Going Green On The Cheap

GREEN CLEANING TIPS - STAIN AND SPOT REMOVAL

2009-02-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

Most commercial cleaners/spot removers are expensive and/or bad for the environment, especially when you consider the impact of packaging and transporting these products.

Here's a list of tips I've gathered from the web, in alphabetical order, on removing spots, stains, etc, using common household products instead of chemical cleaners. Enjoy.

* BABY FORMULA Rub with unseasoned meat tenderizer.
* BERRIES AND RED WINE Soak in white wine.
* BERRIES Pour boiling water from a height of three feet onto taut fabric.
* BERRIES Soak in vinegar.
* BERRIES Soak the stained cloth in milk.
* BERRIES Rinse with soda water.
* BERRIES Washing soda paste rubbed into stain.
* BLOOD Make a paste of cornstarch and water and rub into the stain.
* BLOOD Wipe with hydrogen peroxide.
* BLOOD Rub with a cornmeal or cornstarch and water paste.
* BLOOD Rinse with club soda.
* BUTTER Make a paste of washing soda and water and rub into the stain.
* CHEWING GUM Place clothing in freezer, or freeze the gum with ice cubes. Then pull gum off.
* CHEWING GUM Rub full-strength vinegar onto the gum.
* CHEWING GUM Cover with egg white; loosen the gum.
* CHOCOLATE AND COCOA Mix sodium perborate and water to a paste, rub on the stain, then launder as usual.
* CHOCOLATE Wipe with hydrogen peroxide.
* CHOCOLATE Borax and water paste rubbed onto the stain.
* CHOCOLATE Washing soda and water paste rubbed onto the stain.
* CHOCOLATE Rub with any vegetable oil.
* CRAYONS Rub the marks with baking soda using a mild abrasive pad like a supermarket green pad.
* CRAYONS Rub with toothpaste.
* CRAYONS Rub with baking soda and olive oil paste. Recommended on washable surfaces only, because the oil can cause a stain of its own. I like to use this cleaner on walls.
* CRAYONS Make a paste of washing soda and water. Rub onto the marks until gone.
* DECALS Rub the decal with vegetable oil.
* DECALS Rub with vinegar.
* DECALS Rub with oil and vinegar salad dressing without herbs.
* EGG Wash in cold water.
* FOOD Rinse with club soda.
* FRUIT AND JUICES See Berries.
* GRASS Soak in vinegar.
* GRASS Soak in a strong alcohol and water solution.
* GREASE Rub with bread.
* GREASE Cover with wheat bran, rub in and wipe off.
* GREASE Absorb with cornmeal and wipe off.
* GREASE Cover with borax, rub in and wipe off.
* GREASE Cover with cornstarch, rub in and wipe off.
* GREASE Cover with unscented kitty litter until the kitty litter has absorbed the grease; wipe off.
* GREASE Cover spot with pure potato broth; rinse off.
* GREASE Make a washing soda and water paste. Rub into the grease.
* GREASE Rub with a dry bar of soap.
* GREASE Cover the grease with salt, rub in and wipe off.
* GUM LABELS Scrape off what you can with your fingernail. Dab label with vegetable oil. Let sit until glue softens and scrape remainder off.
* COFFEE AND TEA Pour boiling water from a height of three to four feet onto taut fabric.
* COFFEE AND TEA Soak in strong vinegar solution.
* COFFEE AND TEA Simmer cloth (preshrunk only) in milk to cover in a non-aluminum pan.
* COFFEE AND TEA Pour soda water on stain, then rinse.
* INK Soak stain in lemon juice.
* INK Make a milk, vinegar and cornstarch solution and soak the stain.
* INK Soak in milk.
* IODINE Wipe with alcohol.
* LIPSTICK Rub with white supermarket-type toothpaste.
* LIPSTICK Rub with olive oil and baking soda paste. Recommended for washable surfaces only as the oil can leave a stain of its own.
* LIPSTICK Rub with paste of washing soda and water.
* MACHINE OIL Rub with vegetable or nut oil.
* MACHINE OIL Saturate with kitty litter.
* MACHINE OIL Scrub with washing soda and water paste.
* MEAT STAINS Soak in strong washing soda and water solution.
* MOLD Rub with Australian tea tree oil.
* MOLD Rub with borax and water paste.
* MOLD Soak in strong vinegar solution.
* MOLD AND MILDEW Rub with lemon juice and salt.
* MUSTARD Rub with vegetable glycerin.
* NAIL POLISH Rub with alcohol.
* OIL Wipe with vegetable oil (oil draws out oil).
* PAINT Soak in milk.
* PAINT Soak in hot vinegar.
* PAINT Soak in water and washing soda.
* RUST Rub with cooked, cooled rhubarb. Wash off.
* RUST Wash with lemon juice.
* RUST Wash with alum and lemon juice paste.
* RUST Make a paste of lemon juice and salt; rub on rust stains.
* RUST Wash with alum and vinegar paste.
* SHELLAC Wipe with alcohol.
* STAINS Rub with a paste of borax and vinegar.
* STAINS Soak in equal parts milk and vinegar. Wash off.
* STAINS Rub with a mixture of 1 part vegetable glycerin and 2 parts vegetable-oil-based liquid soap.
* STAINS Wash with a washing soda and water paste.
* WAX Rub with paste of washing soda and water.

