how true this is----

I saw this poster on a blog I frequent so I thought I would pass it on.. As it is as relevant today as it was back then. We must take responsibility for our own survival and stop being dependent on the market place.

the zuch patch is taking over

weekly pics of the zuchs and I figured that I would share a pic of my outdoor office.
Enjoy

Potato experiment

In April I took a few of the sprouts from the 99 cent for a 10 pd bag of SAfieway taters and planted them. The green growth died back a few weeks ago due to the heat. Today I was cleaning up the pots to replant and lo and behold I took about 2-3 pounds of taters out of the potting soil..
So I guess those SAfieway taters are pretty fertile little buggers. Amazing.. We will be making a pot of stew here shortly to enjoy the taste.
One we washed off in rain water tasted oh so sweet.
Mrs T just came out to grab some lettuce and chives to go onto the tostadas she is making for dinner.. yumyum

mid week post

Stayed home from Babylon today to take Mrs T to an appt. Working from the porch office this morning. The rain yesterday left a nice little bit of moisture on the ground and the garden is loving it. Thing surely perk up with a tad of natural moisture. Supposedly the wind picked up last night but me and the Mrs were asleep by 9-930 so we missed it. Apparently we had two power outages yesterday. One in the morning and another last evening. Alas. I prefer the dark. Yet the swamp coller doesnt really work without the electric motor. I really need to get serious about finding a portable generator.. Prices should be fairly cheap during the summer months.. We shall see.
Anyhow I harvested some collard seeds and some cantaloupe seeds from the early melons and the spiked collards. If anyone wants any I would be happy to share at a dollar a packet.. (30-40 seeds of collards and 10 seeds of cantaloupe) Just comment some interest and I will fwd where you can send the donation. COllards would be a good green for the fall harvest. SO if you get them in now you can have collards in about 4-6 weeks. The cantys would be a next spring start..
I also have plenty of chives and yarrow if anyone is interested..
Not that I need the money but to cover postage and a trip to the mailbox.

Sunday evening at the stead

Another weekend has come to a close and what a way to celebrate than with a bbq. corn on the cob, grilled zuchini fresh picked from the garden and double cheeseburgers with lettuce and tomato also from the garden.. yumyum. The heat gave way earlier this afternoon to about 15 minutes of light rain and cloudy skies Kind of took the edge off of the heat.
Anyhow back to Babylon tomorrow. Hope y'all had a good one also

yuppie urban homesteaders

As one who has been doing this almost 25 plus years I am struck by those who have only recently became urban homesteaders and are trying to market their extras to make a buck. While I dont have a problem with some of their wares. I am suspicious. Especiall when we are seeing more and more consumers getting sick from goats milk gone bad and pesticides that are used by some of these people. If you want to eat chemicals buy your stuff. If you want to grow for resale be weary of what you put on it. CHEMICALS are bad.. You are only making it harder for those who have the good consciense to live their dream ORGANICALLY.
I am very careful about what goes into my soil and onto it. If I wont eat it. Why should you grow it.. I dont give a hoot if it bolsters production for profit. I aint in it for profit. I do it for my family.. BECAUSE I care what they eat. Yes its slower and takes more time but that is the purpose. SO be aware when you hit the farmers market and urban homesteader markets this summer.. Unles you have been to their yard or pharm and seen production then you could be taking the same risks that made us do what we do only on a larger scale.
off the soapbox now and ...WATCHING THE LETTUCE GROW

garden update pics (as promised)