Make A Composting Toilet

I think this is so interesting. I love the idea of water conservation.

 


  This is a video of a better built compost toilet

Amazing Organic Weed Killer Spray.

Credit to:  http://homesteadsurvival.blogspot.com/2012/07/amazing-weed-killer-spray-recipe.html

1/2 gallon of Apple Cider Vinegar1/4 c table salt
1/2 tsp Dawn liquid dish soap
Mix and pour into a spray bottle

Spray weeds thoroughly.It makes 1 1/2 gallons for around $6.40
It worked better than Round Up & killed the weeds on first application. Safe to use a yard used by pets.

photo credit

Another option is to pour a pot of boiling hot water on weeds in gravel, driveways and sidewalks.
Basically anywhere your not worried about killing surrounding grass and plants.


Have a wonderful day taming those weeds.

If you know of another test method or recipe, please email us at Homesteadsurvival@hotmail.com  and I will add it to this post.

We are learning together... we are both teachers and students.
I have learned so much from HS's readers.... Thank you so much. 

Ten Reasons to Become Self-Sufficient and Ten Ways to Get There

Credit to  :http://www.activistpost.com/2010/08/ten-reasons-to-become-self-sufficient.html

By Michael Edwards and Jeffrey Green

We are now three to five generations removed from the rural backbone that strengthened America.  The world at large has undergone a similar transformation as the promise of easier work has created a migration to big cities.  These mega-cities could be seen as an experiment gone awry, as general well-being has declined, with suicide rates increasing across the world.  Crowded conditions and economic strife have led to rampant crime, pollution, corporate malfeasance, and a dog-eat-dog type of competition that can be described as a temporary insanity.

The economic crisis we are living through has been the final straw for many people, as promises of a better, easier, and more creative life seem to have been sold to us by carnival-style tricksters who are laughing all the way to (their) bank.

Here are the top reasons for becoming self-sufficient; these are based on fundamental, systemic concerns for why undertaking this life change will not be a fly-by-night fad, but rather a long-lasting means for personal independence.

10 Reasons to Become Self-Sufficient

1. Freedom from market manipulation – The traditional market-driven investment vehicles are more and more obviously controlled by traders and banking institutions.  The debacle of the private Federal Reserve Bank is just the icing on the cake to a previous decade full of Ponzi-type schemes.  Now, the institutionalized looting of retirement money is being planned.
2. Hedging against inflation – Have you noticed the price of goods lately?  Even Wal-Mart is silently raising its prices.  People might have a choice whether or not to buy stocks or gold, but people have to eat — the current increases in basic goods portend hyperinflation, and will not ease anytime soon.  Food shortages could make the problem exponentially worse.
3. 3. Increasing health and wellness – It has now been revealed that some “organic” items have been falsely labeled.  In addition, a host of “GMO-free” brands have been exposed as deceptive.  GMOfood lacks the nutritional value of what can be grown in the average backyard.  GMO mega-corporation, Monsanto, has a sordid history and has continuously trampled on our trust.  It is time that we do the work ourselves.
4. Building community strength – We constantly hear people say, “I don’t even see my neighbors, let alone know anything about them.”  Of course not:  80-hour workweeks and grabbing meals-to-go doesn’t exactly promote community interaction.  With such little time to interact with our immediate community, it is no wonder why many people report feeling disconnected.   In these trying times, it is a local community that can offer the best support.
5. Working for yourself – Working hours are increasing, pay is often decreasing, and corporate executives are taking bigger bonuses than ever.  This is leading to a prevailing disgust, as people are being forced to admit that they are living lives of near-indentured servitude.  Even for those not working in corporations, working for someone else is rarely as satisfying as creating and working for something where every minute you spend is yours alone.
6. Having more free time – We have been taught to believe that life on a farm is arduous sun-up to sun-down drudgery where you collapse at the end of the day.  This is not so much the case anymore.  Sure, the setup of any farm or self-sufficient endeavor is often time-consuming and laborious, but new technologies and new skills of manufacturing food via permaculture and aquaponics are offering low-cost start up and minimal maintenance, as these techniques serve to create symbiotic systems that are remarkably self-governing.
7. Generating food and energy security – The planet is running out of food and traditional energy. Climate volatility, market forces, GM foods, and rising costs of harvesting and transporting food are all conspiring to create food shortages even in the First World.  This trend will not reverse.  And our oil-soaked way of life is being threatened by mounting evidence that the oil lifeline could be disconnecting rather soon.  We should be looking to the air, sun, geothermal, and wave power to wean us from the energy grid.
8. Acquiring an appreciation for life – As one gets closer to life-giving forces, there is a natural appreciation for how things come into being.  When you have created your garden, toiled there, selected the best for harvest, and have prepared that food for your family and community, the significance of what you have taken part in can be transformative.
9. Restoring balance – Nearly everything in our society is at a peak, or is drastically out of balance.  The systems and governments to which we have looked for balance restoration are missing in action.  We must take it upon ourselves to restore our own financial and environmental balance sheet.  The best way to do that is to reduce our overconsumption.
10. Becoming a producer, not a consumer – This is the best way to reduce your cost of living and increase your self-sufficiency.  In the U.S. over 70% of the economy is based on people buying things. This is a clear sign of imbalance and, by extension, it is not sustainable.  Furthermore, we also have seen corporations race to the bottom to find low-cost production on the backs of desperate people.  The exploitation of the Third World to clothe, feed, and entertain the First World is something that most people do not want to think about, but it is abominable. Again, new technologies are making it easier than ever to produce your own food, and even your own clothes.

