Month: February 2023

Living in an age where we are so disconnected from the origins of our food has made survival a subject of wonder. We have repeatedly been told that our water needs to be boiled and filtered or that our food needs to be cooked to be edible.

This mentality has been laser-focused on products such as organ meat, the liver being a prime example. Cross-contamination is a threat, it’s true. But only if the ingredients are handled improperly.

Yes, you can eat liver in a survival situation or otherwise. Being cautious is advised since it is one of the primary detoxification organs which can hold impurities and disease unless cooked properly.

The liver is one of those food items that people either love or hate. While there are clear benefits to consuming it there are also some factors that need to be considered before you try it, especially in a survival situation.

Should You Eat Liver Raw or Cooked?

While it is possible to eat the liver raw and be just fine, the risk of food poisoning is still there.

Even cooked, you can still reap the benefits of eating the liver with a much-reduced risk of damaging your health.

Eating any meat that is uncooked has a large risk of making you sick. Pathogens cannot stand high heat for a long time which makes cooking the liver thoroughly the ideal way to prepare it.

All of the harmful substances from environmental pollution, heavy metals, and similar chemicals are filtered through the liver. This means it is an epicenter for issues such as parasitosis or chronic disease.

Raw Liver

The raw liver consists of a smooth, creamy-like texture paired with a strong taste that can be off-putting. Some people claim that the liver has a sweet nuttiness to the taste that cannot be found anywhere else on the animal.

Foie Gras (duck liver) is considered a delicacy with its unique taste and texture.

It’s interesting to note that the taste of the liver depends on the animal it came from. This means that the liver from a duck won’t taste the same as a beef liver.

Cooked Liver

Growing up as a kid I remember my mother cooking up some liver and onions and I found the taste revolting.

However, everyone else in my family didn’t mind the taste. I found that it has a strong flavor, much like iron or blood in my mouth.

It was quite tender to the fork but there was just something about that overwhelming taste I didn’t like.

The larger the animal is the more flavorful the liver. If it is overcooked then it will be hard to chew, much like sturdy leather. When prepared properly it will maintain some of that soft texture it had while it was raw.

What Are the Benefits of Eating Raw Liver?

If the taste and texture of cooked liver turn some people away, then what exactly is the draw towards eating…

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Here is a simple meal you can enjoy in the summer and fall on the cheap. Dine on butternut squash, kale, egg, and watermelon, and enjoy the simplicity of a farm to table meal. 

Please enjoy how this homesteader is getting back to his roots. 

-Riley E. Carlson

By Mark McNaney

I couldn’t help thinking of my grandparents the other day as my wife and I shared a simple evening meal – lightly roasted butternut squash and kale topped with a poached egg – earlier this week. For dessert that night, we enjoyed a juicy, sweet seedless watermelon.

This was the same kind of simple, yet highly nutritious, meal that I had shared with my maternal grandparents when I would stop by to have lunch with them while attending high school.

I remember those meals with them fondly, as they would listen to Paul Harvey deliver the news and comment on the latest developments.

Those were simpler, and seemingly easier, times. There were no cell phones ringing, no alerts signaling a new email, no television channels beyond the basic CBS, NBC and ABC networks.

As my wife and I enjoyed our simple and tasty meal, I wondered too if the very simplicity of the food itself, purchased earlier in the week at a local farm market and nearby grocery, would have contributed years ago in some way to my grandparent’s long lives. We knew that the meal was a lighter fare that would help us lose weight,

but what was it in that meal that was so valuable in terms of contributing to our improved health and wellness?

Butternut Squash – Health Benefits

Certainly much more abundant in the Autumn, the butternut squash is available year-round in our area and easily stored in the cool air of a root cellar. Butternut squash is actually a fruit, though most folks think of it as a vegetable, and is related to the pumpkin. Known by it flesh-colored thin skin, it has a distinctively elongated, pear-like shape.

The butternut squash is full of vitamins – A and B-complex – and is rich in beta carotenes and fiber.

It has no saturated fats, so for those readers watching their cholesterol, it can be a staple in your diet. That said, the butternut squash’s seeds do have some oil. The seeds themselves can be roasted and make a delicious snack, similarly to its cousin the pumpkin seed.

