Free Apples!

The other day while taking my wife to work I noticed something unusual. There was an Apple tree hanging out over the sidewalk between the Autozone and a small shopping center. So, I checked it out. The tree was growing at the edge of the sidewalk, wind-fall fruit was on the ground and smashed in the street. I picked a great big bag for home. This got me to thinking. Once upon a time (about 30 yrs) this whole area was farmland. Where there is one tree there has to be more. i started looking around, a little closer. About 3 blocks away I found 2 more trees. They are in a vacant lot all overgrown with tall grass and weeds. The branches are just loaded with apples. All together I got close to 40 #'s of Free apples. My wife was jumping up and down. She loves apples. Especially dried apples. This gave me a reason to unpack another new toy.

We bought this little gem last winter from Cabela's and had yet to try it out. Right away I was impressed. It has a temperature control that is easy to read and set. We ran it all night dried out some of our find.

Canning has begun

I posted last week that we started to can. I canned up a Frozen smoked ham that we bought post-christmas that has been taking up a large part of my freezer. That yielded twelve 1/2 pints and a little for the Freezer. Using Cucumbers from the Garden I made my first batch of Pickles! They are Yummy!  This past weekend I soaked 2#'s of Pinto beans and 1# of Kidney beans overnight. I then cooked them for a hour in a pot of water. Using my new Presto Canner (Which I just Love) I canned up 4 qts of beans.

I plan to make chili and soups and can those too.

Garden update for August 26, 2010

Its been a rough year here in Missouri. The god awful heat pretty much killed the garden this year. As I said I did get some Potatoes, an onion or two, some lettuce, a few beans, Beets, and enough Cucumbers to make ONE batch of Pickles. Everything else just Died. Personally, I think one of my neighbors had a hand in Killing the Tomatoes and the squash. I can't prove it though, and my landlord could care less. I'm luck he didn't weed wack it all!

This is all that is left of the Cucumber vines. They are still producing, if only a tiny bit.

In this space I had all of the Tubs and pots, down at the end was the squash and Tomatoes. I emptied out all the containers and dumped the soil/compost in the raised bed at the end. I'll work in some more compost and organic material this fall. It just wasn't a good year for us. Some possible solutions for next year include:

• A better watering solution
• Less diversity
• Growing more herbs
• Cucumbers worked well, maybe more of those

Urban Farms: America Begins Rapid Descent into an Agrarian Society

Beyond Back Yard Sustainability

Started Canning

We got out the Pressure canner and started doing some Canning.  I had a 9# ham that we got in an After Christmas sale for like .15 cents a pound. It has been taking up a good sized part of my Freezer. I chopped it up and canned it in 1/2 Pint jars. Everything worked out fairly well. The only mistake/do over that I will do next time is chop the ham rather than chunk the ham. Live and learn. I canned up 13 jars of Pickles this morning. Tonight (after they cool) I will find out if it worked.

As a garden Update, its too hot. Everything but the Beets and the Cucumbers is dead. Missouri in August is just Brutal.

Empty Store Shelves Coming to America: HyperInflation is it Coming?

We have Cucumbers!

The Cucumber plants are not letting a little thing like room to grow stop them. They keep reaching out for more room.

Peak Oil Garden

This guy is on YouTube and is amazing! That much in such a small space!

It's Like Pearl Harbor all over again. Check your Garden!