As the cliche goes: Freedom is never free.  But it sure beats the alternative.

10 Ways to Get to Self-Sufficiency

The global economic collapse has become an eye-opening experience for many people. The ongoing crisis continues to create more joblessness at a time when the cost of essential items like food and energy continue to rise.

Inflation is only expected to continue due to excessive printing of money to compensate for the bursting economic bubbles, which were arguably created by printing too much money with artificially low interest rates in the first place.

The 2008 price shocks in oil followed by the financial collapse have led many people to begin taking measures to become more self-sufficient.  And recently the ominous signs of food shortages, the weakening dollar, and the rising price of oil all point to a similar atmosphere as 2008.  Some have taken steps to conserve electricity, reduce spending and consumption, while others are planting kitchen gardens and installing solarpanels on their homes.  Even living off the grid is becoming a mainstream concept for those seeking independence.

Indeed, becoming more self-sufficient is proving to make common sense whether one anticipates more hardship to come or not. Sure, many of us would love to live completely off the grid without giving up everyday comforts, but this is not practical for most of us.  However, there are many steps that can be taken to move towards self-sufficiency which can be relatively painless and quite rewarding.

The following are 10 suggestions that can lead to independent living:

1. Reduce your debt: Especially get your credit card debt under control, since it is entirely corrupt.  Call your credit card companies and ask for a work out plan similar to what they received from the taxpayer bailout.  If they don’t cooperate to your satisfaction, there are some reasons not to pay at all.
2. Reduce your consumption: Evaluate your current budget and determine absolute necessity. Push your comfort level to find areas where you can scale back, and then identify comforts that you’re willing to sacrifice.
3. Reduce energy use: Change light bulbs, have entertainment systems plugged into a splitter that can be shut off completely to reduce phantom charges, etc. Carefully plan shopping trips and other transportation needs.
4. Store energy: Always have back-up propane storage and a large wood pile for a rainy day. Investing in a generator of some kind (even a solar generator) will be money well spent.
5. Invest in food storage: With a falling dollar and rising food prices, why not create a food savings account?  Get some good books, dehydrators and vacuum sealers for storage methods. Best storable food items are grains (rice, beans, flour), canned goods, seeds, and some prepackaged items.
6. Produce your own food: Replace your lawn with a garden, fruit trees, and keep chickens. Go on hunting and gathering adventures for nuts, fish, and wild game.  Store extra garden seeds!
7. Learn new skills: Surf the Internet, read books, and take courses in practical skills like gardening, cooking with whole foods, composting, carpentry, alternative energy, natural health and wellness etc.
8. Start a side business: Turn your passion or hobby into a small side business to make some supplemental income.  Who knows, it may become your path to full financial independence.
9. Install alternative energy: Start with small installations like a solar hot water system, a solar freezer, a solar attic fan, or a wood stove etc. If you have limited funds, tip-toe your way to independence.
10. Suggest solutions for your community: Start or join a local cooperative for food, products, and services.  Engage your local community in discussions to take steps for self-sufficiency. Share your story and build support.

These steps will save money as we move closer to the ultimate prize of independence.  Each action we take to live more simply frees us from the control systems put in place to make our lives more complicated, more toxic, and less independent.

What does it take to make you happy? How much do you have to have to be grateful?

To the barefoot man, happiness is a pair of shoes. To the man with old shoes, it’s a pair of new shoes. To the man with new shoes, it’s more stylish shoes. And of course, the fellow with no feet — he’d be happy to be barefoot.

This leads to the ancient insight: if you want to be happy, count your blessings, not your burdens. Measure your life by what you have, not by what you don’t. And in our modern world where we are continually exposed to endless increments of more and better — people with more money, better TVs, and bigger houses — this is very difficult. For some people, the pleasure of having something good is drained as soon as they see that someone else has something better. And so, our sense of contentment is created or destroyed by comparisons.

A life consumed by unfulfilled wants is an affliction. The antidote is the concept of enough. This starts by thinking more clearly about the difference between our needs and our wants, between sufficiency and abundance. Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with wanting more and striving to fill our lives with things and experiences that give us pleasure, so long as we don’t start believing that we need whatever we want. When we think we need what we want, we make the satisfaction of our wants preconditions to happiness, thereby limiting our ability to appreciate and enjoy what we do have. It’s easy to think that happiness is achieved by getting what we want when it is really a matter of wanting what we get.

So in the end, enough is enough.
~ Michael Josephson

Make Your Own Dr. Bronner's Laundry Soap

Credit to:  http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/make-your-own-dr-bronners-laun-138151

Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap claims 18 cleaning uses in one bottle. One of those is laundry soap. Want to know how to make your own using only a cup of Dr. Bronner's per 64 loads? Check it out:
This makes a full gallon of laundry soap, which will last 64 loads. Here's what you need:
DR. BRONNER'S HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP

• 1 cup Dr. Bronner's pure castile liquid soap

• 1 cup baking soda

• 2 cups water

• 1/3 cup salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Warm the water and mix with salt and baking soda until dissolved. Pour into a one-gallon container. Add the Dr. Bronner's and fill the remainder of the gallon jar with water. Use 1/4 cup of laundry soap per load.
This laundry soap doesn't create suds, but it doesn't need to in order to get your laundry clean.

