Water storage

We agonised for a long time about a tank for the shouse.  What we really wanted was something that would not ruin the beautiful rainwater that we would catch; for what is the point of collecting pure water if it just sits in plastics that leach chemicals that mimic the hormone oestrogen.   Although we have PVC downpipes, we figure the water flows through them pretty quickly and hope that they don't have a huge effect on the quality of our water.  Eventually we hope to replace them with something less toxic (stainless downpipes and, perhaps, ceramic underground).

We eventually sourced a stainless tank from Designer Tanks that did not have a plastic liner and we are very happy with it.

Eat food, not too much, mostly plants

Eat food, not too much, mostly plants (Michael Pollan) is one of my favourite quotes.  I love Michael Pollan.  He advocates for eating organic food and supports self-sufficient mixed farms.  Pollan is a regular columnist with the New York Times, was a consultant on the popular food expose, Food Inc. and has written a number of brilliant books.  Pollan intends to provide a framework for simple, healthy, sustainable eating and advises people to consider the food choices they make, opting for ethical eating. 

Lately, I have come across a number of articles backing up my way of thinking about food.  AlterNet recently posting on why we need to radically change the way we eat.  It frightens me that corporations essentially own our food security.  Companies like Monsanto 'own' the genetic makeup of many of the staple foods we eat.  Moreover they create crops that are essentially sterile, thereby forcing people to purchase seeds on an annual basis.

This is the reason I love companies like the Diggers Club that sell open-pollinated heirloom vegetables and are passionate about preserving traditions.  Diggers don't use genetically engineered seeds and oppose the use of chemicals.  

I am convinced that organic food is the only way to eat and, though organic produce deserves a premium, we are not in the position to buy organic.  That, combined with the fact that peak oil is here and we all need to think about food files, is why we intend to grow all our own food.  We have a small vegetable patch at present (see below) which we intend to increase significantly once we are living at the block.

Padawan and Little Miss are very proud of their pumpkin plants

I think that chefs like Stetphanie Alexander and her kitchen garden program, Jamie Oliver's  Ministry of Food, gardeners like Peter Cundall and companies like Little Veggie Patch Co. are doing a great job in trying to open people's eyes to the lies they are being fed, literally, with regard to the food that they eat.

Organic food tastes better than cold-storage mass produced food and has more nutrients.   Home grown organic food is even better.  Not only does home grown organic food have zero food miles; the fact that it is fresh means that it can be picked when ripe rather than picked in time for it to be ripe once it is in the shop and ready for sale.   Ripe food tastes totally different to the second-rate producet that is bought in shops.

I thoroughly endorse farm gate sales of fresh local, seasonal produce.  Admittedly, eating seasonal food takes a little getting used to.  At the moment, zucchinis and tomatoes are in season.  This is brilliant as a side of ratatouille is delicious.  So is zucchini slice.  However, once you have had both of these for four weeks straight, zucchini and tomatoes are not looking so great.  The up side, though, is that when you start to get truly sick of zucchini and tomatoes, pears and pumpkins are ripe and you can then feast on pear tea cake and pumpkin soup just as the days start to get shorter and the nights start to get colder.  My point is, that seasonal produce is just that - seasonal.  It comes and goes.  

Unless of course you preserve the harvest.  By preserving, you can enjoy seasonal produce all year round.  For example, blackberries are generally only in season for 2-6 weeks, depending on the year, they make the most delicious jam, can be frozen or bottled.  Likewise, while apples store pretty well in the right conditions they also stew and bottle well.  

If you are keen on preserving, I can thoroughly recommend Vacola jars.  They come in a variety of sizes and, with new seals, can be used many times over.  If you decide to go down this path, select the stainless steel lids.  They are a little more expensive but won't spoil acidic foods like tomatoes.

If you are time poor or lacking in space and think that you cannot grow your own produce, I urge you to at least plant some herbs in a pot.  Potted gardens can be incredibly productive and fresh herbs add a depth of flavour to food that is hard to beat.  Lettuce is another crop that is easy to grow in a small space.  Container gardening can be very productive and rewarding.  Just remember that if you are growing plants in a container you will be their sole source of nutrients so you will need to routinely add organic fertiliser to ensure optimal growth.  I thoroughly recommend seasol if you are looking for something to fertilise your plants with.

Growing food is such a rewarding pursuit and kids can get involved too.  Perhaps you could get the kids to help out with making icypole stick labels for your plants or let them make a pinwheel to decorate the garden.  Kids love to water plants and watch them grow and small watering cans are inexpensive.  You won't be able to stop them when it's harvest time, either.  My kids refuse to eat spinach unless of course they are picking it from the garden to eat fresh for lunch as a part of a salad they grew themselves!

Moving cows

Padawan and Little Miss love to help their grandparents, particularly when it comes to moving stock.  Each year the gentleman builder's parents move dry cows (those that are not being milked just before they are due to give birth) from the home farm about 10km to another property they own.  This serves two purposes, it rests the soil at the home farm and reduces the likelihood of pest and disease loads building up and it gives the cows a chance to feed up on fresh grass before giving birth.

Each year the kids help out in moving the cows and get a real thrill out of it.

 Padawan and Little Miss always find something fun to do, wherever we are.  On this particular occasion, they each had a stick and  played with them for hours while we moved the cows.

I look forward to the day when it is our cows the kids are helping to move.