rodeogirl's journey to being self-sufficient

[tortoise]

I calculated saving $200 per year by making bread. We buy Oatnut bread that runs $2.50 - $3.99 per loaf depending which store I'm at.

 

[wyoDreamer]

When I lived in Wyoming, I tried to line dry some t-shirts once. They dried really fast, but when I took them off the line I could see a line of dirt around the clothespins - they come off the line dirtier than when I hung them out, lol. I lived just west of Cheyenne, so the wind always blew but it usually carried a fine dust with it. After a couple of years, I learned a lot of the tricks to living out there. #1 was to line dry the laundry in the basement, lol.

 

[sumi]

Funny, we talked about the cost of bread and I went into town and a saw a store had a sign outside offering loafs at 65C each. That is a bit less than I usually pay, but I passed for now.

@wyoDreamer I always line dried washing in S.A. but at one of our houses I learned a good lesson: Don't put the washing line near the chicken coop!!! The @#$% wild birds steal chicken food, then go straight to the washing line, where they'd sit on the line covered by my clean laundry, crap all over it and for good measure wipe their beaks on it too I often did the laundry for my MIL's B&B, so you can imagine... all those nice clean sheets and towels...

 

[rodeogirl]

It dousent help that I buy expensive bread. I don't like it when my sandwiches I make turn to a paste when we go out fishing. I like my bread to be somewhat substantial.

When ot comes to line drying we get a lot of dry wind. But being in the basin where we live it stays tame on normal years. But this yearis anything but normal we have been getting rain for weeks.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I think you need to get one of those clothes lines that are set up on a single central pole.

I can see a loaded clothesline spinning your clothes dry in the wind, lol.

Forgive me, it is Friday and my mind wanders...

 

[rodeogirl]

That would be a good idea, I have talked to my neighbor and they told me that there was one here before we moved in. The reason it isn't here now is the previous occupant tied her dogs to it and they distorted it. But if i can find one at a decent price ill jump on it.

 

[rodeogirl]

Well because I'm one of those people that will do my recherche before i start something I have been looking into sourdough and what you can use it for. I honestly didn't know that you could make so many things out of sourdough starter. Although I'm still kinda scared of making a starter. I did try a few years ago and I failed miserably.

 

[wyoDreamer]

You can get a great sour dough starter for just the cost of postage from http://carlsfriends.net/

It is dried and you need to get it going, but it is a nice strong starter.

 

[wyoDreamer]

The information on that page about the starter is a good read and they have all the instructions you need to revive and care for your starter. It traces its roots back to the Oregon Trial.

If you use Backyard Chickens at all, there is a thread in the Hobbies section called Any Home Bakers Here?. There are a number of good sour dough recipes on there also.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I think you need to get one of those clothes lines that are set up on a single central pole.
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I can see a loaded clothesline spinning your clothes dry in the wind, lol.

Forgive me, it is Friday and my mind wanders...

I am turning my current double T clothes line into a grape arbor, and want to get one of the single pole clotheslines like you've shown to actually dry clothes on! I can place that close to the house, and it will be big enough to do all I need for the two of us. In the mean time, with the tick issues I've been having, I'm more than happy to use the clothes dryer for my laundry!