•*¨*••*¨*•.¸¸❤¸¸.•*¨*❤*¨*•.¸¸❤¸¸.•*¨*••*¨*•

How to Make Liquid Compost

Credit to: http://www.ehow.com/how_4883170_make-liquid-compost.html 

By Nannette Richford, eHow Contributor


If you are in the habit of throwing your kitchen waste down the garbage disposal, you are wasting valuable nutrients that would make your flowers and vegetables thrive. Perhaps you do not have the time or space needed to build a compost bin, but that should not stop you. With a little effort, you can make liquid compost from those fruit vegetable scraps.



Instructions

• Save fruit and vegetable peels, eggshells, coffee grounds and any other organic matter in a small bucket or a large bowl. Avoid meats, fish, dairy or other fatty foods. Add leftover cooked vegetables, as long as they do not contain heavy seasoning or fatty sauces.

• Place the scraps in the blender. Add any leftover water from cooking or add a little water to make blending easier.

• 
  Blend on high speed until the scraps are pureed. Add enough water to create a pourable mixture.

• Pour into a bucket or pitcher. Add 2 tablespoons of ammonia and 1/2 teaspoon of Epsom salts per quart. Mix well. Apply to the soil around outside plants. This will provide a quick source of nutrients to your plants.

Tips & Warnings


Make a habit of blending the scraps on a daily basis. Make liquid compost when you clean out the refrigerator by blending all left over fruits and vegetables.

Plants by Type: herb

All Credit To: http://www.almanac.com/plants/type/herb

We've chosen North America's most popular garden plants and provided "how to" gardening information to help you prepare, plant, and care for them.

For each plant, we've identified the hardiness zone, sun exposure, soil type, soil pH, pests and problems, harvest tips, recommended varieties, and special features. You'll also find recipes, free e-cards, and a dose of wit & wisdom. Just click on an image below to view that plant's growing guide.

Or, click the links below to browse by plant type:

Vegetables | Fruit | Herbs | Flowers | Shrubs | Houseplants

Basil	Chives	Coriander and Cilantro
Dill	Mint	Oregano
Parsley	Rosemary	Sage
Tarragon	Thyme

How to purify water ~ Just in case....

Boil water at a rolling boil for 10 minutes. A pinch of salt added to each quart of water improves taste. You can also purify water with two chemicals: chlorine bleach and iodine.

Chlorine bleach (unscented) such as Clorox or Purex. Check the label to be sure that hypochlorite is the only active ingredient. Do not use bleach that contains soap.

Use the following amounts:

• 1% chlorine - Add 40 drops of bleach/ gallon of water
• 4 to 6% chlorine - Add 8 drops of bleach/gallon of water
• 7 to 10% chlorine - Add 4 drops of bleach /gallon of water

Mix bleach into the water and let stand for 30 minutes. Water should have a slight chlorine odor. If it doesn't, repeat the process and let the water stand for an additional 15 minutes.

Iodine. Iodine from your medicine chest can also be used to purify water. The iodine should be 2/United States Pharmocopeia(U.S.A.) Strength. Add 20 drops/gallon of clear water, and 40 drops/gallon of cloudy water.

Water purification tablets are available at drugstores. Follow manufacturer's directions.

- Disaster Preparedness Home Page -

Why Gardening Makes You Happy and Cures Depression

With thanks to:  http://permaculture.com.au/online/articles/why-gardening-makes-you-happy-and-cures-depression



Written by Robyn Francis



Robyn Francis

While mental health experts warn about depression as a global epidemic, other researchers are discovering ways we trigger our natural production of happy chemicals that keep depression at bay, with surprising results. All you need to do is get your fingers dirty and harvest your own food.

In recent years I’ve come across two completely independent bits of research that identified key environmental triggers for two important chemicals that boost our immune system and keep us happy - serotonin and dopamine. What fascinated me as a permaculturist and gardener were that the environmental triggers happen in the garden when you handle the soil and harvest your crops.

Getting down and dirty is the best ‘upper’ – Serotonin

Getting your hands dirty in the garden can increase your serotonin levels – contact with soil and a specific soil bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae, triggers the release of serotonin in our brain according to research. Serotonin is a happy chemical, a natural anti-depressant and strengthens the immune system. Lack of serotonin in the brain causes depression.

Ironically, in the face of our hyper-hygienic, germicidal, protective clothing, obsessive health-and-safety society, there's been a lot of interesting research emerging in recent years regarding how good dirt is for us, and dirt-deficiency in childhood is implicated in contributing to quite a spectrum of illnesses including allergies, asthma and mental disorders.

At least now I have a new insight into why I compulsively garden without gloves and have always loved the feeling of getting my bare hands into the dirt and compost heap.


Harvest 'High' - Dopamine

Another interesting bit of research relates to the release of dopamine in the brain when we harvest products from the garden. The researchers hypothesise that this response evolved over nearly 200,000 years of hunter gathering, that when food was found (gathered or hunted) a flush of dopamine released in the reward centre of brain triggered a state of bliss or mild euphoria. The dopamine release can be triggered by sight (seeing a fruit or berry) and smell as well as by the action of actually plucking the fruit.

