Thursday, 28 January 2016

DIY Fun With Grass Seeds And Sponges

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DIY Fun With Grass Seeds And Sponges

Spouge_House

If you are looking for fun homemade projects for your kids, this next one might be a great choice. It is a little grass house that can be made at home without big costs and materials from your household. To build the house you will be using kitchen sponge and plant the grass seed in these. Let your children create the design of the house and plant the seeds together. Then explain to them that in order for the grass to grow, they will have to be patient, as this can take around three weeks to happen. Make sure you use a spray water when watering the grass seeds and add some fertilizer into the mixture. Ask your kids to water the seeds regularly, teaching them to be responsible and patient in order to see the results. This is such a fun project for kids and the outcome is truly lovely!

Spouge-House

What you’ll need:

  • 4 new standard kitchen sponges (approximately 4 1/2 by 3 inches) in orange, green, blue, and pink
  • Ruler
  • Permanent marker
  • Scissors with a pointed tip
  • Large plastic food-storage container (a clean rotisserie chicken container works well too)
  • Spray bottle
  • 1/2 cup of grass seed, preferably one labeled “fast-growing”
  • Sewing pins (optional)

more details here…

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This article DIY Fun With Grass Seeds And Sponges was originally posted on: goods home design

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Markets Uneasy As Federal Reserve Contracts Money Supply: “Stocks Sinking Back Into Oblivion”

Markets Uneasy As Federal Reserve Contracts Money Supply: “Stocks Sinking Back Into Oblivion” was originally published to http://ift.tt/1nr27gs

Markets Uneasy As Federal Reserve Contracts Money Supply: “Stocks Sinking Back Into Oblivion”

federal-reserve-printingpress-yellen

This article was written by Michael Snyder and originally published at his Economic Collapse blog.

Editor’s Comment: The power to expand and contract the money supply at will lies at the heart of the Federal Reserve’s powers. They alone have the ability to correct and punish everyone inside their crazy fun house game of mirrors. Those who took on too much debt during the easy credit phase of quantitative easing over the last many years are now facing a “call” on their outstanding debts and will have to make repayments – which many fragile entities will not be able to do.

Meanwhile, lenders will be more and more reluctant to give money as rates are raised, and the economy can easily stall. How much until things have gone too far?

The Federal Reserve Just Made Another Huge Mistake

by Michael Snyder

As stocks continue to crash, you can blame the Federal Reserve, because the Fed is more responsible for creating the current financial bubble that we are living in than anyone else.  When the Federal Reserve pushed interest rates all the way to the floor and injected lots of hot money into the financial markets during their quantitative easing programs, this pushed stock prices to wildly artificial levels.  The only way that it would have been possible to keep stock prices at those wildly artificial levels would have been to keep interest rates ultra-low and to keep recklessly creating lots of new money.  But now the Federal Reserve has ended quantitative easing and has embarked on a program of very slowly raising interest rates.  This is going to have very severe consequences for the markets, but Janet Yellen doesn’t seem to care.

There is a reason why the financial world hangs on every single word that is issued by the Fed.  That is because the massively inflated stock prices that we see today were a creation of the Fed and are completely dependent on the Fed for their continued existence.

Right now, stock prices are still 30 to 40 percent above what the economic fundamentals say that they should be based on historical averages.  And if we are now plunging into a very deep recession as I contend, stock prices should probably fall by a total of more than 50 percent from where they are now.

The only way that stock prices could have ever gotten this disconnected from economic reality is with the help of the Federal Reserve.  And since the U.S. dollar is the primary reserve currency of the entire planet, the actions of the Fed over the past few years have created stock market bubbles all over the globe.

But the only way to keep the party going is to keep the hot money flowing.  Unfortunately for investors, Janet Yellen and her friends at the Fed have chosen to go the other direction.  Not only has quantitative easing ended, but the Fed has also decided to slowly raise interest rates.  The Fed left rates unchanged on Wednesday, but we were told that we are probably still on schedule for another rate hike in March.

So how did the markets respond to the Fed?

Well, after attempting to go green for much of the day, the Dow started plunging very rapidly and ended up down 222 points.

The markets understand the reality of what they are now facing.  They know that stock prices are artificially high and that if the Fed keeps tightening that it is inevitable that they will fall back to earth.

In a true free market system, stock prices would be far, far lower than they are right now.  Everyone knows this – including Jim Cramer.  Just check out what he told CNBC viewers earlier today…

Jim Cramer was tempted to resurface his “they know nothing” rant after hearing the Fed speak on Wednesday. He was hoping that a few boxes on his market bottom checklist might be checked off, but it seems that the bear market has not yet run its course.

