Sustainable Living - Page 5

[joyfulheart]

I'm going to post the book group idea in "books, music and media" today, so we can just start a new thread for the book talk and let others know.

Should we do a few chapters a week? What are your opinions on this?

Lou, the biodynamic talk is next Thursday, I goofed with the dates. I'll be happy to share what I hear. What books have you read on the topic -- you stated that you had read some??

flutemandolin -- Thanks for the additional resources. I checked out some of the books on Amazon. I'm interested in reading The Contrary Farmer.

And, yes, it does seem that many of us are in the PNW. I'm gonna make that camp fire happen yet!

[mountain mom]

Joyful please let us know when you start the new thread, Thanks!

I hope my copy is hear in time!

[Lou]

Wildcrafter- I definitely agree with you that the old wisdom is available to all of us- just waiting to be tapped! It just takes time to re-learn all the skills that are necessary in sustainable living- but it's so much fun, learning new things that support the self-sustaining lifestyle! I love being able to create instead of purchase-
Joyful heart- I have the biodynamic agriculture books-
A Dirt Farmer's Dialogue- 12 discussions about Biodynamic Farming, by C.J. Pank,
Companion Plants by Helen Philbrick and Richard Gregg,
Agriculture by Rudolf Steiner, which is really esoteric,
and Studying the Agriculture Course by JOhn Soper.
I mostly use the Companion Planting book, and try to study the Agriculture book by Steiner here and there. I still have a long way to go in allowing the knowledge of planetary influences/biological systems to live in me. Small steps!

[joyfulheart]

Okay, you lovely mamas (and papas?), I've started a new thread in "books, music, media" for our discussion group. Please, check it out.

Lou, I'm going to check into those books you suggested. Thanks!

[farmer mama]

Happy Ostara/ Spring Equinox everyone! We are having a fire and music tonight. Good point about the old wisdom in us all, we just need to tap into it. Lou and other moms about BD farming, have any of you read Culture and Horticulture: A Philosophy of Gardening by Wolf D. Storl? I am reading this right now. As a beekeeper I want to read Steiner's work on bees. flutemandolin- thanks for the book titles, I looked them up on amazon as well! I am guessing from your name you play these instruments; I play the violin and the harp, mainly celtic music but I am exploring more bluegrass fiddle tunes. Joyful- you are so good at organizing, well done! Let's put all our heads together and get all the PNW (and others too) moms at this fire.

[loftmama]

Okay, I'm new to this. Can anyone tell me what "biodynamic" gardening means?

Also, what does "EC" mean in reference to diapering?


Thanks!

[joyfulheart]

loftmama -- I don't think I could give a satisfying definition to what biodynamic gardening is, at least when it's past my bedtime!

This link may be helpful: www.biodynamics.com

farmer mama -- Can I join your fire and music at least in spirit? And, thank you for your kind words. I don't think I caught before that you are a beekeeper. I'm curious. If you take the bees honey, what do they eat in the winter? Or do you just take enough that they still have some? Do you use their wax for crafts? What do they do with the wax?

Everyone -- happy spring equinox and happy ostara!

King Winter be gone,
then soon cometh spring!
The ice is breaking,
the flowers awakening,
and green groweth each thing!
King Winter be gone,
then your rule put away.
The birds one and all,
now with jubilant call
now bring tidings of May.
(Waldorf verse from school -- dont' know who wrote it.)

[farmer mama]

Hi, Joyful- It is funny that you say that because I was sitting out at our fire and thinking of you all. Thanks for the verse and I will write it down for future reference. I was looking for something appropriate for the kids, and that one is perfect. Loftmama- EC means elimination communication (do a search and I am sure you will get lots of info) which means not using and diapers and instead going by the cues your baby gives you that mean she has to go and holding her over a diaper, toliet, sink, outside, etc. At least this is my definition of it. I think it varies from person to person. My version of EC is that at home my child is diaper free, but when we go out or at night he wears a diaper. I do this primarily because both of my kids have really fair, sensitve skin that rashes easily, as well as I like to wash less diapers and like to let them be naked. About beekeeping, the first two main hive boxes (hive bodies they are called) hold all the honey that the bees need to make it through the winter. After they fill these with honey and larvae, we put on smaller honey boxes (called honey supers) that only get filled with honey (no eggs laid in these ones). We stack these up as much as they fill them and this is our honey for the year (about 70 lbs per hive, seriously) and this is where we get our beeswax as well, they use the wax to make the combs to put the honey in, and in the hive bodies they raise their babies and store honey and pollen in these combs. We check the hives weely (although dh usually is because I am holding a toddler) wearing no gloves or special suit, only a bee veil to protect your face (yes, you get stung every once in a while, although our bees are pretty mellow). At the end of the summer we take the honey supers off and get our honey and wax. We use the wax for candles and salves. We check on the hives in late winter and make sure they still have enough honey and sometimes make a syrup for them to eat if they need a boost. With our mild winters they always have plenty of honey. As I see it, it is a mutally beneficial system, they provide us with honey, wax, pollinate our fruiuts, veggies and berries, and are pretty cool, while we give them a home, plant flowers they like (especially borage) and provide food or medicine if the hive has trouble, and judging at how docile our bees are, I think our hives might see it this way as well. sorry that was so long, but there you go. fm

