tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Apr 22, 2022 11:04:44 GMT 10
Might have to add chooks - 310 kJ per egg. Say averaging 4 eggs a day for just a small backyard coop (6 hens, but they don’t lay consistently all year - would average 4 a day be correct? I haven’t owned hens for about 14 years).
4x365x310 = 452 600kJ per year
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Apr 22, 2022 10:57:21 GMT 10
Quick google - about 12 kg macadamias from a mature tree. I think that’s shelled (saw 20-30kg in shell on a different site), but that isn’t until year 12. Small yields starting from year 4-5.
30g = 906kJ So assuming nature trees but only 10kg, that should give 302 000kJ - did I get that right?
I think it’s time to plant two macadamia trees. To get the numbers up you really need a nut plantation, and I don’t have that much space, but a couple of trees will help.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Apr 22, 2022 10:41:41 GMT 10
Yes, you’d need to add something higher kJ to the menu (garden) like maybe nuts. Could also add avocados. I know that nut trees take a while, but this does show that it would be worth getting some of them started.
You could also add soy beans as they’re high fat as well as having a good balance of amino acids.
It’s a really interesting exercise though. It would be great to add to it and change it up until we ended up with enough kJ for a family/group of, say, 4 or 6, just fed from the garden. Obviously you’d hope for some other sources of food too but you also might have reduced production or more mouths to feed, so it would be a starting point.
And even if you’d supplement with greens and other more watery veg, I would just keep it simple and not count them in the kJ - their prime benefit would be in important nutrients.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Apr 22, 2022 8:43:53 GMT 10
I have a friend who is the same, she was confused about what to buy as well, but that is the wrong end to start. I first got her to identify the devices she absolutely needed to keep running, we checked the name plates and did the calculations and went from there, you have to know what you want to run before you buy the device to do it. Since she wasn't very good with this stuff we went with the pre-built units like the Ecoflow or Bluetti, should just be plug and play for her after that, however that does come at a premium price when compared to home built units. That's a really good point. Thinking on it, I'd like to be able to burst run our chest freezer for an hour or two to bring it's temp down if the power goes out. Maybe run a pedestal fan for 8 hours. I know that anything involving heat generation is generally going to drain power really fast but being able to boil a kettle if really necessary now and again without flattening it. I'd like to be able to plug in my half-sized electric blanket in an emergency (as in, someone in shock that needs a good heat source quickly etc, not to actually use to stay warm for long periods). Hm... What else... Charge a small laptop or mobile phones although that's fairly given with most charging stations nowadays. Perhaps give our regular sized family fridge some juice for a couple of hours in an outage. Some plug in LED lights. Charge our Mavic drone for surveillance purposes. Obviously not all of those things at once, particularly the heating items. So really it's mostly incidentals that we want to have power for if needed. I checked out the Ecoflows and saw that $7k rig that you mentioned... Honestly if we were already in a house that we owned I'd consider it! On the Rainbow Power Company’s website they have a page where you can put in the items you want to run and it will tell you what size system you need. It’s obviously just a rough guide but it would give you a starting indication.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Feb 19, 2022 8:13:47 GMT 10
…Many as they empty jars store them with water in them and the old lids. And jar lids are again becoming available after 2 years of shortages. I …. I’ve never heard the idea of storing them with water in them. Is that just to have extra water stored - make use of the jar when it isn’t in use for other things? And do you treat the jar/water in any way to keep the water nice , or just fill it from the tap and screw on the lid?
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Feb 13, 2022 13:00:36 GMT 10
As for what are our tribal groups...if a populist movement comes into power it's the intellectuals against these nutjobs. That's how it seems to end up over history. Lenin, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao, Ho Chi Mihn...they all did it - went after the people who could successfully argue against their moronic ideas. If you have a university degree your preps wont save you...a boat or plane is your only hope! And it needs to be early! Even now...look at the people who are pouring out of Afghanistan and the ones who are being targeted...the country is being gutted for any potential of having a future. Another thought experiment - If Pauline Hanson had got power in her early, nutbag fish & chip days, who would she of gone after? Asians? Muslims? First Nations? There may of been a crack down on them initially but I reckon she would of gone after her political opponents a lot harder. Are you saying that having higher degrees would make you a target?
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Feb 13, 2022 12:50:09 GMT 10
…. But there'd almost have to be blood in the water for me to convince him that the s is about to hit the f so hard that I want to send the kids to the other side of the country. …. Our practice run for relocating the kids is a massively expensive endeavour so it's not something we would do lightly. This is my other question. If I thought something big was about to happen, one of my priorities would be to keep my children near me. But you’re planning on sending them far from you. I assume you’re planning on following? Why would you not just all go? Or keep them with you? You were also starting to plant, which sounds like you’re planning on bugging in. Please don’t take my questions as criticism. Just looking to understand. And I do think building in a day of strenuous physical work sounds like a good idea for you when you explain that.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Feb 12, 2022 21:58:12 GMT 10
Interesting list.
I did something like this process in Jan 2020, when it seemed no-one was expecting any impact to us of c19.
Why do you garden in that week rather than do it the following week?
