Category Archives: Off Grid Living

Gardening, Off Grid Living, Prepping

Grow Your Own Ginger

We’ll definitely have to try this, there’s nothing like fresh ginger.

While it’s true that ginger is a tropical plant, it is possible to grow it outdoors in most climates. The catch is that it can only survive in temperatures 50 degrees Fahrenheit or above. That means that in some parts of the country—like certain areas in Florida, California and Arizona—ginger can be a year-round crop.

But the rest of the U.S. isn’t completely left out in the cold: according to Sher, it is possible to grow ginger is cooler climates—the season is just shorter. In these areas, she says that it’s best to plant ginger after (what appears to be) the last frost of the spring

.Although it takes around eight months for a ginger plant to reach its full potential, in the cooler parts of the country, you can harvest the young ginger after three or four months. Or if you want to keep the party going, just bring the pots in for the winter.

Source: How to Grow Ginger at Home

(Click on the link for the full article)

Arizona, Land, Off Grid Living

Snow Day – Yucca Style

It’s a rare snow day here at the ranch. After above average temperatures just a week ago, we’re now cold and dreary with big snowflakes falling.

We do need the moisture, as it has been months without any serious rain. The last couple of days have seen scattered showers, and todays’ cooler temps are leading to  a gorgeous winter wonderland.

and the Javelina got into the act…

Update :

But wait, there’s more!

Off Grid Living, Real Estate

Making the Tiny Home Perfect for Living Large

On “Good Bones,” Mina Starsiak and her mother, Karen Laine, have shown themselves to be pros at making small spaces feel open and airy. In their newest Indianapolis renovation, they show how to creatively transform a grungy, run-down house into a bright and inspiring artists’ cottage. In the episode “Cottage Becomes Artistic Oasis,”

Starsiak and Laine are tasked with renovating a house that a local arts nonprofit has bought for a mere $6,000. They plan to turn it into affordable housing for artists.

The top challenges? For one, the house is tiny, just 790 square feet. The nonprofit also has a tight budget of $90,0000 to spend on renovations, which won’t go far, given all the work this place needs…

For less than $100, they build a vertical living garden inside the sunny three-season room and fill it with edible plants like basil, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, and chives. The result is a beautiful green design element that’s also functional.

This article has even more goodies. One important thing is to use neutral and lighter colors in small spaces. This makes them feel much bigger and inviting.

Since the home will someday be rented out to artists, Starsiak and Laine decide to keep the design color palette light and neutral.

Not only does this help make the tiny home feel bigger, but it also creates a blank slate for the future tenants. They’ll be able to add their own colors and decor to match their style.

Source: ‘Good Bones’ Reveals Top Tricks To Make a Tiny Home Feel Huge | realtor.com®

Lots of interesting ideas for those on a tight budget or just anyone who wants new things to try.

There’s quite a few smaller homes in Kingman dating back to when it was a sleepier mining town. Good bones homes, but in desperate need of a renovation. Many investors have already caught on to this idea as it’s a great way to build instant equity. Many folks will pay top dollar for a mint move-in condition home.

Moreover, these inspirations can translate to your new tiny home in the beautiful northwest high desert of Arizona.

Enjoy…Ben

Gardening, Off Grid Living

6 Tips for Desert Gardening – Prairie Homestead

Growing food in the high desert can be an incredible challenge, but I am living proof that you can be successful at it! If you follow a few simple methods to help combat the hot, dry, and windy conditions that are the norm in the southwest, you can be almost guaranteed a bountiful harvest.

Six Tips for Successful Desert Gardening

1. Find the Right Seeds – Seeds that have been grown in and adapted to the high desert are going to be your best bet in the garden. There are countless heirloom varieties that have been protected by the companies that make it their life’s work to preserve the history of our fruits and vegetables. Find them at your local nursery, Farmer’s Market or order them online via NativeSeeds.org, Baker Creek Heirlooms or Seed Saver’s Exchange.

Source: 6 Tips for Desert Gardening

We’re still learning after all these years. It’s not easy to grow in the desert, but with a long season & a few protections against the cold nights of winter, one can harvest literally year round. The critters are the biggest problem once you’ve improved the soil.

Dig in by clicking on the link. – Ben

 

Odds & Ends, Off Grid Living, Prepping

Opting Out & A Memorial Day Weekend Message

Virtually nothing in America’s top-down financial and political realms is actually transparent, accountable, authentic or honest.

Opting out will increasingly be the best (or only) choice for tens of millions of people globally. Opting out means leaving the complicated, costly and now unaffordable / unbearable life you’ve been living for a new way of life that is radically less complex, less costly and less deranging.

Continue reading Opting Out & A Memorial Day Weekend Message →

Gardening, Off Grid Living, Prepping

The Sun has been Ominously Quiet

At a time when the world is already being hit with major crisis after major crisis, our sun is behaving in ways that we have never seen before.

For as long as records have been kept, the sun has never been quieter than it has been in 2019 and 2020, and as you will see below we are being warned that we have now entered “a very deep solar minimum”.

Unfortunately, other very deep solar minimums throughout history have corresponded with brutally cold temperatures and horrific global famines, and of course this new solar minimum comes at a time when the United Nations is already warning that we are on the verge of “biblical” famines around the world.  So we better hope that the sun wakes up soon, because the alternative is almost too horrifying to talk about.

