Thread: Self Sufficiency

way to go, CH. This has been an ongoing theme in my life for some time. I graduated to Himalayan this year finally, as well as to Persian blue. don't know why, but sometimes the blue appeals more with certain foods. otherwise, an average white sea salt is my goto. minor minerals that our soils/foods are becoming deficient in. make sure iodine gets replaced. sometimes seasalts/other natural salts are missing iodine, unless it says it on the label it's been added.

Grow what I can. Been adding fruit trees-dwarf, semi-dwarf rootstocks, 1/year the past 3 years. Not producing yet, but taking the long view-I may be here awhile yet, and will help someone else later down the road when I move on. Garden-permaculture. grow perennial food/medicinal plants. I grow blackberries, raspberries, a handful of edibles/medicinal herbs most don't know about-distributed among the flower beds. secret medicine/food cabinet.

I learn something new each year-keep notes on what I grew, what did well, what didn't. keep notes on first and last frost dates each year, get a feel for when it's safe to plant hot-season vegetables like squash, tomatoes, peppers, melons, beans.

I had not heard of Persian Blue before. Thanks for that tip! Since I live in a sub-division, I do not have the space for a garden, but I was thinking about hydroponics as an option. It would still be limited, but I have a 500 sq ft sun room with lots of space.

Aside from fresh fruits and vegetables I am also stocking up on long shelf-life (25 years) survival food to give me some flexibility should a disaster strike. Also piling up non-perishable things like toilette paper, paper plates, garbage bags, etc.

I would love to plant some food trees, but the developer who built my division used a clay-based soil to elevate the lots by 4 to 8 feet. Very few plants or trees can grow in that kind of restrictive soil. I may move to a smaller, rural setting in a couple of years to help remedy that problem.

If you look at WebMD and Mayo Clinic websites, they will both tell you that all salts are the same. What is often overlooked is that refined salts have anti-caking agents added in to keep the salt from clumping. It's these anti-caking agents that are the most harmful to humans. Google anti-caking agents and you will find various sources of information. My take is that one would use natural salt, (be it Celtic or Himalayan or other) to avoid these harmful anti-caking agents and ensure that you add iodine into your diet either from foods rich in iodine or from iodine supplements like Iodoral. I've always heard that REAL Salt by Redmond was pretty good alternative to the more expensive Celtic and Himalayan brands.

Types of Salt: Himalayan vs Kosher vs Regular vs Sea Salt
Salts (table or cooking) with the fewest additives - Toxinless

The concept of Self Sufficiency has always fascinated me and for myself it is a continuous never-ending journey.

From my perspective the first place to start is where you live, either working with what you have, or being mindful of the next place you move into. I'm currently living on top of a multi-level apartment, I plan to jump off the roof before I starve from hunger, it's always good to have options...

Seriously though, I love gardening, it's gods work.

Hattip jp. Potassium iodide is not the kind of iodine to have in our diets, per what I've been reading. There is a small bottle of Iodoral (not potassium iodide) sitting on my counter already, been using it. 1 drop at a time doesn't get overwhelming tastewise in a cup or glass of something drinkable.

i'm rethinking my previous post. The Iodoral has both iodine and potassium iodide. I used it for a little while along with my other supplements and I noticed that something was a little off. I stopped using the Iodoral and am feeling much better. I believe there is a use for the Iodoral but unless you have been diagnosed with a thyroid problem, I would caution to only take it under the advice of a doctor. Also, upon further reading, it seems that regular table salt has potassium iodide and not elemental iodine.
Natural is the way to go for sure. The more processed and refined foods we take out of our diets the better.

Those looking to increase iodine in their diets: 1 serving of kelp has 500% of RDA and 1 serving of scallops has 90% of RDA.

