#TBT to spring and this gorgeous food and flower garden in #Halifax. It was…
#TBT to spring and this gorgeous food and flower garden in #Halifax. It was featured in my book, The Year Round Vegetable Gardener and is an acre of rare perennials, bulbs, trees, shrubs and four raised food beds. A magical space! . . . . #backyardgarden #homegarden #growyourown #novascotia #growsomethinggreen #garden #gardens #gardening #gardenlife #gardentotable…
A classic exposé in company with An Inconvenient Truth and Silent Spring, The Story of Stuff expands on the celebrated documentary exploring the threat of overconsumption on the environment, economy, and our health. Leonard examines the “stuff” we use everyday, offering a galvanizing critique and steps for a changed planet.The Story of Stuff was received…;
A classic exposé in company with An Inconvenient Truth and Silent Spring, The Story of Stuff expands on the celebrated documentary exploring the threat of overconsumption on the environment, economy, and our health. Leonard examines the “stuff” we use everyday, offering a galvanizing critique and steps for a changed planet.
The Story of Stuff was received with widespread enthusiasm in hardcover, by everyone from Stephen Colbert to Tavis Smiley to George Stephanopolous on Good Morning America, as well as far-reaching print and blog coverage. Uncovering and communicating a critically important idea—that there is an intentional system behind our patterns of consumption and disposal—Annie Leonard transforms how we think about our lives and our relationship to the planet.
From sneaking into factories and dumps around the world to visiting textile workers in Haiti and children mining coltan for cell phones in the Congo, Leonard, named one of Time magazine’s 100 environmental heroes of 2009, highlights each step of the materials economy and its actual effect on the earth and the people who live near sites like these.
With curiosity, compassion, and humor, Leonard shares concrete steps for taking action at the individual and political level that will bring about sustainability, community health, and economic justice. Embraced by teachers, parents, churches, community centers, activists, and everyday readers, The Story of Stuff will be a long-lived classic.
Learn how to make cold brew coffee and you will never have to drop two dollars per cup of coffee again. Find out how to make cold brew coffee easily with this straightforward guide!
How To Make Cold Brew Coffee Easy And Pocket-Friendly
Learning how to make cold brew coffee is a recent hobby I got into. I was intrigued by this latest trend in making coffee, a craze even got coffee shops bought into. You see, coffee has some dirty little secrets, but they’re all coming out in the open now. Apparently, cold brew coffee is 67% less acidic than hot brewed coffee, and less acidic means better tasting. Best of all, it’s easy to make, you’ll laugh at yourself for buying expensive coffee when you can make a better cup at home. So let’s save the chitchat for later and learn how to make cold brew coffee now!
Before we get into to cold brewing coffee, you have to understand that this isn’t simply making coffee cold by putting ice cubes or putting it in the refrigerator. This is a process where no heat is applied, and you will find out more about it as you read on.
Step 1. Ratio
First is to put coffee into the French press. Next is to pour bottled water at room temperature over the coffee grinds gently. If you have really good tap water at home you can also use that. Make sure you get all the grounds nice and wet.
Step 2. Mix
Now, get a large spoon and use the edge of the handle to poke around the container or the French press. This will allow all the coffee grinds to absorb water.
You’ve probably heard other coffee makers before suggest putting the mixture in the refrigerator. Well, I say don’t, but simply cover the mixture in your press with the cap or press and leave it at a room temperature. If it gets too cold it won’t dissolve enough of the coffee and will have a weak flavor.
The next thing we do is to wait for 12 to 13 hours. Perhaps you can work this out overnight so you can enjoy it in the morning. Steeping coffee in the water this long will allow the coffee flavors to dissolve in cold water naturally. So after 12 hours, you simply plunge the press gently to separate the steeped liquid from the coffee grinds.
There are a couple of things you would want to learn more about cold brew coffee. One, is you’re going to get a bit more caffeine than you would normally get in a regular brewed coffee. Heating, as you know, applies a change in temperature which changes the taste and takes out most of the natural flavor. Two, it leaves off the acidity that comes when heat is applied to coffee. This cold brewing process, therefore, makes coffee easier on the stomach.