The Fed’s wishy-washy statement on interest rates today left stocks sinking back into oblivion after a nice rally yesterday,” the “Mad Money” host said.

Without artificial help from the Fed, stocks will most definitely continue to sink into oblivion.

That is because these current stock prices are not based on anything real.

And so as this new financial crisis continues to unfold, the magnitude of the crash is going to be much worse than it otherwise would have been.

It has often been said that the higher you go the farther you have to fall.  Because the Federal Reserve has pumped up stock prices to ridiculously high levels, that just means that the pain on the way down is going to be that much worse.

It is also important to remember that stocks tend to fall much more rapidly than they rise.  And when we see a giant crash in the financial markets, that creates a tremendous amount of fear and panic.  The last time there was great fear and panic for an extended period of time was during the crisis of 2008 and 2009, and this created a tremendous credit crunch.

During a credit crunch, financial institutions because very hesitant to lend to one another or to anyone else.  And since our economy is extremely dependent on the flow of credit, economic activity slows down dramatically.

As this current financial crisis escalates, you are going to notice certain things begin to happen.  If you own a business or you work at a business, you may start to notice that fewer people are coming in, and those people that do come in are going have less money to spend.

As economic activity slows, employers will be forced to lay off workers, and many businesses will shut down completely.  And since 63 percent of all Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, many will suddenly find themselves unable to meet their monthly expenses.  Foreclosures will skyrocket, and large numbers of people will go from living a comfortable middle class lifestyle to being essentially out on the street very, very rapidly.

At this point, many experts believe that the economic outlook for the coming months is quite grim.  For example, just consider what Marc Faber is saying

It won’t come as a surprise to market watchers that “Dr. Doom” Marc Faber isn’t getting any more cheerful.

But the noted bear at least found a sense of humor on Wednesday into which he could channel his bleakness.

The publisher of the “Gloom, Boom & Doom Report” told attendees at the annual “Inside ETFs” conference that the medium-term economic outlook has become “so depressing” that he may as well fill a newly installed pool with beer instead of water.

If the Federal Reserve had left interest rates at more reasonable levels and had never done any quantitative easing, we would have been forced to address our fundamental economic problems more honestly and stock prices would be far, far lower today.

But now that the Fed has created this giant artificial financial bubble, the coming crash is going to be much worse than it otherwise would have been.  And the tremendous amount of panic that this crash will cause will paralyze much of the economy and will ultimately lead to a far deeper economic downturn than we witnessed last time around.

Once the Fed started wildly injecting money into the system, they had no other choice but to keep on doing it.

By removing the artificial support that they had been giving to the financial markets, they are making a huge mistake, and they are setting the stage for an economic tragedy that will affect the lives of every man, woman and child in America.


This article Markets Uneasy As Federal Reserve Contracts Money Supply: “Stocks Sinking Back Into Oblivion” was originally posted on: shtf plan

check out the full article Here: Markets Uneasy As Federal Reserve Contracts Money Supply: “Stocks Sinking Back Into Oblivion”

Wednesday, 27 January 2016

These People Were Prepared During Snow Storm Jonas, But They Died Because of This Mistake

The following article These People Were Prepared During Snow Storm Jonas, But They Died Because of This Mistake was originally published on http://ift.tt/1nr27gs

These People Were Prepared During Snow Storm Jonas, But They Died Because of This Mistake

winter-storm-prepping

Lessons from the massive snow storm Jonas, where at least 48 people have been reported killed, are important to take away here for future prepping in our quickly declining and increasingly vulnerable society.

The use of martial law to shut down travel, including air traffic and highways, is now standard issue for major cities – like those on the East Coast that were hit hard by record snow levels.

The storm itself caused less damage than responders and authorities expected to deal with, but the media delivered a stern warning coupled with significant fear. This snow storm was forecast to be the worst in history, and most people hunkered down as they were instructed.

Grocery shelves were quickly emptied, and people started a last minute hoarding days ahead in accordance with the weather reportage.

And the power went out for hundreds of thousands of residents…

Tens of thousands of customers are still without power but service has been restored to many hit hard by the storm.

In the Carolinas, utilities reported about 50,000 customers without power… 20,000 are still without power in New Jersey, down from about 58,000 on Saturday night.

Most service was back on in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, where more than 50,000 had lost power. In Georgia, about 600 customers were still waiting for service — down from more than 125,000.

But the power outage itself was to be expected. Most of the service was restored relatively quickly after a day or two. Pretty routine, but it definitely could have been worse. If Washington or New York had been without power for several days, there would be instant rioting and looting. This much is understood.

In this case, the power outages didn’t cause much damage directly, but indirectly it caused the death of one elderly couple.

And they made a mistake you’d do well to learn from, because it is a scenario many preppers could find themselves in during a winter crisis without being aware of it.

