Modern Urban Homesteading

Vegetable Garden Up To Date News

ronnyg — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:45:01 +0000

Soon you will find up to date Homesteading news and new developments in many of the different subjects areas such as:

Winter Gardening
Winterizing and preparing your soil
Getting a early start for next year
Building that chicken coop this winter
Growing vegetables this winter

So till next time KEEP WARM

RonnyG

Planting A Vegetables Garden-Mother Nature Grows Her Garden The Easy Way

ronnyg — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:34:50 +0000

Whether you are 1st time or an old hand at Planting A Vegetable Garden why not take a cue from Mother Nature? If you have ever been to a forest, meadow or a natural glade and have look a how things are growing you will notice there are no rows just one big mass of beautiful vegetation. This is the same way she has been planting here gardens the world over for thousands of years.

Why is she so successful and it all is seemingly effortlessly? Because she allows the forces of nature to do the work for her. The great thing about this is you can apply the same techniques and get the same great results. Why do all the back breaking work that gardeners do year after year? You know you don’t have to. It is a choice.

We gardener cause most of our problems by the methods we use. Why does nature never have to plow, till or spade it’s garden? When you hoe or turn the soil in any way you have disturbed the entire ecosystem of your soil. You are placing the top layer of soil down several levels and bringing the lower levels to the surface.

By doing this you have now given the weed seeds exactly what they needed. Also the level where the vegetable root are trying to gather nutrients you have replaced with the more eco dead soil from the top layer. Nature build her soil each layer at a time and NEVER disturbs these layers.

Most gardeners have a row of vegetables and then a big space. Nature doesn’t do it this way so why would you? That open space is good for two things. An area for weeds to grow and a bare dirt area for the ground moisture to be pulled up by the sun. So now you got weeds and a big loss of moisture.

Would like to know how to solve these problems? You will find the amazing answers here at Food4Wealth

Raising Chickens |Best Tasting Eggs Ever

ronnyg — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:02:52 +0000

A homestead without chickens is like a horse without a saddle. OK maybe that’s not a good analogue, but will have to do for now. Your homestead whether it be in the city or suburbs will be more fun and fulling if you have a small flock of chickens. Oh and don’t forget mention the great tasting eggs…they taste nothing like the store bought eggs.

There are some really great side benefits to raising chickens.

Fertilizer
Meat for the table
Fresh eggs
Compost materiel
Income

If you are going to raise chickens one of the first steps is to plan and build a chicken Coop. The main thing I learned about building a hen house is that you really do need a set of plans and good step by step directions. The only place it trust to send folks is HowToBuildAChickenCoopIn3Days.com… You will find the directions easy to follow and the verity of different styles and sizes will fill your needs. Go take a look and let me know what you think.

In the fertilizer department chickens are worth their weight in gold. If you use movable pens or what is called tractor coops, they dig, scratch, eat bugs and really help the overall health of the area where they are foraging. Of course they are fertilizing as they go. Each day you move there movable pen to a new spot and they do their job all over. If you move them to your garden in the early spring they will eat the new sprouting weed and other undesirable new growth. Of course fertilizing at the same time.

If you have never tasted chickens that are truly raised as free rang chicken you are in for really big and pleasant surprise. The meat is not even close to what you get at the box stores. No comparison…end of story. There are several reasons for the difference. One it is the foraging that they do. This adds protein (bug, worms etc..) and the greens that they eat. By letting them forage as they would in the wild you will lower their feed bill considerable and your food bill too.

The eggs are as different as night and day. The same reasons that the meat taste so much better applies to the eggs. The cholesterol content of eggs raised as free range is much lower for the bad and much higher for the good. Once you have tasted your own eggs you will be hooked!

One thing we homesteaders never have enough off is compost material. You have lots of wood chips in the floor of the coop which is combined with the chicken manure. Just take this and mix it in with some grass clippings or what ever else you have in compost pile and wala..the best compost ever. Of course the time they spend in the garden just adds to the soil there.

If your homesteading a few extra dollars that comes in as cash is a great asset. Now with a small operation your not going to make a lot of money, however if it helps pay the feed bill that’s a big plus. You can price your eggs at a premium because of the quality and taste. You will having folks begging for more eggs. It is a supply and demand thing.

Don’t forget to check out the the plans and instructions at

Get started with your to do list. This is a great time of year to get a few chickens whether you live in the city or not. Most city allow you to raise chickens…maybe not rosters; their a bit noise. See on the West Forty..

Hulless Barley | The Many Uses for Hulless Barley

ronnyg — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:23:34 +0000

Hulless Barley is absolutely the most fantastic grain with so many different uses. If I had to pick the only food (other than beer) I would have to survive on then that’s it… that’s the one…Hulless Barley. Don’t forget good beer has barley as the #1 ingredient.

The way barley is used in beer is by soaking the kernels and letting them sprout. This is then used it the brewing of some of the finest beers in the world. But I digress…

Hulless barley is a type that the tough outer hull is loosely attached. It is so loose that when it is harvested most of the hulls fall off. Processors sometimes refer to this type of barley as “naked” barley. Because the hulless type requires so little processing most of the brand and endosperm in left in tact and all the germ is there. Making a long story short, it is excellent nutritional.

OK so you bought some hulless barley now what. Besides the beer it is a fantastic hot breakfast cereal. Just put in some slightly salted water and simmer till it is tinder. I not sure it ever gets mushy, it seems to have a little pop or bit when I eat it. I add some raisins some berries and sometimes a little honey. That’s all there is to it. It seems to stay with me most of the day.

Want some really unique bread try this. Sprout barley and when the sprouts are about 3 x bigger than the seed, put them in a mortar and pestal or a food processor. If using the processes just pulse till you get a ball or paste. Then mix in some dried fruit and nuts. Flatten the mixture out a few inches thick and either bake in the oven at about 180 F. or just let it dry in the sun. Yes it will be chewy and dense but it is really good and is very good for you. Sorry I can’t find the recipe but I don’t think you need one.