Step 4. Store
You wouldn’t want to store the cold brew coffee in the French press. What you need to do is to get a separate container with a cover and empty the cold brew coffee into the container. This time, you may keep and store the finished cold brew coffee in the fridge, and you may store it for as long as two weeks. You can also make many of your favorite coffee recipes with it.
Step 5. Enjoy!
You will see that your cold brew coffee is nice and thick, and full of flavor. Pour yourself a cup, store the rest in the fridge, and experience a smoother, less bitter, better-tasting and -smelling coffee. You can also enjoy a huge amount of caffeine, but without the acidic stomach. You can still add a bit of sugar or milk, or enjoy it as is!
Follow the easy step-by-step guide on how to make cold brew coffee in this video:
Now you know how to make cold brew coffee the coffee shop way. If you’re the can’t-live-without-coffee type, you’ll love this brewed coffee version better. Learn how to make cold brew coffee and you’ll be enjoying the best kind of coffee anytime, at an outrageously low price!
How did you find this how-to guide? Will you give this guide on how to make cold brew coffee a try? Tell us all about it in your comments!
Editor’s note: This post was contributed by Jason Tatge, the CEO of Farmobile, the farm data company. He’s been working one-on-one with farmers for more than 20 years. You can follow him on Twitter at @jasontatge.
My company, Farmobile, made news when we paid farmers for their data for the very first time last month. It was an exciting moment, driving around to visit farmers in Minnesota and handing out checks for completed electronic field records. It was the first time they saw a concrete, bottom-line ROI from their data.
Up until now, farmers have been giving their data for nothing, sometimes not even realizing they were ceding control and ownership. But as agriculture goes digital as an industry, farmers are beginning to learn that data is one of the most valuable crops they can harvest. Especially in today’s difficult and uncertain economic environment, farmers need to be in control.
But there’s a lot of controversy around this approach. In fact, when we posted our news about paying farmers on LinkedIn, we got this response:
This is skepticism that we get often (though not from farmers themselves). And in some ways we totally get it. This is a net-new way to think about farm data, and it’s going to be uncomfortable at first. But we heartily disagree with the old way of looking at farm data and its value. We thought this warranted a response longer than the word count LinkedIn would allow.
Here goes.
The Tables of Power Must Be Turned
“The farmer is the only man in our economy who has to buy everything he buys at retail — sell everything he sells at wholesale — and pay the freight both ways.” JFK September 22, 1960.
Richard mentioned that the value of being a digitized sector is huge, and he’s not wrong. Just look at the music industry, the financial industry, or even the auto industry. The digital revolution is changing how we all do business.
The big problem that we see in agriculture, however, is that if farmers do not own their own data first, the real value will only be created for companies upstream of the farmer. In this scenario, everyone wins except the farmer. Sure, farmers might get marginally better equipment and prescriptions — and we’re certainly not suggesting that they give up using these services — but by not owning their data, they give up the right to analyze the data, compare prescriptions, and ultimately make their own decisions about what’s best for their farms based on their data and their generational knowledge.
They also lose the right to control a new revenue channel. Farmers take gigantic risks every single year, but they’ve never seen rewards to match. Owning their data helps stave off some of that risk by creating a new revenue source season after season.
We should also note that while having a density of data definitely results in better quality analysis, none of the analytics companies can collect all of the data a farmer produces. Most farmers we talk to own mixed fleets these days. As you can imagine, equipment manufacturers make it very difficult (if not impossible) to share data with their competitors.
We agree that the lifeblood for the digital-ag economy is high quality information from the farm operation. However, obtaining and standardizing this information is more difficult than most realize. Obtaining this information is a challenge because, although the sensor technology exists, there is a last mile problem. Standardization is a challenge because incentive structures are out of alignment.
Farmers are the only ones with the ability to paint a complete picture of their farms with data collected agnostically.
How Big Ag Fits into the Picture
Richard also mentioned John Deere and Monsanto, so I want to address them here.
