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I decided against this because it needs big eave overhangs to protect the cob, and that isn't going to work on a passive solar building. So maybe for another application...

I am about to build a seed starter shed with heavy insulation and glass to the south, soil floor to take advantage of the 50 F temp of the soil where it doesn't freeze. But placing it between two greenhouses, I hadn't thought of, but would really help in spring and fall! If you want to grow...

Here's a 21-brick, $10 rocket stove that is very nice, easy to boil water and cook with, with just small sticks Putting a grate on top would work just as well. I think the thin mesh (hardware cloth) between layers 1 and 2 are so that no air escapes at that level out the sides and back...

I like this Bump and Go gate: http://youtu.be/gtq7RJy6bs0 ------------- And this kit is not terribly expensive: http://www.bumpndrive.com/?gclid=CIH0nrGN9LoCFRGBfgodKGQA3w ------------ There are rotating gates on a high frame

It's a nice idea. There ought to be some kind of safety stopper on it if someone (pet, child, inattentive adult) gets in the way of it closing. People have been killed being pinned by the old electric gates that don't shut off when obstructed. I'm trying to install an electronic gate...

Very nice! The rocks look great.

The tricky thing about apples is that they put of ethylene gas which speeds up the ripening (and rotting) of themselves and other fruits/vegs nearby. It really helps to store them somewhere else where it doesn't freeze, and in a single layer, if possible. I store all of the vegetables that...

Oh, I forgot to mention my knitting stash. I think that might outlast any natural disaster :) Sorry, I see now that this is under emergency preparedness. Don't know how I linked in here, but I thought it was a general question. Didn't mean to sound flippant. :) You guys on the Gulf...

Interesting that this has turned into a survivalist question about what's "necessary." What about just what is personally necessary need for our happy life? I do live off the grid, but I don't feel like I have to "survive." Unless things take an unexpected change, America is in good enough...

Really interesting stories, guys. :) Being completely off the grid is a reality check, and it's a lot of work, a lot to keep track of, but I like knowing how things work, I like the sciences involved, I like being safe in a storm, I like living with Nature, not trying to suppress it into...

There are a couple more things I do to encourage the local critters to eat bugs. We have lizards, and they need places to hide and get up on top of, so I place small one-foot logs down the center of my 3 foot wide planting beds so they can go long distances safely and cover the whole bed...

What has worked for me is really thick mowed (small particles) of grass and weeds in a mulch layer of about 10" thick, and however wide you want it. Maintain at least 6" thick all year long. It will shrink and get more dense. I add most of my mulch in the fall. Then in the spring when I...

These are the two YouTube videos that inspired me: BackYardSolar: This one has 3 parts http://youtu.be/C2Xe_glVoqc and Kyle Bostic: http://youtu.be/F6BvsxFPN2o

Reposting this. I probably put it in the wrong place the first time :) After studying several different ways to do this, we've decided to use an old hot water heater inner tank, put it in an insulated box sprayed black with a glass cover. Lots of these on YouTube, and it seems the least...

After studying several different ways to do this, we've decided to use an old hot water heater inner tank, put it in an insulated box sprayed black with a glass cover. Lots of these on YouTube, and it seems the least maintenance-oriented way to do it, and the most effective in mild winters...

I guess we'd better know about this *LOL* Artificial vanilla from a Beaver's Butt: http://grist.org/list/the-vanilla-scent-in-your-food-and-perfume-might-come-from-a-beavers-butt/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%20-%20IP%20warm-up%20-%2060%20Day%20Engaged&utm_campaign=daily

Britesea, we made one of those Sungrabbers, and they work fine when it's warm or hot or very sunny out. They do need 2" rigid insulation lining the chamber because cold air flows completely around it outside, affecting the inside temp. It should be as wide as your window opening, or else build...

Britesea, you know what works just as well as double glazed windows is blackout curtains. They hold the heat in nicely, keep the cold out. You can also add a blackout shade that will roll down right next to the glass as a double layer. :-)

gd, I think you're saying just what I was saying. If it's a live animal (or vegetable) there are fewer rules. If it becomes a dead animal (meat), which is what ninny said, or she said jerky, then the conditions under which "meat" is prepared, stored, shipped, etc., start applying. They may...

When you sell vegetables the food items are not cut open, so there are very few rules about selling them to the public. Even storage of them is pretty easy. But the minute you cut open a fruit or a vegetable, all the rules change. And meat production, handling, slaughtering, cleaning...