Amanda and I ponder this week the steps we’re taking to make ourselves more resilient and less subject to the money economy. We look at the basic human needs of air, water, food, shelter, clothing, and what we loosely call entertainment

It’s December in Elmore County, and the weather is way too delightful. Some fruit trees are budding, and one of our poor LSU Blacks has produced a futile December fig. We may need to approach the seasons differently in response to climate change

Our primary goal this fall has been to convert Veg Hill to raised beds. This week we cover what we've already planted and where, what we plan to do next, and how the raised beds fit in with our philosophy of 12-month production

It's that time again, when we pause to express our thanks for all our many blessings. By now you know the drill, so there's not much more we need to say

This week we shift our focus to indirect solar. We talk about the best way to lay the groundwork for PV, the cost of a PV installation, where to put the panels, and what to expect from them. We also share some good news about how long panels last

Everybody asks us if we have solar panels. No, but we hope to install them soon. This podcast and its sequel next week talk about the challenges and opportunities of using PV. First we need to do everything we can to shrink our energy use

We love using our Regency F1100 wood stove, but our friends don’t get it. Today we describe each objection or reservation we’ve heard about using a wood stove and respond to each one

Our faith fits in with and drives our farming. Our God is defined more by love than judgement, more mother than king. Yet conservative Christians often resonate with what we’re doing at Longleaf Breeze as much as anyone, sometimes more

Air trips to CA, seedless red grapes flown in from overseas, picking up Chinese for supper, driving 45 minutes each way to play the dulcimer, running that fuel-hungry bush hog, they’re all ways we continue to enjoy the wonders of fossil fuels

During these 5 years at Longleaf Breeze we have almost ignored how the farm looks. Now it is time to think about it. But we know it must be low cost and low maintenance to make any sense. Amanda is beginning a training regimen in landscape design