How to Protect Your Property from Flooding with Levees

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How to Protect Your Property from Flooding with Levees

What are Levees?

Levees are barriers built to prevent flooding by holding back water. They are usually made of dirt, sand, or concrete and are built along rivers, lakes, or coastlines.

Why Build Levees?

Levees are important because they help protect homes, buildings, and farmland from being damaged by floods. By diverting water away from these areas, levees can prevent costly repairs and keep people safe.

How to Build Levees

Building levees requires careful planning and construction. First, you need to determine the height and length of the levee needed to protect your property. Then, you will need to gather materials like dirt or sand to build the barrier. Make sure to compact the materials tightly to prevent water from seeping through.

Additional Tips:

• Consider hiring a professional to help design and build the levee.

• Regularly inspect and maintain the levee to ensure it remains effective.

• Be aware of any regulations or permits required before building a levee on your property

Conclusion

Building levees around your property can help protect it from flooding and prevent costly damage. By taking the time to plan and construct a levee properly, you can ensure the safety and security of your home and belongings.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Foraging dandelion greens

Now is the perfect time to forage for the perfect greens that commonly grow naturally in your own backyard. Yes, I am referring to dandelion greens. The dandelion plant is known as a common weed, but it is chalk full of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Dandelions are what some people call a lawn nuisance, but I like to think of them as free health food.

These jagged, saw-toothed plants are edible from root to flower, and they are actually known as a superfood.

If you don't have a lawn full of dandelions, they are also available as a tea, supplements, and in some grocery stores, fresh dandelions can be purchased in the produce aisle.

Dandelion greens can be picked, rinsed, and cleaned, then eaten raw or cooked just like any other type of green that you may buy or grow in your home garden.

So why would you want to eat dandelions?

For one thing, dandelions are free food. They grow organically on the lawns of most residential homes, and for another reason, they are a powerhouse of nutrition. Dandelion greens have more nutrients than any other type of green that you'd grow in your home vegetable garden.

The entire dandelion plant is rich in fiber, contains antioxidant beta-carotene, and also contains vitamins A, C, E, and K, along with small traces of B vitamins, plus various minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

You can eat dandelions to treat anemia, constipation, and improve digestive health, among other things.

Dandelion plants are low-toxic. So they are generally safe for most people to eat. However, if you're allergic to ragweed and other plants that are related to ragweed, such as bonesets, daisies, echinacea, chrysanthemums, mugwort, and others, then it's possible that dandelions could cause you to have similar allergic reactions too since they are in the ragweed plant family.

Harvesting dandelions

First, I'd like to note that if you plan to harvest your own dandelion plants, do so in an area that hasn't been sprayed with chemicals. Also avoid foraging dandelions that are near city and state parks, sidewalks, farmer's fields, roadways, and ditches. All these areas have probably been sprayed with some type of chemical.

Use a small spade shovel or a paring knife to dig the dandelions up out of the soil. I used a small hand spade and dug around about an inch of the plant while holding up the dandelion leaves. Dandelion roots aren't massively big, and they're fairly easy to pluck out of the ground, similar to digging up carrots.

Shake the dirt off the roots and cover the hole with the loose dirt to prevent anyone from tripping in the holes.

Using fresh-picked dandelions

Before you do anything with your dandelion plants, make sure you soak them in water for a while, then rinse them well several times. They've been outside in the elements of nature and probably have even been stepped on, etc. So they're going to be extremely dirty.

Dandelion roots can be dehydrated and then ground into tea, and they can also be used as a coffee substitute, but you can also eat the entire root just as you'd eat carrots, radishes, and other root vegetables.

To dehydrate the dandelion roots, wash the roots well. Then place them on your dehydrator trays, leaving space between each piece. Set the dehydrator's temperature to 250 degrees. Dehydrate the roots until they become crispy. This will take several hours.

If you're wanting to dehydrate the roots to make tea and coffee, grind the roots in a blender or food processor for a few minutes. Then place the grounds on parchment-lined paper trays and dehydrate them. You can also wait to grind them until after they're dehydrated. I found that it's easier on my machine to grind them before they're dried.

The leaves, stems, and flowers of dandelions can all be dehydrated, steeped, cooked, or simply eaten raw in salads or by themselves. Happy foraging!

Resources:

Malia Frey, M.A. (2021) Dandelion Greens Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits, Verywell Fit. Available at: https://www.verywellfit.com/dandelion-greens-nutrition-facts-4582373 (Accessed: 06 June 2023).

