Making the Most of What You Have: The Homestead e-Newsletter, May 2007

May 2007

Making the Most of What You Have
by Nancy Carter

Sometimes people associate "going green" with a liberal "Mother Earth" type philosophy. For the Christian though, going green is really more of a stewardship issue - appreciating what God has provided and striving to take care of it, which not only blesses us but blesses others as well. I hope that as you're enjoying God's beautiful creation, you'll think more about how you can make the most of what He's given you, whether it's an apartment or a farm.

Want to see something inspiring? Check out this video of the Dervaes family from Path to Freedom. Over the years, they have taken their typical 1/5-acre lot in Pasadena, California, and turned it into an inspiring urban homestead. They grow over 3 tons of food there annually, have reduced their energy usage by half, and are amazingly self-sufficient. The Dervaes family is truly inspiring and an example of just doing the best with what you have where you are.

Blessings,
Nancy Carter
SeniorEditor@HomesteadBlogger.com

Water Bottle Woes
by Nancy Carter

We all know that water is good for us. As a general rule you should drink one quart of water for every 50 pounds you weigh per day. But as people are working on meeting their water intake requirements, tons of plastic water bottles are finding their ways into our landfills.

Did you know that Americans drain 2.5 million plastic bottles an hour?! In fact, more than 8 billion gallons of bottled water is consumed annually in the US and nearly 90% of those bottles wind up in landfills.

So what can you do?

If you're drinking bottled water because of the taste, simply filter your tap water.
If it's the convenience you enjoy, just use a reusable water bottle rather than the disposable ones.
And if you do use the single use kind, find a way to recycle or reuse it.

Whatever your choice, getting away from the single use water bottles is the most important thing. Enjoy your water, but let's also be a good steward of our resources.

Basic Steps to Natural Health
by Jennifer Pepito

In our modern, fast-paced world a growing number of people wish to step out of the rat race and live a life that allows time with family, time for healthy lifestyles, and time to have a relationship with the Lord. If you are new to this concept you may be wondering where to start. Having a child with special needs was the catalyst in my search for knowledge of how to raise healthy children and keep a natural home, but for you it may be another issue. Here are a few easy steps to get you going on a path of simplicity and good health. I hope they prove as helpful to you as they have for me.

The first step to a healthier life could be considered research. The way our family began cleaning the junk from our cupboards and trimming the stress from our lives was by getting ideas from others who have gone before us. A good idea is to continue reading magazines like The Old Schoolhouse and checking out online communities such as HomesteadBlogger where you can learn from people who are knowledgeable in these areas. Some books that have been helpful in our journey are those by Shonda Parker, which give great introductions to natural health, Louise Tenney's Today's Herbal Health for Children, and my new favorite Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

You can also find ideas on simple living in such books as The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzn, Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living, and Living More With Less by Doris Janzen Longacre. Once you have done some research I am sure you will find that the most important changes you can make for your family's health are as follows.

Drink more water - Our bodies are largely composed of water and research, showing that most illnesses could be prevented simply by getting enough of it. Coffee is not a good substitute as researchers suggest that beverages with caffeine act as a diuretic, causing your body to lose fluids. As Dr Donald S. Robertson, author of The Snowbird Diet, says, "Water is the single most important catalyst for losing weight and keeping it off, it also helps with proper kidney function." So get your basic eight glasses a day.
Eat whole grains - Researchers from Tufts University have found that eating whole grains lowers your risk of type 2 diabetes, a disease that threatens many American children. White breads and pastas simply turn to sugar in your body and offer no nutritional benefits. You might as well eat cardboard. Be aware, however, that the best way to keep whole grains safe and fresh is to grind them yourself. We use a Family Grain Mill, which is compact but gives us lovely fresh cornmeal for grits and fresh ground wheat for breads.
Avoid sugar - Sugar is shown to inhibit the immune system and cause the growth of bad bacteria, yeasts, and fungus as well as causing hyperactivity. Most modern sugar substitutes are no better, as they are often a lethal concoction of bleach and sugar byproducts. Consider the awe of Laura and Mary upon receiving a stick of candy when Pa returned from town, and return sugar to its rightful and rare place.
Eat Your Veggies - Lots of washed organic or peeled and washed veggies help keep our bodies regular and promote learning. Studies show that vegetables can lower the risk of most cancers as well as diabetes and heart disease. If your kids don't like them, just keep offering them until they do. My children have taken to peeling themselves a "daddy" carrot for a snack. It is even more fun when they have grown it themselves.
Exercise - A little goes a long way. Just taking a brisk walk is shown to improve well-being, and giving our kids a break to move will certainly encourage better concentration. A good place to learn more about the connection between movement and learning is braingym.org.
Smile and Pray - Stress is a major factor in poor health. As Proverbs 17:22 says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Realize that we have loving a loving Father. A Father who knows how many grains of sand lie on the seashore is certainly able to care for us.