They were prepared for such an event, and had a generator ready to restore power. Such a solution works well during short term situations like this one.

But it wasn’t properly ventilated. Officials DON’T THINK the Bell family neglected to do so, but think the opened garage door was forced shut after it was set-up. The result was carbon monoxide poisoning.

Even though they had the supplies for the crisis, they fell victim to a failure in the set-up of the equipment.

via ABC News:

An elderly couple has been found dead in their Greenville home due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Authorities say 87-year-old Robert Bell and his 86-year-old wife Ruby had lost power during the storm on Friday night and set up a generator in their garage.

Authorities say the propped open garage door somehow closed and the house filled with carbon monoxide.

Several other people died from carbon monoxide poisoning as well while being stuck in their running cars.

Authorities say a Pennsylvania man died after a passing snowplow trapped him inside his running car.

Officials say Perrotto was apparently trying to dig out his car. Investigators believe he was either in the car to take a break or trying to pull out of the space when the plow came by and buried the car, blocking the exhaust and preventing him from getting out.

[…]

A 23-year-old New Jersey mom and her year-old son have died of carbon monoxide poisoning while sitting in a running car with its tailpipe covered in snow.

The problem isn’t as deep a worry as martial law or widespread civil unrest, or gun confiscation during a crisis.

But it is a real life danger that you are even more likely to face during the next disaster – particularly in a weather emergency. If you don’t prepare to avoid this ahead of time, you might not think this one through in a stressful situation.

But it is a basic mistake that cost the lives of people during the first wave a major emergency. It is best to stay off the road and avoid travel anyway in weather like this.

Avoid these scenarios and include alternatives in your plan for a winter outage or dangerous travel during heavy snow conditions.

Prepper Tom of the North gives this warning about carbon monoxide poisoning and asphyxiation dangers:

While fire is a common cause, there are other causes of asphyxiation worth your consideration:

Carbon monoxide poisoning is usually from a combustion source in the home. This has also occurred in vehicles stranded in snowstorms. Vehicles were run for heat. Accumulating snow shrouded the tailpipe resulting in vehicle exhaust entering the passenger compartment.

Other poisonous fumes [could come from] tanker trucks, rail cars and chemical & other industrial plants often have hazardous materials that, in an emergency situation, could cause you grave bodily harm if exposed.

Smothering- confined space entrapment, such as a building collapse (snow or volcanic ash loads on roofs, earthquakes, etc). Consider also avalanches, landslides and mudslides.

Drowning: consider also flash floods; tsunami; the aforementioned breaking ice; catastrophic dam failure; bridge failure while crossing. Flash floods are relatively common and often deadly. [..]

All of these events are sudden, unexpected and leave you minutes or less to choose a course of action. Taking the proper action may save your life.

Read more:

The Prepper’s Blueprint: Step-by-Step Guide to Prepare You For Any Disaster

This Is How Quickly Society Will Break Down: “If You Don’t Have Food Yet I Feel Sorry For You”

12 Bad Strategies That Will Get Preppers Killed

Survival Priorities: Tips On Avoiding Carbon Monoxide Deaths & Asphyxiation Risks in a Disaster

This article These People Were Prepared During Snow Storm Jonas, But They Died Because of This Mistake was originally posted on: shtf plan

check out the full article Here: These People Were Prepared During Snow Storm Jonas, But They Died Because of This Mistake

Grow Tomatoes from Seed – Save Money, Get More Varieties

Grow Tomatoes from Seed – Save Money, Get More Varieties See more on: Total Survival

Grow Tomatoes from Seed – Save Money, Get More Varieties

How to Grow Tomatoes from Seed - Save money and grow more varieties by starting your own tomato plants. Tips for soil, containers, transplanting and trouble

Tomatoes are the most commonly grown plant in backyard gardens, and with good reason. Nothing beats the flavor of a freshly picked tomato still warm from the sun, and homemade sauces and salsas are amazing. With the recent growth in gardening and interest in non-genetically modified foods, stores are starting to stock more heirloom tomato seed varieties, but they’re only scratching the surface of the dozens of types of seeds that are available. When you grow tomatoes from seed, you can pick varieties that are right for your growing conditions and experiment with many different colors, shapes, sizes and flavors for the same amount of money you’d spend on just a few store plants.How to Grow Tomatoes from Seed - Save money and grow more varieties by starting your own tomato plants. Tips for soil, containers, transplanting and troubleshooting.

Which Potting Soil to Use to Grow Tomatoes from Seed

My personal favorite for potting soil to date is FoxFarm Organic Potting Soil, which contains worm castings and other organic fertilizers right in the mix. You can also make your own potting soil mixes, if you are so inclined.

When Should I Start My Tomato Plants from Seed?