The USDA reports that the low-carb butternut squash is a source of iron and magnesium, along with copper, phosphorus and calcium. This low-calorie fruit is an ideal source of anti-oxidants and is reported to have benefits in terms of skin and eye health.

Kale – Health Benefits

It should be noted that a cup of these greens, like collard greens or Swiss chard, will cook down to almost nothing. So eat plenty of kale without any fear. Low in calories and fat, kale is a source of Vitamin A and C, with lesser contributions in terms of calcium and iron….

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Want to know how to crochet an infinity scarf? This wonderful tutorial will have you crocheting your scarf in no time. The best part is you don’t even have to follow a pattern! No pattern required.

My mother taught me how to crochet. She was a master. She made beautiful lacy doilies and tablecloths and mittens and scarves and over a hundred crocheted throws and blankets and gave them all away as gifts.

I am not a master. She tried to pass on her skills to me, but became frustrated because I am a lefty and therefore do everything backwards! Also, I didn’t have to patience to perfect my crocheting skills, and to this day, single and double crochet are about as fancy as I get.

However, I do have a skill, which is serving me well in my new homesteading endeavor. I don’t need a pattern to crochet. Actually, to be truthful, patterns don’t serve me well. With my limited skills they are either hard for me to figure out, or else I’m not neat enough to get the correct result, OR, the created objects just don’t fit me right. For instance, I have huge piano-playing hands, which do not lend themselves well to fitting into the pretty girly mittens and gloves I would like to be able to make or buy.

So, I don’t use a pattern, and frankly, NOTHING BAD HAPPENS! In fact, it’s a really freeing experience, because I know I can be totally off the grid, and I can still make items that fit every member of our household. Knowing that I can make warm mittens and scarves and hats and cowls without any pattern is a useful skill for any homesteader.

I’d like to demonstrate how easy it can be to make items like this without a pattern by showing How To Crochet a Cowl, aka an Infinity Scarf:

I am going to assume that you have a little crocheting experience. If not, there are lots of videos online to show you the basics and let you practice. If you think you can do the following: slip knot, chain, slip stitch, single and double crochet, you are ready for this first project. Let’s make a beautiful custom-made-for-you-cowl.

If you don’t know what a cowl is, it’s like a tube top for your head . It’s A scarf with no end, that can be used as a hoodie.

To start, all you need is a crochet hook and some yarn, and a yarn needle. I used a size J hook and 7 ounces of medium weight yarn. You can go bigger or smaller, and nothing bad will happen. In fact, if crocheting scares you because of all these numbers, just buy whatever the store sells, the standard sizes work great!

I love this yarn! It is 70% acrylic, 30% wool. Very soft and drapey and warm….

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Looking for a natural poison ivy treatment that actually works? Here’s how you can use the leaves off a pecan tree to heal your poison ivy rash at home naturally – no trip to the doctor necessary.

By Jordan Winders

If you have ever had poison ivy then I don’t have to tell you how uncomfortable it is. First I would like to go over how the rash is contracted then offer you a simple home remedy for poison ivy treatment. I can only speak for poison ivy as this is the only one I have had.

Poison Ivy can be identified by three flat leaves in a group

The one thing poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak all have in common is the urushiol oil that the entire plant gives off. Yes, the entire plant including the roots, stems, and of course the leaves. If this comes into contact with the skin then more than likely you are going to have an allergic reaction and break out in the commonly known red rash you get from any of the three plants.

Contrary to popular belief the only way to spread this is by moving that oil around the skin.

Your skin will break out in rash with an oil residue

So if you know you have just contacted poison ivy, stop what you are doing and go inside, wash your hands with cool soapy water. Soap and water are only effective if you can use it within the first ten minutes of exposure. After that there are some store bought products that claim to take off the urushiol, I have never used them so I am not sure if they work. As for the clothes you are wearing – be extremely careful when taking them off and get them in the washer as soon as you can as there may be oil on them as well.

Watch for poison Ivy EVERYWHERE – it can grow along forest floors, walls, fences, and pops up among other shrubs and foliage.

