Maybe a good question would be that there might be other trees that can be harvested for their syrup, so what is there?

I second the suggestion made by Dave about buying from a local nursery.

Plants grown in Minnesota will not do as well as plants grown in California.

I have been wanting one like my mom used for my sisters food when we were kids.

It was a hand held kind without that crank.

We also like the paper and markers or colored pencil.

We also use google Earth to help scale what is on paper.  I like that I can zoom in to the exact spot I am looking at.

Our daughter came for the weekend.

While she was here I asked her what she was using on her face as it was literally glowing and the lines on her forehead had disappeared.

She had been paying $150 for a small jar of something from the dermatologist.

She said she had changed to using natural products so I asked what oils was she using.

A friends family raises organic grass fed beef that they make the fat into tallow for a soap.

She also has changed over to using rose hip oil, caster oil and jojoba oil.

Her skin looks so good that I am looking into those too.

Sounds like the base for a great stew.

I used to have a perpetual iron skillet with oil in it from frying.

I quit doing that when the oil started foaming up when frying.

I feel they put something in oil now days so that it does not last.

there was a famous restaurant that also did that and bragged about their 100 year old oil.

Do you have clay soil?  Brick dust could be added to improve the soil.

I have red that it is used on baseball field to improve drainage and make an uniform playing field.

When we bought our property the former owner had piles of trees for a fence.  These trees are great for shelter for wildlife.

In no way would they be considered a reverse hugel since there was not dirt involved.

Why not experiment by mounding some of them with dirt to see what happens?

I, too do not use lotions.  I don't know what is in that stuff.

Olive oil works for me because that is what I have.

Some folks use coconut oil.  I have never bought that so I don't know.

With companies coming out with more and more plant based products there might be something else out there.

Welcome to the forum!

We have always used the wax ring.  

I am still waiting for the mesquite trees to bud out here in sunny Texas.

I feel it is a sign of the times ....

Nestor, welcome to the forum!

That is an interesting idea and I am looking forward to what other folks have to say about this.

I found this one that might help you or others:

https://permies.com/t/46475/Earthen-floor

I like this one:

https://permies.com/t/160325/Ellen-White-Method-tree-planting

did you use the YouTube button?

I found this one though don't feel this is the same one:

To me, you have been given good advice.  

Mel said,  I was told to finish this one by adding compost followed by top soil essentially sandwiching the wood mulch between logs and soil.

Do you have compost and top soil to follow this advice?

I am sorry for your problem. It appears that yours is a known problem with BLM.

Any updates?

https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/herd-management/gathers-and-removals/arizona/2023-alamo-nuisance-wild

My suggestion would be to consult a dermatologist as there are treatment to remove scars that vary such as laser therapy.

There are also ointment that help remove scars.

Have you tried massaging with aloe vera?

When I lived in Mexico there were Agave Farms where the agave had spigot on them to tap the juice to make tequila.

I feel you are right about rooting the pups.

Maybe wearing gloves when handling the pups would be a good idea.

Jay Angler wrote:

Anne Miller wrote:I wonder what happened to all that pumpkin flesh ...

According to a different article about the fellow, the "remains" all went to feed animals. It didn't say what sort of animals, but around here sheep eat pumpkins/squash.

The only thing I could think of was composting the flesh.

Good to know that it went to feed animals.

I used to have a boss, or the father of a boss, who feed everything to his cows.  I made the mistake of leaving a watermelon in the fridge and it disappeared.

Some cow enjoyed it.

Down here in sunny Texas, the mesquite trees have not budded out yet.

To me that is a sign that it is too early to plant outside.

Weather folks are predicting high north winds this weekend, again no ....

Trace, I agree no brown gravy ...

I make cream gravy from the dripping left in the skillet.  

Another option would be to do rainwater.

We made a simple collection by adding a gutter to a shed.   The container could be a barrel or an IBC tote.

We elevated our IBC tote.

I wonder what happened to all that pumpkin flesh ...

End of Life technologies like the Hoverboard ...

Riona Abhainn wrote:While my husband loves chicken fried steak I don't.  Its just ... too much, oof.

Just too much? How?

I have always heard that to let the water sit overnight to remove the chlorine.

For years we tried buying tools at pawn shops and second hand stores though we always found them prices too high.

I am thinking I might have a set of stainless steel mixing bowls that might work.

I was just curious what others have found that works.

Welcome to the forum, Edward.

Leggy seedlings means that your lighting is not working as intended.

Get them more light.  Do you have a sunny window?

What is your lighting set up like so folks can give you more advice.

Since I live in the boondocks, I hate seeing or smelling smoke.

Trash or wood smoke has a very different smell to a house fire....

I used water.  Flooded the bed that the voles liked several times a day with water.

Ants liked that bed too so the voles got both water and vinegar ...

Now I have a cat ....

Since you said

since i've made a point not to have an online presence) is my permies info which consists (mostly) of a couple permies singles ads.

It is only logical that if your only online presence is here on the forum that is why that is the only thing that come up when you google your name.

Nothing weird about that.

What a fortunate experience.

Years ago, I was lucky enough to have a Australian Head of State with my same name so she muddied the waters for me.

I would never use the Instant Pot without the container it came with.

When I used the corning dish I followed the instructions like adding 2 1/2 cups water to that container.  

As R suggested I used the rack with handles that came with the Instant Pot with the corning dish though it seems heavy for the rack.

I bought some silicone gloves though they will not be here before I want to make the dumplings.

Has anyone tried those cute little Lid Mitts?  I am just afraid the instant Pot will be to hot for sticking my hands inside.

At Christmas, I made Chicken and Dumpling.  I ate all the leftover dumpling and froze what was left of the chicken.

I would like to use the Instant Pot to steam more dumpling though I don't want to use the big Instant Pot container.

I tried using a corning dish previously though I am concerned how to get the hot dish out.

What types of dishes do you use in your Instant Pot and how do you get the hot dish out?

Welcome to the forum, Matthew,

I would love to see some pictures of what you folks are doing.

Our forum has a project forum that would be perfect for documenting this:

https://permies.com/f/69/projects

Some folks on the forum have older computers and slow internet so we don't do YouTube, like me, so the pictures would be appreciated.

Susannah Gelb wrote: it seems like coca could have great potential as a DA since it contains a ton of different minerals, although not native to the jungle it will grow,

The thing is that is not how Dynamic Accumulators work.

It is not what is in the plant , instead it is how the plant draws minerals from the soil.

to indicate plants that gather certain minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues, then used as fertilizer or just to improve the mulch.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_accumulator

Kentucky Fried Chicken aka KFC is pressure cooked.

This:



And this:



https://instantpotcooking.com/instant-pot-fried-chicken/

Bob, welcome to the forum!

I agree that nature is a great teacher and I value what Mother Nature has given to the world.

She makes compost in her forests and we call this leaf mold.

She provides mushrooms and other fungi that do so much for healing the soil and our bodies.

I love taking long walks and just observing what she has provided.

There are trees, flowers, rocks, and just the contour of the land.

Again, welcome to the forum and thank you for giving me somethings to think about.

Like Carla I like lemon juice but also use vinegar.

Lemon juice is good for blondes and vinegar is good for other hair colors.

I have read that mashing a banana, mixing with honey, and egg and some milk is good though I have not tried that.

I have also read about using coconut oil, again I have not tried that.