Peak Moment TV: How much food can I grow around my house?

We had a friendly email from one of the producers of Peak Moment TV. They had come across our blog through the links to human powered homes, and had some good advice to offer based on their own experiences in working toward a more self-sufficient life. One useful comment was, in their experience, that for the minimal energy an electric grain mill takes to grind grain once a week for family sized batches of bread, it would probably be worth investing in such rather than the labour intensive hand-powered model (and find other places in the home to replace electric appliances with energy efficient or hand powered models). They also recommended Lehman's, a shop we had mentioned in an earlier post with links for where to buy homesteading supplies.

The Peak Moment TV has the goal of featuring "perspectives and initiatives for local self reliant living in the face of energy, climate and economic uncertainty". They have episodes featured online through their website/blog, with many useful insights and thought-provoking stories including one called "How much food can I grow around my house" (episode #87). Go to Peak Moment TV: http://www.wordpress.peakmoment.tv

Green Goods & Homesteading suppliers

Just got the latest Berry Hill Farm catalogue in the mail today. This store (both online and in-person) features hand-powered, country living, and sustainability goods, as well as various homesteading supplies for the hobby farm, the garden, the kitchen and otherwise. It's not as extensive as the Lehman's Hardware in the US (which caters to the Amish community and has an outstanding selection of non-electric goods), but it much more local (near London, Ontario). The catalogue features a full array of goods for the urban (or rural) homestead - everything from handcrank grainmills & pasta makers, to Pioneer Maidwood cookstoves, solar powered radios to garden tools, canning sets, maple syrup supplies, beekeeping supplies, egg brooders and yogurt makers, to cast iron cookware like pots, pans and waffle irons. We'll be browsing this catalogue, making a few selections - maybe we'll finally splurge on a handcrank icecream maker as we plan to make our own icecream later this summer to celebrate Maya's first birthday.

Find more info on various hand-powered, sustainable living and eco supplies at:

Berry Hill Fam - www.berryhilllimited.com
Mother Earth News - www.motherearthnews.com
Peddler's Wagon(Green Goods for the Urban Homestead) - www.peddlerswagon.com
Lehman's Hardware - www.lehmans.com
Lee Valley - www.leevalley.com
Real Goods (Solar and Renewable Energy Eco Household goods) - www.realgoods.com