If you’re thinking there may be shortages in stores the following week, wouldn’t you schedule in another day of topping up supplies eg a trip to Bunnings/garden centre, then look at the garden the following week when you want to avoid shops? Also I’d focus on starting seeds in pots if anything if there was a chance I’d be moving across the country - just until we’d decided what to do re moving.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Jan 22, 2022 5:53:45 GMT 10
I have no doubt dark days will come, but they are not here just yet... so I am gonna keep my sense of humour for a little bit longer Yes. I like your idea of planting a different variety and leaving the packet out. It sounds like this bird brings you a lot of entertainment and company, and it will be interesting to see if he approves of a different variety. Please let us know how that goes! If it gets to the point that you really have to do something to keep all the plants in the ground, there are other bird deterrents you could try if needed anyway - like stringing up old cds or that shiny bird deterrent tape. I’d prob make sure I had something like that in my stash incase its needed in future, when seeds can’t be wasted.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Jan 16, 2022 18:50:15 GMT 10
If anyone here is interested in sewing, knitting or crocheting for charity, it’s a thriving community here in Aus. Just do a search for relevant Facebook groups.
DD - your work looks beautiful.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Jan 16, 2022 12:52:08 GMT 10
Thanks for the replies.
I think I’ll buy at least two avo trees from the nursery, then put in a couple of home grown ones assuming that they may be just decorative and an fruit from them will be bonus.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Jan 16, 2022 12:49:48 GMT 10
Deleted
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Jan 14, 2022 10:36:36 GMT 10
I’d like to hear anyone’s experiences of growing avocado trees from seed please.
I have about 8 Hass that have started in pots (from about 1/2 to 1 foot at this stage - so early days). I don’t want to give them time and space only to find out in 5 years that growing them from seed won’t produce fruit though.
So has anyone grown avo from seeds and had the trees start fruiting?
If I’m likely to get good results from seeds, I’ll start off some more. But if it is unlikely to work I’d rather just buy two from a nursery. We have space for fruit trees, but not enough to waste it with trees that are doomed from the start.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Jan 4, 2022 16:39:13 GMT 10
lol sorry had to have a go A recipe for you joey - itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/banana-peel-bacon/I’ve seen various versions of this recipe around a bit!! Not one I’ll be likely to try as we don’t miss bacon, but someday I might get curious.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Jan 4, 2022 16:35:07 GMT 10
My wife makes rice milk in a blender, adds a little honey and something else I cant remember. Much smoother than commercial rubbish as well. You never want the one you can afford. I tried a few rice milk recipes that I didn’t like much. Are you able to share your wife’s recipe?
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Jan 3, 2022 16:46:26 GMT 10
Almond milk is an awesome replacement for cow milk in hot chocolate drinks. it gives the drink a more sophisticated flavour and is also quite filling. What is its shelf life like? The long life packs have a long best before date - a year or so. But if you’re thinking of getting a few, taste them first. The flavour of each brand is very different. Our preference is vitasoy, and I buy a lot when it’s reduced to $2 a carton. Homemade almond milk is much nicer, it has an extremely short fridge life - a couple of days. And I don’t just prefer homemade almond milk because I think all homemade is better. Almond milk really is good when homemade (nothing like dairy milk though!). I much prefer store bought soy milk - can’t seem to work out how to make it at home that tastes as good. But I could do it if needed, and you start with homemade soy milk to get tofu - which works beautifully.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Jan 3, 2022 11:07:04 GMT 10
I think the most common theory on stocking food is to stock what you normally eat now. This way if anything happens in the future, you are not forced to eat new and different foods and you already have your favourite recipes now that you cook and can continue to cook post event. Absolutely agree with this. ….. I can't keep a cow in a barrel in the garage and expect it to be ok in five or ten or more years time lol. I also keep almonds and cashews in bulk - some in the cupboard and some in the freezer. If you have power to run a blender it’s very easy to make almond milk, cashew cream, cheese substitutes, etc. Again, much easier to store than a cow. I know people make fun of almond milk, but if you don’t have dairy, you might welcome it. It doesn’t taste like dairy milk, and cashew cheese doesn’t taste anything like dairy cheese, but they are foods that can be used in the same way. Like instant coffee doesn’t taste like espresso, and cereal beverage doesn’t taste like either - they are different drinks that can be used in similar ways (although cereal bev if course doesn’t help with caffeine headaches!). Of course nuts have lots of other benefits too.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Dec 26, 2021 17:24:28 GMT 10
Yeah I wouldn't trust a water-bath fermented food as far as I could kick it o.O seems like a risky choice! I make fresh kraut when the whim takes me. It's always better than the jarred stuff. We do have commercial jarred stuff at the supermarkets but it's never quite right for some reason. I'd offer to send you some good kimchi from down here Tim but it'd probably be so fermented from shipping conditions it'd be liable to explode when it got to you! Lol. The commercial jarred stuff that sits on the shelf in the supermarket and has a long shelf life has most likely been heat treated - the commercial equivalent of pressure canning. There is probably no point in eating that for probiotics. If you want one that still has the live goodies, it will have a shorter shelf life and be in the fridge section of the store. And - you can water bath a form of pickled veg but only if you are making it highly acidic - you add the measured amount of vinegar. That is an approved method (last time I looked) on all those US govt etc sites that have the up to date canning rules and bu vacola in Australia. You definitely cannot just do veg and salt and then water bath them!!!
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Dec 26, 2021 17:15:53 GMT 10
My 2 other experiences was with a can of sweet, caraway sourcrout that rusted a hole in it.. Leaked a little and left a brown stain on the shelf... I would of thought canning anything fermented would be pushing the boundaries? I've only ever seen and bought sauerkraut in glass here.
I would expect that canning, which involves high temps to destroy bacteria, would cease the process of fermentation anyway.
|
|
tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
|
Post by tomatoes on Dec 24, 2021 8:34:33 GMT 10
Anyone seen an update on this?
|
|