The contemporary transference of this brain function and dopamine high has now been recognised as the biological process at play in consumers addiction or compulsive shopping disorder. Of course the big retail corporations are using the findings to increase sales by provoking dopamine triggers in their environments and advertising.

I have often remarked on the great joy I feel when I forage in the garden, especially when I discover and harvest the ‘first of the season’, the first luscious strawberry to ripen or emergence of the first tender asparagus shoot. (and yes, the photo is my hand plucking a deliciously sweet strawberry in my garden) I have also often wondered why I had a degree of inherent immunity to the retail-therapy urges that afflict some of my friends and acquaintances. Maybe as a long-term gardener I’ve been getting a constant base-load dopamine high which has reduced the need to seek other ways to appease this primal instinct. Though, I must admit with the benefit of hindsight, I now have another perspective on my occasional ‘shopping sprees’ at local markets buying plants for the garden.

Of course dopamine responses are triggered by many other things and is linked with addictive and impulsive behaviour. I suppose the trick is to rewire our brains to crave the dopamine hit from the garden and other more sustainable pursuits and activities. As a comment on PlanetDrum stated, “all addiction pathways are the same no matter what the chemical. As long as you feel rewarded you reinforce the behavior to get the reward.”

So in other words it all comes down to the fact that we can’t change our craving nature but we CAN change the nature of what we crave.

Strengthening the Case for Organic
Glyphosate residues deplete your Serotonin and Dopamine levels

Of course, for all of the above to work effectively and maintain those happy levels of serotonin and dopamine, there’s another prerequisite according to another interesting bit of research I found. It appears it will all work much better with organic soil and crops that haven’t been contaminated with Roundup or Glyphosate-based herbicides. This proviso also extends to what you eat, so ideally you’ll avoid consuming non-organic foods that have been grown in farmland using glyphosates.

A recent study in 2008 discovered that glyphosate, the active ingredient of Roundup, depletes serotonin and dopamine levels in mammals. Contrary to Monsanto claims, glyphosate and other Roundup ingredients do perpetuate in the environment, in soil, water, plants and in the cells and organs of animals. One study found glyphosate residues in cotton fabric made from Roundup-ready GM cotton can absorb into the skin and into our nervous and circulatory systems.

No wonder there’s so much depression around, and stress, and all the addictions and compulsive disorders in the pursuit of feeling good. I think back on when I moved to Sydney in 1984 for a few years and was contacting community centres in the inner west to see if there was interest in permaculture or gardening classes. A very terse social worker snapped at me “listen dear, we don’t need gardening classes, we need stress therapy classes”, and promptly hung up on me with a resounding “Huh!” when I replied that gardening was the best stress therapy I knew.

So enjoy the garden, fresh organic food and make sure you have fun playing in the dirt on a regular basis.

Robyn Francis 2010

Robyn Francis is an international permaculture designer, educator, writer and pioneer based at Djanbung Gardens, Nimbin Northern NSW. She is principal of Permaculture College Australia.

Here’s some interesting sites and extracts for further info and reading

Glyphosate Report PDF

fhrfarms1.com/docs/.../Gly%20monograph%20PANAP%204-10.pdf An in-depth and comprehensive report of independent research on impacts and effects of Glyphosate and Roundup published by Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific, Nov 2009

Soil Bacteria Work In Similar Way To Antidepressants

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/66840.php

UK scientists suggest that a type of friendly bacteria found in soil may affect the brain in a similar way to antidepressants. Their findings are published in the early online edition of the journal Neuroscience.

Soil bacteria can boost immune system

Harmless bug works as well as antidepressant drugs, study suggests

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18082129/

EXTRACT: Exposure to friendly soil bacteria could improve mood by boosting the immune system just as effectively as antidepressant drugs, a new study suggests.

The researchers suspect, however, that the microbes are affecting the brain indirectly by causing immune cells to release chemicals called cytokines. “We know that some of these cytokines can activate the nerves that relay signals from the body to the brain,” Lowry said in a telephone interview.

The stimulated nerves cause certain neurons in the brain to release a chemical called serotonin into the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain known to be involved in mood regulation, among other things.

Scientists think the lack of serotonin in the brain is thought to cause depression in people.

Previous studies have linked early childhood exposure to bacteria to protection against allergies and asthma in adulthood. The new finding take this idea, called the “hygiene hypothesis,” a step further, and suggests bacteria-exposure not only boosts our immune systems, but alters our vulnerability to conditions such as depression as well.

“These studies help us understand how the body communicates with the brain and why a healthy immune system is important for maintaining mental health,” Lowry said. “They also leave us wondering if we shouldn’t all be spending more time playing in the dirt.”