Check out the post When Should I Start My Seeds? Printable seed starting calendar to get a schedule for seed starting, hardening and planting out to the garden.

Containers for Starting Tomato Seedlings

I save the black plastic containers that you get plants in from the greenhouse, and have friends and neighbors save them, too. They fit neatly in seedling trays (and under my grow lights on my seed starting shelves). They also have drainage already built in, which is critical for healthy plants. They last for many years, and stack easily for storage at the end of the season.

Other container options:

  • Make your own containers from rolled newspaper
  • Eggshells (not a fan of these because there’s just not much room for the seedlings to grow)
  • Milk cartons
  • Plastic salad containers (most of these have drainage, which is nice)
  • Juice or juice concentrate containers
  • Grow boxes made from wood
  • Toilet paper tubes
  • Yogurt containers

Basically, if it will hold dirt and allow drainage, you can probably use it to start seeds.

Marking Seedlings

I like to mark my seeds using popsicle sticks broken in half.  I write the name of the variety on both sides of the stick with a ball point pen (in case it gets it gets wet, which it will, generally one side remains readable).  The popsicle sticks are cheap and reasonably durable, and also be tossed in the compost when they are no longer needed.

How to Grow Tomatoes from Seed - Save money and grow more varieties by starting your own tomato plants. Tips for soil, containers, transplanting and troubleshooting.

How Deep Should I Plant My Tomato Seeds?

As a rule of thumb, you want to plant seeds roughly three times as deep as the seed is wide, so tiny seeds stay on or near the surface, and larger seeds go a little deeper. 

If your seeds have been in storage, you can do a germination test or pre-sprout the tomato seeds in a coffee filter, but I usually don’t bother.  (Pre-sprouting is discussed in more detail in the comments of Early Greens from the Garden.) 

You may want to do a quick soil test on your potting mix before you start, as many on the market are lacking in key nutrients and/or overloaded with other nutrients. 

Getting the Tomato Seeds to Germinate

Cover the seeds with a clear plastic cover, and put them in a well lit location.  I like to give them a little jump start with a seedling heating mat underneath, since they like a little extra warmth to get going.  I put the heating pad and the lights on a timer, leaving them on for about 16 hours a day and off for the remaining time.   If you’d like some more photos of my planting bench and seed starting setup, take a peek at this post on seed starting.

Can I Use Old Old Tomato Seeds (Left Over from Previous Years)?

Because I plant so many varieties, I end up with leftover seed from year to year.  Tomato seeds generally store quite well  (I have had some last over 10 years), but the germination rates decrease over time.  I made up a simple spreadsheet in Excel where I track date planted, variety, seed source, number of seeds planted, date of first seedling appearance and final number of seedlings.  (You can see the sheet and print your own copy in the post “Simple Record Keeping Tips for the Garden with Printable Seed Starting Chart“. This allows me to compensate for the reduction in germination rates over time. 

Troubleshooting Common Tomato Seeds Starting Problems

Tomato Seedlings Drop Dead

Once you get seedlings popping up, uncover them within the first 24 hours. Keeping them covered can lead to damping off.  Damping off results from fungal infection.  It generally comes from keeping your seedlings too wet.  One day they’ll look fine – then WHAM!  The seedlings are laying there dead. 

Generally the stem shrinks up near ground level, and the soil is very wet.  Sometimes here will be mold or fuzz growing on the surface of the soil.  (Yes, I have made this mistake – it’s not pretty.)  A sprinkle of cinnamon  or a spritz of chamomile tea may help save the remaining seedlings, but once a plant has keeled over, it’s a goner. 

To help prevent damping off, some folks sprinkle sand over the dirt when they plant seeds – just enough to cover the top of the soil – but if you maintain proper moisture levels and good circulation, damping off shouldn’t be a problem.

Tomato Seedlings are Pale or Yellow

If the color of your seedlings is off – check moisture levels.  You want damp soil, not too wet or too dry.  If the moisture level seems fine, try a soil test.  As I mentioned above, some soil mixes are just not right.

Tomato Seedlings are Skinny and Flop Over

If your seedlings are really tall, skinny and floppy (also known as “being leggy”) – chances are your lighting is inadequate.  Try a different location or more artificial lighting.   Putting a fan on a timer and having it blow on the seedlings off and on through the day will also help toughen up stems (and prevent damping off and other diseases – ever wonder why they have those fans running all the time in commercial greenhouses?). 

Alternatively, you can run your hands lightly across the tops of the seedlings from time to time during the day.  Proper lighting is the first step, but movement will help, too.  If you start your tomato plants early and they need to be transplanted into bigger pots one or more times before being planted in the garden, you can plant them deeper than they were previously growing.  (More on this below.)

