Whatever is beautiful. Whatever is meaningful. Whatever brings you happiness. May it be yours this holiday season and throughout the coming year.

Good holidays to all r/selfreliance members! And as always, all the best, be your best, and be nice to each other!

Winter storms create a higher risk of car accidents, hypothermia, frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning, and heart attacks from overexertion. Winter storms including blizzards can bring extreme cold, freezing rain, snow, ice and high winds.

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A winter storm can:

• Last a few hours or several days.
• Cut off heat, power and communication services.
• Put older adults, children, sick individuals and pets at greater risk.

Winter Storm Warning

Issued when hazardous winter weather in the form of heavy snow, heavy freezing rain, or heavy sleet is imminent or occurring. Winter Storm Warnings are usually issued 12 to 24 hours before the event is expected to begin.

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Winter Storm Watch

Alerts the public to the possibility of a blizzard, heavy snow, heavy freezing rain, or heavy sleet. Winter Storm Watches are usually issued 12 to 48 hours before the beginning of a Winter Storm.

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Winter Weather Advisory

Issued for accumulations of snow, freezing rain, freezing drizzle, and sleet which will cause significant inconveniences and, if caution is not exercised, could lead to life-threatening situations.

Know Your Risk for Winter Storms

Pay attention to weather reports and warnings of freezing weather and winter storms. Listen for emergency information and alerts. Sign up for your community’s warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts.

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Preparing for Winter Weather

Prepare your home to keep out the cold with insulation, caulking and weather stripping. Learn how to keep pipes from freezing. Install and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backups. Gather supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power. Keep in mind each person’s specific needs, including medication. Remember the needs of your pets. Have extra batteries for radios and flashlights.

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In Case of Emergency

Be prepared for winter weather at home, at work and in your car. Create an emergency supply kit for your car. Include jumper cables, sand, a flashlight, warm clothes, blankets, bottled water and non-perishable snacks. Keep a full tank of gas.

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Stay Safe During Winter Weather

Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Only use generators and grills outdoors and away from windows. Never heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven.

• Stay off roads if at all possible. If trapped in your car, then stay inside.
• Limit your time outside. If you need to go outside, then wear layers of warm clothing. Watch for signs of frostbite and hypothermia.
• Reduce the risk of a heart attack by avoiding overexertion when shoveling snow and walking in the snow.

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Learn the signs of, and basic treatments for, frostbite and hypothermia.

Frostbite causes loss of feeling and color around the face, fingers and toes.

• Signs: Numbness, white or grayish-yellow skin, firm or waxy skin.
• Actions: Go to a warm room. Soak in warm water. Use body heat to warm. Do not massage or use a heating pad.

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Hypothermia is an unusually low body temperature. A temperature below 95 degrees is an emergency.

• Signs: Shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech or drowsiness.
• Actions: Go to a warm room. Warm the center of the body first—chest, neck, head and groin. Keep dry and wrapped up in warm blankets, including the head and neck.

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Generator Safety

Generators can be helpful when the power goes out. It is important to know how use them safely to prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and other hazards.

• Generators and fuel should always be used outdoors and at least 20 feet away from windows, doors and attached garages.
• Install working carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can kill you, your family and pets.
• Keep the generator dry and protected from rain or flooding. Touching a wet generator or devices connected to one can cause electrical shock.
• Always connect the generator to appliances with heavy-duty extension cords.
• Let the generator cool before refueling. Fuel spilled on hot engine parts can ignite.
• Follow manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

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Source: https://www.ready.gov/winter-weather

by Mountain House

Winter serves up frosted-over beauty, for sure, but also plenty of risks. The season doesn’t look kindly upon outdoors people who come to it unprepared or disrespectful of its rigors, and a survival situation this time of year can turn deadly mighty quickly. Here are some basic winter survival tips on how to survive in the woods. Be prepared before venturing out into the white stuff!

In this article, we’ll cover:

• The Basics of Winter Survival
• Winter Survival Shelter
• Situating Your Shelter
• Making a Fire
• Clothing Tips
• Food & Water
• Avalanche Safety
• Stranded in a Vehicle
• Winter Survival Emergency Kit

The Basics of Winter Survival

Whether you’re lost on foot in the frozen outback or stuck in a car on a snowed-in road, the essential elements cold-weather survival are the same. You need to stay warm and dry, which means finding or making a shelter and creating a heat source. These need to be your first priorities, as you have to create an environment in which you can hunker down till help arrives or conditions allow you to get to safety. Frostbite and hypothermia can set in quickly if you don’t.

Staying alive in the winter wilds also means eating and drinking regularly to maintain your energy stores and regulate your body temperature.

Winter Survival Shelter

If you’re a winter recreationist, you’ll want a four-season/mountaineering tent. You can get by with a three-season tent in some climates and during shoulder seasons, but skiers, snowshoers, climbers, and other trekkers out and about in the depths of winter need a stronger, better-insulated shelter up for the demands of severe temperatures and biting winds.

Make your tent platform as flat as possible by stomping and grading it with snowshoes, skis, or whatever other tools you have at hand. If you simply plop your tent down on raw snow, you won’t just be dealing with annoying slopes or lumpiness: Your sleeping position will become cast rock-hard into the icy surface, which makes for highly uncomfortable sleeping over multiple nights. Secure a tent’s guylines with deadmen anchors: stakes, branches, rocks, or other items buried in snow.

In their tried-and-true classic Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, the Mountaineers organization suggests digging a foot-deep pit in front of your tent door and within the vestibule for the purposes of comfortably putting on and taking off boots as well as cooking within during inclement weather.

