From Scratch Magazine Summer 2016

From Scratch the summer issue 2016

Homeschooling with the King fertilizer from the sea

Homesteading Essentials

slow money on the homestead

Crop Mob

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Find out more about this amazing earth friendly company here. from scratch magazine •

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Calling all Cheesemakers

Everything you need to make your own Cheese!

Most of us start cheese making the same way, searching for products, not know what they are or how to use them.

We have put our kits together with you in mind! Most people have an idea what types of cheese they want to make based on what they use to eating. We took the guess work out of the process and put together kits for beginners and experienced cheese maker alike.

www.homesteadersupply.com from scratch magazine •

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Windy Willow Homestead

The Perfect Handmade Easter Basket

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EAT LOCAL...GARDEN TO TABLE!

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VICTORY SEEDS

Supplying rare, heirloom, non-hybrid, untreated, open-pollinated, non-GMO seeds for gardens of all sizes, from patios to farms. Our selection includes many varieties not found elsewhere, old garden standards, edible ornamentals, dwarf and compact varieties for the space challenged gardener and much, much more. from scratch magazine •

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THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF MUSHROOMS AFTER A SUMMER RAIN IS ONE OF THE MORE IMPRESSIVE SPECTACLES OF THE PLANT WORLD. - JOHN TYLER BONNER

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F

From the Founders

rom Scratch magazine is settling into its new home in Fayetteville, NC and we’re getting geared up for all sorts of amazing things!

Since moving here, we’ve starting putting in infrastructure and gearing up for the next phase in our life:

The whole experiencing of moving and expanding our personal and professional horizons has me thinking about butterflies.

I was talking to our Associate Editor, Chris McLaughlin about this recently.

I feel like life can be divided into two cycles: Butterflies and cocoons.

Butterfly cycles are where you feel like you’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to be We’ve started our potager garden, finally, and we’ve held doing: Posting your stories, two successful potlucks and a harvesting fruit, finishing a project, etc. etc. crop mob!

More farming!

We’re planning on starting another soon! (Want to do a crop mob? Find out more about how to organize one in this issue.)

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These are the times in life when you’re done with a project and get to enjoy spreading your good fortune around and showing off to everyone.

It’s fun and it’s a lovely time.

But, the times before that aren’t as glamorous: When you’re in your cocoon.

Being in a cocoon isn’t bad.

It means you’re getting ready.

You’re preparing yourself for a big change. That means you’re doing all the behind-the-scenes work: Planting seeds, researching and gathering materials together.

It’s not nearly as show stopping, but it’s just as good and beautiful in its own way.

Which brings me to how we feel this month: Putting this issue out and getting settled in our new homestead feels like shedding a cocoon in a way.

We’ve spent a lot of time gathering ideas and concepts -- and skills -- that we now get to put to use. And hopefully, you can learn from our mistakes and successes as well and use it to either become your own butterfly.

Happy Homesteading!

Steven and Melissa Jones

STEVEN AND MELISSA JONES, CO-FOUNDERS from scratch magazine •

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WWW.SUNSHINECLOTHESLINE.COM from scratch magazine •

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IN THIS ISSUE

fertilizer from the sea

crop mob!

homeschooling keep the bugs away with the king 24 • from scratch magazine

a clothesline in every back yard

farming from your cell a radical act of carpentry

building a rose arbor

slow money on the homestead from scratch magazine •

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Melissa’s Picks PRESERVING THE HARVEST

It’s time to take all of the beautiful bounty of the garden and make it last all year long.

Ball® FreshTECH Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker - Amazon - $75 Nesco Snackmaster Dehydrator - Amazon - $59

Fermentools - $22

Granite Ware Pressure Canner 20-Quart - Amazon - $59 26 • from scratch magazine

Paksh/Bormioli Rocco Quattro Stagioni 12 Piece, 8.5 Ounce Glass Decorative Mason Jars for Canning - Amazon - $23

Hanging Basket Amazon - $20

Canning FunnelAmazon - $8.54 from scratch magazine •

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I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.

-Abraham Lincoln from scratch magazine •

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Summer Menu: Grilled Everything by: Melissa Jones

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The Tools Ditch the lighter fluid.

Use a Chimney Starter instead

It is too hot to cook inside.

So, pack up the food and move it outdoors!

would share it with you.

Our grill of choice is charcoal with a chimney starter. We do not like our BBQ to taste like lighter fluid, so we don’t use it (who knows what’s in that stuff).

1. Make sure the grill grates are clean and the old ash is dumped.

When I first got a grill - I felt like I was in over my head.

But I was determined to learn how to use the grill without any help, so I could become a backyard chef.

After hours of researching and trial and error - I have a system set up and I thought I

Here is my method:

2. Load charcoal into the chimney on top of the grill, add newspaper and light.

When you start seeing flames at the top, pour the coals over the bottom of your grill and wait until they turn an ashy gray.

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base. Tip: leave an area of the grill with no coals - this really helps when you have a flare up (flare ups happen when the juices from your meat hit the fire) No matter how tempting it is - DON’T use water to tame flare ups - it will cause ash to get all over you food - DON’T ask me how I know this.

4. Put some oil on those grates to keep your food from sticking. I wad up some paper towels, dip them in olive oil and use a pair of tongs to grease the grates.

5. Learn how to control the temp. This takes some getting used to... But once you get the hang of it - it isn’t that bad. There are vents and dampers on the top and bottom of the grill. The wider you open the vents - the more oxygen - the HOTTER the grill gets. To lower the temperature cut off some of the oxygen flow by closing the vents - just don’t close them all the way or your fire 32 • from scratch magazine

will go out. Which is no fun because you will have start all over...