Link, R. (2022) Dandelion Root vs. Dandelion Greens, Dr. Axe. Available at: https://draxe.com/nutrition/dandelion-root/ (Accessed: 06 June 2023).

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Old-fashioned tin-can bread

Old-fashioned tin-can bread

So, you'd like to make a loaf of homemade bread, but you don't have a bread pan. That's not a problem! Today, allow me to show you how I make basic mini loaves of bread quickly and simply by using clean, empty tin cans. Yes, it can be done easily. No pun intended. Just make sure that you grease the inside of your tin cans well with cooking spray.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of self-rising flour

• 2-1/4 cups of milk

• cooking spray for greasing your tin cans

Instructions:

For this recipe, you can use 15-ounce cans or 28-ounce cans. Only fill the cans about halfway with the dough. Today I am using two 15-ounce cans and one 28-ounce can. (The larger cans will need a little more baking time.)

In a bowl, add the self-rising flour. Slowly pour in the milk. Mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon or spatula until they're combined. This is supposed to be a wet, unkneaded dough, but it should not be overly wet. Add extra flour if needed.

Grease your tin cans with cooking spray. Then transfer the dough to the prepared tin can or cans. Only fill the cans about halfway with the dough. Place the filled cans on a cookie tray to prevent any spillovers inside your oven during baking.

Transfer your tin cans to a 350-degree oven and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until your bread is browned to your preference. Once your bread has risen and baked for at least 15 or 20 minutes, lay the cans on their sides and finish baking. You'll want to do this to ensure that the bread is cooked throughout the center.

Once your tin can bread is finished baking, turn the cans upside down to flip the loaves of bread out onto a cutting board or cooling rack. Allowing it to cool completely before slicing.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Tips on purchasing pork

If you are a fan of pork steak, pork chops, pork ribs, bacon, and pulled pork, today I will be sharing some guides to help you save money, as well as tips on what cuts you might want to start buying instead of buying pre-cut and pre-cured selections. 

Instead of buying pork that is already pre-cut and pre-cured, it generally saves money by purchasing pork roasts, or pork shoulders, and curing and slicing the meat yourself. While shopping for pork can sometimes be confusing, hopefully my article today will help you better understand the difference between the two different hams, pork roast, ribs, and Boston butt.

Boston butt (pork shoulder): is the upper portion of a hog's FRONT shoulder. Not only does it make a really good cut for barbecuing, making pulled pork, but it's also a good cut to use for slicing pork chops, and making homemade country-style bacon. Boston butt has always been fairly inexpensive to buy, which is why it's often a go-to choice.

When purchasing a Boston butt, always try to select one that has less fat. Boneless is even nicer, but can sometimes be harder to find.

Should the Boston butt have a bone in the center, use it for flavoring a pot of beans, or to make a soup stock out of it before discarding the bones.

Both the Boston butt and pork shoulder come from the front shoulders of the pig, but pork butts are located higher up. The pork shoulder is in the area just under the Boston butt.

A pork shoulder with a hock attached is referred to as a picnic ham when it's cured and smoked. However, a picnic ham still needs to be cooked even if it has been cured. 

Picnic hams are much smaller than those of the classic ham, and they're a perfect selection for any everyday family meal. It's smaller, which makes it faster to cook. 

To cook a picnic ham, or pork shoulder; place it inside a crock-pot, or roasting pan. Add one and a half cups of water to the crock-pot, or pan. Sprinkle your preferred seasonings on the meat, then transfer it to the crock-pot, or roasting pan. If you're cooking it in the crock-pot, set the temperature to the highest setting and place the lid on. If you're roasting it in the oven, cover with aluminum foil, cook the picnic ham, or pork shoulder at 375 degrees F. Glaze the picnic ham, or pork shoulder within the last thirty minutes of cooking. The meat will be cooked once it reaches 160 degrees F internally.

Generally a picnic ham, or pork shoulder, ranges between four to eight pounds. For every pound add twenty two minutes to the roasting time.

The classic cut ham comes from the back legs of the pig. If you truly want to save money on your holiday meals, then why not buy an uncured ham, or pork shoulder and cure it at home yourself? Doing so saves a lot of money.

Loin (center loin roast, or center rib roast): The pork loin is located between the shoulder and back legs and is the leanest part of a pig. The spare ribs and pork chops are cut from this area, as is the pork tenderloin roast. 

