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  1. Z

    Roasted Garlic

    That is really a good bit of information Pat! I will research it thoroughly. In particular, we are at altitude, so I really need to go overboard on canning time.
  2. Z

    Roasted Garlic

    Our local store has garlic bulbs 6/$1. I am thinking about roasting a bunch and then pressure canning them in half pints. Has anyone else done this, recipes, hints? We eat a lot of garlic as is, and I am always looking for more ways to enjoy it. I figure if DH and I both have strong garlic...
  3. Z

    Any basket makers among us?

    :love Thanks everyone for the nice compliments! I learned basket making from an elderly relative. I do think it would help anyone starting out to take a class or do the first couple with someone who knows how. Some of the baskets are not all that easy, I have seen people in classes give up...
  4. Z

    Properly Cut and Store Firewood

    May I recommend: Safety equipment. I make Dh wear chainsaw chaps, steel toed boots and safety glasses. He grumbles, but obeys.
  5. Z

    Any basket makers among us?

    I piled just a few of my baskets around the rocking chair. The center one on the seat has my handmade wire beaded flowers, above it is a divided basket for tools. The right arm has a cat's head basket, that takes a lot of hand strength to mold the reeds. The blue on the seat to the left is my...
  6. Z

    Moved away from Mainstream (medicine)

    I took DH to see a new doctor yesterday, and I think we will go back to him when necessary. DH has had neck pain, the doctor went over all the tests, showing arthritis and degeneration, and prescribed: MASSAGE! He showed me which muscles needed to be worked on and encouraged me to learn and...
  7. Z

    Any basket makers among us?

    I have made all my own baskets for years, it is a wonderful feeling to me to use my baskets. The most used is the egg basket. Unfortunately it is wearing out! It will also be too small for next year, so making a new one is on my list. My garden basket also needs to be remade, the big handle...
  8. Z

    Mushroom farming

    Literally everywhere in town, no one has it till spring. I'm in the backwoods here.
  9. Z

    Mushroom farming

    According to the book: 1. Gypsum improves the physical structure of the compost by causing aggregation of colloidal particles. This produces a more granular, open structure which results in larger air spaces and improved aeration. 2. To increase water holding capacity, while decreasing the...
  10. Z

    Mushroom farming

    I am only sort-of-well-read about the portobello and white button mushrooms. For those types, do not inoculate the compost right away! A few thoughts for now: 1. The mushrooms actually live off of the bacteria bodies that did the composting. Composting produces ammonia that is toxic to the...
  11. Z

    Various Tater Tot Casserole Recipes

    Karen, I do think I come across as too harsh at times. Others have said it too and I will work on it. I really get frustrated by people that I come into physical contact with. I went to get bananas today and the lady ahead of me was getting a Coke with her food stamp card, and the vodka to go...
  12. Z

    Various Tater Tot Casserole Recipes

    Sorry, I really didn't mean it that way. I was really talking about my family and friends who don't have a SS leaning bone in their bodies. The people I see here are the striving ones.
  13. Z

    Mushroom farming

    My first ever mushroom harvest :woot :woot :woot I picked 5 portabellas that collectively weighed in over one pound! We had a couple for dinner, broiled and stuffed. The largest was a bit over five inches across. I am actively working on an appropriate compost to keep the fungi going after...
  14. Z

    Coffee Ground Uses

    Natalie, We don't have a Starbucks within a hundred miles or I would be begging for coffee grounds from them! Our soil is too basic and the coffee grounds are a great way to add acidity as well as organic matter. For the small amount of coffee we drink, I save all the grounds for mixing into...
  15. Z

    Various Tater Tot Casserole Recipes

    Keljonma, I have never seen this recipe, you rock! I love that we can adapt. And yes, forbidden for kids usually means rebellion. Unfortunately, what I see around me in people's lives is that fast food and junk food are the norm, not the exceptional meal. People I know in my extended family...
  16. Z

    Joel Salatin and self sufficiency

    You are not a failure :hugs My observation is that it skips a generation in many cases. My oldest DD is a city girl, she's not happy unless her nails are done and she is wearing a dress and heels.
  17. Z

    Advice Needed on Value Added Products

    We have been working on this coaster idea with juniper wood from the woodpile. We found it is necessary to immediately apply the tung oil to keep the wood from developing cracks, even if it is several years dry. They are coming out really pretty and nice, I need to think cute packaging...
  18. Z

    Various Tater Tot Casserole Recipes

    Those are the kind of 60's comfort foods so many of us grew up on. Hands down, kids love them and they are really home made, easy on the cook, fast food. Today I look at the nutrition profile of Tater-tots, not a good thing, and compare the price of a bag of them vs. how many real potatoes I...
  19. Z

    How many of your SS choices were values/beliefs-based vs. financial?

    A lot of our SS choices are belief based. We are vegetarians because of our beliefs that killing is wrong. Therefore unlike some here, we do not grow meat animals. I started buying eggs at the farmer's market many years ago because I learned of the terrible conditions of battery hens. Now we...
  20. Z

    Really stupid question about water

    Here are a couple of things just for you to think about **for your particular situation** since you asked for the mental exercise: How much filtration does your return water through the septic system get before it rejoins the underground stream? In other words, how deep is the stream below the...
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