Deere makes money from equipment sales and service. Monsanto makes money from seed and trait technology. In each case, market share matters, as does revenue extraction from the farmer. The goal of each is to extract as much marginal revenue without surrendering market share.
Offering up free data provides a window into surrendering farm operations. Not to mention the possibility that one or both of these companies are already directly monetizing the farmers data. It’s difficult for me to understand how this can be a positive approach for farmers.
It’s important to note that our approach doesn’t preclude players like John Deere and Monsanto from acquiring farm data. There’s nothing to stop them from collecting data that they own, and nothing to stop farmers from profiting from the data they own.
But there’s a bigger point to call out — Monsanto and Deere are certainly not the only two big data players in agriculture. Why should Big Ag have a monopoly on all of the farming data in the U.S.? Farmers can capture immediate value now by sharing their data with their agronomist or selling it to a genetics company. Waiting 10 years for one of the big companies to deliver on transformative solutions is a bet many farmers can’t afford to take, especially given the current economic climate.
Not to mention that there’s a major conflict of interest between what the farmers want (lowered costs, more yield) and what equipment manufacturers and genetics companies want (more equipment and seed sales, consistent yield). No matter how you slice it, unless a farmer owns his or her data, he or she will be taken advantage of by companies with greater bargaining power.
The Value of Data Today
Respectfully, Richard is dead wrong on this one. Google and Facebook data was also “dirt cheap” 10 years ago, but now it drives 85% of every ad dollar spent online. I will concede that the value of agronomic data is just being priced. But even at its initial offering, the figures are compelling enough for farmers to get off the sidelines and into the game. I live and breathe this every day.
One point I do agree with Richard on is the fact that data in a vacuum is just that; analysis is key.
But I believe a free market with hundreds of thousands of data analysts is more powerful than a data duopoly. Also, left unchecked, how would the farmer ever know what a company like Monsanto and John Deere are prescribing is actually better? Without agnostic bodies for benchmarking and full transparency, farmers will continue to be manipulated and taken advantage of. That’s why it is critical for them to own and share their data deliberately, not blindly.
Especially in an environment where the economics around farming are tightening, one of the best things farmers can do to protect themselves in the long-run is to invest in a data strategy.
Whether you’re just getting started in biodynamic gardening, or you’re an experienced biodynamic farmer wanting to learn more, Biodynamic Gardening is the right resource for learning more about the biodynamic method of organic gardening. This clear, practical guide gives you tried-and-true advice on biodynamic gardening and tips on this ultra-green, organic gardening method. Full-color photographs…;
Whether you’re just getting started in biodynamic gardening, or you’re an experienced biodynamic farmer wanting to learn more, Biodynamic Gardening is the right resource for learning more about the biodynamic method of organic gardening. This clear, practical guide gives you tried-and-true advice on biodynamic gardening and tips on this ultra-green, organic gardening method. Full-color photographs and easy-to-understand charts and graphs are helpful tools in organizing information in a way anyone can understand and use in biodynamic gardening.
Biodynamic gardening makes use of natural cycles and mindful planting to take organic gardening to the next level, and Biodynamic Gardening covers everything. Topics include soil preparations, lunar charts, composting, cycles of rest, rich and healthy soil, organically controlling pests, ripening plants, and more. Grow delicious vegetables and healthy food, or grow beautiful blooms and flowers with the information you’ll find in Biodynamic Gardening.
In this home cheese making primer, Ricki Carrol presents basic techniques that will have you whipping up delicious cheeses of every variety in no time. Step-by-step instructions for farmhouse cheddar, gouda, mascarpone, and more are accompanied by inspiring profiles of home cheese makers. With additional tips on storing, serving, and enjoying your homemade cheeses, Home…;
In this home cheese making primer, Ricki Carrol presents basic techniques that will have you whipping up delicious cheeses of every variety in no time. Step-by-step instructions for farmhouse cheddar, gouda, mascarpone, and more are accompanied by inspiring profiles of home cheese makers. With additional tips on storing, serving, and enjoying your homemade cheeses, Home Cheese Making provides everything you need to know to make your favorite cheeses right in your own kitchen.
