How to get rid of Morning Glory aka Bindweed

There is nothing glorious about morning glory. In this video, I will show you how to get rid of Morning Glory, also known as Bindweed. That vile hateful weed that is the bane of gardens and lawns everywhere.

Morning glory is called Bindweed because it wraps its tentacles around other plants and chokes them out, stealing their water and nutrients. If you see this sold as packets in the garden center, do not buy it. It's a trap!

The best way to get rid of bindweed is to go to your local farm store, or some garden centers and get the product 2,4-D. It is a great weed killer that is deadly to all broad-leaf plants including morning glory and dandelions.

What 2,4-D does is inhibit the protein in the plants that tell it to stop growing and to start setting seed.

So the way you use it is to spray on the 2,4-D and then after it dries, you water your lawn/garden as normal. Yes, that's right. You want the morning glory to grow. Because, it will grow and grow until it burns its roots right out, and eventually it will die. If you do not water it, then it will possibly go dormant, and then you will have the problem next year.

Watch the above video to see how we get rid of morning glory on the backyard farm.

Staking and Pruning Tomatoes

Taking proper care of your tomatoes is essential to having a great harvest. By taking  good care of your tomatoes you can greatly increase the amount of fruit you get.

The first tep is to make sure your plant gets plenty of air. You do this by stringing it up in rows. Do not use the metal tomato cages ad they just compact the tomato and don't let it grow very well. The best way is to put metal posts in the row every eight feet or so. Then get some good string, or better yet, baling twine and weave it in and out between the plants. See the video to the left for a better demonstration on how to do this.

To prune your plants you need to realize that a tomato plant wants to grow large and fast, but if you don't keep the growth in check, you  will have a beautiful green tomato plant with few tomatoes.

So what you want to do is look in your plant and when you see a "V" where the two stems shoot off from each other, you want to pinch off any part of the plant that is growing there. This way you will encourage your tomato plant to set fruit rather than set foliage. Watch the video above for a better visual on how to do this.

How to plant raspberries on the urban homestead

How to plant raspberries is one of the most common questions that people ask when looking to increase the production on the urban homestead. Here is a video I created that will help clear up some of the confusion.

Basically, you soak your bare root plants in water and a rooting agent for at least two hours.

Then plant your raspberries in good fertile ground. Using a soaker hose or drip irrigation, water your starts overnight for the first week, to allow them to develop roots and grow.

Then water every couple of days until new growth appears. Before long, your raspberries will be bursting with fruit, and you will be enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Secrets of the Salmon Bake. Best Salmon recipe ever!

Here is my how-to on doing a Salmon Bake. Which is the best method to cook salmon. We used to do this every year for hundreds of people. This was taught to me by my Dad who learned it decades ago in Alaska.

Best Salmon Recipe - Secrets of the Salmon Bake

Ingredients:

Whole or halved Salmon
1/2 Stick butter
1/2 Lemon
1 Tbsp Sea Salt (Kosher works too)
Fresh Ground Pepper

Make a large sheet of foil, by taking two layers tin foil of equal length. Place one on top of the other, and then fold one long edge three or four times. Open the two halves, and place salmon on seam.

Squeeze lemon all over the salmon. slice the butter and put on salmon. Sprinkle salt and pepper.

Bring edges up and seal together like the previous edge. until it is tight on the salmon. Fold up the ends to make an air tight seal.

Allow to marinate in fridge for at least one hour up to a day.

When ready to cook prepare a bed of hot charcoal. When white and ashy, place salmon on top and let cook for about 15-20 minutes. Carefully flip salmon over and cook on other side for an additional 10-20 minutes depending on thickness.

Enjoy!

Homemade DIY Chicken Waterer - Urban Homestead - Backyard Chickens

You can watch my newest YouTube video here, on building a Homemade DIY Chicken Waterer for your Urban Homestead or backyard farm for your backyard chickens.

Get a backup pair of glasses before it is too late!

There is an old preparedness adage that says "One is none, and Two is One." Being prepared means you have at least one back up, and preferably two or more just in case.

