Sunday, March 30, 2008
Open Forum
This page is for matters of day to day interest if you have a question or a comment on some subject not handled elsewhere in the blog. You may wish to refer to another string in the blog and attach your comments there. All comments are moderated so a little delay between commenting and seeing it on the site will be experienced.
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Diesel is a convenient standby but I am using photo voltaic panels and will shortly be backing that up with a wind generator.
ReplyDeleteAs a first step in preperation to any weather event each of us should have at least put away a cyclone kit with enough supplies to last 30 days.
ReplyDeleteI think we all, as individuals/family units, need to have an emergency kit which could cover almost any kind of emergency.
ReplyDeleteIt would also be a good idea to have something in place at the community level. Any ideas on this?
Hi 'It's not your fault" How much trouble would it be to set up a community store? It would only have to stock the basic necessities for those occasions when some unforseen event takes place. Also it would be convenient to purchase some item that could save an unnecessary trip into town. Such a store also be able to take forward orders for those without transport or have some other reason for not travelling. "Hoppy"
ReplyDeleteI think a community store in the sense of cache not 'shop', is a good idea for some things eg; more advanced trauma response equipment (expensive, low use stuff),above a basic first aid kit. For most other things I reckon it's up to the individual.
ReplyDeleteIt would be prudent for all members to have a wilderness first aid kit etc. The TMVC has some good stuff that they sell as kits for traveling developing countries.
As far as food and a community store (Cache, not shop) goes, I reckon it could be a bit of a minefield, but could work if done carefully/thoughtfully. One Idea I have had in mind on the community level is purchasing/building silos, mostly for storing surplus produce in good seasons so to act as a buffer in bad seasons. Obviously this kind of thing has kept communities/cultures alive for milennia.
I reckon the realities of living somewhere like Tuljun require a level of independence that matches the terrain so to speak. On saying that, to be prepared anywhere is not stupid. I for one have always kept a store of 3 months food, diesel and seeds etc. I know it kind of sounds nuts (to some), but in light of 'black swans?' like the floods, one can instantly look like a genius hours after looking like a nutter. This outlook may come from my upbringing on a (semi) remote property, where only one creek had to flood, and no town (or school, yay!). My family always had stuff to keep us going, it was normal. In todays world, things aren't much different, we all know of 'just in time' delivery and 'travelling inventories' and 3 day shelf turnarounds in stupidmarkets.
I reckon a good buffer is everyone being in their own way prepared, and then we can help others out who may need it.
Scott & Laura
I agree with the above comments by Scott and Laura on preparendnss. 3 day shelf turnarounds in stupidmarkets would leave one in a serious fix even if the normal and expected climatic events occur and one was late to Coles or the like. The shopping centres are blitzed by panic buyers that strip them like a plague of locusts. If the phone system were compromised and the 'fantastic plastic' were unusable then things would also be rather stickey.
ReplyDelete"Prepare for the worst, hope for the best."
ReplyDeleteI guess when it comes to medical supplies there are a few things that could be bought on a community level, that are a bit of an overkill for the household/wilderness first aid kit. Some things that come to mind are syringes, antibiotics, specific antivenom, dental forceps. There are more I'm sure, but this sort of thing obviously requires consultation with medical professional/s and much detailed discussion. Laura's Sister is a GP so we may get some free help with with this sort of stuff.
I have been recommended and purchased the village health care books- 'where there is no doctor', 'where women have no doctor' and 'where there is no dentist'. This reminds me that a library would obviuosly be essential to Tuljun so everyone has access to these kinds of resources (we are also keeping all of our other books for this kind of reason).
With silos, I guess there are a few complexities, but at the end of the day we may be able to work out an agreement where we can all contribute to the bulk storage of staples? I have been thinking about this a little bit, and one thing I see as a problem is on the other hand, one of the nicest things about Tuljun: hungry little native animals. They would really have a ball if they found a grain/legume store that they could access. There are galvinised steel silos that come in all sizes, also they could be made the old fashioned way like Erics post on water tanks, I am not an expert on these matters. Anyone have any experience with these? I will ask my Father about that one too, and see what he says. Another idea I had was getting hold of 200 litre screw top open headed drums, these are guaranteed rodent proof and divide the cache up so it can be convenient for a diversity of grains etc. and also divides risk of damage/loss. These can be aquired at a reasonable price where we are, they are sold by sellers of stock feed. They were used originally for olives.
