posted April 24, 2014 07:09 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Ellynlvx:
Hey, I got two!

I saw it, it looked like a Heart with a Blazing Startrail behind...

Thanks, Sweetie!

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Yay! Now...I wonder why I can't see it anymore...?

posted April 24, 2014 07:13 PM            

When my cup was empty

posted April 24, 2014 07:19 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Violets:
[B]^ We're a bit like that as well.
My husband is a skilled hunter, although he doesn't enjoy killing anything at all. Whenever we've eaten meat in that way, we've both cried, given thanks, and put it to the best use (and it lasted for a long time in the freezer).

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Yep, i always think the ham or whatever never had a name, just #345tG on some spread sheet.

quote:

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He actually just made a bow from scratch that worked very well, and ordered a new one for me. We have a log home building class scheduled for the end of May.

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Now that is interesting, does he make his own arrows as well? To me it seemed more efficient to just buy them.

quote:

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I would like to know more about the vinegar thing, but I'll hit you up in Quirky Cuisine.

Last year I tried to make jam from the copious amount of plums my neighbor had given me (organic and natural), and honey. It turned out so awful that I couldn't even fix it, haha. And I had the right type of pectin for it. Apparently plums and jam do not mix.

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Now my turn to be interesting, the holy grail of Fermentation into Alcohol is simple grind the fruit, and use 1 cup of sugar to one gallon of water, and yeast, preferably brewer's or champagne yeast, and a vapor lock, can be one you buy for 1 dollar a piece, or a simple rubber glove with a hole poked into it that covers the opening.

I use 5 gallon food grade buckets with spouts, purchased for 1 dollar each. In about two weeks..you have effervescent wine.

Vinegar is even easier, it just takes longer to create as the fermentation is slower.

Now I know that would seem down homey to some, however in a social situation, where such things are unheard of, it becomes a very interesting conversation.

In a bit of a twist, the more technologically proficient and advanced a Society becomes, the more such things become a conversation starter or topic, all for very little money.

posted April 24, 2014 07:20 PM            

Other thing is, there is a effort/reward curve to all of the low tech stuff.

posted April 24, 2014 07:36 PM            

It all depends on how you go about living, how much money you have to make everything comfortable...all kinds of variables.

One thing I learned from reading half of this book...

...is that the electric companies have an insidious history of monopolizing people. Apparently, some people go off grid just to boycott electric companies, because they see them as abusive.

Boycotts are cool. I like when people believe in some higher good and take a stand. Even though...yeah, realistically, most of they time they don't work.

Anyway, Padre, thanks for explaining the wine making ~ I'm surprised it's that simple.

posted April 24, 2014 07:41 PM            

Things don't slow down, you still have to put the same effort into just basic day to day life, and you don't always feel like it.

No, I did it for twenty odd years, and I know what it is like.

It sucks.

At first it was worth it, because of the solitude.

posted April 24, 2014 07:43 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Violets:
[B]I wanted goats, but we decided to just start out with chickens, ha. My husband refused the goat request.

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posted April 24, 2014 07:44 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Violets:

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I saw this pic and wondered if you had gotten it from this website, that I have bookmarked?

Living Simply. In an RV. With a Family of Four.

They have the same picture on there. But no, your link is not to that site...

I love that site, though. I'm just fascinated with how people get by in small spaces. I think part of me is still about seven years old, with a fort mentality. And that family is really thriving....with so little.

posted April 24, 2014 07:51 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Ellynlvx:
At first it was worth it, because of the solitude.

Then, when every idiot in the countryside rode a quad...

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Our country place used to be quiet all time, then we got new neighbors far down the road who brought donkeys.

A donkey braying sounds to me like some bear that just got shot and is angry. Like, I would rather listen to someone's crummy music than have to wonder if it's safe to go outside? Since a bloody, angry bear might be there?

posted April 24, 2014 07:53 PM            

No worries Faith, i first became interested in all of this after hanging out with some foodie buddies and looking into Charcuterie style of Smoking meat and using offal types of meat.

Wine making is one of those areas that is hidden under a cloud of misperceptions, myths and other miscellany.

The "key" to making it interesting is not so much what is produced, more how it is spoken of and tbh, how one presents oneself.

I really do like thrifty style and hand made clothing or very durable milsurplus clothing that is NOT camo patterned..it last forever and is very tough.

I bought a Swiss milsurplus trench coat, a grey one, for 11 bucks and got constant compliments b/c it looked so sharp

It always struck me that an Italian suit maker, can buy material for maybe 100 bucks and turn into something worth 1,300 dollars..or more..just from cutting and sewing it together.

Dress makers are even worse imo, less material, simpler stitching..massively expensive.

This i pondered one night as I walked my bike up a mtn side, 2 miles, in a storm

posted April 24, 2014 07:54 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Padre35:
Now my turn to be interesting, the holy grail of Fermentation into Alcohol is simple grind the fruit, and use 1 cup of sugar to one gallon of water, and yeast, preferably brewer's or champagne yeast, and a vapor lock, can be one you buy for 1 dollar a piece, or a simple rubber glove with a hole poked into it that covers the opening.

I use 5 gallon food grade buckets with spouts, purchased for 1 dollar each. In about two weeks..you have effervescent wine.

Vinegar is even easier, it just takes longer to create as the fermentation is slower.

Now I know that would seem down homey to some, however in a social situation, where such things are unheard of, it becomes a very interesting conversation.

