Tag Archives: homesteading

Episode-832- Darby Simpson on Full Time “Beyound Organic” Farming

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Modern Survival| 43 Comments
Episode-832- Darby Simpson on Full Time "Beyound Organic" Farming [ 1:25:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
A Pigs Life is a Good One at Simpson Family Farm

A Pigs Life is a Good One at Simpson Family Farm

Darby Simpson is the owner of Simpson Family Farm, a 7th generation family farm (1828-present) and a lifelong Indiana resident Darby grew up not realy learning anything about farming, became a mechanical engineer.

He worked in the engineering field from 1994-2010.  Began small scale pastured based meat farming (Joel Salatin style) in 2007.  Grew the business while continuing to work off farm full time. In 2010 like many Americans he lost his job due to the recession and took the farm full time.  The farm now provides his family with a full time income.

Darby’s family began homeschooling in 2011, and his family is now together everyday.   In his words.

“We have a blessed life.  I feel like Neo in the Matrix: I’ve unplugged from what society told me my life was supposed to look like – public school, college, cubical, fast food lifestyle.”

Today he joins us to discuss small scale, beyond organic production of pastured based meats & eggs (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, eggs) for the homesteader or for someone looking to begin their own business (full or part time).

 

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Episode-792- Making Soap, Knives and Modern Homesteading with Patrick and Emily Roehrman

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Modern Survival| 19 Comments
Episode-792- Making Soap, Knives and Modern Homesteading with Patrick and Emily Roehrman [ 1:01:22 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Patrick and Emily Roehrman

Today we are  going to have a first ever interview.  Patrick and Emily Roehrman came down to the Spirko homestead to do an interview about making soap, basic homesteading, knife making and home schooling with a large family.

Patrick of course is the knife maker that made my custom made mammoth tusk neck knife.  Emily maintains a website where they sell their soap at SimplyCleansing.com and you can learn more about Patrick’s knife making at MT Knives.

During the interview you will notice some “jingling” that isn’t Santa it is Max the dog hanging with us during the interview.

Join us today as we discuss…

  • Why make your own soap or buy naturally made soap
  • How to safely use lye in soap making
  • The basics of making your own soap
  • Herbs, oils and other things you can add to your soap
  • The importance of curing your soap for a minimum of 3 days
  • The value of glycerin for your skin
  • The difference you experience when you start using natural soaps
  • Why I say the soap industry is like “Monsanto for your skin”
  • The value of having a home business in the modern world
  • The challenges with raising a large family
  • The rewards of home schooling
  • What “working your way up in house” really means

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

 

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Episode-789- A Progress Report from the Spirko Homestead

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Modern Survival| 22 Comments
Episode-789- A Progress Report from the Spirko Homestead [ 1:00:58 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Jack in overlooking his homestead 2009 - What was a dream is now a lifestyle.

It’s Thanksgiving Week!  Woot!  Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday.  Hang with my son, eat myself into a turkey coma with zero guilt, watch football, enjoy some scotch, watch football and snooze in front of a fire.  Thanksgiving is a “man holiday”, if such a thing exists at all.

Since this is such a great week, I wanted to keep things light and exciting so I figured it was a great time for a progress report on the Spirko Homestead instead of something heavy like a feedback show which always seems to have a lot of the economic mess in it.  So tune in today and I am just going to shoot from the hip and tell you whats going on and where we are going next.

Join me today as I discuss…

  • How one 25′ swale ditch changed how I see my property
  • How to build and use an A-Frame level
  • What is going on with Hugelkultur Project #2
  • Digging a ditch near trees, a sawzall is your friend
  • How to get your wife on board with major landscape changes
  • Keeping still ponds clean with reed beds and cattails
  • How a pond that doesn’t hold water can still fill up
  • Thoughts on Aquaponics, yea I think I am gonna do it
  • Frogs, pigeons, ducks and squirrel it is whats for dinner
  • Plans for the next Spirko dog, hoping it is a long time in our future
  • How Permaculture and survivalism are really the same
  • An awesome new DVD from Geoff Lawton

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

 

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Episode-765- Useful Small Animals for the Homestead

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Modern Survival| 42 Comments
Episode-765- Useful Small Animals for the Homestead [ 1:14:29 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Okay there is a lot of gloom and doom out there and to be honest some of the crap is really hitting the fan right now.  It will be necessary for me to delve into that world more and more in the coming months/years but I still want to keep some positive and fun stuff coming as well.