If you don't have at least one extra pair of glasses in your 72 hour kit, or somewhere safe, then you could be in for some trouble if you lose your only pair in an earthquake, evacuation or other emergency. But luckily The Glasses Shop is having a great sale. They have several prescription glasses and frames that are only $1, and shipping starts at $5.95.

Just go to the Glasses Shop choose your glasses type in your prescription (you need to get this from your optometrist) and apply the code "OneDollar" at checkout, and you can get these for a great price. But hurry, as this price will not last long.

If that is too rich for your blood, you can head over to Coastal.com and get your first pair of glasses FREE! by using the code: FIRSTPAIRFREE at checkout.

If you would like more frames to choose from, you can try Zenni Optical, which I have used with great success. They have over 200 glasses starting from $6.95.

Yes, these are cheap, but they are for an emergency, not a fashion statement, so go get an extra pair. You never know when you may need it.

Harvest Time

It's that time of the year again, when the days start getting shorter, and the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor finish ripening and are ready to harvest. Part of living providently and being self-sufficient is keeping food on the table throughout the winter and spring. There is no better way to do this than to can your food so you can enjoy it all throughout the year. It is a great source of comfort to see all the beautiful jars of fruits and vegetables lining your shelves, knowing that you will have food in times of want.

Even if you have never canned before, you will find it is easy and cheap. Here is a list of some great websites compiled by The Kitchn Blog that will give you  the information and recipes you need, and get you going on the right foot:

1) National Center for Home Food Preservation is a wonderful first resource as it's exhaustive in its coverage of so many elements of preservation (freezing, fermenting, drying, pickling, and storing). They offer a list of publications and fact sheets on canning along with an informative FAQ and Links page. If you're looking for sensuous photos, you won't find that here. But rock-solid canning information and inspiration to get started? Yes, indeed.
2) Food in Jars is one of the first canning blogs I started reading because they don't just focus on recipes. You'll find everything from book reviews to profiles of great canners to "Canning 101" posts that deal with a lot of preservation basics. And when you are just seeking out a wonderful recipe, Food in Jars delves far beyond the expected with recipes including Honey-Sweetend Skillet Stonefruit Jam and Yellow Tomato and Basil Jam.

3) Punk Domestics is unique in that you can contribute content and recipes! Once you register with the site, you can submit recipes that you've come to love. They also have a searchable "Topics" list so you can learn more about specific elements of canning you're curious about (pickling, home brewing, cheese making). Since September is National Honey Month, Punk Domestics is featuring a great line-up of recipes for honey and using honey.
4) Canning Across America (CAA) is put together by a group of chefs, gardeners, and food lovers who enjoy canning and putting up food the old-fashioned way. In their words, "our goal is to promote safe food preservation and the joys of community building through food." They feature events on the site that are region specific or open to anyone nation-wide and a wide range of recipes split into the categories "Fruit" and "Vegetable." I think the true strength of this website is its resources page, with information on books, blogs, and videos that deal with canning. Oh, and songs to can to!
5) Well Preserved is a website devoted to food, cooking, and design with a definite focus on preserving. The element that I admire about this site is they don't just deal with making jam or simple canning; this duo sets out to tackle dehydrating watermelons . Informative, well-designed, and approachable.

Food Storage Program

Click here to download the food storage program that was mentioned in the 5th Sunday talk.

And click here to view the slideshow

Grandpa, tell me 'bout the good old days.

There was a phrase that was frequently used in years past. It became a motto of sorts for pioneers and those who survived the depression and even into World War II. It highlighted the need to be frugal in all that you do it went like this:

Use it up,

Wear it out,

Make it do,

Or do without

You do not need to wear a tin-foil hat, or be a "survivalist" to be preapredness minded. Was your Grandma viewed as a wacko because she canned tomatos, and beans, and jams? Was your Grandpa a little off kilter because he planted a garden, and built his own home?

