supporting him by purchasing a book or DVD. These are just some of the great offerings:

References:

 

Posted in Children, Gardening, Homesteading, Podcasts | 4 Comments

Episode 28: Anna Hess of The Walden Effect

Posted on March 19, 2011 by admin


epi-00028-anna-hess-of-waldeneffect.mp3 [ 1:00:22 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3011)

This week it is our pleasure to speak with Anna Hess of www.waldeneffect.org. The Walden Effect is a homesteading blog (currently in year 5) which chronicles successes and failures of Anna and Mark as they carve out a homestead and a living from their rural acreage in southwest Virginia. I think that this was a great interview packed with useful information. Check out their blog for more great homesteading information.

Topics discussed:

  • Purchasing land cheaply
  • Starting a microbusiness and leaving your day job behind (including some ideas for a microbusiness)
  • Chicken pasturing: growing plants to sustain your flock without buying feed
  • Tips on keeping a rooster (hen/rooster ratio)
  • The avian aqua miser: automatic chicken waterer
  • Growing mushrooms
  • Composting and worm bins
  • Raising protein for chickens

References:

Posted in Chickens, Homesteading, Podcasts | 1 Comment

Episode 27: Music Instead of TV

Posted on March 12, 2011 by admin

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A little on the lighter side this week, we’re going to talk about the role of music on our homestead. Topics discussed include:

  • Music as an alternative entertainment option
  • Music as a self-sufficient entertainment source
  • How to raise a musically literate child
  • Some good suggestions on introducing music and instruments to young children
  • A philosophy of teaching music to young children
  • Some recommended instruments to start out with

References:

Posted in Children, Homesteading, Podcasts | 6 Comments

Episode 26: Choosing Land for a Homestead

Posted on March 5, 2011 by admin

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This week we respond to several listener emails about selecting land. Some factors to consider in choosing homesteading land:

  • Acreage
  • Distance to population
  • Accessibility: long gravel driveways/roads need to be maintained
  • Neighbors
  • Water is vital
  • Drainage
  • Existing Buildings
  • Slope
  • Wooded versus pasture
  • Energy (work with the site and use it’s characteristics)

References:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1602392331?ie=UTF8&tag=stumblhomest-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1602392331
Posted in Homesteading, Podcasts | 5 Comments

Episode 25: Homestead Home Design

Posted on February 26, 2011 by admin

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This week’s podcast discusses some ideas for homestead house design, including:

  • Natural building methods
  • Today’s tiny kitchens, and how they are not realistic for homestead food preparation
  • Size of the home
  • Kitchen plus great room as the main consideration
  • Wood heating as a viable option

References:

Posted in Homesteading, Podcasts | 13 Comments

Episode 24: Creating a Local Economy

Posted on February 18, 2011 by admin
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This week we discuss the challenges facing our continually eroding local economies, and some possible steps that we can take to reverse this trend. We focus on local merchants versus the less-expensive big box stores, local farmers versus distant food, local banks, and local charities.

References:

Posted in Homesteading, Podcasts | 2 Comments

Episode 23: Free range versus confined chickens

Posted on February 12, 2011 by admin

epi-00023-Free-Range-Vs-Tractor-Chickens.mp3 [ 56:39 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3053)

This week we revisit chickens, to discuss feeding and shelter options. Topics discussed:

  • Buying feed: GMO versus non-GMO.
  • Options for feeding your chickens protein.
  • Free ranging versus chicken tractors versus greenhouse confinement.
  • Predators

References:

Posted in Chickens, Food, Homesteading, Podcasts | 23 Comments