Independence & Ingenuity

An Independent Living and Survival Blog. Common Posts on this site will include: How To's, Instructables, Gadgets & Tools, Carpentry, Masonry, Gardening, Hunting & Fishing, Tiny Homes, Cabins, Survival & Camping, Efficiency Guides, Lists, Home Brewing, Tips & Tricks, Farming, Info-graphics, Interviews, and a few of my own experiences. My tag is #independentenginer, if you want to see any of my original posts. If you would like to ask any questions, make a suggestion, or correct me, or just yell at me, drop me a line here: http://zombiestrider.tumblr.com/ask

[lossinthewilderness-deactivated]

A refrigerator without using electricity! Just two garden pots, sand or dirt, and water! An ancient food storage method dated back 5000 years ago!

[independentengineer]

And here it is; my Plinian Legacy - Double IPA. It is a citrusy brew with hints of pine and earthy under tones and a matching note of pineapple - for kick. I need help naming my beer, any suggestions? I got this kit from Northern Brewer for Christmas from my friends.

[theoreticalpermaculture]

[honey-andrevolution]

Yes this

[knowledgeequalsblackpower]

this would have been real helpful in like February.

[theblackamericanprincess-blog]

Soufeast balcony garden take 2

[makeitearlgrey]

If you live in america, specifically PA as i don’t know if this is true for all the states, don’t plant tomatoes and potatoes next to each other, potatoes carry a blight that will kill off your tomato plants

[pikxchu]

[shtfpreps]

Top 10 Anti Inflammatory Herbs (via Top 10 Anti Inflammatory Herbs - SHTF Preparedness)

[independentengineer]

**UPDATES**

Sorry about my Hiatus - I have been working and living it up a little bit with the SO and my bros. But Im back if any of you care :)

Also my sake turned out pretty bad AWFUL. The weather in Baton Rouge is sporadic and insane so Im just gonna stick to re-blogging home brew and other survival nonsense for a while till the weather warms up.

[wildsurvival]

[ferretthebeer]

Brew Day was yesterday: “Best Bitter” (original post here).  It was my first all-grain 5-gallon batch and, surprisingly, there were no major hiccups - a few inefficiencies here and there, nothing that can’t be solved for future brews.  I was psyched about that.  Quantity = 5.25 gallons, OG = 1.051.  Both pretty much spot on.

Please excuse the stupid filter on the pic of the copper mash tun manifold.  I wanted to include a shot of the finished piece (made from instructions from John Palmer’s “How To Brew”). I was really happy with the manifold performance, there wasn’t really any grain that made it to the kettle, just some powder that I can’t do anything about.

My Brew Day Beer was Schneider Weisse Tap 6 Unser Aventinus.  Whew, it was good.  

My Assistant Brewer was more interested in her rawhide bone than any actual assistance. 

The last pic is of all our beer to give away for XMas presents. We like to be generous with the homemade wares (my SO makes a pairing pie, amazing), but we also just like to brew (and bake) a shit ton so we used it as an opportunity to try some different recipes: Honey Ginger English IPA, Wheat Porter, Nut Brown Ale, Cognac-Infused British Mild, and ‘Murican Hopfenweisse.  The accompanying pies were Rosemary Sweet Potato Pie, Chocolate Pear Tart, Maple Nut Tart, Cranberry Orange Tart, and Pumpkin Beer Pie (feat. DFH’s Palo Santa Marron), respectively. RIDICULOUS.

Hits that will live on are the Honey Ginger English IPA (from Randy Mosher’s “Radical Brewing”), Cognac-Infused British Mild (this one needs some modification but it did have that special something), and ‘Murican Hopfenweisse (by far the most popular), a Bavarian hopfenweisse with about 30 IBU’s of Amarillo and Cascade.  All of the pies were f-ing tasty so they’re all making it to the next round.

[lifemadesimple]

Camping Tips

[thewoodworks]

Future Tropes | Volume Gallery

RO/LU

Truth Lies in Experience No Matter How Incomplete It May Be (man/desk/table) / 2014

I just became in love with this image

[independentengineer]

Here are a few Sake Labels I have been working on. Still have to make a few modifications and some more labels. If you have any input just send that right (here)

[independentengineer]

Everything you need to know about Sake

Everything you need to know about Brewing Sake

[independentengineer]

Sake Name

Since I am brewing my Sake in my storage closet I will be naming it -

Closet Wine or Closet Sake or in Japanese - クローゼット日本酒 (Kurōzetto Nihonshu) 

I am going to start designing my label tonight!!!