About ten years ago, we bought a brand new iron for my wife's grandparents. Theirs was a bit old and dated, so we thought they needed a new one. But they grew up during the depression, and volunteered to serve when World War II occured. So it even though it has been ten years since we bought them the iron, it still is sitting on the laundry room shelf unopened, because the one they have still works fine. They know what it is like to not have things. And using things up is ingrained and is a part of who they are. When their iron finally does break, I'm sure they will open the one we bought them, but until it does, they are just fine using the one they have.

Being self sufficient isn't so about buying a bunch or wheat and then thinking that you will change your lifestyle when the situation demands it. It is changing it now, so when things get really bad, the shift will not be quite so dramitic. It means going back to the way your grandparents lived.

I think often of my Grandpa, who built his home with his own hands; Who built his own car; Grew a 2 acre garden; Was self employed his entire life; Fed and housed countless hungry and homeless people; Served faithfully in his Church to his dying day. He worked hard and lived a hard life, but he was always happy. He knew that whatever hardship came his way, he would figure a way out of it.

Living providently means getting back to the basics. It means throwing off the disposable society we live in. It means go back to the basics. One way you can do this would be to go to your grandparents, or some other "seasoned" person, and ask them to show you how to:

• Sew, and make and repair clothes.


• Crochet


• Prepare and cook a meal with basic food.


• Plant a garden.


• Raise chickens or rabbits or bees.


• Wash your laundry without using the machine, then hang it outside to dry.


• Fix your broken washing machine (or research how to do it on the internet).


• Can food and put it away for the future.


• Play games that don't require electronics


• Skin and field dress a deer/elk/cow/fish etc.


• Frame and build a fence or shed.


• Make soap


• Change the brakes or the oil on your car.

Learning the skills and gaining the knowledge that your grandparents posses is not about being extreme or becoming a survivalist. It is simply getting back to the basics. But the skills and knowledge you gain may save you and your family at some time in the future.

Free Food Storage Analyzer

I have a make-shift food storage analyzer I've created in excel, but after using the free food storage analyzer found at http://beprepared.com/analyzer, I'm sold that theirs is a much better way.

First of all you enter the number of family members and their ages, so you can get an accurate idea of the amount of daily needs and calories. Then you simply go through and enter what you currently have in your food storage. You can enter canned, foods, bulk foods, MRES, and even add your own items. It is also easy to order needed items directly from the site.

It makes it really easy to get an accurate idea of where you stand and what you need to do to fill in the gaps. Also, as your family grows you can change it to meet your needs.

All you need to do is go make a free account and get going. Good luck!

Top Ten Preparedness Myths

Here's the Powerpoint Presentation that I gave in my talk on Sunday regarding the top Ten Preparedness Myths. It was taken from info I gathered as well as info from Wendy Dewitt and Kellene Bishop blogs.

Top Ten Preparedness Myths

View more presentations from holyhabanero.

Also, I planned to show this video but ran out of time. If you are interested, you can view it below:

Free Giveaway over at Adventures in Self Reliance

Hey, just a heads up that our friends over at Adventures in Self Reliance are having a giveaway that is pretty neat. Stop over and take a look: http://selfrelianceadventures.blogspot.com/

Lessons learned from the recent Tornado

I found this interesting letter to the editor on Survivalblog.com that gives a good perspective of what to expect in the aftermath of a major disaster.

Dear Editor:
I have been reading your blog for a while but until Saturday, I never saw how a disaster could unhinge some people so quickly and what lack of preparedness can do to some people.

I went to deliver a chainsaw, some gas and water to a relative in Yazoo City and what is usually a 45 minute drive took over 2 hours. Land lines and cell towers were down, and if you had a phone with a certain carrier, the service was very spotty. The traffic was bad and the roads into the town were blocked and we were turned away twice by a motley group of authorities but mostly State police. One local deputy was sympathetic and told us a way to get in the town that was 35 miles out of our way and we eventually got close to the north side of town and we had to drive over live power lines and swerve around transformers. We got to the entrance of town and there were two State troopers blocking the exit but we told them we were delivering some supplies and they let us through. Eventually, we reached the home and there were trees and power lines everywhere. No power, no gas lines, homes and cars crushed, etc. One generator was being shared by neighbors and gas was being siphoned out of boats and cars to power it. There was one electric chainsaw that was plugged into the generator.

