Ready Magazine website update.

I have been researching the best way to publish the Ready website in recent weeks. I have looked at a number of blogging and content management systems and it came down to WordPress and Joomla!.

Both systems have their highs and lows but in the end it was the ability to include a subscription system, a banner ad component and easily manage users and staff permissions that made the final decision. I will be using Joomla! to manage the website because it provides everything I need and is easy to design and use.

The next few weeks are going to be about getting the CMS designed, built and then uploaded and live. Once it is up I will be developing instruction for writers and editors on how to use their functions.

I had hoped to have had the site live by now, but unfortunately I have had to address other issues. Now that I am moving to a CMS system things should pick-up and I should be up and running soon.

Editorial Philosophy and Mission Statement

Ready Magazine is a preparedness magazine, not a survivalists publication. What's the difference? The difference is in the intent. It is my personal view that survival is not enough, simply being able to live is too small a goal. By building a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle instead of just preparing for potential disaster, of what ever magnitude, we can expect life to continue in a state of normalcy very close to everyday life during one of these situations. To help our readers move in that direction is the intent of Ready.

Our philosophy is this. We are here to develop a plan of action to share with our readers, through an exchange of skills and information, that will help them move toward independence. We intend to do this without the politics and rhetoric that usually goes along with the subject of preparedness.

Sprouting: Table Top Gardening

I have been exploring sprouting as a way to produce fresh vegetables for the prepper. I have been talking about if for a few weeks but here, finally, is the results of my first few weeks of sprouting.

For my first real run of sprouts I chose Alfalfa, Broccoli and a protein rich mix of beans that includes Adzuki Sprout, Garbanzo Sprout, Mung Sprout & Green Peas Sprouts.

The first step in the process is to obtain a sprouting kit. In our example here I am using Ball canning jars with the seals replaced with stainless steel screen and a commercial sprouting jar with a plastic lid with the same kind of spring.

After you have chosen your seeds it is time to “plant” your crop. There will be instructions on you seed or bean packages, but in general here is what you want do to get started. Measure out the dry seeds of your chosen variety. In this picture I have Alfalfa seeds ready to go. I used two table spoons in this case and I have to tell you I was not prepared for what they would turn into, but more on that later. Cover your seeds with three times the amount water and let soak for 6 to eight hours. This will soften the seed casing and wake the seeds up and start them sending out shoots.

After the soaking process drain and rinse the seeds and set in a cool, dark place to sprout. According to what I read starting the growing process in the dark makes for better tasting sprouts. I do not know the truth of that, but I am planning that my next Alfalfa be grown in indirect sunlight for a greater amount of Chlorophyll in the sprouts. I will report the results when that are available.

A dark spot in a closet, like the one shown to the right, is pretty close to perfect for the first few days of growth. After starting the other two jars they went into the same spot.

I started the Broccoli and the bean mix in similar  fashion. In the case to the Broccoli used one tablespoon of seed and 6 of water and for the bean mix I used one third cup and a cup of water, both soaked for the same 6 hours and placed in the closet in the same way as the Alfalfa seeds.

It is now day five, the Alfalfa has been harvested and stored in the refrigerator to stop the growing process. The other sprouters will need one more day to be fully ready.

Your next steps are pretty easy. You have to rinse the sprouting seeds at least twice a day, with three or four being better, and drain them well. You want the seeds and sprouts a little moist, not wet and certainly not soaking in water. Fungus, mildew and other nastys  will grow with your sprouts making them inedible. It is also important to only sprout and eat seeds and beans that are know to be safe. Some, such as Tomatoes and Kidney Beans produce poisonous sprouts. I have included a list below that are safe.

At about day four or five you should put your sprouts out in indirect sunlight to green up a bit. After about a day of this you are ready to harvest. Rinse them one last time in a large bowl and let the seed casings separate from the sprouts and skim them off. Refrigerate the sprouts in plastic containers and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Sprouts can be used in cooking and raw in salads. There are a number of alleged nutritional advantages in eating raw vegan foods such as these. There is an excellent article on the Wikipedia website that discusses sprouting and these advantages. It also point out some of the dangers of sprouting.