Seedling Leaf Tips are Stuck Together with the Seed Casing

If you’ve got leaf tips that are pinched together by a seed that didn’t fall off, like this (this plant is an eggplant, not a tomato, but you get the idea).

How to Grow Tomatoes from Seed - Save money and grow more varieties by starting your own tomato plants. Tips for soil, containers, transplanting and troubleshooting.

It is okay to gently remove the stuck seed.  Try not to tear the leaf.  This will go a little easier if the seed is moist.

How to Grow Tomatoes from Seed - Save money and grow more varieties by starting your own tomato plants. Tips for soil, containers, transplanting and troubleshooting.

As the tomatoes get larger, they can be moved into a greenhouse or cold frame – just make sure to keep them from freezing (preferably between 50-80F).

If you come into your greenhouse and find this:

tomato seedling spill

Plus an empty shelf above:

tomato seedling ledge

And muddy smeared cat footprints at the scene of the crime (because you left the door to the house open to keep the plants from freezing), try not to cry when you see this:

spilled seedlings 1

Or this:

spilled seedlings 2

Yes, the tops and bottoms of these tomatoes have been parted, never to be whole again.  Thankfully, most of the varieties killed were ones that I had in excess.

What’s the Difference Between Determinate and Indeterminate Tomatoes?

If you end up trying to determine varieties from a scrambled mess of plant material and dirt, here is a comparison of the main types of tomato foliage.  In terms of leaf shape, you have regular leaf (RL) plants and potato leaf (PL) plants.  Growth-wise, you have determinate and indeterminate.

From left to right, we have RL indeterminate, PL indeterminate, and RL determinate.

seedling comparison 1
seedling comparison 2

You can see the RL determinate plant on the left has more, smaller, branched leaves, while the PL determinate plant has fewer, larger leaves.

seedling comparison 3

Comparing indeterminate to determinate, the indeterminate on the left is taller and leggier, while the determinate plant is smaller and stockier.

seedling comparison 4

Indeterminate plants will continue to grow larger and set fruit until frost – mine commonly reach six feet or more in height.  As the end of the season approaches, you may wish to pinch off new growth to focus their energy on maturing existing fruit.  Determinate plants will grow to a more modest size (they often don’t require staking, and thus are generally preferred by commercial growers).  They set all their fruit at roughly the same time and are ready for harvest during a narrow window of time.  Most heirloom varieties are indeterminate, while most modern hybrids are determinate.

Transplanting Tomato Seedlings to Larger Pots for Stronger, Better Plants

I start my seeds in the cell packs with openings that are roughly 1 inch square.  As they grow, I transplant them into larger containers.  First, I’ll move them to two inch containers, then up to three or four inch, depending on how fast they’re growing and how long until I can get them in the garden.

Here’s a cellpack of tomatoes that’s more than ready for transplant.  You can see they’re a bit overcrowded and leggy.  You can generally transplant any time after they get their first “true” leaves (the leaves that look like tomato leaves, not the first little oblong leaves that appear).  I confess, my plants can get a little overgrown before I get to them.

crowded tomato seedlings

I have seen some gardening gurus recommend cutting off the excess seedlings in each cell at ground level with a scissors and keeping only the strongest, but I just can’t bring myself to kill healthy little plants.

Gently pry a group of seedlings out of their cell, pushing up from below as you pull from the base of the plant above.  Ease the roots apart, trying to keep as much soil as possible on the roots.

transplanting tomato seedlings

If you encounter a severely stunted plant (like in the bottom left corner of the photo below),  don’t bother trying to save it – it won’t grow.  Trust me on this.

stunted tomato seedling

Transplant seedlings as deep as possible in their new container.  This will help support the stems.  Yes, it’s okay if bottom leaves are covered.

transplanted tomato seedlings

In a few weeks, I graduate the plants to the larger pots.transplanting seedlingstransplanting seedlings 2

Hardening Off Your Tomato Seedlings

When it’s getting close to the time to plant them outside, I start hardening them off.  “Hardening off” plants is the process of gently introducing them to the outside elements to toughen them up enough to survive in the garden.  You want to take it slow, or you’ll end up killing all your little seedlings (again, trust me on this). 

I prefer to harden them off over 3-4 days, starting them out with no more than an hour or two of direct sun the first day and increasing exposure each day.  Make sure they are protected from the wind and adequately watered when you set them out.  A little extra TLC at this point goes a long way.

Planting Tomatoes in the Garden

When you plant them in the garden, I prefer deeper holes over shallow trenches (in my climate and location).  Planting deep (just leaving a few inches of leaves exposed above ground) will yield a more robust, more drought tolerant plant.  The plant will send out new roots from the buried stem. 

