[Simple Living]

It is funny that this subject has come up. My wife and I went to Topeka, In. on Tuesday for the Draft Horse Equipment auction.(only thing I came home with was a bag of kettle corn 🙂 ). While we were wondering through the Indiana Amish area we had a lengthy discussion about the Standardbred Buggy horses that they use. What is the Average usable lifespan? 2years? 5yrs? When you think about their way of going 2-6mile trot to town, stand for 15min-3hrs. 1-3mile trot to another farm. And then 2-6mile trot back home. One would think that type of use would have to bring them to an early end. But as the English go, one man will abuse his car/truck for 2-4yrs throw it away and buy a new one. The next one (enter my truck here with 250k) will keep up with maint. and not abuse it everyday and make it last. Although I’m not sure I gave you any answers, I think it is still food for thought.

Gordon

[Simple Living]

I too would be interested in other people’s ideas on this. Our old farmhouse has a small kitchen (5’x8′ floor space) and a very limited amount of counter space for canning. The idea we had was to use an 8′ x 12′ shed that a renter left when they moved. I have started a search for a LP stove for canning and I have used SS restaurant sink as well. If I leave it on skids I can pull it close to the house for canning and or chicken processing, and then back out by the barn for storage. The other reason for keeping it on skids is to avoid the taxman.

Looking forward to hearing what ideas others have and of course pictures would be great as well.

Gordon

[Simple Living]

When I see this kind of stupidity from our “esteemed” elected officials, I wonder if they have a clue what they are going to eat when we can’t produce, or are no longer willing to produce food for resale. It makes me wish we could all afford to take 1 yr off from producing or at least selling ANY meat vegetables. or grains from our farms. How many people would have to go hungry before the natives got all wound up and started to revolt? I think I’ve had just about all I can stomach from the Dumb A$$es in DC. The only thing that comes to mind over and over is the quote I used on my first post on DAP.

“Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.”

-William Jennings Bryant, 1896.

What was true in 1896 I think is even truer today as the most of the people in the U.S. will starve inside a week once the food is gone from the grocery store shelves.

OK, I’m off the soap box now. NEXT!

Living as Simple as I can in NW Ohio,
Gordon

[Simple Living]

Jen.
I think you just found a video of 75% of the women out there that always wanted a “my pretty pony” as a child. Reminds me of a few people I know as well. Thanks for the belly laugh, I needed that today!

Gordon

[Simple Living]

Rod,
I believe there was an article in Rural Heritage in the last couple years that the fella used the same concept. Rather than mixing the corn in with the pile as he stacked it, he would use a spud bar and “plant” the corn down in the pile. Not sure what the spacing was that he poked/planted the corn, but the idea was that it was fresh corn and he could place it all the way to the bottom. That would encourage the hogs to root all the way down. If I happen to find the article I’ll let you know what issue it was.

Gordon

[Simple Living]

Reading this thread has brought to mind a few things I have read in the past year. The one that comes to mind is a cross between what both Carl and Geoff had posted. The article that I am thinking about is in the Sept/Oct 2008 issue of BackHome Magazine. The lady in the article is from Delaware and has a greenhouse called Misty Morning Herbs ans More. From what I read she uses a small compost pile (5’Dia x 4’H) with water coils run thru it and then into a small 12’x16′ greenhouse. It seems that it can heat (limited I’m sure) the greenhouse enough to give her a much longer growing season for free.The following is text from an online article I found at Delaware Online.

—-Kathy Brooks, on the other hand, seems to throw absolutely nothing away at the produce business she runs from her Felton home. Wood chips, plant trimmings and a dash of manure all end up in the composter she built alongside her 12-by-16-foot greenhouse. Beneath the pile sits a reservoir of water, which in turn is connected to rubber hoses that snake through the trimmings and into the greenhouse, carrying with them the heat generated by microbial activity within the compost. “I decided I needed something eco-friendly to heat the greenhouse,” she said. “Electricity was so expensive.”
On a cool winter day, the natural heater can keep the interior of the greenhouse at a toasty temperature, letting her get a jump start on the growing season. By April, her “Misty Morning Herbs and More” products — ranging from cucumbers to herbal carpet fresheners — will be ready for the Milford Farmer’s Market.
With the help of a federal grant and Delaware State University, Brooks has been spreading word of the heater through the agricultural community, certain that something so simple and sensible should surely be embraced. “It’s a win-win situation,” she said.

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It would be nice to know if anyone else has a setup like this? Or maybe plans to do such a thing?

Thanks,
Gordon

[Simple Living]

It’s the government in bed with big ag. businesses, kinda like fightin’ the Devil himself. It will never be “dead”. Keep fighting and for goodness sakes let your local/state reps know how we all feel! STOP NAIS NOW! At one time agencies like the USDA were meant to help us. Now all they are good for is helping themselves…. to our pocketbook, all in the name of food/health/national safety.

I had alot more typed in here, but I’ll save that for another day.

Gordon

[Simple Living]

Thats to bad Jean, It is most likely because people keep talking about their “donkeys” 😮 Don’t get yourself down too much, you’ll just have to adjust your viewing times. Now that I’ve said that, I hope my work doesn’t decide to do filtering as well!

Gordon

[Simple Living]

Thank you Robert.

It seems now I have a bigger problem. SO many good looking vegies, and only so large of a space to plant…..How many years will it take me to try all 77 kinds of sweet potatoes?

Thanks again, Gordon

[Simple Living]

Thank you Erika!

Now I need to get busy and order my seed for this year. Does anyone here have any favorite heirloom veggies they would recomend or others that they would stay away from? We like to use hearty varieties that have good flavor but as well need to have ones that store well in the cellar or in the canning jar.

Gordon

[Simple Living]

Ok Jean here we go. Sorry it took so long to get back to this. I hope I am posting the pics the right way. If not, I’m sure it will just like doing things at home, “someone” will tell me how to do it 🙂
If this works it will be a pic of 2 of my mares plowing for the first time. The ground was a bit heavy and it was a 16″ JD plow. We only plowed for about 15-20 minutes that day. Also if someone could tell me how to post pics in the picture area I have a few that I would like to share. Thanks and have a great evening.

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