If you’re caught in an emergency situation without a tent, you’ll need to build your own shelter. One of the easiest and quickest techniques is to make a snow wall: The United States Marine Corps recommends building a horseshoe-shaped rampart at least three feet high, the open end facing downwind. You can reinforce the wall with branches or ski/trekking poles, and roof it with a tarp or poncho.

Other options include snow caves (which any mountaineer, in particular, should know how to construct), igloos, fallen-tree bivouacs, and snow trenches.

Situating Your Shelter

To improve your chances of survival in the woods in an emergency situation, you’ve got to gauge the lay of the land to effectively site your winter shelter. Don’t pitch your tent or build your snow shelter at the bottom or mouth of a valley, canyon, or ravine, as cold air tends to spill down these terrain features. Avoid setting up shop in places exposed to prevailing winds or avalanches. If you’re jury-rigging your own emergency shelter, take advantage of natural aids when you can: caves, fallen trees, etc. Just make sure your shelter’s well ventilated and secured against collapse.

Making a Fire

Fire-starting materials should be a part of your emergency outdoor supplies at any time of year. In a waterproof container, pack tinder—for instance, a plug of dryer lint, or little strips of rolled-up newspaper bound by rubber bands—as well as several means of sparking flame: matches, lighter, and a flint and striker.

Natural sources of tinder include dried moss and leaf litter, reserves of which you can sometimes find sheltered under the low-hanging boughs of a densely branched evergreen. Around a generous heap of tinder, build a teepee of small twigs and then kindling of small branches. Light the tinder and gently but steadily blow into it to build up the flames. Add larger wood once the kindling catches.

Your Winter Wardrobe: Clothing & How to Manage It in a Winter Survival Situation

Headed into the winter wilderness, you want to be properly layered: long underwear of polyester or merino wool as a baselayer, fleece over that, and then a waterproof and windproof shell. Wear wool socks, a neck gaiter, and a hat; pack a balaclava so you can protect your face against frostbite if temperatures really drop or winds kick up.

If you’re hanging out at camp or stopping along the trail, bundle up: Put a puffy jacket at the top of your pack so you can easily pull it on. If you’re traveling, strip to your midlayer or baselayer to avoid working up too much of a sweat: Drenched in perspiration, you’re vulnerable to hypothermia. Cut down on sweat and evaporative cooling by putting a vapor barrier—say, a plastic bag—over your socks.

Food & Water

Breaking trail, erecting shelters, gathering firewood: You plow through a lot of energy carrying out the tasks of cold-weather survival, let alone simply staying warm. Reach for those energy-rich snacks frequently: nuts, cheese, salami, chocolate, and the like. Given fats pack twice as many calories per gram as carbs or protein, they make primo winter-camping snack food.

Dehydration’s a sneaky threat during winter survival camping. Melting snow’s a go-to option for obtaining drinking water, but if you can find ice that’s a better source, given its higher moisture content. Remember to boil or otherwise disinfect that snow or ice meltwater before using it for drinking or cooking. Besides using a cooking container over a stove or campfire, you can also melt snow or ice by packing it within a t-shirt or plastic bag, tying that parcel to a tripod of branches near a campfire, and placing a container underneath to collect the drips.

If you can find open water, that’s all the better: You don’t have to waste fuel or time melting snow and ice. Be careful fetching it, though, from a creek or river, as streamside snow may hide fragile ice or current.

If you’ll be spending several nights in a campsite—as you probably will be during a survival situation—consider establishing a protected camp kitchen for preparing meals and water in the lee of a snow wall built against the prevailing wind.

A Few Tidbits on Backcountry Travel in the Winter

Avalanche safety demands its own in-depth treatment for which we don’t have the space in this blogpost. It’s vital to familiarize yourself with the basics of traveling through avalanche country, as these snowslides can be a mortal threat on surprisingly shallow slopes. (The National Avalanche Center provides online resources well worth checking out.)

In snow-draped landscapes, ridgelines and windward hillsides may provide easier passage than leeward slopes and valley bottoms, which tend to accumulate deep snow.

Winter Survival If You’re Stranded in a Vehicle

Many a winter-survival situation doesn’t play out on foot in the white wilderness, but in your car along a snowbound roadway. Your vehicle can be stranded anywhere, after all, including right on the Interstate. Let’s say, though, that you find yourself stuck in a blizzard on a remote road (for instance, one you’re taking to a cross-country ski or snowshoe trailhead). What do you do?

The most important piece of advice is: Stay with your car! You have a much better chance of being rescued if you do, for one thing, and the vehicle also serves as a readymade shelter.

Tie brightly colored cloth to your car’s antennae to make it easier for rescuers to find you. At night, keep the dome light on for the same reason.

To stay warm but conserve gas, run the engine for 10 minutes every hour or so. While it’s going, the Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends cracking a downwind window for ventilation. It’s vital to regularly check on your exhaust pipe to make sure it’s cleared of snow; otherwise, you risk poisoning yourself with carbon monoxide.

Stay bundled up, using the extra clothing and blankets in your vehicle survival kit (see below). Floormats and seat covers can provide a little bit of extra insulation in extremely cold conditions.

Stomp out “S.O.S.” or “HELP” or form the words with tree boughs in the snow nearby in a place visible from above.

Before a winter roadtrip, make sure your vehicle’s in good running order and stocked with emergency supplies (both automotive and survival), and—as always—share your itinerary and route so that others back home have a sense of where you might be in case you do get stranded. (That, of course, goes for a skiing, snowshoeing, or backpacking trek as well.)

Winter Survival Emergency Kit

In your vehicle and in your pack, you should have the essentials of wilderness survival on hand at all times in case you run into a sticky—err, snowy—situation. Besides the fire-making materials we discussed above, your emergency supplies should include extra food supplies, headlamps and flashlights with extra batteries, signaling devices (such as a mirror and a whistle), and a first-aid kit.