In a bit of a twist, the more technologically proficient and advanced a Society becomes, the more such things become a conversation starter or topic, all for very little money.

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My husband doesn't make his own arrows (although I'm sure he could if he wanted to), and he doesn't usually make his own bows. It was more of a fun experiment.

He does, however, buy the different powders to make his own ammunition for his guns (I'm putting that in layman's terms very generally, because I'm not exactly sure what he's doing...I would say that he's "making his own bullets", but that's not completely accurate).

Disclaimer:
We don't have loaded guns laying around the house or anything, though. We have two for self-protection (and we've actually had to get one out for that on more than one occasion, living in the city as well as the country), but they're very high up, hidden, and locked in safes. My son has never seen a gun, to my knowledge. Not even on television (ESPECIALLY not on television).

Anyway...it would be cool to make wine. My grandma tried it a few times, but I don't think she cared for the taste (and was slightly afraid of getting poisoned, haha). My aunt's husband makes his own wine and sells it, and it's delicious.

posted April 24, 2014 07:55 PM            

quote:

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Our country place used to be quiet all time, then we got new neighbors far down the road who brought donkeys.

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Well, the only time we had anyone that close, they wimped out and left a pig.

That thing used to go everywhere and dig up all my plants.

posted April 24, 2014 07:56 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Ellynlvx:
Especially as you get older.

Things don't slow down, you still have to put the same effort into just basic day to day life, and you don't always feel like it.

No, I did it for twenty odd years, and I know what it is like.

It sucks.

At first it was worth it, because of the solitude.

Then, when every idiot in the countryside rode a quad...

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Ugh, ruin what is good for the sake of what is venal

posted April 24, 2014 07:59 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Padre35:
Ugh, ruin what is good for the sake of what is venal

For myself, love the idea of living on a smallish boat

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posted April 24, 2014 07:59 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Padre35:
Ugh, ruin what is good for the sake of what is venal

For myself, love the idea of living on a smallish boat

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posted April 24, 2014 08:01 PM            

If you let it continue to ferment, and at the very least you have a household cleaner

This is what i mean about a holistic approach, even if you don't get what you wanted, you still wind up with something useful

posted April 24, 2014 08:02 PM            

We bought an already existing house with reasonable acreage, and have fixed it up.

I dislike driving home and looking out to what used to just be a small mountainside with a ton of trees, and seeing rows and rows of condos.

posted April 24, 2014 08:04 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Padre35:
For myself, love the idea of living on a smallish boat

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Well, that is right up my alley.

posted April 24, 2014 08:04 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Ellynlvx:
[QUOTE]Our country place used to be quiet all time, then we got new neighbors far down the road who brought donkeys.

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Sorry, guys I'm nearly vegetarian and not a bloodthirsty sort in any way, but once that thing pushed our cabin door open, it was pork chop city.[/QUOTE]

Now what i'd do to mr homebreaker is reduce to possession, then use some Charcuterie stuff.

there is a saying in Italy, they use every part of a pig except the oink!

posted April 24, 2014 08:07 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Ellynlvx:
Sorry, guys I'm nearly vegetarian and not a bloodthirsty sort in any way, but once that thing pushed our cabin door open, it was pork chop city.

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posted April 24, 2014 08:08 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Faith:
I saw this pic and wondered if you had gotten it from this website, that I have bookmarked?

Living Simply. In an RV. With a Family of Four.

They have the same picture on there. But no, your link is not to that site...

I love that site, though. I'm just fascinated with how people get by in small spaces. I think part of me is still about seven years old, with a fort mentality. And that family is really thriving....with so little.

^ Finally I said something on topic, I think.

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Hey!

No, I didn't get it from that site, but that's exactly what my husband and I are considering doing, although buying a bigger trailer that we can tow with our truck (hopefully while we build our own home with our own hands, but we'll see how the log home building class goes...it's designed for two people, and covers a lot of issues that many log homes can face).

Might be just a pipe dream, might not. But not going completely off the grid, ya know...just owning our own land and living off of it to the best of our ability. And working whatever jobs we feel like working, not jobs that we hate going to.

posted April 24, 2014 08:08 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Faith:
Well, that is right up my alley.

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How so?

I've heard of a community in NJ, that to avoid high rents, simply live at Marina's on their pretty much dilapidated yachts b/c it is so much less expensive then living on land in NJ

posted April 24, 2014 08:10 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Padre35:
Now what i'd do to mr homebreaker is reduce to possession, then use some Charcuterie stuff.

there is a saying in Italy, they use every part of a pig except the oink!

The idea of eating like a gourmand, for basically free, that to me is interesting

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Yeah, we called in my cousin.

They used to get paid to keep all the wild pigs out of the Almaden Vineyards, so they knew how to cut and render and smoke the hams and all.

We had a great Christmas Ham that year.

Bacon, Ham Hocks.

Beat the heck out of Doorbuster Pigboy.

He used to get into the dog food. A hundred times worse than the blue jays, ha.

posted April 24, 2014 08:10 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Violets:
"Dislike" is being polite about it...*sigh*

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How frustrating.

posted April 24, 2014 08:13 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Padre35:
How so?

I've heard of a community in NJ, that to avoid high rents, simply live at Marina's on their pretty much dilapidated yachts b/c it is so much less expensive then living on land in NJ

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Yeah, a lot of people do that down in Santa Cruz.

I would love to.