6. Now you are ready to cook!

Grilling the Food: Now that you are cooking with fire here are a couple of tips for cooking straight from the garden!

It just so happens that our garden is not far from our grill. So a lot of times we will just pick the vegetables, wash them off, cut them up and put them right on the grill.

Our favorite vegetables to Grill: Cabbage Asparagus Corn Eggplant Mushrooms Peppers Onions Squash

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Grilling Vegetables is pretty easy. All I do is cut the vegetables up (always make sure to cut them large enough so they don’t fall through the grates - don’t ask me how I know this).

1. Tenderize the chicken. Go to town on the chicken with a meat tenderizer tool.

2. Marinate the chicken. This is my favorite marinade.

1/2 1/4 1/2 1/4

cup balsamic vinegar cup olive oil teaspoon garlic powder teaspoon black pepper

Make a marinade of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Coat the vegetables with the marinade and lay the vegetables directly on the grill Marinate the chicken for a couple of hours before (medium heat). grilling.

Depending on the vegetables Place the boneless chicken - grill time is 10-15 minutes.

Just grill until the vegetables breasts on the hottest part of the grill. Let grill for 3 reach your desired minutes. Rotate chicken 45 tenderness. degrees and place back on the grill.

How to Grill Chicken:

Grilling chicken on a charcoal grill can be tricky. If you don’t do it right - it will be bone dry.

Following these tips will help you grill chicken you are proud of serving!

Cook for 4 minutes. Use tongs to flip the chicken breast.

Grill for 2 more minutes.

Rotate 45 degrees and place back on the grill.

Cook for additional 2-4 minutes. Use meat thermometer

to make sure meat is 165 degrees in center. Let meat rest for 7-10 minutes before serving.

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Keep the Bugs Away!

Summertime is here which mea ns that the bugs have arrived too !

Keep those pes ky critters away wit h these essential oils!

b

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ANTS:

PEPPERMINT SPEARMINT BLACK PEPPER

APHIDS:

PEPPERMINT SPEARMINT CEDARWOOD

BEETLES:

PEPPERMINT THYME OREGANO

CATERPILLARS: PEPPERMINT SPEARMINT

FLEAS:

PEPPERMINT LEMONGRASS LAVENDER

FLIES:

PEPPERMINT MELALEUCA ROSEMARY LAVENDER

GNATS:

EUCALYPTUS PEPPERMINT SPEARMINT LAVENDER PATCHOULI

Combine 40 drops of Essential Oil and 4 oz. water into a spray bottle.

Shake well and SPRAY!

MOSQUITOS: LAVENDER GERANIUM LEMONGRASS EUCALYPTUS CITRONELLA

MOTHS:

CEDARWOOD EUCALYPTUS PEPPERMINT

SPIDERS:

EUCALYPTUS PEPPERMINT SPEARMINT

TICKS:

EUCALYPTUS LEMONGRASS LAVENDER ROSEMARY SAGE THYME from scratch magazine •

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No Money.

No Land.

No Problem.

Earn $50.000 a Year SPIN Farming

Want to know more?

Are you curious?

ABOUT LINDA BORGHI & FARM-A-YARD

In 2009 Linda spoke at Food, Famine & the Future of Food Technology at the United Nations. As a champion of self-sufficiency & pure healthy food, her goal is introducing over 1,000 new farmers to the art of creating real food to remove barriers to great food and improve access in food deserts. Linda has students throughout the U.S. and works online with students in other countries including Africa.

With experience as both a producer and vendor of food, Linda has managed four-star restaurants in Manhattan and farmed on Block Island, RI where she established Abundant Life Farm. She learned biodynamic agriculture at the Pfeiffer Center Garden, and since has practiced SPIN­Farming & pioneered the Eat Local Virtual Farm Stand as a direct distribution channel from farmer to eater. www.farm-a-yard.com 845-548-0952 lborghi@abundantlifefarm.com

Join Linda Borghi SPIN Farming Trainer Free Conference call Every Wednesday 6:30-7:00 pm EST ENTER CODE 758-655-565 # 38 • from scratch magazine

click here to pre-order your cookbook now from scratch magazine •

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the Mob

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Crop Mob BY: STEVEN JONES

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If you’ve got a lot of work that needs to be done, then you might want to consider a crop mob.

The first crop mob, a gathering of volunteer labor to get work done on farms and homesteads, was held in Pittsboro, NC in 2008.

Essentially, the story goes, a group of volunteers at the Piedmont Biofarm gathered to harvest sweet potatoes.

And that’s really about it. A group of like-minded volunteers and farmers get together and do work.

It may sound like “cheating,” but it’s not. Essentially, crop mobs are primarily held on farms devoted to nonconventional methods. These farms have higher labor needs than conventional farms. No pesticide/herbicide use means more weeding and less use of equipment.

Many of these nonconventional farms don’t make enough money to hire 42 • from scratch magazine

the dozens of labor they may require, and as such, depend on help from volunteers, interns and apprentices to grow and harvest food.

In exchange, the “mobsters” get something in exchange.

Sometimes, they’ll get a share of the harvest (but not always), sometimes they’ll get a chance to learn valuable skills. They almost always get a good meal and a chance to spend time with like-minded people in their community and a chance to foster real change in their local food system.

Because we recently moved, we decided to host a crop mob to help get our new homestead ready for this season, especially because we decided to move right at the beginning of March and knew next to nothing about the property.

