Our journey...

Following on my post Make a difference yesterday, and for those who haven't visited my web page, I thought I should share our side of the journey thus far...

Some time in 2007 RMan decided that he'd had enough of the retirement / insurance companies making their huge profits, at his expense, and then paying out peanuts when payment was due.  Their projected income when he took out his policies in the early 1980's, for his retirement in 2018, fell far short of the cost of living increases which we've experienced in the intervening years.  I reckon that is their trick - ensnare individuals to take out a policy which seems to offer incredible incomes on their retirement, with no mention of CoL increases - which reduce that retirement income to a barely liveable amount.  RMan decided that he would withdraw what he was allowed (which under South African law equates to 2/3's of the current value - the other 1/3 has to be re-invested) and with that 2/3's he would purchase a property - our plot :-) 

History has shown that property is the best long term investment - and is not dependent on the R/$ or R/£ or R/¥ exchange rate, like gold, stock market share, etc.

If one purchases a property wisely, maintains it and improves on it, then your investment cannot help but grow.  And, in the case of a recession, such as we've just experienced / are still experiencing, yes, properties will drop slightly in value, but when that recession is done and dusted, property values will leap up again - without the risk involved in gold, shares, etc.

So purchasing a plot for investment purposes was our original intention.

But, then the bug hit - RMan wanted to go to the plot over the weekends in order to escape from city life.  That entailed having to have somewhere to stay - it was pointless increasing the bank balances of the local B+B's as that completely defeated the aim of withdrawing money from his policies!  So we decided to build a small house.  As we could afford it.

But - and that is a big "but" - I saw this as the perfect opportunity of doing it right - of treading more gently on this planet through leaving as small a footprint as possible.  Of making a fresh start in our lives...

And thus my hunt began ... and it started with the question which was the most practical and eco-friendly way to build?  We initially thought of building a sand bag house, but due to the bag on offer at that stage, and due to the wind, which constantly blows, and was blowing away more sand than we could get into our bags, we ditched that idea.

The shower room, constructed with sandbags,
which disintergrated with the wind

My second option was a cob house, as we had stayed in one in Barrydale, and it was amazing - cool in the heat of day, and warm when it was cold outside.  And the atmosphere that pervaded the interior - calm, peaceful and serene.  I loved it - in fact we both did!  However, a cob house takes manpower, and in that we were in short supply.  RMan doesn't like strawbale houses - he is concerned about vermin gaining access to the straw and having a party - for generations to come...

Unfortunately, it therefore had to be a brick build - my proviso was that if I couldn't have a sandbag / cob or strawbale house, then we had to build with local materials.  (And at the time I stamped my foot to emphasise my proviso :-) )

Serendipitously, in our closest town, Swellendam, there were locals who produced clay bricks.  So clay brick it was!  Our brick had a total transport footprint of 25kms.  Our labour we obtained even closer - using the locals from a small village 12 km away.

Thus we were providing employment and income to the locals.  Perfect.  We were giving back as we were taking.

Slowly, slowly choices were made.  We would be off grid in our new home.  I completely covet a wind turbine, and I'm sure that one day we will have one when we are able to afford it.  After all it is a perfect power generator for our windy plot :-)  I am so enamoured with wind turbines that my eyes glaze over every time I see one on the TV :-)

We have installed double glazing (not the norm in South Africa) windows and I found a company which recycles all the car bumpers / computer casings / plastic milk bottles etc. into resin roof tiles.  I also discovered Freecycle, and that membership has provided us with our kitchen counter and burglar bars for all our external doors.

Our cooking and warmth is provided by a wood harvested from alien trees, and cut by Working for Water, and which we burn in our Dover stove, which was also purchased within 45kms of our plot, and our clay floor tiles are again manufactured in Swellendam.  I have to tell you that the warmth (both visually and underfoot)and beauty of natural clay floor tiles is incomparable to what is on offer / what one can purchase at your local hardware store.  Mass production certainly short changes man.