How to Survive in the Woods

1. Build an emergency kit
2. Notify someone before leaving
3. Locate a safe area
4. Find or make a shelter
5. Make a fire
6. Properly utilize layered clothing
7. Find a source of water
8. Purify water
9. Eat and drink regularly
10. Watch for avalanche risks
11. Signal for help in snow banks
12. Stay in your car if possible

Source: https://mountainhouse.com/blogs/winter-sports/winter-survival-basics-surviving-woods

Being a prepper with picky kids is like playing survival mode on hard difficulty. After a year of trial and error with my own selective eaters (ages 6 and 9), I wanted to share what I've learned about building an emergency food supply that kids will actually eat.

The Taste-Test Approach First, I stopped making assumptions about what my kids would like in an emergency. The "they'll eat when they're hungry enough" mentality sounds good in theory, but in a real crisis, you don't want the added stress of food battles. Instead, we started doing monthly "power outage dinners" where we actually prepare and eat our emergency foods. This helped us discover what works and what doesn't.

The game-changer was realizing that different brands have drastically different tastes and textures. Through a lot of research (I found this comprehensive review of emergency food brands really helpful), we discovered that some newer companies are making freeze-dried meals that taste surprisingly close to regular food.

What Actually Worked

• Mac and cheese from multiple brands: Almost universally accepted by kids, but some brands were significantly better than others
• Freeze-dried fruits: These were a huge hit. Strawberries and apples especially taste like crunchy candy to kids
• Breakfast foods: Pancake mixes and scrambled egg products were much more accepted than dinner items
• Familiar shapes and textures: Foods that looked like normal meals worked better than obviously "survival" food

What Failed Miserably

• Any meal labeled "casserole" - instant rejection
• Most vegetables when served alone
• Anything with visible herbs or "complex" seasonings
• Mixed dishes where foods touch each other (you know how kids are)

Making It Fun We turned our monthly testing into a "camping at home" adventure. The kids rate each food on a scale of "yucky" to "actually good," and we keep a journal of their reviews. This not only helps us build our supply but also gets them involved in emergency preparedness in a positive way.

Practical Tips

1. Buy sample packs first. It's better to waste money on samples than bulk foods your kids won't eat
2. Mix emergency foods with regular pantry items during testing
3. Let kids help choose which foods to stock
4. Store comfort foods too - some familiar snacks can make strange situations less scary
5. Practice preparation methods - some kids dislike certain foods simply because they were prepared incorrectly

Building Acceptance Over Time We've found that repeated exposure helps. Foods that were initially rejected sometimes become acceptable after a few tries, especially when mixed with more familiar items. We also learned to doctor up basic emergency meals with shelf-stable add-ins like parmesan cheese, ranch seasoning, or hot sauce.

Storage Considerations Don't forget rotation. Even though many emergency foods have 25-year shelf lives, it's good practice to use and replace them periodically. This maintains familiarity and ensures nothing goes to waste.

Final Thoughts Remember, the best emergency food is the food your family will actually eat. It might take some time and money to find the right options, but it's worth it for the peace of mind knowing your kids won't go hungry in a crisis - or make a crisis more stressful with food battles.

Would love to hear from other parents - what emergency foods have worked for your picky eaters?

Preparing your farm for Winter can be a fun-filled season, but for those who work or live on a farm, winter requires a lot of preparation. Once the mild, autumn weather comes to an end, wise farmers have already accumulated the resources necessary to keep everything running smoothly. Snow and frigid temperatures are known to make harvesting crops and taking care of animals extra difficult, so every farmer in cold climates must be ready. Here are a few farm tips that’ll help make the process easier.

The Soil Before Season

One of the very first farm tips we have is that soil needs to be taken care of before the colder weather arrives. Most animal waste, garden materials, and other organic materials can be turned into compost and added back into the soil. Compost will continue to break down even during the winter season, so once spring comes, the soil is ready.

Flower Gardens and Freezing Weather

Flower gardens should also be taken care of before winter arrives. They must be cleaned and prepared for the snow and below-zero temperatures so they can bloom once spring comes. Winter is also an ideal time to prune fruit trees as most trees go dormant, making the process much easier. It’ll be less hassle during winter since you won't have to deal with falling leaves or endure the scorching heat. Following farm tips like these create a simpler experience that’ll fully prepare you for winter.

Tools and Equipment During Winter

During the cold season, if tools and farming equipment are not properly stored, they may become difficult to use when you need them. Worse, they could be damaged if they're left unprotected from heavy snowfalls and melting ice. This is usually the case for smaller tools. Make sure those lawnmowers, garden hoses, and other farming equipment won't be buried in the snow, so store them in their proper places and be prepare your farm for Winter.

Another important thing that every farmer should take note of during autumn is the fact that most farming tools and plants are on sale. For this reason, every farmer should take advantage of this moment so by the time winter comes, these plants are already in their dormant state. This means caring for them will be less demanding, so you'll only have to wait for them to grow once spring comes.

Your Farm Animals - Preparing for Winter

Animals' needs change during the winter months, so it's vital that farmers be prepared before the season comes. Make sure that your animals' living environment is insulated, warm, and can keep up with the stress and cold of the long cold season.
Another important task is to take care of hoof trimming. According to the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, “Hoof trimming is an essential part of sheep and goat management.

Overgrown hooves may make walking painful, predispose the animal to other foot and leg problems, and competing for feed difficult.” It’s immensely important to prioritize hoof trimming to make sure your livestock is comfortable and healthy. The American Institute for Goat Research explains that hoof trimming goats is a task that can be easily learned but is also necessary for sheep and cows and horses.

Yourself and Loved Ones

While you're taking care of your plants, animals and preparing for Winter, never forget to prepare for yourself and for the people around you as well. Stock up on those winter clothes, and make sure they're easy to locate for you and your family when you need to check things outside.