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HERE’S WHAT WE LEARNED: TEMPER YOUR EXPECTATIONS You may have visions of hundreds of volunteers swarming your property, like a reverse plague of locusts, leaving nothing but beautiful landscaping and weed free rows in their path. But, you’ll probably be doing pretty good to have about 6-12 volunteers show up. And you don’t really want much more than that.

Those people will be expecting you to provide clear, cognizant instruction on what you want done. That’s a lot easier to do with less than a dozen people. On top of that, you have to feed those people. Which brings me to my next point.

PUT OUT A SPREAD It’s basic etiquette, really.

When company comes, you 44 • from scratch magazine

feed them (at least where I come from). I’m not saying you have to put together a 7 course meal, but at least put on a pot of chili. It helps if you make that spread as homemade as possible.

Chances are, the type of people that would show up for a crop mob will be the exact type of people that will appreciate the fact that you made pita bread and hummus from scratch.

Also, chances are, those people will be burning a lot of calories, it’s the least you can do to replace a few of them.

You don’t have to be responsible for all of it.

We combined our crop mob with a potluck and a bonfire after the event. It’s also good idea to have water and some snacks available through the day. You don’t want your mobsters passing out from dehydration.

FRIENDS + FOOD + WORK = COMMUNITY

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your farm, you cannot get upset if they spend a lot of time asking questions and If you’ve ever volunteered somewhere, you know there’s talking to each other. That’s part of the experience. The not much worse than showing up for something and the people that are there are organizers have no idea what there to help out and build you’re going to be doing. To community. Stopping for a bit to lean on a hoe while avoid that situation, it’s best you discuss the finer points to have a solid plan for what of local food security in your you’ll need done and how neighborhood is a great way you’re going to get it done.

That plan should include mak- to build community. And if ing sure all supplies and tools you pay attention, you’ll learn something too. are on hand and that you’ve got a specific item to get HAVE FUN done. It’s best to have a few items on the list, actually. If Ultimately, if you aren’t having you’re lucky enough to get done early, your mobsters will fun, why bother? have something else to move on to. Also, you may run into Sure, everyone’s got tons of work to be done, but even if a situation where enough people show up that you can you’re all toiling away in your fields or backyards or whatput them on different jobs. ever, stop for a minute and consider the fact that you’ve BUT DON’T WORRY TOO got people willing to come MUCH ABOUT THE PLAN out and pitch in for you and your dream. That’s a beautiful Sure, you’re all there to get thing, and if you don’t enjoy work done, but ultimately, if that, then you may be in the you’ve got a group of volwrong frame of mind. unteers helping you work on HAVE A PLAN

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EVERY SUCCESSFUL CROP MOB SHOULD END WITH DRINKS BY THE FIRE

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V

STEVEN INSTALLED THIS CLOTHESLINE IN 8 MINUTES. A SHOVEL WAS THE ONLY TOOL REQUIRED.

CLOTHESLINE HOLD 6-8 LOADS OF LAUNDRY

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A Clothesline in Every Backyard BY: STEVEN JONES

So, you’re thinking about getting a clothesline, either building one or, even better, finding one worth buying, like we did.

But you might be a little on the fence about the whole thing.

disagrees), but there’s a good chance after reading this, you’ll at least want to use it a lot less.

Less energy

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that a clothesline uses a lto less energy than an elecSo, we thought about it and tric dryer, but you may be surdecided to give you the prised exactly how much. top five reasons to have a According to this article, elecclothesline. tric dryers in the US use 43 We’re not saying you should billion kilowatt hours and prothrow out your electric dryer (I duces 32 metric tons of carthink you should, but the wife bon dioxide every year. from scratch magazine •

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Cheaper The same article cited above states the average electric dryer will cost about a quarter in electricity to dry a small load. Just doing a load a day means you’ll be spending about $91.25 per year. For us, and our family of four, a slow day of cleaning clothes requires at least three loads of clothes a day (we get dirty on our homestead). That means we’ll be spending more than $270 per year just on drying clothes. I’d much rather use 50 • from scratch magazine

that money to get a broad fork. It also means that you’ll pay for buying a clothesline like this one in less than a year of drying clothes.

More efficient Sure, it may seem quicker to just throw a load in a washer, but it’s going to take about 45 minutes to dry (more if it’s a load of denim). But, on a good day, hanging clothes on the line means you have dry clothes in about 30 minutes.

And, since an umbrella-style

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It’s prettier clothesline, like the one G&G sells, can dry 5-6 loads at a time, that means what would take an electric dryer 3 hours and 45 minutes to do (5 loads multiplied by 45 minutes) can be done in a shorter time.

Even on a bad day, where it takes 2 hours to dry clothes on the line, that’s still 5 loads of clothes in two hours, which means you’re still looking at less than 30 minutes a load.

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Despite what a Home Owners’ Association might think (and the less said about those the better), a clothesline is just downright pretty. A colorful array of cloth blowing in the wind on a bright summer’s day is adorable. And umbrella-style clothesline actually rotates in the wind. Which means the act of hanging out clothes is an act of creating kinetic sculpture. That’s beautiful.

It’s a lot more pleasant Just in case you need an excuse to get away from everyone, this is it. You can walk out your back door on a breezy summer day and hang out clothes. Just think: you and nature, getting chores done. It’s a lot more fun to spend a little time on a nice

day hanging out clothes than it is hurriedly flinging wet clothes into an electric dryer in a cramped, hot, humid, lint-filled laundry.

For more information on G&G Industries and the clotheslines they provide, click here.

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Slow Money on the

Homestead BY: STEVEN JONES

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If you want to homestead, you $75,000. And, I can honestly say, that would be a very need money. rough start to a homestead/ urban farm/agriculture Probably more money that business. That’s ignoring you think. things that you may consider essential: Greenhouse space, According to the United fodder systems, fruit trees, States Department of education, etc., etc., etc.

