EASY TO BUILD RAISED BED PLANTER

Father's day is fast approaching. My dad is an avid farmer, but this season has been a tiring one for him. I figured it would be nice to give him a raised bed for his favorite plants (the ones he doesn't want the bunnies to have). I was inspired by Ana White's post here. (Be warned, if you follow her link, you will likely be lured into planning lots of fun projects.)

Any tool which helps a person produce all or a portion of his own food helps to increase his quality of life. A gardener with several seasons of experience becomes a valuable source of practical wisdom in his or her local community. Gardening allows you to set aside a portion for the winter months. It provides you an opportunity to share nourishing, nutrient dense foods with others.

Raised bed gardening requires an up-front investment in the initial preparation and planning stages. Afterwards, the beds become less labor intensive than traditional ground level gardening. Some of the benefits of raised bed gardening include:

* Allows easier access for gardeners to tend their plants.

* Extends the growing season as the elevated soil is warmer.

* Can be used by apartment dwellers (balconies & rooftops) and those with limited yard space.

* The containers hold the soil you choose. You don't have to settle for poor soil conditions.

* Protects garden soil from compaction.

* Provides adequate drainage.

* Permits more plants per square foot because walking space is outside of the planter.

* Creates a barrier that discourages animals from eating your plants.

There are some differences in my box and the one designed by Ana, but the basic construction elements are the same. (Click on any of the images for an enlarged version.) First, I made my box 3 boards high (cedar dog-eared fence pickets), using the full length of the pickets for the sides and 1/2 the length of the boards for the ends. I used a pull saw to remove the dog ears before construction. The fence pickets were on sale for $1.59 each. I purchased 10. I also purchased a 12-foot pressure treated pine plank that was 8 inches wide. This was cut in half and used to create benches on the sides of the planter. These can be used as seating or just a handy shelf for gardening tools while working around the plants. 1 x 2 pickets hold all three boards together on each side. I used segments of 2 x 4's to create braces to hold the benches. Also, I kept the upper level of the end boards longer than the bottom two, creating a support on which the ends of the bench boards could rest.

The entire box was assembled using wood screws. I also used corner brackets on the interior corners where each board met to give added stability. All boards were pre-painted with contrasting paint purchased from the $5 shelf. The next time you're in the home improvement store, check for cast-off cans of paint. These are colors that have been mixed and not purchased. They are offered for sale at DEEP discounts. I look for latex, indoor/outdoor base and top-coat all in one.

Tools used included a Irwin Dovetail Pull Saw, Black & Decker electric drill (with screwdriver and drill bit). The pull saw is my new favorite tool as it gives me smooth, sanded finish cuts without chewing or splintering my wood. My electric drill never loses power like battery operated models can. I've used it for MANY projects for almost 20 years. It's a power-horse of a tool. I needed some clamps and appreciated an extra pair of strong hands to hold things in place during assembly.

All in all, it was a relatively simple project.

The interior of the box is sized 17" deep 33" wide x 71" long. It will easily fit into the bed of a standard sized truck or the back of a family van (if it's the kind with rear seats that collapse).

This box has no bottom. We will lay poultry wire on the ground and set this on top before filling with topsoil. The wire will keep burrowing pests away from tender plant roots. The cedar planks are weather resistant, rot resistant and will help repel harmful insects.

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LEAN TIMES PREPARATION

A shopping spree to purchase thousands of dollars in pre-packaged survival solutions may not be the best option for families that are already dealing with a tight budget. A better choice is to invest in tools and information. Granted, you could easily overspend here as well. However, getting a good back to basics education and accumulating tools can be done frugally if you are wise in your selections.

Tools are one thing that you can invest in and begin to use now. You wouldn't want to purchase a needed tool and simply store it. For a tool to be useful, it must be used skillfully. Select tools that can be used in everyday situations and become familiar with them. Borrowing and renting tools can give you some hands-on experience and help you narrow the field to those you find best suit your needs. Look for a tool that can be utilized for more than one purpose. A single-purpose tool can take up too much space or resources required for maintenance relative to its usefulness.