[loftmama]

I am tickled beyond belief!

The biodynamic website is great.

I had no idea about the EC. Since we'll have a yard for the first time in years, I've been planning on letting my newbie go naked. Now I know I'm not the only one.

Thanks for answering my questions and sharing all your great ideas!

[joyfulheart]

farmer mama -- ooohhh....I read your about your bees with great interest. Thanks for sharing that!

[mountain mom]

FarmerMama,
My FIL and MIL are beekeepers and recently have run into mite infestation in the hive. I was wondering if this epidemic has affected your hives....I am currently working with essential oils in the hives to conteract the mites. My FIL/MIL do not use any chemicals so this seems to be a great alternative. They breed their own queens too. Where do you get your queens from?

I have a recipe for a great anti-venom blend of essential oils for beestings (snakebites, wasp and hornet etc.) that works on contact to reduce swelling and pain of stings. I can share that with you if you would like.

Happy Equinox all.
Colleen

[CeraMae]

I, too, feel like I have found my tribe... I can picture the campfire now!!

loftmama~we also have an EC discussion board at this forum:
http://205.214.82.233/discussions/fo...e=&forumid=227
I've been ecing Davis since he was 2 weeks. I'm SO excited about the warm weather so that we can go bare-butt again! My hardwoods get pretty darned cold! I'm so stoked because I found out that Lorie Boucke lives 1/2 hour south of me and she has agreed to come up to my API group and give a talk!
Happy Equinox everyone!! I'll see you over in the book discussion.

[farmer mama]

mountain mama- we are doing pretty well but have had problems with mites. At one point we did have to use apistan and not get honey from that hive. We do like this formula that is made from essential oils called honey bee healthy, and so far so good. Fortunately with mites it is a gradual process that you can counteract over time. I would love to hear of your anti-venom blend, I currently just give homeopathic apis and put baking soda on the sting.

[VBMama]

Originally posted by Lou
i always wished i had parents who were in touch with the old ways- farming, gardening, earth wisdom, creating....

Yes - but isn't it great that you are working to give your own kids this foundation as you build your own knowledge & shape your family's life? That's what is exciting to me as we work towards living more sustainably and improving our (wanna-be : ) small farm, that our son will grow up closer to the earth than I did.

Thanks for everyone posting their book recommendations - I have my library's website open as I read this thread & my request list is getting out of control! :LOL

farmermama & mountain mama - did you find it difficult to get started with beekeeping? (mm - I know you said it's your IL's who keep bees, but sounds like you are knowledgable about it) Hope you super-experienced ones don't mind beginner questions? This is something else dh & I have considered, but we are taking things one step at a time, & we've already decided chickens are our current new project.

[Lou]

farmer mama- i'd love to hear more about that book Culture & Horticulture- and I was at the yarn store the other day, and peeked at the book Wild Color. I love it!! Such a great book- i got many inspirations for this spring/summer's dyeing- especially with the prunings from my cherry, plum, and pear trees. would love to have some of those rosy colors.
I need to hit my local used bookstore, hopefully I'll be able to find the Nearings' book. Wish me luck!

[farmer mama]

It is great that we all have similar goals of raising kids with close connections to the earth. VBmama- I wouldn't say beekeeping is that difficult, but it can be a good time commitment in the busy parts of the season, and it took us about a year to feel like we had a pretty good handle on it, although, like everything else, we are still learning. Beekeeping for Dummies is actually a pretty good, clear beginners book, although it leaves out a lot of the "tricks of the trade" (in our first year of beekeeping, our personal joke was that we needed "Beekeeping for Morons" because we had a lot to learn). I love keeping chickens and would be willing to answer any questions I can about getting started. Lou- I just started the book and I will let you know I have gotten into it more. About Wild Color, I thought you would like that book! Let us know about your dyeing projects when you do them. Take care- fm

[joyfulheart]

Hey mamas, We had talked a bit about using heirloom seeds in our gardens. I'm wondering if anyone else is uneasy about the increasing amount of produce in the stores that is "seedless". Every summer it seems harder to find seeded watermelon. Does it bother you to eat sterile fruits and veggies? (Is that a correct way to describe them?) Does anyone have an opinion on this?