I add a small handful of crushed eggshells to the planting hole to help prevent blossom end rot, which is caused by inadequate calcium levels and is generally made worse by fluctuating moisture levels in the soil.  Tomatoes like rich soil, so I also add some well rotted manure or worm castings, but you don’t want to add too much (a shovel full per planting hole is enough).  Too much nitrogen will give you too many leaves and not enough tomatoes. 

I also mulch, trellis and often add a soaker hose under the mulch for watering. To get the full scoop on planting and TLC for your best tomato crop ever, visit How to Grow Lots of Tomatoes Organically, Plus Innovative Gardening Techniques.

You may also enjoy:

How to Grow Tomatoes from Seed - Save money and grow more varieties by starting your own tomato plants. Tips for soil, containers, transplanting and troubleshooting.

Originally published in 2011, updated January 2016.

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This article Grow Tomatoes from Seed – Save Money, Get More Varieties was originally posted on: common sense home

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Tuesday, 26 January 2016

“New American Dream”: Activist Plans to Survive In First Ever ‘Zero Waste Sapioponic’ Homestead

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“New American Dream”: Activist Plans to Survive In First Ever ‘Zero Waste Sapioponic’ Homestead

sapioponic-house

How would you build your off-grid piece of paradise?

There are infinite possibilities, and much depends upon budget, time and resources, but the ability to live away from society, without depending upon cities, utilities and with the least amount of burden from the State factors into the ideal vision for most preppers and patriots.

Adam Vs. The Man host Adam Kokesh has announced his own bold new project, to build a state-of-the-art, first of its kind “Sapioponic Earthship” that he hope will not only be the perfect retreat from society for he and his fiance, but also something that others will emulate and spread across the pockets of freedom still remaining throughout the American landscape.

Kokesh stated in his latest YouTube video:

“We’re setting up a homestead. This is, as far as I can tell, the new American Dream. Buy an RV, buy a piece of land and build until you’ve engineered your perfect life from the ground up and truly become the entrepreneur of your own happiness.”

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Like other off-grid homesteads, it will likely include various forms of off-grid solar power, aquaponic gardening, greenhouses, chickens, composting,  and construction based on alternative building materials like earth-bags, glass bottles, cans, old tires and straw bales.

Alma Sommer of The Homestead Guru reports:

Adam Kokesh and his fiancé Macey Tomlin, have just had their offer on 11 acres in Ashfork Arizona accepted. They plan on building the first ever Sapioponic Earthship. This is a massive project, and could take up to 9 months. They are asking for donations for supplies, including: cement, rebar, tires, bottles, and cans. As well as many 76″x34″ and 76″x46″ standard double pane PDRs as they can get. They are also open to volunteers…

[…]

The Freedom Homestead Academy in Ashfork, Arizona will offer the ability to experiment with alternative building techniques, develop and distribute new open-source technologies for homesteading…  Adam Kokesh went to the Earthship academy in Taos, NM., and now he is ready to build his own Sapioponic home.

What exactly is “sapioponic”? Basically, it is similar to aquaponics, but human waste and compost provide the breakdown nutrients to support the gardening system, while all other energy system are built to be self sustaining and extremely energy efficient – collecting rainwater and solar energy and utilizing them to the point of “zero waste.” Read more about the plans here:

The objective of building The Sapioponic House is to create a fully self sustaining off-grid home that can support 4 people. It will gather energy from the sun as its only source of electricity and rainwater as its only source of water. It will produce zero water or sewage waste of any kind except in the form of evaporation. It will primarily heat and cool itself with passive solar energy and thermal mass requiring for supplemental cooling only cooling tubes and transom windows, and for supplemental heating only the occasional fire. Rainwater collected on the roof will go to a cistern in the berm behind the house. From there it will go to the water organizing module (WOM) in the WOM hole where it will all be filtered to drinking water quality.

[…]

The waste water in the reservoir is treated like the water in an aquaponic system and is used to supply nutrients to planters that have live cultures and red worms like any aquaponic system. So what we have is a food production system that turns all solid waste into plant food. The system runs like a hydroponic system with flood and drain trays on a timer, but instead of adding artificial nutrients to a sterile system, human waste and any would compost are the inputs. It’s like an aquaponics system but with the people in place of the fish. Hence, sapioponics.

There is a diagram posted on The Homestead Guru, and it is a term that Kokesh intends to define and unveil as the project moves forward:


Click for larger, detailed image.

Kokesh – who has made Freedom! his mantra, and the title of his book – has remained a prominent voice in the alternative media and may serve as another inspiration to those wishing to buck the system and set out on their own.