This next topic that I’m going to be writing about will be coming in a series. This is just part one of that series. I wanted to talk to you all about something that every homesteader deals with at some point in time.
Sometimes, it feels like life is snowballing and you have things piling up at the homestead. It can be very overwhelming. How do you deal with that? How do you manage to keep it enjoyable despite the amount of work that needs doing? How do you keep it all in balance?
First off, you don’t have to maintain absolute perfection. Homesteading is not about having your place look like something out of Better Homes And Gardens. It can still look nice, but sometimes you will need to let something slide that you feel ought to be gotten done that day. Homesteading is about learning and enjoying the process. It’s not a competition about who can have the neatest looking garden for example.
Because homesteading is enjoyable, it is easy to let things snowball, such as one of the challenges that we have to remind ourselves about, it is possible to keep one too many doe kids. The amount of milking involved past a certain number of does, is more than we can handle. (sometimes this is exceptionally hard if there was something you really wanted in your flock, but you have all the does you actually need)
I mean seriously, they are so hard to resist especially when they are this tiny!
You also need to keep in mind that more is not always necessarily better, whether gardening or livestock. You can plant too many gardens or keep too many heads of livestock. Sometimes, you have to make the decision to cut back on how much work you have. Sometimes, you may need to sell some livestock to do this. It doesn’t have to be permanent. The key phrase to keep in mind is “for now” Sometimes, “for now” you need to cut back. The dream is not ended, it’s just put on hold.
Stay tuned, I’ll be back with more that you can do for simplifying your homestead and your life.
It’s the concern that any individual making use of alternative energy certainly asks at some time …
Just what are the most effective batteries for an off-grid power system?
As a result of the dropping costs of renewable resource systems, an increasing number of individuals are wanting to make use of alternate power sources as a method to:
Conserve loan
End up being much more power independent
And damage their dependence on the large energy firms Solar cell Bank With Refurbished BatteriesHowever, setting up a renewable energy system, most of the times, needs you making a significant initial investment that you won’t get back for numerous years.
Among the biggest costs associated with alternative energy systems is the batteries in the battery financial institution.
So choosing the appropriate batteries for your off-grid system is crucial (and also maintaining the batteries alive as long as feasible is likewise critically crucial)!
You Don’t Need to Get New Overpriced Batteries
Prior to we tell you exactly what 3 batteries we recommend for your different energy system’s battery bank …
It is essential to first note that you do not have to acquire the 3 batteries we advise brand-new.
Instead, you could make use of the EZ Battery Refurbishing program to:
Get old or used batteries absolutely free (or economical).
Refurbish them back to “like-new” condition.
After that utilize those replaced (like-new) batteries in your alternate power system’s battery bank INSTEAD of purchasing new costly batteries.
Doing this will save you a significant quantity of loan when constructing a battery bank and also it aids make alternative power obtainable to those with a tighter budget!
But that still leaves the inquiries …
What are the very best batteries to make use of in your solar power, wind power, or other different power system?
In this post we’ll attempt to respond to that concern in a really basic and also straightforward manner.
Here’s exactly what we’ll discuss:.
Lead Acid-Batteries VS. Other Battery Technologies in a battery financial institution.
Deep Cycle vs. Shallow Cycle Batteries in a battery bank.
Flooded Lead-Acid Batteries (FLA) VS Secured Lead-Acid Batteries (SHANTY TOWN) in a battery bank.
And also finally, which 3 Batteries we recommend for your residential off-grid power system (based on the criteria we go over in this article).
Lead Acid-Batteries vs. Various other Battery Technologies.
A number of the batteries that are made use of in renewable energy systems were originally developed for other purposes. The most popular instance of this is the lead acid battery which has dominated the industry for a very long time.
Deep cycle lead-acid batteries have actually verified to be one of the very best (as well as most economical) battery types for alternate power system battery banks for these reasons:.
They have the ability to endure frequent discharging,.