Whether you are deciding on a tool for heat, shelter, food or clothing, ask yourself if the tool can be used for at least 3 tasks. If not, this may not be a good investment. Take the time to look at your expenditures as investments. What will be the the return down the road? An example of this may be that learning to tend plants and animals today will feed you tomorrow and make you familiar with the ways you can enrich your environment. Taking the time to learn how to sharpen and maintain a tool today will make you familiar with skills that will make it easier to maintain and repair other tools in the future.

Regarding food preparation, look for tools that are simple and help reduce the expenditure of time and energy. An example of this may be a grain mill. This can be a hefty investment, however it pays for itself by allowing you to make an assortment of breads and pastas for a minimal expense. Knowing how to process a grain into food gives you more options when traveling or trying to make ends meet in lean times. Having whole grain on hand allows you the option of sprouting, grinding, or cultivating the seed. A bag of milled flour cannot offer you this.

Convenience foods do save time. Take that time to learn some basic chemistry and become familiar with how ingredients can be blended to create certain flavors. Using various spices, and herbal blends allows you to add nutrients and taste to otherwise bland foods. Becoming familiar with the actual foods that go into a finished dish gives you valuable experience and confidence when preparing whole foods. During food shortages, those who understand these things are better able to create filling and nourishing meals with what little is on hand.

In lean times, knowing how to use available resources and having the skills required to prepare food from basic ingredients will serve you and your family well.

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DVD REVIEW: "NAKED INTO THE WILDERNESS"

Readers may be interested in seeing an example of how rustic skills can serve you. NAKED INTO THE WILDERNESS gives a good overview of how this is possible. It’s one thing to know how to start a fire or build a shelter, it’s quite another to know how to have a shelter, fire and food without ready-made tools. There’s another level of skill required to know how to utilize the strengths of each individual within a group, take advantage of found materials and manage the variables that weather and terrain can toss your way.

NAKED INTO THE WILDERNESS is a video that demonstrates how primitive skills can be applied in their context. To emphasize the value of each technique, the participants venture into a remote location without iron tools or containers.

Part one takes you into the Kansas woods as you observe skills in several categories. Watch as the individual participants form into a cohesive group, securing food, shelter and the tools they need to accomplish each task.

While stone tools make for a slower work pace, you'll see that a LOT can be accomplished with very few basic materials. Watching this gave me a real appreciation for some skills that modern culture seems to have left behind including:
● basket making
● pottery
● fire-starting
● cooking over an open fire,
● stone knapping to make knives, axes and arrowheads
● cordage
● shelter construction
● foraging
● trapping
● and more

The second part of the video shows another group camp that utilized modern bedrolls and pre-made primitive gear. This footage has some scenes that show how "down time" is used by members of the group to make improvements to the camp. Additionally, there are scenes that show some lighthearted moments. Day 4 contains some silliness as a couple of the guys decide to try swimming in frigid waters. If you'd prefer to pass on some back nudity, skip that section.

The DVD is divided into topical chapter headings so that you will be able to review applicable sections. If you are practicing individual skills, it helps to see them demonstrated in a real life setting -- although this is not a detailed instructional video. You'll also get a pretty good idea of how to prioritize tasks and divide the labor among individuals. NAKED INTO THE WILDERNESS leaves you with an appreciation for how a small tribe or community with few materials and some knowledge can greatly enhance the life of all its members when they are willing to work together.

This is a valuable addition to your library and will work well as a gift if you are interested in these skills for personal use or for demonstration purposes. The production value is not up to the polished standards of a professionally produced work. This is not a video on how to be rescued when lost. Rather, you’ll be invited to enjoy the home movies of experts in primitive skills and gain from their insights. In spite of surface noise distractions, dead air and the occasional “is that thing on?”, there’s a lot to glean from this footage. NAKED INTO THE WILDERNESS takes you from theory to implementation of skills you’ll need to survive in primitive conditions.

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Available at Bulk Herb Store.

Click on the image to order.

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DANDELION: HARVEST OF HEALTH

Dandelions are known for their dazzling yellow blossoms that give way to a globe-shaped puff ball, sending seeds floating away on the breeze. Others view this plant as a persistent weed that can invade even a well-kept lawn.

