Knowledge Weighs Nothing

40 Awesome Food Preserving Links: Beginner Tips, Pro Tricks & More…

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This is a great resource for both canning/preserving novices and old-hands. Aimée from ‘Simple Bites’ has written this great post featuring links to 40 of the most useful canning and preserving websites and posts around…

Seriously, there is so much great information and advice here, it really is awesome; if you do any canning or preserving, I highly recommend checking it out. I guarantee you’ll find something new and useful here.

40 Awesome Food Preserving Links: Beginner Tips, Pro Tricks & More…

(Photo from: Simple Bites)

4 Common Wild Edible Plants That Could Save Your Life

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So you’re in that survival situation in the wilderness and you remember all the TV shows and you are immediately thinking about hunting/trapping/fishing for food. In some ways this is correct, in a long term survival situation, animal protein and fat are vital for survival. That said, it might surprise you to know that most of a wilderness survival diet will be made from plants, nuts, seeds and berries…

Below is a great post from ‘Tactical Intelligence’ which lists 4 of the most common wild edibles, all of which are capable of saving your life in different situations. And hey, I hold my hands up, I did not know that about grass!

4 Common Wild Edible Plants That Could Save Your Life

(Photo from: Wikimedia Commons)

How And Why You Should Plant Fruit Trees In The Fall

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If you are going to be truly self-sufficient, you are probably going to want to plant some fruit trees.  Apple trees are a great choice as apples are so versatile, many varieties store well and stay fresh for months, they can be eaten fresh, cooked, canned, made into cider and hard-cider, you get the picture…

If you are thinking of planting some fruit trees, it is usually the case that they will want to be planted in the Fall. This will give the tree the best chance of establishing itself and getting its roots out before the growing season the next year. Click the link below to find out more on how and why to plant fruit trees this Fall.

How And Why You Should Plant Fruit Trees In The Fall

(Photo from:  highbury orchard community)

Water Bath Canning Cheat Sheet

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If you are thinking of getting started with water bath canning, but you don’t know your lid-lifter from your air-bubbler, you need to check out the post below from ‘Canning Across America’. The post covers water bath canning tools and equipment, and there is straightforward advice on the actual water bath canning process.

Additionally, I highly, highly recommend the book: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving (click to view on Amazon), it may well be the best $14 you ever spend, as it will likely become your canning and food preserving bible.

Water Bath Canning Cheat Sheet

(Photo from: Canning Across America)

List Of 150 Herbs, Together With Their Uses & Benefits

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You’re either a person who embraces the use of plants and herbs, or you a person who would rather purchase the chemical/pharmaceutical alternative. Either way there is no disputing that certain herbs have very clear and proven medicinal uses and other wide ranging properties.

For example, St John’s Wort is a herb/plant, but it is also one of the most common prescription anti-depressants in many countries, with trials showing it can be as effective as low dose pharmaceutical alternatives, for treating mild to moderate depression. Cacao has many medicinal benefits, with its most popular benefit being that it can dramatically lower high blood pressure when consumed daily, which is an excellent reason to have a daily cup of high cacao chocolate (at least 80% cocoa)… There are 150+ herbs listed below, have a look and find out about the uses of benefits of each.

List Of 150 Herbs, Together With Their Uses & Benefits

 

(Photo from:  Herbs Info)

Everyone Should Know About Medicinal Uses Of These 22 Common Foods & Spices

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If you would prefer to use natural remedies instead of pharmaceutical medicines, this is something you don’t want to miss out on. This information is also particularly important for preppers and those concerned about what the future may bring… If there is ever a total collapse or SHTF event, it will become difficult, if not impossible, to get hold of medicines from the pharmacy/doctors etc.

This list details the medicinal properties of 22 common foods and spices and it also includes advice on dosage and preparation of many of the remedies

Everyone Should Know About Medicinal Uses Of These 22 Common Foods & Spices

(Photo from:  Chugy)

Sage: The Must-Grow Plant (Find Out How & Why To Use It)

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Wow, I knew sage was good for you, but it didn’t realize how many medicinal properties and medicinal uses it has. I did however know that sage plants are very easy to grow, as we grow our own sage as a herb for recipes… I think I might have to grow several more sage plants now so we can make our own homemade remedies.

I am particularly interested in making the sage tea now that I know about its sedative and relaxation properties. It could be just the thing after a stressful day. Anyway, check out the link below and find out more about the many uses for sage.

Sage: The Must Grow Plant (Find Out How & Why To Use It) 

(Photo from: Wikipedia)

How to Make Cheese From Powdered Milk

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With have done a few DIY cheese posts recently, and one thing that keeps getting asked is – can you make cheese from powdered milk? Our previous posts used fresh milk and cream…

Well the answer is yes! You can make a basic cheese, often referred to as cottage cheese, from milk powder, water, vinegar and lemon juice. In an economic collapse or SHTF incident, cheese would become a vital protein source, if you had the ability to make your own. Also, it means that together with your stored pasta and tinned tomatoes, you could also make lasagna!

This same cheese can also be made from fresh milk, just substitute the milk powder/water for the same quantity of fresh milk.

How to Make Cheese From Powdered Milk

(Photo from: Tactical Intelligence)

How To Grow Coffee Beans at Home

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Almost everyone loves coffee. In fact most of us NEED that morning cup of coffee to get us up and out the door… From a preparedness and homesteading point of view, I see two problems with coffee.  Firstly it is getting more and more expensive to buy, and secondly, if there every is a total collapse or a SHTF incident, we are all going to miss our coffee badly – whatever coffee which may still be available will likely be poor quality and astronomically expensive.

If you live in the right climate, or you have a large greenhouse, you can actually grow your own coffee plants at home.  Coffee plants are actually pretty easy to grow, their main pet-hate is frost. It’s processing the coffee beans which takes a bit more work, but even then, I think the rewards make it well worthwhile! Get planting now, as it can take between 2-4 years before the coffee plants start to develop any usable quantities of cherries.

Kona coffee bean trees are one of the best suited to home growing, you can purchase Kona seeds and plants from Amazon – you can purchase Kona coffee bean seeds (15 tree seeds) for less than $5, or you can purchase 2 Kona coffee 8 inch plants for just less than $15

How To Grow Coffee Beans at Home

(Photo from: CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture)

How To Make Apple Vinegar From Scratch

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We get through loads of apple vinegar, but we have an apple tree so we can pretty much make our own apple vinegar for free! Apple vinegar is delicious, we use most of it to make salad dressing, but it also has numerous health, beauty and around the home uses. Apple vinegar really is worth making, especially given how simple and cheap it is to make!

Apples will soon be in season, if you have your own apple trees, you’ll have more apples that you know what to do with. Even if you don’t grow your own, apples become very cheap to purchase from the store. You can even make apple vinegar with apple peel and apple cores, in fact that is what is used in the DIY tutorial below. We have found the best results come from using the entire apple though, but feel free to use what you have available. Check out the DIY tutorial below and see for yourself  just how easy apple vinegar is to make!

How To Make Apple Vinegar From Scratch

(Photo from: 17 Apart)