“Selfish behaviors are reward driven and innate, wired deeply into the survival mechanisms of the primitive brain, and when consistently reinforced, they will run away to greed, with its associated craving for money, food, or power. On the other hand, the self restraint and the empathy for others that are so important in fostering physical and mental health are learned behaviors – largely functions of the new human cortex and thus culturally dependent. These social behaviors are fragile and learned by imitations much as we learn language". Dr. Peter Whybrow - "American Mania"

Some interesting insights and food for thought…

Status and Curiosity – On the Origins of Oil Addiction by Nate Hagens

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4240

The various layers and mechanisms of our brain were built on top of each other, via millions and millions of iterations, keeping intact what 'worked' and adding on what changes and mutations helped the pre-human, pre-mammal organism incrementally advance. … We are, all of us, descended from the best of the best at surviving and procreating, which in the environment of privation and danger where we endured the most 'iterations' of our evolution, meant acquiring necessary resources, achieving status, and possessing brains finely tuned to natural dangers and opportunities. In our modern environment, it is the combination of pursuit of social status and the plethora of fun, exciting/novel activities that underlies our large appetite for oil.

research tells us that drugs of abuse activate the brain’s mesolimbic dopamine reward system, the neural network that regulates our ability to feel pleasure and be motivated for “more”. When we have a great experience… our brain experiences a surge in the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine. We feel positively charged, warm, ‘in the zone’ and happy. After a while, the dopamine gets flushed out of our system and returns to it's baseline level. We go about our lives, looking forward to the next pleasurable experience.


Hagens also muses that “There is anecdotal evidence that the typical american diet high in processed starches and sugar robs us of our baseline serotonin - the zen master of brain neurotransmitters. Lack of serotonin makes us more susceptible to cravings/behavioural changes and throws the reward machinery out of whack. Food we buy/eat is available at stores and restaurants because a)it is profitable b)it is convenient and c)it tastes good. I suspect that future changes in diet towards more vegetables and less processed food might improve our collective addictions/impulsivity.

The difference between open-pollinated, heirloom, and hybrid seeds

ALL CREDIT TO:  http://blog.seedsavers.org/open-pollinated-heirloom-and-hybrid-seeds/

The difference b

Deciding which seed to plant can be a daunting task, and the decision is often more complicated than simply trying to pick which beautiful tomatoes to grow. Among the more important decisions every gardener makes is the choice between open-pollinated, hybrid, and heirloom seed varieties. Each of these seed types has something to offer, depending on the gardener’s needs, interests, and values.

For seed-saving purposes, the most significant distinction among these types is that gardeners can save true-to-type seed from open-pollinated and heirloom varieties, but not hybrids. Here are a few more distinctions that might help you decide what to grow this season:

• Open-pollination is when pollination occurs by insect, bird, wind, humans, or other natural mechanisms. Because there are no restrictions on the flow of pollen between individuals, open-pollinated plants are more genetically diverse. This can cause a greater amount of variation within plant populations, which allows plants to slowly adapt to local growing conditions and climate year-to-year. As long as pollen is not shared between different varieties within the same species, then the seed produced will remain true-to-type year after year.

• An heirloom variety is a plant variety that has a history of being passed down within a family or community, similar to the generational sharing of heirloom jewelry or furniture. An heirloom variety must be open-pollinated, but not all open-pollinated plants are heirlooms. While some companies create heirloom labels based on dates (such as a variety that is more than 50 years old), Seed Savers Exchange identifies heirlooms by verifying and documenting the generational history of preserving and passing on the seed.

• Hybridization is a controlled method of pollination in which the pollen of two different species or varieties is crossed by human intervention. Hybridization can occur naturally through random crosses, but commercially available hybridized seed, often labeled as F1, is deliberately created to breed a desired trait. The first generation of a hybridized plant cross also tends to grow better and produce higher yields than the parent varieties due to a phenomenon called ‘hybrid vigor’. However, any seed produced by F1 plants is genetically unstable and cannot be saved for use in following years. Not only will the plants not be true-to-type, but they will be considerably less vigorous. Gardeners who use hybrid plant varieties must purchase new seed every year. Hybrid seeds can be stabilized, becoming open-pollinated varieties, by growing, selecting, and saving the seed over many years.

So what’s it going to be—hybrid, open-pollinated, or heirloom varieties? While hybrids have their benefits, choosing open-pollinated varieties conserves the genetic diversity of garden vegetables and prevents the loss of unique varieties in the face of dwindling agricultural biodiversity. Furthermore, focusing on heirloom varieties creates a historical connection to gardening and food production, building a more sustainable future by carrying on our garden heritage. By choosing open-pollinated and heirloom varieties, you have the ability to help conserve biodiversity and to contribute to the stories behind our seeds.

Learn more about seed saving and SSE’s collection of heirloom vegetable seeds for sale in the Seed Savers Exchange Online catalog.

30 Most Popular Herbs for Natural Medicine

Source Site:  http://ybertaud9.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/30-most-popular-herbs-for-natural-medicine/




“the fruit of it shall be for eating and leaf of it for healing…” (Ezekiel 47:12)

Herbs are a wondrous thing. They not only assist in flavoring dishes and filling the air with delightful aromas, but they also hold medicinal properties that promote healing. Those of you who have herbal gardens of your own, no doubt have a few of these herbal friends already planted. Many of the plants listed below are also listed in my Top 10 Medicinal Herbs that should be in every garden. However, it seems that there are a few more worth mentioning.

