I read just the other day about some study “they” did that says people who take pictures of their food and post the pictures on social media MAY have a mental problem… well I am about to prove that I MAY have this problem, dinner tonight was special, something I haven’t made since we moved off grid over 5 years ago now. Eggs Benedict. I used to make this at least once a month. I wondered if the altitude might be a problem, it sometimes works against me, and sometimes a dish does not work out at all.

Fortunately altitude didn’t seem to be a problem on this meal. Traditional Eggs Benedict use English muffins and Canadian bacon, neither of which I had on hand, I could have made homemade English muffins, but there wasn’t enough time to do that this time. I toasted 4 slices of bread with butter, for the meat I used some thin sliced ham and roast beef, the kind you get for making sandwiches, I also used a few slices of precooked bacon.

The eggs, let me tell you about the eggs I used, we have several different friends who have way more chickens than they really needed, these chickens are good layers, so we get lots of fresh eggs, these make the grocery store eggs look anemic, pale and thin. You will need the freshest eggs possible, older eggs tend to have thinner whites, you will want the whites to hold up in the simmering water when you poach them. OK, so after I toasted the bread in a skillet with some butter, I started on the Hollandaise sauce. I separated 4 eggs, saving the whites to make something else. On a double boiler, I melted a whole stick of butter and poured the melted butter into a separate bowl, I skimmed the white foam from the butter and discarded it. To the yolks I added some salt, a little water, some Worcestershire sauce, a few drops of vinegar, a dash of lemon powder and some ground pepper.

I whisked the egg yolks along with the other ingredients until blended (without the butter), then I poured it into the double boiler set of medium heat, I whisked as I slowly added the melted butter. I continually whisked as I added the butter a little at a time until the whole thing began to thicken. Once it was as thick as I wanted it to be I took the top pan off of the bottom pan with the boiling water and set it aside.

Meanwhile, I had started a large pan of water to boil, then I turned down the heat, it only needs to barely simmer. I added some vinegar to the water, cracked each egg into its own bowl, I used 4 eggs, I gently added the eggs into the water and allowed the eggs to poach for about 4-5 minutes, I wanted the yolk to remain runny, I could have cut a minute off of the cooking time, the yolks were beginning to solidify, but fortunately there was enough runny yolk to make this perfect.

I laid 2 pieces of toast on a plate, piled the meat on top, put the poached egg on top of that, then ladled the Hollandaise sauce over the whole thing, I stopped long enough to snap a few pictures then devoured the meal! Here is how it turned out, the picture above is a stock photo, this is how mine looked, too bad you can’t taste them!

I’m not a food photographer, especially when it’s dark and my “table” is really my laptop, I promise you it turned out fantastic! I’ll attempt to write out a proper recipe here, I rarely if ever follow recipes, I MIGHT look at one if I have never made the dish before, just to get an idea of how it needs to go, then I just cook by the seat of my pants.

Eggs Benedict ala Wretha

4 slices of bread (toasted and buttered)
8 fresh eggs
4 slices each of thinly sliced ham, roast beef and precooked bacon
1 stick butter, melted (do NOT use margarine)
vinegar
pinch of salt
pinch of black or white pepper
Worcestershire sauce, dash
dash of lemon juice (I used lemon powder)
water

Toast the bread, set aside, in a double boiler (do not let the water touch the top pan) melt the butter, then pour it into a separate bowl, skim the white foam from the melted butter, discard the foam. Start another large pan of water going for the poached eggs, the water should be about 3 inches deep and there should be enough room in the pan for all 4 eggs to cook.

Separate 4 eggs, the whites can be saved for another dish or discarded or used as a facial. Whisk the egg yolks with a few drops of vinegar, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon and a few tablespoons of water. Once well mixed, pour this into the double boiler, whisking the whole time, add the melted butter a few tablespoons at a time whisking well between additions. Once you have all the butter incorporated, keep whisking until the mixture starts to thicken, it’s ready when it will coat the back of a spoon, remove the top pan from the bottom pan (and hot water) and set aside.