Cheap Solar Energy?

2009-02-23T16:17:00.000-08:00

It's still in development, but it seems like a great idea. And if you can cast acrylic or grind lenses, maybe it's a good rainy-day project.
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/22204/?a=f

PRODUCT REVIEW: LEATHERMAN 830555 GARDENING TOOL

2009-02-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this by saying that I come from a family of custom knifemakers, and so I'm pretty critical of store bought cutlery. I was however pleasantly surprised by this tool.

I bought this as a gift for my father who owns a native plant nursery. A lot of his medicinal plants are grown "wild simulated", meaning they are cultivated in a natural forest setting. He spends a lot of his time hiking from one patch to another, making it very awkward to carry a variety of tools.

The first thing we noticed was the sheath. It's heavy nylon and will hold the pruners in the open or closed position. That's convenient if you're doing repetitive tasks (like deadheading) and don't want the hassle of having to fold/unfold the tool every time you need it. It has a belt clip and a belt loop.

The handles are chunky, with non-slip panels. I found them a little big for my (small) hand, but my father (who is slightly arthritic) loved them. The large grips really help with hand fatigue.

The pruning blades themselves were sharp out of the box. Though I wouldn't recommend them as serious limb-loppers, they handled 1/2"-3/4" laurel and birch limbs easily. As far as regular gardening/light pruning they excelled. They make a nice clean cut when harvesting flowers and seed-pods, and retained a sharp edge after a lot of use.

As far as the rest of the tools went, the multi-tool adage "does many thing adequately, does no single thing perfectly" hold true. The saw cuts well, which was a shock, since most folding saws are a joke. The screwdriver bits, well, they drive screws.(it's hard to mess that one up) The weed digger was very handy in the green house for thinning flats. There's also a grafting knife that's a good general pocketknife blade.

The overall construction is of typical Leatherman quality, very solid, very sturdy.

I would recommend this tool for wildcrafters, native plant enthusiasts, hikers, or specimen gatherers. It's easy to grab and go for routine chores, and very convenient.

To learn more about this tool, and read more reviews, click HERE

STARTING VEGETABLE SEEDS INDOORS

2009-02-18T08:56:00.000-08:00

Another dreary Feburary day here on the farm. Not quite rain, not quite snow. Just a miserable sort of icy drizzle coming out of the sky.

Since it's too foul to work outdoors it's a good time to sit down with the seed catalogs and a notebook and plan this year's garden.
It's also a good time to think about starting some seedlings indoors to get a jump on the growing season. If you start 3-4 weeks before the last frost, you'll have fine healthy young plants by the time the ground is warm enough to plant.