Then I investigated eco-finishes.  I found a manufacturer of low VOC varnish, undercoats and paints in Cape Town, and we transport what we need, when we need it, with us when we go to the plot.  The render we applied to our walls contained a large amount of lime - lime cures by a slow process of carbonation, reacting with atmospheric carbon dioxide over a period of weeks ( www.buildingconservation.com/articles/cement/cement.htm )  Therefore some of the carbon dioxide we have produced whilst we have been building is now being absorbed by the lime render - again a case of taking and giving.  I love it :-)

I have discovered that 12 volts of power is plentiful for our needs and one can still have home comforts such as music (provided by the car radio I bought for RMan) and lighting (12 volt CFL's and LED lights).  There is even a 12 volt TV available which I have my eye on - I have to watch any episode of Grand Designs I can, and RMan needs to watch the Boks beat the Wallabies and the All Blacks. 

Our only problem area is a fridge - and I have sourced a solar powered 12 volt freezer.  I intend to use the freezer to freeze 5lt bottles of water which I will rotate and which will keep a cooler box at the right temperature so that it can be used as a fridge.  No doubt RMan's beers will have to have a stint in the freezer before they can be kept in the "fridge" - wouldn't do if he had to drink warm beers on a hot summers day - or anytime...

The last two items are like the wind turbine - all finances permitting...

And our hot water is provided by the sun in summer, and a gas instant hot geyser in winter.  Plus the grey water from our kitchen and bathroom is being directed to a simple reed bed.

Raised veggie bed in the making...

But the periods between being here in Cape Town and being on the farm are great and I was getting frustrated that my eagerness and new found ingenuity was getting stifled.  There was so much I wanted to do - for instance I was aching to plant vegetables on the farm, so that I wouldn't have to schlep them up with us each time.  But the raised veggie bed needs completing, irrigation taken to it and a shadecloth cover installed over it to keep out the local hares and fallow deer.  So that has to wait.

But, one night, as I was falling asleep, I suddenly had a light bulb moment - a lateral thought.  What was to stop me from doing what I want to do in our "fresh start", right here in Cape Town.  After all, I didn't have to wait for the right moment - the right moment was right now!

Hand knitted dishcloth


So, once again, my investigative powers took over.  There are some seriously wonderful blogs out there, such as  Gillie, Mr H, Mia, milkwoodkirsten, onestraw, Rhonda,and sprig's blogs to mention but a few.  With their assistance I have learnt how to make no knead artisan bread(perfect for my arm), soap, eco-friendly insecticides and household cleaners, essential oils, lip balm, a food dryer, a chicken house, a hot box, a wicking bed, an eco-friendly food dehydrator and knit my own dishcloths out of 100% pure, unwaxed, unbleached cotton, a simple shade cloth tunnel for my vegetable patch, and preserve all sorts of foods, amongst many other things.

And I have started a vegetable patch, or should that be patches, which have all the appearances of providing us with our needs in a couple of months, and which, because I now have the confidence and from which I have already had some reward, I will continue to sow in and reap from.


Shade cloth veggie tunnel




But, the most surprising discovery I have made is that I have enjoyed re-educating myself.  It is the most brilliant on-going journey I have ever embarked upon and one that I highly recommend!

It really is true - one is never too old to learn - all you need, and have to be, is willing.

What we need is to make a concerted effort to inspire and motivate the menfolk in our lives, so that they are willing and eager to join us on our journey ...  trust me though, the eco-friendly journey is a lifelong one - and one whose boundaries are constantly moving as you and I jointly discover, and share, ways to simplify our lives, and the way we live them, and lighten the load we are placing on our planet, without turning back the clock 100 years.

How are you fairing with the man / men / children in your life?  What has been the easiest eco-change to make - and which ones are they resisting most?

Make a difference

Forgive me - I'm going to have a soapbox moment.

I need to state first and foremost - I am not a feminist.  I believe there is a place for both genders on this planet, and some of the things which each gender does are more suitable to the make-up of that gender.

For instance, I had tennis elbow about 7 - 8 years ago, and being full of know-it-all wisdom, ignored the pain for the first two weeks - after all I was younger - and was going to live forever!  When I finally went to the doctor it was to receive a course of cortisone injections.  Bad mistake.  The injections removed the pain, but not the damage.  I should've had physiotherapy.  The result of my hot-headedness is that I have a useless right arm, with very little power to do what is needed - even opening a jar is beyond my capabilities - and that is where RMan comes to my rescue.  I don't like this feeling of uselessness - it restricts me completely.