Your poaching water should be boiling by now, turn down the heat, you want a simmer, not a rapid boil, add about a quarter cup of vinegar to the simmering water. Next crack each egg into a separate bowl, if you break the yolk, discard that one and get another. Carefully pour each egg into the simmering water. Simmer the eggs for about 4 minutes, with a slotted spoon, carefully remove each poached egg and place it on top of the toast and meat. Now ladle the Hollandaise sauce over the top and serve immediately. You can garnish with parsley, or sprinkle some paprika on it.

You will notice this makes a lot of Hollandaise sauce, that’s how I like it, yes it is a rich dish, not one you have all the time, it’s meant as a special meal, whether for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, it is a meal to please! Of course you can use the more traditional ingredients, such as real English muffins and Canadian bacon, but if you don’t have these in the kitchen, you can easily substitute like I did, use what you have and enjoy eating instead of worrying about replaced ingredients…

One thing I didn’t have was fresh lemons, that is preferable, but I don’t often have lemons around, I found a great substitute, I hate calling it a substitute because it is made from real lemons, in fact that is what they call it, I call it lemon powder and it works great in anything where you would use lemon juice, it’s much better than the lemon juice that comes in those plastic lemons.

Have you eaten Eggs Benedict? Have you ever made it yourself?

Some achieve it.

Anyone can use the LandBuddy facility on this site to introduce themselves and talk about what they are looking for. Then others can find them and groups can form so people help each other, pool skills and resources.

There are no typical postings – everyone is different – Here, by way of an example, is a recent message from someone calling himself HardHead:-

“I am new to this website, but by no stretch of the imagination new to the concepts of living off the grid as some call it, self-sufficiency as others conclude, and to tell the truth, I really do not know why I decided to speak up.

Nevertheless, in my time I have met many either attempting to pull away from the mainstream and others living what I refer to as a life filled with dualities, some have cursed my views and way of life while others get a dreamy look in the eyes.

Granted there are all sorts of techno-jarnigan that describes this relatively young and on the rise way of life and living, and now having several homes under my belt, some think living has to be just a line or bar above caveman, when in reality, and if one uses the common sense God gave them, one’s own unusual accommodations as well as the materials used to construct it can make for some pretty spectacular living spaces, and lucrative as well, with my last small fully functional farm selling for nearly $200,000, as the fellow saw it and just could not live without it.

I guess one thing I try to pass along to those looking for “The Free Life”, is by no stretch of the imagination is living free, but it can be extremely cheap and still deliver the many comforts that all home owners seek.

While maybe some sort of rudimentary latrine was required at first as well as water delivery system, once my digs were completed, running water, lights, sewer system, and even internet and telephone.

Currently I live not to far from Houston, just northeast to be exact, my monthly living expenses for a family of four runs about $200 per month, $89 of this is the land note, but civilization is slowly encroaching upon me and it is time to find more suitable location to exist.
So I guess it could be said that I come in search of unrestricted property, and if you know of some, give me a shout.

Looking for no more than five acres, and I am also in search of PRODUCTIVE conversation with like minded people, as me nor anyone in my family is one of those doomsdayers or full out para-military survivalist, just folks that are a plain as the dirt we work.

So there it is, do with or take from it what you will.”

Thanks HardHead – We look forward to hearing more – Please note – you need to register on the site, choose a username and click on the validation email, before you can post on LandBuddy – this is to protect the community.

“Outdoor recreationists have come to appreciate SPOT as a brand that keeps them safe as they explore new ways of getting off the grid,” Jay Monroe, CEO of parent company Globalstar, stated in a press release. “As the first satellite phone available in major retail outlets such as West Marine, REI and Cabela’s, SPOT Global Phone will not only provide a lifeline during these adventures, but an opportunity to connect with impeccably clear voice quality on a satellite network that is light years ahead of the competition.”
Buyers will also have to opt into a monthly service plan with rates starting at $24.99 or 25 cents per minute.
The SPOT Global Phone weighs just 7 ounces, which is about the same as a hairbrush or a fistful of Hershey chocolate bars. The phone has a backlit color display for outdoor daytime viewing and a battery that provides four hours’ talk time or 36 hours’ standby.
The SPOT Global Phone is also data capable, allowing for e-mail and file transfers. Most data plans guarantee speeds of 9.6 Kbps, which Globalstar says is as much as four times faster than the data speed of most other satellite data services.

