Suburban Off-grid living

[sunsaver]

Yeah. i built a modern version icebox out of styrofoam and plywood and silicone. I got the idea from marine iceboxes used on yacths. Its a chest type, and theres a wire shelf that holds food above the ice. It has a drain with a p-trap, that passes through the floor, to let meltwater out. It has a nice crhrome handle on the lid which is wrapped in 1/4 inch birch plywood, cabinet grade. It's stained with red mahogeny by minwax, so it looks like nice furnature. Theres a stick-on led light inside. Twice a week i dump a bag of crushed ice in the side compartment: once a week in the winter. The crushed ice works best because it sort of forms a block, and lasts longer. Regular ice has too much surface area and melts faster. There's an ice vending machine a mile up the road, on my way home from the grocery, so that makes it easy. Dump the ice, stick the milk down it, dump the other groceries on the shelf. I used to hate it when junk would fall out of my old fridge. I wouldn't trade my icebox for any appliance out there!

 

[sunsaver]

What would be a good egg layer, but more gentle than reds. My chickens are not friendly at all. Also, i'd like to know what rabbit tastes like. I heard it's real good. I had racoon one time that a black lady had prepared. It was wonderful. I thought it was spicy pork roast at first. How do you prepare rabbit? I've never killed, skinned, or gutted anything before, but i have a feeling i need to learn soon, the way the economy is looking.

 

[BarredBuff]

What would be a good egg layer, but more gentle than reds. My chickens are not friendly at all. Also, i'd like to know what rabbit tastes like. I heard it's real good. I had racoon one time that a black lady had prepared. It was wonderful. I thought it was spicy pork roast at first. How do you prepare rabbit? I've never killed, skinned, or gutted anything before, but i have a feeling i need to learn soon, the way the economy is looking.

Australorps. I love mine. They are friendlier, lay more in the winter. And are much more hardier, my reds stayed sick. My aussies have never been sick. Im just getting started with rabbits. I have my herd to get all lined up. What state are ya in?

 

[sunsaver]

Im from Louisianna, the part thats not flooded, thank God. Cant let the goons from the energy industry know exactly where. My vocal support of off-grid living has made some enemies.

 

[BarredBuff]

I love to vist Louisianna!

 

[framing fowl]

I second the vote for Astralorps. I had a couple a couple of years ago and they were my favorite. If you get them as chicks, it helps to handle them every day rather than just tossing some food and water at them. It will make them much friendlier when they're grown.

 

[Denim Deb]

OK, now I'm curious about the washing machine. Do you have any links for it?

 

[sunsaver]

It's a great place to visit if you like whatching BP commercials. Oops! i better not get political. Well we have good food to make up for the crooks in office. we have mild winters, so you can grow stuff year round, and the cost of living is much cheaper than many places north and west. My forest garden has permaculture beds at the edge of the wood line. It's almost an acre of mixed deciduous and pine trees. I have several grape vines, a plum tree, two cherry trees and many wild black cherry trees, two pear trees, two figs and 6 new starts of fig, 10 grape vines, 3 walnut trees (most of these nut trees are still young and not producing yet) 2 chinese chestnut, 2 almond tree, and 2 hazelnut trees. i also have 52 bushs of the genus Rubus including blackberry, boysenberry, dewberry, and raspberry. Theres a loquat tree the puts on a couple fruit every year, and i want some citrus and avacado. Veggies: I have 100ft of asparagus, giant stalks every spring. I'm growing 57 tomato plants, several types of peppers, squash, cucumber, broccolli and collards, swiss chard, and egg plant. The lettuce and endive is bolting. There's lots of turnip greens doing well also. This year i have almost no bug problems. I used a little BT for the cutworms on my chard, and i sprayed my fruit trees with soap and olive oil when they were dormant. I think its just because the weather has been perfect. It's almost like southern California this spring.

 

[sunsaver]

I saw people using them in a doc film about india. There's a caste of people who do nothing but wash the clothes of the upper class of people, all day long. I only spend about 10 minutes agitating my clothes with the washboard. They were beating the cloths on some rocks. One guy was standing there just cranking this handle like a giant old fashioned icream maker. Its seems like i tried to find it online, but they were availibe in the us. Try Lehmans.com or St Paul Merchantile. If i find it i will definately post here. I want one!

 

[txhomegrown]

You have a great thing going there. A lot of work, but it is a labor of love. The love of freedom.