Bringing the essence of the woods to me

I know a lot of people who suffer from depression, anxiety, social anxiety, fear, stress, migraines that are triggered by the above at times. I am one of those people.
While it can be hard to talk about at times because I know I am not weak, but while it is happening the feeling is that of helplessness. Also for me acknowledging it verbally is, well it is not something I generally like to do. It is as if I accept defeat by acknowledging it happens. I am a fighter and not one to lay down and roll over accepting defeat.

I have tried lots of herbal remedies for the above in single and multi herb blends. I have also tried vitamin, naturopathy, just not prescriptions. I refuse to take those particular prescriptions as I usually end up experiencing any and all bad side effects with prescriptions. I have taken prescriptions for migraines but they never showed any positive result, so I stopped taking them.

I was doing more research on the subject tonight and I was feeling frustrated that all I was seeing were all the herbs I already know and have tried.
Now this is not to say that some of those might not work for some people, but if you are like me at all, taking a sedative herb like passionflower, whether it calms your body down or not, your mind is what keeps you awake. Basically I end up laying in bed tired as all hell with no chance of falling asleep.

Some herbs help mildly if I happen to have them at the very beginning of that off feeling I get before something comes at me full force.

Most don’t even take the edge off. I would not accept that I have to live this way.
Everything could be fine and I could feel down or have a panic attack for almost no reason. It is scary to have something like that happen and not have a definitive reason for why you can’t stop the hurt feeling in your chest. I usually chalk it up to being stressed for too long and it finally catching up with me.

I am explaining this because I had an interesting thought… One I cannot wait to test out my theory on.

I was reading this article. Don’t ask me which because I read far too many tonight to even begin to remember… And in it this guy was talking about how a lot of peoples stress, depression, anxiety is caused by modern urbanization. This made a lot of sense to me.

One of the few places I am almost never stressed and feel my best is in nature, in a forest, by a stream, on an ocean shore, in my garden. I am not the only one. It is quite known that taking a walk through nature is a stress reliever. 
The writer goes on to talk about how people in more simplistic communities, such as the Amish, who don’t do things quite the same way, tend not to have as much of a problem with stress, anxiety, or depression.

I realized that yes, my fears also can drive depression, attacks, etc, but one common thing with almost all of these things is a feeling of being disconnected. Either disconnected to myself, others, my surroundings, a situation… Just over all feeling disconnected and not knowing how to feel connected and grounded despite meditation and will of mind.

After reading that article, which was very brief but really sparked some thoughts, I decided to go about this whole thing a lot differently. Or at least give it a try.

I am always talking about how I need to go out into nature more, or how I need to go forage, how nature is my sanctuary… A big problem is that aside from the occasional hike, or watering my garden, it is not enough for me. I just desire to be out tromping in the woods more than some might.
Knowing that it helps but also knowing I cannot get out in nature as much as my mind and body would like is frustrating to say the least.
Everyone *well, most everyone* has to work, has responsibilities, and other things that will take up most of their time. You can’t just do whatever you want to do every day of the year. You have to plan things out and sometimes plans fall through.

This is what got me thinking. Understanding what causes my triggers, and what helps keep them at bay, I came to an interesting thought. What if I had been looking at this herbal formulation the wrong way? None of those herbs quite do the job that are commonly used for stress, depression, anxiety… If the forest works for me, which is also probably why I am growing things inside and out… How can I bring that feeling I get when I walk through a wild landscape with me when I am in a urban concrete environment?

So this time when I am experimenting with a new herbal aid for these things, I will be trying to use ingredients and scents most commonly found in the woods. Try to bring the essence of the forest to my senses and see if it actually helps more than previous failed attempts. Honestly of everything so far, in theory this makes the most sense to me.

So now I have to come up with a list of (obviously safe to ingest) things to gather from the woods for my next herbal formulation. It needs to be well rounded and may take some time to mull over. Replicating some scents will not be easy as I will not be putting dirt in my herbal remedy laughs but I will do what I can to bring the essence of the forest into a little herbal concoction, smell or no smell, that will hopefully have the intended affect.
I also need to decide upon the type of preparation for the blend i.e tincture, syrup, lozenge, tea.

I will most certainly be needing to go on another wildcrafting adventure to gather fresh supplies for this once I get a list down.