I am unable to produce any woodwork, install an irrigation system, change a tyre (even jumping up and down on the tyre wrench doesn't shift the wheel nuts) and, because of my arm, even starting a petrol engine lawnmower is out of my league.

However, I am more than capable of growing our vegetable needs, and am working on producing our daily bread using the least power available.  I have diminished the amount of chemicals brought into this house and try and recycle / re-purpose whenever possible. 

And I am able to nurture and nourish my family and keep my home in order, using the minimum of chemicals and the maximum of eco-friendly options.  And that nuturing has, in recent years, been given an additional direction - that of doing my bit in caring for our planet.  One small step at a time.

Don't think that I am a typically helpless member of the fairer sex by any means - I will try and do anything, and, only when that fails, will I ask for assistance.

However, with the blogs I follow I have noticed a trend.

Why is it that most of the people that leave comments on blogs which deal with self-sustainability and trying to make a difference to this planet with the lifestyle we choose to live, are mainly women?

Please - don't get me wrong - there are male bloggers out there that have stunning blogs, with all sorts of brilliant ideas.  For instance: Greenpa, Darren, frugal canadian hermit, John Wells, tffg, Herrick Kimball and Doc.

But the pattern continues.

Do women have the upper hand in leading the way forward for this planet?  Are we the Professors of the Present, as well as the Front runners of the Future in the field of sustainability and eco-awareness? Is it because we are constantly teaching our children / grandchildren, and it seems, in this instance, also our spouses? I understand that women have / make more time to blog, and are more interested in ways of the world, whereas the menfolk are more focused on providing the wherewith all for their families.  But, if we women don't make the effort, to educate ourselves, and therefore our families, how would we heal this planet?

Do we appreciate the responsibility of our task?

Personally, I revel in it - I thrive on making a difference, no matter how small - for all our collective baby steps can end up circumnavigating the planet if we but stay the course.

 
The more I discover the more I can share - in my home and on this bog - and, as Barney says, "sharing is caring" - be it caring for ourselves, our families, our neighbours, our country or our planet.  With a sharing / caring mindset, I believe, what we leave for the next generation can only benefit them.

So, more power to us women - let us willingly and happily, lead the way, direct and assist others - for all our sakes and, more importantly, for the sake of this beautiful planet we inhabit.

Does anyone care to join me on my mission? I would love to hear how you personally are fairing on your eco-friendly path.



My Chicken Ballottine

As promised, here is a photo of my version of the finished Chicken Ballotine.

It was a calm, warm and wind free evening.  The end of a beautiful day - we didn't have the predicted 28oC but it was certainly warm enough.

Unfortunately, the solar cooker didn't achieve the 200oC required for baking the bread, so we had to buy rolls.  But, now I am even more determined to purchase a small gas bbq to make my bread in - I need it just small enough to take a loaf - not one of those gizmo's with all the bells and whistles and in gleaming stainless steel.  No, siree, just a small gas bbq.

Whilst a bottle of our favourite wine (KWV Roodeberg) caressed our throats, we consumed the chicken - much to RMan's delight.  He declared the meal "amazing" and "fabulous"  and definitely worth repeating.

Then we had dessert of ice cream and home grown strawberries - our first and absolutely delicious.  Over the past 5 - 6 days I had been hiding the ripening strawberries under the leaves of the plants, away from the birds - and away from any prying fingers wanting a taster.  It worked :-)

It was a perfect evening and very reminicient of our wedding day 30 years ago - we had organised to have the reception at home, and it poured with rain - so much so that even the marquee we had hired was flooded.  Not having had enough chairs we all ended up sitting on the floor in our lounge - which was guaranteed to remove any polite restrictions which normally abound at weddings.  It was the most relaxed and laughter filled wedding I have ever attended.

Last nights meal, candlelight and conversation was a perfect and a fitting day to celebrate our 30 years together.

Chicken Ballottine is normally cooked in an jelly (aspic) stock made with calf's feet, pork rind, buckle of veal, carrots, onions, leeks, bouquet garni and chicken stock.  I chose to cook it in chicken stock with onions, carrots, and fresh herbs from the garden and it was delicious.

