Starry Hilders Off Grid Homestead: 2017

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

KOMBUCHA? WHO NEEDS IT When you GOT KEFIR!!!

Everybody is going Kombucha crazy. But unfortunatly there is alot of misinformation out there regarding what Kombucha is and does.

I am a kefir fan. I recommend (as a RN) to all my patients Kefir over kombucha. Kefir is a richer source of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). So you could think of kefir as a drinkable SUPER CHARGED probiotic supplement.

Kombucha is more of a "digestive aid"
Misleading advertising is making it seem like it is a powerful probiotic when technically KEFIR wins hands
PLUS people need to be aware of what they are drinking.
Kombucha typically has caffeine, since it's made from tea so it limits who should drink it ( heart patients, patients with high blood pressure).
Also, alot of kombucha has SUGAR!!
So this is not a drink ANY diabetic should be looking at consuming. It can be very misleading.

Kefir eats the lactose so it makes it GUT friendly and gut healthy! It has more beneficial properties than Kombucha especially with its massive probiotic benefits!

Am I partial? YES I am but I go according to the properties these drinks have to offer.
KOMBUCHA..... from a medical perspective has too many limitations to people who have health issues.If you do not have these issues then just pay attention to the SUGAR content and watch your caffeine intake! Simple

The caffeine and sugar right there will limit its use.

So be wise. KNOW what your drinking. Kombucha still has some beneficial properties indeed. BUT weigh your own personal options before diving into drinking it and using it for something that you may be disappointed it doesn't possess.

HOW TO HAND WASH CLOTHS: AWESOME TIPS FOR NO WASHING MACHINE

Washing cloths by hand. Sounds like a no brainier? Actually I have been doing laundry by hand for over seven years. And there are helpful tips that can make laundry by hand easier. We chose to live off grid and be as self sufficient as possible. We thought we would be doing washing the conventional way but after our first NEW washing machine broke down after only a month, I just stared doing it by hand. And actually I love it! But I did go thru some trials.

The proper set up goes along ways. Having a place to set it up during the summer where your water is accessible is really important. Also have a tub that can hold enough water. Buckets buckets and more buckets are nice to. I like the buckets to seperate my dirty cloths from my not to dirty cloths.

I also finally found a old fashion scrub board. HANDS down these things work! I tried a plunger I tried a mop bucket! None of it works as well as grandmas old fashion hand washing board.

In addition going out and buying a old wringer washer ( have you seen them new at Lehman's) those are for apparently people who have alot of amount of money to spend on laundry..I DONT!!!! ) So we didnt even entertain the "looking good and fancy" Lehman washing machine. I mean its laundry..right?

I also used last year before the washing board a shower matt with suction cups and placed it upside down n the tub floor and used it as a scrubber! Worked well!!

Also a good drying rack and a place to hand dry your cloths on the line is needed.

A little goes along ways and you dont need a fancy setup. PRACTICAL and no frills....HECK..its just dirty laundry!

Monday, October 30, 2017

OFF GRID LIVING EXPERIENCE: NO ELECTRICITY FOR THE HOUSE?

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

How Karl Hammer Feeds 600 Chickens (Without Grains)?

When Justin Rhodes visited Karl Hammer and his 600 chickens he shared with Justin how he fed all 600 of them. HOW? Well with compost! However, what if you don't have 600 chickens! What if your compost pile isn't that big? What if?????

Well here's a answer that can take 100 lbs of food and turn it in 300lbs of food!!!
WHAT?
From seed to feed on our homestead we grow our own nutrient dense organic fodder!

To create fodder you basically take your grains, wheat barely rye oats, and by setting up a simple fodder system (we use buckets with drain holes) within 5-7 days of watering you will have a easy digestible rich organic green food that the chickens will love.

Sprouting amplifies the nutrients in the grains nearly six fold and increases their digestibility, so you get more bang for your buck. Plus feeding fodder to supplement your chickens' layer feed reduces your feed costs, gives you better tasting eggs with more vibrant yolks, and increases their laying productivity with improved health.
How could you go wrong!?
So you dont need 600 chickens or compost to save money on feed. All you need is a bag of grain and some buckets

Starry will show you the proof is in the pudding as she walks you thru this very simple and cheap way to feed your flock!!
And dont forget fodder is good for any farm animal!!!

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

BACK TO EDEN GARDEN : FULL TOUR EVEN Paul Gautschi WOULD BE IMPRESSED

Back To Eden Gardening Method. Gardeners are always looking for ways to increase their yield have healthier plants and keep it organic. For us sustaining ourselves on a garden is imperative. Its part of our whole off grid philosophy. So a garden is more then just a seasonal hobby, its a lifeline. Homesteaders, preppers, urbanest who see the need to grow their own food have realized the importance of setting up a garden that can feed you but not kill you! Gardening shouldn't be like a slave camp!

Self sustainability means thinking smarter, plannning better, being more efficient and setting things up so that when we are old WE CAN STILL SUSTAIN

That is why Paul G and his Back To Eden Garden Method fills that bill and then some. This is the only garden method that we have found that is not just no till, but is fully organic, minimal weeding, minimal watering, no pest issues AND builds and creates soils! Instead of the soil becoming depleted year after year it actually improved without chemical fertilizers! If you are serious about gardening start thinking outside the box. Back To Eden Gardening is a concept based on Creation. And we feel God doesn't get things wrong!

Saturday, July 1, 2017

WE GOT EGGS!

For all you chicken lovers here's a typical day collecting eggs!!!

HOW TO FEED YOUR CHICKENS FOR FREE!!!

Having chickens can be fun freeing and for sure a great way to save money on organic eggs! i know we are always looking for free ways to feed our chickens so that we can continue to live a debt free lifestyle off the grid.
For us every dime matters! Thus we have to be creative with such things as chicken feed. When it comes to the chickens we dont like to rely on to much grain. Organic grain is necassary but can be very expensive so when we do feed our chickens other "stuff" we make sure lits FREE!
One alternative source that can be a option depending on where you live is picking clover! Wild clover is abundant in areas where there has been recent forest fires. Here in the panhandle of Idaho we have many fires last year. The benefit of the fires is the luch vegatation that sprouts. Which makes it ripe for the picking. We have acres of forest floors blanketed with wild clover. I simply take a shopping bag and when needed go and pick myself some free food. Some people may look at this as a waste of time. But foraging for your chickens be it clover or weeds or grass is a great way to supplement and save money!

Composting Guru: How To Make Compost From What??

Composting is so important for us and our self sufficient lifestyle. We depend on our garden to not only feed us but sustain us. Which means we need to be resourceful and creative in our efforts to continue to create a lifestyle that can do this!

Thus when we decided to go off grid we knew the value of such elements as WATER. We have a spring that gives us free mountain water. That is valuable. And because of its value we certaintly were not going to waste it flushing our waste down a toliet.

Thus we implemented humanure waste management. This became such a intergal part of our homestead. AND it saved us water! We were able to effectivley compost our waste and after a year use the rich organic compost on our garden. The garden loved and which increased our yiled and helped feed us! It became a beautfiul eco system that continues year round.

Thus I created this short video to showcase the compost we have created and show people that it really is SAFE and organic and something you can do to!!