Agriculture, the average cost of an acre of land is about $3,000.

So, how might you So, let’s run the numbers (note: Costs are estimated, conservatively): Two acres of land: $6,000 Cost of a home on the property: $50,000* Animals and feed: $2,000 Infrastructure (enclosures, etc.): $3,000 Tools and equipment: $2,000 Utility hookups: $3,000 Total: $69,000

get that kind of scratch?

Probably not from your savings. More than 60 percent of Americans have less than $1,000 in savings.

So, second job? Well, good luck. The median wage for a part-time job is $246 a week.

That means you’ll be working for 304.8 weeks, or 5.8 years before you get your money up. And that’s if working 60+ *That’s the rough cost of a tiny hours a week doesn’t kill you first. house, finished. Obviously, something bigger will Let’s be a little more real for a probably run you more. second: Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re not super So, let’s just say about 56 • from scratch magazine

Click here to read now! read it

The ultimate guide to raising chickens from scratch magazine •

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young. Not to say that you’re old, but either you’ve got a family, at least one career already and a little bit of child rearin’ to do.

except that I don’t like it, not one bit).

So, it’s time to get creative, and that’s where Slow Money comes into play.

So, how about a bank.

I’m not even going to bother to google this: Really, it’s probably not worth the trouble to even bother getting a loan.

What’s Slow Money?

You’re going to have to find a really great piece of property, have lots of income and equity and other financial terms that I don’t know the meaning of and don’t really want to learn. If you are luck enough to convince a loan officer to drop some cash on you, you’re going to be saddled with a 30 year mortgage at an interest rate that’s determined by the phases of the moon and the astrological sign of the Fed Chairman (for all the econ. majors reading this, you have my deepest apologies. I know nothing of what I speak when it comes to this sort of thing, 58 • from scratch magazine

Recently, at the EDA University Center at Fayetteville State University sponsored Local Food Security and Economic Development Roundtable, Carol Peppe Hewitt introduced attendees to the concept of Slow Money.

“What we do is help local farmers and food entrepreneurs find funding from the people in their community,” Hewitt said.

Slow Money was started in 2008 by Woody Tasch. The idea is simple: Investors (people with money to lend) loan said money to start small food enterprises.

Think beekeepers, family farms, food co-ops and in North Carolina, even an

organic cotton clothing maker.

Slow Money NC started in Pittsboro, according to their website, after Tasch spoke about the concept.

Hewitt, along with other cofounders of Slow Money NC, started lending cash to local food enterprise all over North Carolina. Hewitt even wrote a book about the movement.

Because of their work, North Carolina is home to farms, beekeepers, shepherds, greenhouses and more.

Loans have provided wells, chickens, equipment, and more. Restaurants -- like Kimbap, recently featured in this magazine -- have used loans from Slow Money NC lenders to provide local food, expand their operations and more.

Vintners have flourished, grain gets ground into flour and more.

Composting companies have started! Clothing is being

made from organic cotton grown in North Carolina.

More than $1.2 million in loans created jobs and businesses and a sense of community all across the state.

How does it work?

Lenders select borrowers and get a 2-4 percent rate of interest.

Slow Money NC, the organization represented by Hewitt, doesn’t charge any fees to lenders or borrowers.

Instead, the non-profit relies on donations to cover administrative costs.

What happens if borrowers default on the loans?

Well, lenders lose their money.

But since the loans are so small (loans average $2,000$30,000 according to the Slow Money NC website).

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ing regarding the loans made through Slow Money NC: “While to date, the loans have performed very well, if you want to make a Slow Money loan, make sure it is discretionary money that you can afford to lose.”

So why do it? Why take a risk with money, that you surely worked hard to earn and steward?

and have no relationship to us, or to the products we use, or to our local communities.

We think we need to change that. With Slow Money NC our money comes back home where it can do a great deal of good” So, are you interested? Well, see if you can find a Slow Money group near you. If you can’t, start one.

Here’s what Slow Money NC says:

And maybe lend some money to some very much needed organizations.

“Many of us have a variety of investments which travel the globe at the speed of light

“It is so much fun,” Hewitt said. “You can do this. It is easy.”

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CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE CATALOG OF RARE AND INTERESTING SEEDS!

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Farmzie

HELPING FARMERS SELL THEIR HARVEST BY: STEVEN JONES

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One of the most difficult things new farmers face is sales.

“It’s said that if you’re a farmer you have to spend 50 percent (of your time) farming, 50 percent marketing and 50 percent running your business,” Griffe Youngleson, CEO of Farmzie said, at the recent Local Food and Economic Development Roundtable hosted by Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, NC. Of course, that’s a mathematical impossibility.

Essentially, farmers can post everything they have available at a given time during a harvest, and consumers can place an order online or via the smartphone app.

Payment can be made via the app by credit card. Farmzie accepts all credit card payments without a fee, unlike other services.

But, it’s not just a payment service.

Farmzie also provides consumers with an overview So, Farmzie decided to create of the farms they’re buying from. a virtual farm stand.

Each farm listing on the app comes with a farm profile, outlining the basics of a particular farm including what the farmers grow and how Youngleson said farmers don’t they grow it. even have to leave their fields If you have a question to conduct sales. about your farmer, or what a particular farmer is growing, “The marketing aspect is just ask them. automatic,” he said.

Farmers, using Farmzie, can download their app to their smartphones and conduct all their sales via cellphone.