Ginger (zingiber officinale)

Whenever I get a sore throat I drink gingerbeer - the sting of the ginger beer on the back of my throat soothes the pain - in fact most times it removes the pain altogether.

I am thrilled that I have finally been able to get some ginger to start sending out roots.

I have been trying for months - planting it just below the soil, planting it half into the soil, and, finally, thanks to James Wongs' Grow you own Drugs (isbn 978-1-60652-107-6), I have got it right.

James recommends choosing a budding rhizome (which looks like a little green or white horn) and suspending it over water using toothpicks until roots form.

It's not quick - it's taken about 6 - 7 weeks - but at least it's happening!

Once the roots are established he recommends planting it 10 - 20 cms (4 - 8) inches deep in potting compost.

It should be kept warm and moist in a lightly shaded area.  The ginger rhizomes can be harvested when they are a year old.  All one has to do is dig down into the soil and break off a piece of the rhizome - leaving the rest in the ground.  The ground is the best place to store ginger - if it's harvested all at once then the ginger will dry out before you've had a chance to use it all.  It can also be frozen (whole or grated) but I prefer it fresh - it has a far stronger taste.

Ginger is a very versatile spice - used in cooking - sweet and savoury dishes.

It is also brilliant an anti-nausea remedy - be it motion sickness, vertigo or morning sickness.  Just chew on a thin slice to relieve the feeling of nausea.

Ginger contains ginerols, which when dried or extracted become hotter and seem stronger to the taste.  It also has a soothing efect on the digestive tract - quelling disgestive disorder.  It is perfect to have as a tea on a winters afternoon - it warms the body beautifully.

It is also apparently good as an anti-inflammatory for joint pain.


A little ginger shoot appearing on the large piece which is sending roots down into the water

I love adding it to chicken dishes - whether they are stir fries, roasts or even soup.

A special dinner

On Monday 1st November it is RMan's and my 30th wedding anniversary.I reckon we can be justifiably pleased with ourselves for making it through 30 years together.  And, apart from the love we share, we still like each other too.

30 years - that's a long time - I never thought we'd get to that. Two people who meet and one day decide they would like to spend the rest of their lives together. It sounds so simple, and in the first rush of feelings, it is that simple. Nothing seems insurmountable and everything seems possible. And that meeting has resulted in 30 years of ups and downs, tears and laughter, worry and contentment.

The arrival of our two children heralded a new way of life - now it wasn’t just RMan and my wants to be considered - in fact the needs of our small children came before ours - that's part of nurturing. We gave them our time, thoughts, unconditional love and guidance for as long as they needed it, and then we let them go. To enter the big world out there and make their own lives. And they are totally secure in the knowledge that home is here, if they ever need it.

I'm proud of both our children - their heads are (basically) screwed on the right way, their choices are guided by our example to them over the years, and they know to treat people they meet - however fleetingly - as they would like to be treated.

I am constantly amazed, though, that new parents are allowed to leave a nursing home with a tiny new life without any hesitation. A new mother has complete control over a tiny life - with no prior instruction. It all hinges on instinct.

How is it possible that one cannot drive a car in public without a driver’s licence, but one is allowed to look after a baby with no prior qualification? My mother died when I was 16, so I didn't have her advice to call on. My late mother-in-law was the director of a company and her days and evenings were filled with business meetings and appointments. And my closest relative, my aunt, was dealing with her youngest daughters' breast cancer.

So our first child was a little scary, and our second was easier - because I had been "there and done that". Maybe that is why eldest children are tougher - they have had their mothers practice on them first...? Both children gave their share of stress and strain to our marriage, as well as overwhelming doses of love.

And their leaving the nest has not caused me any "Empty Nest Syndrome" for I know that I will see them whenever they are able to visit. However, a side product of the nest being empty is that RMan and I have time together again - undivided time for each other, to fill our remaining years with whatever catches our fancy and to enjoy each other’s company again.

So, given the state of the world's economy, Monday evening will be an evening spent in the comfort of our home.  And to make it that little extra bit special, I have decided to make something for dinner that I have never made before - Chicken Galantine - or, as it is wrapped in a muslin cloth, should that be Chicken Ballotine?  Whatever.

And this is how I made it today...