Yearly groceries and planning

I have been reading a lot of homesteading blogs today. I enjoy passing the time reading others adventures.

One particular subject I have been meaning to get on a little more is grocery shopping, the larder, food pantry, freezer, etc plans.

This subject is a bit of a chore for me because it means I have to do a lot of tracking, and find a way to do it where the other two in my family don’t throw me off my numbers. I am still thinking of a good method for this… The best I have so far is keeping a list, and then adding a tally (with an amount) for each time I buy a product during the year. At the end I look through the house to see what I have left and subtract that amount if it is anything substantial (as I like to over estimate rather than underestimate what I will need)

Out of that very long list of items I will also list what I can grow of those, how much of it I will need to grow, and how many cans/bags I would need to produce from said crop per person.

Each year I will put down what I have growing and if it is under, over, or right at what it needs to be for preserving.

Of course this list will change each year as our tastes do. I am sure what we eat in fruits and veggies now will greatly grow once we can have it fresh on the table during the harvest seasons.

We may eat more of something in the future because I can grow it, than we would if we were to buy it in a fruit stand or store. Artichoke is a good example of one veggie we all love but never really buy due to increasing prices.
I absolutely love steamed artichoke with Italian dressing to dip the leaves and heart in. I also hate the canned stuff because it is not usually cooked quite to my liking and doesn’t come out right.
Growing my own will solve that.

Everyone is going to use different things and different amounts. When someone thinks of a larder, or prepping for a year of food, one usually thinks of beans, rice, etc… And while we eat those things, we normally do not base our whole diet off of those. You need to base your pantry goods off of what you actually use, not just that but also how much you actually use. No need to buy 50lbs of beans if your family only uses 10lbs or less a year… That is just a random number for an example. I see people that buy a LOT of rice, when they only need maybe a small few bags a year.

The idea for me is that I will need to go through a multi-step process that may take a few years to get down. One at the very least.
First step is to go through my pantry and write down everything I have just to start the “what do we use” list
   Each time we go shopping I mark down new items with amounts, or add amounts to items already on the list.
   I would also like to add how much those items were so I can get a yearly grocery expense ballpark.
   I will then have my “currently growing” and “To grow” list. Based on the grocery list I can at least have a guess on how much of something I will need to grow and adjust accordingly.

Also I would like to make a “Thinks we would like to use, but don’t use much of, or do not presently use” list to see how I can incorporate new food items in the mix.

I may not go this particular route as I do not go shopping once a week, but something like what this blogger has posted about is a brilliant idea.  Click the link below to see how another blogger created their food pantry.
Food storage for people who don't hate food

There are some great charts on that site that give you a good idea on how to create your own list.

I keep seeing these “Eat from the larder challenge” Where basically for a month you are not allowed to eat anything except from what is already in your pantry/fridge/freezer.
People tend to eat out or shop so often that they end up with things in their pantry that they do not even remember when they bought it at times. I think the reason is that they end up with random cans of pumpkin, or boxes of noodles they don’t know what to do with. Random ingredients that are missing others to make something.
I think by building up your food storage, you have a well rounded pantry, freezer, fridge, and will be better able to cook more meals, and get creative with ingredients without it being an awkward mix.

What I mean is it is fun to experiment with random recipes whenever your heart fancies. It is not always fun when you have to try and throw random things together that are only passible by the taste buds as being ok for a one time meal.

I also think that if one was to do something like this they might bake more, eat healthier *depending on items they stocked up on of course* and can have more food groups to their diet.

I remember as a kid we literally had all the food groups at every meal like a good old fashioned home cooked meal would be imagined. You had your potatoes, your roll, your peaches, meat, veggie… It was much too large of a serving size back then, but people didn’t really know as much about portioning as they do now.

Nowadays I notice people are lucky if they have more than two food groups a day even, let alone a meal. That is not to say I think all food groups need to be there in every meal, but you should be getting enough servings of each food group for your bodies needs.