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Farming from your cellphone Farmzie provides a way for customers to contact farmers via the app through an online form. Farmers can get messages sent to their email or their cell phones, again, letting farmers get on with the business of farming.

on growing high quality food and we can keep our money local. In fact, we initially got into this business by attempting to rebuild local economies through farming,” the Farmzie website states.

And it doesn’t cost the farmer anything. Consumers pay a 5 percent, plus 30 cents convenience fee. That money is used by Farmzie to provide the service to farmers and consumers.

That means farmers are free to farm, and consumers have a better way to support them.

“We’re trying to build a new food system, where anyone can raise their hand and be a part of that system,” Youngleson said.

“By eliminating transaction costs for them, they can focus

Find out more about Farmzie here.

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Rose Arbor BUILDING A

A RADICAL ACT OF CARPENTRY BY: JESSICA ARENDS

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S

unday night I received a call to build a rose arbor at a site the following day. For the past few weeks, I had been working with an urban gardening company in Washington DC with the idea that I would build raised beds and trellises for residential and commercial gardens.

Until now, I had been assisting the site carpenter and then helping with the gardening – shoveling, moving wheel barrels of dirt and planting starts of kale.

But now spring business was booming and the head carpenter would be tied up at another site. The next morning I woke an hour before my alarm, adrenaline already tingling at my temples, completely unable to sit still for my morning meditation practice.

During introductions with the homeowner at the site, my

co-worker pointed to me and said the word carpenter. The homeowner looked surprised.

I smiled feeling terrified and elated at the same time.

I studied the plans while Mike and Steve started on the raised beds across the yard.

The arbor would extend 22 feet across, 8 feet high, consist of three arches and a doorway, bow slightly in to frame the patio and train rose bushes already planted.

After pulling the wood off the truck and setting up the tools, I tried every knob to unlock the mitered saw with no luck.

I hesitated asking for help - I desperately wanted to appear competent.

I finally fetched Mike who happily showed me the lock release. Chop saw open, I became a cutting machine, making perfect 45 degree angles.

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by the heavenly buzz of the saw turning on, the powerful sheerreesh of the cut followed by the pop, pop of wood dropping. I fall into a gentle rhythm, feel the sun on my neck, smell freshly cut cedar, watch celebratory saw dust spray out like confetti. From across the neighborhood I hear the sound of another electric saw calling back.

“How are things going?”

I squint up to see the homeowner from my crouched spot by the saw: “Just fine,” I smile. “What lacquers do you use for cedar?” she asks.

“I have some in mind, but I thought I would ask you since you are the carpenter.”

There’s a long pause. I know nothing about cedar lacquers.

Is she testing me? Just then Mike appears to ask her questions about the beds and they disappear behind the hedge. Phew.

It’s time to dig holes for the arbor posts so Mike gives me 68 • from scratch magazine

a demo on the Auger, a gas-powered hole digger that looks like a cross between and giant drill and a weedwhacker.

Despite trying various angles and pulling with all my might, I can’t get the starter cord to catch. I try several times then become self-conscious thinking I must look ridiculous.

I sheepishly walk to the end of the yard to fetch Mike.

He is polite, happy to assist but I can’t help thinking: here I am, the weaker sex, asking for help again. He gets the starter cord to catch with ease, his body accustomed to the movement and the amount of strength needed.

He hands the machine over to me and I awkwardly begin to jab it into the ground. The difference between this experience and taking a carpentry class are magnified.

I feel squeezed between two priorities that illustrate a bigger conundrum I experience

in life in general: my desire to learn more skills and do work that I enjoy and the fact that I have been hired to work efficiently and get a job done.

loud quiet. Abandoning the foul thing, I pick up the manual post hole digger, a much more peaceful if slower tool.

When we are children, learning is prioritized; a concept quickly challenged by the expectation of economic success as we become adults.

Two hours later I conclude: a three-foot hole is much deeper than you think it should be. And: cutting wood is much more fun than digging holes.

Now I experience a tension between doing something in order to learn and offering expertise for financial gain.

I feel grateful for all the informal teachers I have had along the way.

A column of exhaust rises up around the Auger as the hole slowly grows.

My back muscles threaten to lock up and my brain goes numb from the vibrations, but I delay hitting the off switch because I know I will have to ask Mike to start it again.

I finally cut the motor. Sweet bird calls fill in the now very

We finish up for the day. I drag my weary body into my car and try to convince myself I don’t need to stop at the grocery store even though I have no food in the house.

I wander around the aisles, limbs heavy with exhaustion, half brain dead.

How do people do this five days a week? A woman next to me in line glances disapprovingly at my legs.

I look down at my filthy carhartts and muddy boots.

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being in public after pottery class when I am covered in clay, it feels like a kind of defiant declaration that, despite social expectations, I have in fact not been engaging in any beautifying activity – visible evidence that I have been building a skill and getting dirty rather than satisfying the pressure of how women should look. Perhaps this is nostalgic from playing outside as a kid, but this feels deeply satisfying.

of my winter clothes pile to prepare for freezing morning temps and head out to the site. The homeowner greets me with a furrowed brow.

She thought the doorway to the arbor would be wider and the posts closer to the rose bushes. I’ve been terrified of making a mistake – what did I do wrong? I consult the original plans which I followed exactly. I acknowledge her concerns, gently explain that the posts are set but that she can still train the rose bushes up the arbor.

Once home, I appreciate the simple things: a hot bath, hand lotion, chap-stick and With a paying client to please, food. My bed is incredibly soft this is so very different from and I immediately fall asleep. taking a class!

