Su Ba

I’ve found that populated areas where people had to depend upon walking, settlements tended to be about 2-3 miles apart. From what I’ve learned about my own region of Ka’u Hawaii, that tends to be true, though individual houses were also scattered between "villages". So using 3 miles from my home as the basis for my observations, here’s the skills/trades I’ve find :

Herdsmen (sheep)
Rancher (cattle)
Orchard man (macadamia nuts)
Coffee farmer
Commercial electrician
Welder
Machinery operator (backhoe, excavator, tractor, etc)
Beekeeper
Baker
Aviator (helicopters)
National Park ranger
Poultryman
Artist
Quilter
Florist
Acupuncturist
Physical therapist
Farmer
Fisherman
Hunter
Guy who’s really good at figuring out what’s wrong with your cellphone or computer, and fix it if possible. And he helps us do things on the internet.
And me ,who is retired from veterinary medicine and now  into homesteading.

I know all almost all the neighbors within 1 mile, but after that, it’s hit n miss. So I’m missing a lot of skills that might be out there.

Being rural, my immediate area contains lots of folks who have what I’ll call "seat of the pants" skills’. Most of them have built at least part of their own houses, barns & shed, and furniture.  We put up our own fencing. Paint our own houses. Lay down tile floors. Put on a new roof. Do basic plumbing and electrical. Install a wood stove. Do minor car and appliance repairs. Chainsaw trees. Maintain the solar and water catchment systems. Butcher out an animal. Make a farm gate.  And the neighbors are very willing to help other neighbors with these tasks.

Bob, I eat the tender, lush, young dandelion leaves. Older leaves are not only tough, but very bitter.  Young lush leaves have a bitterness too, but not overwhelming. Wilted with a hot bacon vinegarette, I find the combination enjoyable.

A friend just told me of a thing I do that people think is totally odd—-  I’m purposely growing dandelions in my greenhouse.  When I lived on the Eastcoast, dandelions were a weed that everybody spent plenty of effort to get rid of. Now here I am growing them. By forcing them to grow rapidly and luxuriously in a greenhouse, they make excellent greens for a salad. Served with a hot bacon dressing (that wilts the greens). They are really yummy.

I’m sitting here by myself and started chuckling out loud. Wow. A lot of the stuff I do people often find odd. Like…..

…grow (or hunt) all my own food for 1 year, then afterward keep at it , though lessening the ceiling to 90%. .
…wear bright, odd colored clothing (I’m an old lady)
…water down my drinks, be they milk, fruit juice, whatever. Fill glass 1/3, then top off with water.
…cook over a fire outdoors. Yup, I have a propane stove in my kitchen, so I have options other than wood.
…wear men’s shorts (hey, they got real pockets!)
…eat pickle sandwiches
…spend my free time doing community volunteering
…give away much of my excess produce to our local soup kitchen, rather than sell it
…I always have a snap-off bladed box cutter in my pocket. I’ve had to give a number to TSA over the years because I forgot it was there. Luckily I’ve not had a problem when I’m very apologetic and embarrassed.
…I like to add a splash of coffee to my hot chocolate.
…I love snakes. Alas, I had to give up my pet snake when I moved to Hawaii.
…sing and dance in my gardens

Being poor back then and somewhat rural, I cooked on a wood stove every winter for 20 years. We just had a simple steel box stove (used for house heating) that we had removed the protective lid off the top. So pots could be right on the steel top, or above it by using trivets. I didn’t mind cooking this way, and often wished I could have afforded a proper wood cook stove. Even though I have no use for one now, I often cast loving eyes upon one when we I see a wood burning kitchen cook stove someplace.

I wanted to let you know that you inspired me to try eating pumpkin leaves. So we tried them today, and they were just fine. Thank you for opening my eyes to another food source!  

My favorite meals? Hummmm.

If I don’t mind spending a fortune, I’d say prime rib with baked potato. Or lobster stew. But that’s just an infrequent treat for us. And these are not something I make at home.

If I don’t mind eating commercial food, then I guess it’s orange chicken — breaded chicken nuggets baked then slathered in Chinese orange sauce. Totally unhealthy and only indulged in a couple times a year.

Now for healthy, homegrown food—- it’s got to be our breakfast smoothies. We’ve been eating them for years and haven’t tired of them, maybe because they are always different.  I blend up a variety of fruits and veggies. No set recipe, just what’s in season. For example, this morning was guavas, a banana, steamed greens (Chinese cabbage, lettuces, pipinola (chayote) shoots, cholesterol spinach leaves, and (for the first time to try them) pumpkin leaves, cooked soybeans, a small piece of cooked pumpkin, one hard boiled egg, and enough homemade pineapple/sugar cane juice to make the ingredients blendable. As I’ve said, every day is different ingredients, but I aim to include fruit, greens, a protein source, and other veggies. The liquid might be fruit juice, veggie juice, or milk (sheep, goat, or cow depending upon what’s available).  Breakfast is normally our main meal. Lunch and dinner are usually just snack or small sized meals. So breakfast is a hot cup of coffee and a jumbo smoothie.

Get me into a good restaurant, and it’s prime rib, steak, or lobster for sure. My hubby opts for pork chops.

Do I love comfort meals? Of course! But they are not our normal fare. So anytime I wrap myself around a plate of French toast or gravy over rice, hubby knows that I’m stressed out.

I hadn’t answered this survey before, because although we use wild game, we don’t technically hunt it.  We use traps for feral pigs, feral turkeys, doves, pheasants.  The pigs are my primary target. The rest is by-catch, but we surely don’t turn down the fresh meat.

Due to our trading network, I don’t need to hunt mouflan or go fishing.  We get plenty via trades.

John, that’s a great strategy.   My own method—— determine what I want before stopping at the dealer. And I always go on my birthday. I tell them up front that I’m buying a new truck that day for my own birthday present to myself and they know that’s true when they look at my drivers license. I tell them that they are my first stop and if I can’t find what I want, I’ll be going to another dealer down the road. To add a bit more credibility, I show them the title of the truck I’m trading in and they see that it was purchased on my birthday a few years ago.        That’s the set up. Now the pressure is on them to make a deal that will entice me to buy a truck from them and not their competitor. And the beauty of the set up is that it’s all true.  The result is that I usually get the truck I intended to buy at a fair deal. I have no objection to them making money on the sale. I just don’t want to be fleeced.

Thekia, yup!!!  I was raised on them.

Funny story…… as a little girl, my father would take me out for trips...—-to the local bar. He’d promise me a kosher pickle, which I would then sit on the furthest barstool and eat it. Those pickles were as huge as a full grown cucumber. It kept me occupied long enough for him to have a drink or two with his friends. I always looked forward to going out with my dad, something that was special.