Brian & Gabi Kinney
modernjourneymen@gmail.com

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  • We've been a bit quiet this past week because we've been working a lot. Brian is still full time at his job and I got the best job in Key West and have been training for the past several days.

But I get to treat people to free tastings of the most delicious rum at @keywestlegalrum three days a week! These guys know what they're doing and these are some of the best rums I've ever had. If you're ever in the Keys, you should definitely make a stop here. The people behind the operation are pretty amazing as well. We are always excited to find people who really love their craft and do it so well. ๐Ÿน๐Ÿ’– Now that we'll be getting back into a regular routine, we'll be posting more often again. Hope everyone is having a great week!
  • Just a gentle reminder - OUR FERMENTATION KIT IS 50% OFF!!!! - through the month of February. ๐Ÿ˜ƒ๐Ÿ˜ฎ๐Ÿคฉ Trust me - it makes a fabulous Valentine's Day gift for your number 1 sweetheart! I would love to get this from my sweetie! ๐Ÿ’ž๐Ÿ’–โ™ฅ๏ธ Follow the link in our profile to read all about our awesome fermentation weights and git you some! ๐Ÿ˜˜๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ‰
  • It's #fermentationfebruary and here is another sweet ferment! I threatened to lacto-ferment the abundance of star fruit we had a little while back and I sure as heck did it. ๐Ÿ˜

Isn't she pretty? Tastes pretty good too. A little sweet, a lotta zing. Just like I hoped. ๐Ÿ™Œ

Follow the link in our profile to see how we did it! ๐Ÿ˜‰
  • So our weekend was like a scene out of Dexter. The good news is that the living room and kitchen area are about 99% done save a few touch ups. I will take a break from the painting until next weekend when we will tackle the bedroom/bathroom area. Luckily, it's a much smaller area! ๐Ÿ˜ฅ

Pic #2 is the delicious Zombie that I totally needed after this past week. The glass says it all. ๐Ÿ˜

I hope everyone had a great weekend! G'night. ๐ŸŒŒ
  • Brian had the opportunity to spend yesterday working on a lobster boat - unfortunately, they were catching crab and not lobster. I prefer crab anyway. Sadly, he did not get to bring any home. ๐Ÿฆ€๐Ÿ˜ญ It was a very long day and really hard work and he's happy to have had the experience. But I don't think it will be a new career any time soon. He did enjoy being able to watch the sun rise and set over the ocean in the same day. I may be a little jealous. ๐Ÿ˜’๐ŸŒ…
  • Coming along! ๐ŸŽจ๐Ÿ’Ž Painting, painting and painting. Can I tell you how NOT fun it is to paint a small space while you are living in it? I'm sure some of you have done it and the rest of you can imagine. It takes a lot of patience and luckily, I was born with a lot of it. ๐Ÿ˜’

Brian is the son of a painter and spent much of his young life painting and, ironically, he is doing it for a living right now. So he's quick and good at it. Quite good. I, on the other hand, am slow and very critical of myself, so it can be very frustrating at times. But I've painted with my talented husband many times over the years and am always improving. Steady as she goes.

I'm looking forward to having my small space tidy and uncluttered again. In the meantime, my kitchen island is like a jewel from the sea that sparkles in the sun. ๐Ÿ˜
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We want to return to a time of local craftsmen providing services for members in the community, not some faceless corporation far away. We want to enable people to create for themselves and their families.ย 

Like growing your own food in an urban apartment. Baking a fresh loaf of your own sourdough for dinner. Sharing a bottle of wine with your friends that you picked, fermented and bottled. These are the small things that you can do to take you away from the consumer-driven economy, create something wonderful and share it with friends and family.

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Effective Downsizing for RV Life
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Homesteading

Effective Downsizing for RV Life

Posted by Brian & Gabi

We figure that by moving into an RV weโ€™re going to have to cut down our possessions by at least 70%.

That awesome pint glass collection from random bars & breweries? Gone. The snowboard that I get to use maybe once a year? Thatโ€™s gone too.

There are some obvious things to get rid of during the transition, like the king size bed, the dual monitor screens, the couch, dressers and all the other large furniture that would be redundant or waaay to big for a travelling domicile.

But what about the smaller things, the sentimental things that weโ€™ve been dragging with us from house to house?

What about all those really cool kitchen gadgets that we just had to have to make that super awesome recipe once or twice a year?

Weโ€™re going to need a system. Weโ€™re going to need rules and weโ€™re going to have to make progress every week. We figure we have about six months until we officially leave to go full time.

So weโ€™ve put together a decluttering system and a set of rules for us to follow.

RV Downsizing Rules

  1. Everything has to serve a purpose.
  2. Stop buying things unless itโ€™s replacing something else.
  3. If we havenโ€™t touched it in six months or more, itโ€™s got to go. (not including seasonal items)
  4. No redundant items (except for those used for work or emergencies)
  5. If it can be replaced by a multifunctional item, replace it.
  6. No items that are easily broken.

Our Decluttering System

Month One – Get rid of excess crap

Remove all excess clutter and items that havenโ€™t been used in 6 months or more. Any items that are obviously non-essentials get sold or donated.