Breakfast chops, boneless chops, shoulder chops, rib chops, sirloin chops, and New York cut chops are all cut from the loin area.

Pork tenderloin is lean and extremely tender. This cut of meat not only makes a beautiful roast, it's also quite yummy when cooked and sliced for sandwich meat to stretch the meat even further for meals.

Country-style ribs: is the part where the pork loin connects with the shoulder of the pig. So, country-style ribs contain a mixture of both lean loin meat, and darker meat from the shoulder. Although they are often lined with some fat, country-style ribs are cheaper than buying spare ribs. Plus, country-style ribs do have a considerable amount more of meat on them. So, when choosing ribs, these may be your best option for getting your full money's worth. The meat is also a lot more tender.

Of course, bacon that you purchase in grocery stores is made from the flesh of a pig's belly. However, you can cure your own bacon at home from a Boston butt, pork shoulder, or pork belly yourself. I recently wrote an article on making homemade bacon, so I won't be going into how I cure bacon here. If you're interested in finding out how I made it, you can go back to that article.

The jowls, hocks (shanks), and neck of the pig can be used in a number of ways. Two of the more popular options in the south are to prepare them with black-eyed peas and purple-hull peas, alongside a big pan of cornbread and turnip greens.

Don't throw the bones out, not until you make good use of them too! Any pork bones left over can be used to make pork broth, flavor beans, peas, greens, and soups.

In conclusion, I often purchase Boston butts and pork shoulders because you can slice your own pork chops off of both cuts. They're not as lean as pork loin chops, but they're pretty darn tasty. I also make pulled pork out of both of these cuts of meat and I also barbecue both. I cure and smoke pork shoulders to make my own holiday hams and I also prepare roasts from both pork shoulders and Boston butts; add diced potatoes, sliced carrots, and a diced onion, along with seasoning and tah-dah. You have the perfect family meal!

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Wild edibles to forage

Wild edibles to forage

If you're interested in foraging for free healthy food then today's article might be right up your alley. Every year during spring, summer, and fall, I enjoy going foraging for wild edibles. I believe that there's a better way of living through foraging. For one, it's an enjoyable experience just being outside and for another it's a way to learn about different plants that grow in the wild, and the third reason that I enjoy it so much are the natural health benefits of eating what I find.

First I'd like to stress to you: when foraging, if you aren't familiar with a wild plant leave it alone. There's several that are indeed very poisonous. If you are new to foraging, take someone who's knowledgeable about wild edibles along with you at least for the first couple of times that you go out to forage. 

Never take more from nature than you actually need. Remember that animals in the wild also need these wild edibles to survive.

Wild edibles to forage:

1. Wild plants (burdock (all parts of the plant is edible), clover, dandelions (all parts of the plant is edible), day lilies (flowers and roots are edible), honeysuckle, rose petals, redbud blossoms, wild onions, wild garlic, etc.)

2. Berries and other wild fruit (elderberries (cooked), mulberries, persimmons, passion fruit, etc.)

3. Roots (cattail roots, chickweed, chicory, curly dock, burdock, dandelion roots, day lilies, Jerusalem artichoke, wild carrots; also known as Queen Anne's Lace, etc.)

4. Seeds and nuts (pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, acorns, etc.)

5. Shellfish (clams and mussels)

I like foraging in my own backyard because I am familiar with all my surroundings. I never use any type of chemicals on my land so I know the wild edibles that I pick or dig up are going to be safe to eat once they're washed well. 

You'll be very surprised by just how many different things that are edible in your own yard. In fact, there's numerous cattail plants, day lilies, honeysuckle, wild onions, wild garlic, dandelions, clover, roses, mulberries, pecans, acorns, and pine nuts, etc.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Broadleaf plantain and its uses

Broadleaf plantain and its uses

Broadleaf plantain is most commonly known as a weed that's just another type of lawn nuisance to many homeowners. However, this common weed is edible, it's packed full of calcium and vitamins A, C, and K, and it can be used medicinally for multiple purposes.

Identifying broadleaf plantains

The broadleaf plantain has broad, oval-shaped leaves. The plant is dark green and grows in a rosette shape. They grow long, small, spiked pods with dark seeds in the center of the plants. In the photo above, you can visually see what the plant looks like.

This gem of a plant is not only edible, but it can also be used medicinally to treat chronic diarrhea and fatigue and boost immunity. Plus, it can also be used for treating wounds, burns, bug bites, etc.

