You are here: Home / Archives for Reviews / Products

Raising a garden bed: build or buy?

By May 24, 2012
TSA garden

As part of our local Transition group's efforts to make local food more widely available in our town, my wife Lindsay has been helping organize a new community garden. The site is a lot that has been vacant as long as anyone can remember. You can imagine that there was a lot to do before planting: finding the property owner and convincing him to host the garden on his lot; clearing years of weeds; working with city hall on zoning and any necessary approvals; and of course, recruiting … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Products, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The daily grind, Amish style

By April 3, 2012
what spikes

For people who are into re-skilling and building household resilience, an essential source of non-electric and hand-cranked gadgets is Lehman's. With a store in Ohio's Amish country, Lehman's sells thousands of old-timey implements online for use in the kitchen, around the house and out in the garden. Lehman's is the place to go for canning jars and supplies as well as Aladdin oil lamps, wood cook stoves and even hand-cranked laundry machines. We ordered their Hand Cranked Grain Mill … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Products Tagged With: , , , ,

No more excuse to wait on going solar

By March 27, 2012
solar panel on kitchen mitt

Even before I began working with a company that develops solar energy projects, I was fascinated by solar panels. Though I had lots of science toys as a kid, I always wanted a kit to build my own solar panel, but somehow I never got one. And as I got interested in the environment and energy in college and grad school, I vowed that someday I'd "go solar" myself. But getting my first job -- and my second, third and fourth -- out of school, I found myself moving likewise from one city to the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Products Tagged With: , ,

The Happy Hoarder: Feed bag edition

By March 2, 2012
Canning Book Picture

Of all the things the Happy Hoarder fixes his sights on to prepare for the coming supply shocks, none is as important as his grub. Dinner. His vittles, victuals and chow. His slop, his refreshment, his provisions. His gustables, if you please. Frankly, the Happy Hoarder could think about just how he's going to get his foodstock in the aye-pock-oh-lypse all day long because he likes to do his self some eating. That's right. Don't be a fool Now, you remember that scene in Cormac McCarthy's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arts, Food, Products Tagged With: , , , , ,

Yes, you can bake bread

By February 23, 2012
Fresh Bread

My husband and I are on one heck of a family resilience bender. When we first got married almost three years ago, we focused on insulating our place from attic to basement, shaving 20% off of our heating and cooling expenses. This really adds up. But in the past six months our efforts have turned more to homemaker re-skilling. We've added a rain barrel and composter. He's learned to brew beer. And after getting into canning, I've also begun the art of real, regular bread baking. Rising to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arts, Products, Re-skilling Tagged With: , , ,

The Happy Hoarder: Waxing poetic

By February 20, 2012
Candles

You may have noticed that The Happy Hoarder has a thing for being able to see in the dark. I'd hoard solar if I could afford the dang stuff. Ironic, then, that the sun is free. Well, I'll get me some panels one of these days because it's like that fancy-pants finance guy Chris Martenson says; in the post peak oil world the difference between no energy at all — say, no electric lights and all that — and even 10% energy is like the difference between the stone age and civilization. I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arts, Products Tagged With: , , , ,

The Happy Hoarder: Fire in the belly

By January 19, 2012
Fire

If there's one thing that stirs the Happy Hoarder's anxiety it's wondering where my sources of heat and light are going to come from in the post-peak fall. Candles don't just light themselves my friend, fire doesn't grow on trees, and I'm no Ben Franklin. Anyway, I need my keys to keep my hoarded treasures safe. So I started myself to thinking a long while back, "What sources of flame will I need to ignite the twigs to heat my storm kettle, light my backyard brick oven, or kindle the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arts, Products Tagged With: , , , ,

Six ideas for a low impact holiday

By December 15, 2011
Recycled Gift Tags

For many of us, the first snow is on the ground, night skies are star-studded and a holiday spirit is in the air. Holidays, as much fun as they are, tend to bring out some of our most entrenched bad habits. The holidays shouldn't be a burden on the environment, but they are. Most Americans, for example, produce about 25 percent more trash during the holidays (from Thanksgiving to New Year’s) resulting in around 25 million extra tons of waste. There has to be a better way to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Consumerism, Products Tagged With: , , ,

Swords to plowshares and missiles to cold beer

By July 8, 2011
beer bottles

When I reach for a cold microbrew, I have to admit that I'm offended by screw-tops. I want to have to pop a bottle cap off the old-fashioned way. I also prefer having to shell my own peanuts or pistachios. Maybe it's the little bit of work I have to do to get to the goodness inside that makes the nut taste better or the brew go down smoother. And if you're going to pop your own bottle caps, then you do need a good bottle opener. Those little waiter corkscrews might be great for uncorking a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Food, Products Tagged With: , ,

Best $20 Father’s Day gift for peak oil

By June 14, 2011
man shaving with a safety razor

For $20,000, what peak-aware dad wouldn't want solar panels installed on the roof? Or, if you can pony up $500, and your man has got a more outdoorsy-survivalist bent, a shotgun would make surely him smile. But for less than $20 you can help Dad build resilience in his daily life by giving him an old-fashioned razor that he can use no matter what the future brings. Forget about Sweeney Todd Along with barber shops, old-timey razors are making a comeback among the urban hipster crowd. And … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Gifts, Products Tagged With: , ,