Month Two – Clean out those drawers

Empty out every single drawer and organize all the items into 4 boxes. Trash, Donate/Sell, Keep, Relocate.

Month Three – Remove Redundancies and non-functionals

Look for redundancies in each room and cull or better yet replace with a multifunctional version. If something wonโ€™t serve a purpose on the road, then itโ€™s got to go.

Month Four – Cull down collections

Go through โ€œcollectionsโ€ of books, glassware, records, super cute dog coats, etc. and put into two piles. 2 items to keep, 1 to remove, 2 keep, 1 to remove, and so on until weโ€™ve been through the entire group of items, essentially cutting down each by a third.

Month Five – Bye bye furniture!

Start selling/donating all non-essential lamps, chairs, bookcases, dressers etc. Each time we get rid of a piece, if it was storing or holding anything then those items get moved into the RV.

By this time we should be getting pretty close to completely moving out of our apartment and spending more and more time in the RV.

Iโ€™m sure weโ€™re going to downsize even further as we make that transition, but itโ€™s hard to tell how thatโ€™s going to go until we actually have our motorhome.

Breaking The Rules

Now we did allow each other to pick two areas of guilty pleasure where we can break these rules and not cut down as much.

Weโ€™re calling these our non-negotiables.

  • Gabi chose shoes and clothing (big surprise there)
  • Brian chose records and cookbooks (extra weight, yay!)

Hopefully, weโ€™ll be able to transition into a more minimal lifestyle easily and end up with some extra space in the RV, but I guess time will tell.

These processes aren’t just for people transitioning into RV life. They can be helpful for anyone moving into a new house or apartment or anyoneย just looking to declutter their lives.

We can all useย a refresh once in a while.

Do you have any downsizing tips? Let us know! We can use all the help we can get.

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  • The Art of Old World Bread at McBurney Manor
  • Tepache: Mexico’s fermented beverage
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FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM
  • We've been a bit quiet this past week because we've been working a lot. Brian is still full time at his job and I got the best job in Key West and have been training for the past several days.

But I get to treat people to free tastings of the most delicious rum at @keywestlegalrum three days a week! These guys know what they're doing and these are some of the best rums I've ever had. If you're ever in the Keys, you should definitely make a stop here. The people behind the operation are pretty amazing as well. We are always excited to find people who really love their craft and do it so well. ๐Ÿน๐Ÿ’– Now that we'll be getting back into a regular routine, we'll be posting more often again. Hope everyone is having a great week!
  • Just a gentle reminder - OUR FERMENTATION KIT IS 50% OFF!!!! - through the month of February. ๐Ÿ˜ƒ๐Ÿ˜ฎ๐Ÿคฉ Trust me - it makes a fabulous Valentine's Day gift for your number 1 sweetheart! I would love to get this from my sweetie! ๐Ÿ’ž๐Ÿ’–โ™ฅ๏ธ Follow the link in our profile to read all about our awesome fermentation weights and git you some! ๐Ÿ˜˜๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ‰
  • It's #fermentationfebruary and here is another sweet ferment! I threatened to lacto-ferment the abundance of star fruit we had a little while back and I sure as heck did it. ๐Ÿ˜

Isn't she pretty? Tastes pretty good too. A little sweet, a lotta zing. Just like I hoped. ๐Ÿ™Œ

Follow the link in our profile to see how we did it! ๐Ÿ˜‰
  • So our weekend was like a scene out of Dexter. The good news is that the living room and kitchen area are about 99% done save a few touch ups. I will take a break from the painting until next weekend when we will tackle the bedroom/bathroom area. Luckily, it's a much smaller area! ๐Ÿ˜ฅ

Pic #2 is the delicious Zombie that I totally needed after this past week. The glass says it all. ๐Ÿ˜

I hope everyone had a great weekend! G'night. ๐ŸŒŒ
  • Brian had the opportunity to spend yesterday working on a lobster boat - unfortunately, they were catching crab and not lobster. I prefer crab anyway. Sadly, he did not get to bring any home. ๐Ÿฆ€๐Ÿ˜ญ It was a very long day and really hard work and he's happy to have had the experience. But I don't think it will be a new career any time soon. He did enjoy being able to watch the sun rise and set over the ocean in the same day. I may be a little jealous. ๐Ÿ˜’๐ŸŒ…
  • Coming along! ๐ŸŽจ๐Ÿ’Ž Painting, painting and painting. Can I tell you how NOT fun it is to paint a small space while you are living in it? I'm sure some of you have done it and the rest of you can imagine. It takes a lot of patience and luckily, I was born with a lot of it. ๐Ÿ˜’

Brian is the son of a painter and spent much of his young life painting and, ironically, he is doing it for a living right now. So he's quick and good at it. Quite good. I, on the other hand, am slow and very critical of myself, so it can be very frustrating at times. But I've painted with my talented husband many times over the years and am always improving. Steady as she goes.