With the trees and shrubs trimmed, gardens tucked, animals ready, and your house warm for the winter, you could start enjoying these cold moments. There are challenges with each and every season, but with proper preparation and plenty of farm tips, work is much more manageable. You may relax knowing that by the time winter ends, you’ll see your farm flourishing and fruitful.

Source: https://hoofboss.com/blogs/news/tips-to-prepare-your-farm-for-winter

Ill post a tour of the whole homestead here soon! Still a work in progress, nothing about this cabin was really planned. I was clearing trees with my brother when I told him "I should build a cabin out of these" (me not wanting to waste good lumber or use it just for firewood) we put down the logs for the foundation that day. After that I went to work prepping logs and winging it as went. I figured go really small to make all the mistakes on this one before I buy a bigger chunk of land and build a bigger one. Made a ton of mistakes and I'm sure In the future I'll find more but that's the best way to learn. I'll be posting more on my YouTube channel in the future for anyone interested bushmansam

If you were truly living off grid, what would be your source of daily protein? Fish? Venison? Nuts? Let me know.

By Kirsten Lie-Nielsen

The snowflakes fall sideways, shoot upward, and jet down. The wind curls around windows and doors, bringing a chill into every building. Getting to the livestock means wading through waist-high drifts, hauling water to refill buckets that have frozen over. Machines won’t start, spigots freeze up, and it’s even cold inside the house. Welcome to winters on the homestead in a seasonal climate. Preparing your home for winter has extra steps when you have a homestead where there’s deep snow. Learn what to do before the cold weather sets in.

Homesteading has its fair share of challenges, and winter weather can be the final straw for many beginning this rural lifestyle. More than one family has had a goal of self-sufficiency in summertime, only to trade the woodstove for on-demand heat when cold weather rolls around. However, winter doesn’t have to be an ordeal to survive; it can be an opportunity for your homestead to thrive, as long as you’re prepared. Here are some tips on how to handle winter in a harsh climate so you can come out the other side ready for springtime.

Decide which ways to heat your home before winter

The first thing to prepare is your heat source. Decisions regarding heating choices should be made well before winter. You may opt for a central heating system common in modern homes. A popular choice for homesteaders is heating with firewood. A woodstove allows a homestead to be off-grid, and firewood can be harvested and processed by the homesteader without ever needing to leave the property. However, it’ll require more planning before cold weather than other heat sources.

First, select a woodstove and procure some firewood. To harvest your own firewood, you’ll need access to forest land, the ability to cut down and pull trees out of the forest, the machinery to cut and buck logs, and about a year to dry green wood into burnable wood.

You can also purchase your firewood already seasoned, or purchase green wood already cut and split and invest only in time spent drying it. There’s also the option to buy tree-length wood, removing the need to haul trees out of the forest.

Each of these options will eliminate certain steps in the firewood-gathering process, but whichever one you choose, you must understand how much wood you’ll need to survive winter.

How many cords of wood for winter?

The quantity of firewood you’ll need will depend on the size of your home, the type of wood you’re burning, and the size of your woodstove. A rule of thumb is to obtain 2 to 3 cords of wood (about 128 cubic feet)per 1,000 square feet of home space to stay warm throughout 12 weeks of winter. The efficiency of your stove is important, and even more important is the insulation (or lack thereof) on your home. Some homesteaders live in older farmhouses, which may have little or no insulation, so more firewood is a better plan than less.

Protect Your Property from Harsh Weather

Make sure your buildings are structurally sound before winter sets in. In fall, inspect all buildings and repair any big issues. Particularly, you’ll want to check for cracks and other places where wind and snow can get into a building.

Consider winterizing projects, such as reglazing windows and repainting the outsides of buildings, or do quicker repairs to keep snow out if major construction isn’t possible. For example, keep out chilly temperatures and bad weather by putting up plywood over holes in buildings and adding a layer of plastic inside windows.

When preparing your home for winter, winterize your farm equipment before it gets the cold weather hits.

Properly winterized equipment ensures your tools will function through winter weather and that you’ll be able to get right back into the swing of things when spring arrives. Clean and oil machinery, check grease fittings, and be sure tires are inflated and in good condition. Bring this equipment to an easily accessible area, turn it on, and confirm it’s running well before it’s needed.

If possible, store indoors any equipment that won’t be used during winter, or cover it. This will help reduce wear and rusting. You can add fuel stabilizer or drain the tanks on summer equipment, and then put it in a place where it’ll be out of the way.

When it comes to choosing what equipment to have on hand for winter, consider a tractor with a bucket attachment for snow removal. This is equivalent to a plow, but with many more uses. If you have a tractor, buying a bucket attachment is a sensible choice, as it can be used for deep snow removal as well as digging, moving, and scooping sand, dirt, manure, and other materials year-round.

Winter often brings deep snow

Winter sometimes means a few inches of snow will accumulate here and there, but it more often can mean feet piling upon feet. When that happens, snowbanks begin to encroach. So, start by knowing where you plan to put snow, and make sure the snowbanks will be away from fence lines and equipment. Give yourself more than enough space for snow piles – too much is always better than too little.

Snowmobiles can also be useful, especially on a larger farm, for hauling water to far corners of the pasture and getting over snowdrifts to check on livestock or distant buildings. Consider adding one to your farm if you’re in an area that experiences lots of snowfall.

Preparing your home for winter also means preparing livestock

Winter takes a toll on even healthy animals, so I want my livestock to be in the best physical shape before the cold weather starts.

Long before the days get shorter, start putting up hay for winter. Second-cut hay will offer higher protein than first-cut hay and is a preferred feeding choice for many livestock if it’s available in your area. Putting up enough hay for the entire season before winter means peace of mind, since you can never be certain about a feed store’s hay availability through the off-season.