DAY TWO

Mike has finished the beds, so he offers to help me complete The next morning, I wake from the arbor. As a guy he just learned carpentry skills the most solid sleep I’ve had growing up, something not in months. Sun salutations remind me of how yoga both really accessible for most women. restores overworked muscles and builds strength for the day ahead. I dig out my long I remember wanting to help my grandfather with carpentry underwear from the bottom 70 • from scratch magazine

ALL OF THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO START YOUR OWN VERTICAL GARDEN , FROM SCRATCH! CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE! from scratch magazine •

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projects, but was given tasks like painting or fetching screwdrivers.

With two of us time passes quickly. The posts now completed, I use the circular saw to make a few cuts then chisel the wood out to create notches for the crossbeams.

Mike smoothes out the notches with the belt sander. With my full attention demanded by the saw and hands engaged, my mind becomes expansive and I easily slip into single-pointed mindfulness.

Things appear magnified and slightly magical: a bluejay’s call in the neighbor’s yard, the sparkling sun and cold air in our lungs, the rhythm of our bodies as we move boards, find tools and mark the timber.

I begin to marvel at the tools I use – the saw, chisel, hammer and sander. I wonder at their history, the innovative 74 • from scratch magazine

people that helped create the refined design I now hold in my hands. I wonder: Were any of them women?

We secure the last few timber lox screws into the crossbeams, clamor down the ladders and fall silent to take in the final product.

We clean up the site and, luckily, the homeowner appears happy with the completed structure.

At home, I take a shower, make dinner and stretch. As I reflect on the day, I can’t help but compare this work to that of my previous desk jobs.

After a full day of meetings and sitting at a computer, I would scramble to fit in things that were good for me: exercise, meditation, being social.

But the very nature of this work is physical, meditative and social, not to mention a constant source of

learning opportunities.

My attention is focused, not splintered between emails, facebook, or an onslaught of disparate tasks I have to manage and complete.

And at the end of the day,

my mind is my own. I’m not re-playing how a meeting went, working out an agenda, worrying about who will come to the event I am planning. There’s also a deepened appreciation of my body whenever I do physically demanding work. from scratch magazine •

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It becomes incredibly useful, rather than something that needs to improve or change.

More time is spent taking care of my body than worrying about what it looks like.

The result, paradoxically, is feeling leaner, stronger and more beautiful.

dependent upon the present economic structure and in better relationship with the land, each other and ourselves.

Working with one’s hands becomes a radical act of self-reliance, creating meaning and community and countering the isolation and I also reflect on how economic loneliness so many of us experience today. pursuits, often disguised as career or even personal A more self-reliant and prindevelopment, rob us of one of our most precious and cipled life becomes possible. irreplaceable resources: time.

Perhaps one day the novelty of this work will wear off and Who has time to make the exhaustion will outweigh something, be it dinner or a the perks, but right now I rose arbor, after working all am more interested in learnday? ing than working and that is enough to keep me at this So we have to buy things, carpentry thing for a little thus becoming increasingly while longer. dependent upon our money and our economic enterprises.

If we allowed ourselves time to learn the skills necessary for life, be they farming, carpentry, canning, raising animals, we become less 76 • from scratch magazine

Author’s Biography: Jessica Arends is a carpenter and writer living in Washington DC.

GARDENER’S HAND SOAP

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FERTILIZER FROM THE SEA BY: STEVEN JONES

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We like Neptune’s Harvest.

The fertilizer company, based out of Massachusetts, takes waste from the preparation and processing of seafood and turns it into high-quality, organic, safe fertilizer.

find out even more about the company in this issue’s business profile.

The products are easy on plants, encourage micro-organism growth and improve the soil, all while taking a waste product produced by the fishing industry and making something useful out of it.

Neptune’s Harvest Fertilizer’s parent company, Ocean Crest Seafood’s Inc., in Gloucester, MA, inadvertently ended up in the organic fertilizer business, in the 80’s.

CAN YOU GIVE US A BRIEF HISTORY OF NEPTUNE’S HARVEST?

A wholesale seafood company established in 1965, Ocean We’ve used the product in our Crest had a need to dispose own homestead and farming of the fish remains created operations for more than 2 after processing, called gurry. years, so finally, we decided Gurry makes up 60 to 70% to contact the company and of the fish after it is filleted. share our experience with Ocean Crest got together their products. with researchers from the University of Massachusetts’ They sent over a batch of marine science research center Fish-Seafood Blend and their and developed the process of Organic Crab Shell to review. turning the gurry into fertilizer, (You can read that review which allows the company to here, as well as more on the use 100% of the fish. company. Spoiler alert, we loved it). So, we decided to talk to Neptune’s Harvest and from scratch magazine •

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WHAT MAKES NEPTUNE’S HARVEST “UNIQUE” AMONG NATURAL/ORGANIC FERTILIZERS? We are very unique, even amongst other Fish Fertilizer companies. Most remove oils and proteins, cook it down and they smell pretty bad.

With our process, the fish remains are ground up while they are still fresh, and once liquefied are then stabilized and screened for use through any type of sprayer.

This process yields a stable, non-odorous, liquid fertilizer that is an easy to use, safe product. Unlike other natural/ organic products, with the Fish, you’re getting enzymes, macro- and micro-nutrients, trace elements, trace minerals, amino acids, vitamins, omega oils, and naturally occurring growth promoters, all in nature’s perfect balance from the Ocean.

You’re really feeding the soil 80 • from scratch magazine

and making the plants so healthy, they are less susceptible to insect and disease problems. You don’t get all of that with other fertilizers.

NEPTUNE’S HARVEST ISN’T AS “STRONG” AS INDUSTRIALLY PRODUCED CHEMICALLY PRODUCED FERTILIZERS. DO YOU FEEL THIS IS A WEAKNESS OR A STRENGTH OF THE PRODUCT? WHY/WHY NOT? It is a strength, for sure.