Japanese beetles in southwest Missouri fields

Associated Press | Posted: Monday, July 5, 2010 6:24 pm

PINEVILLE, Mo. -- A pesky beetle has been moving into southwest Missouri, damaging crops, shrubs and fruit trees.
The Japanese beetle, which was introduced into the United States from Japan around 1916, likely came to the Midwest in a shipment of flowers or shrubs. They've been common in Kansas City and St. Louis since the mid-1990s.
Now, they appear to be moving into southwest Missouri from Arkansas.
Jay Chism, an agronomy specialist with the University of Missouri Extension, said the beetles are appearing for the first time in Barton County in "significant numbers."
"Last year, I didn't catch a handful of them for the whole season," Chism told The Joplin Globe. "Last week, I caught 600 beetles in two days. Then four days later, I caught 1,100 more."
While Chism said he hasn't yet seen much crop damage in Barton County, he's keeping his eyes open and running his traps daily.
In addition to grain crops, the beetles favor corn tassels and soybeans.
John Hobbs, an agriculture and rural development specialist with University of Missouri Extension, said there have been Japanese beetles in McDonald County for about five or six years. They're also present in Newton and Jasper counties.
While McDonald County is mainly grassland and cow-calf operations, the insects are driving southwest Missouri residents buggy as they invade gardens and fields, Hobbs said.
"In McDonald County, it's garden crops, sweet corn, okra, and plants like elm trees and fruit trees they are after," he said. "They eat on flowering shrubs, such as rose of Sharon."
Even lawns and golf courses are susceptible to invasion during "beetle season," which is mid-June to late July, Chism said.
The pest is easy to identify, but is confused with another insect common to the area, the June beetle. The Japanese beetle is about half an inch long and about half the size of the June beetle.
The Japanese beetle is metallic green, with bronze- or copper-colored wings. They also have five white tufts of bristles that run alongside the shell.
Chism advised people to be alert and report any infestations to the county extension office.
"If you can control the early ones, it is less likely that large mobs will come in and take over an area," he said.
Sprays such as Sevin and other bug killers are effective, but Chism said people should consider more environmentally friendly means of extermination that won't kill bees and other pollinators.
"Use traps or just go out early in the morning when the bugs are sluggish, and pick them off the plants and put them in a bucket of hot, soapy water," he suggested.

Rise Up - INSPIRED BY GLENN BECK Jeremy Hoop [Alternate Ending]

How to make your own Pasta.

Here is a  very easy recipe. Believe it or not Pasta is incredibly easy to make. You don't need a fancy pasta maker.( If you really want one you can get an inexpensive one for around $25.00. ) Just use a rolling pin and roll it out by hand.

• 3 cups of white flour**
• 4 eggs or 1 cup of egg substitute**

1. ** You can use Semolina flour for a more Traditional look to the Pasta. In place of Eggs, Hot water can be used. The dough will be very sticky though.
2. Make a mound of flour on your work surface/board
3. using your fingers make a well in the top, kind of like a little volcano
4. Crack the eggs into the well, using a fork break up the Yolks
5. Using your fingers begin swirling the eggs in the well mixing in the flour slowly
6. When a Paste starts to form mix in the remaining flour. Mix it together well and start kneading the dough
7. Knead for around 8 min. What you are looking for is a soft but firm ball.
8. Wrap the dough in a damp dishcloth
9. To use, cut off a piece and roll it out. Roll it until it is almost translucent.
10. Cut the dough into shapes, as needed. Try not to re-roll the dough too many times. It will get very tough.
11. To dry use either a drying rack, or just the side of a large pot
12. Cook as needed. Remember that Fresh Pasta cooks very quickly

One thing you can do is roll out the dough into 2 wide sheets about the same size. Then make Ravioli. This is really easy. If you can find one, get a ravioli maker. It kinda looks like an Ice-tray.( I found a nice one at Goodwill for $2.00. )
Filling for ravioli can be most anything. Some folks use mashed vegetables mixed with cheese or ground meat. Here is a Storage recipe I made up.

• Plain TVP
• Sun Dried Tomato
• Parmesan cheese
• Italian seasoning

1. Rehydrate the TVP
2. Mix all ingredients well
3. Using a Cookie cutter or a sharp knife cut out the ravioli shapes.
4. Add a small amount of filling
5. using an egg wash or a little cold water, wet all the sides of the dough.
6. Top with another piece of dough and press together.
7. If using a Rav. Maker, cover the mold with a sheet of dough. Add the filling. wet the edges, then cover with another sheet of dough
8. Using a rolling pin, roll over the mold. The finished Ravioli will just fall off.
9. Make and Freeze until needed.

If making pasta still seems to hard to do, here is a cheater way, At the Grocery store purchase a package of Chinese Won-Ton Wrappers. Use the wrappers in place of the Dough.  Put the filling in the center, wet the edges, fold the wrapper over and press. Easy. Freeze until needed.

New Garden Pictures

The Cucumber plants are now Taller than me! Over six feet high and climbing. Tons and Tons of Flowers too.

This is really Funny. There are 3 "Mystery" Tomato plants growing out of this pot. I didn't plant them. What I planted was Dill, Purple Coneflowers, and Chamomile. Very strange. I've been watering them so we will have to see.

Butternut Squash Casserole

This can be made with Dehydrated Squash. Onions too. I don't dehydrate my own onions. I did it once! The whole house smelled like onion and it literally brought tears to my eyes. My wife said "NO MORE Onions". I found dried red onions at an Ethnic grocery store for about $3.00 for 2 pounds.