They’re less costly compared to other kinds of batteries,.
They have much more tough resilience,.
They supply a lot more regular performance compared to various other batteries.
The fact that they are widely generated additionally means that they are fairly very easy to replace if a battery in your battery financial institution needs changing.
It ought to be noted however, that since late, lithium ion batteries for household alternate power systems, like Tesla’s Powerwall, have actually been gaining ground– yet the first financial investment right into lithium ion batteries is still much more than the initial financial investment into lead-acid batteries.
The Powerwall may ultimately transform this however right now deep cycle lead-acid batteries are the least expensive as well as most sensible option for a home battery financial institution.
Deep Cycle vs. Shallow Cycle (Cars and truck) Batteries.
Back when the renewable energy sector was still getting vapor, people that wished to go totally off the grid would frequently need to improvisate and also use car batteries. However, auto batteries were never ever developed for this function as well as shouldn’t be continually drained pipes and also reenergized (which is exactly what they should carry out in a photovoltaic panel or wind generator system).
Cars and truck batteries are intended to be utilized only for beginning as well as ignition. If you have a look inside one, you will see that they have a lot of thin plates.
These plates have a large overall surface that could promote a large number of chemical reactions. When you start your auto, these responses generate the abrupt ruptured of power that is required for ignition.
Deep cycle batteries on the various other hand, have thick lead plates that do not provide much area for chain reactions. Though they produce less current, they are made to do so for a lot longer time period.
Basically, automobile batteries are “shallow cycle” batteries that will promptly burn out when utilized as storage space for eco-friendly power.
Flooded Lead-Acid Batteries (FLA) VS Sealed Lead-Acid Batteries (SHANTY TOWN).
Prior to informing you what three batteries are best for different power system’s battery banks, it must be explained why flooded lead-acid batteries (FLA’s) are better for renewable energy compared to secured lead-acid batteries (SLA’s).
One of the reasons that some individuals favour SLA’s is since they call for little upkeep. Unlike FLA’s that should be checked frequently for water level, SLA’s that are utilized correctly could be laid off.
Nonetheless, secured lead-acid batteries have 2 huge imperfections: they are delicate as well as break rapidly. So if you’re intending on using your solar panel or wind power system each day, this will ultimately position an issue.
So, right here are the groups of swamped lead-acid batteries that are best for an off-the-grid power system:.
The 3 Best Batteries.
So since we know we desire a lead acid battery, that’s flooded (FLA), and has deep cycle buildings … below are our 3 favorite batteries for an off-grid system’s battery bank:.
1) Golf Cart Batteries.
Golf Cart BatteriesGolf cart batteries are one of the most widely produced batteries on this listing.
They additionally function fantastic in an alternate power system application. So it’s not a surprise that they are among the most frequently made use of batteries in battery financial institutions for renewable resource systems.
Although the 5 to six year life span of golf cart batteries could seem reasonably brief, golf cart batteries greater than offset their shortage in this field by being very sturdy and also low-cost (you could also use these 7 ideas to extend the life of golf cart batteries).
Additionally, golf cart batteries can also be located virtually anywhere, making them a great option for battery financial institutions.
If you actually wish to build a premium quality yet economical battery bank among the best choices is to:.
Get old or “dead” batteries from golf courses or golf cart look for cost-free … or economical (just call them and also ask if you can have their old batteries probably lying around as well as littering their shop).
Then refurbish those batteries to like-new condition with the EZ Battery Reconditioning program.
Make use of those replaced batteries in your battery financial institution.
2) Industrial or Forklift Batteries.
Forklift BatteriesA battery financial institution that uses one or more commercial batteries follows the other philosophy of a golf cart battery bank. As opposed to depending on numerous strings of smaller batteries, you make use of a few or even one battery to keep all of your power.
Due to the fact that these batteries aren’t generally produced to typical dimensions, you will certainly need to have one made that is perfect for your requirements.
Or you could try to find an old industrial or forklift battery that’s the correct size for your system as well as use that.