My problem with people today is laziness. People would rather pop a hot pocket in the microwave than cook something.
My brother and I have this argument all the time actually. He argues that he loves to cook, but all I ever see him do is use the microwave, yet he cooks at his friends houses all the time. I have been trying to get him to eat healthier meals and cook more here for ages. Heck, I have made healthier food accessible that is not even time intensive, or pre-prepared for him. Usually he only eats it if I make dinner for everyone.
  He finally told me it was because some of his friends families had a LOT of really random fresh ingredients which provided a better variety. He doesn’t really like to cook normal foods… He likes to play master chef and create new yummy food concoctions, some of which I love, others you couldn’t pay me to try haha.

While I admire his ambition and love for experiments, I doubt that he will do much more than basic cooking here. This is another reason why my freezer meal idea will be awesome once I can implement it further *As in fix the chest freezer* When I froze big batches of my home made chicken veggie soup he absolutely loved that. I will have to do that again soon as the weather cools.

What he said made sense to me, though I still frowned at him due to having things to cook, just not quite the variety that a Mex-Asian family who is traditional on both sides would have. Food is a very big part of both of those cultures.  I have been amazed at some of the meals he has told me he has had over there. I don’t usually shop for some of the more exotic ingredients they use.

I do think getting a rice cooker and a bread maker will entice my brother a bit though. He has mentioned those being handy on more than a few occasions.

At least I don’t have to force him to eat veggies.

My husband on the other hand is really picky about what veggies need to be cooked to what texture… He will not eat anything but raw when it comes to carrots. If they are cooked he won’t eat them. A few other veggies are like that for him. These things I have to take into consideration when cooking.

Considering what you eat raw, cooked, dried, fresh, frozen, the meals you like, how you like them prepared *baked, fried, etc* and doing a little meal planning in addition to just knowing how much of something you use might be useful when building up your larder. 

For me having options is both good and bad. Like loving ice cream but then going into baskin-robins and not knowing which of the 31 flavors you want so you sit on the floor for hours not sure what to pick. Well, for me it is the floor of the kitchen with my fridge door open every couple of minutes in hopes of deciding. I can be very indecisive.

Another great thing about doing this is you aren’t just doing it for quick meals, but also for cooking. For instance, I could put down that we can eat up to 4 granola bars during working days *20 days a month* for the year, equaling out to 80 bars a month or 960 a year (Yes that sounds like a hell of a lot of bars, but we really love them, and they make great work snacks) OR I could put down how much oats I need, honey, and all the other random ingredients I would need to make my own batches of granola bars.
  Not only would they be fun to make, it would save money, and be another way I could utilize the list.
    I don’t think we really eat quite that many, but for me I usually eat 1-2 a day. I only assume the same goes for the hubby for my estimation.
   Now if I make my own bars I have to take into account what kinds I will be making. I also think there is a great benefit in knowing what goes into making your food, as well as there are so many bars I go “You know I wish they would have added X to this bar… or why can’t I find a bar that tastes like X when I am craving it” So cooking has many benefits to it really.

I won’t go into the whole long rant about how most of our newer generation doesn’t know or care to know how to cook. That is an overgeneralization based on my own experiences and the ones I hear from others. I feel cooking is an essential skill everyone should know and I will leave it at that.

For now I am making a list (Not close enough to Christmas to make that joke)
It may take awhile to get the hang of it but I think it will be worth the effort later, especially since making a list on the fly or during breaks at work is not exactly easy.

I think the next challenge will be to add shelving for more canned and dried food storage.

My Morning

The season is closing. The strawberries are about done putting out new buds. The rest of my plants are maturing or putting off seeds.  This means most of my early morning strawberry picking is done for the season.

Today I woke up and decided to harvest the top couple inches of the purslane plant that decided to grow in one of my grape vine containers. I harvested the leaves for drying.  I will then use the leaves in green smoothies, soups for thickening, eggs, etc.

It is a newer edible for me and I find I rather love the taste of it. Now I understand what all the hype is about.

I also harvested little cup shaped seed pods with ity bity black seeds in them. I have been reading that one plant can produce up to 5,000 seeds. I of course got no where near that, but having some is a nice addition to my seed bank.

Now for anyone looking to try purslane, do not confuse it with spurge. The easiest way to tell the difference is spurge has white milky sap when you break open the stem, whereas purslane does not. Spurge, or spotted spurge is poisonous and should not be consumed.

This is purslane.

Spurge
Take note that spurge does not always have the spots on the leaves.

