John F Dean

master steward

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since Sep 04, 2017

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Biography

In the early 1980s I quit a secure job in administration, bought 10 acres, and began homesteading. At some point we decided to relocate to an area with more job opportunities and in a warmer climate. We presently live on 11 acres. We have Nigerian Dwarf Goats, KuneKune Pigs, bees, and an assortment of chickens. Our driveway is the boundary between zones 6a and 6b. Annual rainfall for us is at 46 inches. We have been together 50+ years.

We don’t consider ourselves to be an expert on anything. For some, homesteading produces serious income. For us, it is fun. We are thoroughly enjoying ourselves in the adventure we created for ourselves.

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southern Illinois, USA

Apples and Likes

Apples

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In last 30 days

102

Forums and Threads

Recent posts by John F Dean

Bleached (sulphured) apples

For me the word bleaching creates an unfortunate image. It appears that sulfur dioxide does slow the browning of apples and limits the loss of some vitamins … this is from a quick search of multiple web sites.

12 hours ago

toxic gick

September promotions!

Great work everyone!

17 hours ago

tinkering with this site

Positive customs that are no longer practiced

Hi Eric, at 76 I am pretty healthy, and I can toss around 50 pound bags of feed for most of the day. Nevertheless, when I am at the feed store and someone offers to help me load my truck, I am more than happy to accept their help.

1 day ago

meaningless drivel

Positive customs that are no longer practiced

Hi Anne,

That was the first place I checked. The PO wasn’t involved.

1 day ago

meaningless drivel

Garden box vs just growing in the ground

Good point Jay. Soil depth is a significant issue. My raised beds run about 2 ft deep. I have never planted anything in a raised bed with less than 1 foot of quality soil. By quality I mean composted vegetative matter and aged manure.

2 days ago

gardening for beginners

Garden box vs just growing in the ground

I find raised beds provide for easier weed control. This year I moved much my garden much closer to my house. I am using 2x4’ water troughs, and 36” tubs all elevated on concrete blocks. I suspect the move will be as complete as I want it to be by next year.

2 days ago

gardening for beginners

Traffic noise distances

Of course, the OP was about traffic noise….which I find annoying. Oddly, I find railroad noise relaxing. I used to live by a rail yard and enjoyed listening to the noise.

3 days ago

meaningless drivel

Hot sauce

Hans, great question! I failed to ask.

Christopher, I saw this question as something to be answered in the eyes of the reader. So, if tangy catsup is hot sauce to the reader, it is fine with me.
I was hoping to get introduced to a few products that are new to me.

3 days ago

food choices

Hot sauce

My preference is Tennessee Sunshine for heat with flavor. We were introduced to it at a restaurant in Colorado in the early 90s and bought a couple of bottles. Then, maybe 15 years ago, I bought a case in North Carolina.

3 days ago

food choices

Hot sauce

If you do buy commercial hot sauce, what is your preference?

Edit: if you do make your own, can you share the recipe?

3 days ago

food choices