Our Herbal Friends

1. Aloe Vera – Antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral, wound and burn healer, natural laxative, soothes stomach, helps skin disorders.
2. Basil – Powerful antispasmodic, antiviral, anti-infectious, antibacterial, soothes stomach.
3. Black Cohosh – Relieves menopausal hot flashes, relieves menstrual cramps, helps circulatory and cardiovascular disorders, lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol, useful for nervousness and stress. Note: Do not use during pregnancy.
4. Black Walnut – Good for eliminating parasites, good for fungal infections, good for warts and poison ivy, aids digestion.
5. Cinnamon – It has been proven that 99.9% of viruses and bacteria can not live in the presence of cinnamon. So it makes a great antibacterial and antiviral weapon.
6. Cayenne- Catalyst for other herbs, useful for arthritis and rheumatism (topically and internally), good for colds, flu viruses, sinus infection and sore throat, useful for headache and fever, aids organs (kidneys, heart, lungs, pancreas, spleen and stomach, increase thermogenesis for weight loss.
7. Clove Bud – Improves the immune system, they are also an antioxidant and doubles as an antibacterial and antimicrobial fighter.
8. Cypress – The therapeutic properties of cypress oil are astringent, antiseptic, antispasmodic, deodorant, diuretic, haemostatic, hepatic, styptic, sudorific, vasoconstrictor, respiratory tonic and sedative.
9. Dandelion – Helpful for PMS, good for menopause, increases ovarian hormones.
10. Echinacea (coneflower) – Boosts white blood cell production, immune system support, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, good for colds, flu and infection. Note: Use no more than two weeks at a time. Do not use if you are allergic to sunflowers or related species.
11. Eucalyptus – Anti-infectious, antibacterial and antiviral.
12. Garlic – Helps fight infection, detoxifies the body, enhances immunity, lowers blood fats, assists yeast infections, helps asthma, cancer, sinusitis, circulatory problems and heart conditions.
13. German Chamomile – Helps stress, anxiety and insomnia, good for indigestion, useful for colitis and most digestive problems, effective blood cleanser and helps increase liver function and supports the pancreas. Improves bile flow from the liver, it is good for healing of the skin that might come from a blistering chemical agent.
14. Geranium – Dilates bile ducts for liver detoxification, antispasmodic, stops bleeding, anti-infectious, antibacterial.
15. Ginger – Helps nausea, motion sickness and vomiting, useful for circulatory problems, good for indigestion, and is also an effective antioxidant.
16. Lavender – Assists with burns, antiseptic, used as a stress reliever, good for depression, aids skin health and beauty.
17. Lemon – Is known for its antiseptic properties, Essential Science Publishing says that: According to Jean Valnet, M.D. the vaporized essence of lemon can kill meningococcal bacteria in 15 minutes, typhoid bacilli in one hour, Staphylococcus aureus in two hours andPneumococcus bacteria within three hours. Lemon also improves micro-circulation, promotes white blood cell formation, and improves immune function.
18. Marjoram – Anti-infectious, antibacterial, dilates blood vessels, regulates blood pressure, soothes muscles.
19. Marshmallow – Aids bladder infections, diuretic (helps fluid retention), helps kidney problems, soothes coughs, sore throats, indigestion, and as a topical agent it is said to be anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and wound-healing.
20. Melissa – Assists in issues with the nervous system, blisters, and has antimicrobial properties.
21. Mullein – Can be used as a laxative, good for asthma and bronchitis, useful for difficulty breathing, helps hay fever.
22. Myrrh – Anti-infectious, antiviral, soothes skin conditions and supports immune system. Also an antispasmodic that helps to reduce spasming due to spasms caused by nerve agents.
23. Oregano – is a powerful antibiotic and has been proven to be more effective in neutralizing germs than some chemical antibiotics. It has been effective against germs  like Staphylococcus aureas, Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica and Pseudomonasaeruginosa.
24. Pine – Antidiabetic, cortisone-like, severe infections, hypertensive
25. Rosemary – Antiseptic, Antibacterial, Cleansing and detoxes the body. Supports the liver and combats cirrhosis.
26. Rosewood – Anti-infectious, antibacterial, and antiviral.
27. Sage – Used in anxiety, nervous disorders, as astringent, in abdominal disorders, anti inflammatory.
28. Spearmint – To calm the Nervous System, aide with Nerve Agents.
29. Tea Tree – Disinfectant, antibacterial, anti-fungal, burns, good for all skin conditions.
30. Thyme – Effective against Anthrax and Tuberculosis

Perhaps it is time that we begin taking more proactive steps in our physical well being. In the book, Natural Health Remedies: An A-Z Family Guide it states that natural medicine does not simply seek to suppress symptoms with drugs and so forth, but it attempts to discover and eliminate the root cause of disease. Even further, the author suggests that natural medicine teaches not only the treatment of disease but also itsprevention by instilling dietary and lifestyle habits that promote health.

Related Links:

• Top Ten Medicinal Herbs for a Survival Garden
• Organic Propagation

Benefits of Raised Vegetable Garden Beds

Well Folks, it's that time of year again when all good Hippies get dirt dirt under their nails.  I love this cider-brick raised be idea only I would want mine 2-deep.  Maybe next year.  This year due to health issues I am going with the Pot Garden.  It's all 'groovy' :)  Garden on.....