Without the sun, life on Earth could not exist, and so the fact that it is behaving so weirdly right now should be big news.

Source: The Sun “Has Gone Into Lockdown”, And This Strange Behavior Could Make Global Food Shortages Much Worse

Now, more than ever it seems like a good time to store a little more, and above all try to “stay away from crowds” as Uncle Remus says.

The pandemic this year has shown just how vulnerable our “just in time” delivery systems are. With literally tons of food being thrown away because of logistical issues, and the potential shortage of meat due to the concentration among just a few large factory farms, relying on supplies being available in tighter times such as these is just foolish.

FEMA says everyone should have three days of food & water, but as we’re only nine meals away from anarchy, one surely ought to try and have a little more.

Where to start? There are many good articles about preparing on a budget. Whether it’s a pandemic, a solar minimum, or even just an old fashioned hurricane, better to have more and not need it, than to want in an emergency. Start today – Ben

Off Grid Living, Prepping

How is Your Long Term Storage Food Holding Up? Test it!

During my recent move, I was drawing down some stocked items.  One of the things we decided to consume and restock post move, was a bunch of Spam that I had acquired from 2011 to 2014.  My wife, who rarely allows me in the kitchen, had never taken an interest in the preps I had stocked, so the Spam didn’t rotate.  This gave us a nice test of how well Spam stayed on a shelf in long term storage.

The Spam had been stored in our basement, which was temperature controlled, so it wasn’t subjected to years of wild temperature fluctuations, but it had been sitting on the shelf for 5 to 8 years.  Our basement in that house was also dry.  There was no point in moving the Spam rather than using it and replacing it after the move.

If you are getting to where you have a decent inventory of food, you might want to sample things that you bought to see if they are what you expected.  We also are rebuilding our “deep pantry”.

Source: Testing Old Storage Food – Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You

One authors’ experience with a variety of long term storage foods. If you’re going to be ready for the long term, one important thing is to rotate and test your foodstuffs regularly.

Gardening, Off Grid Living

How to Build an Inexpensive Greenhouse

Came across this. We’re suddenly more interested in shade as the temps have been in the 90s. A search for diy greenhouse yields many ideas for recycling old windows, or this one which budget, but effective.

How to build a small, cheap and easy greenhouse. Includes  Material List for 28 foot by 15 foot greenhouse, sorry, with pvc, the greenhouse has to be small.

Source: How to build a cheap, simple and easy greenhouse

Gardening, Off Grid Living, Prepping

Growing and Drying Your Own Herbs – Daily Prepper

As a new gardener, I often found the task of growing prize-winning tomatoes and succulent melons very daunting. Can I say succulent melons here? Get your head out of the gutter! But growing and drying your own herbs, now that was a new task.

Gardening has never come naturally to me. But I learn and grow each and every year. I finally began to master tomatoes by the third year of gardening. But I’ve still never mastered the green bean. It’s easy to get discouraged when you’re gardening, but I’ve found one thing that I can never kill. I suppose I could if I drenched it in chemicals, but ultimately, they’re very forgiving. What is it, you ask? Why, herbs, of course!

Herbs are one of the easiest things in the world to grow and maintain. Drying your own herbs is one of the easiest skills to learn, and will come in handy often.  Whether you’re drying them once harvested, making a tincture, preserving dried herbs into spice rubs, or simply hanging them until you’re ready to use them. There are plenty of ways to grow and preserve herbs on your homestead.

Source: How to Grow and Dry Your Own Herbs – Daily Prepper News

Lots of useful information, a good read.

The photo above is a salad without a speck of lettuce. Taken at Chacra d’Dago in Villa Rica Peru, home of an amazing biodynamic farm. -Ben

Gardening, Off Grid Living, Prepping

Start Your Medicinal Garden Today – 7 Reasons

Growing medicinal plants are a great way to ensure garden sustainability and more notably, have access to natural medicine when you need it most. When I introduced more herbs in my garden, I noticed it had a profound impact on the vegetables and fruits I was growing. It also encouraged beneficial insects and birds to visit my garden and this helped cut down on plants being eaten.

Because of this observation, I changed my focus from solely growing to eat and, instead, worked to create a welcoming growing environment. Not only were my plants healthier, but I had access to natural herbs to use for making extracts and poultices. The following are reasons I feel gardeners should adopt adding medicinal herbs to the garden.

7 Reasons Why You Should Have a Medicinal Garden

1.) have fresh cut herbs to use for natural medicine, you have access to the freshest forms of their healing properties. For example, what if you cut your hand and did not have a bandage.

Did you know that the sage leaf can be wrapped around a wound and used as a natural band-aid? Or, if the bleeding from that cut was so bad that it wouldn’t stop. Did you know that a few shakes of some cayenne pepper can help control the bleed? Or, if you have a severe bruise, make a poultice. It’s one of the easiest and fastest ways to use herbal medicine.

2.) Calm your senses with medicinal teas. (Click to read more)

Source: 7 Reasons Why You Should Have a Medicinal Garden | Ready Nutrition

Read more at the link. Pictured above is Ephedra which is quite common here. Known as “Mormon Tea,” it’s said to be a wonderful decongestant. It must be simmered for at least 20 minutes prior to drinking. It’s quite stimulating, and should be avoided by those with heart conditions.