Real food? - Mini vent.

[baymule]

@sumi, since you are looking at fixer uppers in Ireland, here's a link about rocket stoves.

http://www.richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp

I got the link from permies.com

 

[WendyJ]

@wyoDreamer You're a star! I would like to grow as much stuff as possible over winter, but I'm worried about the colder nights. Nighttime and sometimes daytime temperatures drop to below what the wiki article said and we had some snow while we were there as well. And did I mention it rains an awful lot in that place? we were there for 7 months and we had exactly 10 days without rain. I'd like to grow some tomatoes and less hardy things if possible, or at least get an early start and be able to protect my young plants when needed. That and control the amount of water they get, which is why I'm thinking greenhouse.

I try to use what ever is available at the time, and from what I remember about Ireland, there are lots of rocks around. Rock walls and fences, almost more rocks than dirt
Using a rock wall as the back wall of a greenhouse might give off some lovely heat at night.

 

[Myhouseisazoo2]

A rock wall would give you a lovely natural look too <3 I found something pretty interesting involving stone structures. http://www.monolithic.org/homes/fea...n-earth-sheltered-dome-and-a-work-in-progress
Its pretty cool!

 

[wyoDreamer]

A rock wall will hold a lot of heat and release it slowly and evenly, that is one of the basic designs in a passive solar house. However, in order to work properly, it will need to be isolated from the outside, like a wall behind it with an air-gap or insulation between the two. Otherwise, the heat will go to the outside and not stay inside the greenhouse.

The beauty of an earthen home or greenhouse is the sheer volume of earth that would need to get cold before your living areas get cold.

A friend told me the magic number is 4 feet. A greenhouse that has the planting beds 4 feet below the surrounding ground surface will not freeze. I guess her uncle made a living growing herbs for essential oils year-round in northern Idaho in a greenhouse 4 feet deep. Don't know if it is true or not.

 

[TwoCrows]

Sumi, you need to move. LOL Organics, Non GMO and more natural foods are becoming more common here in the United States. They used to be more expensive, but have come down some due to the popular demand. But I do agree, I don't know how they label some food. "Food". It is either tasteless, overly sloppy, greasy, salty, sweet, etc..Even what is supposed to be natural has no flavor anymore. I swear, they are doing things to some of this food to eek the most out of production on their end, and sell you less product for more money! Some manufacturers will blow air into the food to save on the product on their end or add oils, water, ect...Just think about how much money they can bank if they give you 1% less food in their product!! Just crazy.

There are things I just don't eat off the grocery shelves anymore. And some of these "Mystery Meats" are scary! LOL Along with how the animals are treated in some of these production houses keeps me away from a lot of foods. It's a wonder I can find anything to eat!!

So read those labels and in your case Sumi, I think you need a new country!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Totally agree with you, Sumi. We only eat chicken if it comes from the backyard. My freezer pork is getting low so I'll be getting a couple new porkers when we come back from vacation. I don't raise beef, so if we eat it, I only buy organic. And we do eat the occasional goat/lamb.

I promised myself long ago that I would NEVER put pasteurized dairy products into my body again and have stuck by it. So, if I'm out and want a cup of coffee I've learned to drink it black.

I swear some of the stuff we put in our bodies is criminal!

 

[Britesea]

Considering the massive increases in obesity, diabetes, ADD and ADHD, ASD and who knows what else since these so-called foods (and microwaves! do the research- this is NOT a healthy way to cook food!) have been offered... it's tempting to subscribe to conspiracy theories about some secret group wanting to kill off the majority of the human race, isn't it?

 

[WendyJ]

Low or no fat things like skim milk have to be among the biggest scams out there. I know lots of people of Indian descent, they tend to drink a LOT of milk, all full fat (in India they drink water buffalo milk, our full fat tastes weak compaired to that) and last I checked India doesn't have an obesity issue.

 

[sumi]

@frustratedearthmother Did you work out how much it cost to raise your own pork? I found after doing some sums that our pork, even when processed into sausages and bacon by the local butcher, cost 30% - 50% less than the same products in the butchery shop. Apart from being able to control what goes into that meat and how the animals get treated, the savings is another big plus!

@Britesea That's the other side of the coin, the stuff they add to the food... Wow, cancer causing agents, salt in absolutely everything, unnatural colorants and flavourings, some of which have proved to cause behavioural problems in children. When I lived in Ireland I sometimes bought some jelly sweets, I think the brand name was Haribo. One day I looked at the ingredients and saw they used plants to dye the sweets. Nettles was one of the things they used, to dye the green sweets. I wish I had a packet around so I could give you the full list. It just shows you, it can be done!

@WendyJ I could not believe it when some of my friends in the US told me selling raw milk is illegal in their states. I can buy raw milk in certain shops here, or directly from the farmers and it's labeled as such, or you simply take your own container and they fill it for you. It's never done me or my family any harm... As long as the required procedures is followed re hygiene and sanitation, what's the problem? Skimmed milk is a joke! It's so watered down it doesn't even taste of milk any more. What's the health benefit of that?

 

[WendyJ]

@sumi raw milk is sort of available here, but it is in a grey area, the courts are still trying to decide just what to do about it. Some farmers are trying to get around the legalities of it by selling shares in the cow, as you can drink raw milk from a cow you own, not sure how that will work out. Part of the problem is there have been some people that didn't put proper care into it and people did get sick. It is always a bit of a balance between how much regulation is needed, and what is too much. All meat and dairy in Canada is more regulated (and thus more expensive) in Canada already, personally I like that hormone and antibiotic use is controlled here, but I realize it does make it harder for the farmer to compete.

@Denim Deb I find lots of good recipes on the internet (I am a bit of a Pinterest hoarder), if you look for "clean eating" recipes they are often real food.