Traditional method was to make the young folks sit out and watch the corn. Not economical these days. Maybe a dog that’s a good ratter could be encouraged to hunt around the corn?
Or maybe if it a small bed, some substance unpleasant to rats could be smeared on the stalks to discourage rodents from climbing?
I guess I go “against the grain” in this regard, because I just don’t oil my cutting boards. Mostly just spray them down with water, wipe them down, and leave to dry vertically so water doesn’t pool up. Only use cleaning products if they got particularly funky.
They still last decades and don’t crack.
As a vegetarian, I’m just dealing with juices from fresh fruits and vegetables, thought, not raw meat!
I used to use newspaper pages. They work ok, if you are someplace with trash cans and don’t need to carry it a long time.
In our yard, I have a half -buried bottomless metal trash can to compost the poop. When I pit fills up, I pull up the can, bury the poop and dig a new hole.
Last night dinner was local, other than some seasonings (not same-state, but within 50-mile radius). We had deviled eggs, corn-on-the-cob, potatoes, and a salad of cucumbers, onions, and peaches.
Summer is an easy season in the Midwest, because you can really make a meal from the farmers market.
One economic benefit of growing your own vegetables is that you can eat the plants across their lifecycle instead of just at the point it is usually harvested for market. For example, you can use radish sprouts as micro greens, sauté the small plants whole when “thinning” your crop, and harvest the greens, the rabies, and the pods in summer after the plants bolt. Many bean and pea pods can be eaten whole when they are young, but even if your “green beans” start to get tough on the vine, then you can shell the beans and cook then up fresh.
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