Enjoy the journey and take time to hug your children. As we pare our lives down to healthy necessities we will find more time for the things that matter, and good health is an important place to start in the journey toward a simpler life.

Jennifer Pepito is a homeschooling mother of five and freelance writer. Her special joy is encouraging mothers to nurture their families. She and her husband Scott work in Baja, Mexico, with children and families. They enjoy visitors and want to help other families experience missions. You can contact them at scottpepito@yahoo.com.

Compost Tea
by Catherine Love

Sounds appetizing, doesn't it?

As unappealing as it may sound to the gardener, plants LOVE compost tea and will thank you for a frequent drink or shower of it.

Here is a "recipe" for making compost tea. I got the directions from the book Herbs for Texas by Howard Garrett:

Fill a 5- to 15-gallon plastic bucket 1/2 full of manure-based compost; then fill it up the rest of the way with water. Let the mixture sit for 10 to 14 days. Strain out the solids with old pantyhose or cheesecloth.

Dilute the mixture until it looks like iced tea, or about 1 part compost liquid to 10 parts water.

Spray the diluted mixture on the foliage of plants to control pests. I also water mine with this every couple of weeks during the growing season.

Catherine Love lives and gardens in Central Texas with her husband, Carl, and three daughters, Sarah, Hannah, and Cana. Stop by her blog to read about their Urban Homestead Adventures and upcoming move to a new homestead.

Time to Grill
    by Lisa Barthuly

The weather is just right. How 'bout breaking out the grill, your favorite meat, and THIS great marinade?

Pa's Grillin' Marinade

  • 1 cup Yoshidas Original Gourmet Sauce (we find it at Costco)
  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice (toss in some chunked pineapple too!)
  • 2 tsp. fresh minced garlic (or a little garlic salt - this can be completely omitted too)
  • Chopped chive or green onion (this is measured to preference!)

Toss it all in a gallon zipper lock type freezer bag with your chicken, pork, or steak. This is so yummy basted on salmon - Copper River salmon if you can get it! Let it sit in the fridge for a few hours (or all day!) or baste it on your meat while you're grilling depending again on how much you'd like. Add a green salad and some freshly baked homemade bread or rolls - voila! - the perfect meal to enjoy outside!

~ Lisa Barthuly, who really "borrowed" this recipe from her husband, Marc, by looking over his shoulder while he prepped it!

Lisa Barthuly, her husband Marc, and their 3 children live in Washington State on their little homestead with Cooter the dog, Beauty the kitten, their flock of 'chicklets,' and lots of wild critters. They pray for more critters and more children and love the quiet country life amongst God's creation! Check out their website, Homestead Originals, where they specialize in all-natural soy wax candles, books, and gifts.

Schoolhouse Store Spotlight

The Schoolhouse Store is excited to announce the Time Traveler's History Series, a brand new addition from Home School in the Woods. Each of these studies, currently available for Colonial Life and New World Explorers, offers 25 lessons chock full of hands-on crafts and projects. Each 5-10 week unit study includes reading text, project directions, teacher helps, student pages, and a lesson planner Guide-at-a-Glance. You'll enjoy recipes, making lapbooks, science experiments, practice penmanship, and much more!

You won't want to miss this great resource, available for only $28.95. And remember, shipping is always free at The Schoolhouse Store!

We hope you've enjoyed this issue of The Homestead e-Newsletter. We'd love to hear what you think about it. Did you try the recipes, craft suggestions, or any of the other tips? We want to hear about it! And we also want to hear your suggestions for future newsletters. Is there a topic you'd like to see covered that we haven't yet? Would you like to contribute a column? Just let us know! You can email me at SeniorEditor@HomesteadBlogger.com. Or just stop by The Front Porch and say "Hello" when you're visiting us at HomesteadBlogger!

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