Bob, when we discussed what kind of staples would grow well at Tuljun, you suggested corn, and I really think you hit the nail on the head. I was looking to other cultures in a similar climate to Tuljun for inspiration, and kept thinking of parts of Asia. While there is still a lot of inspiration to be drawn from that area, I reckon rice is inappropriate. Your idea pointed me to South & Central America, and pandoras box opened up. Beans & Corn! From a permaculture perspective- part of the 3 amigos- corn, beans, squash. Corn and beans store well of course, there is also amaranth from that part of the world, which grows like a weed and is also a source of greens, but the grain is very nutritious. I have found Muscovy ducks form a nice synergy with amaranth, funnily enough, the muscovys also originate from that part of the world.
We have done a bit of experimenting with these foods and growing systems. I have lately been experimenting in cookery with these basic staples to make tasty and nutritious meals (with a focus on minimal use of cooking energy). I continue to experiment and have had much success in most areas, and found difficulty in some others- threshing and winnowing amaranth in particular, anyone know much about this? I have been meaning to share and elaborate and ask who else may have had experience with this stuff on this blog. It's a bit off topic here, so should I start another thread?
Next we will crop Pinto, Black, canalleni and Adzuki beans -interplanted with corn- and store them down
Scott
If anyone is interested, someone at AusSurvivalist has been running an "Austere Medical Course" the last 2 or 3 years running. It might be worth keeping an eye on their site, and they now have a separate section titled Medical Topics.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone interested in that course, Sparhawk (moderator) gives an outline. Looks like it might be a four day course, but I think the cost was very reasonable.
http://www.aussurvivalist.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12855&KW=medical+course
Thanks for the info Julie. Laura and I were just talking today about where we could learn stuff like that. We will try to see if we can time the course with our next trip to Brisbane.
ReplyDeleteScott
Scott have you considered sunflowers as a source of grain. Collecting the seed is a snap. When mixed with corn, amaranth, buck wheat and potato you have a good basis for sourdough bread. All these crops grow well at altitude.The grains can be milled easily with a relatively inexpensive electric mill. The Ideal situation would be for each family to have a general garden and a specialty group in what they produce for trade. Some produce fruit, or vegies or meat and some produce grains.
ReplyDeleteWe grow sunflowers, but have never thought about using them the way you described above. I now recall you mentioning this type of sourdough when we were at Tuljun, it sounds delicious! Can you post the recipe?
ReplyDeleteScott
Since writing about the possibility of obtaining a dozer I have had a rethink.
ReplyDeleteGiven our particular circumstances on Tuljun it seems that the better option may be to purchase an excavator instead, for the following reasons.
1. An excavator can load spoil into trucks
2. Can carry and place boulders into retaining walls
3. Carve out high embankments
4. Manipulate timber for pole houses etc.
5. Lift containers and demountables into place
6. Can do a better job of levelling road surfaces
7. Excels in deep trench excavations.
8. Cost about the same as a dozer to purchase
Each time we have had need of one of these types of machines it has averaged out at $20,000 for a few days work. They were used because a dozer was unsuitable. Input?
hi mate thought along the same lines myself.... with an excavator you can do so much more than just clear roads, bore holes for foundation too, along with all the stuff you suggested. with an open mind and a little bit of knowledge a machine like that is almost limitless in its capacity.... hydraulics can do so much if adapted the right way...... good thinkin mate...
ReplyDeleteMark
Seperate subject here. While driving home Laura and I had a lot of time to talk and think, and the usual issues came up; Women, Kids, Socialization etc. And we came up with an idea. The idea is basically bits borrowed from other intentional communities that move in a direction similar toTuljun and based on some experiences I have had and some of the things I wish I had had.
ReplyDeleteThe gist of it is trying to install a "starter culture", by a few of us getting together and builing several small dwellings etc. and also, importantly, building a decent sized communal permaculture garden, and then making the dwellings etc. avaliable for rent.
Some of the benefits of this could be;
Bringing people in who aren't "pioneer" types, as my brother put it, but have an interest in the final idea of the co operative, and may have a valuable role in a functioning co operative, but aren't the types that would adapt well to the more daunting task of starting off.
Bringing in new ideas and diversity
Providing a great space for some who for whatever reasons aren't prepared to commit to membership
Providing an example for some who may in the future become members
Bring cashflow into the co operative
Bring more women and kids (families)
Help provide food security
It would be a fantastic place for people who are musicians, artists etc. to bug out for a while and follow their muse without nasty interferrence from parts of society that cause a lot of worry (both Laura and I would have loved an opportunity like that).
It could also be a seed that starts off an attraction to international visitors and perhaps could lead into some kind of eco tourism?
If gobar gas and some sort of microgrid were incorporated, it could help provide the infrastructure for festival.
I personally know of a few different demographics to which this idea could be attractive.
There are also a few networks out there that could supply volunteers to help build a project like this, and share skills.
The rent could be fairly cheap couldn't it?
Scott
http://www.flickr.com/photos/smallape/sets/72157604714762643/with/2568812495/