Once again, it’s been about a month since I’ve updated you on the going ons here!

Let’s jump in and see what’s been going on here at the Suburban Steader Homestead!

This Week’s Milestones

Prolific Garden Harvest Continues

I told you about my prolific cucumber harvest in my last post.  Well, I’m proud to report that those results have been consistent over the last month.  We’ve harvested more cucumbers than we know what to do with.  Fortunately, the folks at my work LOVE cucumbers and have been a great “dumping ground” for the overflow.  I’m also seeing a lot of peppers that should be ready in the next week.  We also had a good amount of volunteer cherry tomatoes (I didn’t plant any this year) and the broccoli is coming back for a fall harvest.

Cooking Class

Those of you who have spent a lot of time around the site know that I like to cook.  In fact, I would say that the majority of the cooking duties have migrated from my wife to me.  I’ll cook almost any kind of cuisine but really like to concentrate on homestead/rustic type food.  That being said, I love to learn new things.  I often complain about this God Forsaken Sandbar that I live on.  It is horribly overcrowded, the politics suck and from a geographical point of view, it is strategically horrible.  There’s a finite number of ways to get off this island in case of an emergency and, due to the overcrowding, it will become a total fustercluck if/when that kind of situation happens.

With that in mind, the wife and I signed up for a cooking class at Sur La Table.  It was a grilling summer Italian type meal.  I have to admit that I was kind of disappointed.  I didn’t learn anything new with the exception of making a pecan blueberry scone type dessert.

I did, however, find the ultimate grill EDC item!

Fitness…Interrupted

Last you heard, I was eating a primal / paleo diet (most of the time) and lifting heavy weights with a program called StrongLifts.

I’m glad to say that I’ve been working through that program and have made some strong, strong gains.  I’ve gone from square one to the following:

• Squats – 285lbs – 5 sets of 5 reps each (5×5)
• Bench Press – 225lbs – 5×5
• Deadlift – 305lbs – 5×5
• Bent Over Row – 145lbs – 5×5
• Overhead Press – 130lbs – 5×5

These numbers aren’t huge when you consider I weigh about 250lbs.  That being said, I’m moving in the right direction considering I haven’t lifted heavy in over ten years.  I’ve already hit my first goal (Bench Press) and am well on the way to my Tier 1 (Short Term) Goals.  Those are:

• OH Press – 135lbs – 5×5
• Bench Press – 225lbs – 5×5 (ACHIEVED!)
• Squat – 315lbs – 5×5
• Deadlift – 405lbs – 5×5

My Tier 2 (Long Term) Goals are numbers I want to reach in March 2019 when I turn 40.  Those numbers are as follows (all single reps):

• OH Press – 225lbs
• Bench Press – 315lbs
• Squat – 405lbs
• Deadlift – 495lbs (really, I’m going after 500lbs – 495lbs is just 5 full plates per side)

I ran into a little bit of a snag last weekend while benching.  My right shoulder is all dinged up.  Might be something with my rotator cuff, might not.  I’ve been babying it for a week and, as the Mrs can tesity, I’ve been a complete bear to be around.  I watched this video today and it really motivated me to get back at it.  I’ll probably get this thing checked out since it’s been about a week but it’s time to start moving forward with other lifts.

And, just in case you’re wondering what this has to do with prepping and survivalism…just remember this quote

Strong people are harder to kill…

— Mark Rippetoe

New Business Venture

I’ve been using the Lanksy Sharpening System for the last few years to sharpen all my knives.  Like I mentioned last time, I’ve decided to start offering this service for a fee.  Here’s the information:

SERVICE LEVELS

Blades under 5in – folders or fixed blade

• Basic Service – $10
  • Matched Angle
  • Stone Sharpened to 1000 grit≤
• Master Service – $15
  • Profiled to your specs
  • Stone Sharpened to 1600 grit
  • Stropped
• Add $2 for blades over 5in
• Minor rolling and chipping included (no extra cost)

REPAIRS

• All knives requiring repair will be reviewed prior to work and customer will be contacted with a final quote. Basic rates are as follows:
  • Significant rolling or chips add $2
  • Broken tip – Quoted on a case by case basis

SHIPMENT

Please add $5 for each USPS FLAT RATE PRIORITY BOX you use so I can return in the same manner which includes tracking and insurance.

If you are local (I’m on Long Island, NY), we can arrange options for drop off and pick up.

PAYMENT

• Local: Cash or PayPal (email below)
• Shipped Knives: PayPal (email below)

Email me – dan AT suburbansteader DOT com for more information or to setup a job.

I had my first customer this week and delivered a great product to him.  Here’s a few pics:

Next Week’s Goals

Fitness

I’ll be getting back into the gym as well as following up with a doctor if necessary.  My diet has been going pretty well lately, but I’ll continue to monitor it to make sure I’m eating both clean and a little protein heavy.  I’ll report back with my achievements as I progress.

Rolling Into Fall

The garden is dying off so we’ll be picking up the last of the harvest and then starting to think about putting everything away for the winter.  I’m thinking about cover crop this year versus straw to avoid the rabbit problem I had in the spring.  Any thoughts there? Does anyone use cover crops that can lend some information?

That’s it folks – Week 37 is in the books!  How was your week?  Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Dan

Founder/Owner at Suburban Steader

I am a middle-age guy with a wife, two young kids and a crazy dog. We live on Long Island, NY and had an interesting experience with Hurricane Sandy. That experience led me towards the self-sufficiency movement and eventually led to the founding of SuburbanSteader.com. I aim to provide suburbanites with the confidence and know-how to become more self-reliant by providing content on topics such as gardening, personal health, financial responsibility, cooking, self-preparedness and self-protection.