Homesteading Videos by Paul Wheaton

Paul describes the content of the two Art Ludwig Podcasts that are being offered. Visit http://permies.com/podcasts/ to get these two spectacular podcasts.

Suzy Bean renders lard in her favorite way. And she talks about some other lard rendering techniques that she has tried and doesn't like as much. The way she likes: the stove top "dry method" (no water) in a cast iron skillet. She says a stainless steel pan would be good too. Low to medium heat. Some ways she doesn't like as much: crock pot: the cracklins don't crackle. they're mushy. And there might be water in the lard oven: it's fine, but it takes a while the wet method in a cast iron skillet: fine, but why bother when the dry method works so well In this video, she uses "leaf lard" which is actually not yet lard. It is organ fat which will be rendered into lard. Leaf lard makes the very best lard - which makes the very best cookies, pie crusts and pastries! This is as opposed to "back fat" which makes a lard suitable for savory cooking. Cut the fat up and toss it in the skillet. When the pork rinds look yummy, you're ready. take the cracklings out and pour the liquid lard into a mason jar through a cheesecloth. Done. Why do this? Because the fat does not store well. It will go nasty in a few days. The lard will keep for months or even years. Suzy confesses that she had some fat go moldy once. I do some movie magic time lapse fast forward stuff in a coupla spots. I show the fat rendering quickly and I show the liquid turning to a solid quickly. Relevant threads at permies: http://www.permies.com/t/13996/cooking-food-preservation-food-choices/render-... http://www.permies.com/t/2254/cooking-food-preservation-food-choices/good-lar... http://www.permies.com/t/9306/cooking-food-preservation-food-choices/Lard-sta... http://www.permies.com/t/2258/cooking-food-preservation-food-choices/preservi... http://www.richsoil.com/cast-iron.jsp music by Jimmy Pardo

Just some buffalo filmed a little south of Missoula, Montana. Plus some new music from my friend Jimmy Pardo: "Buncha Fuckin Weirdos" For the part where the buffalo glot close to me, i was humming the tune. That seemed to draw them in. Relevant threads at permies (with more info about the music): http://www.permies.com/t/13946/art-music-aesthetics/montana-buffalo-song-bunc... http://www.permies.com/t/6301/art-music-aesthetics/china-pheasants-out-window http://www.permies.com/t/13650/art-music-aesthetics/sandhill-cranes

Erica Wisner shows us some of the latest innovation with rocket mass heaters. This time there are two innovations. One is sub floor heating. The heat of the rocket mass heater exhaust is routed under the floor and then outside. The other is heat bypass valve - the heat is the routed directly outside, bypassing the underfloor heating. The cool thing about this design is that you run one small, hot fire, and it gives off heat for days. And there is no bulk in the building. And this isn't nearly as expensive as other underfloor heating systems. Erica talks a little about sub floor vs. in-floor heating systems. An earthen floor in a shed is dug out and replaced with a wood floor. You can learn more about rocket mass heaters at Http://www.richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp You can also visit erica's site at http://www.ernieanderica.info Music by Jimmy Pardo

Michael "Skeeter" Pilarski talking about the uses of maple trees. Depending on the region, maple trees could make the best wood for bows. Skeeter talks a bit about maple trees and primitive skills. There is mention of the tie in with permaculture. Vine maple, big leaf maple and rocky mountain maple are discussed.

A tour of temporary and permanent outdoor kitchens. Includes cobville, O.U.R. Ecovillage, the bullock brothers farm, lost valley and others. Outdoor kitchens don't have to me elaborate and/or expensive. Plus, these outdoor kitchens are keyed more to communities and groups. Outdoor kitchens are also a great place for canning and processing the fall harvest on the farm. Salatin uses an outdoor kitchen for processing all of his chickens. Outdoor kitchens are an excellent way to feed those farm interns! This video includes a lovely cob oven and cob bench. And there is a quick peek at some amazing braided garlic.

Michael "Skeeter" Pilarski tells us that serviceberry is the best wood for a fire in a tipi. Serviceberry is also known as juneberry and saskatoon. Serviceberry has a freaky deep taproot and is an excellent permaculture plant!