I will continue to harvest leaves and seeds from the purslane plant while the season lasts.

Homestead update

There was a storm here about a week ago. I am sad to say that I have not seen the hummingbird or her two babies since the storm. I have also not found any bodies, which is a good sign at least. I am sure they just moved, but it still was concerning to me.

So far in the garden I have harvested that massive yellow squash. I did save seeds from it though they may end up being hybrid. I still don’t mind planting them and seeing what comes of them.

Little green tomatoes are forming for my second round of tomatoes. My corn is throwing up flower stalks. Beets are growing nicely. Beans are starting to branch out. My zucchini plant has 3 to 4 zucchinis that will be ready for harvest soon. My winter squash are growing and flowering.
All in all the garden is doing pretty great.

I think the potato is starting to send up little leaves that I had thrown into the cheat grass pile. New cheat grass shoots are popping up due to the watering. It is ok though.

I have been adding food scraps to the grass pile and making sure to keep it moist.

I was given a lemon cucumber from one of my sisters co-workers to save seeds from. I think it is pretty awesome when people I don’t even know are offering veggies from their garden for seed saving. I saved the seeds and still was able to sample the cucumber. It tastes much like a normal cucumber to me.

I also saved the seeds from the apricot pits I got. We have no idea if it is a heirloom or hybrid apricot as the tree was saved without a tag on it. I may try planting it in a container.

Another experimental seed I have saved is the seeds from an Orange Dewlicious Honeydew melon. It tastes like honeydew but more like cantaloupe. It was my first time trying this breed and I decided seeds must be experimented with.

I have also saved a few romaine lettuce hearts that are now growing in my kitchen. My husband loves that I have to grow things everywhere. The bok choy is also doing wonderful, though I found a caterpillar munching on one and quickly eradicated the situation.

I found a few more nodes on my ginger root that I had sitting in a bag. I find they produce nodes faster when you leave them in the produce bag and sit them on the counter. I planted the two nodes I found in my little ginger pot.
I was delighted to find out that you can eat the whole ginger plant. For common ginger you can at least. I tried a leaf, expecting it to be spicy, and found it tastes much like the skin of a cucumber. That was not something I had expected.
I was trimming some of the dying leaves from the ginger plant and noticed the wonderful cucumber-like smell coming from them. That is how I came to find out you can actually eat the leaves or dry them for tea. Basically I caught a whiff of the sweet smell and went into research mode.
I will be saving the leaves for tea later once I harvest the roots.

There has not been a whole lot else going on in the garden.

I have been spending my time sketching ideas for a new painting I am working on, making herbal remedies, and making lists for Winter projects.

One of the things I hope to accomplish by this Winter is to at least sketch out my garden design on graph paper. If I am not overly distracted when I do this, I hope to design four different designs for my four year garden rotation.
Most things I find say not to plant the same thing in the same location more often than once every four years. Now, this of course excludes permanent shrubs, trees, etc.
That of course will be a big project using many measurements. Keep in mind I have not taken any official permaculture class. I have only studied it and watched college lectures online. I still feel it will not be an easy project as it is still new to me.

I still have to clear the rest of the cheat grass in the back before the frosts come. 

I will try and make a somewhat completed list (As my lists are ever-growing) for my Winter projects list to give you an idea of what I plan to do during the off gardening season. How many of those things I actually get accomplished is yet to be seen, though I will stay active during those months on what I am up to.
I am not just going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs all Winter. I have a lot of other non-garden related projects I wish to work on.

Gardening and baby humming birds

This is what I have in my kitchen near my espresso machine. I have an open container to store coffee grounds in as I use them, and a old ziplock lunchbag that I put dried used tea leaves in. It is not a lot right now, but over time it will be very useful.



I have also started saving eggshells again that I will later grind up.


My little kitchen garden is doing fantastic. Avocado tree, ginger, bok choy, watercress, onion, and romaine. All but the watercress were propagated from fruit stand or grocery store scraps.


This yellow crookneck is getting so big! Now everything I read says to harvest when the skin is still soft… But mine has never really been soft, so to be honest I am not sure when it needs to be harvested. I will most likely be picking it tomorrow after getting some feedback.


