These are all things pertaining to self sustenance. I think it would be very useful to know how to do these things, particularly to be frugal, and have the freshest stuff, but also you never know when the world as we know it might stop functioning, and this way I could be prepared to serve my family well.
-how to grow enough food to feed my whole family all year round (you know with canning etc.)
- how to preserve foods, veggies, fruits, meats…
- how to cook on a wood stove or open fire, especially baking.
- how to compost effectively
- how to care for laying hens and meat chickens
- how to milk a goat or cow by hand (and how to care for them), i have actually milked a cow by hand but I am not very good at it, it is EXTREMELY SLOW…
- how to grow food hydroponically, indoors, with and without an electric light source
- how to process and use grey water
- how to collect and store rainwater
- how to grow and train fruit trees, and nut trees
- can I grow rice? even though I don’t live near a water source? what about hydroponically?
- how much raw wheat yeilds one cup of flour? or one pound?
- what is the yeild of rice?
- how to make broth and stock
- how do you grow vanilla beans?
- where can you buy raw wheat?, bulk molasses?, bulk cocoa powder?
- how to make tomatoe sauce from fresh tomatoes, and puree etc… and what is the yeild?
- how to trap animals, build traps and skin an animal
- how to tan hides and make garments from them
- how to make my own patterns for clothes from measurements
- how to sew those clothes!
Im sure there is alot more….
I’m pretty strange I know. Why in the world would anyone want to learn how to do these things? Especially since they require so much WORK… I don’t know, but I think if I had more work, I might actually get more done!
Mrs. Meg Logan
Meg, you’ve got to go to the library and (uh-oh another book recommendation!) check out Carla Emery’s Encyclopedia of Country Living. She’ll answer all your questions and then some…I wish she was Christian that would be the only way her book would be better. Everything on how to survive…and homestead, etc.
I grind my own wheat and my favorite is hard red spring wheat. I like it because I’ve had great luck with it for bread and rolls. Soft winter wheat would be better for cookies, etc. Your health food store should stock several varieties and be able to tell you which is most popular and why. However, they’ll be very expensive. Generally, I go in on a 50 lb bag with my mom and a friend. There are places in Montana like this one: http://www.greatgrainsmilling.com/prices.htm that sell only hard red spring wheat for .30/lb (plus shipping) if you buy 10-20 lb sacks.
As far as equivalency: 5 oz of wheat berries pretty much equals 1 cup flour.
HTHs!
THANKS.. that is very useful information…
And I love to read, so I don’t mind book recommendations.
Thanks for the info.
Mrs Meg Logan
It’s the strangest thing; I used to want to learn how to do all those things, too. Where did that person go?
Hoping she comes back. Perhaps reading your blog will help.
Rebecca, Hehe… well if she doesn’t then maybe those dreams were not what God wanted for you. He is faithful to craft us into what He desires us to be… and dreams that you put down may stay down, or perhaps He will raise them up again to blossom!
Mrs. Meg Logan
Why is it that when I have a long list of things that I have to do, I can usually get it all done and then some, but when I don’t have a whole day of work, I tend to waste the whole day and get nothing accomplished?
HA I have this same trouble!
Its like if I have to keep moving to get it all done, then I keep feeling motivated. But if there isn’t much to do, I just piddle away the whole day!
Mrs Meg Logan