I've been meaning to post a link to this for a while now and just keep forgetting. Mary is the wonderful woman who is doing the new logo for our Face Of The Earth Seed project. I finally had a chance to meet Mary in person at the recent Homegrown Goodness get together and she is just as wonderful and friendly and talented in person as she comes off as in e-mail. I consider Mary a fantastic friend and want to share her talents with the world in my little corner of cyberspace. The work in progress art she showed me of the logo was fantastic and the rough sketch she did in the first few days of our correspondence together was beautiful in itself in ways I can't explain in words. When the artwork is finished I'll ask Mary if I can also share the sketch she sent me as well.
Anyhow, I highly reccomend checking out her site if your a fan of fine artwork!
http://deempfeifer.com
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Forgot to add...
Order Carol Depps amazing new book The Resilient Gardener here:
http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_resilient_gardener/
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
"Sigh"......yet again.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/iphone-game-slaughters-humans-to-defend-mother-earth.html
Just read it, you'll see.
Also came accross a wonderful article that I thought was quite informative and would help to educate those who strugle with the concept of conspiracy theories and governmental coverups here:
http://newworldorderreport.com/News/tabid/266/ID/980/33-Conspiracy-Theories-That-Turned-Out-To-Be-True-What-Every-Person-Should-Know.aspx
I can not say this enough; know you fucking enemy, your going to have to understand what is coming to prepare for it.
As an example, did any of you see this article this past week?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/us-gave-gonorrhea-to-guatemalans/mea-culpa
Yeah, but your government has your best interest at heart right? Pair this with the Tunguska experiment and see what you come up with. If they were doing this shit to people all those decades ago what do you think the crooked bastards are up to now days?
When you get a chance, do a little reading about a place called Plum Island. Delve into it's history and it's founding by a Nazi scientist, take notes regarding the geography of the first recorded case of lyme disease. Pair that information with all of the known outbreaks of animal disease that you can think of. Research it, understand it, and know that when "they" think the time is right that they will use what they have in their arsenol to create whatever "crisis" they need to solve whatever "problem" they have in this world.
Just read it, you'll see.
Also came accross a wonderful article that I thought was quite informative and would help to educate those who strugle with the concept of conspiracy theories and governmental coverups here:
http://newworldorderreport.com/News/tabid/266/ID/980/33-Conspiracy-Theories-That-Turned-Out-To-Be-True-What-Every-Person-Should-Know.aspx
I can not say this enough; know you fucking enemy, your going to have to understand what is coming to prepare for it.
As an example, did any of you see this article this past week?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/us-gave-gonorrhea-to-guatemalans/mea-culpa
Yeah, but your government has your best interest at heart right? Pair this with the Tunguska experiment and see what you come up with. If they were doing this shit to people all those decades ago what do you think the crooked bastards are up to now days?
When you get a chance, do a little reading about a place called Plum Island. Delve into it's history and it's founding by a Nazi scientist, take notes regarding the geography of the first recorded case of lyme disease. Pair that information with all of the known outbreaks of animal disease that you can think of. Research it, understand it, and know that when "they" think the time is right that they will use what they have in their arsenol to create whatever "crisis" they need to solve whatever "problem" they have in this world.
Carol Deppe: The Resilient Gardener (review coming soon)
Carol was awesome enough to have her publisher send me an advanced review copy of her wonderful new book. Skimming through it in the few minuites of free time I had today between shelling and cracking corn as well as cutting and splitting wood I saw a wonderful wealth of information catered to the exact audience that my blog seems to attract; self sufficient seed saving foodies with an emphasis on what is coming!
I will be reviewing it in the coming weeks and look forward into delving into it! As well I also plan on interviewing Carol later this fall when the book hits the stands.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Crop Profile: Asronomy Domine
Crop Profile: Astronomy Domine Sweet Corn
Crop Type: SU/SE sweet corn genepool
Breeder: Alan Bishop/Hip-Gnosis Seed Development/Bishop’s Homegrown
Breeding Method: Mass Cross, Composite, Genepool, Landrace
Objectives:
- Restore inbred sweet corn germplasm to a usable state
- Increase sweet corn diversity
- Increase occurences and volume of free amino acids in a usable form by selecting for intese kernel color.
- Drought and Low Fertility Tolerance
- High sugar content
- Cool moist soil germination
Parents: Over 170 different sweet corn cultivars from the world over have been crossed into this unique elite line of corn. Hybrids, Open Pollinated types, and heirlooms, as well as unique inbred lines
F5 Composite
Comments: This was the first of our many and ever expanding breeding projects. We began by utilizing about 50 sweet corns and introgressing them together in a breeding plot to which we planted extrodinarily early allowing natural selection from the pool by way of utilizing on the genetics that germinated and grew well in cold and wet soil. Over the years we have introgressed many more lines of unique sweet corns into the mix allowing them to cross and selecting for the average maturity, plant height and type, and selecting specifically for color and taste. We have tried to allow as much variability in type as we possibly can so that others the world over can select for what works best in their particular climates. Many strains with very diverse traits exist including some in Israel as well as Asia and all over the United States. In the coming years we will begin to select harder for what performs the best in our climate here in the Ohio Valley.
