Final product (in the cheesecloth)

Making homemade cottage cheese is simple. I like to do it if I notice I have more milk than we will be able to drink before it expires. The cheese is wonderful in this Cottage Bread recipe (and there is nothing better than homemade cheese bread made with homemade cheese!). The cheese takes about twenty minutes and the bread takes even less time if you use a bread machine.

Ingredients:

• gallon of milk
• 3/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice
  

  the point where the curds and whey separate

Heat the milk until it is climbing the sides of the pan (120 degrees Fahrenheit). Remove from the heat and stir in 3/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice. The difference is slight, but I think the vinegar makes the cheese a little more tart. Stir slowly until the curd and whey separate. Stir for another minute or so to make sure it is fully separated. Pour through a cheesecloth and let hang until you only have the curds left. You can flavor these with herbs and/or salt.

If you are going to use it as cottage cheese then it is good to pour a little cream (sometimes I use regular whole milk) over the top because it can dry out fast.

It makes about 3 cups of cottage cheese. The first time I made it I poured it through the cheesecloth too soon (the cheese was fine, but I didn't get as much as the second time when I allowed it to separate a minute longer).

Related Posts:

• Scallion Champ Potato Recipe
• Recipes Under $10: Tropical Waffles (littlepeoplewealth.com)
• Recipes Under $10: Lemon Honey Fruit Medley (littlepeoplewealth.com)
• DIY Craft: Pipe Cleaner Roses (budgetawedding.com)
• Homemade Cottage Cheese (lowcarblaowai.com)

Solar Leasing is usually not a great deal compared to owning your own system

I recently posted the three estimates we received when considering adding solar power to our home. The third company primarily sold solar leases, which is viewed as a cheaper way to switch to solar power. I was excited to learn how the solar power lease works and I would love to let you know what I learned.

Overall, if you can afford your own system you will save a lot more money that way. That said, you can lease a system with $0 down. Just because you can does not mean it is the best option, however. The solar leasing “deal” relied on the cost of energy increasing at a fairly high, consistent rate, over the next 20 years. As we just saw with the housing bubble, nothing is sure when it comes to inflation (although costs seem to go up more reliably than investments).

Out of the three companies that I got an estimate with, the solar leasing company had the lowest producing modules (only producing 360 kWh's per year vs. 400 and 449 for the other two companies) and used a whole-home inverter instead of the new micro-inverters. Although it is cheaper to install a whole-home inverter, micro-inverters allow you to size up your system if you need to in the future and if a panel or inverter goes out it doesn't take down your entire system. With a whole-system inverter your photovoltaic system is only as good as your slowest panel. Despite this, their purchase price for the system was the most expensive of the three companies, making the lease look even more attractive. They also claim, that you will save more money by purchasing a prepaid lease from them than owning it because they only calculated 20 years savings with owning, even though the modules and inverters from the other companies came with 25 or 30 year warranties. When I told the solar leasing company I had decided to purchase the system instead he said “just keep in mind, when you have to replace the inverter sometime in the next 20 years, and you will, you will spend thousands of dollars because inverters are not warrantied.” I promptly looked this up and both the other companies offered a 25 year warranty on the inverters.

The solar leasing company offered me three different plans:

• The first had the lowest initial year cost, but inflation was built in
  • First year $744, Twenty year cost of $19,800
• The second had a higher first year cost, but your costs always stayed the same
  • First year $965, Twenty year cost of $19,300
• The third was a prepaid lease, you pay more upfront for a lower cost throughout the life of the lease
  • First year $8901, Twenty year cost of $17,300

Right now I pay $0.1216 per kWh. Here is what that looks like over 20 years:

• “First year cost” of $923, no inflation twenty year cost of $18,500
• 2% inflation – $21,500
• 4% inflation – $27,500

Solar companies like to claim that the cost of electrical power will increase at a 4-6% rate, but you just do not know. I found data on the California energy site that showed the average cost in California in 1980 was $0.0589 and it was $0.1101 in 2005. That is an increase of 2.8%, which is pretty close to “normal” inflation (inflation has averaged 3.2% from 1913 to 2013).
Also, when looking at long-term savings like this it is only human to account for inflation when it benefits us, but not when it doesn't. Looking at the second loan option and comparing it to the 2% inflation rate gives you a savings of $2200, but that savings is in “20-year from now” dollars. A couple other things to point out:

• You are locked into a lease. If you sell your home you either have to buy your way out (pay the rest upfront) or get the buyer to agree to take it over and the leasing company to agree that they will allow your buyer to take it over. That said, a buyer may be willing to pay more for a home that has their electric paid for the next few years.