The beginnings of my compost pile! The boys mowed the grass and piled it up for me on top of a box that is laid flat. It towers closer to 4 ft tall… I will most likely be scattering it a bit more as I add more things to the pike so the pile is not too high.


Look at these two incredibly cute baby hummingbirds! They are quite the delight to have on the little urban homestead.

Look at those beans grow! I love vined plants. Now if only the bugs would stop chewing on the leaves I would be happy.
Beets are all sprouting up as well though it is too bright to get a photo of that until they are larger.
Carrots are not looking promising. I think the bugs may have gotten to the seeds. We shall see.

Being that I am pagan I wanted to go into a little more depth as to why I have been posting about fertilizer so much. For me, it is respectful to give offerings to the Gods, and the spirits of the land. In my past garden this was usually done by putting out seed for the wild animals to eat. I do not want the seed I have to sprout here as I did in the last house, so I have not put seed out until I can get the non-sprouting kind.
My bird can be a semi picky eater and I would put out what was not eaten. Waste not basically.

To me fertilizing and nourishing the plants is also an offering. A  show that I am here to care for the plants, for the land, and to be a steward. I am giving back to the earth and helping it grow healthy just as it helps me.

Now while I do give offerings other than this, I do feel that the act of taking care of your garden, the act of making your own fertilizer, and showing dedication to your plants is something that speaks volumes to the genius loci. The spirits of the land.
I help them and they help me. It is a working relationship. As I get to know my new land better, they will get to know me and may even teach me a thing or two about the secrets of the land.

I work with them rather than against them. I very much enjoy getting to know the plant spirits, animal spirits, and in general the local spirits as I enter a new territory. There is so much one can learn if only they are willing to listen and be patient.

The grand old silver maple in my yard has to have the most personality of all my trees. I picture her as a happy old woman, who much likes to tickle my cheeks with her leaves and give me encouraging pats on the head as I water the garden. She seems quite delighted with me. While it may seem strange to notice the personality of a tree, I assure you it is actually quite a normal practice for myself and many others.
It has already been proven that plants do in fact speak with each other. Just because we do not always regularly speak with them, does not mean they do not talk in their own way, and are not listening.

It has also been proven that talking to your plants does in fact help them grow. I know this to be true personally myself. Music is another thing that helps plants grow.

The biggest thing with communication would be patience and the knowledge that communication will not happen as I am talking to you now. It will happen in other ways. An impression, a dream, a sway in the breeze. If you are keen at picking up these signs you will know what they mean.

I had two deaf friends growing up. I did not speak sign language myself but I still understood what they were saying. I eventually learned some signs and we could communicate a little better through their teaching me. I think this is no different than that. You are learning the communication style of something that does not speak like you, but that does not mean you cannot communicate with it. I would not change some of the wonderful experiences and conversations I have had with some of the plants I have grown for anything.

I feel very blessed to have my new plants so happy to have me living here. I feel very welcomed in my new home. Some may take a little more time to warm up to me, but the welcome I have had is already quite heartwarming.

Fertilizing and growing the natural way

This is my first year at my urban homestead. With Autumn on it’s way I am prepping my land for next years gardening adventures. I have been thinking a lot about what goes into good garden soil.
I like making my own natural fertilizers and I am still experimenting with different blends.

Right now what I have to work with is a bit of old coffee grinds, egg shells, used and dried tea leaves (leave it in the bag or on a plate if loose leaf, and let it sit until it dries. It can then be dumped into a storage container) As well as veggie water/broth from blanching veggies.

I hope to this year start my compost pile, though that will not be ready for planting come Spring I do not think with how long it takes to transform into something usable. Still, it will be great to have in the coming seasons.
I will be piling up the grass clippings for the start of my compost pile.

If had a larger garden this year, and could have bartered my fresh herbs and veggies, for some aged chicken, rabbit, cow, etc manure to add to the compost pile, I would have. That is something I may look into once my garden produces a little more than my current small garden does.

I would also love to use things like seaweed and kelp in my yard but would rather wild harvest if I could. I will most likely see if I can find someone in the PNW coast that would be willing to dry some out and send it to me for my garden. I’d prefer to know where it came from rather than not.

I also would like to gather some willow leaves and stems to make a “tea” for my garden. That will most likely be on my wildcrafting to do list in Spring as I do not think I know anyone who has a willow tree growing in their yard.

