Suburban Homestead Store
Archive for the ‘Quick Tips’ Category
Mini-Farming
Self-sufficiency on ¼ acre
I saw this book listed in a farming magazine I get and thought some of you might like to know about it.
Engineer and part-time farmer, Brett Markham describes his approach to small-area farming while showing how you can grow 85% of an average family’s food on just a quarter of an acre.
From buying and saving seeds to planning a garden to home canning this book covers a variety of ways to keep growing costs down while keeping production high.
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Food Labels - What’s in a Name?
Food labels contain a wealth of information to help you make informed choices at the market, but they can also be confusing and even misleading. To become better informed about the labeling and certification in your food choices read the meaning of each label below or visit their website. Better yet, ask the produce manager or the farmer where your food comes from and how it is grown.
Local – There are no consistent standards for use of the term, which may refer to a region, a state or the immediate ridgeline or watershed. It may also be applied to products that are made locally but of imported ingredients (chocolates, cheese, pastries, locally roasted coffee).
Organic – Certified by the US Department of Agriculture (www.usda.gov, www.ccof.org) to meet standards that disallow the use of most conventional pesticides, genetic engineering, and routine use of antibiotics and growth hormones in livestock.
Sustainable – “Sustainable food” certification programs address an array of social and environmental issues that go beyond “organic,” including safe and fair working conditions, healthy and humane care for livestock, reduced pesticide use, reduced water and non-renewable energy use, and enhanced soil health. Visit the Food Alliance (www.foodalliance.org) and Scientific Certification Systems (www.scscertified.com) to learn more.
Fair Trade – Fair trade partnerships seek to offer better trading conditions to, and secure the rights of, marginalized producers and workers, especially in developing countries. Certification by the Fair Trade Labeling Organizations International (www.fairtrade.net) guarantees that a producer’s fair trade claims have been independently audited and verified.
Fair Labor – Criteria includes hiring and employment practices, safe workplace conditions, workers right to organize, worker housing, child labor, and access to health, education and transportation services. Currently two organizations certify safe and fair ag practices in the United States: www.scscertified.com and www.safeagemployment.org.
Clean – Foods certified by organizations like Scientific Certification Systems (www.scscertified) to have met voluntary standards in one or more areas of potential concern, including pesticide residues, food pathogens, industrial contaminations and heavy metals, and food safety procedures and practices throughout the food supply chain.
Old Wive’s Tale or Just Plain Wise?
I recently found this article in one of my favorite magazines – MaryJanesFarm. The simplicity of the message was so fascinating (and relevant for this time of year) that I had to share with all of you.
Fact or folklore?
When the 1918 flu pandemic killed 50-100 million people between 1918-1920, there was said to be a doctor who visited many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. The doctor came upon one household where everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the family was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed a dish of unpeeled onions in each room of the house. The doctor asked if he could have one of the onions to observe under a microscope. When he did, he found traces of the flu virus in the onion. It had absorbed the infection, keeping the family healthy.
I heard this story from my hairdresser in Arizona. She said that after hearing it, she placed onions around her shop during flu season. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick that year. Another friend reported, “I developed pneumonia after a bad cold and, needless to say, I was very ill…I came across an article that said cut both ends off an onion and place it in an empty jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would turn darker in color by morning from the germs. Sure enough, it happened just like that…and I began to feel better.”
MaryJane reports that during bouts with colds and flu, her grandma would have her eat a slice of onion sprinkled with salt to chase away the germs.
The moral of the story? Buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office. We did it last year, and no one in our family got the flu. If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the better. What have you got to lose?
I think I’m going to add extra onions to my shopping list. How ‘bout you?
photo credit: sebastien.b
Winter Maintenance for Garden Tools
With the end of November quickly approaching, nature has signaled the end of the growing season for most parts of the country.
Now is the time to put your garden tools to bed as well, sort of speak. Learn how a few moments of preventative maintenance can help extend the life of your tools by clicking here, and keep your tools in good working order for many more seasons to come.
photo credit: lovestruck.
Winterize your hands and feet
Winter’s cold winds and harsh temperatures can wreck havoc on a homesteader’s hands and feet. But, with this easy and inexpensive solution you can have baby-bottom soft skin all winter long.
After a bath or shower, or when evening chores are finished and you have time to sit, simply slather a thick layer of lotion over hands and feet, then put on a thick cotton sock. Yep – on your hands too. The warmth created from your body’s heat and the sock causes pores to open, allowing the lotion to soak deep into your skin. You can sleep with your socks on for even better results.
Try this several times a week and you’ll make it through winter without sore, cracked, rough hands and feet.
photo credit: telepathicgeorge
Make Your Own Garden Trellis
Hint & Tip
Make your own garden trellis
Before you chop up grape cane or berry vine pruning’s for the compost, consider saving them to make your own garden trellises.
Simply pull off any leaves and scrap off the thorns and you have the perfect material for making trellises that can be used for vining peas, beans or even small cucumbers.
Before the canes dry completely, take several sturdy straight pieces for the uprights, then twine the remainder around the uprights in the diameter you want. Leave room at the bottom so the trellis can be pushed into the soil.
Once finished, tie the intersections to hold the trellis together. Vine trellises will last a few seasons and can then be chopped up and composted. You’ll save money on buying premade- trellises and your garden will have a fine country feel with natural made trellises.
(if you don’t have grapes or berries on your suburban homestead you can also use small diameter saplings)
Extend the Life of Kitchen Sponges
Tip & Hint
Extend the Life of Kitchen Sponges
There’s nothing worse than spending good money on kitchen sponges only to throw them in the trash when they get sour and moldy smelling. But, with this quick tip your kitchen sponges will last much longer.
Simply place the sponges in the dishwasher each time you run it and they will stay fresh and useable for a longtime - saving you money.
Build Your Soil’s Productivity with Cover Crops
Cover crops just might be the hardest-working plants you’ll ever grow. Cover crops (also called green manure) suppress weeds, build productive soil, and help control pests and diseases. Plus, cover crops are easy to plant and require only basic care to thrive. And they grow well in nearly every part of the country.
To get started! Check out this article
The Science of Stacking Firewood
To some, laying in firewood is one of those seasonal jobs that takes hold of you as soon as the leaves start to change and doesn’t let go until enough has been stored to get you through the winter. Other’s say there is spirituality to the task, knowing that there is something more to a tree than wood and bark and leaves.
There is also an art and science to building a firewood pile. To learn more about how to best stack and store firewood for optimum use all winter, check it out at Mother Earth News here.
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photo credit: Leonard John Matthews