J. Syme

Jay Wright wrote:I saw a clump of really attractive tall grass growing on a bank at the local tip. I dug out a chunk and planted it at home next to one of my fish ponds. It grew incredibly well. Turned out to be Johnson Grass- took me three years to eradicate it. I recently watched a video of a young American feller slashing Johnson grass- it had taken over most of the best low lying country on his farm. Good luck mate I thought to meself:)

caution on Johnson grass is when it wilts from drought or frost often it forms poisonous nitrates or prussic acids . don't let your livestock graze on the Johnson grass during frost of draught conditions.

If question is about things that use electricity that would be my well pump, because manual pumping is not much fun, close second would be the refrigerator.

hmm guess it would be my garage radio, i enjoy music and play a better radio, than the piano.

Ask your local cemetery grave digger, they will probably have access to a ground penetrating radar device used to locate unmarked graves.

Harry Morgan from MASH tv program comes to mind as an actor that can express frustration eloquently.

My side of the ditch has a mixture of grass, ditch lily's, and tuberosa (milk / butterfly weed). they come back each spring for the past few decades.

Anvils, Of course.  The Wile E. Coyote approved A.C.M.E. tool for catching the road runner.  I have a small one in the garage, & a large one in the barn. They are handy for shaping metal objects. maintenance is minimal, wire bush, light oil or bees wax after cleaning.  John

forage gardening, hmm, I have a slingshot & hiking shoes, anyone have a good seed bomb recipes for Ohio/Pennsylvania areas? Dropping wild radish seeds into deer track holes isn't as fun as launching clay seed balls thru the air. best time to plant a tree, ten years ago, second best time right now....

paul wheaton wrote:

J. Syme wrote:We upgraded the garden & back field to make 1.5 times as much food as we consume, if food cost goes up 10x then I'll be sharing even more food with neighbors and helping them fortify their gardens.

Maybe that's the true core:  save our apple seeds to plant in the neighbor plots.  Visit our neighbors to plant sunchokes, walking onions and kale.  

Maybe do a little "forage gardening" once a week or so.  In time, there could be enough food to feed a few hundred people nearby.

We upgraded the garden & back field to make 1.5 times as much food as we consume, if food cost goes up 10x then I'll be sharing even more food with neighbors and helping them fortify their gardens.

eat what you store, store what you eat... i have racks that you put cans into and it rolls to back and drops then rolls forward to front. first in first out inventory made easy. so this way i can buy stuff when it's on sale and not have to waste time sorting stuff by reading expiration dates... the more used stuff gets more shelf/rack space. we can, and freeze things regularly. the major issue is when we get bonus crops and we're tired of zucchini, tomatoes, & peppers ect... then we hold neighborhood salsa making party and process store a bunch at a time. my suggestion to those starting out with building pantries is to take good notes on your food that regularly gets consumed. types and quantities then make a plan as to how to store it at about 80% of it's shelf life/rotation thru your kitchen. i started this path in the 90's and have benefited greatly from reducing impulse or panic buys. happy bargain shopping and planning your garden calories. john