What about eating seasonally? Do you try to do that? I admit that I am a tropical fruit lover and since I try to make my diet consist mostly of fruits and veggies, I do buy fruit that has traveled far (guilt)!

And, farmer mama or any other bee keepers out there, do you sell or barter your surplus of honey??

[OceanMomma]

wow! I have just stumbled across this thread. We've got a 4 acre bit of land over looking the sea & hills. It's sort of a 3ish acre back block of hillyish native bush or regenerating native bush as we had to have a lot of wilding pines felled that were killing it. The front acre or so is in cleared land with an 8m strip running a good 100m down to the road which goes literally around the sea.

We're living in a grotty old house that there is no hope really for saving. Borer ridden & small & pokey. We're in the process of getting the plans to build a new timber framed cob house with wool & seaweed insulation. We've got 2 chooks & a rooster. A flemish giant rabbit. 2 Arapawa sheep & a miniature horse. Long term I am planning some bees too.

I am trying to live way more sustainably. I try to buy locally made goods or if they are foreign fair traded ones. Only organic if I can afford it. I'm growing my own veges but sturggling a bit with our maratime climate but I am getting quite into planting wind breaks so maybe in 3 or 4 years I will be right. I save all my seeds. I'm trying to make everything I can instead of buying expensive, cool looking foreign stuff. My garden is from native plants. I collect seeds & cuttings from locally growing species ( & the native section of the botanncial garden )

I'm very interested in alternative power but can't find much on it that you don't need to be a millionaire to have.

Right now I am building a cob stable for the little horse with a turf roof of native grasses. dh has gone away for the week working so I have come to a halt as I need another foundation so I am making the rooster a cob nesting box so he can crow all night without any of my neighbours hearing.

[mountain mom]

Originally posted by joyfulheart
Hey mamas, We had talked a bit about using heirloom seeds in our gardens. I'm wondering if anyone else is uneasy about the increasing amount of produce in the stores that is "seedless". Every summer it seems harder to find seeded watermelon. Does it bother you to eat sterile fruits and veggies? (Is that a correct way to describe them?) Does anyone have an opinion on this?

Yes this is a great concern of mine, thus we work and barter to afford organic, heirloom preferred. We are fortunate to know a few organic growers with a huge interest in keeping variety alive. I have to admit I avoid sterile food all together.

What about eating seasonally? Do you try to do that? I admit that I am a tropical fruit lover and since I try to make my diet consist mostly of fruits and veggies, I do buy fruit that has traveled far (guilt)!

We can only afford to eat organically if we eat from our bioregion, meaning no furthur than about a 500 kilometer radius. In the dead on winter we rely heavily on preserves and cold storage. I also dehydrate constantly in the spring and summer.

And, farmer mama or any other bee keepers out there, do you sell or barter your surplus of honey??

My inlaws sell by the barrel to a large honey distributor, but also keep about 25% of their harvest to sell unpasterized and barter for other services. They give us some to sell and barter with too.

Bartering is a huge part of my business, its how I afford to send us all to the chiropractor, massage therapist, dentist, haircuts, food and childcare. Without this valuable tool we would not have the style of life we do with the blessings we obtain daily from our skills. My dh also barters his services in his spare time but his job is for the 'bills'.

We also are members of a community barter dollar system that works with an alternate currency. The businesses in my community usually except anywhere from 10 - 100% of the barter money. I accept 50% barter money in my business and my dh excepts 25%. The local consignment clothing store accepts 100% so this is how we pay for our clothes.

[/B]

[Wildcrafter]

Joyfulheart, I find it so disturbing to find so many seedless items in the grocery store. Or how about the square watermelons they are starting to market (more profitable becasue they are easier to ship/store). My brother in law cultivates blackberries that have no thorns!!! It just all seems so crazy to me. Seeds are no only the link to sustainable gardening, but they are also filled with nutrition!

I don't know much about saving seeds, technically. But I have dried my own calendula and echinacea seeds and regrown with success, but really am just winging it. And I have things grow out of the compost pile, especially squashes. To be honest I hadn't even heard of the term "heirloom seeds" but sounds like it's a practice that makes common sense.

The info about beekeeping has been very interesting.