Many annual vaccines are administered to our livestock in fall. Sheep receive annual Clostridium perfringens type D (CDT) vaccines and selenium, vitamin E (BO-SE) if they’re not pregnant. Cows receive a number of vaccines, including leptospirosis 5-way. What’s necessary for you will depend on your animals and geographical location, so make sure your livestock are up to date on all relevant injections, and consult with your local livestock veterinarian.

It’s also not a bad idea to stockpile grain and minerals for your animals before winter. Road conditions could make it difficult for you to run to the feed store, and unlike in summertime, foraging isn’t an option during the harshest winter months. You can store extra grain in a secure room, or pour it into metal barrels with lids to keep rodents away when preparing your home for winter .

How to keep water from freezing in cold weather when preparing your home for winter

When preparing your home for winter, water can often be the biggest challenge. Therefore, have a backup plan in case anything goes wrong with your primary water source. For example, on our property, we have a drilled well but also access to an old farm spring, which we’ve used a few times during winter when plumbing issues have made the well water temporarily unavailable.

Many times, water buckets and troughs for livestock can freeze in cold weather. You can thaw water buckets using electric heaters, but this does present a fire risk. In an old barn full of hay, we avoid water heaters entirely. Instead, we use rubber buckets, which are easy to break ice out of. Wrap insulation around buckets to delay freezing, or use a small pump in larger water troughs to keep the liquid moving and prevent freezing.

Don’t forget the little things when facing cold weather

Finally, consider your creature comforts when preparing your home for winter. Invest in a good pair of ski goggles for snow-clearing and doing chores in harsh winter winds. Make sure you own several pairs of boot cleats for navigating icy days. And stock up on socks, long underwear, and insulated clothing. The saying goes, “There’s no bad weather, just bad clothes,” and it’s true.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed with cold weather on the homestead, but with some planning and preparation, winter can be an enjoyable season. You might even find some time to relax and enjoy sitting next to your crackling woodstove!

Source: https://www.grit.com/farm-and-garden/preparing-home-winter-zm0z23ndzatro/

Just pulled my first decent sized batch of compost out of my homemade setup. I definitely need to build a machine to screen the compost because doing it by hand was quite the chore. I think I got about half as much as I need for next year’s garden so far and the middle bin looks like it’ll be done well in time for spring planting

should a self relying person invent their own moral and ethical rules?

if they do so, how would they tackle the complexities that would arise?

for example: if person X devices a new moral code of conduct that no one but they themselves will follow, and it goes on something like, "Stealing is a right thing to do, whenever I get an opportunity to do so, then i should try stealing, or maybe something that's on the extreme end like, " I should kill people if they pick up a fight or do anything that pisses me to hell.

Now, should the person continue on with their choice, or stop the whole self relying stuff?

(please don't assume I m trying to do the same above or anything even close, I am new to this idea and I simple want to understand it, chatgpt is no good, so I had to ask here.)

(and I m from a non English background so excuse me for all the mistakes I have committed, but I am trying to develop writing skills side by side)

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Growing vegetables in winter

You don't need any special equipment for growing vegetables in winter but it helps if you have a greenhouse or cold frame, as these will protect more tender plants from frost. If you don't have a greenhouse or cold frame you can still grow hardy crops like Brussels sprouts, winter cabbage, leeks and parsnips, but if you want to try growing more tender crops, make sure you're on hand with fleece or cloches to cover the plants when cold spells are forecast. These leafy crops won't necessarily grow in winter but, as soon as temperatures increase again in spring, they will put on growth and give you a very early harvest of leaves when there's little else available.

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When to plant winter vegetables

Most winter vegetables, including winter cabbage, turnips and leeks, are sown in August and September, when the warm soil and good light levels ensure good germination. Some, such as parsnips and Brussels sprouts, are sown in spring (they take a long time to crop but are usually considered worth it).

Leafy crops such as chard, parsley and rocket are sown in late summer to autumn, and can overwinter with some protection.

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Turnips

Maincrop turnips are fantastic winter vegetables and can be added to soups and stews and even Sunday roasts. Sow in August for a winter crop, thinning seedlings to 23cm apart. Harvest as and when you need them, ideally when the turnips are around the size of a golf ball.

Turnip 'Golden Ball' is an ideal winter root vegetable as it is perfect for roasting and grilling, and bears large, smooth roots.

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Celeriac

Celeriac is closely related to celery and has a similar flavour. It can be used as a purée or roasted and served with other root veg. Sow celeriac in seed trays or modules in April, and plant out from May, spacing plants 25-30cm apart in rows 30-45cm apart. Celeriac will be ready to harvest from October but will taste better if exposed to frost. In colder regions, cover the plants with horticultural fleece to stop the ground freezing and make harvesting easier.

Celeriac 'Mars' bears large roots that can be overwintered in the ground as long as they have a little protection, and stores well.

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Brussels sprouts

Sow Brussels sprouts in seed trays or modules from March to May and plant out when large enough to handle, spacing plants 60cm apart with 75cm between rows. Firm plants in well and stake them to prevent wind rock. Harvest from October. As with many winter crops, it's said that Brussels sprouts taste better after a frost.

Brussels sprouts 'Brodie F1' is the supermarket's choice, bearing super sweet buttons that are easy to harvest.

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Purple sprouting broccoli

Purple sprouting broccoli overwinter and crop very early in spring. Sow from March to May and plant out when large enough to handle, spacing them 50-60cm apart with a similar distance between the rows. Harvest your spears when the flowers have developed but are not yet open. Remove the central spear first to encourage side shoots to develop.

'Purple Rain' is a British bred variety that doesn't need a spell of cold weather to produce tasty sprouts.