( NOTE: Plant more than you need. If you have a local Farmer's Market you can make a quite a few bucks selling your extras. In fact you might consider planting some strictly for market!)

WHAT YOU NEED:

1) A WINDOW WITH PLENTY OF LIGHT
Preferably south facing, for maximum sun. In a pinch, you can use fluorescent grow lights to supplement the natural light.

2) CONTAINERS
Egg cartons, yogurt cups, Dixie cups, tin cans etc.. Whatever you use, make sure it's clean and can drain. (poke a few holes in the bottom to make sure) If you re-use old containers, dip them in a 10% bleach solution to kill any bacteria or fungi.

3) GROWTH MEDIUM
Most people use commercial potting soil. It works great, but it is fairly expensive. ($7.00 for a bag of dirt?) If you're a die hard you can make your own, as follows:
1 part loam, 1 part clean sand or perlite, 1 part leaf mold or moist peat.
Combine thoroughly and sterilize by baking in the oven at 180 degrees
for two hours. (WARNING- this will stink up the house)

4) CLEAR PLASTIC
Saran wrap, building plastic, whatever you have.

FILL your containers with the soil mix. I like to mound mine slightly above the top of the container. This keeps the surface of the soil ventilated and helps to prevent damp-off or fungal diseases. Go ahead and water the soil till it's moist. (not muddy)

PLANT the seeds according to the package directions. If you don't have directions, a good rule of thumb is to plant the seeds at a depth of four times the seed diameter.

TAMP the soil around the seeds gently and lightly water again.

COVER the containers with clear plastic. I build frames out of bent coathanger that allow me to cover multiple containers at a time, This keeps the plastic off the soil and simplifies watering.

As your seeds germinate you want to keep the soil moist without being sodden. A misting spray bottle works well for this. The plastic will help keep moisture in during this stage, as well as acting as a sort of "mini-greenhouse" to warm the soil. The temperature should be around 65-70 for best results.

When your seedlings start coming up remove the plastic and start turning your containers every day to prevent the seedlings from "leaning" toward the light. If you notice any diseased or sickly plants, remove them immediately before they can infect the rest.

The first two leaves that seedlings have are not in fact true leaves. They're called cotyledons, and are sort of an energy storage unit for the developing plant. Once the true leaves develop you can start lightly fertilizing the plant with any sort of liquid nutrient.

TRANSPLANTING

A few weeks before you intend to transplant them to the outdoors, (or take them to market) you need to begin the process called "hardening off". This acclimatizes the young plants to outdoor conditions and prevents loss due to transplant shock.

Basically you set the young plants outside in a shaded, sheltered area for a few hours a day, gradually increasing the time (and sun) until they are hardy enough to live outside all day. Don't leave them out at night until all danger of frost or freeze has passed.

Pick an overcast day to transplant your seedlings. Too much sun will wilt your seedlings. If it has rained recently, so much the better. Dig (don't poke) a hole in the ground slightly larger than the container. Gently remove the seedling from the container with as much soil as will cling to the roots. Never, ever remove it by pulling on the stem. Rather, turn the container upside down with one hand and gently flex it until the plant falls out in your free hand.

Pour a good shot of water into the hole, place the plant in and gently tamp the soil around it.

For the first few days, monitor the young plants closely, again removing any that seem diseased or sickly. Fertilize lightly.

Start thinking about all the tasty fresh vegetables you'll be eating soon.

HILARIOUS CITY FOLK-A TRUE STORY

2009-02-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

This happened a few months ago, but I still get tickled when I think about it, so i figured I'd share this story with you.

I was on the way back from town with some supplies, (beer, barbwire, library books mostly) when I saw a cluster of cars pulled off the side of the road with a bunch of fancy dressed people huddled up pointing and looking down across the river.

(Now, we live along the New River in the Southern Appalachians, and in the fall months we get hordes of "leaf-lookers" up from the flatlands. They've already killed off their own trees, and sometimes I kinda feel like they're sizing up ours....)

