The Gothic Homesteader

Ok, so maybe I have gotten too use to Phoenix Valley warmth, but blast it all it has gotten cold down here!  Besides that it is rainy, and though I adore the rain, not when it means we are freezing!  They say it wont get out of the 40s today... and I believe it.  I am glad spring is not long away and we bought the little electric fireplace heater not sure being sure if we would need it or not...sure enough, it has already paid for its self!  It's a poor substitute to our wood burner we had in Thoreau, NM, but sure better than the nothing we had before....  At least this cold snap has meant I got to pull out the Gothic velvets and such for a few weeks this year! Note to self:  Cinder block walls once they get cold stay cold for a LONG time!!! ~ Morria

Things have been on hold a bit here at the Gothic Apartment Homestead, or more like they have been totally swamped.  My husband started college, two months earlier than originally planned, I got a new job working overnights ( love the shift! ), and we had Thanksgiving to get through.  Now that things have leveled out, and with payday just around the corner, I shall be getting back to normal blogging. I did get a good book which I have started reading, that I highly recommend to all my fellow Gothic Apartment Homesteaders:  Apartment Gardening  by Amy Pennington.  Haven't read it all the way through yet, but well worth getting! ~ Morria

It came today! All 5 foot 3 inches, by 2 ft, by 1 ft of growing wonder!  My very own apartment sized greenhouse, which I bought for all of  $31.48  from  Amazon.Com .  It paired with my sunny picture window and a plant light, and we should be growing food in no time.  Now I must be about gathering pots, seeds, and get to planning on what we will be growing. The first greenhouses built in Roman times, were very similar to cold frames today.  It was simply a frame covered with the oiled cloth known as specularia or sheets of selenite. Cucumbers, the main food grown this way, were wheeled into the sun by day, and under the covers by night.  Technology continued to change and grow until the 1500's when a Dutchman invented the first practical greenhouse, which continues to advance change to this day!  Who knows what will come next? Greenhouses are such a blessing, especially being Gothic Apartment Homesteader.  And believe it or no...

I found seeds!  Walked into  Whole Foods  in Tempe, AZ, and what stands before me in the seed section but a display by  Native Seed/Search !  At last I live where my favorite seed company actually sells in store.  Now mind you certain plants, I am looking for they don't have, and certain seeds from Native Seed/Search I will have to order as not sold in store, like Navajo Blue Corn.  But a lot I can get right near by.  So happy! Why am I so big on Native Seed/Search?  For many reasons, among them the fact that they are gathering and protecting Heritage Seeds, Native to the Southwest.  These seeds are drought hardy, desert tested, and very hard to kill off.    Another reason is as they say @  NativeSeeds.Org , " We are a nonprofit organization working to strengthen food security in the Greater Southwest by conserving our region's unique crop diversity and teaching others to do the same ."  This is something ...

So I am beginning to Gothic Apartment Homestead again in earnest, in part to go along with my natural health course I am doing, and in part to start putting down roots, so to speak, in my area of future work... Problem?  I live in a second story apartment with a small open balcony that is also the walkway to stairs for my 3 neighboring apartments.  Maybe 12 inch pots? So, this Desert Gypsy Goth is turning over a new leaf, literally.  We were able to make it from Farmington, NM with 3 plants: my husbands Cactus, my Clover, and our Mexican Heather plants.  I have scouted out a metal shelving system at walmart that should go well in our bedroom where the plants can get sunlight, and I am also hunting for an additional plant light.  I found some awesome AZ made recycled wine bottle planters ( refreshglass.com ) which also fits in both the bedroom and living room windows, just perfect for herbs. Now the hard part, what to GROW? ~ Morria

 So, this is our first Dia del la Muetos here in Desert southwest, well, actually Day of the Dead is tomorrow November 1st, and we are partying for Halloween today, but with a Day of the Dead flare for sure.  It is so awesome, especially for a Desert Gypsy Goth like me.  Who knew all the decor and foods one could find out here that are soo perfect for the house? I am so excited because we just got back from  Los Altos Ranch Market here in Phoenix, and I was able to buy my first candy skulls.  I have heard about them for years, but had never had their sweet delight.  They are just as fun as they look.  Though I adore them, I did buy one to keep as a treasure so that I always remember my first Day of the Dead! ~ Morria

