Rendering Bees Wax :0)

Well we start off with bees wax that we have collected through out the summer and melt it down in a double boiler.  The gold honey scented wax will rise to the top and the sludge will sink to the bottom.

Once we have poured off most of the golden wax we will then strain the sludge out of the remaining wax.

 We will then pour all of the fabulous wax into 2oz molds to save for a later date :0)

This pile of brown weirdness is the sludge that is left over.  It is made up of propolis, honey, bee parts, and pollen.  We save all of this "stuff" to use in skin creams, lip balms, and scrubs.  It looks a little crazy but it holds all of the amazing healing elements of a honey bee hive!

Slugs slugs everywhere....Wish they were good to eat :0)

Well we are being over run by brown garden slugs; big ones, little ones, fat ones and fatter ones! We have so many it's a darn shame they don't make a delicious stew! We would never starve during the rainy months! They have already eaten and distroyed one batch of seedlings and are now doing their darndest to do it to the second batch! Now what to do...saucers of beer? ......predatory nematodes?.....diatomaceous earth?....chopsticks....? Maybe some ducks :0) Well I went purusing the internet for the best possible fit for us and found some excellent information on all of the above:

http://gardening.yardener.com/How-To-Use-Predatory-Nematodes

http://www.ghorganics.com/page13.html

An Organic Wife: Recipe: Real Deal Marshmallows

An Organic Wife: Recipe: Real Deal Marshmallows: Did you know that marshmallows were originally medicinal? Marshmallows did actually used to be made from the root of the althaea officinalis...

The kids and I are making these tomorrow!!! With Dancing Bee Honey, Mountain Rose Herbs Marshmallow root powder, and madagascar vanilla beans :0)

Craft your own Fire Cider!

 Fire Cider is a traditional cold remedy! It's spicy, wonderful, and full of healthful stimulating ingredients. For all infromation regarding this wonder concoction please refer to the original posting by Moutain Rose Herbs (one of my favorite places to go)!

http://mountainroseblog.com/fire-cider/

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh grated organic ginger root
1/2 cup fresh grated organic horseradish root
1 medium organic onion, chopped
10 cloves of organic garlic, crushed or chopped
2 organic jalapeno peppers, chopped
Zest and juice from 1 organic lemon
Several sprigs of fresh organic rosemary or 2 tbsp of dried rosemary leaves
1 tbsp organic turmeric powder
organic apple cider vinegar
raw local honey to taste

Directions

Prepare all of your cold-fighting roots, fruits, and herbs and place them in a quart sized jar. If you’ve never grated fresh horseradish, be prepared for a powerful sinus opening experience! Use a piece of natural parchment paper or wax paper under the lid to keep the vinegar from touching the metal. Shake well! Store in a dark, cool place for one month and remember to shake daily.
After one month, use cheesecloth to strain out the pulp, pouring the vinegar into a clean jar. Be sure to squeeze as much of the liquid goodness as you can from the pulp while straining. Next, comes the honey! Add 1/4 cup of honey and stir until incorporated. Taste your cider and add another 1/4 cup until you reach the desired sweetness.

Thank you Mountain Rose Herbs for all of your fabulous information and herbs!

http://youtu.be/JU8U0bDmXks

Rendering Tallow for candles and eattin'!!!

What a fantastically easy and fun way to do this!

Tallow is an excellent source of niacin, vitamins B6, B12, K2, selenium, iron, phosphorus, potassium and riboflavin. Grassfed beef tallow contains high ratio of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is a cancer-resistant agent. Contrary to the popular conception, tallow is good for health as tallow fat is similar to the fat/muscles in the heart. Recent studies have shown that human beings need at least 50% of saturated fats like tallow and lard to keep the heart pumping hard and healthy. Tallow from pasture-raised cows also contains a small amount of Vitamin D, similar to lard.

http://paleoparents.com/featured/rendering-suet-into-tallow/

Starting a fish farm for food!!!

A very colorful fish farm.

This is a guide to raising and harvesting fish using a fish farm. A fish farm is a great idea, giving you tons of quality protein for a minimal time and money investment. It also pairs very well with worm composting, if you’re into that sort of thing. If you’re looking to diversify your food supply, give starting a fish farm strong consideration.

CHOOSING FISH

This set up can work for various kinds of fish, but works particularly well with:

Catfish

Bass

Carp

Bluegill

A typical 50-60 gallon barrel can house up to 40 fingerlings. They won’t be reproducing in these conditions, but they will grow to their adult size and be ready to eat.

HOUSING YOUR FISH

This is a guide to building a functioning barrel aquarium for your fish.

What You’ll Need:

1)      A 50-60 gallon barrel. Plastic works well.