• 1 small Butternut Squash, sliced thin*
• 1 Red Onion, sliced thin
• 1/3 cup of Apple juice
• 2 Tbl butter or margarine
• 2 Tbl of Honey
• 1/4 cup of Almonds, try toasting them

1. If using Dried rehydrate the Vegetables in some hot water
2. Combine the sliced squash and onion in a 2 quart dish
3. using a small bowl combine the Apple juice, butter, and Honey
4. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and top with the Almonds
5. Cook 350 degrees for 40 minutes

Storage Lentil "Burgers"

 Here is a good Hamburger substitute made from Dried Lentils, not TVP this time. These can be frozen and used whenever.

• 1 cup dried Lentils
• 2 1/2 cups of Water
• 1/2 cup of onion, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup of Celery, diced
• 1 Tbl of Vegetable oil
• 1 Tbl of Tarragon
• 1 Tbl of Marjoram
• 1 tsp of ground Cumin
• 1/2 tsp of Sesame Oil
• 1/2 tsp Lemon juice
• 3/4 cup of Rolled Oats
• 3/4 cup Dry Bread crumbs
• Salt and Pepper

1. Cook the Lentils with the Bay Leaf in a saucepan for 45 minutes. Cook until the skins split easily and Beans are tender
2. In a separate pan cook the onion and celery in the vegetable oil. Cook until soft.
3. Add the Beans to the mixture.
4. Add all of the other ingredients to the onions/cerlery except the Bread and Oats
5. Grind the Oats and Bread cumbs together in a food processor until well mixed
6. Combine the crumb mixture and the Beans
7. Shape into Patties. This is a good time to Freeze them for later.
8. Cook the Patties in the Oven on a Baking sheet for 15 minutes at 400 degrees

**Substitute other dried herbs and spices to taste

Book Review : One Man's Wilderness

 I read this Book a few years ago after seeing the PBS Video about it. This book was written from the journals and Pictures that Dick Proenneke wrote in 1968. He was a 50 yr old retired Navy Carpenter who build a cabin in the Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska. He went out into the middle of nowhere and built a cabin. He lived there for more than 30 years before giving his cabin to the National Park service. His story was made into a really good Documentary. The book covers the steps he takes to building the cabin. He used no power tools and made everything from hand. A true Survivor. This is a Classic for anyone who wants to live a simpler life or dream about just getting away.
Get it Here!

E-Books and E-Book Readers

        The new big thing these days is the E-Book craze. All the book outlets seem to have their own form of a Reader and book Format. My wife and I both enjoy e-books and try and share our passion with others. Questions that we are asked include: Cost, "brand" of Reader, ease of use, and book formats. I will try and answer some of these.

         First, a little history. Believe it or not E-Books have been around since 1971 and the Gutenberg Project. When founder Michael Hart began digitizing books the technology was still in its infancy. A book with 300 pages took up a Meg of space.  It wasn't until the mid 1990's that E-books really took off. Online writers or Romance and other fiction began marketing their books. In 1995 Amazon started selling Ebooks. The first book readers came into being in 1998 with the Rocket Ebook Reader. A year later Baen Books launched its Free E-Book Library. The rest as they say is history. Lots of readers and thousands of books.
     A few things about the newer readers. Almost none are "back-lit", that is there is no light behind them like on a PC or laptop. The screens use an electronic Ink format that is really cool. Think Etch-A-Sketch technology. Like PDA's or laptops they have rechargeable batteries. Some last longer than others. Memory is either internal, external, online, or a combo. First off is cost. It was in the new just the other day that Amazons brand Kindle was dropping in price to combat  Barnes and Nobles Nook reader. For under $200 you can now get a reader. Sony makes two different sized ones. My wife has one called an Astak that was also $200. Very soon Borders will start selling theirs called a Kobo reader. So lots of choices. We have played around with all of the "biggies" and have owned a Sony. Ease of use on all of them is fairly easy. Most are touch screen or button, the type can be enlarged, and most come with a carry case. Battery power last from around a couple hours to a week depending on use. The newer ones come with a storage capacity of around 2-4 gig. That will hold between 2000 -4000 books. All inside one small container. That is one advantage to a reader. Putting your whole library in one small place.
  One major disadvantage to most of the readers is the online storage or the "networks" that you become a part of. At least from a Prep standpoint. Amazons Kindle is notorious for deleting content that they find unacceptable. That is if you have something THEY don't approve of in your memory they will delete it For you. (Illegal copies, some non-Amazon stuff, things like that). Barnes and Noble has a similar system and so does Borders. Personally, I don't like any electronic thing that reports to someone my habits. Too much like Big Brother. Sony's interface is clumsy and hard to use. Many of the books that you download now have copy-protection just like the Music industry. So no sharing. My wife's Astak reader has pre-installed software and runs over 20 formats. With NO company interference. All of the Readers use different formats. Some such as TXT and PDF are universal extras that will still work. Using a program like Calibre some books can be converted to other formats. Brand new E-books cost from as little a .99 cents each to the same price as a new hardcover. Many book outlets discount them quite a bit.
  Like many things choice is the big issue. As a prepper I like to convert many prep style books into a PDF format. My wife's reader can and does read these files. Her reader uses and takes less energy that a laptop and we can recharge it in the car. For us it is Ideal. Barring an HEMP event this gadget is a welcome addition to out preps. But its all about choice. My advise to someone who is interested in one of these is to go and try one out. The major book stores all have one. Amazon has video and so does YouTube on reader operation. Feel free to comment and I'll try and answer any questions.
   Many E-books are available on-line for Free. My personal library is above 15,000 books. Many text books, medical books, fiction, and other things are available. Below I've listed a few of the better sources of info. In the above article I mentioned converting files to PDF. One of the neatest little programs I've found for that is this one.