Neptune’s Harvest is organic, and it won’t burn plants. “Strong” products with high NPK can’t say that, and all they have is NPK (Nitrogen-PhosphorusPotassium) nothing else!

They actually destroy the biological life of the soil, and Fish builds it.

NEPTUNE’S HARVEST, DESPITE BEING MADE FROM FISH, IS A PRODUCT THAT CAN BE

USED IN DRIP IRRIGATION. WHAT’S THE PROCESS THAT TAKES A PRODUCT FROM RAW MATERIAL (IN THIS CASE, FISH WASTE) INTO SOMETHING FINE ENOUGH TO USE IN JUST ABOUT ANY FERTILIZER APPLICATION PROCESS?

several screening processes.

We recently spent another $32,000.00 on a high tech screening device that takes out any of the bigger bone particles that did dissolve during hydrolyzing process (enzymes turning solids to liquids).

We grind the Fish remains (gurry) up, and with the high powered pumps and the natural enzymes in the fish, it becomes a liquid within 24 hours. It goes through

It is more efficient and doesn’t waste any product. It is then rescreened as it goes into the final container, through a 150-micron screen. It looks like cloth it’s so fine. The final

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product looks like chocolate milk.

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR PRIMARY CUSTOMER IS FOR NEPTUNE’S HARVEST? WHY? We sell from a pint to a 4600 gallon tanker truck and everything in between, so we sell to any type of grower. I’d say most bulk goes on hay and pasture, because of the increased yield and nutritional value of feed it produces. We also sell to vegetable growers of all sizes. It really does work on everything. We have a cult like following of giant pumpkin growers and rose growers too, on the home gardener end of things.

YOUR CRAB SHELL IS ONE OF YOUR NEWER PRODUCTS, ARE THERE ANY OTHER NEW PRODUCTS THAT YOU’RE CURRENTLY RESEARCHING?

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We just came out with a Tomato & Veg and a Rose & Flowering Formula, based on customer demand. These are geared toward the Veg and Flowering stages of plant growth. We also recently added a Lawn Starter and a Turf Formula. We were getting requests for a zero phosphorus turf feed, because many communities have banned phosphorus on lawns, and that’s why we came up with the Turf Formula.

CONTINUING THAT, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE OF YOUR COMPANY? We are always listening to our customer’s feedback, and trying to come up with products to meet their needs. We plan to keep expanding if the demand is there.

CONGRATS ON THE GREEN BUSINESS PEOPLE AND PLANET AWARD NOMINATION. HOW DID YOU GET NOMINATED FOR THAT AWARD?

now hoping to be one of the top 3 winners.

We’ve been members of Green America, who put on the contest, for many years.

We were nominated by someone and then voting began to decide the top 10 finalist. We made it to the top 10 and are

We are a family business.

Out of 45 employees, 16 are family.

IS THERE ANYTHING I’VE NEGLECTED TO ASK?

Find out more about Neptune’s Harvest here.

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Homeschooling WITH THE

King BY: MELISSA JONES

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When you homeschool EVERYTHING is a lesson. So, when we turned a trip from Elvis’ birth home in Tupelo, MS to his family estate at Graceland in Memphis, TN. into an educational field trip it came as no surprise to our homeschooler.

wasn’t born in a hospital.

Elvis’ family didn’t have much money. And they ended up leaving Tupelo after losing their home in search of better times. They moved to Memphis, TN.

Me, my ten year old homeschooled daughter and my sister jumped into the car and had an educational road trip of a lifetime.

When you think about Elvis, you think about a superstar who changed the world of music. You do not think of him as being born in small town in Mississippi.

We started the trip in Tupelo Mississippi. Elvis Aaron Presley was born there on January 8, 1935. He was born in a two room house, a twin to parents Vernon and Gladys Presley.

His twin brother, Jessie Garon was stillborn.

But that is just how Hannah was introduced to him. Of course she has heard his songs and seen his photographs. But at this point she was much more familiar with the story and life of the poor young Tupelo boy.

We toured the humble home where Elvis was born. The front door entered right into the bedroom. The same room where Elvis was born. Hannah couldn’t believe that Elvis was born in that very room.

She was so surprised that he

Driving into Memphis and arriving at Graceland - Hannah was about to see the King of Rock and Roll’s Tennessee mansion.

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HANNAH POSING WITH A YOUNG ELVIS

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noticing a couple of things that seemed unique. First, there were hundreds and hundreds of semi-trucks, trains, airplanes - the place was hopping.

and followed the signs to Graceland.

I am not sure what I expected - but Memphis just grew right around Graceland. I thought there might be a little more distance between the city and the home - but Graceland sits right on a busy highway.

We passed by a shipping harbor and I begin to recall reading somewhere that Memphis was a major logistics We parked and started hub. walking towards the welcome center.

Memphis is located less than 500 miles from the mean center of US population. 36% It was a beautiful May day and the weather was perfect. of the country can reached by truck within 24 hours. 70% We got our tickets and were within 48 hours. instructed to wait for the bus.

Bus? Where were they takIn fact, it is considered to be America’s Aerotropolis, Where ing us? I thought we were at Graceland.

Runway, Road, Rail and River Merge.

Thankfully while we were waiting they gave us headMemphis may be known as the home of Elvis Presley but phones and an iPad with our own personal Graceland tour it is also home to a FedEx guide loaded and ready to go. mega hub and the world’s largest cargo airport.