This plant has smooth, jagged-edged leaves, and hollow, milky, stems that yield a single flower. Also known as ‘swine’s snout,’ Dandelion’s green sepals encircle its closed bud producing a silhouette that resembles a pig’s nose.

Several flowers resemble Dandelions. Check the leaves and flower stems. If the leaves are hairy or the flower stems are branched -- or the root structure does not match the description of Dandelion root – you have found a look-a-like and not an actual Dandelion plant.

A nutritious food and a prized tonic, Dandelions are edible from the root, to the leaves and the blossoms. Gather Dandelion from an area KNOWN to be free of pesticides & toxic chemical contamination (avoid roadways).

LEAVES
The shape of the leaves inspired the name of this vegetable. ‘Dent du lion’ is a French phrase that means ‘tooth of the lion’ and refers to the tooth-shaped leaves.

Leaves should be harvested in the early spring before the plant blooms because that is where the energy of the plant is concentrated in the spring – new growth. These can be used for salads, tea, soups and tonics. Dandelion leaves are great eaten fresh and can be dried for later use.

To clean them place the leaves in a basin of water and agitate gently. Allow the leaves to soak while the dirt settles to bottom. Remove gently so as not to stir up the dirt in the bottom of the basin. Run the soaked leaves under running water. Place in a colander to drain.

FLOWERS
Flowers should be harvested after the dew has dried, but before heat of the day – in late morning. The flowers won’t open on a cloudy day. As soon as rain threatens, the heads will close. The blooms also close at night (or late afternoon) and open again when the plant senses the sun’s rays.

To harvest the flowers, pull on the sepals (green leaves at base of bloom) and the blossoms will pop off the stem, saving you the trouble of removing stems later. Clean them just as you would the leaves.

ROOT
Dandelion roots can be eaten fresh or dried. The best quality roots grow in well-cultivated soil. They form a slim, carrot-like tap that is twisted and brittle, milky white in color and seated deep in the soil. When unearthed, the plant will reproduce from broken remnants of root left in the ground.

Harvest roots in mid-summer as this is the part of the year when they are thought the least bitter. These are best from free, moist soil located in shady areas. Frosty conditions will lessen the activity of the roots, so it is not good to gather them during cold weather. However, it is not a problem to harvest during wet weather. Use a long fork or trowel and lift steadily and carefully. Try not to break or cut the roots as they will lose their valuable juice by bleeding.

Dandelion roots should be dried whole or cut 3 to 6 inches long if too large. These roots generally take about two weeks to dry. They will shrivel to ½ inch or less in diameter and appear dark brown with lengthwise, spiraling wrinkles. Fully dried Dandelion roots will be hard enough to snap revealing their white interior. Store the dehydrated roots in a dry place to avoid mold and in a tightly covered container to protect them from pests. They will keep for one season.

HABITAT ENRICHMENT
Dandelion nectar attracts butterflies, hoverflies and bees. Finches also enjoy the seeds of this plant.

Learn now to identify safe sources of Dandelion as it is a nourishing food source and a helpful remedy in time of need.

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CRICKETS MAY BE JUST THE TICKET IN A SURVIVAL SITUATION

Crickets can be found in shallow burrows beneath stone or dirt or in tufts of plant material. They are more active at night when the males can be heard calling to attract females for breeding. While most varieties are found in forests and grasslands, crickets can also be found in marshes and seashores as well as caves and trees.

AS A THERMOMETER
You can use the sound of a cricket as a thermometer. If you are in a temperate area that is not hotter than 100º F or cooler than 55º F, then you can tell the temperature by counting the number of cricket chirps you hear in 15 seconds. Add 40 to the number of chirps you hear. The result is the temperature in Fahrenheit. If you wish to know the temperature in Celsius, determine the number of chirps you hear in 25 seconds, divide that number by 3 and then add 4.

AS A LURE
Crickets can be used as live bait to secure a satisfying meal of fresh fish. Cricket fishing is most effective in small lakes and within 15 feet of shore.