 

Poison ivy is tricky and sometimes shows up as quick as a couple hours after exposure and sometimes it takes a few days to show up. That being said, after the rash shows up chances are the oil has all soaked in and there is not a way to spread it after the oil is absorbed. Unfortunately this is where the nightmare of poison ivy begins.

I stumbled upon a remedy for poison ivy using none other than pecan leaves.

There is not much to it and it keeps for quite a while. First things first, you need to locate a Pecan tree, here in Northeast Oklahoma there are lots of them so this isn’t a problem, their natural range is from Central Illinois, south into Texas, west as far as Oklahoma and east into Mississippi. Now if you don’t live in this area and can’t find them anywhere you live, find a friend who does and have them overnight some…

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Jeff Deist: First of all, congratulations on your new book The Price of Time. It was fantastic.

Edward Chancellor (EC): I’m glad you enjoyed it.

JD: I ask all authors this question, especially authors of weighty books. Was it worth it, in terms of the opportunity cost in your own life?

EC: Not financially [laughs]. I bet most of them say that. Heaven knows why people write books, really. The best you can say is that, you’re building up your own human capital and you’re making some contribution to civilization. And I work in the world of finance and investment, and on the whole, it pays for me to spend time building up my human capital. You never quite know when the payoffs come. Now that I’m toward the end of my career, it doesn’t really matter that much, anyhow. So, I wrote this earlier book called Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation. That paid off, and it created career opportunities for me. I don’t think this book will, but perhaps it will have some influence on policy. I think of it like this: it’s a sort of testament to what’s gone on. It’s harder now to shovel these things under the carpet because people will be able to come back to this book and say, Can you answer these questions? So, we’ll see. I don’t regret writing it. One thing you’ll find about people who write books is that they’re tremendously relieved when they’re done.

JD: You received a nice review in the Wall Street Journal. How about reviews in the UK and Europe?

EC: Yes. So, it probably won’t particularly surprise you, given the polarization of the press today and in particular the polarization of economic questions, that the so-called right-wing press—the Wall Street Journal, Telegraph over here, Spectator over here, Times over here—they all liked the book, almost uncritically. The Left has completely ignored it. As I said, my previous book, Devil Take the Hindmost, actually sold hundreds of thousands of copies, established me reasonably well. Admittedly, it’s been a while, but I find it a bit strange that the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian deigned to look at The Price of Time. And then you’ve got the policy-making media, the technocratic media, the Financial Times and columnists—they didn’t like it. Martin Wolf at the FT said that I obviously wished for a state of permanently high unemployment. You can imagine that argument. And both royal family economists reviewed my book alongside the latest offering by Ben Bernanke, coming down decisively in favor of Bernanke, which is fair enough, but what both of those reviews failed to do, needless to say, is to address my argument. It’s easier to disparage persons you disagree with than to address their arguments.

JD: I did not find the book ideological per se.

EC: You know, subjects on interest have always been fraught with political disagreements. And I suppose in the end, interest is always going to…

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NASA finds the answer via the Human Research Program.

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Ever wonder how the astronauts don’t lose their humanity while floating in a tiny capsule for days…weeks…and years around the planet?

Part of feeling human is being present on the earth: toiling the soil, feeling the heat of the sun, hearing the birds chirping, the bees buzzing, the smell of spring… We have so many senses that are engaged daily as we live out our lives here on the big blue.

And then there’s space. Space is the opposite. Space is void of sounds, smells, even color. There is NOTHING* in space. (But that’s why we’re exploring it!)

For the heroes out there living in space, I applaud thee.  Which brings me back to my question…

How do astronauts hold onto their sanity, nay, their humanity, while floating through outer space?

This is how- NASA is performing a test: The Human Research Program – One Year Mission, and a video mini-series documenting how our space-explorers hold onto their human factor while living in a 0-gravity human-intolerant environment.

Watch an intro here:

What are your thoughts on homesteading? Space exploration?

Would you go into space if you had the opportunity? What is one thing you would miss about planet earth (and gravity) the most?

Share with us in the comments! Share with your friends on Facebook!