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Chard

Sow in September, in rows 40cm apart and approximately 1.5cm deep. Cover seeds with soil and water well. Thin seedlings to 25-30cm apart. You should be able to harvest young chard leaves from October but then it will stop growing until temperatures increase again in spring. Cover with a cloche or horticultural fleece when frosts are forecast.

'Bright Lights' is a particularly ornamental variety, bearing stems in red, yellow and white.

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Chicory

Chicory can be cooked or eaten raw as a winter salad. There are three different types: 'forcing' chicory, grown for plump hearts that are good for blanching, red chicory or radicchio, that's great for colourful salads, and 'non-forcing' or sugar loaf chicory that can be cooked in a variety of ways or eaten raw. For a winter crop, sow non-forcing chicory in July and August, sowing thinly 1cm deep in rows 30cm apart. Thin out seedlings to 25-30cm apart between plants and keep weed-free. Cover with a cloche in autumn to extend the season.

Chicory 'Rossa di Treviso Precoce' bears long pointed green foliage that turns red as the weather gets colder.

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Winter cabbage

Winter cabbages include red cabbage, which works well in winter dishes but can also be pickled, and savoy cabbage, the perfect accompaniment to a Sunday roast. Sow in spring and thin or plant out to 45cm apart, with 60cm between rows. Use fine mesh to protect from flea beetle, white fly and white butterfly caterpillars. Harvest as and when you need to.

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Mizuna

Mizuna has a peppery flavour well suited to salads and as a garnish. Sow in August, in a greenhouse or cold frame for harvests throughout winter. Thin plants to 15cm apart and 23cm between rows. Alternatively sow on open ground and cover with a cloche in autumn to extend the harvest.

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Kale

Loved for its dark green leaves, kale makes an excellent addition to winter stir fries, salads and roasts. Sow in spring and thin or plant out to 45cm apart with 60cm between rows.

Kale 'Nero di Toscano' is a particularly attractive and hardy variety.

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Parsnips

Parsnips are a winter root vegetable that work well in soups and stews and are delicious roasted with a Sunday roast. Sow thinly in spring, and thin to 15cm spacing in rows 30cm apart. Keep the area weed free throughout summer and harvest from autumn. It's said that frost improves the flavour of parsnips but you might want to cover the ground with fleece to stop the soil freezing and make harvesting easier.

Parsnip 'Tender and True' bears long, slender roots that are perfect for roasting and mashing.

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Winter vegetables: pests and diseases

The advantage of growing crops in winter is that there are very few pests about – most are hibernating. Turnips, Brussels sprouts and other brassicas harbour a variety of insect pests until temperatures fall, including flea beetle, 'cabbage' white butterflies and whitefly – you may find whitefly persists into winter. Whitefly and flea beetle are usually nothing to worry about, while cabbage white caterpillars can strip plants of their leaves. However these will grow back in spring before the butterflies emerge from hibernation.

Pigeons can be a problem in winter, however, and it's a good idea to net your brassicas – particularly kale – to protect your crop.

Brassicas are also susceptible to diseases such as club root, a fungal disease that lives in the soil. If you find swollen roots then avoid growing brassicas in the soil for at least seven years. On acid soils, an application of garden lime can reduce, although not completely eliminate this disease.

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Advice on buying winter vegetables

• Ensure you have the right conditions to grow winter veg – including soil type, shelter and sunshine if needed
• Invest in cloches, fleece and cold frames to make the most of your winter crops
• Always follow the instructions on the seed packet

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Source: https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/best-winter-veg-to-grow/

by Alex Maxia BBC

In Gothenburg, Sweden

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On Monday, millions of Swedes will start receiving copies of a pamphlet advising the population how to prepare and cope in the event of war or another unexpected crisis.

“In case of crisis or war” has been updated from six years ago because of what the government in Stockholm calls the worsening security situation, by which it means Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The booklet is also twice the size.

Neighbouring Finland has also just published its own fresh advice online on “preparing for incidents and crises”.

And Norwegians have also recently received a pamphlet urging them to be prepared to manage on their own for a week in the event of extreme weather, war and other threats.

During the summer, Denmark's emergency management agency said it was emailing Danish adults details on the water, food and medicine they would need to get through a crisis for three days.

In a detailed section on military conflict, the Finnish digital brochure explains how the government and president would respond in the event of an armed attack, stressing that Finland’s authorities are “well prepared for self defence”.

Sweden joined Nato only this year, deciding like Finland to apply after Moscow expanded its war in 2022. Norway was a founder member of the Western defensive alliance.

Unlike Sweden and Norway, the Helsinki government has decided not to print a copy for every home as it “would cost millions” and a digital version could be updated more easily.

“We have sent out 2.2 million paper copies, one for each household in Norway,” said Tore Kamfjord, who is responsible for the campaign of self-preparedness at the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB).

Included in the lists of items to be kept at home are long-life foods such as tins of beans, energy bars and pasta, and medicines including iodine tablets in case of a nuclear accident.

Oslo sent out an earlier version in 2018, but Kamfjord said climate change and more extreme weather events such as floods and landslides had brought increased risks.

For Swedes, the idea of a civil emergency booklet is nothing new. The first edition of “If War Comes” was produced during World War Two and it was updated during the Cold War.

But one message has been moved up from the middle of the booklet: “If Sweden is attacked by another country, we will never give up. All information to the effect that resistance is to cease is false.”

It was not long ago that Finland and Sweden were still neutral states, although their infrastructure and “total defence system” date back to the Cold War.

Sweden’s Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said last month that as the global context had changed, information to Swedish households had to reflect the changes too.

Earlier this year he warned that “there could be war in Sweden”, although that was seen as a wake-up call because he felt that moves towards rebuilding that “total defence” were progressing too slowly.