Anyway, I could tell at a glance that those fancy BMWs and whatnot weren't from around here, so I pulled in myself, thinking maybe a car was off the bank or somebody was hurt. I looked where they were looking and didn't see anything but Little Bill's cattle in his pasture and a lil' yearling groundhog watching the commotion up on the road.

So I eased up to this one well groomed gentleman wearing a neon ski jacket and clutching a digital camera, and inquired was everything all right?

"We've just never seen a bear in the wild before, and we're hoping he'll come close enough to get a picture"

Bear? I looked around. I didn't see no bear.

"Right there! The baby bear there in the meadow." And he pointed right at that groundhog.

Now, I'm not normally a mean person, but I couldn't resist. I put on my best worried face and headed back to the truck.

"I'd better get my rifle, quick!"

The tourists were horrified. "You can't shoot him!" "He's sooo cute"

I put on my best Clint Eastwood face. " It ain't him I'm worried about, Ma'am. It's his Momma. She's bound to be here in a minute!"

Thirty seconds later, there was nothing left of that bunch but a dust cloud settling.

And as I climbed into the pickup I looked over at that little groundhog.

I swear he winked.

SAVE MORE, SPEND LESS (PART TWO)

2009-02-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

Here's a few more tips on how we save money here on the farm:

FOOD BILL

1) Collect and use coupons.
I used to not do this, out of sheer laziness mostly, but have recently become a convert. My sister-in-law is a coupon fiend, and she regularly saves $30.00 to $50.00 a week on her family's grocery bill.
There are many ways to get and collect coupons. As well as physical coupons in newspapers and such, there are many good online coupon sites that allow you choose coupons for specific products. Many communities have coupon exchange groups where you can exchange with other members.
Many grocery stores have "double coupon" (meaning they honor twice the face value of the coupon) offers at certain times. It's well worth researching your local stores to find out about these.

2) Buy house brand.
Newsflash folks- Nine times out of ten the product in the "house brand" container is exactly the same as the "premium" brand. The only difference is the packaging. You're paying the extra money strictly for the "status" of the name. I don't know about you, but at my house, we don't eat status.
Many stores have buggies of "seconds", meaning dented cans or crushed boxes at the front of the store. Don't be afraid to pile through. I often find good deals, especially on luxury items that are normally out of my budget.

3) Buy bulk
Food, especially dry goods, is cheaper in quantity. Buy things like rice, beans, flour, etc. in 25 or 50 lb bags, and store it in airtight containers until needed. We use clean sheetrock buckets, but trashcans, tupperware bins all work well.
Even if they don't normally stock bulk packages, many groceries can and will order for you if you ask. Also check into local food co-ops and wholesale clubs.
You can also save on meats by buying the "family packs" or "picnic packs". Break them down into smaller meal-sized portions and freeze.

4)Freeze leftovers
Even better, when you cook a meal, make more than you need and freeze the remainder for use another time. It's usually cheaper to make one large meal than two small ones. It also helps to do away with the temptation to buy expensive "convenience foods" for times when you are tired or don't feel like cooking. Just put a frozen meal in the oven or microwave, and viola', a hot home-cooked supper.

5)Buy local
Find out where your nearest farmer's market is and start going. Produce prices tend to be competitive with the grocery, and the quality is certainly better. In the fall you can get good deals on bulk items like potatoes, cabbage and apples, all of which keep well in the root cellar or basement.

Hope some of these ideas help,
Jon and Kim

A Philosophic Interlude

2009-02-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

We're often asked why we choose to live the homestead lifestyle. Honestly, at first we didn't have a choice. We were thrust into it by circumstance. But now I'm really beginning to appreciate the quality of life it gives us.

I often have well meaning friends and relatives drop by, " Hey I heard that the MegaXChemCorp factory is hiring, it's third shift, but it pays $8.00 an hour" Then they get puzzled when I start rolling around on the floor laughing.
Typically the next comment is, "Well it's more money than you're making now" They miss the whole point. Of course you need some money, but the whole idea of homesteading is to move away from that dependence on money, and enjoy life for a change.

