From the category archives:

FOOD

Vegetable factory in a box

by isuru on January 16, 2010 · 5 comments

in FOOD

New veg-box scheme

New veg-box scheme

The world’s first portable, containerised vegetable garden is set to be delivered in April. The scientifically developed  “vegetable factory”, from Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. is an insulated 40-ft shipping container, equipped with water-circulation system and LED lighting.

Reacting to a scandal caused by the importation of pesticide-tainted dumplings from China, Japan is seeing a number of designs emerge for small vegetable factories in which crops are grown artificially. Many are cultivated hydroponically in tiers of shelves under energy-saving LED  lighting.

Some are so small that they can be installed in a floor space equivalent to a “tatami” mat (2 metres square).

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Economy Gastronomy is low stress

January 1, 2010
Economy Gastronomy is low stress Slow cooking is the best way to eat off the grid. Here is the philosophy for successful slow stews. It's an icy winter's day in west London and Allegra McEvedy's kitchen is filled with spice-fragrant steam. As she stirs a huge pan of gumbo, a richly flavoured sausage and prawn casserole, McEvedy, who recently starred in the BBC TV series Economy Gastronomy (buy the book in the US) , becomes increasingly evangelical. "The recession was the kick up the backside that people needed to eat better and waste less," she says.

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Cool Tools

December 30, 2009
Cool Tools

This site does not talk enough about the great new gadgets and technologies which make off-grid living ever more comfortable.  Here are two - your favorite suggestions please, readers,  in comments at end of this story.:-

The impact of the microwave oven on human grazing habits has been extreme. It can reheat frozen food or cook raw food in a fraction of the time required of a conventional oven and has brought the convenience of preparing food to new levels. The WaveBox Microwave Oven is a

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Getting canned

November 12, 2009
Getting canned

No, I'm not talking about your last job... I'm talking about canning. It's all but becoming a lost art. But it doesn't have to be a mystery. I read a great article all about canning, this is about the basics, what you will need to get started, how to determine how many canning jars, rings and lids you will need. This is the part that most canning manuals don't tell you about. Enjoy.

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Shoestring Survivalism – book review

October 20, 2009
Shoestring Survivalism – book review

This is the third book I received from Paladin Press to review. I appreciate the chance to read and review these books, I have enjoyed them immensely. This book is about survivalism on a budget. Being on a budget is a full time occupation for most of us.  With these uncertain times, it's good to have backups, ways to get along if things go wrong. It's ludicrous to think the government will step up and take care of us, your best bet is to be your own best advocate, take care of yourself and your family. With the knowledge gained from this book, even someone on the tightest of budgets should be able to implement many of the ideas in this book with little or no financial output.

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Tough Times Survival Guide vol 1 – book review

October 8, 2009
Tough Times Survival Guide vol 1 – book review

Reading, learning, it's what I enjoy doing. Before the internet, I would go to the three local libraries in my hometown, I would check out as many books as each on would allow, take them all home, read-read-read until I had gotten through all of them, then I return the books to their respective homes and start all over again. I tended to read non-fiction, I preferred them over fiction most of the time. With the exception of a few notable authors such as Stephen King, Jean M. Auel, and such…

With the advent of the internet and ebooks, I mostly read what I can get in digital format, including audiobooks. So these last couple of books I’ve read, I have held in my hand, turned pages, it was quite old-school for me. J I love it. Now, on to the book review.

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Dishwashers make eco-sense

September 29, 2009
Dishwashers make eco-sense

Its childishly simple Dishwashers help the environment and your pocket book compared to washing dishes by hand. Researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany found that using a dishwasher cleaned the dishes better and saved energy, time and water.

Washing dishes by hand can cost a household more than $431 in additional energy and water bills over the estimated nine-year lifetime of an Energy-Star certified dishwasher. Energy Star dishwashers use less than half as much energy as washing dishes by hand and save nearly 5,000 gallons of water a year. They can also save you more than 230 hours of personal time over the course of a year.

According to Energy Star, hand rinsing your dishes before placing them in the dishwasher can waste up to 20 gallons of water per load.

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Chia pets or survival food

September 15, 2009
Chia pets or survival food

Remember those silly little Chia Pets? Little did we know then that those strange little seeds painted on those cheesy terracotta pots shaped like animals were actually GOOD for us... It turns out that they are, they are high in vitamins, minerals, loads of fiber and it's a better source of omega's than flax seeds are. This is a very good survival food.

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DIY drink mix

July 27, 2009
DIY drink mix

I notice all of the ready made, easy to use, premixed, God only knows what is in it foods and drinks. There probably isn't anything wrong with it, until you begin to read the fine print on the ingredient lists. One thing I have noticed lately is all the "healthier" juice drinks and teas that are hitting the shelf at your local stores.

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