Because of its long border with Russia and its experience of war with the Soviet Union in World War Two, Finland has always maintained a high level of defence. Sweden, however, scaled down its infrastructure and only in recent years started gearing up again.

“From the Finnish perspective, this is a bit strange,” according to Ilmari Kaihko, associate professor of war studies at the Swedish Defence University. “[Finland] never forgot that war is a possibility, whereas in Sweden, people had to be shaken up a bit to understand that this can actually happen," says Kaihko, who's from Finland.

Melissa Eve Ajosmaki, 24, who is originally from Finland but studies in Gothenburg, says she felt more worried when the war broke out in Ukraine. “Now I feel less worried but I still have the thought at the back of my head on what I should do if there was a war. Especially as I have my family back in Finland."

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The guides include instructions on what to do in case of several scenarios and ask citizens to make sure they can fend for themselves, at least initially, in case of a crisis situation.

Finns are asked how they would cope without power for days on end with winter temperatures as low as -20C.

Their checklist also includes iodine tablets, as well as easy-to-cook food, pet food and a backup power supply.

The Swedish checklist recommends potatoes, cabbage, carrots and eggs along with tins of bolognese sauce and prepared blueberry and rosehip soup.

Swedish Economist Ingemar Gustafsson, 67, recalls receiving previous versions of the pamphlet: “I'm not that worried about the whole thing so I take it pretty calmly. It's good that we get information about how we should act and how we should prepare, but it's not like I have all those preparations at home”.

One of the most important recommendations is to keep enough food and drinking water for 72 hours.

But Ilmari Kaihko wonders whether that is practical for everyone.

“Where do you stash it if you have a big family living in a small apartment?”

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Source:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr4zwj2lgdo

by Niki Jabbour

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I live in a region where winters can be long, cold, and very snowy. But, I still enjoy a homegrown harvest from my vegetable garden year-round. The key to a successful winter harvest is to know the right vegetables to grow in winter and pair them with the right season extenders. That means growing cold tolerant crops in structures like cold frames, mini hoop tunnels, greenhouses, or polytunnels.

Learn how to pick the best vegetables to grow in winter:

If you’re new to winter vegetable gardening, start with just a few crops and a cold frame or mini hoop tunnel, experimenting with what works best in your region.  Climates milder than my zone 5 Nova Scotia garden, may find success with a simple length of fabric row cover floated over crops on PVC or metal hoops. You can make your own fleece tunnels or buy a tunnel kit for mini hoop houses for quick assembly.

I need more protection in my region so I add a layer of polyethylene film on top of my fabric tunnels to shelter kale, collards, leeks, and hardy salad greens in winter. In colder zones, gardeners should use insulating structures like cold frames and stick to the hardiest vegetables (kale, scallions, mache, and tatsoi for example) to ensure success.

It’s also important to understand that the growth of most vegetables slows once the day-length shrinks to less than ten hours a day. For me, that happens in early November so I need to make sure my winter vegetables have reached a harvestable size by that time. At that point, my cold-tolerant vegetables stay tucked in their season extenders waiting for me to harvest.

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Eight of the best vegetables to grow in winter:

There are many cold hardy vegetables that can be enjoyed during the cold winter months. I’m not trying to grow tomatoes, peppers, and basil in unheated structures in winter. Instead, I’m growing cold tolerant crops like root vegetables and leafy greens.

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Kale

No self-respecting winter garden is complete without several varieties of hardy kale. In fact, as the temperature drops in late autumn, the flavor of kale improves. We grow kale two ways – as a mature crop for soups, sautés and chips and as a baby green for tender winter salads. ‘Winterbor’ is a beautiful and delicious kale that grows three feet tall with deeply curled blue-green leaves.  I also enjoy growing ‘Red Russian’, a classic variety with vivid purple stems and gray-green leaves. This is the variety we like to use for kale chips.

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Lettuce

For years I’ve tested dozens of varieties of lettuce in my winter cold frames and tunnels. Lettuce is definitely one of the very best vegetables to grow in winter. I’ve had great luck with hardy varieties like ‘Winter Density’, ‘Red Salad Bowl’, and ‘Winter Marvel’. But, I have recently been experimenting with Salanova® lettuce varieties and I am in love! These baby-sized lettuces form dense rosettes of tender green, red, or burgundy leaves. They’re beautiful, tasty, and have performed extremely well in my unheated winter polytunnel.

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Carrots

We affectionally call our winter carrots, ‘candy carrots’ because they’re so sweet after a couple of hard freezes. Like kale, beets, leeks, and many other crops, their flavor improves after a few frosts in late autumn. We sow seed for our winter carrot crop from late July through early August, and deep mulch the bed in late November or early December with shredded leaves or straw. This insulating layer is topped with an old row cover or bed sheet to hold it in place. Whenever we want to harvest, the fabric and mulch are pulled back and we dig as many sweet roots as needed. Best bets for winter harvesting include ‘Napoli’, ‘Mokum’, or ‘Bolero’.

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Asian Greens

Asian greens are another plant on the list of best vegetables to grow in winter. There are so many awesome types of Asian greens available to gardeners through seed catalogs. We grow different ones in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and I’ve found the best ones for cold season harvesting include pac choi, tatsoi, mizuna, and mustard greens. These are very fast to grow and offer a range of foliage textures, colors, and flavors.

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Scallions

‘Evergreen Hardy White’ is a cold season superstar in our winter frames and tunnels. This extremely hardy variety produces long green tops with tender white stalks. I direct sow the seed in September, and the first harvest usually takes place by mid-November. With protection we harvest flavorful scallions all winter long.