Original Article Here: http://www.botanical-journeys-plant-guides.com/raised-bed-vegetable-garden.html

**Early planting. The soil in a raised garden bed warms up more quickly in the spring. This allows you to get your veges into the ground sooner and to harvest them weeks earlier. This becomes more meaningful the shorter your growing season.

**Less digging. The soil in raised vegetable garden beds does not have to be double dug every year. This is because you never step into the beds. The soil stays loose and friable. You can dig in some compost each season if you really feel a need to dig. Otherwise, just spread it on top of the soil and rake it in.

**Drainage. Because the soil is never compacted by your feet, it maintains perfect drainage.

**Productivity. Gardening in raised beds produces more food per square foot than raising vegetables in rows or in containers.

Especially if you build a raised bed garden that is 12 inches deep.

The soil is richer and plant roots can move freely through it. Your veges will not be constantly stubbing their toes on rocks and what not like they would be if planted into the native soil.

Vegetable Garden
Raised Bed Soil Management

In order to support the kind of intensive gardening you will surely want to do, the soil needs to be very fertile. Don't skimp on additives. Dig in copious amounts of composted manure when preparing the beds for their first planting season.

Thereafter, spread a generous layer of compost or composted manure atop the beds each spring before you replant them.

This is a good time to add some slow-release, organic fertilizer as well.

If your raised bed vegetable garden is in a lawn, it might be a good idea to line it with several layers of damp newspaper before adding the soil.


The newsprint will suppress weeds and grass. This is especially important in a shallow (6 inch) bed.
After the vegetables are planted, you will want to mulch the beds to regulate the soil temperature, hold in moisture and discourage any weed seeds that happen to wander in.

How Deep to Build a Raised Bed Garden

The standard depths of raised bed garden kits are 6 and 12 inches but there are deeper raised garden bed kits available. How deep your raised bed vegetable garden needs to be depends on what you intend to grow.

If you are not sure what you will be raising from year-to-year, install a 12 inch deep bed. The deeper bed will give you more leeway where plants are concerned.

6 Inch Vegetable Garden Bed Plants

Lettuce

Nasturtiums

Kale and most other greens

Most annual herbs

Parsley

Small chili pepper plants, the kinds that could grow in a 6 or 8 inch pot.

12 Inch Raised Bed Garden Vegetables

The deeper bed will allow you to grow all of the above plus:

Determinate tomatoes*

Eggplant

Sweet Potatoes

Beans

Squash

Melons

Sweet peppers

Cayenne Peppers or any other large chili

Carrots

*Indeterminate tomatoes really need a deeper bed to grow and produce well.

Where to Put a Raised Vegetable Garden Bed

The elevated raised bed in the photo above can be placed on a wooden deck or concrete patio. This is also an excellent raised bed design for someone with back or mobility problems.

The other raised bed vegetable gardens depicted on this page would not be suitable for use on a deck as the moisture and weight might damage the structure.

This will not be a problem on a concrete or slate surface.

If you are building a raised bed vegetable garden on a patio, be sure to place it a few inches from your home's wall so that air can circulate. If you wish to butt the raised bed up against the wall, waterproof the wall first.

When placing vegetable garden raised beds on a lawn, try to situate them on level ground. This is easier said than done as most lawns are not as flat as they appear to be.

Use soil, rocks or wood scraps to make the bed level before filling it with soil. Otherwise any water applied will run to 1 side and it will be difficult to maintain even moisture around the roots of your plants.

Video~ Groovy, Cheap & Easy Hoop/Green House

I am going to do this!!!

Power of Community: How Cuba survived Peak Oil Crisis (slovenski podnapisi)

This is an amazing video. Informative, encouraging....

Tomato Cage Made With PVC Pipe

Instructions here:  http://www.instructables.com/id/Tomato-Cage-with-PVC/

The 9 nastiest things in your supermarket

Article here:  http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/the-9-nastiest-things-in-your-supermarket

By Rodale News

Photo: danieljordahl/Flickr

1. "Pink slime"

The gross factor: The meat industry likes to call it "lean finely textured beef," but after ABC News ran a story on it, the public just called it what it looks like — pink slime, a mixture of waste meat and fatty parts from higher-quality cuts of beef that have had the fat mechanically removed. Afterwards, it's treated with ammonia gas to killSalmonella and E. coli bacteria. Then it gets added to ground beef as a filler. Food microbiologists and meat producers insist that it's safe, but given the public's reaction to the ABC News report, there's an "ick" factor we just can't overcome. The primary producer of pink slime just announced that it's closing three of the plants where pink slime is produced, and Kroger, Safeway, Food Lion, McDonald's and the National School Lunch Program (among others) have all pulled it from their product offerings.

Eat this instead: Organic ground beef is prohibited from containing pink slime, per National Organic Program standards, so it's your safest bet. If you can't find organic, ask the butcher at your grocery store whether their products contain the gunk.

2. Vet meds in beef

The gross factor: Hankering for a burger? Besides a hefty dose of protein, a 2010 report from the United States Department of Agriculture found your beef could also harbor veterinary drugs like antibiotics, Ivermectin, an animal wormer linked to neurological damage in humans, and Flunixin, an anti-inflammatory that can cause kidney damage, stomach and colon ulcers, and blood in the stool of humans. Still hungry? We didn't think so.

