Huldufolk Homestead

Our home, our farm, our food.

My brother, Jon, has started a blog about his homestead. He is a wonderful and strong-willed man, who is trying to become as self-suffiecient and self-sustainable as possible. He started a blog for his endeavours, and I encourage you all to read it. I am excited to see Jon's progress through the coming seasons, as well as the tips he will share with the world. Please visit his blog, and subscribe to it in your preferred method. Below is an excerpt from his first entry. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

http://huldufolkhomestead.blogspot.com/

"Surrounding our home is enough grass to feed a small herd of sheep or goat. I aim to change this! I am determined to transform our property from suburban cookie cutter lawn to an edible landscape which incorporates millions of years worth of knowledge and trial and error. The end goal is to have a self sufficient (to the point of surplus) homestead on just under a quarter of an acre. This will entail many hours of work, exponentially more hours of planning, the help and cooperation of not only my friends and family but also of the environment itself. A million variables need to fall into place in order for us to succeed and I am armed with the knowledge needed to at least increase the odds in my favor. This blog is going to be (more than anything else) a way to hold myself accountable. If people are watching, I must continue work and cannot let myself be lazy or slip on planning."

Bear Attacks

Bear mauling a human should never be this cute. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Spring Break

Today starts my spring break from Kansas State University. I plan on gardening, visiting friends, and studying. Since my classes are more important than this blog, I am taking a step back and withdrawing from the internet. I will update when possible, but do not plan on keeping updates regular.

Photo credit

Thrift Shop Music Video

There has been a video on youtube that has been circulating and gaining popularity. It is a bit on the humorous side - it's a rap song about going to thrift stores, buying used clothes and shamelessly enjoying the style. It mocks many of the mainstream pop artists who brag about spending ridiculous amounts on clothes. I enjoy this song because I can relate - some of the outfits that I get the most compliments on are from second hand stores. I must warn you, the video does use vulgar language, but it is worth the laugh. I hope you enjoy it!

Kool Aid Yarn Dyeing Tutorial - Guest Post!

Kiersten has an awesome blog over at Knit One, Blog Two. She is a mom, a knitter, and a Kansas State University graduate. She blogs about knitting, and has a bunch of patterns - both for free and for sale. She posted on her blog about how to dye yarn with kool aid. I think this is really amazing, and could be a great way to get children interested in textile crafts. This is also a good idea on how to use up random kool aid packets that you might get but do not want to actually consume! If you enjoy what you see here, be sure to stop by Kiersten's blog and say hello!



Materials:

1 quart jar
2-4 packets of KoolAid in colors you like
white vinegar
water
undyed yarn (I used 1/2 of this: http://www.knitpicks.com/Bare+Peruvian+Highland+Wool+Yarn_YD5420101.html   for each of my students)

Procedure:

1. Wind your yarn into a very loose skein and soak in warm water for at least 30 minutes. This step makes sure all the yarn fibers are saturated and better able to accept the dye.

2. In the quart jar, mix the KoolAid powder with 1/4 c white vinegar and then fill the jar to the half way mark with warm water.

3. Put the sopping wet yarn into the jar.  If you want a more even dye, make sure the yarn does not get smooshed up against itself or the jar.  You may want to use a larger jar.  I happen to like the variations I get when the dye can’t quite get to every spot equally.



4. Fill the jar to the very top with more warm water if necessary (all the yarn should be covered), and put the lid on tight!  Place your jar in a sunny spot.




5. Check your jar after a few hours. When the water inside the jar is clear, the dyeing is done. Be sure to check the bottom of the jar, as the dye will sink to the bottom.  The top water will be clear before the water at the bottom.  It’s ok to shake the jar periodically if you like.  Again, I really like the variations, so I keep the shaking to a minimum. Some dyes take longer than others to “take” and the warmth of your weather will have an effect, too.  It’s okay to let the yarn sit for a couple days.

6. Once the dye has been absorbed, carefully remove the yarn from the jar and rinse it very gently in cold water. This will remove any remaining dye and most of the vinegar smell.  Hang it up to dry.