Friday, October 1, 2010
I read the news today.....oh boy.
Wow, there is litterally so much shit going on in this world. The ramp up towards totalitarinism both in this country and around the world over the past 12 months is absolutely astounding and so hard to keep up with that it makes it near impossible for any person to keep up with it none the less try to report on it and make since of it all in some effort to attempt to inform others about why they better be getting their shit together.
It is truly insane and I wish I could touch on every individual issue and why I feel that each one is so important, but with the vast limitations on my time during the part of the year where the sun is still shining it is nigh impossible to really delve into much of any of it.
A few weeks ago you might remember me talking about the Green/Eugenecist movement. As though I needed any more proof that I was right a new incentive called 10:10 just made it that much easier for me to prove my point. The fact that they would even consider this as "sarcasm" or acceptable for public release really disgusts me:
Then you have the anti war protesters recently raided (free speech much?) along with news about how the government is investing in software to detect resentment towards government, and the fed talking about helping the U.S. montize debt, and don't even get me started on the continuing bull shit that is the B.P. oil disaster or all the war drums being beaten the world over.
Ask yourself this, how long do you think it's going to last? Just how long exactly can we all walk this tight rope before we fall into the abyss? You better be prepared and you better get informed. Learn what it takes not just to live but to thrive when shit gets bad, because it is coming.
It is truly insane and I wish I could touch on every individual issue and why I feel that each one is so important, but with the vast limitations on my time during the part of the year where the sun is still shining it is nigh impossible to really delve into much of any of it.
A few weeks ago you might remember me talking about the Green/Eugenecist movement. As though I needed any more proof that I was right a new incentive called 10:10 just made it that much easier for me to prove my point. The fact that they would even consider this as "sarcasm" or acceptable for public release really disgusts me:
Then you have the anti war protesters recently raided (free speech much?) along with news about how the government is investing in software to detect resentment towards government, and the fed talking about helping the U.S. montize debt, and don't even get me started on the continuing bull shit that is the B.P. oil disaster or all the war drums being beaten the world over.
Ask yourself this, how long do you think it's going to last? Just how long exactly can we all walk this tight rope before we fall into the abyss? You better be prepared and you better get informed. Learn what it takes not just to live but to thrive when shit gets bad, because it is coming.
"dofer" blacksmithing
I have had a growing interest in blacksmithing for most of my life. My great grandfather, his father, and his father before him were the town blacksmiths in Oneida Kentucky and "working" and "learning" in the family blakcsmith shop has always been a central focus of my visits to my grandfathers house.
Traditional coal fired blacksmithing is a dying art here in the United States at a time when it in fact may be one of the most important traits to know and understand, when things get bad, and trust me they will, the ability to make use of found metal and form useful implements should be high on our list of priorities and should be considered and important trade which can be used to create barter currencies.
I am set to inherit my family forge as well as tools on my next visit to my grandfathers, at that time I will build a proper "shop" so to speak, utilizing lumber from an old barn my other grandfather had here on this property (noticiing a trend here), as I plan to take excellent care of what I inherit, particularly since to me this tools represent the passing on of gnosis and of useful traits.
Until then however I plan to continue to expand my knowledge of blacksmithing using found and or cheap materials that anyone can put together.
Here I have created a brake drum forge utilizing a car break drum, some fire brick, cinder blocks, and some 2 inch black pipe as well as a couple of pieces of t-rail (scavenged from the railroad that runs accross the farm) for use as anvils and pipe benders and a discarded vice (found amongst my grandfathers tools which have remained unused since his death several years ago) bolted to a piece of cut walnut tree from our front yard. I have assembled a small but varried collection of tools, including many types of tongs, and hammers from his disgarded tools as well. I had to replace many handles in the hammers utilizing old farm implement handles and even made a short handled 8 pound sledge from a discarded sledge head I found.
Wrought iron is easy to come by here on the farm as there is a railroad running accross the front of the farm and an abundance of spikes, plates, discarded tools, and more from the decades of replacing tracks. Of course living in the country provides many farm "dump" sites where there is much in the way of metal due to discarded farm equipment and general farm trash which I can sift through to find suitable and workable material to work with.