John Stamos, of Full House fame, was the official We took the exit off of Hwy Graceland tour guide. He 55 on to Elvis Presley Blvd from scratch magazine •

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THE 2 ROOM HOUSE BUILT BY ELVIS’ FATHER. HE WAS BORN THERE IN 1935.

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explained that we would be driving across the street to where the actual house was located.

There is also a stairway. The upstairs of Graceland is off limits. Elvis didn’t allow visitors upstairs when he was alive and the rule still holds true today.

Now, the buses made sense.

We loaded up on the bus and As you walk further into the began our tour. On our trip we listened to John Stamos as first floor you enter the kitchen and jungle room. he gave us a brief history of the property.

The jungle room is one of The bus dropped us off at the Elvis’ last decorating projects.

He furnished in true sevenfront steps of Graceland. ties fashion from a local furniAnd John Stamos on an iPad ture store. It is a home decor mix of jungle, Hawaii, dark guided us through the entire furniture and seventies color mansion. schemes.

It was pretty awesome.

You then go down a mirrored stairwell to the tv room which As we weaved through the house we learned about Elvis’ houses several start of the art 1970’s televisions and a bar. history and the history of the home.

Don’t get me wrong. The actual house at Graceland The tour is broken up into is pretty awesome. But the rooms. You enter the most moving part of the entire mansion and into the foyer where the living room, dining experience lies in the Trophy Building and the Racquetball room and his mother’s Building. It is filled with all of bedroom branch off. the awards, the gold records, from scratch magazine •

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the costumes, the timeline of his fame. It is just amazing.

work and determination he was able to live a life people only dream about.

There are gold records from the floor to the ceiling. Every She also was completely amazed that he was just a award and honor that could be bestowed on someone was normal person. hanging right in front of us.

Maybe this is exactly why we should bring our children to Hannah was in awe. She couldn’t believe how much he places like Graceland. accomplished in his short life.

Fame is such a big part of our After we had walked through society. The famous make it their job to only portray a life all of the awards rooms we of perfection. A life that is the started walking towards the envy of everyone who sees mediation garden. their instagram posts, watches their movies, or listens to their Elvis and his family are music. buried in the meditation garden. It was such a We never get to see sobering moment. the reality of fame. That these famous people are just like People left flowers and every one else. They have mementos, took photos and fears and they make mistakes. many were in tears as they gave their respects.

Being able to reflect on Elvis Presley’s life and see the As we were walking back struggles and triumphs is a towards to the bus pick up healthy way to give a child area - Hannah told me that perspective in this fame Elvis was the real American obsessed world.

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7 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT

Elvis 94 • from scratch magazine

1. AT 11, PRESLEY GOT A GUITAR. HE REALLY WANTED A .22 CALIBER RIFLE BUT HIS MOM PERSUADED HIM TO LOOK AT THE GUITARS INSTEAD 2. PRESLEY HAD A SLIGHT STUTTER. 3. HERE’S WHAT PRESLEY AND PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON SAID TO EACH OTHER DURING THEIR 1970 MEETING CELEBRATED IN THE FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPH: “YOU DRESS KIND OF STRANGE, DON’T YOU?” NIXON SAID, TO WHICH PRESLEY RESPONDED, “WELL, MR. PRESIDENT, YOU GOT YOUR SHOW, AND I GOT MINE.” 4. PRESLEY HAD A PET TURKEY. HIS NAME WAS BOWTIE. HE ALSO OWNED A BASSET HOUND, TWO GREAT DANES, A CHOW CHOW, A POMERANIAN, SEVERAL HORSES, SOME DONKEYS, SOME PEACOCKS AND GUINEA HENS, DUCKS, CHICKENS, A CHIMPANZEE, A MONKEY AND A MYNAH BIRD. 5. ELVIS WAS A BLACK BELT IN KARATE, HAVING FIRST TAKEN UP MARTIAL ARTS WHILE FULFILLING HIS MILITARY DUTIES IN GERMANY IN 1958.

6. DESPITE BEING FAMOUS FOR HIS BLACK HAIR, ELVIS HAD BLONDE HAIR UNTIL HIS LATE TEENS. 7. IN 2005, BILLIONAIRE ROBERT SILLERMAN - OWNER OF THE TELEVISION SHOW AMERICAN IDOL, BOUGHT AN 85% STAKE IN ELVIS PRESLEY ENTERPRISES. THIS GIVES HIM CONTROL OF ELVIS PRESLEY’S NAME AND LIKENESS IN THE USA. from scratch magazine •

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Interesting facts About july 4th When Alaska and Hawaii became states 49 and 50, President Eisenhower received thousands of ideas for an updated flag.

Robert G. Heft, a 17-year-old student at Lancaster (Ohio) High, created the design for a class project. He was one of three to submit the version that was accepted and remains in use today.

Robert got a B- on his project.

87.5% of imported U.S. flags are from China.

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Benjamin Franklin wrote that he was not happy hat the bald eagle had been chosen as the symbol for the nation. “He is a Bird of bad moral character. He does not get his Living honestly,” he wrote. “You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk.”

A turkey, Franklin went on to argue, is a far “more respectable” bird.

“Turk’y… [is a] true original Native of America,” Franklin wrote. “He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.”

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An Estimated 150 million hot dogs will be consumed on July 4th.

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The American Pyrotechnics Association (APA) estimates more than 14,000 professional firework displays light up American skies on the 4th of July.

97% of imported fireworks are from China.

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The Statue of Liberty was a Gift from France.

Poem inscribed on The Statue of Liberty

Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

- Emma Lazarus

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2 of our nation’s Greatest symbols were made overseas

The Liberty Bell was cast in England

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