Off The Grid And Loving It

Home made wine brewing, Green Grape, Blackberry, Feijoa and Apple Cider vinegar  We have recently moved house complete with the newly made wine sitting fermenting in its bottles complete with airlocks fitted to keep out insects. The wine is still bubbling away nicely and we have invested in several more glass  carboys   so we can siphon the wine off to leave the dregs or finished yeast that has settled in the bottom. Make Your Own Delicious Homemade Wine  To our intense disgust the wind whips across the valley and almost rips the plants out by the roots and we have found our new neighbours have a taste for anything - especially green but anything will do and my Bromeliads next to the fence have "chomp" sized pieces missing as they grazed along.   Wind power here would not be a problem ! New Neighbors  Three of the flock were here when we discovered their fondness for our plants - just as well the rest of the flock weren't in the same paddock before we became

Compost making is critical to a healthy garden and healthy lifestyle and anything and everything that is organic can be added.  If it has lived and breathed it can be put in your compost.  There are a huge range of composts from basic wire circles to keep it enclosed to ready made composts  that are permanent and   bench top mini recycling systems   called Bokashi  containing everything to  break down waste.     Whatever system you use, start one straight away as bought compost just doesn't contain the life force and essential elements in usable form that is readily available to the plants.   As you can see from the post on butternut squash it makes it practically impossible to fail with a crop that has been planted in compost and even a handful at planting time will help a plant to be stronger and grow better.     Here are a few more to consider, or you may like to get some netting and make your own to the size you like.  My last compost was made of pallets and covered wi

Being off the grid means being miles away from shops, away from supermarkets and then there is just the fact that your own home grown produce just tastes better and is more nutrient dense, apart from not consuming all the chemicals and additives in commercially bought vegetables.  These butternut squash  have been the easiest things in the world to grow - I would definitely grow this type again, and frequently, as they have been rich, tasty and sweet and full of flavor.   They were grown on the remains of a compost pile - practically the dregs of it when we shifted the compost and left a wee bit of soil there.  We tossed the seeds in and away they went, no upkeep, no extra feeding, just watch, admire and pick and eat.  The only attention they had was to toss on a few handfuls of grass clippings from time to time and we have had a very dry summer.   This is only a small basket of what we had left in the pantry after eating about another 6 . Compost is one of the greatest ways

Being off the grid may also mean you are not handy to medical centers and health clinics and something as simple as a sore throat can be fixed with this quick and easy home made remedy and the ingredients are all around you so why pay out for something you can easily made yourself ? Blackberry throat syrup is just the ticket when you have a croaky throat,  indulging in too much sugar,to ward of a cold or chill or any other reason your throat feels fragile ! Easy to make and even easier to take, this syrup is well worth having on hand if or when you need it.  It is pretty adaptable for the amounts but generally we use around 2 litres or just less of blackberries, add a very small amount of water to start them off in a pan then simmer for 5 - 10 minutes and let steep for at least 20 minutes.  Strain, then add half a cup of honey (manuka if you can get it as it has more healing properties) and half a cup of apple cider vinegar and stir gently until it is all dissolved.   Cool then bottl