2)      Aquarium gravel.

3)      An aquarium water filter.

4)      A water tap and garden hose.

5)      A circulation pump or aerator.

6)      A thermometer.

7)      Water de-chlorination drops.

Putting It Together:

1)      Find a level area that receives partial shade, and is within reach of your garden hose.

2)      Place your barrel on the level area.

3)      Put 3-4 inches of aquarium gravel at the bottom of the barrel. Place an aquarium water filter firmly in the gravel (also called the substrate).

4)      Secure a garden hose to the barrel, at a level just above the gravel. This is where new water will be added- from the bottom up.

5)      Attach a circulation pump or aerator to ensure the water always has enough oxygen.

6)      Attach a thermometer to the inside of the barrel, at a level that will always be immersed in water. You want your water to stay within the 70-85F range. You may need to adjust how much sunlight your barrel receives to sustain this.

7)      Fill the barrel with water and treat it with de-chlorination drops.

8)      Cover the barrel with a pane of glass and let sit for 2 days so the temperature can stabilize.

9)      Add your fish.

Maintenance on Your Barrel Aquarium

Every day, remove 15 gallons from your barrel and replace it with fresh water that has been chlorine treated and allowed to sit in the sun for 5 hours.

Every month, empty the tank and replace all of the water.

FEEDING YOUR FISH

Now that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout!

There are commercial fish foods available at most hatcheries and these will work fine. Each will come with their own instructions on how much to use for the type and amount of fish you have.

But a really cool idea is to build a worm composter, and feed your fish the worms from there. It’s possible to create a system where your kitchen and garden scraps feed your worms, your worms feed your fish, and your fish head to the kitchen to start the cycle anew. It’s a good permaculture environment to consider. If you’re interested, check out this detailed guide to worm composting.

If you go the worm route, you’ll want around 10,000 red wigglers to get you started with 40 fingerlings. You’ll need to feed your fish 50-100 worms a day, and the number will grow as the fish do.

Feed your fish at dawn and dusk, as these are the times they naturally eat in the wild.

HARVESTING YOUR FISH

When your fish reach adulthood, you can clean and gut them and use them for food. Empty your tank out, clean it and start the process again.

You can also go with a staggered approach, taking a few adult fish out at a time and replacing them with younger ones.

For a constant supply of fresh fish, start a new barrel every 2 months.

Here’s a very cool article on Aquaponics. It shows in great detail how to create a closed, independent  ecosystem with fish, microbes and plants that all feed each other in a continuous cycle.

Courtesy of http://preparedforthat.com/how-to-start-a-fish-farm-raising-fish-for-food-at-home/

Suturing Introduction - Stitches DIY Medical Skill Videos

http://www.prepperlink.com/index.php/survive/medical/item/67-suture-introduction

photo credit 

You can practice on a Green Banana

Surgical Knots and Suturing Techniques third edition 

Vet and Med Student Skin Closure Assortment Kit, 50 Sutures & 2 Suture Instruments 

BEUTLICH HURRICAINE® TOPICAL ANESTHETIC 

First Aid Skin Closure Kit {stapler w/35 regular staples and precise staple remover, tweezer style}, Sterile 

Basic Surgical Skills & Techniques 

25 Emergency Medical Skin Suture Kit With 2 Instruments 

24 U.S. Military Style Field Medic Instrument Kit 

Elite Large Fully Stocked GI Issue Medic First Aid Kit Bag 

Emergency kitchen oil lamp!!!!

I have not tried this, but if it works... how handy would these be during one of our many weather induced black-outs! I personally have all of these items in various hidey holes in my house :0)
http://daily-survival.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-to-make-emergency-lamp-from-common.html

And when there's no black seed to be found....:0)

Black Seed – ‘The Remedy For Everything But Death’

http://worldtruth.tv/black-seed-the-remedy-for-everything-but-death/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigella_sativa

According to Zohary and Hopf, archaeological evidence about the earliest cultivation of N. sativa "is still scanty", but they report supposed N. sativaseeds have been found in several sites from ancient Egypt, including Tutankhamun's tomb.^[4] Although its exact role in Egyptian culture is unknown, it is known that items entombed with a pharaoh were carefully selected to assist him in the afterlife.

The earliest written reference to N. sativa is thought to be in the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament, where the reaping of nigella and wheat is contrasted (Isaiah 28: 25, 27). Easton's Bible dictionary states the Hebrew word ketsah refers to N. sativa without doubt (although not all translations are in agreement). According to Zohary and Hopf, N. sativa was another traditional condiment of the Old World during classical times; and its black seeds were extensively used to flavour food.^[4]

Found in Hittite flask in Turkey from 2nd millennium BCE.^[5]