If you plan to eat broadleaf plantains fresh in salads and on sandwiches, look for young, tender plants to pick. Because they will be less chewy. By all means, you can still pick the larger leaves to cook in various other ways. You can also make homemade medicinal tea, natural tinctures, and extracts for topical use.

To use plantain on open wounds, blisters, sores, skin burns, and bug bites, crush some fresh plantain leaves, then apply it directly where it's needed on your skin.

When harvesting broadleaf plantains, do so in an area where pesticides, fungicides, or insecticides haven't been used. Avoid harvesting when they grow near roads and ditches.

In conclusion, it's true that I never thought I would live in times where food and medicine prices are soaring out of control, but I am so grateful that I spent the majority of my life learning about wild edibles and their uses.

I have always believed that for every ailment, there's a natural remedy growing wild, and I always felt deep in my core that it was vital to know. I hope that this article is useful to those of you who are looking for this type of information.

Like with any other plant, wash the broadleaf plantain well before using it.

Resources:

Welch, S. (2020) How to use plantain herb for common ailments, Farm and Dairy. Available at: https://www.farmanddairy.com/top-stories/how-to-use-plantain-herb-for-common-ailments/626622.html#:~:text=Make%20a%20tea%20using%201,and%20soothe%20and%20reduce%20inflammation. (Accessed: 18 August 2023).

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Homemade pot pie squares

If you have ever wanted to make homemade pasta, but you've been too afraid to try making it, here's a simple pasta to get you started. It's so easy to prepare and deliciously satisfying! The pot pie squares can also be dehydrated for later use.

So, today I will be demonstrating how I make homemade pot pie squares. I also will show you how to dehydrate them, and I will be sharing three ways that you can cook them once they are made.

For this recipe, you can use all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, or seminola flour. Today, I used bread flour and egg as a binder. The recipe can also be made without the egg.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg

• ½ up to 1 cup of water

• 3 cups of bread flour

• 2 tablespoons of softened butter

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, butter, and the egg; mix together until the ingredients are incorporated well.

Begin making a well in the center of the flour mixture; adding the water slowly. Work the flour into the center of the well. You'll want the dough just wet enough to bring it together. (I slowly add in a half cup of water first, then add more if necessary, because you don't want the dough to become too wet, or sticky). 

Form the dough into a ball-shape. Then begin kneading the pasta dough. To knead the dough, firmly press the heel of your hand into the dough ball, pushing into a forward and downward motion. Knead the dough no more than eight to ten minutes.

Now, divide the dough into three or four pieces. Add a tiny bit of flour to your work surface, place the first piece of dough down. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough out. If you have a pasta maker, use it. Roll the dough out thin.

Next, using a knife, or pasta cutter, cut the dough into one to two-inch strips (depending on your preference). Now, cut the dough into squared-shapes. Repeat until all the pot pie squares are made. Allow the pasta to dry for about one hour before cooking it, or you can dehydrate it.

I cut off the side and end pieces each time, to try to maintain the square shape. I then add the extra dough to the next section of dough that I will be working with. I do this to each section until the last piece of dough. At the end, there will be a few odd-ball shapes anyway that won't be perfectly square.

Dehydrating the pot pie squares

After making the pasta, the pot pie squares can be dehydrated for about four hours at 135 degrees F in a dehydrator. When the pasta squares have dried, transfer them to an airtight container or Ziploc bags and store the pasta in the freezer for up to six months. It's pretty awesome to have homemade pasta already made in advance.

Pot pie recipes

Chicken pot pie

Drop the pot pie squares into a pan of boiling chicken broth to cook. Add two to three cups of cooked, cubed-bites of chicken, diced celery, diced carrots, green peas, cut green beans, and corn to complete the pot pie. (You could use turkey, duck, or pheasant as a substitute for chicken.)

Beef pot pie

To make a beef pot pie, use beef broth to cook the pot pie squares. Add two to three cups of chopped cooked beef and add your preferred vegetables. (You could use venison, bison, etc. as a substitute for beef.)

Vegetable pot pie

To make a vegetable pot pie. When making the pot pie squares, omit the butter and use dairy-free coconut butter, omit the egg entirely, or use an egg substitute. Use vegetable stock to cook the pot pie squares in and add your preferred vegetables. 

Note:

If you really want to get fancy making the pasta, you can use different pasta mode and cutters to make different shaped pasta. The world of pasta is simply endless.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com