Living in interesting times

[hakerh]

So, let me tell you about my afternoon. I just spent an hour casting bullets for the various rifles and pistols we have. This was, of course, after Ekk & I killed some time by drilling a hole in the big ice sheet we have in our driveway and setting off some homemade blasting charges to try to break it up. It didn't really take effect, but was

Comments

[tisiphone]

Definitely - even if it weren't for the economy, I think it's a good idea to be as local and self-reliant as possible. In addition to a garden (we're using some biointensive techniques and doing a lot of container gardening in order to make the best use of this tiny half-acre), I'm considering getting chickens - we will at least trade fresh veg for eggs with a friend who raises them. We've also gone mostly vegetarian here, because meat is expensive. A lot of the produce from this year's crop will go to the freezer or into Mason jars; I'll also be buying local produce I don't have room to grow when it's cheap and doing the same. Strawberry jam ftw! Another thing I'm considering is a geothermal heating system (driven by rooftop solar panels), or possibly wood. It was more expensive than it was worth when we moved into the house, but now it's only the cost of two year's heating oil! We got by this year by keeping the heat at about 62 and turning it off whenever possible, but if it goes up any further it's going to be tough.

[hakerh]

We've also gone mostly vegetarian here, because meat is expensive.

When I'm the one paying all my food bills alone, I refer to myself as an economic vegetarian. You're right - meat is getting damnably expensive.

I'm actually really appreciating the challenge of both using more local foodstuffs and preserving things to last. I've been doing a lot of research on early modern foodways (quel surprise, I know) and have occasionally been quite inspired. Last fall I went on a rampage through the yard for first-year burdock roots (also known as gobo in Japanese cuisine) and pickled up a jar or two to see if it was any good. It's surprisingly tasty in rice dishes and sushi: a slightly sweet, slightly earthy taste, set off by the tang of the rice vinegar. I'll definitely do it again

[tisiphone]

We had a ton of fun last year foraging in the woods and fields here for grapes, hawthorne berries, crab apples, and apples from wild growth and forgotten plantings. This year I'm planting some berries, not a whole lot because I don't have the room but I want to get some currants, some gooseberries, and some blackberries up in the woods, and a few orchard trees. I haven't decided which to go for though. Living in rural New England, especially, there's a ton of food around if you open your eyes a little bit.

Any chance you could take a picture of the burdock? I can't seem to get a good identifier on what it looks like, and I'd love some!

[hakerh]

I can't get a picture of it till it comes up for the spring, obviously, but Wikipedia has pictures and descriptions. It's the burr-plant - the one that gets those round burrs all over your clothing in the fall

[iarwain]

With the new store, I'm kind of locked in to Nashua till TSHTF. The good side is that if that were to happen, I would have communications/computer equipment to barter with among those who have a need and electricity. I recently set up a spiffy data backup system here and I'm seriously contemplating putting together an archive of useful information... not just survival stuff, but repair manuals, how-to's, medical books, etc. Legally I wouldn't be able to distribute it because of copyright, but if the need ever arises, copyright is the least of my concerns. There are a couple technologies on the horizon I'm desperately hoping for - WiMAX for one, Meraki's solar mesh networking boxes for another. Otherwise, I'm looking into ancient BBS mail technology and a sneakernet.

Speaking of useful info, it would make the powers that be nervous to know I know this but...

For demolitions purposes, black powder is kind of expensive for the use you need. What you want is ANFO - and shape the charge if you can. You want to direct the blast

[hakerh]

Heh, I know black powder wasn't the best choice, but it was one of those days where we just looked at each other and said "Let's blow something up." It was what we had on hand. We actually didn't see much of the explosion, just some of the top covering rising a few inches before falling back. The impressive part was watching all the smoke coming out of the cracks in the ice 10 feet away where the brooks under the ice came out. *That* was cool.

We have a lot of those uncommon-knowledge books. Ever get the catalog for Paladin Press? A lot of it is Soldier-of-Fortune crap, but there's some serious hardcore post-apocalypse knowledge out there in their titles.

Disjointed

[daft]

This is something I think about a lot. It's not something I've been able to implement at all, being far too busy trying to make my life compatible with the modern age.

Some day I'd like to slaughter my own animal, to know that I could. I'm incredibly wretched at keeping gardens, but I can keep animals alive just fine (*eyes fattest cat*)

I would be interested in knowing how much space one would need to produce feed for how many chickens.

Also goats. Goats eat anything. They produce milk and meat.

In short, I would like to lead a modified pre-1900 lifestyle, like you mentioned in a previous post. And I don't think one of those modifications would be "with internet access", because it really does keep me from getting more shit done.

Re: Disjointed

[hakerh]

And I don't think one of those modifications would be "with internet access", because it really does keep me from getting more shit done.I hear you. If it weren't for the internet, I'd probably be frighteningly productive... at least until I found something else to be distracted by

[malice_demonic]

Aside from buying things when they are on sale and storing them in the huge chest freezer... nope. We just lost the whole damn farm and moved to the city, otherwise, piggies and more chickens would be in order...

[driftingfocus]

So, I found you through one of our mutual friends (can't remember who), and I must say...you and I have a lot in common. Any chance of becoming LJ friends?

As for your post, in the last year my parents have started making almost all the bread they eat, they can and pickle all sort of things, they make their own jam, they grow all their own salad greens, they have 5 fruit trees, tomatoes, peppers, and an assortment of other food stuffs, and they're going to get 4 chicken soon, and they even live in a city! I am about to go overseas for a year, but when I return, I'm hoping to move to somewhere rural (I'm thinking Vermont or PA, since they're both very reenactor-friendly) since I went to college in a very rural area and loved it. Assuming my significant other moves with me, we should be able to get a place with some land, and if we do, I'd like to get at least a subsistence-level garden/farm going. I've never grown anything so far north, but I have a pretty green thumb, so I'm optimistic.

[hakerh]

Sure, welcome aboard! I see you mention tall ship experience - what ships? I was on the Corwith Cramer for a while and hope to get back out there, but these days I get my sea fix by living on one of the Isles of Shoals in the summer and spending occasional time out on the water in a small gaff rigged schooner.

I browsed through your journal. You have some great photos - I love recreated period images. Many of your reenactment pics just look right, which is awesome. I worked for Plimoth Plantation for a while, and some of the interpreters I knew used to carefully arrange props and furniture to recreate various Dutch and English portraits and still-lifes!