Freedom Garden website from Path to Freedom

The Dervaes family, urban homesteading pioneers and creators of the Path to Freedom website, has created a new social networking site centered around home grown food and self sufficiency called Freedom Gardens.

"The goal of Freedom Gardens is to spread this revolutionary message! The Freedom Gardens website is a place where people can gather to learn and be inspired and, in turn, teach and inspire others."

I just signed up as RamshackleEric.

I also added homegrown evolution as a friend on facebook while I was in a "social" mood.

Wild Horses at Mesa Verde

In case you couldn't tell from the number of posts on the subject, we enjoyed our visit to Mesa Verde. While we were getting ready to go get dinner, after a long day of exploring Anasazi ruins, Julia jumped out of the car and snapped some pictures of these wild horses who's ancestors had escaped a nearby town.

Bean Pole Sucess

Our beans have reached the top of the poles we made back in June. We were hoping that they would wind around the tendril-like tops of the pole to make little bean trees but that hasn't happened yet. The plants have really slowed down at around six feet.

Bending the poles was easy. Here are some pictures showing how we did it on Flickr. It really is easier than it looks; you have to kind of wrestle the rebar around a bit but you can make just about any curve or shape you want.

We have tons of flowers on these vines and a few young beans ripening now. Not bad for a very late start.

Bean Pole Failure

We had some fun a few months ago making whimsical bean poles out of rebar. We got the idea from Tony Kienitz' book The Year I Ate My Yard. We planted our beans in two wine barrels, each with a different variety, and held our breath. While the beans in the sunny barrel took off like rockets, the beans in the other barrel refused to climb.

Now, our friend Mr. Jalopy (and his wife) like to say that you can either be smart or good looking, but not both. We at Ramshackle Solid must be, by process of elimination, exceptionally good looking. After some days of consternation and head scratching we went back to the seed packet to discover that the lazy beans were in fact bush beans not pole beans and would never climb, no matter what pole was offered them.

Although they don't do a thing to show off the fancy bean poles we made, these down-to-earth bush beans are delicious.

Excavated Antique Bottle

I dug up this bottle while doing some digging in our yard. I think it holds about an ounce and the black stuff around the shoulder appears to be the dried out contents. I am guessing that it is either a medicine bottle or maybe ink?

Magnolia Leaf and Seedpod

My eldest son is fascinated by leaves and seeds. Since he was wee, he has picked up magnolia leaves and pods on our walk to the library.

Angry Chicken Cracks Me Up

Amy Karol of www.angrychicken.typepad.com has a fantastic sense of humor. Here she gives a great sewing tutorial on fold over elastic. Her popsicle-stick-selves who narrate the video are so amusing. I might even give F.O.E. a try...do it for the gipper, I mean the chicken.

Garden Hose, Water, Mud = Bliss

As a parent, I find we are often too busy with our children, our lives, the events that we schedule for enrichment. Never underestimate the power of staying home. Respect the complexity of simple pleasures.

Feeding the Compost Pile

I recently bought a pitch fork to turn our compost pile. It makes it much easier than using a shovel. Everything decomposes fairly fast if you keep it aerated, moist and fed with new green material. Air, moisture and food keeps the microorganisms happy. If you click on the image below you can see that the stuff in the middle is already breaking down after about 4 weeks.

When the conditions are right the inside temperature of the pile is very warm - 100 - 140 degrees or so. It feels about the same as washing your hands with hot water. If the pile starts to smell bad it needs more air. The smell will go a way within about 15 minutes of getting air to any stinky spots.

When adding kitchen scraps I try to add them to a hot area and mix them in a bit. I try to get as much of the new stuff in contact with a warm area as possible. If the new material is scattered too thinly the pile isn't as likely to stay hot. Once it cools off it can be hard to get it going again.

As far as what to add or not add here are a few rules of thumb.

You should not add the following:

• Meat - it attracts rats.
  
• Cheese - see meat.
• Salty foods - bad for your plants.
• Tomatoes - unless you want volunteer tomato plants everywhere.
• Weeds which have gone to seed. (If you are a composting master and can get the temp way up to 140 degrees or so the heat will kill the seeds but this is not easy )
• I have heard you shouldn't compost wisteria because it is poisonous to the microorganisms and will slow the break down of the material greatly.

You can feel free to add, among other similar bacteria fodder:

• Most any green material, grass, leaves, lettuce trimmings from your salad, carrot tops, etc.
• Trimmings from vegetables.
• Breads and pasta but not if they have a lot of salt. Salt kills plants.
• Spoiled fruit, peels, watermelon rind, etc.
• Egg shells are really good and help balance the ph.
  

