Introduction This article is about tuning back-in to the nature around us and how we can learn about doing that by looking at self sufficient cultures (like the Australian Aboriginal). Also, in this article I explain how a survival course taught me about bush tucker and self sufficiency. Survival Course in the NT One of
Time-poor Many of us now live in a “time-poor” society and freeing up time or not wasting it is a business in itself these days with entrepreneurs cashing in on providing services and gadgets to save us a miserable minute. And, it isn't cheap either to free-up time but don't despair, because I've found a
I'm always on the lookout for new fruit trees to plant in my garden. Many people don't realise how many thousands of different varieties of fruit there really are in the world besides the standard ones committed to the larger displays in the big supermarkets. However, if you check the back shelves in the supermarket
This article was updated on 12 Oct 2014. I thought I'd knock-up this quick guide to making banana chips, whilst I think of it before I end up archiving my images and forgetting about them – as I can do. Banana chips don't need any big introduction and they are so simple to make that
With the Labor Party's Government insulation scheme failure here in Australia still fresh in everyone's psyche, the solar power industry seems set to be the next simple household energy saving industry to become a complicated mess. Home electricity disconnections on the rise The cost of electricity is soaring and electricity disconnections are at an all
For a backyard fruit tree it's hard to overlook an orange. Not only is an orange tree easy to grow and great for fruit but it also can be used as an evergreen ornamental show piece in the garden. You can get mock orange trees as ornamentals (they don't fruit) but why not get the
My Thai Red Chilli Paste can be used as a flavour base for laksas, soups, curries, noodles, and to add some extra bite to stir-fries. This summer I had a bumper crop of chillies and they are still going strong even as winter approaches. An abundance of chillies is a good thing because they are
Most of us know how much fun (and useful) gardening can be, especially things like: raising or planting-out seedlings and facilitating the beginnings of life, harvesting those crisp vegetable and fruit crops fresh from the backyard, selecting those fragrant herbs, or pruning and admiring those ornamentals strategically positioned around our home. However, gardening isn't all
Introducing Jane Wilks – Guest Article Writer Self sufficiency is made up of many disciplines and almost every day I see another great example of clever and inventive ways how people can make better use of the natural resources around them. That's what makes self sufficiency special and there's no better example of responsible use
Now, I know I have already covered another yellow variety (yellow beefsteak) but this variety though the same colour is quite different. A few years ago, my brother (Phil) and I were taking a stroll around my garden and we came across my tomato patch; in this patch, I happened to be growing several varieties
September means spring in my part of the world and at spring time no matter where in the world you are one of the best plants to grow is the strawberry. As we all know, strawberries are a divine and decadent fruit but they can be pricey to buy from the markets so I grow
When the end of orange season comes, more often than not we are left with a surplus of this wonderful fruit, which is a really good position for me to be in because it forces me to do something with the extra bounty before they go bad. Orange marmalade is great, fresh orange juice is
This article was revised on 14 December 16 (a video I created was added towards the end of the post below – this gives some extra information on growing cucumbers and also how to ferment/pickle them). Cucumbers, the phallic melon which takes pride of place displayed proudly in the fresh food section in supermarkets around
When I walk around the supermarket fruit aisles, all I see is ever increasing prices for a shrinking array of fresh produce. It seems like there is an attempt to groom ordinary consumers into creatures of habit buying certain premium product lines which are easy to manage with long shelf lives just to allow for
Before I get to my awesome mother in-law's gluten free lime pie recipe, I want to briefly explain what all this “gluten free” food fuss is all about. Celiac disease is a common autoimmune disorder affecting people of all ages. Due to an intolerance to gluten, which is found in grains like wheat, barley, rye,
Preserving mangoes through dehydration (drying) is one the best and easiest ways to store them because dried mango tastes nice, is a very healthy snack, it’s not messy to eat, and it lasts a long time in the pantry. To buy this organic gourmet snack from a health food store or supermarket usually costs over
So it’s the dreaded fruit fly season in Queensland Australia (where I live) and unfortunately it coincides with our best growing seasons being spring and early summer – that’s no surprise I guess. However, what does surprise me is how much fruit actually survives the sting of the fruit fly. Queensland fruit fly preparing to
When people mention poultry for backyard suburbia the first bird which comes to mind is the chicken. And why not? I mean, the humble chicken is easy to look after, there’s lots of information out there about keeping chickens, and everyone is familiar with chicken eggs. However, say the “quail” word and most people have
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.
