Rob Stenger

Wool insulates from the heat as well as the cold, it would seem.  Have you ever seen or worn the wool sauna hats?  They really work to keep your head cooler!  

Example image here:  https://sauneco.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/sauna-hat-umbra3-2-from-sauneco-e1488304900945.jpg

However, my own experience has been that this insulation can work both ways...  If I work up a lot of body heat, then wool will also trap that inside the garment.  It breathes better than synthetic, to be sure, but not enough to  let me cool down.  Theory:  perhaps the old-timers in full wool suits (even lightweight ones) were wearing them on more social occasions when they wouldn't have been as active or raising their core temperature?  

In coastal Maine many people give lobster carcasses/carapaces (leftover shells) to their chickens to pick at.  Gives the yolks an almost red color...  Could probably work with crayfish/shrimp/crabs in other areas.

Seeking to meet people interested in forming a homesteading community in Midcoast Maine. Experience living in community and ability/readiness to commit financially and physically within a year is desired. Legal structure would likely be a community land trust, physical structure might look somewhat co-housing-ish. Looking for do-it-yourselfers with practical skills and experience who would like to build a long-term agrarian home base with others for economy and community, living simply and closely to natural rhythms. To clarify: we are mostly looking for people already living/farming in the region who are tired of being transient farmer/gardeners and want to meet up to get to know each other and search for a permanent landbase together if our visions align. Contact robstenger at gmail if interested in more info and a discussion of goals.

Just checking back in: Final verdict after a prolonged fermentation (ended up letting it go for a few months) was that it didn't really seem to change the texture or taste of the lichen. Even tried adding some kimchi juice to jumpstart it. In retrospect, perhaps a brine was not the way to go. An acidic environment, like that of a stomach, may be a better bet.

Arthur:

Although not a local, ancestral plant, I am wondering if you know of any uses for Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii), which is thriving as an escaped ornamental across much of New England. It has such a brightly colored yellow root I can't help but think there must be some medicinal use for it and I am always looking for ways to use "invasives" beneficially instead of just pulling them up. Thank you!

Stefan: You mention strategies for rabbits & voles in your video. I was wondering, however, what your experiences with deer have been, and any strategies for mitigating the impact they have on your orchard. Do you have fences or not? Loved the video and all the specifics it contained. Thanks!

I am engaged in a new fermentation project and wonder if anyone (or Sandor) has tried or heard of anything similar: fermenting reindeer moss or other lichens?

Have heard of how this moss (actually a lichen, species name--Cladonia rangiferina) is a delicacy of the Inuit and other northern peoples who eat it from the stomachs of slain reindeer, where it has been softened through the stomach acids to be more digestible to humans. Have also heard of this lichen being par-boiled and then dipped and fried in butter by a chef in Scandinavia.

So I thought I would try to lacto-ferment it and see if it had the same basic effect of increasing digestibility. Results may still be a couple weeks away, however.

-Rob Stenger, Maine, USA