I think the above screen shot is of the email preferences. If you did find privacy settings, that's where the "show my email address to other users" and the "Show my online status to other users" things are.
I am looking forward to learn more about the spring terrace, featured in the movie. We have a hilly area that has much potential for doing something like that.
Some years ago I got into pottery making, and was really enthusiastic about it. Fortunately for my better half, my very expensive hobby euphoria didn't last very long. We still have some of the pieces I made and sometimes I feel like I want to get back into it again.
Then I saw some pictures and footage about the experiment they made several times now at Paul's place with the "rocket kiln", and I think that sounds really cool. Only the fact that I have a million projects going and a bunch of critters to take care of stops me from jumping in and a ticket to this years PTJ.
Here is a podcast where Paul talk with Lisa and Mud about the kiln.
Are you aware of the “3 feet or 3 miles” rule, and possible ways to mitigate that?
Best and easiest time to move is at night, when all the bees are in. As for taking it apart, I don’t think there is an easy answer to that. If it was mine, I would do whatever it takes to keep it together.
Understanding that each of us have our own specific conditions and preferences and all that, I am curious why you decided on goats and not a dairy cow?
I have Saanens and one Alpine, they’re now all retired from milking. I’d say a lot in dairy goats care depends on the area you’re in. Easier to keep in a drier area than in a wet one, like where I am.
Parasites are a big thing to watch for, and proper diet and minerals especially when they’re in milk, and especially for a high producing breed like Saanens.
One way I was able to fend off worms was to move them often, using electric netting to make paddocks around blackberries or some other things I wanted them to eat.
As for kids and milking, it’s doable to separate at night, milk in the morning and let the kids with mom all day, but in a lot of cases ( if there are two kids for instance), this will force the doe to produce so much, it may take a toll on her health.
Back to diet, if having a high producing doe, you would have to feed some suplemental concentrated feed when in milk, the animal just doesn’t have the rumen capacity to make all that milk out of hay/browsing/grazing alone.
As for how long a bale of hay will last, it depends on a lot of things: in milk or not, time of the year, protein content of the hay, first cutting or second (or third) and so on.
Lots of things to think of.
There is a goat group on groups.io with lots of knowledgeable people willing to help, if you want to, I’ll post the info.
I also think you can never have too many leaves. The only thing that might be an issue (depending on your location and configuration or your garden), is the wind might blow some away. It happened to me.
Besides leaves, I I also use all sorts of vegetation that grows , I do my own version of chop and drop. Recently I heard that even twigs from pruning trees are ok to put down, somehow I never thought of that. Here is Helen Atthowe talking about it: https://youtu.be/mQ9mwiZruSQ.
craig howard wrote:A little off topic:
So they don't actually live in the dam?
We had some beavers move into the flood plain of the creek we have running through our town,.. beaver creek.
First time we've had beavers on beaver creek that anyone can remember.
So our city council decided to have them removed.
There was one guy who said they are known to build their den by digging into the bank next to the dam.
He said he walked next to a dam and the ground collapsed and he fell in.
Until he said that I always assumed they lived in the dam somehow.
Beavers live in a lodge, which is often in the pond behind the dam, but they can also build their lodges along the banks of a river, on the bank of the pond or in a lodge attached to the dam on the water side. I have had beavers here since the early 2000s when they dammed a creek and created a pond of over 5 acres. The first lodge was in the pond, as was the second one as the pond increased in size. When part of the dam washed out and the water level dropped and exposed the lodge they built others on the banks. As the family grows, younger beavers strike off to build more dams up and downstream. The last four dams have been built on the banks of the ponds.
If you visit the beavers regularly, as I do, and spend time sitting still near the water, they get to know you. I always leave them treats, apples or carrots. When they swim back and forth to check me out (they have very poor vision) I speak quietly to them. Now they usually check me out, I greet them, and they continue on their business, even coming up onto the dam in clear sight of me.
I love the beavers; they heal the land.
Oh, I am so envious! We have beavers on our place but we’ve never seen them, in more than 13 years since we’ve been here.
It just makes me feel so good knowing they’re out there.
I’ve been making paprika from my own grown peppers for years. Using a blend and coming out with spicy, mild and sweet paprika. It gives such a good flavor to my dishes.
I also made garlic powder and onion powder, from my own garlic and onions.
Not sure if these go into the same category: flour from the corn and wheat I grow. I do use the same grinder tho:).
Now, because of this thread - thank you! - I can’t wait for summer, to try and make powders out of all sorts of things that are suitable for it!
My setup is an Excalibur dehydrator ( wish I had a solar one ), and a Vitamix blender.
And now that I’m thinking about it, I do make some of my own spices from seeds I either grow or buy. For instance fennel seeds (but many others), and for that I use my hand cranked spice grinder. Here’s a picture of it:
Read the review of a Year in an Off-Grid Kitchen here!
Kate Downham will be hanging out in the forums until this Friday answering questions and sharing her experiences with you all.
At the end of this week, we'll make a drawing for 4 lucky winners to win a copy of A Year in an Off-Grid Kitchen: Budget Edition in Black and White. From now until Friday, all new posts in the Frugality forum are eligible to win.
To win, you must use a name that follows our naming policy and you must have your email set up to receive the Daily-ish email. Higher quality posts are weighed more highly than posts that just say, "Wow, that's really cool! I want to win!"
When the four winners are selected, they will be announced in this thread and their email address will be sent to the publisher, and the publisher will sort out the delivery details with the winners.
Please remember that we favour perennial discussion. The threads you start will last beyond the event. You don't need to use Kate Downham's name to get her attention. We like these threads to be accessible to everyone, and some people may not post their experiences if the thread is directed to the author alone.
Posts in this thread won't count as an entry to win a copy of the book, but please say "Hi!" to Kate Downham and make her feel welcome!
Replacing Irrigation With Permaculture with Paul Wheaton
In this exclusive webinar, Paul Wheaton will teach you all about how to use permaculture techniques to reduce your reliance on complicated and expensive irrigation systems, or labour-intensive watering schedules.
Learn about landscape design for water capture, what and how to plant, how to graze animals, and more, all to help you skip the irrigation, and let the systems maintain themselves.
I know this is a long shot, but who knows, maybe someone knows someone…
I am looking for a professional photography session ( half a day or a few hours) on my homestead. Willing to barter a quarter beef, just processed at a local facility here in the outskirts of Portland, Oregon ( valued at about $1,100).
Maybe if you read this you know someone who would want to do this.
Nicole, that makes sense. Glad to hear that our scotch broom can be used for dyeing, even if the results are not spectacular. Now I'm thinking to look for other uses for those flowers. Who knows what I might find...
r ranson wrote:I got a message from a friend that I need to harvest every broom flower I can find. I cut the branches, strip the flowers (some leaves are okay too), then bag them up and put them in the freezer. When there's enough, she's going to teach me how to dye with them.
Is this the broom plant you're referring to?
We have a bunch, if it's this one. Never thought of using it for dyeing, what a cool idea.
Something Paul said one time made me thing of the daily-ish as a newspaper.
Not everyone has the time or inclination to scroll through hundreds of posts all the time. The daily-ish brings all the best threads and posts right in our inboxes. I, personally, love it.