I worked for several years on a dairy farm and still stay in touch with the owner. We've had some conversations that have been very encouraging and extremely frustrating at the same time; being of the old school of thought he believes in hard work, being self employed and wouldn't have it any other way. That's the encouraging part, the frustrating part is when he insists that in order to keep his lifestyle he must always juggle the bills and have that second mortgage to pay for new equipment. The same path, that many dairy farmers took, that eventually ended in failure, it's almost predictable just because of the sheer number of failed farms in my area.

I use farming as an example because I feel it closely parallels a homesteading lifestyle; where I see a difference is the farmer will go out and get a mortgage to build their homes or purchase equipment, while homesteaders will do without the mortgage and build their home as money allows, in the end they will have their homes built and paid for in far fewer years than the 30yr. mortgage holder. Other areas that show a vast difference is utilities, in my brother in laws case he has a problem with manure; he liquifies it, gives it away, buries it, throws it at the cows - from time to time.

The natural resources exist for him to implement methane production, and I have begged and pleaded with him to give it a shot,but he doesn't have the inclination to do so. Countries like India and China have proven the concept of a small biogas plant (methane) and have used it in energy deficient areas (methane producers on individual farms) of their country, why isn't its use more widespread here - I don't know, but, homesteaders that deal with very limited resources on a daily basis wouldn't let that kind of potential go to waste.

It's sometimes hard to get past that sort of entrenched, stagnant, "that's the way it's always been" attitude. It's hard to break free of society's expectation that you go out of school, get a McJob, work eight hours a day five days a week till you retire, and in the meantime, be happy with the occasional paid vacation or holiday to live your live.

What I've found in the homesteading community is even though the lifestyle is considered "low tech", my favorite kind, this doesn't mean that a homesteaders mentality is stagnant, if anything it's the opposite, when faced with changing conditions and limited resources a flexible, inquisitive mind is a must, if a serious problem presents itself, a solution has to be found or your lifesyle may suffer or die completely.

Lastly, but not least, is my personal observation of homestead politics, and that is one of a "Libertarian" outlook; maximizing individual rights while minimizing government encroachment. My only addendum to this would be, all personal responsibility be shouldered by the individual (not look to the state to create laws to force others to comply, i.e. - cut your grass it's 1 inch longer than my grass).

Freedom is highly prized in the homestead community, conversations with many homesteaders reveal that it isn't freedom to do anything, i.e. - freedom to do harm, but, the freedom to act reasonably and responsibly that marks the true homesteader. Now that I've touched on a potentially explosive topic, as politics is always contentious, I felt it was necessary because it strikes at the heart of homesteading; If so much is taken away or put under so much regulation that it makes it impossible to sustain yourself, then how long will you be able to live a homesteading life?

It's just my opinion, but, it seems that the less we have to do with modern conventions, i.e. - financing (mortgages), utilities (electric, natural gas), the more unfettered we are and we have more of that precious commodity, time - NOT MONEY; that will allow you to investigate different ideas and better ways of doing things that could save money and enhance your life, instead of the other way around - working all the time and only using what spare time you have to dream about a better life.

SPENDING LESS, SAVING MORE (PART ONE)

2009-02-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

Spending less than you earn is really the whole key to financial security, regardless of your income level. Here on the farm, our actual cash income is so small as to be embarassing. Most folks think I'm bulls**ing when I tell them how little we actually make, yet we enjoy a pretty decent standard of living. Here's a few tips on how we do it:

POWER BILLS

1) Get a timer for your hot water heater!
This really does make a difference. Ours cost about $35.00 at the local hardware, and saves us about $12.00 a month on the electric bill. If you can use a set of wire strippers and a screwdriver, you should be able to wire it in yourself in about fifteen minutes.
Get one that allows you to set multiple on/off times so you can customize it to your family's routine.
Here's how ours is set:
ON-4:30am (We get up at 5:00, so this gives us HW for showers, breakfast dishes, etc.)
OFF-6:30am (The kids are on the bus, and we're off to our daily tasks)
ON-11:30am (We come in for lunch, and have HW for handwashing and whatnot)
OFF-12:30pm (back to work)
ON-4:30pm (Kids get home, we come in for the day, supper)
OFF-8:30pm (Everyone's settled in for the evening)
As you can see, our HW heater is only running 7 hours out of 24, which saves quite a bit of money. And even in the times when the HW heater is off, there's still plenty of hot water in reserve. Especially if you:

2) Insulate your hot water heater!
If you can afford it, get one of those fancy Mylar and Fibreglass jackets for the tank. If not, wrap it in plain old pink fibreglass attic insulation and duct tape it. If nothing else, salvage bubblewrap from your local dumpster and layer the tank in that. Anything to hold the heat in.

3)Use CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps)
Yes the light takes a bit of getting used to, and they seem expensive compared to incandescent bulbs, but they last forever and can save you quite a bit in the long run.

4)Be a Power Nazi!
We were all taught this in school- If there's nobody in the room, TURN OFF THE LIGHT!.
If nobody's watching it, there's no reason for the TV to be on.
If nobody's home, why's the heat on?
If you aren't using the computer, turn it off!
You'd be suprised at how many people ignore common-sense things like this, and you'd be suprised at how much money it costs you.

These are just a few of the things we've learned to save on power bills. I'll go into some other topics on my next post. In the meantime, for some great tips on other ways to save money around the home, I found this set of e-books for sale. They're not free, but I think they're reasonably priced considering the information they contain.

'Till next time
Jon and Kim

2009-02-10T08:44:00.000-08:00

HOMESTEADING ON A SHOESTRING
or
GOING GREEN (whether you like it or not)

A couple years ago, my wife Kim and I decided to move to the country.
We were fed up with living in town, fed up with streetlights and sirens and noise. Fed up with nosy neighbors, fed up with crime and drugs and commercial crap. We had both grown up on farms, we reminded ourselves, we can do this....

The more we discussed it the more we liked it. Before long we had found the perfect place. A 40-acre farm for lease with a beautiful old two story farmhouse, complete with spring, outbuildings, apple trees, the works! We signed the papers faster than a scalded monkey can climb.

We fairly swelled with pride. We were on a mission. We'll get back to the land, by God. Raise our younguns right, way we were raised.
Our heads swam with visions of Paradise. Our son, putting down the GameBoy to help split wood beside his old man. Our daughter forsaking MTV and the telephone to help her Mom can beans for the winter. Quiet evenings around the fire with a pipe and a book. Organic Vegetables! Free Range Chicken! The Good Life!

Of course, there were few issues to work out. Like jobs. Like the fact that our new home was in one of the most economically depressed areas in the state.
"Who cares if I have to commute 40 miles to work," Kim said, "It'll be worth it."
Then gas went to $4.00/gal. Ooops.
"Never mind that, Honey" I, in my infinite wisdom, qouth " I'm one of the best carpenters in two counties. I make great money. Don't sweat it!"
Then the bottom fell out of the housing market. Nobody was building. Double ooops.

Things were starting to look grim.

One midnight found Kim and I around the kitchen table with a pot of coffee (her), a bottle of wine (me), and a lot of despair (both of us). I had just gotten laid off from a factory job I'd never have considered even taking in better times. Bills were due, and we were essentially broke.
"What now, Darlin?"
"Reckon we're screwed"
"Hmmmmm..." Long silence.
"Simple country lifestyle, my foot" Longer silence.
"How'd the old-timers do it?"
"They used what they had, and didn't waste anything. They worked their butts off. They made do, or did without"
Longest silence yet.............

That's when we realized that if they could do it, so could we. It's been a long haul, and we certainly ain't getting rich, but we're getting by. (and having some fun doing it)

This blog is to share some of the things we've learned, and some of the resources we've found. Hopefully this will be of help to some of the rest of you, whether you're a would-be homesteader, or just another victim of the recession trying to make ends meet.