Read Full Article Here on NASA.gov

 

Like This Post? You’ll Also Like:

Urban Farming | Grow Your Own Organic Garden Green Smoothie Recipe

Why Every Homestead Needs Zinc Oxide Natural Sunscreen

Why Everyone Should Own The Juice Plus Tower Garden

 

*

 

*There may be “nothing” in space to the human eye. But really, there’s quite a bit of space plasma, some magnetic fields, and a few billion other solar systems –  

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“These warrants are patently unconstitutional,” said Tom McBrien, a law fellow with the nonprofit Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in Washington DC. “They look through everyone’s location history within that geographical area to see where they were at the time.”

Geofence warrants violate the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution on several fronts, McBrien argued. First, the amendment requires that evidentiary warrants meet the “particularity requirement,” meaning police must be specific about what and who they’re seeking to find with the data. The warrants can’t turn into “fishing expeditions,” McBrien said.

Secondly, probable cause requires law enforcement to link a specific person or persons to a crime. Only in that case does the law allow the invasion of privacy that comes with geofence data access.

“Google has a rich database of user information,” McBrien said. “You either have a Google phone or you use a Google service. Google has made it very hard to opt out of location tracking. Even after turning off the specific feature on your mobile phone, Google can still track you through another [service or app]…such as Google Maps.”

Read the full article here.

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Cast iron skillet dinner recipes are perfect for every savvy homesteader. They often have a lot on their hands and preparing meals with a cast-iron pan saves time and effort due to its efficiency in conducting heat and ensuring well-seasoned food. These delicious and easy cast iron skillet dinner recipes are lifesavers. They also make great camping recipes–they’re that reliable. Continue reading to find out for yourself!

Cast Iron Skillet Dinner Recipes: Quick and Easy Meals

 

 

1. Baked Polenta and Vegetables with Tahini Glaze

Some veggies from a Ratatouille, polenta, and tahini make this vegan recipe. It’s a delicious dish you can whip up in a cast-iron skillet. Take care when doing your polenta as it can burn fast and quick.

2. Skillet Chicken with Bacon and White Wine Sauce

Imagine meaty chicken thighs drowning in wine sauce with bacon bits and caramelized shallots. Savor the delicious flavors simmering and sizzling in one cast iron pan. Well, don’t stop there, but cook this skillet chicken recipe now.

3. 30-Minute Cheesy Avocado Skillet Pizza Bread

Make this 30-minute pizza bread in a cast-iron skillet for your dinner tonight. You’ll find cheese and avocado makes an amazing combo. Pop in the oven for 30 minutes to cook. Pair with any other of these delicious cast-iron skillet recipes for fantastic skillet meals.

4. Shepherd’s Pie With Ground Beef

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Even the classic shepherd’s pie cooks well and good in a cast-iron pan. This should make a delicious dinner meal for any occasion with savory ground beef. You can also make good use of your leftover mashed potatoes in this easy cast iron skillet recipe.

5. Perfect Pan-Seared Steak

Learn how to make the perfect homemade pan-seared steak. First, get yourself a high-grade cut of beef, then, cook it in a cast-iron skillet. Add herbs to the steak and season with ground black pepper and kosher salt.

 

I think today calls for a skillet cookie: http://t.co/yWPJRz815E #skilletrecipes #homemade pic.twitter.com/zgtJqd3BOo
— Homesteading (@HomesteadingUSA) July 27, 2015

6. Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Make yourself or your family the beloved classic, baked mac n’ cheese, in a cast-iron skillet. I love a good baked mac that’s ever-so-slightly crusty on top but creamy and rich underneath.

7. The Simplest and Best Shrimp Dish

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Shrimp, as most kinds of fresh seafood are, is delicious by itself. Add a few earthy herbs and spices to complement the flavors of the sea in this shrimp skillet recipe. The secret to this super delicious dish? Garlic…lots of garlic!

8. Cast-Iron Skillet Burgers

The secret to a mouth-watering burger is in the savory ground beef patties. Freeze the ground beef patties first, so you can have that brown crust and juicy inside you…

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The day you brought home those day-old chicks seems like only yesterday. So tiny and cute, they quickly worked their way into your heart. Since that time, you watched them grow up and lay their first eggs. After those first eggs came along, eight years passed and your hens made another change: They entered the world of senior citizenship.