7. Once your yarn is completely dry, it can be wound into skeins or balls, ready to knit, crochet, or felt!

Farewell Fuzzy Bunny

One of my breeding rabbits, Cornelius, had to be put down. He started showing signs of some neurological problem - he could not properly move around, and his head was permanently contorted. We gave him time to see if he was going to get better, but he began to have seizures. James and I decided to put him down so that he would no longer be in misery. He was a very loving rabbit. Before Cornelius fell ill, James introduced him to his offspring. Below are some pictures of them interacting. Cornelius will be missed.

French Toast and Syrup

I am not sure who I got this from, but instead of using plan ole bread to make French toast, I use the Pepper-ridge Farm swirl breads. You know, the ones with raisins, brown sugar, and strawberries. I buy them from a local store that sells the products at ridiculously low prices. I bought three loaves for 99 cents each - versus the $3.89 that the local grocery store demands. Even though I could have made my own bread, this was something simple and easy for the hectic day I knew was ahead - and also helped fuel the local economy.

For those of you who have not made French toast, or do not know how to make it - it's simple. Mix up eggs (for three loaves, I mixed 30 eggs). Put a slice of bread in the egg, flip it, and throw it on a frying pan at medium heat. Wait a minute, flip. Cook for another minute, and serve.

I grew up eating French toast with lots of butter and powdered sugar. The guys here tried it, but they also wanted syrup. I guess some things cannot change. I didn't have any syrup ready, so I made some. It's simple. Just 2/3 cup of water, with a cup of white sugar, and brown sugar. Put in a saucepan, heat until all sugar is dissolved, and add a half tablespoon of maple flavoring. Mix, pour, and enjoy. You could also add some butter flavoring to it if it fits your fancy.

Homemade Bacon!

We butchered a pig, and I wanted bacon. So, I decided to make some. It is a lot easier than what I thought it would take to make bacon. To make bacon, you do need a smoker or know how to convert a BBQ grill into a temporary smoker. Luckily, Eric is an awesome friend who is an avid griller, and he helped me out immensely when it came time to smoke the meat.

To make bacon, you will need:

• pork belly
• salt - lots and lots of salt (like 5 pounds)
• brown sugar and Grade A maple syrup (optional)
• hickory or apple wood

Take the pork belly and cover it in salt. Put it in a container or a cookie tray, and make sure it is set at an angle. Put it in the fridge for a day. Pour out the juices that ran out. Repeat until no more juices run (about 5 days). You can cover the belly in maple and brown sugar before putting the salt on, so the flavor goes into the meat.

After the five days, rinse off the salt, and put in a smoker. Smoke the bacon with either hickory or apple wood at about 200 degrees for three hours. The longer you smoke it, the smokier the taste. We used hickory wood, and Eric threw some apples on the bacon to get some apple-esque flavor to it. When done, slice the meat with a meat slicer (thankfully one of my friends just happened to have one!). The bacon is not fully cooked, so pan-fry as you would store-bought bacon, and freeze whatever you do not use within 7 days.

How easy is that? Now, if I can only figure out how to make scrapple, I will be set for life!

Wordless Wednesday

Resilient News

True resilience isn’t any single thing you do. It’s the cumulative impact of the many things you’ve done and the systems you’ve put in motion.

For over a month now, I have had many articles posted to Resilient News. It is a website that is full of articles from other blogs from around the world that are informative and structured to help educate others to better themselves. The idea of Resilient News is to provide information to help others help themselves. This includes information for living off grid, being frugal, and providing mainstream news that is relevant to the idea of living a better, simpler, and sustainable lifestyle. This includes everything from gardening, cooking, health, business, DIY, and much more. There are even more specific categories for livestock and energy. The website is updated regularly, and it allows easy access to archived articles, as well as an in-house search for those that do not have time to browse.

If you have a blog that you believe would fit in with the vision of Resilient News, contact Josh at Josh@Resilientnews.com