Harvested Alfalfa Sprouts

Alfalfa Sprouts on Day 3

Alfalfa Sprouts on Day 2

Broccoli Sprouts on Day 5

Broccoli Sprouts on Day 3

Broccoli Sprouts on Day 2

Bean Mix on Day 5

Bean Mix on Day 3

Bean Mix on Day 2

List of sprouting seeds and beans:
Amaranth
Arugula
Alfalfa
Azuki bean
Barley grass - usually for producing juice powder
Broccoli
Buckwheat
Clover
Garden cress   
Dill
Fenugreek
Chick Pea (Garbanzo)
Horse Gram
Lemon grass
Lentils
Lettuce
Milk thistle
Mizuna
Mung bean
Mustard    Pea
Quinoa
Radish
Soybean
Sunflower
Tatsoi
Wheat grass - usually for producing juice
Kamut
Yam (vegetable)

These are my first experiences with growing sprouts. I hope that this first look at the process for me will help and encourage you to try it out. Remember to talk to someone I the health food store that you purchase your seeds in to gather more info. They are a great source of information and can help guide your choices.

Sprouting Project Update.

For those interested in my sprouting project, don’t lose interest. I have three different sprouters going right now, I have been taking pictures of my process and I hope to do a full update, with pics, over the weekend.

I am getting started on my last semester at the University this week so I have not had time for video on this run, but as things settle down I will have time to start shooting a video to go with the project.

I have Broccoli, Alfalfa and a stir-fry mix of Garbanzo, Mung and other beans that will become part of a vegetarian stir-fry dish with Tofu some time next week.

Check back this weekend for more.

New Blog Location

I have the new Word Press blog up at the new Ready Magazine web site. We will still post here for awhile we are getting the rest of the site ready, but in the future we will be moving exclusively to the new site.

Ready Magazine will be growing into more then just a  blog over the next few months and I plan to have a full launch within a year with articles and other information for preppers. I am also looking for writers, bloggers and video makers willing to volunteer content for the magazine. If interested contact me at editor@readymagazine.com.

A quick update.

I have not posted anything in the last few days because I am working on getting the Ready Magazine domain up. I will be moving the blog to a Word Press system within the new web site. It should be launching in a few days and I will post addy when it is ready.

I plan to continue to cross post here for awhile, but in the end the blog will move to its new home.

Today’s events in Arizona.

The news since early this afternoon has been about the events in Tucson. My prayers, and those of my family, are with the families of the victims of this horrendous crime. I can’t even begin to understand how these folks are feeling as I have never had to face this kind of tragedy in my life. I can only say that I hope that the families of those that have passed on find peace and that the injured experience a full recovery.

I have been listening to or reading the news all day waiting for new information to come in. While I see the theoretical value 24 hour news channels, todays events show yet again that none of the news agencies in this country live up to that theory. we went from Representative Gabrielle Giffords having died to her being able to respond to basic commands before under going surgery. This kind of shoddy reporting does no one any good and doesn’t inform the public the way it should be.

On the other hand, for me to lay all of the blame at the feet of the press is just as wrong. The consumers of these news sources, us, allow it to happen. This is just one persons opinion, but if we accept this kind of reporting and continue to consume news as entertainment then we will continue to be misinformed.

As most of you do, I read a lot of forums that fit in to the world view that preppers hold. Most of these forums try to keep the negative rhetoric under control and weed out the worst of the hate speech in favor sharing good information. I have a tendency to leave forums that don’t attempt to control this kind of speech behind so it is a little shocking to see the kind of hateful posts that I have read today.

The group of people I am talking about is in the minority, a very small minority in most cases. They are shouted down my the majority who, like me, find this very offensive. It is disheartening to come across it from within a group of people who you have come to consider caring folk.

I would suggest that we should wait until we get hard news instead of engaging wild speculation and maybe stop seeing a conspiracy in everything. Yes, politicians are going to try to use these events to accomplish their goals, but speculation about “False Flag Operations” and Mexican drug lords. Come on, really? A horrible thing happened in Arizona today. A number of families are suffering and the state may lose a valued representative. Why make the news worse with this kind of cruel rhetoric and inane, paranoid speculation.