Ollie Puddlemaker

When I made and described the earlier post of my method of fermenting the pinto beans I did not use natto as a catalyst, I used salt & whey/kefir, it was subject to only room temperature conditions for the ferment of the cooked beans, It bubbled, formed a cover/bloom of kahm yeast that was whitish-grey, velvety and powdery from exposure to air. In tasting it it has a bite of saltiness & sourness. Perhaps, you are right and it didn't lacto-ferment, but what did cause it to ferment, if it wasn't the salt & kefir (lacto-bacillius)? It did not spoil or putrify...

Natty Zickuhr wrote:Any reliable info on sprouting avocados would be helpful. I have tried many times and followed the instructions of several websites (basic gist - toothpick pit, lower half submerged, put in warm sunny place)...never any results. All I grow is algae. I've tried peeling the pits, different water depths, adding liquid fertilizer, and burying them in a potting medium. No roots. What am I doing wrong? Is there a minimum germination temp?

Natty - I've tried to grow avocados the 'toothpick way', too and failed miserably, but then I started using a 20 oz. plastic water bottle, cut about in half and top inverted into the bottom. Place about 10" of clothesline or similar to act as a wick from the top and wind into the base, fill base with an inch or two of water, add a square of paper towel to hold back your soil in the top part. Snap the two pieces together. Place you avocado pit wide/flat end down, pointed end up into the soil in the top part. Place in a bright area and check your water level at least weekly and do not let dry out. Sometimes it will take weeks for your pit to sprout, but so far, using this method, I've had 100% success. I snip/pinch of the top of the new sprout at about 1-3" up, to help inhibit a spindly plant and further develop the root system. At about 18'' tall and leafed out nicely, I can plant in a regular pot or ground and let it take off. I think, some people don't realize how long an avocado seed can take to sprout and give up prematurely, another long too sprout plant is turmeric, at $8/lb. everyone should be growing it and taking it for their health.

Allen - Thanks for the verification, this is something most anyone can work with, and then there is only the difficult part of remission...still worthy, I think.

E. Clement - Welcome to Permies...

I believe, and I don't believe that it is a bad sign, that Perma-Guard is of very high-quality and the one to choose. Other companies that you may consider are maybe using Perma-Guard product and re-packaging, I'm pretty sure that Soil Mender and Earthworks do just that.

I also have to agree with you about the field-grade DE, I'd rather have the cleaner product for my use, even livestock and garden, not worth the small savings for a lesser quality...

Morgan - Very interesting concept, something most anyone could do, Ok, maybe two people...with just some diluted household vinegar, a swab and speculum. Since we wouldn't necessarily know what we are looking for in the respect of cervical cancer, I'd say note any visual changes in color or texture from the acetic swab. This could give one some easy answers to further look into, you'd definitly need help to the next steps. Maybe resorting to Chaga, Essiac or other known aid, if in a SHTF senario...

Iva - Welcome to Permies...

Like Paul has said, "have you read his 'Flea control article'?"

Using DE will work for you, but it's not 'instantaneous' like you may have been used to in a chemical spray; the DE does cut the exoskeleton, but the body still needs to dehydrate, give it some time. Did you lightly dust your cat(s)/dog(s) and your floors, upholstery? Be sure to protect yourself from the dust of the DE when you use it, as it can bother you, too.

Search here on Permies for 'Diatomaceous Earth' and also there are vast amounts of 'how-to-use' on Google

That's true the BSF give off a pheromone that is unpleasant to other flies and they won't stay, the BSF are harmless and do not bite or sting, do not pass any pathology to humans or livestock/fowl and will eat most everything, except high-cellulose carbon, in addition as you've indicated, they offer in return a high-protien feed...

Linda - Welcome to Permies...

Jay has given us a wealth of info on how she feeds and uses 'fermented feeds' with her flock. No, the feed store won't be able to help you much, most likely. But you can make your own fermented/sprouted feeds fairly easily. If you would do a 'search' here on Pemies for 'fermented feeds' you can read what Jay has taugh us before. You can also use pine branches, fronds, cones to help repel flies and begin you deep litter, you could make up some Lactic Acid Bacteria serum and spray diluted to your coop and run and further help the deep litter building. The DE can help, but won't be as effective as other applications/methods you can utilize...

Adam - It was my understanding that by having the curds resting in the warm whey brings down the pH to the proper level (4.9 - 5.2) which tells you when it's time to stretch and form the cheese. Maybe you are not using the pH Stix/strips..?

Gloves are not something that I like or usually wear, but in the case or 160 - 175 degrees, I have to give in...this goes pretty quickly, tho' I've not made/processed 10 gallons at a time, the cubes melt quickly, begin looking shiny & glossy in the salted water, limit to just 3 stretches (you can stretch too much) and snake-like folding back together upon itself, dipping/dunking into the hot water after each good stretch and lastly into ice water for a firm ending.

I would imagine there are independants and non-members, but some would say that you should only seek a dowser from the American Society...

The American Society of Dowsers
184 Brainerd Street PO Box 24.
Danville, VT 05828.
Phone: (802) 684-3417.
Fax: (802) 684-2565.
Email: asd@dowsers.org