Kara Ann

That is a GREAT idea - the number of uses for a length of pipe is growing....  I will look in my stash of odds and ends to see what I can find - thank you for the suggestions!

I don't use beer often, but it is a wonderful ally for mushrooms, and here in the Pacific Northwest, those are a ready source for the table.
Dark beer makes a great flavor complement to 'shrooms. I make a variation of this British recipe:  https://fellybull.com/mushroom-and-guinness-pie/

It is wonderfully hearty for a VEGAN dish with whatever mushrooms are on hand, and seems to work well with any type of stout / porter / Belgian beer.
Also good with added ground been to convert it into a shepherd's pie for the carnivores in our equal opportunity kitchen.

I go for a gluten free version. The original recipe calls for a puff pastry top on the pie, but I use mashed potatoes instead.  Even better with garlic mashed potatoes.
(Does anyone keep puff pastry at the ready on a homestead?? Maybe you permies in France whip some up?)
It also works well to make individual servings in a muffin tin with the mashed potato on top, freeze them and wrap 'em up so that they can be taken out as needed. Actually had this for breakfast this morning!

Anyone else have beer-and-mushroom recipes or ideas to share? I'm interested...

Jay Angler wrote:

A very large vice bolted to a sturdy work bench might do the job, but Hubby somehow managed to break our bench vice, and I don't know what he was doing...

Thanks Jay - I had not tried a vice - (though we all have them don't we ) - that is a good suggestion for torsion.

Ha! Thanks T for the quick response and very practical guidance on that. I will see about following up with the local ferrier - and if repair is not viable, then losing a tine and having a partial-solution-pitchfork is still better than its current unusable state.

Thanks to all for the great discussion - and also for the terms that go with these various tools.

Though I am no bench-presser, I can apply plenty of weight against a handle, and while using the pitchfork (really pitchfork like in the American gothic except with 4 tines) to do things it was not meant to do, I seriously bent the outer tine - which now points backward and outward at a 45 degree angle.

I'd really like to repair this and then promise myself to only use it as intended and not mangle it again.  
How does this get repaired? I have tried bending it back in a variety of ways with no success.

Any suggestions on this, fellow-pitchfork-manglers?

Thanks!

Mmmmmmmmm love the rhubarb chutney direction this is going!  Last year we had a rhubarb chutney get together where everyone made a different recipe and brought them all for trying out along with dinner. Super fun. This is my fav so far  (adapted with thanks from https://www.kitchenparade.com/2003/06/rhubarb-chutney.php). The cumin taste is unexpected and goes well with plenty of improv other dried fruit additions.  For those who like fire in their food, add cayenne or other pepper...

RHUBARB CUMIN CHUTNEY

3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (generous) chopped red onion
1/3 cup golden raisins (I added chopped dried apricots instead / could also try dried mulberries / whatever fruit is available from the farm)
4 cups chopped rhubarb / about 1-1/2 pounds
In a large saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the onions, raisins and rhubarb. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
Add the remaining ingredients and increase the heat. Cook until the rhubarb becomes tender and the mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.
Cool completely, then cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.

I have some goose breast in the freezer that will be coming out next week - any suggestions on a rhubarb pairing for that?

The uke is a great instrument - keep going with it!  
I am a beginner also, and my vibe is uke blues - learning with a few books and youtube. And the geese and chickens don't seem to care that I am a beginner - it gives joy!  And apparently prevents dementia (https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/alz.049684)

There are some other uke players who are also passionate about the medieval era - http://ancientmusic4ukulele.com/arrangements/

I have also played harp and guitar... and though nobody mentions this, to my mind the uke (and any stringed instrument) has a big advantage in that you never have to shake the spit out of it like you would with a brass instrument!!  Just sayin'...

K Carpenter wrote:

Patience is not my virtue.

SO well said K Carpenter!!   Patience is harder than it looks!

What a delightful conversation about herbs!  Thanks to everyone who has chimed in here to share their favorites! Heck yeah to the ones mentioned so far -
Plantain makes a fantastic 'spit poultice' (chew up a few leaves to make a mash and pack it onto an ingrown nail or infected nail bed for relief).
Calendula is so useful for wounds and infection.... I gather the flowers, dry them, pack them into a mason jar, cover with olive oil, and leave in a sunny window for several weeks to steep. The strained oil is a lovely golden yellow, and eases pain, speeds repair of broken tissue, and discourages infection.
Nettle is an excellent tonic for a leaky or overactive urinary system in microdoses of 1-2 drops of tincture in half cup of water daily for 3-4 weeks.

Arnica, another in the Compositae family is also a great friend in my garden, to make a tincture or salve that eases bruising, speeds healing and engenders stamina. In Roman times so so long ago, the soldiers would hunt for arnica plants in the meadows where they camped, and rub them on the soles their feet to ease them after a days march.

Valerian is also a valued plant in my medicinal garden. There is so much value in offering a calming to those who are agitated in a tumultuous world... It was widely used in the US Civil war, and given to soldiers who had 'shell shock'. It was included in the US pharmacological medicinary until stronger medications overtook longstanding herbal preparations.  More info here for those who like to get the backstory:  https://www.civilwarmed.org/valerian/  Can be used in tea, tincture, salve, as an ammoniated herb (very helpful for insomnia).

New Jersey tea (ceanothus americanus) is another favorite - used in microdose of the tincture, it strengthens immunty, spleen, lymph - great in winter time for those whose tonsils were removed in the past, and have indications of spleen / immune weakness.

Another favorite is Goldenseal (hydrastis canadensis) - it has so many uses, but of all of them, the one I value the most is ease from gall bladder colic - 3-5 drops of tincture in a quarter cup of hot water (not boiling, just perfect-cuppa-to-sip-hot) taken ever 10-15 minutes can relieve pain and help pass stones or sludge.

And great to ssee the discussion including homeopathy....  there are valuable tools in herbs and homeopathics - so I do not feel any need to choose between them. I use both often and have for 30+ years. I find it works very well for humans, livestock, plants, crops. Here is some more backstory along with some 'how to" for using it in the garden:  https://arizonahomeopathic.org/treat-the-plant-not-the-pest/

Looking forward to hearing about other herbs that any of you have to share...

I just signed!   Great work to all of you who are advocating for international standards!

In the county where I am (western Washington/Olympic Peninsula), there is statutory allowance for tiny homes.... with one incredibly challenging non-negotiable. Any tiny home that is placed on a property for long term use is required to be attached to an inground septic system.  No composting toilets allowed. No sewage tank (like an RV) with a pumping contract. No flexibility. Doesn't matter whether it is on wheels or not.

Hoping your international standards are inclusive of plumbing / sewage topics that can pave the way for more negotiations with the county...

Good luck with it!