Potato Paradoxon

"Don't plant potatos, they are cheaper to buy."

"Makes no sense, u'll need to much space for it."

"Buy it so you don't have problems with the blight."

" If I need them in hard times, I just throw a handful in the Garden and I have plenty then..."


I heard that all.


For me it's about the skill, the ability, the right potato sort, the right set up.

If you are starting, when you really rely on your skills producing food, it's too late, you failed.

And the spuds are your least concerns then...

Foraging, talking to the locals and Tibet

We just talked to some locals here, (surprisingly?!) we are sharing the same mindset about living with/from nature. We talked for more than an hour standing in the snow at -7 degree Celsius, hopefully a beginning of a new friendship.

Mushrooms, apples, blueberry, acron, chickweed are plenty here, unfortunately no chestnut.
Burdock we have to check, an old unused well is close by.

If there was a storm, all men from the village have to go to the forest and clean it from fallen trees and branches. I like this kind of work and community because it is local.

I support local businesses, local products and the local community. Invest in good people around you, support them, help them bring them together, then u'll stand a chance in the rough times  coming.

This piece of land in Thuringia gave us a nice start in 2016, now we are trying to get our hands on an old farm there, finishing what we started in Ireland: Living mostly Self Sufficient, living OTG. Living in freedom with least possible influence from our political - and economical society.


Living in peace with the land.



P.S:

We got the first letter from our godchild in Tibet after the big earthquake last year. Tashi delek.

Retreated

I'm in the Cabin for studying and do some winter training at the moment. We have to build up trust with the Cabin, so -12 degree Celsius is a start for building up trust between us (me) and the Cabin.

I barely got up to the Cabin with the car, last 50 meters I used the snow chains. Today I retreated with the car to a parking area a kilometer away, because I don't want to get caught by snow or ice up the hill.

It's strange this time...

I couldn't wait to get here, and as I arrived...bad mood...winter blues ? I don`t know, and I don't care, maybe it's also a "settling in" process.

So, first aid:

I carried 50 Kg of coal, wood and other stuff up the hill, then Hexe -My Terrier-  and I did a 5 Km snow show walk...without snow shoes. We have to buy some...Phantastic to see all the animal tracks....got a bit little scary with seeing wild boar tracks....but it wasn't there...good for it. I am the "Top Dog Boar" here...haha...

Back to study now for my mastercraftsman cert. ....and sorry for the strange writing....but as I said, strange times at the moment.

Preserving: Einwecken....kind of canning...with a special "Weck Jar"

Weck is a old German company making equipment for preserving food. My grandmother, my great grandmother and even my great-great grandmother Liesel used this system of preserving.

I grew up with food preserved in Weck jars. Fruit, meat, soups, vegetables....nearly everything can be "eingeweckt werden", as we say.

Why am I a fan ?

My point: Something went wrong while preserving or something wrong with the food - the vacuum is instantly gone, "Weck Jar" opens lid and you know: Something wrong! Don't eat it.

There is a wiki page in english, explaining it HERE

For the Cabin I have three main dishes preserved at present:

1. Irish Stew (Without beer)
2. Pumpkin Soup (Made from a Hokaido pumpkin)
3. Minced Meat (Boiled in the Weck Jar for 2 hours)
3. Paleo Muffin (Without flour and sugar)

If your are interrested in the recepies, please comment.

Einwecken in a big pot, the cheapest way.

Transport Box for driving to the Cabin

Homestorage

Firewood Collecting Permission

Yep.....you need this in Germany.

Basicly you need to do to the "chainsaw certification" to go to public land for collecting firewood. But with this permission you are not allowed to fell trees, you are just allowed to collect wood from the forest ground. In this basic certification (chainsaw cert.), you learn also to use a chainsaw, sharpening it, safety rules, do the service and some rules for working in/with the wood(s).

Next certification is a semi-professional license, with this license you are allowed to fell trees, in private woods. As far as I know....

Next step is then the professional license, with this license you can set up your own business producing firewood.

Well, for us the basic certification will do, I did made it a couple of years back. I think doing the certs is a good system, because you get the cowboys out of the wood.

Next week I'll ask for an appointment with the Mayor, then we will figure out an area close to the cabin for collecting the wood.

My tools are:

1. Fiskars X7
2. SOG Fasthawk (Testing for usability)
3. Handsaw (Bügelsäge)
4. Tatonka Kraxe
5. Some straps for fixing firwood to the Kraxe.

Pictures of a Kraxe, also called "Rückentrage" , kind of a back-basket.

Rhön Hillview Cabin Intro & First youtube video

In Gedenken an die Gefallenen. (Istanbul, 12.1.16)