[deptawesomebeer-blog]

Things are shaping up nicely for our new 17 gal SS Brewtech Chronical! #fridge #beer #conical #fermenter #homebrew

[independentengineer]

Sake

I started my sake today I will post more in exactly a month (Nov 11).

[dapperhomebrew]

I etched some volume markings onto a glass carboy yesterday.  After viewing some other peoples’ work, I decided I like the look of the negative image more than the positive ones I’ve seen.  The etching cream (Armor Etch) did bleed a little around the painter’s tape, but you have to be looking closely to notice the imperfections.  It was a great way to kill the evening and with Netflix on, the tedious cutting just flew by.  I’ll probably get the rest of the carboys done one at a time when I feel like it.  Procedure:

Wash the carboy surface well.  Wipe off the area you’re going to etch with rubbing alcohol.  This removes fingerprint residue and dries off the glass.

Apply vinyl (I used Con-Tact paper, which is adhesive on one side) to the area you want to etch, being careful to remove any bubbles.

Weigh the water and mark the volumes on the vinyl.  (1892g/half gallon)

Empty the water with a siphon.

Print your numbering stencils on a standard printer.  Cut out the stencils and line them up with your markings, holding them in place with transparent tape.

Using a craft knife, carefully trace the stencil onto the vinyl.

After removing the stencil, carefully peel the excess vinyl from the carboy.

Mask off a border for the positive (etched) area using more vinyl or painter’s tape.

Wearing protective gloves in a well-ventilated area, thickly apply the etching cream to the glass using a disposable shop brush or sponge.  When finished, start a timer for 7 minutes.

Halfway through the etching, stir the cream gently with the brush.  This helps the etched area appear more uniform.  Be careful not to push the cream under any masked edges, though.

When the time is up, remove the border first, being careful not to get excess etching cream anywhere.  Then rinse the cream from the carboy.

Dry with a lint free cloth and remove the vinyl stencils.

Going forward, I would recommend instead to cut rectangles of vinyl the size of your paper stencils and apply them when you’re measuring out the water.  It’s much easier to get a bubble-free application when the pieces are smaller.  You can also just buy some number stickers for scrapbooking or marking your mailbox instead of tracing a printout onto vinyl with a knife if you want to expedite the process.

[independentengineer]

Growing Herbs for the Home Gardener

            A herb is any plant used whole or in part as an ingredient for health, flavor, or fragrance. Herbs can be used to make teas; perk up cooked foods such as meats, vegetables, sauces, and soups; or to add flavor to vinegars, butters, dips, or mustards. Many herbs are grown for their fragrance and are used in potpourris, sachets, and nosegays; or to scent bath water, candles, oils, or perfumes. More than 25% of our modern drugs contain plant extracts as active ingredients, and researchers continue to isolate valuable new medicines from plants and confirm the benefits of those used in traditional folk medicine.

            Herbs as a group are relatively easy to grow. Begin your herb garden with the herbs you enjoy using the most. For example, choose basil, oregano, and fennel for Italian cooking; lavender and lemon verbena for making potpourri; or chamomile, peppermint, and blue balsam mint if you plan to make your own teas.

            The optimum growing conditions vary with each individual herb species. Some of the herbs familiar to North Americans, such as lavender, rosemary, thyme, bay laurel, marjoram, dill, and oregano are native to the Mediterranean region. These herbs grow best in soils with excellent drainage, bright sun, and moderate temperatures.

When growing herbs follow these basic guidelines:

Plant herbs in average garden soil with organic matter added to improve texture and drainage.

Choose a site that receives at least 6 hours of direct sun each day.

Avoid ground where water stands or runs during heavy rains.

Compensate for poor drainage with raised beds amended with compost.

Apply balanced fertilizers sparingly to leafy, fast-growing herbs. Heavy applications of fertilizer, especially those containing large amounts of nitrogen, will decrease the concentration of essential oils in the lush green growth.

For more information and charts go [here]

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Growing Herbs for the Home Gardener:

Erv Evans, Extension Associate Jeanine Davis, Extension Specialist Department of Horticultural Science North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service North Carolina State University

[source]