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 personal
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From
Jules Dervaes
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This
column will resume after JD has completed the solar and roofing
project.
He
hopes to return to writing for this
column soon.
It's
the month for thanksgiving. We feel that we should take some time
out to be thankful for what our little urban homestead
provides.
Thank
you for all your letters and support. It's truly
uplifting to hear from fellow travelers and kindred spirits.
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DIY Corner |
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Project of the Month |
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Do
you ever go to the grocery with your great canvas bag, get to the
organic produce aisle, see some great cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, beans,
... and then have to tear off a plastic bag to put them in so they don't
roll round the grocery bag? Well, that's exactly now this idea
came to be!
~ Courtesy of
COL
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MAKE YOUR OWN REUSABLE PRODUCE BAG
More
DIY PROJECTS »
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What's Going On? |
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NOV 29 BUY NOTHING DAY! |
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On
the busiest shopping day of the year, the day after American
Thanks-giving, people from over thirty countries take a break from the
frenzy and cast their vote against the global economy.
more info
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4 Season Garden |
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Winter Gardens |
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Winter
veggies: The arrival of winter doesn't have to mean the end to fresh
produce. Extend the life of your kitchen garden with a crop of winter
vegetables.
You can enjoy year-round, freshly
harvested food on the table see how these Vermont Farmer's beat the
chill.
more info
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In
this issue... |
10 Things You
Should Never Buy Again - FreeCycling Network - Winter Garden -
Power of Peppermint - Posh Winter Squash - Growing to
Perfection - Got Milk? - Craft from Trash
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Interested
in doing things yourself instead of relying on outside
sources for basic necessities We are personally not as
self-sufficient as we would like to be, but we believe
that many are on the same path, some further along than others.
We hope this newsletter will
be a source of inspiration and information to those who want to
break free from the modern, artificial environment and culture
that we are captive of.
See
you along the path...
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Words of
Wisdom
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Gardens,
scholars say, are the first sign of commitment
to a community. When people plant corn they are saying,
let's stay here. And by their connection to the land,
they are connected to one another.
~ Anne Raver ~
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10
Things You Should Never Buy Again
We
are so used to |
FreeCyclin'
The Worldwide (!) Freecycle
Network is open to all cities and to all individuals who
want to "recycle" that special something rather than
throw it away..
start one in your town today » |
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convenience goods we
rarely think about their negative impact. Yet everything
you do and buy makes a difference.
more
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Marigolds
There’s
a whole new meaning for “flower power.” Imagine the |
Power of Peppermint
Ever wonder why restaurants give out after-dinner mints?
Peppermint is one very versatile herb -
read more » |
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brilliant marigold helping to maintain
healthy eyes, skin and arteries.
more
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Posh
Winter Squash
Autumn
brings a colorful harvest of giant deep-orange pumpkins
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Apple Cake
Here's a tasty recipe for
the holidays. Lightly spiced with fresh apples,
drizzled in warm caramel sauce
recipe »
Sauce
substitutions: soy milk and maple or rice syrup |
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that punctuates a
landscape of faded. A green leaves. Tangled green vines
collapse from frost to expose a golden array of
butternut, cushaw, kabocha, acorn, delicata, hubbard and
other varieties of winter squash.
more » |
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Growing To Perfection
Mr.
Murota believes
any soil can evolve to
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Got Milk?
Milk may be the next great
thing for fungus and mold in your garden and on your
houseplants .We’re not sure how milk works, but it
can help kill or control common garden fungi.
continue » |
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greatness, given
proper management ... and time He's content to spend 20
years making a field ready for tomatoes. When the goal
is not just food but the healing of the soil, there is
no urgency.
more
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Lessons From a
Can of Beans
I
was in the canned food section of my local supermarket.
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Craft from Trash
What can you do with your
old calendars? Those beautiful pictures were worth
buying and even hanging on your wall
continue »
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The grocery list read
simply “can of beans,” but I was in no mood for mundane
shopping.
read how
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featured website of the month |
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New Farm - Farmer-to-farmer know-how from the Rodale Institute.
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Know of a website that you'd like to see featured? Contact us |
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 ramblings... |
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Thur 11/02
It's
been a hectic couple months with |
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all that's been going on.
Unfortunately, the monthly issue of this newsletter was a
casualty.
Here
on the homestead, one of the joys of living in California is
that we can garden all year round and plant fall/winter
gardens that are productive and beautiful. This is the time
of year to plant salad greens, brassicas, peas chards, root crops
and more.
With
the rapid loss of biodiversity, it's critical for home
gardeners and small farmers to revive the skills of seed
saving. In our attempt to be seed stewards, we plan to
offer some of our own seeds
online here at PTF in the next few months.
We've
also hooked up with the
FreeCycle Network and are setting up the
LA FreeCycle Chapter. Everybody has something they
want to get rid of. So, instead of dragging it out to the curb
and filling the landfills, we hope that this innovative concept
will take off in our area.
There
are
lots of things going on here on the homestead and we are
excited about the potential and possibilities. We have lots to be
thankful for.
So,
after our brief absence, we hope you enjoy this issue of our
newsletter.
Many
blessings from all here at PTF...
Editor of PTF
«
Read
NOV diary entries»
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newsworthy |
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free
thinkers |
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The Death Of Stillness
(SLN)
- What's wrong with being
busy? Plenty. Americans have become the most anxious,
time-stressed people in the world, thanks in part to all the
high-tech devices at our fingertips that are meant to make
life easier.
Grease Is The Word
(Outsider)
- An eco-crusader
in the crunchy mountain hamlet of Telluride, Colorado, is out
to show the world that cars run cleaner and greener on fuel
made from leftover fast-food oil.
We're Melting ... (AlterNet)
- forces that are
destroying the Earth and the people who can save it "have
arrived together at this crossroads in history."
More Delivers Us Much Less
(SHM)
- It's time we woke up to
the contradiction at the heart of individualistic capitalism |
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