Betty Simkin

Regarding Sweet potatoes, this thread was timely for me...
I was suprised with a pretty large crop this year (by garden apartment standards - maybe 30kg total). I left it too long to dig up, so some of those sweet potatoes are the size of my head!
so what should I do with my giant starchy sweet potatoes, that are not so sweet or palatable?
I googled how to cure them but that involves heat and humidity that is not readily available to me by this point in the winter.
Is there a way to cure them at regular tempartures? will they improve this way?
someone on this thread mentioned leaving them in an out-building for a while.
Could that work for me?
thanks

I read this thread with interest last week.
I have plenty of homegrown comfrey and beeswax, but existential threats don't leave me much headspace for salve-making right now.  
Then on Wednesday I cut my finger open while chopping vegetables and I remembered this thread about comfrey. I went to the garden and picked some and applied it fresh.
The bleeding stopped quickly and a few days later (following more applications of fresh leaf) it has healed very nicely. Considering I have diabetes and wounds can take time to heal for me, this is impressive.
The moral of this story is that if you don't have a chance to make salve, don't forget comfrey works fresh too!

Hi Kate,
I am loving your book and I have plenty of questions as I use it to guide my first forays into cheesemaking.

1. first up, attached is a pic of my second attempt at chevre. Is the consistancy right?
I've never eaten or even seen chevre so I have nothing to compare it to.
It's like very, very thick cream cheese .

2. my milk comes from the factory farm/supermarket. sadly no goats for me (for the foreseeable future.)
The first time I used cow's milk, this time I used goats milk. I can't taste a significant difference but it seems that there was less whey and more cheese.
Does goats milk generally give higher yields? If so, it's worth it to pay twice the price for it!

Thanks so much

Hi Kate,
I am loving your book and I have plenty of questions as I use it to guide my first forays into cheesemaking.
I will go off and ask one on the cheesy forum.
Thanks so much

I'm excited to get my copy of this book!
Here's to successful at-home cheesemaking!
Congrats Kate!

Obviously these get-togethers and events are a good thing... but I'm not sure I agree with the idea that our life partner should be a permie. I'm not sure that they even need to have heard of permaculture.
As long as they are respectful and supportive of your permie values and lifestyle, that's just fine. If they think it's kinda cool, even better.
More than that is not essential at all IMHO.

Lately, one of the famous founders of permaculture has been posting on social media pictures of mask-wearing machine-gun-weilding militants and declaring them "MY HEROES" in big letters.
I think that we can learn from this that just because someone is the world's biggest permie, it doesn't mean that they're likely to share your most basic values.
Or that they actually truly believe in the values of permaculture on a real level!

My husband of 20 years is not a permie at all. But when we were dating, he liked the fact that I wanted to stop and admire a beautiful sunset. He thought that showed I'd be the kind of person who would find satisfaction in simple things.
After we got married, it took quite a while for him to adjust to my passion for "simple things," especilaly keeping my own chickens, which grossed him out and caused a lot of conflict at first.
But his desire for me to be happy pushed him to get over it and recently he even built me a bigger chicken run!

I have also made compromises (e.g. I gave up the quails, since he could not abide their smell. I could not smell them at all, but I wanted to respect him on that and I knew it was something I could live without - unlike my darling chickens!!!)

Everyone should clarify what they most value in life and many may find that permacutlure is not at the top of list.
I would suggest:
- kindness, humility, loyalty willingness to grow and change
- wants a similar kind of family structure that you do
- has overcome challenges in life and remained positive
- takes responsiblity and doesn't blame other people or "them" for their problems
- likes and appreciates you just the way you are

This is just a short list that popped into my head.

Good luck to all in finding your soulmate!

The book sounds wonderful.
I live in the city and usually the only milk I can get is 3% from the supermarket but cheesemaking facinates me.
I have aquired a vial of rennet and made mozarella  a few times with that kind of milk.
I would love to learn easy ways to make cultured cheeses in my kitchen. I hope to eventually find a source of goat milk from a local farmer.  
Your book sounds great and I hope it ships to Israel!
Best of luck!

3 months ago Tudor Farming episodes came online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0K20ip386w on the "All out of History" channel.