Episode-566- Cam Mather on Off Grid Living
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Cam Mather who originally appeared in Episode 364 is back to share another round of wisdom about living off grid.
Cam and his family unplugged from the grid about 14 years ago, today they are continuing their journey by expanding agricultural production, expanding their solar arrays and more.
His first book “Thriving During Challenging Times, The Energy, Food and Financial Independence Handbook” provides a road map for readers to deal with the converging challenges of climate change, peak oil and resource depletion and the economic crisis.
His second book “The All You Can Eat Gardening Handbook” shows how to turn your back yard into your own “One-Hundred-Foot-Diet Produce Department” with minimal fossil inputs.
Join us today to learn…
- The real joy of living the “unplugged life”
- Why unplugged doesn’t mean dark ages or low tech
- How you can begin your own journey to energy independence
- Why efficiency is the cheapest form of alternative energy
- Growing your own food
- Storing your surplus production
- Surviving ice storms in style
- Inexpensive ways to build your soil with things others throw away
- Staying in touch with satellite internet and TV options
Resources for Today’s Show
- Members Support Brigade
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- Vote for TSP as Podcast of the Year – (you can vote ONCE A DAY UNTIL DEC. 15 you need to use a valid email, but they do not spam you.)
- ****Win a Free Berkey System**** (note Berkey can NOT ship to the state of California. Blame your government, not Berkey)
- The Berkey Guy – (sponsor of the day)
- ShelfReliance.com – (sponsor of the day)
- Cam’s Website’s
- Cam’s Books
- Vote for TSP as Podcast of the Year – (you can vote ONCE A DAY UNTIL DEC. 15 you need to use a valid email, but they do not spam you.)
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.
An alternative for outdoor storage is a potato clamp. Basically dig up your potatoes and chuck out any damaged or diseased ones and rebury them in straw and earth. Not good for Canadian climates but worked really well in England. You can store other crops in the same way. As we say, “Google it!”
Another “root cellar” option to consider is Rubbermaid trashcans (or similar). Drill holes in the bottom of the cans first. Go dig a hole large and deep enough to fit your can(s). Line the bottom with gravel and sand for drainage. Then bury the can – leaving about 3″-6″ above ground so you can put the lids back on. Put some wire mesh/screen in the bottom to deter truly persistent rodent burrowers, add a tiny bit more gravel on that, then layer it with straw, a layer of produce, etc until you reach the top (last layer to be straw). Put the lid on and maybe a concrete block to secure it. To protect from excess heat/cold you can cover it with more straw.
Hope this helps someone!
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Awesome interview, Jack. This is something that my husband has been wanting to do for such a long time. I foresee a solar/wind powered home in our future.
Jack, I have the Toro Ultra Blower Vac with a metal impeller, I suck up all my red oak leaves and dump them in the garden. I got it up here at Home Depot in Canada for about 70 cdn.
How can one plant/grow sweet potatos in NE Pa?
Also Jack, I had satellite Internet from Xplornet here in PEI, and yes, latency was an issue. The other is weather, heavy rain or snow will interfere with the signal. That would only happen to me about four times a year. I paid $150 a month for 1 megabit service, and it was closer to 800kbs down and 250kbs up. But since it is a business expense for you, you could get the uber package from your local subscriber.
We now have DSL out in my rural area of PEI, and as Cam mentioned, the Canadian government has sunk money into rural broadband initiatives; I was one of the lucky recipients.
I don’t know if Cam misspoke or was mistaken, but I wouldn’t consider a potato a good protein source. While abundant in potassium and high in carbohydrates, they only have 7 grams of protein for a large baker with the skin on. They also don’t provide a full spectrum of amino acids (not a complete protein). As an adjunct to a diet rich in meat and/or dairy, they’re great, but as a stand alone staple, they’re lacking.