In the veil of darkness

As we race to beat the setting sun on this chilly winter's eve, we were able to get 3 new beauties into the ground of our Food Forest/subUrban Garden...




Amanda has been wanting to add a Donut Peach to our Stone fruit collection for a while, and she got her wish today!

And to continue our berry collection, we added Loganberry & Youngberry to the front bank.















We are also adding Rainbow Chard, Celery, Cilantro, Bok Choy, Spinach, and Snow Peas to our winter veg garden. Navigating our seasons is a bit trickier now. Frost came more than a month early, and summer lasted well into October/November. Next, it's off to our local landfill for aged compost, and woody mulch!
May the winter inspire you with and abundance of ideas, for spring will soon be upon us.

-Bethany

No Knead Artisan Bread

We posted this on our Plan To Thrive facebook page in May, but we love it and think it should be here as well. No need to spend extra money on artisan breads when it's so simple to make your own! Please check out this blog... http://theitaliandishblog.com/imported-20090913150324/2010/2/26/amazing-artisan-bread-for-40-cents-a-loaf-no-kneading-no-fus.html

Who knew...

Okay, maybe some of you knew... I have never been a big fan of zucchini, so when I decided to add a couple plants to the garden this spring, I had no idea how many they would produce!

I am fairly certain we have given away more than we have consumed.

So... in honor of our lovely zuc ladies, I give to you a tasty tidbit I found online!

Click on the link below to go to the recipe for these Zucchini Fritters!

http://kitchenster.com/vegetarian-recipes/courgette-fritters-with-yogurt-dip/

Preserving Lemons

Click the link below the pic to learn a simple way to preserve lemons!

http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/2011/08/31/got-lemons/

Week 4 - Video-polooza

Last week totally got away from me! I thought that this week I would share some videos that may spark some ideas and give you a bit of inspiration...

This is about 30 min long, but pretty interesting ideas for your Go-Bag. It's worth checking out!

A quick bit about keeping things handy!

Yet another reason why living prepared is just smart!

I will be putting together another post for this week, to further discuss these topics!

Week 3 - Buggin Out

Here we are... week 3, and tho we will revisit food and water on a deeper level, this week we will cover the all famous "Bug-Out Bag."
It is actually a good idea to have two bags. One smaller pack for your car, and one larger pack at home in case your residence has become inhabitable.
Living in Southern California, there is always the possibility of fire season catching you by surprise, as well the ever present threat of an earthquake. Both of these tend to strike without warning, hence why we recommend the dual prep.

A Basic kit for your car should include:

1. Bottled water
2. Food that won't spoil, such as dried fruit and canned goods
3. Wash Cloth(in case of smoke, dampen with water to cover mouth for breathing)
4. Flashlight and extra batteries
5. Whistle
6. Compass
7. Socks and walking shoes
8. Blanket/Jacket
9. Extra clothes
10. Toilet paper and other personal care supplies
11. Road flares(in case of accident)
12. Knife (a Swiss army knife is excellent for emergencies)
13. First aid kit
14. Some small bills and coins
15. List of emergency contact numbers

For a Pre-made 3 day kit: (Click Here) This is a good foundation to give you a jumpstart on a car pack.

A traditional bug-out bag is a larger endeavor, and you may want to consider a pre-made option. It seems like a investment, but you might be surprised how much you will spend piecing it together. Click Here for a pre-made option. Always remember... If you are a woman, don't forget to pack feminine products.


You can also check out THRIVE's pre-made kits by clicking (HERE) and click on the shop tab at the top of the page and then scroll down to Pre Assembled Kits on the left. There are a few sizes to choose from.

The advantage to creating your own bug-out back, is that it can be tailored to your personal needs. Here are some examples of kits...

Only you can determine your needs and what events you wish to prepare for. I tend to side on the go big or go home club... but if nothing else - food, water, and first aid will get you pretty far! To see the FEMA recommendations and ideas, Click Here They cover everything from power outages due to solar flares, to tornado and hurricane preparedness.

For those of you that have animals, don't forget to consider their needs in your preparations. Please see the ASPCA recommendations Here

and FEMA pet recommendations Here You may want to consider a separate bag for your pet(s) If you plan your pets needs ahead of time, you will have far less stress in the event of an emergency!

Here is a link to the website for the company in the video above Click Here

As always... feel free to email me with questions at wytchwoodfarms@gmail.com or plantothrive@gmail.com

Happy Prepping!

Week 2 Random Thoughts...

So...
As I was considering what comes next for all you following the Living Prepared posts, I realized I may not have covered a couple things in the prior posts. That said... for just such occasions, I will add a "Random Thoughts" post and will email or text the link to those signed up for that.

First... I want to say that any and all may feel free to forward the weekly posts to friends and family. My goal is to get as many people hooked on the concept of self reliance as we can. Come what may... if more people take it upon themselves to be prepared, then we are better off as a whole!!

I am by no means a professional at this, and these "mini classes" are mostly geared towards those who are starting out. We will start with the basics, and move on from there. Occasionally I may post videos and other information on the blog that may interest you, so you can always go to the main page and look at all the posts. http://wytchwoodfarms.blogspot.com/

In the first week, I discussed water and gave some storage links. I did not suggest individual bottles of water. The main reason behind this has to do with the out-gassing and hormone disrupting issues that come with bottled water. In a survival situation, this is the least of one's concerns, and bottled water can save your life. So when we discuss Go-Bags, it is likely you will be looking at bottled water options. But... they are not my first choice for water storage in the home.

I will add many links along the way. Amazon carries an array of goods and most of the time its no tax, no shipping, so I will link to them frequently. Some items can also be found at your local outdoor stores, such as REI or Bass Pro Shops. I am a fan of not driving all over town, so I love Amazon.

For those of you that have "liked" our Plan-To-Thrive page on Facebook, you know that this is not just about surviving a disaster... Its about Thriving in uncertain times and adapting to an ever changing global climate. It's about redefining what's real and what keeps us happy and healthy. It's about self reliance, to insure that we never need to worry about being without, in times of need. And it's about helping others, because it is with others that we create strong communities who work together. If you would like to get the posts from our facebook, please go here: PlanToThrive and like us.

As always, please free free to email me at wytchwoodfarms@gmail.com if you have any questions.

-Bethany