The third option looks great, until you compare it with our estimates to own a system. The lowest cost equivalent system would cost approximately $16,800 upfront and you could get approximately $5900 back after taxes (total cost of $10900). Your first year cost with the third option is $8900. For $2000 more (if you can wait for tax time) you will have your entire electric bill paid for 25+ years instead of paying another $8400 on a lease in the next 20 years and then losing the system.

***Your numbers will vary depending on your own electrical usage and the companies that are in your area!

Click here to sign up for my mailing list!

Related Articles:

• Solar IN with Homeowners (solar-inland-empire.com)
• Solar Power: The Hottest New Thing for Homeowners (huffingtonpost.com)
• 75% of California Rooftop PV Systems now Leased (pv-tech.org)
• Solar Micro Inverter to Minimize Power Loss (solarpowerinstall.wordpress.com)
• Living with Five Years of Solar Power (tested.com)

Check the bag to see how much soil it contains.

Today's question is how many bags of soil do you need to fill an area that is 12 cubic feet?

The short answer is it depends on their size. Here is the explanation:

Most bags of soil are sold in 1 cubic feet sizes, but they are sometimes sold in three cubic foot size. To make things even more confusing, some bagged soil is sold by the quart.

A cubic foot of soil is approximately equivalent to approximately 25.75 quarts.

If you are buying soil that is sold by the cubic foot just divide the amount you need by the amount that is in the bag to get the number of bags you need. In this example, the reader needs 12 cubic feet. If she is buying 1 cubic foot bags then she will need 12 bags (12/1 = 12). If she is buying 3 cubic foot bags then she will need 4 bags (12/3 = 4).

If you are buying soil that is sold by the quart then first change cubic feet to quarts by multiplying it by 25.75. Then divide it by the number of quarts in the bag. In this example, the reader needs 12 cubic feet or 309 quarts. If he is buying 8 quart bags then he will need 39 bags (309/8 = 38.6). If he is buying 16 quart bags then he will need 20 bags (309/16 = 19.3). If he is buying 32 quart bags then he will need 10 (309/32 = 9.7).

If you want to purchase soil by the cubic yard (which is cheaper if you have a way to haul it) then divide the amount you need by 27 (there are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard). In this case you will need 0.44 cubic yards, but since they generally sell by the half yard you will need to round up and purchase half a yard.

Click here to sign up for my mailing list!

Related posts:

• Concrete Block Raised Garden Bed
• How to Build a Raised Garden Bed for Cheap
• Soil Solarization to Rid the Garden of Weeds
• Calculating the Soil you Need for a Raised Garden Bed
• Go Green, Grow Green, and Save Green with a Vegetable Garden (littlepeoplewealth.com)

You can purchase a compost bin or make your own.

Creating the perfect compost is easy! I have talked quite a bit about vermicomposting here on Pint Size Farm, but I haven't gone into “regular” composting that much yet. Here is the first article to break that trend.

Bin or pile composting is just as easy as vermicomposting. In fact, in many ways it is even easier since you do not have to worry about keeping an organism alive in your compost bin (other than the bacteria) although bin composting generally takes a bit longer compared with worm composting. Each type of composting has it's place on a homestead.

Bin or pile composting is as simple as starting a compost pile and letting it sit. Here, in Arizona, I actually have my bins dug into the ground because the air is so dry it is hard to keep the pile wet any other way, but in many locations it can be as easy as putting up a square fence with chicken wire and throwing composting materials in. If you would like you can purchase a composting bin, although they tend to be high priced for what you get.

When you bin compost there are a few things you should avoid:

• Meat, Bone, and Animal products: First and foremost these can attract animals to your pile (and make it stink). They also take a very long time to break down. If you do compost these items make sure your bin is well protected from animals and it reaches at least 140-150 degrees (Fahrenheit) so it kills off any bad pathogens.

• Poop from carnivores or omnivores: Manure from chickens, goats, horses, rabbits, etc are great for your pile. Poop from dogs and humans, not so much. Surprising to me, this was a well-debated topic in a gardening forum I frequent. There are some people out there that insist it is okay to add human and dog poop to your compost. Most people fall back on the fact that you can buy humanure. Personally, I wouldn't mess with it. Omnivore and Carnivore poop has some pathogens that are bad news for us (things like E. Coli). A compost pile is a perfect bacterial breeding ground (in fact, that is what you want so your pile breaks down fast). If you do not reach the temperature to kill off the bad guys they will reproduce like rabbits (well, much faster than rabbits) and that pathogen will contaminate your whole pile. You will not even know it is contaminated until you go to use it, it transfers to the plants, and it makes you sick. If you are lucky it will just cause some diarrhea and stomach pain, if you are unlucky it will be a hospital trip. It isn't worth ruining your entire crop. If you really want to compost poop then get a composting toilet. If you still insist on trying it make sure your pile is going at 130-150 degrees Fahrenheit (the entire pile needs to be at least that temperature, not just the center!)