Once you’ve located a cricket and secured your hook to the fishing line, bait your hook with the live cricket. Hold the cricket firmly between your thumb and fingers while you insert the hook held in your other hand. Some instruct that the barb of the hook should be inserted into the thorax behind the cricket’s head, pressed through the length of the cricket's body and exited via the rear end just under the tail. However, experienced cricket-bait fishermen tell me that they prefer to insert the barb into the rear, just under the tail and thread it through the length of the body, exiting through the thorax, near the head. This method keeps fish from sucking the cricket off of the hook, robbing you of your meal AND your bait.


If you locate an empty can, it can be converted into a makeshift reel. Toss your baited hook into the water, making sure to keep a firm hold on the free end of the line. Reel in your line by wrapping it around the can. Repeat until you have your fish.

AS A FOOD SOURCE
Compared to cattle raised for food, a cricket can reproduce nearly 20 times faster. Within 3 to 4 weeks, a female can lay over a thousand eggs. Crickets can thrive using a fraction of the space and food required to produce an equivalent amount of consumable meat from other livestock. When compared to meat production by chickens and pigs, crickets were twice as efficient. They are able to provide meat at four times the rate of sheep, and six times the rate of cattle when allowances are made for carcass trim and dressing.

Crickets as a food source can offer a significant source of many nutrients and protein. Nutritionally, 100 grams of cricket meat is 21% protein, 6% fat and 3% carbohydrates along with 21 mg of calcium. Per gram of dry weight, cricket meat provides 63 to 122 mg of fatty acid which includes linoleic acid and a-linolenic acid as well as copper, iron and magnesium. This is produced while they consume table scraps.

CRICKET ROUND-UP
The Paiute people used to harvest crickets by digging a series of large trenches. These were covered with dry straw. Large numbers of crickets would be herded into the trenches. The straw was then set aflame, roasting the crickets alive. The women would then gather bushels of the cooked bugs and take them home to grind into protein-rich flour for bread.

RAISE YOUR OWN
One way to ensure a ready supply of crickets that have not been exposed to chemical sprays is to raise your own. Keep them in an aquarium with a couple of inches of soil on the bottom. Place egg cartons inside for roosts. Moistened cotton balls will provide them with water. Leave grated bits of vegetable and grain scraps for them to eat, making sure they have a ready supply of fresh foods. Every few days, mist the soil lightly. Make sure the lid is tight-fitting and secure as crickets are known for their ability to escape their confines and will attempt to do so whenever the lid is opened.

PREPARATION
Take the desired quantity live crickets and place them into a colander or other container with drain holes. Cover the container quickly with a piece of wire screening or cheesecloth to keep the insects from escaping. Rinse them thoroughly by running water over them. Dry them by shaking the colander until the water no longer drips. Place the crickets in a sealed container and place this in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This will be long enough to kill them, but not long enough to freeze them. Remove them from the freezer and rinse them again. Cricket's heads, hind legs, and wing cases can be removed according to personal preference. The legs will tend to get stuck in the teeth and could be painful to swallow. The crickets can then be eaten raw, roasted, or dehydrated to be incorporated into your favorite recipes.

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CAUTION
Whatever your method, care should be taken when harvesting crickets for food. Don’t collect insects near residential areas as they may have been contaminated by herbicides or insecticides.

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Below Ray Mears demonstrates using a can as a fishing reel.
It's towards the end of this short video:

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PINING FOR NOURISHMENT

It was winter 1535 . . . Canadian winter. The French expedition, led by Jacques Cartier, had reinforced their fort, stacked firewood and salted and packed the meat they had harvested. For six months, the river was frozen solid. The snow was 4 feet deep.

The men began to succumb to scurvy. Lacking vitamin C, they lay sick and dying. By mid-February, not even ten men were able-bodied enough to help care for the others. Spring was months away. Time was running out. They were dying.
In a forest full of vitamin C, they were suffering.

Lacking knowledge some died. A chief’s son, Domagaya, visited the fort and told Cartier about a tea made from the trees surrounding the fort that would cure scurvy. With the help of that tea, 85 Frenchmen survived that winter.