I'm looking forward to having my small space tidy and uncluttered again. In the meantime, my kitchen island is like a jewel from the sea that sparkles in the sun. ๐Ÿ˜
  • New month, new week. February can be a dreary month, so why not try something new and dabble in fermentation? ๐Ÿ˜‰

Today we're launching #fermentationfebruary! Every week throughout the month we'll be posting a few of our favorite ferments. Recipes will be up on the blog as well. โœจ

First up is an antioxidant powerhouse, Pineapple Turmeric Sauerkraut. Not only is it all sparkly goodness, but it's super good to your tummy too! ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿ‘Œ Follow the link in our profile to get the recipe!
  • We are not Superbowl watchers. Never been football fans, either of us. We've spent all day painting the island in our RV kitchen. I have been painting cabinets in the hot sun all day. โ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐ŸŽจ So no post about ferments or funny commercials or sports teams. Instead, these two. Two happy pups enjoying #keywestlife on a beautiful day. ๐Ÿ˜

Shorty on the left is a shorkie. He is a mama's boy whose happy place is my lap. No one is allowed to hug or kiss mom, not even dad, or he will complain profusely with barks, snuffles and snorts. We adopted him through extended family. He wasn't wanted any more. Hard to believe since he is the snuggliest and most loyal boy. He is my kuala bear. ๐Ÿจ

Lily on the right is a pomchi. We rescued her 6 months after we got Shorty to give him a friend. She was brought up to Pennsylvania from Georgia where she was being bred in a puppy mill. She was very sick and very skittish when we brought her home. We had to quarantine her for a month before we could introduce her to Shorty. She is the most loving and silly pup I have ever known. She hates birds and cats. She is our foxy lady. ๐ŸฆŠ

These two are best friends and they are our family, our babies. We are very lucky to have found them. Expect to see more of them here. And they badly need haircuts. ๐Ÿ˜‚

Happy Superbowl watching!
  • Today was a busy Saturday for us. We spent the morning checking out farmers markets and art festivals in the area and then it was home in the afternoon to start working on some ferments. Five hours later and I'm ready for some takeout and Pj's. ๐Ÿ˜…๐Ÿ˜ด Despite being wiped out, I am happy with our progress. We've got lacto fermented star fruit and strawberries, tropical fruit kimchi and fermented turmeric root and ginger all a brewin'. We even started a tropical fruit wine! ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ We'll be working on getting all of these recipes up on the blog in the coming weeks. In the meantime... ๐Ÿ•๐Ÿป๐Ÿ›Œ
  • Happy February, everyone! We have an exciting announcement! After several months of hard work, we are officially launching our own line of products under the name Wildcraft Culture!! ๐ŸŽ‰

We love fermentation in all its forms and, being busy people who like to live in small spaces, we were always looking for products that were easy to use and practical. We had trouble finding products that made sense for our unique needs, so we decided to create some of our own.

Our very first product offering is a set of fermentation weights and silicone airlocks designed for wide mouth mason jars. Our weights have a unique easy grip handle that makes it way easier to get them in and out of the jar. We had such trouble with this with Brian's big man hands and my tiny lady hands that this design made so much sense! ๐Ÿ˜…

Also included in the set are four food grade silicone airlocks that are low profile, making it easy to store your ferments in tight spaces like a shelf or cabinet. This is essential for us while living in a small space. Plus, they come in fun, pretty colors cuz fermenting is fun! ๐Ÿ’ƒ

The best part of all is that through the month of February, our fermentation set is 50% off on Amazon!!!! What?!! That is a great deal, so if you have been wanting to give fermentation a try or are looking to upgrade your tools, make sure you don't miss out. Follow the link in our profile and check out the set! โ˜‘๏ธโ˜‘๏ธ We'll be adding new products to the line in the near future, so keep your eye on our page for updates.
  • Farmers market score - fresh turmeric root! And a lot of it. ๐Ÿ˜ฒ

What will we do with all of it? The heck if I know. ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ We'll be strapping on our fermenting gear - whatever that means - because it's going to be a busy weekend. ๐Ÿ˜
  • "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts..." ๐ŸŽถ .

One of the advantages of Brian's job is free fruit. And a gigantic haul of coconuts is obviously necessary. Obviously. ๐Ÿ™„ If coconuts were currency, we'd be well off right now. ๐Ÿ˜‚ .

So, now the planning has begun on what to do with all these cuties. The green ones don't have much in the way of "meat" but their water is good and we are going to attempt a kefir. The yellow have "meat" and we can get oil from them, which we use often for cooking. There will also hopefully be yogurt and - my favorite - ice cream! ๐Ÿฆ๐Ÿง๐Ÿจ .

Does anyone have any other fun ideas for ๐Ÿฅฅ๐Ÿฅฅ๐Ÿฅฅ๐Ÿฅฅ๐Ÿฅฅ๐Ÿฅฅ๐Ÿฅฅ๐Ÿฅฅ?
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Brian & Gabi Kinney
Anywhere USA
modernjourneymen@gmail.com
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  • February 11, 2019
    Lacto-Fermented Fruit
  • February 4, 2019
    Pineapple-Turmeric Kraut
  • December 11, 2018
    The Art of Old World Bread at McBurney Manor
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