Carla Burke

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since Oct 29, 2013
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Biography
A Christian & devoted Patriot, wife, soap maker, herbalist, formerly a homeschooler, baker, truck driver, and more. I was born in the South, but actually grew up around the Great Lakes. Both of my childhood families had big, lush gardens,& preserved everything they could for the winter. I carried that into my own life. But, change happens and for over a decade, it just wasn't an option. Now, retired in the Ozarks, on 29 heavily wooded acres of mostly ravines, our best crops are nearly inaccessible wild blackberries, rocks, wild herbs, and ticks. We're utilizing our burgeoning small-livestock collection, straw bales, raised beds, and containers to build soil, and a better, healthier life for ourselves and our beloved critters, who provide us with eggs, meat, milk, fiber, honey, beeswax, fertilizer, tick control, brush control, 'lawn' mowing, loads of entertainment, and even help turn the compost.
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Recent posts by Carla Burke

I infuse my oil (or tallow) with both arnica & comfrey. They make a fantastic pair, anniversary is a definite no-no, for ingestion and open wounds, and comfrey is just questionable enough that I'd rather not risk it (my hubby was supposed to die of liver disease/damage, in '09, but he's still hanging in there, and I'm not taking any chances). So, for obvious reasons, I keep those two together, so I don't accidentally use it where it might be bad for him. Oddly, I'm not really worried about me.
1 hour ago
Things typically advised for men, to support prostate health include (but are not limited to, according to the doctors of my parental units and hubby):
Avoid carbonated drinks.
Ejaculation at least a couple times per week.
Empty the bladder completely, each time of urination.
Don't smoke.
Drink plenty of clear fluids.
Limit alcohol.
2 hours ago
I just got 4 tiny hardy kiwi berry bare-root plants in today's mail. I'm debating where to put them. It's hot out. It's going to get hotter... should I put them into bigger-ish pots, and keep them in the shade for now, to plant in a sunny spot, in autumn, after it cools down? I have no means of temporarily shading them, once they're in the ground, permanently they need sun, for growth & fruiting, right?
2 days ago
As a family herbalist, with a burgeoning love of gardening, and deep desire to grow my own perennial herbs, something I've been wanting to learn is how to grow my own ginseng. I live in the woods, so a forest garden is pretty much a no-brainer, because the one thing I know about ginseng's preferred habitat is forest. But, I've not found any, yet (I'm in the Missouri Ozarks, so not impossible). I *could* also do it as a tree guild member, but I really want to start it and let it naturalize on our acreage. But, I have no idea where to start with it. Thoughts?
2 days ago

John C Daley wrote:The bit i find hard to understand is having a septic and a well on the same property.
How is that safe?



Distance, and/or elevation. On our property, this is one of the things the original owner/ builders did beautifully. The well is at about 950ft elevation, the septic is at about 650ft elevation, and about 100 yards/ meters away.
2 days ago
A very little sugar in diatomatious earth. The sugar draws them in, the de gets on them, they take it back to the nest, and share it with the rest. The d.e. scratches their catapult, they dehydrate and the whole nest dies.
4 days ago
I'll be keeping an eye on this string of experiments, for sure! John and I have recently gone back to primarily using fountain pens. He went first, because he discovered that his writing difficulties might stem more from a disconnect in his brain, than from the nerve damage they'd always told him it was - so he started playing around with calligraphy, to rewire his brain - and it's WORKING!

His penmanship has improved drastically, and he noticed that in using the fountain pens, he doesn't need to grip or press as hard, and his hands don't hurt. So, I dragged out my old calligraphy stuff, and started messing around with it, to see if the pain in my hands would ease, too. Et voilá!! So, now we're experimenting with different brands and types of fountain pens and nibs (we've found a couple favorites that are fairly inexpensive, for non-disposable pens) - and ink (found really good, archival, inexpensive favorites there, too) - which has called for better quality paper - which has pulled us into journals, planners, stationery, and now, finally... seals. But, most are toxic, smell horrid, and have just turned us off to that. You're renewing my interest in that!

It's amazing how much more we're both enjoying writing again, now that it doesn't hurt.
5 days ago
art
I have a mixture of all the above. Sadly, I struggle with much of the cast iron now, as my hands & wrists become more and more painful - especially the pieces that have only one handle. More and more, I'm using my carbon steel, instead. Its lighter weight and thinner profile make it much more manageable, for me, while retaining most of the same properties and care needs as the cast iron. For bigger/deeper pots, it's either stainless steel or enamel-ware - again, they're lighter and more manageable than the cast iron, and I haven't found carbon steel in those shapes & sizes. I only use carbon steel, for a wok.

In baking, I prefer unglazed stoneware, though I will use good quality glass or glazed stoneware.

I typically look for mine in resale shops, garage/yard/porch/tag sales, auctions, flea market/swaps, etc. That said, there are some pieces I have & will pay full price for, though I try hard to find great sales, first.
6 days ago
Entertainment, physical fine-motor work, brain exercise, some much needed down time, AND a super-cute new skirt, all for the cost of a bit of thread? Well done!!!
1 week ago