PINE NEEDLES:
Pine needle tea is high in vitamins A and C. The needles, inner bark and sap are the most medicinal and nutrient dense parts of the tree. You would have to eat more than five lemons to consume the amount of vitamin C found in a single cup of pine needle tea.

O Tamiflu: Turning Christmas trees into flu drug -- Needles contain high concentration of key ingredient
By Marsha Walton, CNN 2006
The needles of pine, spruce and fir trees contain a fairly high concentration of shikimic acid, the main ingredient in Tamiflu. Countries all over the world are stockpiling the drug in anticipation of a bird flu pandemic.

WARNING:
PREGNANT WOMEN SHOULD NOT consume this tea! Do not consume if you think you may be pregnant. It has been known to cause the death of an unborn child within 24 hours! This also happens in pregnant cows that have eaten pine needles. They will drop a dead calf within a couple hours or days after consuming pine needles.

HOW TO MAKE PINE NEEDLE TEA

• * Select pine needles that are nearest the end of a branch and light green in color. These are the newest (baby) pine needles. Older parts of the tree accumulate turpentine from the sap. (This enables older fallen pine trees to be cleared easily by burning and make way for new growth, and it is also why pine stumps make for good fat lighter.) You will want to be sure to use only new green needles for your tea.
  
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• * Finely chop the needles. You will need ¼ to ½ cup (about one handful or 1 ounce).
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• * Bring 1.5 pints of water to a rolling boil and add the chopped needles.
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• * Boil for 10 to 15 minutes. The liquid should be reduced by about 1/3.
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• * Allow this to steep, covered for 20 minutes (or overnight).
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• * This makes a reddish colored tea with a mild taste. A small amount of oil will rise to the top.
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• * Store in the refrigerator (or in cool storage).

TIPS:

• *Don’t boil longer than 15 minutes. The longer you boil the mixture, the less vitamin C will be available.
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• * Honey and lemon can help improve the taste.

BENEFICIAL PROPERTIES OF PINE NEEDLE TEA
Continue to drink 1 pint (500ml) of Pine Needle Tea every day for one month.

• * Promotes heart health
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• * Relief of varicose veins
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• * Helps muscle fatigue
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• * Relief of Sclerosis
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• * Relief of Kidney Ailments
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• * Promotes strengthening of nerves in eye
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• * Relief for eye related ailments that concern connective muscles in the eye
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• * Relief of Gangrene
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• * Reacts with smooth muscles that line blood vessels

VARIATION, TO MAKE AN EXTRACT:
Place the hot, boiled mixture into a thermos and let sit overnight (12 hours). Remove the needles the next day and drink the warm extract throughout the day.

Pine Tree Needle Extraction is a traditional remedy that may be used in the treatment of many human diseases. The remedy is effective for working with the smooth muscles that line the blood vessels and other muscular related diseases such as sclerosis. Sclerosis is a condition in which soft internal tissues (and sometimes organs) inside the body become unusually hard.

This extraction is a helpful preventative and a support in the treatment of cancer. Its benefit is greater when the cancer is in the earlier stages. Pine needles exhibit strong antioxidant, antimutagenic, and antiproliferative effects on cancer cells and also antitumor effects.

ALTERNATIVES TO TEA
You may choose to chew on several fresh pine needles. Swallow the juice produced and spit out the needle fiber. This remedy has been used to:

• • fight fatigue and maintain one's youthful vigor
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• • promote the discharge of waste from the body
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• • stimulate brain activity
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• • strengthen the heart
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• • as effective for treating anemia (rich in iron)
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• • to satisfy thirst and relieve hunger pains.
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• • to prevents cold and flu
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• • to relieve dry cough
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• • rids you of heart burn

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INTERESTING TIDBIT OF INFORMATION
I found these passages referring to the value of trees:

Deuteronomy 20:19
When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:

Isaiah 41:18-20
18 I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. 19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: 20 That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

Revelation 7:3
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

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This blog presents ideas and information designed to enrich the life of the reader. These articles are NO substitute for personalized professional care. The opinions and ideas expressed are fallible and that of the author. Readers are encouraged to be well-informed and draw their own conclusions.

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