Reviewing The Big Berkey System

June 21, 2025 Sarah

When we moved to the island, Kirk had picked up a Big Berkey to run our water through. We had good well water there, and once we had the house’s water redone, the Berkey wasn’t needed. It ended up sitting in its box, unopened, for 6 to 7 years. We moved it with us to West Virginia. Our well water here isn’t great. It is extremely hard. We knew that moving here, we’d need to remodel the water system in the house. We do NOT drink the tap water here. It’s been tested, and while in theory it is “safe” for consumption, too many people locally warn about drinking it straight, blaming chronic kidney stone issues on it (though that is up for discussion if that causes them). So we don’t even give it to our dogs. You can see the hardness of the water even in cold water; it leaves a heavy bloom on pots and glassware, especially when canning. My black kettle was white after the first run.

We are saving for the remodel of the water system, and once done, it should be great. But until then, bottled water is our answer. Buying it, though, isn’t cheap, and with the water so hard locally, most people buy water to drink. By Sunday every weekend, many stores are fully sold out of the 5-gallon carboys. It leaves me nervous as well, for if we can’t get water, what do we do? I had already had one weekend where I went to three stores to find water.

The average price is $15 for the bottle the first time, and approximately $8 for each refill when you return your empty bottle. I am unable to lift the full bottles due to my arm injury from last year, so one of the boys must accompany me to load them into a shopping cart, into the car, and then into our house.

That alone was enough to get me off my rear and find the Berkey Filter box.

After blowing off the dust, I opened it up.

The current model hasn’t changed much. You can buy a stainless steel spigot, however. That is nice to have less plastic. I might upgrade it.

The directions are IKEA-level in terms of complexity, but I eventually figured it out. It came with four filters, but you could opt to use only two at a time, and use two plugs. I decided to try this way first. The filters supposedly treat about 6,000 gallons of water, an average four-person family that is about 2 years. We shall see.

I added the first fill of cold tap water. At first, it barely drips through. I left it overnight, and the water had gone through nicely.

I drained it as instructed and refilled it. We went and ran errands, came home to it having drained, so it was much faster the second time.

I decided to purge it a third time, just to be sure. It’s no different than using any filter; you need to rinse it, essentially, before using the water.

Then, with it ready, we proceeded to test and compare the water. A basic science experiment, if you will.

I ordered a water testing kit. We tested three times: Well, Berkey, and as a test control, bottled water.

Our water had been tested twice before, by plumbers, but I wanted to do it myself, as I hadn’t seen the results in person – just what I was told.

The strips are very easy to use; lining up the colors can be interesting, and you might second-guess yourself at first. It gets easier, though.

Well Versus Filtered:

What I wanted to know was: What is in our water, and does the Berky improve it?

The Results:

Our issue lies in the hardness of the water. All three samples came back with 0 for Free Chlorine, Iron, Mercury, Total Chlorine, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Manganese, QAC, Flouride, Sodium Chloride, and Hydrogen Sulfide.

Hardness: 250, 150, and 0 (Well, Berkey, bottled water)
Total Alkalinity: 240, 180, and 0 (Well, Berkey, bottled water)
Carbonate: 240, 240, and 0 (Well, Berkey, bottled water)
PH: 9,6, and 5 (Well, Berkey, bottled water)

So yes, the Berkey did help with the hardness in general. While it can’t compare to the bottled water, it does help. I will test it again in a week to see if it lowers further as the filters are used. I have no issues giving our dogs this water and using it to cook with, make ice, and so on. The water comes out clear of the Berkey visually. Not Carbonate clouding the water, until it settles.

The test kit also tested beyond the basics:

It’s reassuring to know that your water, straight from the well, is free of nitrates and nitrites.

No Tin or Nickel as well.

Sulfates are something the Berkey doesn’t affect, and even our bottled water had the same reading, so I am choosing to ignore it. It doesn’t seem to be considered a huge issue, that the most significant risk is getting GI issues if not used to it.

I feel safe using the Berkey for now, which helps with our water consumption, and I also feel a lot better about our well water in general. I don’t fear drinking it now, though it is brutal on appliances. Once we have a water system in place, I will feel better about that.

And my hair will undoubtedly feel better. That is probably what I hate most about the water here – my hair never feels clean due to the hardness.

~Sarah

Homesteading

Summer Solstice and West Virginia Day

June 20, 2025 Sarah

Today is June 20th.

May you have a blessed Summer Solstice today.

The longest day of the year, and the start of summer. But also the knowing that fall will be here in 3 months.

This is the top of the light for the area.

At our previous home, it was 16:02 for daylight on the Summer Solstice. A little less light, but we have more light in winter. So it’s a tradeoff.

And a happy West Virginia Day.

162 years of freedom.

Maybe add some WV Pepperoni Roll socks to celebrate in? While eating home-baked pepperoni rolls?

Have a positive day and enjoy the first day of summer however you can.

~Sarah

Clean Living · Recipes

Fresh Pico de Gallo

June 5, 2025 Sarah

Pico de Gallo or Salsa Fresca is either done well or is horrible. There is no middle of the road. The fact is, freshness matters. You can purchase it in plastic tubs at the grocery store, but it’s worth the time to use fresh ingredients and do the chopping and dicing yourself. The taste and aroma are worth all that extra work. What you buy in a tub has been sitting in it for a long time, and the onion often gets a very harsh flavor. Some brands add preservatives, which give a harsh taste.

