Tereza Okava

In the past I've always agreed: I have so many ferments that are always going and never had any problem.
But recently I've had a few batches of yogurt come out with almost a yeasty sort of tang going on. I've used a few new starters and it keeps happening. The only thing I can think of is that those days when I'm making new batches, I'm making bread too. I suspect it is more the flour (in the air, maybe, bearing wild yeast) than the actual bread yeast I am making (or sourdough).

Jay Angler wrote:
However, we have some upcycled "market umbrellas" (the big ones for over tables) that we use for our chickens for shade at times. I have set those up for weeding at times. Too heavy to walk around with!

This is such a good idea. I have shade cloth I put up for my bunnies when it gets really hot. And when we have a warm snap in winter (like last week when it was high 80sF, mid winter!) I put up the shade cloth for my plants. Umbrellas, awnings, shade cloth, tarps even- they all work when the sun is way bright.

how gorgeous!!
I take a page from the local ladies here and just use my umbrella. In fact many umbrellas here also have a special coating underneath to make them absolutely cut-all-UV shady. I can wear whatever I want and still not get burned!! It's awesome.
When I visit North America in the summer I do it too, I'm often the only weird person using an umbrella on a sunny day, but I figure maybe (like wearing special cover-up clothing to the beach, which also used to be rare) it will eventually become more common.

What a huge task! I had to do something similar when my sister moved into a group living type place where prior residents had received lots of food aid and... stashed it in closets and cabinets. The house was literally overflowing with canned goods that were, in many cases, 10 years+.
It killed me to throw that stuff away (and it was several garbage cans full) but it had to be done to make room for things that were actually useful. I figured, big picture, I was doing good by helping, and the rest was beyond my pay grade.

Hopefully your mother now can have a fresh start and keep this stuff under control.

I also wanted to add we use the magic marker on things like moisturizer/face stuff and medications/creams. I found a tube of antibiotic ointment that expired in 2015 these days-- the dates are on the crimp of the tube and practically invisible. But things like that, stomach remedies, etc, tend to get shoved in the cabinet and forgotten about. Big dates written is a great thing.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:I find it helpful to keep some cooked meats in the freezer, in one-meal quantities.

This is a super idea. We do it when I make roasted Chinese pork or pork belly, and also poached chicken breast. Even though honestly it takes only a few minutes to poast a chicken breast in the pressure cooker, sometimes you have something gorgeous (a roasted tray of peppers or pumpkins or whatever) and it only lacks a bit of protein to go with.

mmm, a buttermilk biscuit is a thing of beauty. and I don't think there's much that butter doesn't improve.
I love that it is a "no-roll no-cut" biscuit-- that's usually the part I like the least. Smart to plop it in the butter.

With a name like Hairy beardtongue I have to say I was expecting to see Hagrid from Harry Potter!!! It looks like it would be very attractive to bees, though, and it definitely has the look of the northeastern US, where I grew up (i can imagine these growing among the rocks on the appalachian trail). A pretty plant, in my opinion!

you come home from dog walkies with your pockets full of fallen fruit and "look at this weird thing I found" treasures (to be incorporated into the next project)

today's mood around here:

on their own they make a great snack- roast and season with whatever sort of salty business you like (my daughter made a great one with powdered dry tomato, nutritional yeast and garlic salt. fabulous).
We also have made "seed mix" for sprinkling on things- pretty much every kind of seed you would like to see on top of a bagel or roll, with a bit of rolled oats and pan-toasted and mixed with some coarse salt, goes nicely on top of a savory oatmeal, some cooked greens, etc. I am a big fan of sprinkling salty things on other food.....
In reality, the way I get the pumpkin seeds into my husband is a seed powder. I grind up flax, chia and pumpkin in 1:1:1 proportions and he puts two spoons on top of his oatmeal every morning. It gives his breakfast a good protein bump and he also gets the omegas/fiber/etc. while not even really thinking about it. For myself, I might sprinkle it on cut apples or yogurt and fruit.

(edited to clarify, i'm talking about the green pepitas. We have invested so much money in dental work that nobody is cracking seeds with their teeth around here.
Also, I have also used them in pesto and yes, fabulous.)