Chris Cincotta

id look into pyrolysis of plastic and liquification of wood gas with the Fisher-Tropsch reaction.  In theory you will get less energy out than you put in but if you may be able to use free firewood to run the reactions..

perhaps air to ground geothermal?  Could use long snakes of 4" pipe underground to circulate/pull air through.  maybe this system could even be made passive

Hi,

I have been dealing with rheumatoid arthritis and have been drinking tea for it:

goldenrod
hops
licorice root
marshmallow root
red pepper flakes (i like spicy tea)
mint
ginger
turmeric

really helps me and its mostly from the garden.  I play around and  don't always use all of these ingredients and sometimes add other things but it has helped drastically.  healthy gut seems to be key, probiotics help.. for my rheumatism at least.  I found this interesting and it is potentially relevant:

managing rheumatoid arthritis with dietary interventions by Shweta et all
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5682732/

I believe amaranth does well in most places. Id also perhaps consider Jerusalem artichoke to be a survival food; tasty, spreading, perennial tubers! Ive heard of Swiss chard overwintering in zone 5 with a cold frame.