I took some pictures to give you some idea of how to set up your own forge. It's pretty simple, all you really need is a brake drum and some 2 inch black pipe and a floor flange. I couldn't find black pipe in the 2 inch size that was needed and using galvanized isn't smart, particularly in a confined space, as you can get what is known as fume flue from the galvanized zink coating on the pipe. Here is a where a bit of chemistry comes in handy; just soak the pipe in some white vinegar for 24 to 48 hours to remove the zink. Essentially you want the floor flange connected to the brake drum if at all possible and a piece of 1/4 metal to cover the bottom of the drum (the bolt holes), but since I don't own a drill press or the equipment necessary to accomplish such a feat, it was just as well to place the flange inside the bracke drum with the "nipple" hanging out the bottom and then placing a piece of grill mesh over top of the hole (to keep the coals from fallign through) and then placing some carraige bolts with wide heads through the mesh and holes and bolting them down, which holds the flange in place. You then create a T from your pipe. The nipple pointing towards you is where you place your air source, in my case a simple squirrel cage fan (not pictured), scavenged from the first greenhouse I bought and took down (I replaced it with a new one when I put the greenhouse back up) and you want one nipple pointing down with an end cap to catch the ash that you will produce.
Anthrocite coal is easy to procure locally from the Swiss amish community where I can buy it for 5.50 a 40 lb bag and I was able to procure a 50 gallon drum of coke for free from one of dads friends as well. You can of course also use charcoal or wood, but both are far less efficient fuel forces. I plan on taking many more pictures once I actually start working with my new forge. I'm waiting on a good rain as we are in a heavy drought which has kept us from having anything in the way of late crops and has put my county in a county wide burn ban.
Traditional coal fired blacksmithing is a dying art here in the United States at a time when it in fact may be one of the most important traits to know and understand, when things get bad, and trust me they will, the ability to make use of found metal and form useful implements should be high on our list of priorities and should be considered and important trade which can be used to create barter currencies.
I am set to inherit my family forge as well as tools on my next visit to my grandfathers, at that time I will build a proper "shop" so to speak, utilizing lumber from an old barn my other grandfather had here on this property (noticiing a trend here), as I plan to take excellent care of what I inherit, particularly since to me this tools represent the passing on of gnosis and of useful traits.
Until then however I plan to continue to expand my knowledge of blacksmithing using found and or cheap materials that anyone can put together.
Here I have created a brake drum forge utilizing a car break drum, some fire brick, cinder blocks, and some 2 inch black pipe as well as a couple of pieces of t-rail (scavenged from the railroad that runs accross the farm) for use as anvils and pipe benders and a discarded vice (found amongst my grandfathers tools which have remained unused since his death several years ago) bolted to a piece of cut walnut tree from our front yard. I have assembled a small but varried collection of tools, including many types of tongs, and hammers from his disgarded tools as well. I had to replace many handles in the hammers utilizing old farm implement handles and even made a short handled 8 pound sledge from a discarded sledge head I found.
Wrought iron is easy to come by here on the farm as there is a railroad running accross the front of the farm and an abundance of spikes, plates, discarded tools, and more from the decades of replacing tracks. Of course living in the country provides many farm "dump" sites where there is much in the way of metal due to discarded farm equipment and general farm trash which I can sift through to find suitable and workable material to work with.
I took some pictures to give you some idea of how to set up your own forge. It's pretty simple, all you really need is a brake drum and some 2 inch black pipe and a floor flange. I couldn't find black pipe in the 2 inch size that was needed and using galvanized isn't smart, particularly in a confined space, as you can get what is known as fume flue from the galvanized zink coating on the pipe. Here is a where a bit of chemistry comes in handy; just soak the pipe in some white vinegar for 24 to 48 hours to remove the zink. Essentially you want the floor flange connected to the brake drum if at all possible and a piece of 1/4 metal to cover the bottom of the drum (the bolt holes), but since I don't own a drill press or the equipment necessary to accomplish such a feat, it was just as well to place the flange inside the bracke drum with the "nipple" hanging out the bottom and then placing a piece of grill mesh over top of the hole (to keep the coals from fallign through) and then placing some carraige bolts with wide heads through the mesh and holes and bolting them down, which holds the flange in place. You then create a T from your pipe. The nipple pointing towards you is where you place your air source, in my case a simple squirrel cage fan (not pictured), scavenged from the first greenhouse I bought and took down (I replaced it with a new one when I put the greenhouse back up) and you want one nipple pointing down with an end cap to catch the ash that you will produce.
Anthrocite coal is easy to procure locally from the Swiss amish community where I can buy it for 5.50 a 40 lb bag and I was able to procure a 50 gallon drum of coke for free from one of dads friends as well. You can of course also use charcoal or wood, but both are far less efficient fuel forces. I plan on taking many more pictures once I actually start working with my new forge. I'm waiting on a good rain as we are in a heavy drought which has kept us from having anything in the way of late crops and has put my county in a county wide burn ban.
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