Thread: Homesteading / Sustainable Living

I need to remember before it is grinding time to make a proper plunger like I see in your picture.

I have been using just a wood dowel that in my picture is on the top if you look close. It surely doesn't hurt the grinder if I make a mistake but I loose a quarter pound of meat best case scenario, or more if I am asleep at the switch.

I've been foraging for wild edibles, which I think falls under homesteading activities. One Morel mushroom this afternoon.

I found 5 this afternoon.

Nice going guys!!!

Looks like we're about 2-3 weeks out here. Can't wait to start picking shrooms.
And some Ramps as well. Not sure if you guys have these plants there, they are like a wild onion but a mild woodsy taste I think describes it best

Mild Woodsy Taste is A Big Understatement, I tried one of them when i was a kid, Learned a very valuable lesson , Dont eat anything in the woods that the deer dont eat, Another one of those "my dad sure thought it was funny Moments" Ty

We either don't have ramps around here or they are not a thing like Morels are-people don't talk about them like they do Morels or greens. We do have wild onions in the woods. I have a notion they are remnants from old farms.

We started doing many of these things for a few main reasons. Number one is that it saves us resources which is at the very least money saved. It also preserves my environment that I live in which is more valuable than money. Hey when the money is gone I will still have food, water, and heat. Another reason was for fun and a challenge. Yet another big reason was that much of the time the products we produce were better than the garbage we were spending our hard earned money on. The vegetables were fresher, the fruit sweeter, and the laundry cleaner. All at a discount. With children and grand children running around we also liked the idea of not having a ton of harmful cleaners in the house. We mostly use vinegar and baking soda although borax is also around. So far we......

Make homemade meals
Conserve energy by utilizing candles for the first hour of dusk
Line dry clothes in summer
Garden-wild flowers, vegetables, fruit, spices
Compost
Make cleaning supplies
Sew and quilt
Hunt and fish (although I have taken my fair share of wildlife for the table, nowadays I hunt with a camera and fish catch and release to keep skills. I am in no way opposed to killing for food)

Some things I would like to start are canning and maybe plant another apple tree or two along with catching rain water.

Edit: We also try to support our local farmers by buying from them when we can.

Canning

I need to learn this, I mentioned it to the wife about canning her "Garden Sauce" that she makes for Pasta instead of freezing it..

The answer I got after 25+ Years together surprised me,

Her: "Look Husband I grew up canning the whole damn garden with my grandmother you want to can something you have fun with that"

Me: "So you already know how to can stuff"

Her: "Hell Yeah"

Me: "Well why have we always frozen everything if you know how"

Her: "For somebody so smart, you are kinda dumb sometimes, I don't like to can, why would I tell you I know how"

Me: "Women sheesh"

My wife cans certain things like tomato sauce and jams. I think she mainly does the simple stove top canning with acidic ingredients since we don't have a pressure cooker.

Funniest Quote i,ve read in a while, Ty