As a hen ages, she has an increased risk of developing certain reproductive disorders such as ovarian cancer, egg yolk peritonitis and other deadly reproductive disorders. However, reproductive disorders aren’t the only health conditions aging hens face. Arthritis, loss of vision and hearing, and a more challenging annual molt are all common conditions for elder chickens. 

This article will discuss six of the often overlooked health concerns in aging hens and how you can help your hens live their best lives in their golden years. Note that this article isn’t intended to diagnose, treat or cure any health issues in aged hens. If you notice any changes in behavior in your older hens, take them to a licensed veterinarian that specializes in poultry. 

Arthritis

An orthopedic condition causing joint inflammation, arthritis can affect older chickens, causing pain, joint damage and loss of joint function. Signs that your hen may be suffering from arthritis include:

• lameness
• decreased movement
• stiffness
• swollen joints

Arthritic chickens should be checked regularly to ensure that they’re staying free from external parasites. Insecticides may be used to treat infestations, but not all insecticides are legal for use on birds in all states. Some may only be used in the coop or surrounding environment. The University of California, Riverside, department of veterinary entomology hosts a searchable database for registered insecticides by state that may be helpful in identifying products you can use.

Another alternative is providing a food-grade diatomaceous earth dust bath. The most effective way to use DE is to mix about 6 cups with approximately 25 pounds of washed play sand in a plastic container, such as a swimming pool or cement-mixing bin.

Simply dusting the birds or the environment is not enough. The birds must dust bathe in it and get the DE into their feathers.

If any of your aging hens suffers from arthritis in the legs, gently rub her legs, feet and toes in between your thumb and fingers. Gently massaging her sore legs and feet may provide some relief for her aching joints and allow her to move around less stiffly. Massage your hen each morning before allowing her out into the run.

Bear in mind that arthritic legs are prone to give out and could cause a hen to trip or fall. Never allow an elderly chicken to perch if she is having mobility issues. Removing perches and any tripping obstacles—excluding waterers and feeders—from the coop and run will help to lessen the chances of older hens falling.

Never allow your arthritic hens to free-range unless directly supervised. (This means…

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For a decade, we have raised laying hens and enjoyed them immensely, for their eggs, foraging for bugs, and alerting us to predators, as well as for their entertaining antics. We have kept 4-10 at a time, and named them. I have never been able to kill any hens (cockerels yes) or eat those that died.

However, I do like to eat chicken, so I thought it time to explore raising and butchering meat chickens. A friend had the same idea. So she bought 25 Cornish cross chicks, which are the ones most commonly raised for meat in the U.S. We agreed that she would care for them for 6-8 weeks, we would split the cost of purchase and feed, and then my husband and I would join her for the butchering work.

Here is what I learned and what I will do in the future.

When we arrived, my friend was fuming that the development of this breed is unconscionable and she will never buy them again. The Cornish cross is bred to gain weight so rapidly that by 6-8 weeks (6 weeks for us), they are unable to live with their unnatural weight distribution. Their hearts, lungs, and legs cannot support them. Many had respiratory problems, three appeared to have died of heart attacks, and one had a broken leg. None behaved like her laying hens, which are active, social, and curious roamers. These chickens were listless and sedentary. They also smelled bad – which is apparently a known trait. Her daughter cried at the state of them.

We set up the butchering area outside for five of us to work:

a) To a vertical board, four metal cones were nailed, into which the chickens were slipped, upside down, so their heads slid below the bottom of the cones. Below each cone was a bucket to catch the blood when their necks were cut. Our two husbands collected the chickens, slipped them into the cones, and a third man cut off their heads and necks and let them bleed out for a few minutes.

 

 

b) Then one man dropped the bodies into the two pots of 155-degree water (on propane burners) for a short minute to heat the skin enough to loosen the feathers.

c) He then handed these, two at a time, to another who put two birds at a time into an electric chicken plucker, which looks like the cylinder of a washing machine, with rubber finger-like projections within. When turned on, the birds tumble about, shedding feathers. An adjacent hose stood ready for that station, to wash the feathers down into a bucket beneath. The wet feathers were then drained, bundled, and subsequently hauled off to the dump.

 

 

d) Betty and I manned a table full of cutting boards, as well as jars for the hearts, livers, and kidneys. Adjacent garbage cans received the intestines and feet, and coolers…

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