The Royal Bank of Canada garden also had a sustainability theme.
Nigel Dunnett recycled concrete pipes into planters, and his high planted wall was made simply of stacking lots of almost horizontal clay pots planted with sedums and other plants that tolerate drought. He had put a dab of mortar between each to fix them, and this planted wall really could be made by anyone – no fancy irrigation system is needed. Just the odd splash when it is exceptionally dry.

I have always been an avid label reader, when my (now grown) son was a child, he had been diagnosed with ADHD, something that is unfortunately all too common, especially in boys. One of the things we did was to modify his diet by removing everything, and I do mean everything that was any sort of sugar, that meant every ingredient that ended in “ose”, the only exception to that was lactose, fortunately that didn’t seem to bother him. Some of the items removed from his diet was sucrose (table sugar), glucose, sucrose, dextrose, fructose, the hardest one was dextrose, that can even be found in table salt! As long as we kept his diet going, he behaved so much better, fortunately I was a prolific and adventurous cook, I had no problems making anything he wanted or needed, my son and the rest of us ate quite well. It’s my son’s birthday today, happy birthday Josh!

Since those days, I still read labels, what I look for today are artificial sweeteners of any sort, it’s amazing what the food industry tries to sneak in nowadays, I’m also looking for the “non-GMO” project label as well as the “certified organic” label. It tends to be more expensive to buy foods that are organic and non-GMO, but that is starting to change. Especially with the larger food retailers using their big buying muscle to bring down the costs for the rest of us,  stores like WalMart, yeah I know, there is a lot to dislike about that retail giant, but there is also a lot to like about them. There is a cereal they sell there, one that is organic and non-GMO, it costs about $2.50 a box, well for those of you who buy cereals, you know how expensive any box of cereal can be so that isn’t a bad price to begin with. When I’m home, that same box of cereal costs me double in my little local store. So when I’m in the big town (3 hours away) I stock up of that cereal.

I’m not an activist by any means, but I will write to companies, especially if I hear they are about to expand their repertoire of foods into GMO territory. I actually got banned from General Mills’ Cheerios FaceBook page, I went there on a daily basis, along with many of other former customers to complain about them using GMO ingredients in their Cheerios, especially since their target audience/customer are children. I guess when I started posting pictures of the rats that had been fed a diet of Cheerios and had massive tumors on them, and I started posting links to the non-GMO and organic cereals that people could consume instead of Cheerios, not sure which was the tipping point, but one or both of them were too much for GM, they banned me…

The latest company I “targeted” for GMO ingredients is Del Monte Fresh Produce, (apparently they are a different company than just plain Del Monte), they are working on making a pink pineapple, it’s been approved by the USDA to import these abberations, but they are still in the testing phase… I don’t know about you, but I don’t see any reason to create a pink pineapple, now if they can do it by cross breeding, then I’m not opposed to it, but inserting a different species of gene into the plant, well that become a horse of a different color. I began contacting Del Monte, which is how I found out they are a separate division, so I contacted Del Monte Fresh Foods from their website contact form and on their FaceBook page, it would seem that I’m not alone, just like on Cheerios FB page, there are lots of people telling DMFP that they would be boycotting all of Del Monte products because of this.

Well I didn’t mean for this article to become so long, I’ll post a part 2 soon with more info about what I am doing, eating, buying and not buying in this world of increasing GMO foods.

BUNK COT
When it comes to stacking the kids friends where you don’t have that much room, try this bunk-bed cot:

The Disc-O-Bed Cam-O-Cot makes an instant bunk bed and holds up to 400 pounds. That’s two fit adults or several children.

GRIDDLE STOVE
Whether your menu calls for grilled mushroom, gently warming a stew or just plain beans on toast, the Camp Chef combo camp stove does it all. “>Camp Chef Camping Outdoor Oven with 2 Burner Camping Stove
It combines a stove, grill and griddle for all-purpose cooking. It has matchless ignition and a windscreen.