As noted above, the Earthship Biotecture Academy in Taos, NM inspired Kokesh’s work – which is continuing through the The Freedom Homestead Academy in Ashfork, Arizona – and can provide ideas, inspiration and blueprints for others wishing to endeavor in their own homesteads. Many similar organizations exist throughout the country.

For those interested in Adam’s project, stay tuned to his channel and website.

Every bit of decentralization and self-reliance weakens the power of the state, and builds up the possibility that the republic and the American Dream might someday flourish again.

Further, these homesteads will be among the best suited for a grid-down scenario, a collapse of cities and ensuing civil unrest and even martial law scenarios – where forces will clamp down on urban inhabitants first.

With the right focus on prepping, it could also be one of the best ways to survive, well, just about anything. But there are also many challenges and potential pitfalls, so an enormous amount of forethought, hard work, preparation and planning are essential.

What features would be most critical in your homestead?

Read more:

Worst Mistakes To Avoid When Going Off Grid: “We Wish We’d Known”

Adam Kokesh: Living Free Without Permission: “Building Without a Permit, Driving Without a License”

The Realities Of Choosing Your Survival Retreat Location

Long-Term Security, Perimeter Defense and Lethal Tactics

Regulated out of Existence: Off-Gridders Forced back on the Grid, Camping on own land Illegal

Why a Prepper Homestead Isn’t a Good Plan for Survival: “Raising Your Own Food Takes Time”

This article “New American Dream”: Activist Plans to Survive In First Ever ‘Zero Waste Sapioponic’ Homestead was originally posted on: shtf plan

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Homemade Baked Beans

Homemade Baked Beans Find more on: http://ift.tt/1Qfw8v0

Homemade Baked Beans

Our favorite homemade baked bean recipe is economical and delicious. It combines savory bacon and sweet molasses, slow cooked to perfection.
My youngest loves homemade baked beans and cornbread, possibly even more than he loves sloppy Joes.  He’ll eat them for three meals a day if I let him.  I like this recipe because of the earthy molasses, bacon (can’t go wrong with bacon) onions and garlic (don’t skimp on the onions, and use fresh garlic if you can).  It’s a simple recipe but really tasty.

Homemade Baked Beans

Ingredients

1 lb. dried pinto or navy beans
½ lb. bacon (about 12 slices)
1 large onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons molasses
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Place dried beans in a large bowl and add enough water to cover by 2-3 inches (about 8 cups). Let the beans soak overnight.  (I put them in my 8 qt stockpot). Often I’ll use a mix of dried beans from the garden for a blend of different textures.

Our favorite homemade baked beans recipe is economical and delicious. It combines savory bacon and sweet molasses, slow cooked to perfection.

Drain and rinse the beans. Simmer beans in a heavy bottomed stockpot or Dutch oven with 8 cups of water and 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar until tender, about 1 to 2 hours (longer is fine, especially if your beans are older).  Don’t boil, as this may make your beans tougher.

Drain and set aside, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Using a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp, 7 or 8 minutes. Add the beans and all other remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture is too thick.

Note:  If I’ve got the beans already in one pot on top of the stove, I’ll cook the bacon and onions separately and then add them and everything else to the bean pot.

Transfer pot to oven. Bake uncovered for 2-3 hours (or to desired thickness) until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Homemade Baked Beans

2015-06-10 14:20:06

Serves 6

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310 calories

55 g

14 g

6 g

12 g

2 g

206 g

1487 g

34 g

0 g

3 g

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size

206g

Servings

6

Amount Per Serving

Calories 310

Calories from Fat 50

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 6g

9%

Saturated Fat 2g

9%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 14mg

5%

Sodium 1487mg

62%

Total Carbohydrates 55g

18%

Dietary Fiber 5g

19%

Sugars 34g

Protein 12g

Vitamin A

8%

Vitamin C

15%

Calcium

10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Ingredients

  1. 1 lb. dried pinto or navy beans
  2. ½ lb. bacon (about 12 slices)
  3. 1 large onion, finely diced
  4. 3 tablespoons molasses
  5. ½ cup brown sugar
  6. 1 cup ketchup
  7. 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  8. ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  9. 1 teaspoon salt
  10. 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
  11. 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Place dried beans in a large bowl and add enough water to cover by 2-3 inches (about 8 cups).
  2. Let the beans soak overnight. (I put them in my 8 qt stockpot).
  3. Drain and rinse the beans.
  4. Simmer beans in a heavy bottomed stockpot or Dutch oven with 8 cups of water and 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar until tender, about 1 to 2 hours (longer is fine, especially if your beans are older). Don't boil, as this may make your beans tougher.
  5. Drain and set aside, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid.
  6. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  7. Using a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp, 7 or 8 minutes.
  8. Add the beans and all other remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.
  9. Add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture is too thick.
  10. (Note - If I've got the beans already in one pot on top of the stove, I'll cook the bacon and onions separately and then add them and everything else to the bean pot.)
  11. Transfer pot to oven.
  12. Bake uncovered for 2-3 hours (or to desired thickness) until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally.