• Dairy Products: these will also attract wildlife. I've never had problems with a little bit (if there is cheese on some leftover bread I will still compost it)

• Non-Organic products: if it doesn't break down, don't put it in your compost bin. The glossy layer on paper is a good example.

• Some Weeds: Weeds like Bermuda Grass or Bindweed, that are hard to get rid of are not a good idea for the compost bin. The seeds could live through and take root in your garden.

You can follow a specific compost “recipe”, which I will go over in a future post, or you can just throw it in the bin and wait for it to compost. Following a specific ratio will allow you to create compost faster, but you will get compost even if your ratios are slightly off.

Click here to sign up for my mailing list!

Related Posts:

• Can you Start a Worm Bin with Worms found after a Rainstorm?
• Sun Solarization to Rid the Garden of Weeds
• 6 Reasons why you should Use Cloth Bags (littlepeoplewealth.com)
• How to Start Your Own Compost Pile (dolphininblue.com)
• Recycling: How to Begin and Preserve a Compost Pile (trashrobot.com)

Fly Lady can change your life if you are naturally “messy” like me!

About ten years ago my mom introduced me to “The Fly Lady”, or more specifically, Marla Cilley, writer of Sink Reflections.  If you haven't read it, I highly recommend getting it. You can find it at your local library, at Amazon (currently $11.46 or $10.89 for the kindle version), or at your local bookstore for $15.

There are some things that Marla does that I never will. Things like keeping your shoes on in your house so you are always ready. Shoes on in a house is a huge pet peeve of mine. My shoes do not take long to put on and I am willing to take that little bit of extra time. Marla talks about needing to shine her sink every night so it is the first thing she sees in the morning. I've never really focused on a shiny sink, but I do like a clean bathroom when I wake up! If you figure out what it is that you focus on when you wake up (be it the sink, bathroom, or any other location in your house) then you are one step closer to household nirvana.

Why, you ask. Well, if you wake up and the first thing you see is a mess in a spot you focus on then it might tip your whole day. If all you have to do to counter that is spend an extra minute or two before bed then it is worth it. It's amazing to me how such a little tip makes so much sense.

There are other things that resonate well with me. I have a hard time cleaning and keeping up because I never have time. Marla points out that you don't need lots of time. Focusing on getting things perfect is overwhelming. Small bursts (five to fifteen minutes) a few times a day does wonders at keeping your household running nicely. You can even get an iPod app to help with your quick routines (called homeroutines). I don't know what I would do without my Home Routines, Calender, and Birthday apps!

Remember, changing your habits is the same as changing your diet. Crash diets do not work because you cannot stick with it! Trying to change your household organization overnight will not work either. Slowly add it new routines and eventually it will seem like it is second nature.

If you enjoy Sink Reflections then you can also try her book, Body Clutter: Love your Body Love Yourself. It is a book on body image, but I have not read it.

Start small, make your habits lasting, and enjoy life!

Related Posts:

• Purewash Professional Grade Laundry Purifier
• Gila Heat Control Window Film to Lower the AC Bill
• Saving Energy using LED Lightbulbs
• How do Married Couples Divide Money (BudgetAWedding.com)
• Eight Work at Home Opportunities (LittlePeopleWealth.com)

Monsoon Rainbow

I got the prettiest little picture of a rainbow after I left the International Wildlife Museum last night. Unfortunately rainbows are notoriously hard to catch on an iPod! But, it is a pretty picture nonetheless.  The weather here in Arizona is supposed to be beautiful this week and as I am typing this I am staring out our slider at a little family of Gambel's Quail, not ten feet from my door. I love this time of year!

This week on pint size farm I am going to post about:

• The FlyLady for home organization
• Things that you should not compost
• Reader question – how many bags of soil should you buy once you know how much soil you need
• Solar power leasing vs. owning your own solar power array
• A recipe for homemade cottage cheese (perfect for cottage bread!)

And, on Saturday I post the best homesteading deals I can find this week!

Sign up here for email updates.

Hope you have a great week!