Being a City Slicker - and the former 'Y2K Duffus' for my employer - I personally think:

• Become at least good acquaintances with your neighbors. If you have to make it alone 2 weeks+ you will all have forgotten things. Did you know that water in normal plastic bottles/jugs goes bad? What if the 'FireBall From the Heavens' landed right on your storage bin? If things get more primeval than you need a clan - hopefully your family and those same neighbors. Maybe you have a neighbor of a certain ethnicity that saves money in gold jewelry - but you have the working vehicle and generator. Why gouge or steal - just share. He she needs what you can provide while the clan will need the 'currency' for unforeseen stuff - but all that only works if: You Build Trust - it is the only thing that holds groups together when things fail.
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• Know how to fix things and make them last. That fireball crunched your shack and your generator don't work. Still looks ok, but it don't start when you press the button. Hey, look at that starter - reattach that wire. Whoopee, it works. Maybe help others in the clan keeping their stuff good to go. Nice, very nice.
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• Dump debt, don't borrow from da'Boyz or friends/family as a normal monthly income enhancement. Have a few months of savings. What if the gubmint doesn't pay us for our labor, or doesn't pay anybody their 'benefits'. Maybe that Fireball landed on the computers that create the money bits. Da Gubmint gotta find a bunch of IT Programmers and DBAs to build the replacement from scratch but first they must ensure that they will not threaten the habitat of the Dealta Smealt with the application. So it takes two/three months. Maybe four months in and you need to borrow some cash. Da Gubmint is almost done. Some welfare is getting out and some bridges to nowhere are getting built again. But they ain't paid you. What family member wouldn't loan you a bit of short term cash? They know that it ain't a permanent thing and they know they will get it back. They are part of the clan.
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• And, in concert with the above and smart on its own - learn to grow what you eat. It costs less and you know what you are eating. Win Win. I have neighbor (clan member) who uses - and builds - hydroponics containers. He grows amazing vegetables in a tiny space with very little water.
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• Finally, back to tradable skills. If things are kinda bad for kinda a long time the skills you have learned here will be very valuable. How many of your fellow employees actually know what an investment is? Any of them able to look at an opportunity that requires assets (skills, money, or trade) and see the potential in a hard nosed light. You could be da'Boyz - but da'Boyz have value. A situation where you clan up and break up will demonstrate that in spades.

That was kinda fun. I think I read this kinda discussion in the original post as well as the organic clean living stuff...

hattip Boghie, yes all the above. I'm just getting warmed up!

And jp, I for one do have a thyroid prob diagnosed, but didn't know iodoral is combo. Just started using it tho, so will monitor how it makes me feel, and try to incorporate more kelp and shellfish. I started the switch to sea salts to get away from the potassium iodide myself.

my skill is part mad max and part scavenger, i can drive like hell and find resources as if inspired. my plan when the giant fireball from the sky hits is to hightail it to utah. the good mormons have 2 years worth of food storage and will be taken up in the rapture immediately, leaving a bounty for the pickin. plus i hear the leaves are pretty in the fall.

People need to learn Self Sufficiency when they are young, but in our country the educational system is teaching the opposite.
Minnesota

Girls basketball team gets booted from league for being too good

Published January 24, 2016 FoxNews.com

A Minnesota youth basketball team has been ejected from a league for being too good and now the coach, parents and players are crying foul.
The Rogers Area Youth Basketball Association girls high school team was forced to the sidelines by the Northwest Suburban Basketball League -- and it’s all because the team is 3-0, Fox 9 reported Saturday.
“We found out Friday at lunchtime that we’re not going to be allowed because according to the league our girls were too talented,” coach Jason Hanauska told the station.
RAYBA sent parents a letter that said the main reason for the league's decision was because other teams in the league “do not want to play RAYBA due to the skill level.”
“This is absurd,” parent Sherri Palmgren told the station. “Do we take the (NFL’s) Patriots or Cardinals, who are going to the championship game, and kick them to the curb because they’re too good?”[more]
Girls basketball team gets booted from league for being too good | Fox News

THAT is seriously messed up, nnuut. Great way to teach a child not to use their god-given talents and abilities, or even express an interest in pursuing anything they might be good at. appalling. poor kids, hope the community rises up in protest and gets those kids back in the game. or go make a new league, or something. whatever happened to coaches and parents of those other teams helping their own teams/kids get better at the game? sheesh. disgusting.