Things to note were that the authorities were very stressed out and not experienced with this kind of devastation and there were many people who tried to get to loved ones or family that couldn't get past the road blocks. Some people just left their cars on the sides of the road and were allowed to walk into town. One lady drove around the roadblock and was chased by a cop car. There were people panicking and the Red Cross got there and all they were doing was handing out water bottles. The power company was only responsible for getting the trees off the power lines. You could see people just staring at their crushed homes and houses wondering what to do. There were cops on four wheeler ATVs just riding around and eventually the National Guard showed up but they were just driving around.

Some lessons learned:

No one is getting into town right after a disaster

Have a big chainsaw and make sure there are no trees in your yard

Have a four-wheeler and a 15 foot trailer to haul out pieces of debris from your home/yard

Have a siphon and a generator

Know how to turn off your gas in your home because live wires and natural gas don't mix

Know beforehand that the authorities are not there to help you but to maintain order and the power company is not going to cut down that tree that is now in your dining room.

Brick homes fare better than stick ones

Anticipate that neighbors are going to freak out and run around like chickens with their heads cut off and try to do silly things like get in their cars and drive over debris in the road and get stuck and pop their tires.

Have gloves and chains in your truck and keep a full tank of gas at all times. Some people ran out of gas in the traffic.

Realize that tensions are going to be high and seeing weird things like one group of people having a barbecue and getting drunk and across the street one family was sitting on the lawn waiting for help is a recipe for a bad situation. I saw a kid in the road trying to flag us down and there were some guys leaning up against a house a bit out of sight. We just drove around him. I couldn't believe that it was already getting strange and the tornado was only a few hours earlier.

So in a nutshell, that was my experience and one more thing, the tornado hit so fast that the siren didn't give enough warning. And what was worse, people are conditioned to think the siren means thunderstorm or it could be a test or something else. So no one was prepared until they heard the freight train sound and with no one having basements in Mississippi, there isn't really a safe place to be.

Sincerely, - James H.

Raised Bed Gardening Class Handout

For those who attended the raised bed gardening class, thanks for coming. It was very informative and I learned that I'm doing everything wrong. If you weren't able to make it, here's the handout from the class.

Stretch your grocery money - Bountiful Baskets Food Co-Op

This is the food we got last week!!

Finding ways to make your grocery dollars stretch is not easy. But what if I told you that you could buy over $35 worth of fruits and vegetables for only $15?

The idea behind Bountiful Baskets, is a food co-op, where average citizens leverage the power of group buying to purchase fruits and vegetables at wholesale prices.

Basically you pay up front (by Wednesday at 10:00 pm) and they pool all the money, then spend it all where the grocery stores shop. Then volunteers show up an hour before pickup (just show up if you want to help!) to divide up the produce, then all the participants show up and take home their baskets and bread!

In addition to getting produce at a screaming deal, you can order items like bread, or granola or larger boxes of various produce. What you get depends on what is on special or in season that week. Just remember to sign up early each week, as there are only a limited number of spaces open.

In today's economy, we need to do all we can to live frugally. Bountiful Baskets is a great way to make sure your family eats healthy, but still  keeps within your budget. Stop by http://www.BountifulBaskets.org and give it a try.

Free is a very good price.

You probably know I'm all about getting prepared for the least amount of cost. Well, one way that I've found to store things like wheat and beans or whatever is to put them in plastic buckets. But those buckets can get spendy if you need more than a few. But what if I told you could get all the buckets you could ever want for FREE!

You probably don't know it, but bakeries all across the city get most of their frostings, and fillings and other items shipped to them in plastic buckets. When they empty the buckets, they just throw them away.

So one or twice a month, I'll call the bakeries in Smith's, or Albertsons or whomever and see if they have any buckets. Or if I happen to be in the store shopping, I just stop by and ask. They are usually more than happy to hand them over. Just make sure you get the lids with them and that they have no cracks. You won't always get large 5 gallon buckets, but that's ok, as I like to store my items in smaller containers anyway.

