Lots of people seem to worry about their onions. Onions have a terrible habit of sprouting in store when the temperature changes. Even bought onions may start to sprout green shoots in your kitchen cupboard or refrigerator. This is nothing to worry about the onion is a biennial plant and it wants to get growing again in its second year even though it has been pulled out of the ground. Are Sprouting Onions Safe? Yes, Sprouting Onions are Safe! Firstly sprouting onions are fine to eat. Basically the green shoot is just the beginning of a scallion so you can […]
Homemade Yogurt – Creamy or a Bit Runny?
Following on from my post about making yogurt at home I have a discovery for you. For blogging purposes, I’ve been studying the varying qualities of my homemade yogurt rather more closely than usual. Homemade natural yogurt can vary quite a lot. Sometimes it is a bit runny and sometimes insanely creamy. Both textures taste good but the ultra creamy homemade yogurt is definitely more attractive (and more impressive when boasting about a new skill to friends or serving as a dessert). How to Create Creamy Homemade Yogurt Use a Less than Fresh Yogurt ‘Starter’ In my experience yogurt made […]
How To Grow Potato Plants
The simple Potato. A staple part of many peoples Diet with endless varieties and an almost infinite way of cooking them. Also a very important part of becoming more Self Sufficient when it comes to food. Here we will look at he best way to grow Potato Plants, the conditions needed, and many of the other aspects of growing Potatoes. When To Plant Potatoes For the majority of us the best time to plant Potatoes is in late Spring once the last chances of a Frost have disappeared. The tender shoots that appear on chitting Potatoes can easily be damaged […]
Homemade Lye From Wood Ash
What is Lye? Lye is a key ingredient in soap making. It is a strong alkali or base substance which reacts with fat to form soap. You can buy lye in the form of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) or you can make your own homemade lye in the form of caustic potash (potassium hydroxide). Firstly lets get the health and safety stuff out of the way. All lye is extremely corrosive. Keep your skin covered, wear goggles to avoid splashes to eyes and definitely keep all lye out of the reach of children and pets. It can be fatal if […]
Self Sufficient Questions And Answers Vol 2
Welcome to the Second Volume of Self Sufficient Questions and Answers. Don’t forget to leave your question for next Wednesdays installment in the comments box, or you can also ask your question via Twitter. theblackhen asked via Twitter: I have an aquaponics system & I want to add solar. How would u keep the battery & inverter dry since it’s outside? Blackhen, if you wish to add a Solar system that includes a Battery and an Inverter then they will need to be housed. The Inverter especially is a very sensitive piece of equipment. The best advice I can give […]
How Big Should The Vegetable Garden Be?
For all those interested in self sufficiency the size of the Veg Garden is an important question. Many people looking to grow their own Veg are unsure of how much space it requires to become independent of any Suppliers for their Vegetables. Here you can learn how much Veg to grow to feed a Family of three or four easily. To begin with there is one very important factor if you want to become Self Sufficient in Vegetables. You Must Eat Seasonal Vegetables If you wish to become your own Supplier of Vegetables throughout the year you will be eating […]
The Ongoing Blogroll
Some bloggers are terribly organised and keep an efficient system of blogroll updates. Letting all their readers know who and why they’ve added new links each month or so. That won’t be happening here! For a start with the two of us reading lots of blogs it would be difficult. Mostly though I just don’t think we’ll remain that organised. So as we notice blogs in our readers that we should have linked to, but haven’t, we’ll put them on the blogroll widget on the right. I’ve put a few on for now, in no particular order or reason. They […]