Scarlet Smith

Have you tried scrubbing it with salt? That seems to get rid of all smells and little bits of grease you can't see.

If it rots rather than pickles you may not be using enough salt. We are in the tropics in a woefully uninsulated house that gets super hot. I do only leave it on the bench for 3-7 days, until the little bubbles appear then put it in the fridge. Leaving it out longer in the humidity is asking for rotten ferments.

Jay Green wrote:This time of year the egg shells can be thin and brittle, as chickens are redirecting calcium to regrow feathers shed in the molt. Time takes care of this. Collect eggs each day to avoid build up of eggs in the nests. Provide additional nests if you only have one. Start placing eggs in the nests they do not use and leave them for the next day...the chickens like to lay where others have laid eggs. Pretty soon they will start using other nests also.

You can also construct roll away nest boxes that keep each egg safe as soon as it is laid.

We're in the tropics so the girls aren't molting at the moment.

I'm intrigued by the idea of a roll-away nest box. Thanks for the suggestions!

Interesting about the coconut milk.

Here on the island where I live the locals cook taro leaves quite differently. The leaves are finely chopped, and sautéed with onion, garlic and tomatoes until soft. It's served as a side dish with rice, a meat dish and some spicy crushed chillies.

I've also used the leaves to make a gratin - layers of sliced potatoes/breadfruit/taro root, layers of sautéed taro leaves and a bechamel sauce with breadcrumbs sprinkled on top. Delicious.

Just wanted to add that I've had success with arrowroot powder for acid reflux - a tsp of the former in a glass of water works wonders. And molasses is great, too.

We have a large nest for our chickens, but they all lay in the same spot. By the time we come in to pick up the eggs, several are broken (the laying chickens crush the eggs in the nest) and the spillage runs over all the intact eggs. We obviously can't sell our eggs covered in sticky yolk.

Any ideas for how to avoid this?

I know this thread is ancient but just wanted to add: you don't need to stress about which end is which. We just throw the chayotes out into the garden and they sprout and grow by themselves. They're really hardy little vines.

The best way I've found is to finely chop the herbs or crush them using a mortar & pestle. Then I add some sea salt and mix the herbs with some softened butter. I put the mixture in silicone cupcake moulds, freeze until solid then empty the silicon moulds into one large zip-loc bag. I just take a cube out each time I need it and melt into the dish I'm making.

You can also preserve fresh herbs in a jar full of salt, alternating layers of salt and herbs. There's a great video on youtube if you look it up.

Yes, it still exists! Google "Herman the German friendship cake" and you'll find a fab website about it.

We're in Reunion Island, and I was wondering if there were any permies near us in Mauritius, Seychelles or Madagascar? I know this is the Africa forum but we don't fit anywhere else! :/