Then when you get home, wash and disinfect them, and they are ready to be filled up with whatever you'd like. You can also purchase the oxygen absorbers from Emergency Essentials or Macy's to increase the shelf life of whatever you put in it.

Here are just a few ideas of some things you can use your buckets for:

Store All varieties of food especially Grains and Beans
Keep Flashlights and Batteries
Keep a 72 hour kit
Separate your food into meals and put one days worth of food in a bucket
Shelter in Place kit
Emergency toilet
Carrying water

Getting prepared $5 at a time

Maybe forking over $500 for food storage is a bit intimidating, but not if you do a little at a time. The $5 plan means each time you go shopping for the week you buy one extra item that costs $5 or less.

Here's a good starter list:

FOOD ITEMS

• Five packages of Idahoan instant potatoes (flavored)
• A case of ramen noodles (20 pkgs)
• five cans of sardines
• five gallons of purified water
• nearly two cases of bottled water
• four cans of peaches, pears or fruit cockatail
• 2 jars of mandarin oranges
• five pounds of rice
• three to four pounds of spaghetti
• Two cans of spaghetti sauce
• three bags of egg noodles
• eight packages of gravy mix
• four cans of whole or sliced new potatos
• four cans of green beans or at least three cans of carrots, greens, peas or mixed veggies
• Two cans of Yams
• six cans of pork and beans
• one 40 ounce can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew
• Two 12 ounce cans of chicken, tuna or roast beef
• One 1lb canned ham
• three cans of refried beans
• three 12 oz cans of raviolis or spaghetti O's.
• Two 12.5 ounce cans of Salmon
• Five pounds of Oatmeal
• Four packages Dinty Moore heat and eat meals
• five packages of corn bread mix
• Four pounds of Sugar
• Five pound of Flour
• 1.5 quarts of cooking oil
• three one pound bags of dry beans
• two cans of apple juice
• a jar of peanut butter
• two boxes of yeast
• two bags of generic breakfast cereal
• 10 8 oz cans of tomato paste/tomato sauce
• four cans of soup
• four cans of Chunky soup
• 25lbs of Salt (at Costco) or 8-10 lbs at most supermarkets.
• two bottles of garlic powder or other spices
• Two boxes of kool aid
• Two cans of Hot Cocoa
• 2 bottles of powdered creamer

Non-Food Items

• one manual can opener
• two bottles of camp stove fuel
• 100 rounds of .22lr ammo
• 25 rounds of 12 ga birdshot or small game loads
• 20 rounds of Monarch 7.62x39 ammo
• a spool of 12lb test monofilament fishing line
• 2 packages of hooks and some sinkers or corks.
• artificial lure
• two packages of soft plastic worms
• three Bic Lighters or two big boxes of matches
• A package of tea lights
• 50 ft of para cord
• a roll of duct tape
• a box of nails or other fasteners
• a flashlight
• two D-batteries, four AA or AAA batteries or two 9v batteries
• a toothbrush and tooth paste
• a bag of disposable razors
• eight bars of ivory soap (it floats)
• a box or tampons or bag of pads for the ladies
• two gallons of bleach
• needles and thread
• a ball of yarn

OTC Medications (at Dollar General)

• 2 bottles 1000 count 500 mg generic Tylenol (acetometaphin)
• 2 bottles 500 count 200 mg generic advil (ibuprofen)
• 2 boxes 24 cound 25 mg generic Benadryl (diphenhydramine HCI)--also available at walgreens under "sleep aids."
• 4 bottles 500 count 325 mg aspirin
• 2 boxes of generic sudafed
• 4 bottles of alcohol
• a box of bandages (4x4)

Earthquakes in History

Here's an interesting graph showing earthquakes between magnitudes 6 and 8 for the past 100 years

http://www.thehorizonproject.com/earthquakes.cfm

This reminds me of D&C 88: 89-91:

89    For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand.

90    And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds.
91    And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people.