Project LOL (The beginning)

Project LOL: The beginning

Over the past couple of years I've grown increasing distrustful of all institutions, universities, health and well being organizations, governments (duh!!), religious fanatics and most of all the media. There is some form of politics that has infested virtually every aspect of daily life both knowingly and unknowingly.

From the time I was growing up my physique was that of the rotund persuasion. I tried in vain to improve my vanity. I tried all sorts of fads, "sound advice" and even ran the comrades ULTRA marathon.....boo ya! but alas I had failed, to improve both my vanity and physical prowess, I completed the comrades twice (just to avoid ambiguity, check out my other blog as proof). One day on a commute to my dead end job, I was listening to the hyper negative radio 702 (which was my pick me up before work...yeish!) and there comes onto radio Dr Tim Jokes (that's how the gym rats would gossip instead of pumping the iron/working out. "Handle your business like a man" still has no meaning. Dr Tim Noakes is who I am referring to in case my rambling is a little to close to South African current affairs).

Since I had run comrades, I obviously had read Lore of Running and these statements were awesome news or maybe me clinging at hope. I had moved beyond my vanity and onto actual improved performance for myself. So I got to the office sent an e-mail and received a reply. (Which famous personality actually replies to e-mails) That got me on my current journey. I devoured knowledge, tested myself and listened to podcasts. This debate is going to continue for awhile but at least there is a debate that has been ignited and in the future better more sound information shall come out. The issue I think is that egos have been bruised and the embarrassment is something many "learned" people cannot cope with right now........maybe they should chuck the pride, just saying.

I hope my dear readers that you read through my rant and lead up for Project LOL, which is short for Live Of Land. This project has been born out of my distrust for supermarket institutions and the entities that back them be it political, religious or well being with some "make no sense" ideology.

The purpose of this project is to put together systems and processes so that I can produce fresh produce from the land I live on. If I had lived in a flat the same shall apply. I hope to take my readers through this journey and by the end of this year, everything shall be in place. I also hope that the information that I shall make FREELY available is useful to anybody who would like to try.

Ideally I would like to visit the supermarket for toilet paper only!!! Its a 2 ply issue.

Things that I have tried on my own, and have been successful:
- Worm farming (Vermicomposting)
- Growing seeds (defies 2nd law of thermodynamics)
- growing plants with light emitting diodes (LEDs)
-making my own yoghurt
-making my own biltong (jerky)

Step 1 of Project LOL: Define the parameters.

• I need to design a green house that incorporates LEDs for my area. I need to use all the pot plants that I have generated over the recent time. I would like to harvest rain water for my plants and use sustainable energy to operate the LED and circulation pumps (irrigations).
• In the future I would like to expand to hydroponics or even aqua-ponics (a little to rich for this year).
• What plants and herbs that shall suit this man made environment. Cycle crops in such a way to ensure fresh produce?

I hope to have consistent Tuesday posts on this topic. I hope you shall find the journey fascinating.

Home made Biltong

Avocado Seedlings

LED grow light panel

Wormfarm and about 2 litres of worm juice (potent compost)

Braai'ed butternut

Figure 1: Braai'ed Butternut

The recipe was born a little out of boredom, mostly me trying to add volume for my weekly feeding of my beloved worms (future blog post related to project LOL, all very cryptic but shall make sense in time, i hope)) and we had to finish our vegetables before our weekly shopping visit to our boeremark. If you are in Pretoria this is a true farmer's market, visit the website www.pretoriaboeremark.co.za .

For the record the "farmers market" in jJohannesburg four-ways is not a FARMERS market. I suggest that this venue is renamed so that it is not so misleading, but then again i suppose its interpretation. Rant....check

Another aside, the last one I hope (that is a little dark), I use my worms for vermicomposting and if you items want some information on vermicomposting check out his website http://edendreaming.org/worm-farming.

This is all very unappetizing talk/write/type?

We had essentially braai'ed (or barbecued for my foreign contingent items) all our meat and the coals were still raging. I prepared this meal and let me state that it was awesome and must be tried. The great thing is that nothing goes to waste.

Ingredients
1 butternut (our butter was medium-ish)
1 onion (I like the flavour of red onions), pick an onion that can fit into the seed area cavity of butternut once peeled.
2 cloves garlic (crushed and thinly sliced)
1 tsp ginger (cut and diced)
1 tsp dried herbs
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried cinnamon

Method

1. Cut the ends and peel butternut
2. When you cut the seed side of butter try to maintain the concave shape of the seed cavity
3. Scoop out the seeds
4. Peel onion and remove layers until the whole onion can be popped into seed cavity (like eyeball in socket)
5. Make 1mm wide x 1mm deep cuts into butternut in whatever pattern you choose (I made the pattern the way you would cut into a leg of lamb)
6. Place as much ginger and garlic as possible into the cuts made in the previous step
7. Dice left over butternut from peeling, onion layers (if any)and combine with left over ginger and garlic, dried herbs, cinnamon and olive oil into a "sauce"
8. Rub "sauce" onto prepared butternut
9. Place in foil (shiny side out)
10. Placed foiled butternut directly onto coals for about an hour
11. Prod the butternut (any thin sharp instrument will do) once in a while to check if it is cooked
12. Remove from coals, remove foil and enjoy!

lekker braai!!

Figure 2: Braai'ed butternut before it is braai'ed

Figure 3: Braai'ed butternut after it has been braai'ed