Sometimes, even with the Gothic Homesteading I do, I feel like there could be some much more I could be doing.  I also feel very disconnected from the land sometimes.  Living close to nature, be it a desert, a forest, the sea, or great prairies/savannas, is healing to the soul.  To be close to the earth, to feel it beneath the feet, to be connected.  Closeness, connectedness, a feeling of belonging.  So many of us struggle with those feeling those thoughts.  Yet out here in the garden, it seems so easy to find, even if a bit thorny at times...literally! One of the easiest way to start restoring ourselves, and getting back to our roots, is starting connecting to the land again.  How? Grow plants in windows. Work a a co-op/urban garden. Learning to preserve our own foods. Walk daily at a wild space or park. Swimming in the wilds Vacation camping out in tents in the wilderness. Save up and buy land. So many ways to start working towards...

I am just so delighted to have discovered this book: Black Plants by Paul Bonine!  He has complied an engaging book with 75 Black Plant choices for the garden.  Easy are stunningly photographed for the readers pleasure, giving this book a coffee table quality not just one for the Gothic Homesteader's bookshelf. While there are many other black plants out there, Paul Bonine has chosen some of the most majestic and offered them to us in full color splendor!  I persoanly am thrilled to learn a few plants  I grew up with made the list.  Among them: Black Hollyhock, Purple Leaf Elderberry, and "Ace of Spades" Ornamental Sweet  Potato.  All in all a wonderful book, and a must have for any Gothic Homesteader or Gothic Gardener! ~ Morria

 After a lot of research personally and for our urban start and future rural homestead, I have decided to try to do as much of it "tribal" or the old school methods as possible, for our Gothic Homestead.  This means hand or hose watering, heirloom seeds, and natural fertilizers among other things.  This will be a challenge, as Robby and I well know from our first trial run, back in 2012 in Thoreau, NM. So, I have gotten my first flowers, seeings as this year we are just getting up and going, I am buying mostly annuals.  We are not sure how long we will be in Farmington, but at least the next few months.  I wonder if there is any where in town that sells black plants? ~ Morria

Today Urban Homesteaders just lost a great woman, Linda Houser.  From her, my beginning of gardening would begin.  From age 5 when she helped me grow my pumpkins.  To age 14, when I discovered purple lettuce and insisted we grow it.  To age 15, when I began my herb garden.  She walked beside me, but never, ever took over my garden. "How would I learn if I didn't grow for myself? I wouldn't." she always would say. Merami was the first to teach me you dont have to be out in the country on 40 acres of land to grow food.  In fact, even before we had a 3/4 of an acre lot, she still grew food at our tiny intercity-Wichita lot.  Some of my first memories are playing in the dirt.  Merami, you will be for ever missed and remembered! ~ Morria

We will be selling at the Shiprock Flea Market tomorrow, trying to make some money to keep us going at the homestead. Gas, Food, and More... Living out in the desert is not easy, but it is so worth it.  I make soaps, jewelry, and up-cycled Gothic and Steampunk clothing.  Robby, he makes hemp jewelry and does photography. That along with odd jobs keeps us afloat, along with our food from being gothic homesteaders...but that doesnt start for a few more months out here.   Tis not a life most would chose, but to be honest... neither of us are at home at any other kind of life anymore... I will get back to normal Gothic Homesteader post in March.  This move has been trying... ~ Morria

A Chomping Good Meal! 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs 1/4 cup parsley 2 cloves garlic 3 stalks celery 3 carrots 1 lb. ground turkey 2 lbs. lean ground beef 1 lb. ground pork sausage 1/2 teaspoon thyme 3/4 teaspoon oregano 3 eggs 1-1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon paprika 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce 3 teaspoons lemon juice 2 - 3 tablespoons heavy cream *  Set aside your breadcrumbs. * Chop finely in food processor parsley with garlic, celery,  carrots, and 1 onion. * Melt butter and olive oil together. * Add the celery mixture and sauté until soft and onions are translucent. Remove from heat to cool. *  In the large mixing bowl, mix in the remaining ingredients below, adding the parsley and garlic and the breadcrumbs. When the vegetables have cooled, add them to the mixture. * Shape the meatloaf into a Zombie on a large baking sheet or pan with low sides; placing a sheet of aluminum foil in the bo...