beta

calories

310

protein

12g

more

Common Sense Homesteading http://ift.tt/1zQyHsW

We’ve got a bake oven in the top of our masonry stove, so during the heating season I bake the beans in there in aR & M Bean Pot – 4½ qt stoneware pot.  It gives them extra smokey goodness.  When it’s not heating season, I bake them in the regular stove in my Food Network 5-qt. Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Dutch OvenFood Network 5 Qt Dutch oven.  I tried a thinner enameled pot, but a thicker pot works better because there is less risk of scorching.  I like to cook them until they’re nice and mushy, but they don’t look as pretty in the photos.
Masonry stove

Our masonry stove. The bake oven is that smaller door toward the top of the stove. The lower door is the main fire box.

baked beans in oven

baked beans in a stoneware pot

I hope you and your family enjoy a little beans and corn bread, too.

Homemade Baked Beans

2015-04-18 08:41:44

Yields 6

Mouth watering baked beans slow cooked with bacon and molasses.

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Print

310 calories

55 g

14 g

6 g

12 g

2 g

206 g

1487 g

34 g

0 g

3 g

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size

206g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 310

Calories from Fat 50

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 6g

9%

Saturated Fat 2g

9%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 14mg

5%

Sodium 1487mg

62%

Total Carbohydrates 55g

18%

Dietary Fiber 5g

19%

Sugars 34g

Protein 12g

Vitamin A

8%

Vitamin C

15%

Calcium

10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Ingredients

  1. 1 lb. dried pinto or navy beans
  2. ½ lb. bacon (about 12 slices)
  3. 1 large onion, finely diced
  4. 3 tablespoons molasses
  5. ½ cup brown sugar
  6. 1 cup ketchup
  7. 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  8. ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  9. 1 teaspoon salt
  10. 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
  11. 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Place dried beans in a large bowl and add enough water to cover by 2-3 inches (about 8 cups). Let the beans soak overnight. (I put them in my 8 qt stockpot).
  2. Drain and rinse the beans. Simmer beans in a heavy bottomed stockpot or Dutch oven with 8 cups of water and 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar until tender, about 1 to 2 hours (longer is fine, especially if your beans are older). Don’t boil, as this may make your beans tougher.
  3. Drain and set aside, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid.
  4. Preheat oven to 350° F. Using a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp, 7 or 8 minutes. Add the beans and all other remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture is too thick.
  5. Note: If I’ve got the beans already in one pot on top of the stove, I’ll cook the bacon and onions separately and then add them and everything else to the bean pot.
  6. Transfer pot to oven. Bake uncovered for 2-3 hours (or to desired thickness) until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally.

beta

calories

310

protein

12g

more

Common Sense Homesteading http://ift.tt/1zQyHsW

Our favorite homemade baked bean recipe is economical and delicious. It combines savory bacon and sweet molasses, slow cooked to perfection.

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Originally publish in 2012, updated January 2016.

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This article Homemade Baked Beans was originally posted on: common sense home

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12 Unexpected DIY Flooring Alternatives

12 Unexpected DIY Flooring Alternatives is republished from http://ift.tt/1nr27gs

12 Unexpected DIY Flooring Alternatives

1floor-ideas

Would you like to give your home a funky and youthful look? You can start with replacing the flooring and creating some really cool patterns using unconventional materials. Have you ever thought about recycling bottle caps and creating a colorful flooring out of them? If not, then these next ideas will convince you that even the craziest ideas can be put into practice and turned into amazing design tricks. Another totally unexpected but nice design tip, is to create a rustic floor out of horizontal wood cuts, such as oak or maple. You can also add small branches to fill the gaps and create a very natural and traditional flooring. For more amazing DIY flooring ideas, check out this next link and tell us which one is your favorite!

1. Bottle Cap Mosaic

Bottle-Cap-Mosaic

2. How To Make A Beautiful Floor With A Few Pennies Sq.Ft

Copper-Penny-Floor more details here…

3. Vinyl record floor

DIY-Flooring

4. DIY Paper Bag Floor

DIY-Paper-Bag-Floor more details here…

5. Impressive Flooring Pieces Inspired from “Reptiles”

Flooring-Pieces-Reptiles more details here…

6. A pantry floor made out of pieces of various types of pre-cut 1x wood

hardwood_floor_pallet more details here…


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This article 12 Unexpected DIY Flooring Alternatives was originally posted on: goods home design

Learn More Here: 12 Unexpected DIY Flooring Alternatives