Another thing I need to look into for Spring is picking up some rooting liquid (as my attempts at using honey have been a fail for that) and the other things you need to root cuttings. I find plants I wish I could take home with me all the time. I think I need to get into the art of rooting. It seems simple enough but I have not had success with anything from cuttings so far. I also have not tried it the proper way yet either. I am always looking for an alternative way to do something.

Pest control is another issue I need to tackle next year. I have a big problem with earwigs, ants, pill bugs, elder box bugs *which are a hybrid bug*, stink bugs, and I believe that is it for the ones I have a big problem with here. A friend of mine makes his own natural, plant safe, earth friendly, bug spray that I think I might have to give a try. He says it will work on the box elder bugs. Considering they are really going after my big silver maple, I have to get rid of them. I won’t use commercial pesticides, though they would not work on the box elder bugs anyways.

Why I want to be an Urban Homesteader

I had an interesting conversation with an older gentleman co-worker of mine the other night that got me thinking.

I admire this man a lot more after the conversation we had. He shall go unnamed but to sum things up he travels many hours each day for work so he can live on his own little patch of land, growing food and livestock. His family does things the old fashioned way and I truly respect the way he has raised his daughter.

He asked me, quite astonished after learning all my goals and accomplishments, how I had gotten into all of this, or how I came to love this lifestyle, especially in being in my mid twenties.

The funny thing about it… I have never been asked this question before, which now seems a little odd.

I think he was the first person to mention permaculture to me first and be astonished that I knew about the word, let alone the practice, rather than it being myself with that dumbfounded look.

It was nice for once to speak with someone that about the only thing I had to explain was what wildcrafting was, and I think that is simply because others like to call it foraging.

Back to the question at hand. I honestly did not know what to say…
I started with the most logical place. I explained that both of my parents at one point during my childhood were naturopathic doctors. Now while that was their choice, and I found it interesting, I liked plants better…

I decided to study herbology. I have been independently studying it for over seven years now. I tend to study more on subjects I like a bit more than some college students would… What can I say, I have a thirst for knowledge that is never ending.

I tried to sum my answer up as short and sweet as I could, though with this subject it is never easy.

I went on to say that the next natural thing in my studies would be to grow my own herbs for my herbal remedy preparations. In growing a small container garden I found how much stress working in the garden relieved. I am not one who is very good at regular meditation, so for this to have that big of an impact got me to thinking.

I have always loved home grown food. My parents at one point had a decent sized yard and I would help as a young child in the garden. I always remembered taking trips deeper into the country side for smoked meats, eggs, and fresh produce. Everything always tasted better to me than the food you found in the grocery stores.

It had been so long since I had done anything in a garden that I was afraid my efforts would lead in a bunch of dead plants and disappointment. I would never know unless I tried though. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

I couldn’t really plant anything but herbs, a few carrots, some strawberries, and beets in containers at my last house.
I had already grown very fond of wildcrafting. My mind spun with all the possibilities of growing some of those wild natives in my garden. I successfully transplanted a few plants into my container garden much to my delight.
I knew I would not be able to really test out my gardening skills until we moved. I decided to study up on gardening in the meantime (and by meantime it was at least a few years) Learning a bunch of different techniques made my wheels turn all the more.

I went back to the root idea of why one would garden. Sustainability. Now I already knew a bit about sustainability obviously, but I decided to research it and see what movements or ideas that might be new. I stumbled upon the tiny house movement in the process and absolutely loved the idea. I could not live in a really tiny house with all the things I need to store for my shop, arts, ect… but the idea of a little homestead with a house you built, like our forefathers used to do, was quite amazing.

I loved all the DIY, repurposing, up-cycling projects already and found incorporating many different ideas to make one ball of awesome was the way to go.

I found out how urban homesteading was now becoming a “thing” and started studying up on growing things in small spaces, since at the time I had a very small space. I figured I did not know how much space I would have in our new place, and I wanted to utilize awesome ideas that saved space even if we were on a big piece of land.  Why waist space?

Another thing to note is that I am very much a pagan witch. Getting back to our roots and working with nature only seems natural for me to do. I feel more connected when I am working with the dirt beneath me, the sun above me, the rains and winds.
I get to use my alchemy skills to mix together new organic all-natural fertilizer concepts.