Eat this instead: Look for beef from a local grass-fed beef operation that rotates the animals on fresh grass paddocks regularly, and inquire about medicine use. Typically, cows raised this way are much healthier and require fewer drugs. The meat is also more nutritious, too. If you're in the supermarket, opt for organic meats to avoid veterinary drugs in meat.

3. Heavy metal oatmeal

The gross factor: Sugary and calorie-laden, those convenient instant-oatmeal packets all have one thing in common. They're sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which, according to tests from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, may be contaminated with mercury. The group tested 55 samples of HFCS and found mercury in a third of them at levels three times higher than what the average woman should consume in a day.

Eat this instead: Buy yourself some instant oats, which cook in less time than it takes to microwave a packet of the sugary stuff, and add your own flavorings, like fresh fruit or maple syrup. And buy HFCS-free versions of other foods, as well. The artificial sweetener lurks in seemingly all processed foods.

4. Filthy shrimp

The gross factor: Food safety experts refer to imported shrimp as the dirtiest of the Seafood's Dirty Dozen list, and it's not hard to see why when you consider the common contaminants: Antibiotics, cleaning chemicals used in farmed shrimp pens, residues of toxic pesticides banned in the U.S., and pieces of insects. Less than 2 percent of all imported seafood is inspected — clearly, that's a problem.

Eat this instead: Look for domestic shrimp. Unfortunately, 70 percent of domestic shrimp comes from the Gulf of Mexico, and the recent oil spill may have long-term impacts on its shrimp stocks. But shrimp can be purchased from Texas, the East Coast, Maine and the Carolinas, so you still have options.

5. MRSA in the meat aisle

The gross factor: Hard-to-treat, antibiotic-resistant infections are no joke. Superbug strains like MRSA are on the rise, infecting 185,000 people — and killing 17,000 people — annually in the U.S. Thought to proliferate on factory farms where antibiotics are overused to boost animal growth, a January 2012 study from Iowa State University found that the dangerous organisms wind up in supermarket meat, too. The dangerous MRSA strain lingered in 7 percent of supermarket pork samples tested. The bacteria die during proper cooking, but improper handling could leave you infected. The spike in superbug infections is largely blamed on antibiotic abuse in factory farms that supply most supermarkets.

Eat this instead: The Iowa state researchers found MRSA in conventional meat and store-bought "antibiotic-free" meat likely contaminated at the processing plant. SearchLocalHarvest.org to source meat from small-scale producers who don't use antibiotics or huge processing plants.

6. Pregnancy hormones in a can

The gross factor: Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that acts like the hormone estrogen in your body, is used to create the epoxy linings of canned food. What food processors don't tell you is that the chemical was created over 70 years ago as a drug that was intended to promote healthy pregnancies. Though it was never used as a drug, the food industry saw no problem adding this pregnancy drug to a wide range of products, including canned food linings and plastic food containers. "Low levels of BPA exposure has been linked to a wide range of adverse health effects, including abnormal development of reproductive organs, behavior problems in children, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic changes that result in altered insulin levels, which leads to diabetes," says Sarah Janssen, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council. And its use in canned food is the number one reason why 90 percent of Americans have it in their bodies.

Eat this instead: Look for products in glass bottles or aseptic cartons. Canned food manufacturers are in the process of switching over to BPA-free cans, but because those cans are produced in facilities that also produce BPA-based can linings, there's no way to keep BPA-free cans from becoming contaminated.

7. Bacteria-infused turkey

The gross factor: Turkey marinated in MRSA? It's true. A 2011 study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases found that half of the U.S. supermarket meat sampled contain staph bacteria, including potentially lethal MRSA. Turkey was the worst offender: Nearly 80 percent of turkey products samples contain staph bacteria. Pork (42 percent) was next in line in terms of bacterial contamination, followed by chicken (41 percent), and beef (37 percent). Researchers ID the overuse of antibiotics as the culprit.

Eat this instead: If you serve meat for Thanksgiving, invest in an organic, pastured turkey, such as one from Ayrshire Farm in Maryland.

8. Moldy berries

The gross factor: If pregnancy hormones in your canned fruit isn't enough to make you turn to fresh, consider this: The FDA legally allows up to 60 percent of canned or frozen blackberries and raspberries to contain mold. Canned fruit and vegetable juices are allowed to contain up to 15 percent mold.

Eat this instead: Go for fresh! When berries are in season, stock up and freeze them yourself to eat throughout the winter. To freeze them, just spread fruits out on a cookie sheet, set the sheet in your freezer for a few hours, then transfer the berries to a glass jar or other airtight, freezer-safe container.

9. Rocket fuel in lettuce

The gross factor: Lettuce is a great source of antioxidants, and thanks to the great state of California, we can now eat it all year long. However, much of the lettuce grown in California is irrigated with water from the Colorado River. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Colorado River water is contaminated with low levels of perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel known to harm thyroid function, and that perchlorate can be taken up inside lettuce plants. A separate study from the Environmental Working Group found perchlorate in 50 percent of store-bought winter lettuce samples.

Eat this instead: Perchlorate is hard to avoid, but some of the highest levels in the country have been found in California's agricultural regions. If you eat locally and in season, you can ask your local farmers whether it’s a problem in their irrigation water supply.

Story by Emily Main and Leah Zerbe. This article originally appeared on Rodale.com and is reprinted here with permission.