Barley is great in stews and soups. Here is a recipe I enjoy.

2 beef shanks, the thicker the better
1 stalk celery,chopped
2 potatoes chunked
2 carrots chunked
8 c. liquid (3 c. beef broth and 5 c.
1 large. onion, chopped
1/2 cup whole barley
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. pepper

Get some of your favroit herbs out of the garden and put them in the pot. Don’t hold back.

Add a few bay leafs

I always add Worcestershire sauce… How much? for me 3 or so Tbl.

The way I do it is I season the shanks and then brown them in the olive oil. When there good’n brown I and some water or beef broth and let them simmer for a hour or so. Then through the rest of the vegetables and seasonings in pot and cook till everything is cooked the way you like it. You will probably need to add water or broth from time to time.

Hey enjoy barley its good and good for ya..

Urban Homesteading | What Does It Mean?

ronnyg — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:06:12 +0000

Today I just feel like rambling and not sure where this is going but somewhere or nowhere who the hell knows. It (homesteading) not only can but does mean different things to different people. So here are some ideas that my help both of us get a handle on this thing called urban homesteading.

I don’t live on a big acreage of land… just a small out of town lot about 120′ x 70′ give or take. When I first moved here it was almost in the country, but now have neighbors on one side and a street and then a house on the other. So I’m kinda out in the country but it’s more like Taint… Taint city and Taint country so it’s just Taint.

I have a garden or two and can raise most of the vegetables I can eat for the year. Raising a few chickens this year for the eggs and am thinking about for some meat. I’ve been told if you don’t name them it will be easier. Well see how that works out later. I’m not a hunter but love eating wild game so who knows If they will ever show up on my table or just get old and be friends.

I am installing some solar panels this year and a battery system to supply power for my computer and emergency communication equipment and for some LED lighting. Nothing fancy or big and expensive. I have an amateur radio license so in case I ever needed it I will have world wide communication. If I were not a ham radio guy I would get a CB radio for keeping in contact with the out side world in case of some type catastrophe.

I know that some folks think they(CB radios) are for a certain type of person and may not fit the urban homesteader mold…but consider this… they would be indispensable in case of a emergency of any type. The new CB radios use very little power and can be run off your car battery. Just a thought for what it worth.

Other things that fit in to my urban homesteading life style… I have some rain barrels that collect water from my roof and supply some of the water for my garden. Nothing fancy just old brine tanks that hook together and have a hose bib connection at the bottom to run a hose to the garden.

This year I am growing hulless barley in the front yard. If you have not tried hulless barley as a breakfast cereal you should. It is also great in soups and stews. Along with the barley I am growing as much corn as possible some for roasting ears. The remainder will be steam a bit then cut it off the cob and dried. When it is rehydrate it is as close to corn right out of the garden you will get.

If I have a point… it is that urban homesteading is a state of mind. It’s about doing as much as you can with what you have to get back to simpler life. Now I did not say easier just simpler. So hope to see you along fields and meadows.

Homesteading Today – Container Gardening

ronnyg — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:40:57 +0000

Homesteading today though you live in the city is doable and it really is a lot of fun. Remember homesteading is a state of mind…it doesn’t matter whether you live in New York City apartment or a condo in Florida… Get your mind right and you will be surprised what you can accomplish .Here are some container gardeners. If you look close you will notice that the 5 gallon buckets are one inside of the other. In a future post we will explain why this works so well

So lets look at some of the things you will need to consider. This is just an overview we will cover each of these in details in later posts.

Be resourceful and vigilant all the time. Always looking for containers. Look for old wash tubs or anything that holds a growing medium. We won’t be using dirt for several reasons. It’s way to heavy and for container gardening it doesn’t work well.

The medium I use and have had the best success is Canadian Sphagnum Moss. Use 80% mixed with Vermiculite of Prelate. I like Vermiculite the best. The sphagnum moss and vermiculite don’t have much in the way of nutrient’s. So you will need to add some type of fertilizer. I like the generic Miracle Grow at the big box store. It is much less inexpensive and readily available.

With containers the size of 5 gal pickle buckets you can grow lots of vegetables. It will be no problem to grow all the lettuce and other leafy vegetables you can eat.

So remember… always be looking for containers to grow your produce… Look for Peat Moss on sale and stock up. Look at the space you have available and start laying out what and where you will be doing your growing. Till we meet again rg

Modern Urban Homesteading | Introduction to Urban Homesteading

ronnyg — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:03:17 +0000

Whether You live in an apartment in Chicago or a condo in Florida or you have a good sized city lot in Kansas City, you can enjoy urban homesteading. I believe homesteading in today culture is more of a state of mind. It’s how you feel about your life. Kinda like a philosophy on how to live your life.

Living in an apartment with a small balcony or a walk out area you can grow 80% of all your salad fixins. A 4 X 6 balcony… you can have all the salad greens, radishes, onions, tomato’s and cucumbers for 8 months of the year. While your at it… no reason not to have basil, parsley, rosemary, cilantro, dill and thyme and what ever you like to use for seasonings when cooking.

There are other consideration for how to enjoy the spirit of homesteading…like turning off the hot water heater while at work or sleeping. You would be surprised how much money that can save over the course of a year. Just these two… growing your own vegetables and turning off the electric hot water heater can save over 5 or $600 per year.

So we really are talking about a state of mind… so join me for a fun and enjoyable journey down a road travailed in simpler times. We will cover many topics of how too’s by visiting some very interesting homesteaders from around the world. We will look at the way they achieved being more self-sufficient and have a less hectic life style…Till we meet again rg