Another thing I love is that I have the mentality of “survival of the fittest” and “you have to evolve, because everything is always evolving, or you will not survive” I am a survivor. I feel by growing my own food, but doing it in a more efficient way, I am both surviving and evolving to new concepts.

So then we move onto my longer term goals. I have many of them… Both short and long term.
I think the simplest would be to build my knowledge on my urban homestead.
To kind of master growing on my little plot of land.
To pay off my house sooner than the loan would finish naturally.
I would like to see about getting into a college for some kind of botany or botany related field.
My husband wants to go back to college for a more tech related degree. 
Basically the plan is to get into good jobs that hopefully allow for some time off/telecommuting, so that we can pay off everything we need to and be allowed to have more time for the garden, travel, etc. This of course is many years out, but it is a goal we are working hard for.

I would like to be in a career I love, but also make enough that I do not have to work 40 hours a week to pay the bills. I want to spend more time doing what I love and be more self sustaining. I am sure many people wish this as well, and it is a hard goal to accomplish, but certainly a doable one in time.

I am a little antisocial one might say. Others would never know. The idea of living in the middle of nowhere (a very pretty nowhere) growing your own food, and living off the land is a very romantic idea to me. I have no delusions that it is hard work, but it is a different kind of hard work. The sad reality is that you still need money to pay for most everything, and there is no running away from that really. You have to pay for your house, or even just the land. You have to pay for gas, pay for clothes or for the fabric to make them, internet, phones, for basic needs really.. I know there are bartering methods, and ways around some things, but if you want to keep some modern amenities, you have to pay for them. I am ok with that and am planning to keep those things, but to lessen the monthly bills as much as possible in due time.

To think there are people out there so wrapped up in the moment that they do not think of what they want their future to be like, to plan ahead, to have a plan at all… Is really saddening. Some can’t see past college, others past their current job for the moment. What is life without goals and dreams? How can one simply exist and not have a thought about the future? The latest generations are raised so differently. Most don’t even know how to cook their own food let alone grow it. This was considered to be normal back in the day. Nowadays you do not have to cook or grow your own food… hunt or fish… know how to sew.. it is all a hobby now it seems, when before that was your way of living. I am not saying it is for everyone. I just don’t see how people can rely on things being there, handed to them, that without that they would not know what to do.
I for certain know that I will be teaching my kids life skills beyond how to manage a  bank account. My kids won’t have cell phones, tablets, or gaming consoles until they are much older. Will they be laughed at it, maybe… But you don’t need cell phones unless you can drive or walk places.. And you do not need to be a drone stuck inside, wanting nothing more than to game. Will they hate me for not allowing them these things? Maybe, but they will love me for the lessons later. Every person who has a mom like that does that I know of. 
People who did not have parents like this do not know what they were missing. I very much believe the old ways need to be more present in the modern day teachings. There is so much we could learn from how our ancestors did things mixed with our modern knowledge and resources.

Garden plants to get list

While my seed bank is growing, there are many seeds I want to plant and want to experiment with.

I figured it might not be a bad idea to make a list of those seeds or plants so I can share some of my plans with you all.

This blog will basically just be a list of those seeds/plants that are on my list of “to gets” for my garden.


*Warning the list is long and ever growing* I do plan to rotate crops that will not fit all at once of course.

Fruits:
Thornless raspberry
Wineberry
Salmonberry
Plum
Rainier Cherry
Golden Delicious Apple
Another apple type (Something like fuji or gala that would do well in zone 6)
Muskmelon (Like cantaloupe)
Honeydew
*Other melons I have yet to discover
More grape varieties. I have 3 now, I want a few more types possibly.
Orange
Service berries
Dew berry
Salal
Porcelain gem vine *Edibility still questionable*
Peach
Nectarine
Asian Pear
Huckleberry
Blueberry (3 varieties)
Elderberry
Honeyberry
Wonderberry aka sunberry
Jostaberry
Mouse melons aka Mexican Gherkins