When you eat out and get homemade, it’s heaven on a chip.

And if you make it? You can customize it: Don’t like heat? Then use a green bell pepper. Don’t like cilantro? Leave it out. Or use flat-leaf parsley.

Allow it to sit for a few hours to allow the flavors to meld before eating, or even better, overnight.

It’s delicious to take the pico and add it to a pat of butter, saute the veggies until the moisture is worked out, then add whisked eggs and cook them. A delicious breakfast!

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion
4 Roma tomatoes
2 jalapeno peppers
½ bunch cilantro leaves
3 limes
1 tsp fine sea salt

Directions:

Peel and dice the onion.

Trim and dice the tomatoes.

Seed the peppers and dice.

Rip off the leaves of the cilantro, wash, and spin in a lettuce spinner till dry. Finely dice up.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Squeeze the limes and add with the salt, tossing gently until mixed.

Put in a glass storage container and chill for a couple of hours or overnight before enjoying.

~Sarah

Recipes

Arroz Roja (Mexican Rice)

June 4, 2025 Sarah

Another recipe I found inspiration in, and it morphed into something far different than the idea it started with. Made with fresh produce, it is summer in a bowl.

Arroz Roja (Mexican Rice)

Ingredients:

4 Roma tomatoes (about 1 pound)
½ bunch cilantro leaves kept, stems tossed
3½ cups of lower-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup avocado oil, divided
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups long-grain rice
1 wheel of Palela cheese or similar

Directions:

Heat a skillet over medium heat and roast the whole tomatoes, turning periodically, till they get charred on the outside, about 15 minutes. Take off the stove and let it rest to cool a bit.

Meanwhile, add ½ cup of the broth, two Tablespoons of oil, the onion, garlic, tomato paste, and the cilantro to a high-speed blender. Add the tomatoes and blend until well combined.

Add the rice to a fine mesh strainer and rinse well under cold water to remove excess starch. Shake dry.

In a large, heavy skillet, over medium heat, add the remaining two tablespoons of oil and the rice. Saute for a couple of minutes till just turning golden.

Remove the pan from the stove and add the tomato mixture and the remaining 3 cups of broth. Stir well, return to the burner.

Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Crumble the cheese and serve over the top as desired.

Serves 4 to 5.

I paired the rice with a pound of hamburger, cooked and refried beans on the side to make a full dinner.

~Sarah

Gardening · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

The Second Half of May In the Garden

June 3, 2025 Sarah

As I mentioned on May 16th, it has been a learning month for me in the Shenandoah Valley of West Virginia. The weather started very hot in May, with numerous thunderstorms, but as the month progressed, particularly into the 3rd and 4th weeks, it changed. It got cooler. No complaints on that, though. It made life a little easier. I only had to water twice in the last 2 weeks of the month. But cold it got – down to 57* yesterday. The past few days, it has been barely above the mid-60s. But that isn’t bad – if anything, it encouraged me to get work done. It felt great sitting outside in the shade. The bugs seemed less energetic in general and left us mostly alone.

I gave up on the onions and the soft neck California garlic in the 3rd week and pulled them. I don’t know if it was the weather or the hard plastic containers, but both had absolute cellular collapse, and the stems rotted. I dug up the garlic, and it wasn’t growing much. I shall try again next year, but this time it will be in raised beds, with more room and better temperature control.

My theory is that the large, hard plastic grow containers were not the best choice in this case. They performed well in Washington State, but the temperatures are significantly lower. I think the soil was too hot here, and the heavy May rain led to the soil being too wet, which prevented it from drying out quickly enough.

I also realized that as the Oak trees finally leafed out, one side of the patio out back wasn’t getting enough sunlight. So that led to containers being moved around in the 4th week.

The raspberry plant I potted up is producing berries.

These two tomato plants have done well in this wooden holder.

Mid month the were around 2 feet tall.

And already had tomatoes setting.

I try every year to find an African Blue Basil. It is a woody type of Basil. They produce long stamens of flowers that attract pollinators, versus being an eating Basil.

In the 4th week I started moving more plants to the other end of the patio, to seek out more sun.

One thing I paid to have shipped was two of my folding tables I used in the gardens. They are invaluable for holding plants – and keeping them up high off the ground. My herb plants I started from seed, to build my new herb harden, are doing their kob and getting biggger.

The shade is very noticeable on the patio, on this side, now in the afternoon. Therefore, it was worth the effort to relocate more of the containers to the right.

Stevia is in bloom.

And with the month ending, I have four types of Basil growing, all of which are doing well.

As I mentioned above, the rigid plastic containers haven’t been the best choice for growing here, but the fabric felt grow bags have performed well. They breathe far better, and let out excess water when we have sudden downpours. The only things in hard plastic that grow great here are blueberry bushes, but next year I will move those into really big felt bags once the permanent garden is built. They will grow along the fence, is my idea. Digging into the ground here isn’t easy due to the amount of rock seams under us.

~Sarah