Comfrey may be the most talked about permaculture plant. It is commonly planted under fruit trees because it does not compete with tree roots, but it does compete with plants that do compete with tree roots. Alexia Allen of Hawthorn Farm tell us how she like using it as a poultice. We get to see bees and ants racing for the nectar of the comfrey blossoms. She also feeds it to her animals. Toby Hemenway is the author of "Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture." He calls comfrey "the queen of the multi function plants." He talks a little about how easily it can spread when you don't want it. And then he talks about how he is able to get rid of it through mulching - but why would you not want it? It's a beneficial insect attractor; it is able to heal wounds; a dynamic nutrient accumulator; good for under fruit trees; good for a comfrey tree for soils; a huge biomass accumulator. Tulsey Latoski of Portland, Oregon tells us about how comfrey makes a great green manure and living mulch. Mostly due to the tap roots that will pull nutrients up from down deep. She also shows us two different types of comfrey. Norris Thomlinson of Portland, Oregon shares some observations about how comfrey fares as chicken feed; edible plant for humans; medicinal plant for humans; Michael Pilarski is a famous wildcrafter and permaculture consultant. http://www.friendsofthetrees.net He tells us about how comfrey sluff material off into the soil to make for a richer soil. Apparently earthworms love comfrey! Michael tells us how comfrey is sometimes called "knit-bone" because it proliferates cell division - a great healer. His spring salads are loaded with comfrey leaves and blossoms. Michael talks about Dr. James Duke says that one bottle of beer has the same level of dangerous alkaloids as 100 cups of comfrey tea. Matt from Feral Farm shows an understory heavy with comfrey. Brian Kerkvliet of Inspiration Farm in Bellingham, Washington, talks about the challenges of getting comfrey out of an area where you don't want it. He uses a hot compost pile on top of it. He also shares the idea that if you have comfrey, that's a great place to plant a fruit tree! Then he shows a permaculture guild that includes comfrey. Samantha Lewis describes how to tell the difference between comfrey, foxglove, mullein and borage. Toby Hemenway wraps up with who is the king of the permaculture multifunctional plants (spoiler: bamboo!) Relevant threads at permies: http://www.permies.com/t/10864/organic-sustainable-practices/comfrey http://www.permies.com/t/1174/permaculture/value-comfrey http://www.permies.com/t/6888/permaculture/Comfrey-cultivars-life-expectancy http://www.permies.com/t/11140/permaculture/Corn-Comfrey-Large-scale-polyculture music by Jimmy Pardo

Michael "Skeeter" Pilarski, permaculture and wildcrafting instructor, talks a bit about what makes the best wood for carving a wooden spoon. This was filmed at sahale. As part of the washington state permaculture convergence. Skeeter mentions why eucaluptus would make for a terrible wooden spoon (taste). Skeeter talks about serviceberry (I have a hand carved serviceberry spoon). Skeeter talks a litle about cottonwood and yew. My later research shows that maple might be the best, followed closely by apple.

Using wedges, mauls and sledge hammers to split rails. These started off as some really big, sick cedar trees. Useful for split rail fence. Splitting logs for several hours. This video is just a taste. Most of the split wood was used for posts. Deer fencing could use super tall posts that you just can't buy in stores.

This outdoor classroom is a kind of tee-pee-ish thing. Canvas, a few poles from the hillside and some rope makes an outdoor classroom for about a hundred people. ... update - the roof of this outdoor classroom might be an old parachute! Video taken during an open house at the bullock brothers permaculture homestead.

Author of the $50 and up underground house book is building another eco house masterpiece! This is an above ground structure on top of a steep mountain ridge in north idaho. This may be the sixth eco house built on this property. Some of Oehler's eco structures are underground and some are underground-ish. This eco house is clearly above ground and just has a thick earthen roof.

For a few weeks sandhill cranes kept hanging out at my house. Super early in the morning they would sing just outside my open window. Too early, too close to my window, and too loud really. Ok! I'm awake already! The music is by my friend Jimmy Pardo. To hear more of his stuff and part with money for an album, follow this link: http://www.permies.com/t/13650/art-music-aesthetics/sandhill-cranes http://www.permies.com/t/6301/art-music-aesthetics/china-pheasants-out-window http://www.permies.com/forums/f-13/art-music-aesthetics

This building cost nothing to build. Well, nearly nothing. It is built of mostly pallets. Used pallets. Pallets that would have been thrown in the garbage. Karen Biondo of La Biondo Farm and Kitchen tells us the story and shows us around. It's a sturdy shed that is used for an honor system farm stand in the front and the "No Trash Bash Stash" in the back. The "No Trash Bash Stash" is where folks in the Vashon Island community can come and borrow plates, forks, cups and all the fixins for a party without having to resort to plastic forks and the like. Relevant threads at permies: http://www.permies.com/t/10600/green-building/Pallet-Shed-Building-House http://www.permies.com/t/6306/green-building/Slumtube-Affordable-Housing-Made... http://www.permies.com/t/8617/critter-care/fence-made-pallets music by Jimmy Pardo

A tour of "the homestead" or "the mountain homestead" ecovillage featuring some fascinating cob and wood structures and wood carving. This eco village is next door to another ecovillage: cobville. Check out the cob oven, cob buildings and there are glimpses of other structures in the ecovillage. A peek at their gardens. A peek at their artistic deer fence. There is an amazing chair carved from a solid block of wood. And a bench that is made ... in a very natural way. There is a sink carved from one big block of wood. The design of the roof is very interesting. There is a cob oven.