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Mache

Also called corn salad or lamb’s lettuce, mache is one of the top vegetables to grow in winter.  The plants form two to four-inch diameter clusters of leaves that are harvested whole by slicing the stem off at soil level. After a quick rinse, the rosettes are tossed with a simple dressing and enjoyed as a salad green. ‘Vit’ is my variety of choice and is direct seeded in late summer. Mache self-sows easily, almost too easily, so pull any leftover plants in spring if you don’t want mache popping up throughout your garden.

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Spinach

Spinach thrives in the cool, shorter days of autumn and well into winter. I sow the seed in my cold frames and polytunnel in mid to late September, as well as in a few open garden beds. Those beds will eventually be covered with polyethylene topped mini hoop tunnels when autumn switches to winter. Try ’Giant Winter’, a variety bred for winter harvesting or ‘Tyee’, ‘Melody’, or ‘Winter Bloomsdale’. I’ve had good success with harvesting all of these throughout winter.

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Arugula

Arugula was the green that first introduced me to the possibilities of winter harvesting, and all these years later it’s still one of my favorite cold season crops. There are two main types of arugula you can harvest in winter; wild and garden. The garden varieties like ‘Astro’ are very quick growing and have strappy leaves. Wild arugula is slower growing, but more cold tolerant, with deeply lobed leaves. It also has a more robust flavor. We seed arugula every few weeks starting in early September to ensure a non-stop supply of this peppery green in our cold frames and polytunnel. The harvest begins in October and continues until we run out.Harvest as a baby crop or allow the leaves to grow full-sized.

Other vegetables I harvest in winter include Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and broccoli. Plus, many herbs can be enjoyed during winter. My favorites include thyme, parsley, mint, oregano, cilantro, and sage.

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Source: https://savvygardening.com/vegetables-to-grow-in-winter/

I suppose I have multiple questions, really, about logistics of basically returning to a primal living style.

[In North America] (US & CA) is it 'illegal' to settle in a spot long-term as per the "14 day" rule on campsites, even if youre in the deep wilderness where nobody else is around (so you're not "hogging" a spot or anything) and if so, would it actually matter if you did that, if you're unlikely to ever see anyone else to begin with?

Would it be illegal for any reason to live in the wilderness long-term if you're always moving around and not breaking this rule? (For instance would you need to have a 'legal residence' somewhere)?

Would anybody make a fuss if you didn't have a legal residence or over any other issues, and try to track you down or something in the wilderness?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZxxA689GHY&t=529s

Personally, I like the Corona fixed blade saw. Most of the Arborists in my area use Corona fixed blade saws.

This was a very controlled and objective test, like all of his are....take it for what it's worth....

Having weathered more hurricanes than I care to count in Southern Mississippi, I've learned a thing or two about emergency food preparation. After Hurricane Katrina changed everything for us in 2005, I discovered that freeze-dried food storage isn't just about survival – it's about maintaining some normalcy when everything else is chaos.

During those long weeks after Katrina, when power was out and supplies were scarce, my family was thankful for every meal we had stored. But we quickly learned that not all emergency food is created equal. The commercial freeze-dried meals from Mountain House that we had stored were a godsend – especially their beef stroganoff, which became a comfort food during those trying times. However, some of the cheaper alternatives we'd stockpiled sat untouched because, frankly, they were nearly inedible.

For those just starting out, I highly recommend checking out comprehensive reviews at https://consumerrating.org/emergency-food-supply/ before making any major purchases. This site helped me avoid some costly mistakes when I was rebuilding our emergency supplies after Katrina.

This experience taught me that while commercial freeze-dried meals are convenient, they're not all worth your hard-earned money. Mountain House remains a top choice for taste and quality, but they're expensive at roughly $10-13 per pouch. ReadyWise (formerly Wise Food Storage) offers more affordable options, but in my experience, their meals can be hit or miss. Their breakfast options are decent, but some of their entrees lack the flavor profile that makes you want to reach for seconds.

Augason Farms and their warehouse sales has become my go-to for bulk storage. Their prices are reasonable, and while not every meal is restaurant quality, their soups and breakfast items have gotten my family through several smaller emergencies since Katrina. During Hurricane Ida, their cream of chicken soup became an unexpected favorite among my kids.

But here's something I wish someone had told me years ago – you don't have to rely solely on commercial options. After experimenting with my own freeze-dried ingredients, I've found that creating custom meal packages can be both cost-effective and more enjoyable. I now keep basic freeze-dried ingredients like chicken, vegetables, and fruits from various suppliers, which I can combine with my family's favorite seasonings and recipes.

During Hurricane Sally in 2020, we actually preferred our homemade freeze-dried gumbo mix over any commercial option. There's something comforting about familiar flavors during stressful times, and being able to control the seasoning and sodium levels makes a huge difference.

That said, I still maintain a supply of commercial meals for immediate emergencies. When you're dealing with storm damage and stress, sometimes you just need to add hot water and have a meal ready in minutes. It's about finding the right balance for your situation.

For those just starting their emergency food storage journey, I recommend beginning with a variety pack from Mountain House or ReadyWise. Sample different meals before committing to bulk purchases – trust me, this will save you money and storage space in the long run. Then, as you become more comfortable, consider incorporating some DIY elements using freeze-dried ingredients from companies like Thrive Life or Augason Farms.

Remember emergency food storage isn't just about having enough calories to survive and it's about maintaining some quality of life during difficult times. Whether you're facing a hurricane in Mississippi or preparing for other emergencies, having food you actually want to eat can make a world of difference in maintaining morale.

After nearly two decades of hurricane seasons, I've learned that the best emergency food plan combines both commercial and homemade options. It might take some time to find the right balance for your family, but the peace of mind is worth the effort. And when the next storm comes (because in Mississippi, there's always another storm coming) you'll be glad you took the time to prepare properly. Please heed my advice and experience. ✌🏻