Hence today we are going to focus on homesteading and animals that can feed us, protect our property or provide us with other benefits.  The list we will cover today includes some “traditional small livestock”, some wild game and some other stuff people don’t usually think of.

So what happened to chickens?  They get a token mention but as everyone thinks of chickens first we are focusing elsewhere today.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • What makes an animal useful for our homestead
    • Produces food
    • Produces functional by products
    • Produces useful waste
    • Performs a useful function
    • Provides entertainment
    • Supports other systems
  • Some useful and easy to care for livestock
    • Dogs
    • Rabbits
    • Small Swine
    • Squirrels, Raccoons and other small wildlife
    • Bees (mason and conventional)
    • Ducks
    • Fish – tilapia, catfish, trout, crayfish, frogs, etc.
    • Worms and insects
    • Goats and sheep
    • Pigeons and Quail

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-763- The Paleo Prepper Mindset

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Modern Survival| 107 Comments
Episode-763- The Paleo Prepper Mindset [ 1:03:13 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Yesterday I did a post about my 18 month experience of eating mostly paleo and my final 90 days of doing it almost totally hard core.  The responses are mixed, mostly anyone that has tried it is very much in agreement with me, those opposed are mostly rehashing dogma.

So today we are going to discuss this subject, I will clarify myself on a few things (such as exercise) and explain some of the science.  Mostly though I want to share my experience, my results and how as a prepper you address food storage when focusing on a “paleo” lifestyle.

Join me today as I discuss…

  • It isn’t a “diet” in our modern vocabulary
  • It isn’t just meat and fat (my partial list of foods I eat)
  • My epiphany on how to choose what I eat
  • My results
  • Beer and alcohol
  • How I actually “exercise”
  • How our ancestors exercised
  • The many problems with modern exercise
  • The reality that some must exercise in a more conventional way
  • The problem with modern medical “wisdom”
  • Why what you “believe” is irrelevant
  • Why some people are “healthy” on food I consider unhealthy
  • Why I believe fermented foods are ancient
  • Why I believe anthropology over ideology
  • My thoughts on the “Paleo Homestead”
  • Why “low carb recipes” mostly bore me
  • 30 Days and judge it for yourself

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air

 

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Episode-658- Converting Raw Land into Fertile Land

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Modern Survival| 9 Comments
Episode-658- Converting Raw Land into Fertile Land [ 1:14:50 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

So yesterday we discussed finding a remote piece of land as a get away retreat/BOL or even as a low cost place to live full time.  Whether you are working with such a piece of land or even a larger homestead most affordable land isn’t ideal for agricultural pursuits.

So today we discuss how to take arid, rocky, steep or any otherwise non agricultural land and convert into a fertile and productive landscape.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • Okay I screwed up the military discount it is now fixed
  • We made the first of two server moves all is well
  • The initial land assessment is all about slope and sun
  • The secondary assessment is what is already there and doing well
  • “Hardscaping comes first” applied to permaculture
  • Permaculture’s key with water is make it take the longest and slowest path
  • Design in totality and a foot at a time
  • Think in guilds vs. crops
  • Consider the Permaculture layers
    • Canopy
    • Sub Canopy
    • Shrub
    • Herbaceous
    • Soil Surface
    • Vertical Climbers
    • Rhizosphere
  • Think natural growing systems not “organic”
  • Don’t force round pegs into square holes
  • Naturalist vs. Monoculturist vs. Permaculturist

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

Photo Credit Above to planet a.

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Episode-657- Creating the Low Cost BOL

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Modern Survival| 35 Comments
Episode-657- Creating the Low Cost BOL [ 1:15:19 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Dirt Cheap Survival RetreatToday we are going to take a look at setting up a BOL on the cheap or at least inexpensively.  There are a ton of ways to accomplish this and land is still one of the best investments a person can make.

I also do a brief review today of a great resource for setting up that low cost retreat, it is called, The Dirt Cheap Survival Retreat by M.D. Creekmore, author of The Survivalist Blog.

If you have never read M.D. Blog take a look at it today because he has some great information and insights on modern survival living.