You will need:

bacon strips (I don't eat meat, but for this special occasion I guess I will have to - alternatively I will give it to RMan - he LOVES bacon)
4 X chicken fillets - pounded flat with a meat mallet
340gms minced chicken
fresh herbs of your choice and spices (I added a touch of cayenne pepper too)
one egg - beaten
1/2 cup bead crumbs
200gms chicken sausage (removed from it's casing)
1 X red pepper - de-seeded and sliced
a handful of shelled pistachio nuts
1 litre of chicken stock
1 onion - peeled and cut into quarters
3 carrots - peeled and sliced
extra herbs / spices for the pot, including 6 cloves - gave a very nice flavour to the stock.

I started by beating the fillets flat with a mallet. Then I placed the bacon on a folded piece of muslin and covered them with the flattened chicken fillets. I mixed the chicken mince with the herbs and spices, the beaten egg and the breadcrumbs.

That mixture was placed on top of the chicken fillets.  The sliced red pepper came next and finally the chicken sausage was placed on the bottom half.


Side view

I popped the pistachio nuts on top of the chicken sausage.


Oops - I forgot to add the pistachio nuts - had to take the sausage out of the liquid, unwrap it and add them



Then I carefully, and tightly, rolled it all up into a sausage with the muslin (like making a swiss roll) and tied the ends with string.

This 'sausage' was then placed into a pot with chicken stock, the onion quarters, the carrots, a couple of cloves, two bay leaves, origanum, thyme and marjoram picked from the garden.  Covered and simmered for 2 - 3 hours.

When it was cooked, I removed it from the pot and allowed it to cool.  I then removed the cloth , rinsed it in lukewarm water and wrang it out.  Then I spread the cloth on the work surface again and carefully re-wrapped the chicken ballotine.  Tied it up again with string and, weighing it down with a heavy board, placed in the fridge until Monday.

Cranberry sauce will be provided on the side.

I will also be serving it with a fresh salad from our garden, baby potato salad and a loaf of fresh bread - I received my new solar cooker earlier in the year, but the weather has not been suitable for experimenting.  Monday will be a perfect day to try it out :)  28oC is predicted!!

Candle light, music from our younger days and a delicious dinner - hopefully a perfect evening.

I'll post a pic of the Chicken Ballotine when it's ready.

For those who are interested, the ecofootprint of this meal is:

One pan was used to make it - simmering look 2 1/2 hours, using just under 1Kw power and cost approximately R1.06
All the ingredients were local and organic - a fair portion came from my garden (carrots / herbs);
I scored red pepper seeds for next year;
Breadcrumbs were homemade from stale bread;
Chicken scraps went to our dog;
All the packaging went into the recyling bag;
and the vegetable scraps / egg shells went to the compost bin.

Not a single thing landed in my dustbin :)



Making butter by hand

I subscribe to a number of other blogs and this one made me the pause for thought.

I have already written a post about learning / experiencing what I need to know about being self-sustainable before we are on the farm, and am constantly on the lookout for what I can try out in order to achieve that aim.

And Gillies post (above) on making butter with an electric blender gave me an idea.  We will have a minimum of power - basically enough to power the car radio, energy saving 12volt lights for night time, and possibly a 12volt TV at some stage in the future.  I do not want to be relying on electrical appliances to perform kitchen functions.

One of our neighbours has cows that provide them with milk. Hopefully she will sell me some cream, when necessary, so that I can make butter. Or perhaps I will be able to barter some home grown fruit or vegetables for the cream - I know she doesn't have a lemon tree - so that's a thought...

Therefore I decided to see if I could make butter by hand.

So, for this experience, I bought 500mls of cream and started beating...

I decided to use one of my stainless steel saucepans as the handle made it easier to tilt the pot whilst I was beating.  It is not a tidy chore - as you can see the cream splashed everywhere - perhaps using a larger container next time will prevent that from happening.

The longest part of making the butter is beating the cream until it is really good and thick.

Once the cream reaches the stage of being overbeaten it starts to separate - the milky substance forming at the bottom of the saucepan is buttermilk.

I now have butter in the pan and buttermilk in the other container.