Veggies:
Artichoke
Miners lettuce
Snap Peas
Brussels
Asparagus
Mushrooms
Spinach
Potatoes- Brown, red, gold, yams/sweet potatoes
Garlic (Has to come from a certified nursery here or it could cause white mold soil rot)
Cabbage
Kale
Sorrel
Celery
Banana peppers
Jalapeno
More winter squash varieties
Rhubarb
Horseradish
Sweet onions
Glass gem corn


Herbs/Plants/Flowers:
Cleavers
Pineapple weed
Lemongrass
Bee balm aka bergamot
Red clover
Aloe Vera
Burdock
Ginseng
Comfrey
Wood Betony
Goldenrod
Vervain
Tea, Camellia sinensis
Passionflower
Damiana
Gardenia
Goldenseal
Jasmine
Day lily
Watercress



That is the list so far.  I am always looking for new things to add to the list of things to try in my garden.
Now keep in mind some of these are experiments to see if they will grow in my zone and elevation. Just because they normally don’t grow here, does not mean they won’t… At least that is how I see it. Lots of people grow tropical plants in green houses. If I can get certain plants to do well enough, I can save seeds and replant. When I replant them they should be a little stronger with each season. Basically acclimating the plant to the land as much as you can. Kind of like domesticating a wolf… If you want to think of it that way.

Late season seed haul

So I did not get all the seeds I need for next year but I managed to get in a end of season seed haul. Let me tell you how I got 24 seed packets for $9.34

I started my quest for seeds a little late. I would be kicking myself if I did not find what I had.

So originally I was out to find seeds that you see in the dollar store, winco, walmart, etc… by American Seed, which is actually Plantation Seed, but moving on.. Everyone knows these little plain packets that are around .20-.30ea. Since I do not have a whole lot of money for seeds at the moment I thought this would be great for adding a few varieties, heirloom or not, to the garden.

Now one thing that is a downside about the seeds is they have a limited variety, but it works for creating a small edible garden.

After calling about 8 different stores I found Walgreens still had some seed packets left. When I got there I expected to find the normal american seed company packets but instead I found Burpee seeds on sale for .29-.34 cents! Yes, I pay a few cents more, but I know they are a reputable company.

I could have spent $37 for all of the seeds I got… It is amazing the deals you can find when you are in the right place at the right time. I am happy I can buy seeds out of season for next years planting.

So I snagged up 22 packets of seeds, and then 2 packets of lettuce tape that was normally $6.59ea for $0.98 each.



I have not used seed tape before but it seems really nifty. There is 22ft per pack.


This is my little seed storage chest. I moved my seeds to this when they were getting too big for their old container. Now having something that is air tight would be best, but this will work for me for now. Not all my seeds are in this chest; mainly the ones I printed out myself and saved.

I did not buy all the seeds they had left though I was very tempted to… And may even go back another time to see if there are any left.

They also had bell peppers, sunflowers, 2 other kinds of flowers, and anything else they were out of by that time.

Here is what I ended up with:

3pks of Peas “Cascadia”
2pks of Carrots “Scarlet Nantes”
2pks of Carrots “Little finger”
1pk of Radish “Crimson Giant”
1pk of Beets “Detroit Dark Red”
1pk of Garden Beans “Green Crop”
3pk of Cucumber “Space Master”
2pk of Watermelon “Sugar Baby”
2pk of Summer Squash “Early golden crookneck”
1pk of Summer Squash “Black Beauty”
1pk of Tomato “Super Beefsteak”
1pk of Tomato ‘'Super Sweet 100 Hybrid”
1pk of Marigold “Sunset Giant Mix”
1pk of Basil “Mammoth”
2pk of Lettuce (Tape) “Black Seeded Simpson”

The great thing about the seeds I got is that I believe all but one or two are open pollinated varieties and I can save seed from them. I am not certain, but at lest I believe they are mostly all able to be used to save seed if I wanted to.

I have not saved seeds from carrots or other root veggies before. I may still have to buy those until I get the hang of it, but the rest I should not have to buy again.

My husband is not sure I can fit everything I want into my garden. I will be using polyculture and intercropping techniques along with permaculture to use every inch of space I can in a way they does not hurt the plants. People waist so much useable gardening space by only growing one crop type in one area. You can improve the plant growth and harvest when you plant the right plants next to each other.

I am so excited to see my little seed bank growing!