The Duke and the Peasant by Sister Wendy Beckett

I picked this book up at the library to enjoy with my sons. Granted, much of it slips past my ten month old. My almost-four-year-old and I have been thoroughly enjoying it. Sister Wendy Beckett brings her open eyes to the Duc de Berry's Book of Hours painted by the Limbourg brothers. I am a fan of the art appreciator nun and was saddened when she returned to a life of seclusion. What I love about her style of criticism is that she looks at art...really looks at it. She opens doors by sharing how the power of observation is in all of us.

The Duke and the Peasant: Life in the Middle Ages (Adventures in Art Series)

Figs in Season

A small fig tree keeps us deliciously in fig this time of the year. These were sliced in half and topped with a dollop of lemon and lavender goat cheese from our local farmers market and shared with neighbors.


Each season, we race against the birds to get them first. The birds often win.

Spruce House at Mesa Verde

While on vacation we stopped at a few of the Anasazi sites in the Four Corners area. At Mesa Verde we visited the cliff dwelling ruins which were built in the 1200's by ancient Puebloans commonly called Anasazi although that name is Navajo and actually means "enemy ancestors".

The Anasazi were some of the original American Homesteaders. Their culture evolved from early hunting and gathering to farming the "three sisters" which consist of corn, beans and squash in a symbiotic planting arrangement whereby beans grew up the cornstalks and fixed nitrogen to the soil which the corn required while the squash provided shade the soil which helped retain moisture for all three. This practice is currently part of the permaculture repertoire of gardening techniques.

In order to farm the Anasazi needed to stay near the crops so they built adobe homes which were sometimes large elaborate compounds of 50 or more rooms. During the last 100 years or so before leaving Mesa Verde, they built in highly defensible positions under the overhangs of cliffs.

Spruce Tree House is one of the 3 largest cliff houses but there are dozens scattered about Mesa Verde. The photos hardly do it justice.

Is it a Bee or a Fly?

Julia snapped a picture of this bee-fly drinking nectar from a flower beside a path while we were visiting Mesa Verde park in Colorado. There were many of the same type buzzing around from flower to flower on the same bush. We thought they were red bumble bees but looking at the photo now it looks more like a fly to me.

Phoenix's Gluten Free Chocolate Bread Recipe

Camp Ramshackle is enjoying the fine company of our friend and fine cook Phoenix. We have been experimenting with gluten free cooking in our house. Thanks to Phoenix's amazing culinary acumen, gluten free life is very delicious indeed. He whipped up this fantastic bread in no time at all: recipe here. Last night, he made the most delicious meal with a spicy jicima and apple salad and a spicy vegetable main dish that included figs. So delicious.

Phoenix makes a mean plate of beans.

On the very left, a most delightful treat. Hazelnut and rice flour breaded squash blossoms. The picture does not do it justice. So amazingly good.

Mr. Monkeysuit's Nesting Dolls

Mr. Monkeysuit has done it again. These sweeties were made for her son. See the complete set. Interested in making your own? Mr. Monkeysuit buys hers from www.goldencockerel.com. And although they are not nesting dolls, Casey's Wood Products in Maine makes affordable people wood turnings. I've been meaning to give it a try myself. I have fantasies about making some wooden toy dolls for my kids.

Huntington Gardens and Library

Thanks to a very generous gift from grandparents, our family enjoys a Huntington Gardens and Library membership. My sons and I enjoyed the day playing in the children's garden and exploring a seed exhibit.


Nothing like water to amaze and delight. If you and your family can't make it to Huntington Gardens, never underestimate the power of a water hose on very low (honor the drought) to unleash the imagination and creativity of the younger set. And don't be shy, let yourself enjoy it too.


I love this bench and sculpture in the children's garden. I always hope the ravens get the apple.

Ladybug Ride

I have always admired the ladybug Wheely Bug by Prince Lionheart, but my kids never showed much interest in it...until now. At a friend's house, my oldest son will ferret out the ladybug wherever it may be and play with it until it's time to leave. My generous friend has loaned the fine bug to Camp Ramshackle until her son is a wee bit older. Last night, my son slept with his arm around it in his bed.

Rope Swing in Colorado

While on vacation, we spent a good hour swinging from a rope off Valecito Lake. Our three year old even did a tandem jump with dad. At the end of our adventure, the creator of the swing showed up and showed us how it's done.







Ouch. Well, maybe skip the last part. I hope he's feeling better. The man made a great swing. Dangerous at times but a fine swing indeed.

Flight of the Paper Airplane

Houston, we have landed. Back in Los Angeles after a great journey to Colorado with family, life at Camp Ramshackle returns to important business at hand...flying paper airplanes.

Black Widow on the Steps

We are creating quite a catalog of spiders here at Camp Ramshackle. As I was taking the fragments of egg shell from the previous post into the house to get a better picture, I noticed this black widow stretched out on the steps. Pretty unusual. They normally prefer dark corners, wood piles, crawl spaces, etc. Of course this one will have to go.