HAMMER IN THE EVENING

When it comes to pounding tent stakes, or inserting a steely into a tree to support a hammock, no one rock seems to fit the bill.
You’ll be glad you got a Coghlan Tent Peg Mallet to do the job.
You’ll wonder why you didn’t get a mallet sooner.
Cost: $6.99;

ULTRALIGHT CHAIR

So maybe a $100 camp chair seems excessive, but if space and weight are a concern, this is worth checking out.
The Alite Mayfly http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B009UW33SK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009UW33SK&linkCode=am2&tag=offgrid-20chair is for relaxing around the campfire, or a lightweight option to carry to an outlying section of your off-grid estate.
The Mayfly has a detachable front leg for multiple seating options.
It weighs 1.4 pounds and supports up to 250 pounds.

TRASH-EASE

Trash-Ease is a conveniently portable trash-bag holder that attaches to picnic tables or any similar flat surface, allowing users to have a stable, large trash receptacle in camp.
Attach it to a surface, then attach any standard trash bag.
Each Trash-Ease comes packaged with two standard drawstring garbage bags in the same size as the model of Trash-Ease (comes in 13-gallon and 33-gallon versions), so there’s no need to purchase special trash bags.
Cost: $14.95 (13 gallon); $17.95 (33 gallon), see it at trash-ease.com.

TOUGH COOLER

Pelican boxes have protected our phone, cameras, microphones and solar panels on the river for ages.
Now the folks who build the tough plastic boxes are offering coolers.
Pelican Elite Marine coolers feature:

A freezer-grade gasket.
2-inch polyurethane insulation.
Molded-in and hinged handles.
Wide press and pull latches.
Molded-in tie downs.
Nonskid and non-marking raised feet.
Molded-in lock hasp.
Sloped drain and tethered-threaded plug.
Cost: $259, 35 quart; $299.95, 45 quart; and $359.95, 65 quart.

INSECT-REPELLING CLOTHING

Tired of mosquito and blackfly attacking your feet and ankles? Insect repellent materials really do keep the bugs away.

Mountain Warehouse Unisex Anti-Mosquito Socks cost $29.95 a pair which is a lot for socks but not as much if you aren’t scratching yourself for the next two weeks.

BACKPACK STOVE

The Woodgas camp stove is a backpacking stove that heats with twigs. It uses some kind of thermoelectric technology to convert heat to electricity that charges an internal battery and powers a fan to increase the efficiency of the fire.
Extra electricity from the stove can be used to charge small electronics like cellphones, headlamps and rechargeable batteries. It weighs about 2 pounds but you don’t have to carry fuel canisters.

This one got me on my finger, a more sensitive area to begin with, it felt like fire and electricity at the same time, I jumped up and began stomping, I was determined to get it off of me AND kill it. Oh I almost forgot to mention, I was making a sound that didn’t sound human at all. I did stomp that one to death, and that began my mission, normally I am a live and let live kind of person, I will catch and release spiders, I don’t have a problem with snakes, lizards and even have a bit of a truce with the rodent population as long as they stay outside and don’t do too much damage. But the scorpions had to go, not all of them, but the ones within a 10-15 foot radius of the sky castle.

For those of you who haven’t had the “pleasure” of getting stung by a scorpion, it feels very much like a yellow jacket wasp sting, it’s very painful, not the worst pain I’ve ever felt, but one I don’t relish having again. The big difference between a scorpion sting and a wasp or bee sting is the pain doesn’t last for days, it’s very intense for about 20-30 minutes, diminishing as time ticks by, within an hour, you don’t feel much at the sting site, the next day I looked at it under a 15X loop, I could see a hole where I was stung, but there was very little swelling and it didn’t bother me at all after that. I suspect if a person was allergic to scorpion venom, that would be a very different story. Oh I just remembered something, while my finger was still on fire, I remembered something my dad told me, I poured bluing on that finger, it didn’t help, I had a blue finger that was on fire.

Shortly after that I purchased a LED blacklight/UV flashlight, the scorpions glow bright green under UV light, they don’t seem to see the UV light at all, a good UV light doesn’t put out much visible light, but if it hits something that is UV reactive, that’s when you will see the power of the UV light. This flashlight has 51 LEDs in the 395 nanometer wavelength, it works great for scorpion hunting and lots of other things too.

