It's unsurprising to me to see the rising swell of Australian's jumping on board the BAN LIVE SHEEP EXPORTS ship despite their conflicted goodwill towards our farmers. I'm one of those people who feel sorry for the farmer and their family whose livelihood is wrapped up in the live sheep export business but then, on
When it comes to childcare versus stay-at-home I pick stay-at-home anytime for children, parents, and lifestyle overall. Today, as at the writing of this article, yet again parents around Australia are losing money and being unfairly disrupted due to their local childcare/daycare centre staff going on strike. Whilst I have no gripe with individual
Like many Australians, I was shocked to hear the news about the Australian Cricket Team being caught redhanded tampering with the red ball. One can excuse a sledging incident that got a little out of hand or a rash outburst done in frustration in the moment of battle on the cricket ground; however, to unnecessarily
I've learnt the hard way when it comes to growing avocado trees. Scroll to the end of this article to watch the VBlog (video). Initially, back in 2006 when I planted several avos in our orchard, I thought that a foot of topsoil would be enough to grow a healthy avocado tree. All our other
I've written several articles about mental health and this one on PTSD sums up my feelings perfectly, but everything I have written on this subject (so far) has been on coping with or managing mental illness – this article is different… This article is a kick in the arse to everyone who uses mental health issues as a
Don't go out for Christmas dinner that's such a millennial thing to do. Instead, stay in, prepare, cook, serve, have fun, and be merry! I've heard all the modern excuses about how good and easy it is to go out for Christmas dinner and I don't buy any of them. As far as I'm concerned, if
I saw a YouTube video the other day denouncing the use of a dehydrator or oven to dehydrate herbs. The presenter stated that using these appliances to dry herbs was unnecessary when the same job can be done simply by hanging the herbs upside down and letting them air dry naturally. Whilst I have no issue
Humans fermenting food to change/improve the taste, preserve it, or make it healthier is not a 1000 years old… it's more like 1000's of years old. Indeed, over 2000 years ago Jesus would have eaten his fair share of olives. These delicious fruits would have been fermented in brine for several months to remove the
Supermarket shopping isn't something I enjoy doing, in fact, I find any form of shopping a laborious and frustrating process – most men probably do… The only reason I shop is to research, find, and then purchase the product/s I want/need, after which, I prefer to make a quick exit away from the dodders or
Freshly ground spices are heavenly for those of us who are true connoisseurs of good healthy homemade food and the best way to grind up your own homegrown spices is by using a good electric spice grinder. Now, you could buy an expensive grinding mill but a small coffee and spice grinder will generally do a
This simple recipe adds a colourful twist to basic pickled chicken eggs by using the berries from Malabar spinach (climbing spinach) as a natural purple colouring. I briefly mentioned this method in a YouTube video I made (see attached) showing how to grow Malabar and some uses for this amazing vegetable.
If you are ever wondering past a school in Queensland and you hear someone yelling out of their car window, "use the school crossing – don't be lazy!" That's probably me… I'm sick to death of seeing high school students playing chicken with my 4×4 because one day instead of me it will be a
I often get asked the question, is it safe to eat vegetables/fruit grown in garden beds made from treated wood/treated pine. Or, how do I know if my vegetable garden soil is contaminated or not and if so will my crops take-up these contaminants/chemicals thereby making them dangerous for my family and me to ingest.
If you Google 26 or 28 spotted ladybug/Ladybird/ladybeetle you'll find it described as a pest needing to be dealt with ASAP but in my experience, this beautiful looking insect isn't as bad as they say. I've been growing food in our backyard for over a decade now and I can never recall a time when
I often get asked if I sell fertile quail eggs and if not where can they be purchased? Before I answer why I don't sell them, let me list several places online where fertile quail eggs CAN be purchased and then give my tips for buying good quality quail eggs to incubate and hatch out yourself.
Thinking about buying a lifestyle property to grow your own organic produce but aren't sure what to look for? Well, you're not the only one and I receive questions about lifestyle acreage living (similar to the one from Fred below) all the time asking for advice on where to start and what to buy and it's totally
So I go and pick up our boys from school today and my youngest (11 year old) gets in the car and says in a cheerful voice, "hey Dad, I nearly got run over by a car!" That's not something you like to hear as a parent when you're hovering in a school pick-up zone
Self Sufficient Me is a blog about self-sustainment by growing our own produce (plant/animal), and self-fulfilment by looking after our health (physical/mental) through exercise and slowing life down a little.