Like golf cart batteries, there are often ways to get cost-free or cheap forklift batteries.
One means is to phone or go to industrial firms as well as see if they have old or “dead” forklift batteries. Deal to dispose of it for them or pay them a bit. If they concur, you can then replace the battery as well as utilize it rather purchasing a new expensive commercial battery.
However if you prefer to get a brand-new custom made battery instead, you ought to expect to pay quite a bit. However fortunately is these types of batteries are typically constructed to last 15 to Twenty Years.
Other thing to consider are:.
These bigger batteries will certainly be heavier and also more difficult to move.
There may be innovations in battery innovation that might make the battery obsolete in years to come.
However if you don’t mind making a significant financial investment upfront (anywhere from $2,000 to $10,00) as well as are alright with spending time maintaining your batteries in leading problem, then industrial batteries might be best for you.
3) L16 Batteries.
L16 batteries for SolarIf you want batteries that have a little extra capability compared to golf cart batteries however do not wish to invest in industrial batteries, L16 batteries are a great middle ground.
These swamped lead-acid batteries were originally made for supermarket flooring scrubbers.
The good thing with these batteries is that they last a bit longer than golf cart batteries– concerning six to eight years. However, they are frequently two times as heavy and also the 6-volt models can be twice as costly.
Final thought.
Different houses will certainly have various power need as well as will require battery banks that are sized accordingly.
If you construct a battery financial institution utilizing any one of the 3 batteries mentioned above, you should have the ability to create a battery bank that is just right for your requirements.
There are some amazing new advancements in the battery globe for alternate power. These new items should be getting in the marketplace over the next pair years, like the lithium ion Tesla Powerwall. But currently, our three preferred batteries for domestic off-grid, alternative energy systems are golf cart batteries, L16 batteries, and industrial batteries.
And also if you’re interested in saving loan on your battery bank, you can use the EZ Battery Reconditioning program to find out how to:.
Aging or “dead” golf cart batteries, L16 batteries, or industrial batteries for free or economical.
Recondition them back to 100% of their working problem.
Use those “like-new” batteries instead of purchasing new pricey batteries to conserve a great deal of money!
Good luck with your battery bank! And Pleased Battery Reconditioning!
The “All Year Round” cauliflower seedlings are looking healthy! I always struggle with overwinter…
The “All Year Round” cauliflower seedlings are looking healthy! I always struggle with overwinter crops so I’ve got my fingers crossed for these babies! . . . #allotment #growyourown #homegrown #kitchengarden #sustainable #organic #ediblegarden #allotmentlife #gyo #gardening #autumn #urbangardenersrepublic #harvest #diy #frame #plantsupport #sustainablesprout #hydrovegan
Made a flower backdrop for a photo booth at this weekend’s wedding. Love how…
Made a flower backdrop for a photo booth at this weekend’s wedding. Love how it turned out! Thanks #teamsmff for stringing all those flowers. #flowerwall #floralinstallation #hangingflowers #flowerbackdrop . . . #Farmerflorist #smffdesigns #sustainablygrown #urbanfarming #flowerfarming #flowersofinstagram #614 #asseenincolumbus #livelocalcbus #blooms #flowersofinstagram #weddinginspo #locallygrown #smffbrides #columbusflowers #ohioflowers #supportlocal #cbusflorist #columbusflorist #ohioflorist #weddingdesigns #weddingflowers #smffblooms
Credit to @welove_chickens * If you want t-shirts, please check the link in my…
Credit to @welove_chickens * If you want t-shirts, please check the link in my bio (profile)@chickens_cute Perfect gift for your family members and friends Love to tag? Please DO⤵ : @chickensarefun #chickens_cute #chickens_cute_feature #dominiquechicken #backyardchickens #lovemychickens #crazychickenlady #chickencoop #chickenslove #rhodeislandred #fresheggsdaily #ilovemychickens COMMENT #earth #farmporn #urbanhens #life #urbanfarming #farmhouse #bufforpington #rooster #hensofinstagram #amazing #farms #chickensofinstagram
Conserve loan