A few days ago, PB went outside in the late evening, it was still light enough to see fairly easily, he called me outside and told me to walk down the steps, close to the steps was a black scorpion, all of the ones I’ve previously encountered (and killed) out here are a brown color, almost honey colored, this is the first black one I’ve seen. It was just standing there in the dirt with its claws in the air. We captured it in a glass jar and are keeping it in the bedroom. I know, strange behavior for someone bent on killing the local population… the idea is that PB’s young grandsons are coming out for a visit, when they came out last year, they kept falling asleep too early to go scorpion hunting, so this year we will have one on hand for them to see and feed. We have been catching crickets and putting them in the jar, by the next morning the cricket is gone so the scorpion is being well fed.

After the boys leave, we will most likely let the scorpion go, far far from the sky castle. I just don’t have the heart to kill such an interesting creature, especially after keeping it as a (sort of) pet. Now if it comes back into the yard or gets into the sky castle, then all bets are off and I will extinguish its life with my boot!

This is the UV light I purchased, it has 51 LEDs, it uses 3 AA batteries, to change the batteries, be sure you remove the cap on the BOTTOM of the flashlight, do NOT remove the top, head, the UV side, it can be removed BUT you will break the flashlight if you remove the head end.

It works great, I’ve had mine since June 2011, the batteries last a long time since it’s LED based, it puts out a LOT of UV light and just enough visible light to not have to use a separate flashlight while walking around in rough country. It also lights up pet urine and other biological fluids that fluoresce under UV light.

I am a 50 year-old artist. I have lived all over the country – and seen many types of cultures. I have been living semi- off-grid within the urban setting since 2008 when I lost my job and became “homeless”. I have not been able to find “normal” work since then. I have been living on charity. I am liberty-minded and spiritual, but non-denominational. I believe in Unity through Diversity – my life’s mission is to demonstrate many different kinds of people living and working together through the use of principle and consensus. I have been involved in alternative currency (barter currency) movements and have been bartering for 5 years. I would not return to Babylon if I could – I am getting ready to let it all go. It might take me a few more years – as long as it takes to find the group and build the earth ship (s).

My skills are in communication and relationships –

I have 3.78 acres in the San Luis Valley, CO. I have water rights but no wells yet. There is fresh water and thermal water. There are no building codes. There is more land available and it is the least expensive land I have ever seen, although the cost to drill is about $20 per foot. There are others who own property there who would be willing to share in the cost to drill. It is 30 mi from Crestone, CO & 16 mi from Saguache, CO. It is on a main road but it is desolate. It is in the San Juan Mountain Range. It is very beautiful in a high-desert way. There is sage brush, but no trees at the moment.

I would like to build earth ship(s), a garden, and live sustainably with or without money, utilizing non-denominational spiritual principles and formal consensus, in community. Businesses of members are encouraged – bees, organic vegetables and farm products, classes, artwork, etc. Barter – alternative currency. There is more land available.

It is not entirely off-grid and it would be possible to have a land-line telephone and land-line internet.

On my website are both a link to formal consensus and to the details of the principles of self-governance as well as a brief history of the project. The principles are non-denominational spiritual principles which have been hammered out by trial and error and used with success to run the most liberty-minded entity of over 2 million members for over 75 years, with no government. They work.

My philosophy is Live and Let Live… but when people live in close proximity, they must also consider how their actions affect their neighbors – so Live and Let Live…thoughtfully and kindly.

I am looking for people who have skills and those who are willing to learn. I want people who don’t use drugs and alcohol to an excess such that it interferes with their commitments. People who believe in Live and Let Live but also are personally responsible, thoughtful, considerate and self-governing.

I am looking for people who are altruistic – either by nature or who have learned it through necessity and now love it. I am looking for people who are open-minded – who have the interior spirit of collaboration and ingenuity, courtesy and kindness, patience and tolerance, existing within them.

The land is owned outright and were 3-4 years from completion on a offgrid log cabin, homestead/ranch. I currently live an work in Boca Raton, FL and travel to Orlando on the weekends for work on the property.

This offer is for WOMEN ONLY!!!! And is a all inclusive offer to make this your home and become part of a great family whom is working hard for the right reasons to make life, love and security each others priorities.