Join me today as I discuss…

  • New Prospective Guest Survey Form
  • Awesome money saving show on the way
  • My thoughts on M.D. Creekmore’s new book
  • Thoughts on land, what you need, what you don’t
  • Solar vs. wind vs. grid
  • Propane is your friend
  • Small generators
  • Creative battery charging
  • Travel trailer vs. shed/shack vs. shipping container
  • Distance desirable vs. distance tolerable
  • Security when off site
  • Internet access
  • Identify the area, then hunt

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-646- The Big Bugout

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Modern Survival| 39 Comments
Episode-646- The Big Bugout [ 57:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

So the world hasn’t ended as we know it.  The currency hasn’t collapsed.  No global pandemic has killed off half the population.  Yet we have truly “bugged out”, for the past 7 years our place in Arkansas was “where we would go if TSHTF”, and now we are for all intents and purposes here.

So why, why bug out, when we didn’t have to bug out in the conventional sense of the word?  For a variety of reasons and this is what the focus of today’s show will be.  Today for the first time I am coming to you from the Ouachita Mountains near Hot Springs Arkansas and this will be our topic.

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

 

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Episode-591- Planning and Building the Suburban Homestead

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Modern Survival| 6 Comments
Episode-591- Planning and Building the Suburban Homestead [ 1:18:57 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Photo Credit to annethelibrarian

When you hear the word homestead you typically think of open spaces, rural America and some acreage.  For many American’s though it just isn’t currently an option.  Many of us are bound to the city by employment, family obligations or other considerations.

Still I believe homesteading is for everyone and there are some real opportunities for suburban homesteaders who want to convert their homes from consumer to producer.

Of course there are challenges for the suburbanite with considerations such as excessive shade, available space, ordinances and retaining marketability of the home for resale.

The key to successful suburban homesteading is understanding your limitations but focusing on making the most of the unique advantages inherent to small landscapes such as ease of management and easy irrigation.

Join Me Today As We Discuss…

  • Define the overall goal of a homestead
  • Evaluate your limitations and landscape
  • Define your wants and needs
    • What do you like to eat
    • What is cheap and easy to buy
    • What is expensive to purchase
    • What is difficult to acquire organically or locally
  • Define areas by shade, sun, wind, usage, etc
  • Focus on the right types of crops
    • Heavy producers
    • Not readily available commercially
    • Perennials over annuals
    • Easy to store for long term usage
    • Require special care that can be automated
  • Considering livestock
    • Poultry is highly efficient for eggs
    • Rabbits are probably the best meat option
    • Utilize wildlife for livestock functions like manuring
    • Aquaculture and Aquaponics are excellent options
  • Extending your seasons and productivity
    • The greenhouse or cold frames are essentials
    • Using and channeling roof run off
    • Understanding and maximizing micro-climates
    • Use climbers and vertical spaces
  • Taking big techniques and downsizing them
    • Swales
    • Hugelkultur
    • Food Forests
    • Ponds

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air

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Episode-575- Planning 2011s Gardening and Homesteading Activities

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Modern Survival| 13 Comments
Episode-575- Planning 2011s Gardening and Homesteading Activities [ 1:05:51 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I thought this would be a great subject for today.  Over the past few weeks many of my seed catalogs have come in, the garden is now producing only greens and other frost hardy crops and today is the Winter Solstice which is the longest night of the year.  In other words we are about to go into the Christmas holiday and the first day of winter has just fallen upon us.  We now have a long cold winter ahead which will not officially end until March 21st.  To me winter is a time of planning, contemplation and evaluation.

Join me today as we discuss..

  • Winter has begun but the coldest days lie ahead
  • The first step is to review your successes and failures of 2010
  • Do you reattempt or abandon your failures
  • What do you want to add to your production in 2011
  • Determine your average last frost date and counting backwards
  • Time to build that cold frame, greenhouse or both
  • Is 2011 the year you add livestock, if so what
  • If  you are going to start keeping bees now is the time to order
  • Seed and Orchard Catalogs – Knowledge and Shopping All In One
  • Evaluational goals for 2011
  • Irrigation System Planning for 2011
  • Setting realistic time lines and priorities
  • Some of my goals for 2011
    • Sell the old house and move
    • Install Garden Beds
    • Install Irrigation Systems
    • Develop Extensive Herb Gardens
    • Install Out Buildings
    • Develop Orchard Plan, Irrigation, Swales, etc.
    • Install small ponds
    • Build and install greenhouse and aquaponics system
    • Continue to develop our mason bee population
    • Evaluate small live stock choices
    • Install fencing
    • Develop Composting and Mulch Systems
    • Encourage Local Wildlife
    • Install Gun Range

Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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