Thom Bri

pollinator
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since Sep 19, 2023
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Biography
Long-time gardener, mainly interested in corn and Native American farming techniques. Grew up on a Midwestern farm. Lived in rural Central America and worked in agriculture there.
Current job, RN.
Past jobs, English teacher, forklift driver, lawn maintenance guy, real estate agent, health insurance claims, etc.
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Illinois
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Recent posts by Thom Bri

For almost 20 years mine flower every year. No seeds. From roots bought at a garden store so no genetic variety.
6 days ago
All mixed together.
1 week ago
I spread out seeds on newspaper or tissue to dry. Often they sit there for a few weeks. Then I put them in plastic containers.
Plastic is inferior because if there is the slightest exterior moisture the seeds will mold. So, my long drying time.
I put corn seeds in the freezer, due to insects that can come in with the seeds.
Seeds that come in still on the stalk will go into paper shopping bags. Lettuce, some flowers, tobacco. These hang on the wall in the garage.

Pearl Sutton wrote:
More snow tonight, looking like by tomorrow noon or so I'll top out at 8 inches, give or take.
I'm glad I'm warm, hoping I don't lose power, but ready for it if I do.



It's a lot colder here, but not much snow. One nice thing about the cold is the roads are dry. Wet, freezing snow is the worst.

We have a newish, high-efficiency gas furnace. It's actually slightly oversized for our square-footage. Last night it couldn't keep up and the house was colder than the temp setting. In really cold temps we turn up the temp higher then we normally keep it, in order to prevent pipes freeing.

Stay snug!
1 week ago
Back when the kids were babies, we would make large batches of mashed/pureed foods and freeze them in ice cube trays. Super convenient to thaw pre-made food.
2 weeks ago
Welcome! We seem to have a lot of S Illinois people here.
2 weeks ago
Pearl, we have a very similar rug, also bought on sale. I like it.

Temps here, west of Chicago, -15F (-25C).
2 weeks ago
2. One is a domestic, no idea what variety. It was here when we moved in. The other is a wild rose that I spotted while mowing the lawn. I swerved around it and let it grow. Small white flowers. Wicked thorns!
2 weeks ago

Thea Harvey-Barratt wrote:Not sure if this is helpful in the context of permaculture, but offered for what it's worth. My dad used to be a treasurer for a large commercial brewery. They sold their spent mash to pig farmers.  At a certain point, they decided to buy a string of breakfast restaurants and the pigs to supply them because the mash was such nutritious food for the pigs, and they had essentially unlimited access to free pig food. My point is that it's good food, and economic at the commercial level.



My neighbors used brewers waste for cow feed.
3 weeks ago
My dad raised pigs commercially and so we got all the farm magazines. One article I recall from the 1980s described a test done comparing fermented grains with dry grains in pig feed. I don't recall the specifics but they definitely found an advantage. I believe it was a reduction in phytates.
3 weeks ago