**Baen Free Library  -Lots of Free books over a 100
**  Gutenberg Project Library  - 32000 Free books
**  Forgotten Books            -Lots of Fiction and Non Fiction
**  Steves Pages          -Hundreds of Free Military Manuals in PDF   
** Burgomeisters Books  -Cool site with hundreds of Free Books. Good place for some mainstream PAW fiction like Alas, Babylon and Lucifer's Hammer
**PAW FICTION collection  - This is my own collection online. Its a zip file. NO viruses. If it doesn't start immediately Press the BLUE BUTTON          

We have Red potatoes

It was just an experiment from way back in March. I wanted to try planting Potatoes in a large tub filled with straw and compost. It worked, a little bit. Next time I think we will use a LOT more straw and water it every day. I think that was what the problem was. I have not checked the White potatoes yet. Those plants haven't died off yet. But I did get a few Red Potatoes

The Missouri River is Flooding again

 Here in St Charles the Missouri River is flooding again. The National Weather service says that its 8 feet above flood stage and is expected to rise another foot and a half by Saturday. They say that

"it's too early to tell if we're gonna have a '93," said Scott Watson with the National Weather Service. "Back then, we had at least a month of continuous waves of storms."

The Flood of 1993 was really bad for the area. I wasn't here at that time. I got here in 1995 just in time for a small flood. If it floods where we live all of Missouri will need an Ark. So, last night we went out a dusk. It was a little cooler by the river. Here are a few pictures:

The red objects are river buoy's. It looks like there is about 3 of them.

Garden Update for June 21, 2010

  Summer is finally here. With it comes the god-awful heat. Here in St Charles it is very hot and muggy out. Its the cost of living near the river. Temperatures have been in the mid to upper 90's all week. The veggies are loving it. My potato plants have started to die back. I peeked and there are some new potatoes in the tubs. In a week or so I will pull the vines.

The Tomatoes have been staked and ties off. Already there is fruit on the plants.

The squash behind the tomatoes is spreading out and is in bloom. I planted two types of beans this year. Dragons tongue beans which we got from Baker Creek Seeds
and Cow peas which came from the Hardware store (Ace). So far the Dragons tongue beans are about a foot high and are starting to flower.

The Cow Peas are also a foot high but no flowers yet.

The tub of lettuce has been producing fairly well. I'm still not happy with the mix. I think next year we will just stick with a single variety. The beets that were planted back in March are doing very well. I peeked at them also and they look good. The onions are doing OK, but I not entirely happy with them. The Carrots are about a foot high and are doing well. The big winner this week are the Double Yield Cucumbers that we planted. Each Hill got 3 seeds. Of those only one seed failed to come up. Personally, I think the squirrels got it. The Tepee that I constructed from fallen branches has worked like a charm.

All eleven of the plants are climbing up the poles and the string. Dozens of flowers are blooming. In a few weeks after the potatoes finish "curing", the tubs they were in will be replanted. I'm think a late crop of Turnips, rutabagas, and Kohlrabi would be fun