500mls of cream gave me 210gms of butter and 240 mls of buttermilk (I don't know what happened to the other 50mls - apart from the fact that I dropped the whisk on my lap whilst beating the cream thick - then I had to quickly harvest a lemon from our tree to de-grease my jeans. But that accident also gave me the chance to lick my fingers...) I added a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the butter whilst it was forming - to increase its fridge life. 

The whole process took me 25 minutes with 20 minutes being taken up in beating the cream until it was thick.  Once it reaches butter stage I then beat it with a fork to make it smooth and finally squeezed it in a piece of muslin cloth to remove the last of the buttermilk.

As for the taste?

I reckon it tastes better than shop bought butter - but I could be biased :-)

Growing lemon trees from pips and recycling

When my granddson, MKid, was here at the end of September I bought him some individual yoghurts (they come in a pack of 9) to take to the farm - they're easier to keep cold at the bottom of our cooler box than one large one.

But, as I was about to toss them out I suddenly realised that they look just like a single section of the six pack seedling holder - which naturally gave me an idea, so I washed them out and put them away in my gardening cupboard.

We had fish for dinner the one evening, and what goes with fish, but lemons.  I am completely unable to put lemon pips in the compost, and as I had an tiny empty terracotta plantpot on my kitchen windowsill, I tossed them in and stirred the sand a little.  Now, my kitchen windowsill is one of 4 windows in our house which gets sun all year and it has become my nursery for small plants which I am trying to root on.

My nursery contained African Violets, the lemon pips peeking above ground and ginger, which is finally sending out some roots

As I was washinig my hands after a stint in my garden today I espied the six lemon tree seedlings and thought ... "why not?"

So I grabbed a mix of potting soil and compost and, after making holes in the base of 6 of the pots and leaving three without holes, I proceeded to pot up my lemon tree seedlings.

A hole in one but not the other

 

The one without the hole becomes the drip tray

Only three have drip trays, so the other three will have to have something else...

My nursery is growing - in more ways than one.

As I gently separated the 6 seedlings I discovered three more pips which were sending out little shoots - so those went back into the original tiny terracotta plant pot, until they have grown a little more.  The newly potted seedlings in the yoghurt tubs will remain on my window sill until they have at least 4, but preferably 6 leaves, and then they will be repotted into a larger pot and moved outside.

It has taken approximately 2 - 2 1/2 weeks for the lemon pips to become seedlings / tiny saplings - at this rate we may as well farm lemons, not pomegranates - or perhaps we can farm both...

Recycling and storing tip for dry goods

I received an e-mail from a friend of mine - it contained this brilliant idea. (sorry, I don't know who thought of this, so I can't give credit where credit is due).

At last a "USEFUL" idea!!!!!

The guy who first thought of this idea should be given an award for originality!!!

Now you don't have to grapple with rubber bands or knots that are tied too tightly.

How to seal a bag and make it air-tight!

Cut up a disposable water bottle and keep the neck and top, as in the photo above.

Insert the plastic bag through the neck and screw the top to seal.

The bottle is made to be air-tight, such that water will not leak, the secret lies with the top and screw!

This is a great idea to share. Good for us and the environment too.

It doesn't only need to be food in the kitchen that one keeps sealed in this way.

I have also used it to recycle the bags which our cereal arrives in, I trim the top of the bags neatly and use them, together with the recycled milk bottle tops, to hold my vegetable seed packets together - sorting them into four bags to follow the following crop rotation system:

1 potatoes (including tomatoes and capsicum);

2 miscellaneous ( sweetcorn, spinach, beetroot, marrow, pumpkins, lettuces);

3 root (carrot, parsnips, celery, fennel, onions and garlic);

4 legumes and brassica (peas, beans, cabbages, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, swedes and turnips.

That way, when I am ready to plant the next crop, I can just take the entire bag to the bed - open it up, and start sowing.

Couldn't be easier and keeps everything dry, neatly together and in one place, with no chance of the seeds spilling out of their open packets.

But, as I cut the top off the bottle and was about to throw the base of the container into our recycling bin it suddenly occured to me that I could use the base I had cut off as a plant container - all it needed was a couple of holes pierced into the base, for drainage, then a quick rinse out.

Voila! a ready made plant pot for a lemon tree grown from a pip! This container will also give me the added advantage of being able to see the roots - if I see too many then it's time to repot my growing tree :-)