Ela La Salle

I had similar problem but with white rubber on same glass jar type you have. I used Goo Gone by placing jar upside down on a small glass plate filled with Goo Gone, let sit for few minutes, wiped off with paper towel. Repeated same for the lid. Washed the jar, put a new rubber on, and it's fine.
Goo Gone came in a box with other items I bought few years back at a yard sale. It turned out to be useful . Who knew

Nancy Reading wrote:Ela,
I'm not sure what you mean by brave? Foolhardy perhaps planting beans this late here! At least they are in the ground now, and plants do grow very well here in the summer due to our long daylight hours and rain, and certainly better than they do in the packets.

Well, you DID IT! "Foolhardy" is a compliment, and well deserved one.  I think many people who are interested in gardening/growing things/raising animals and so on just don't give up In trying to do "unthinkable".  While sometimes it may work, sometimes it may not, it gives a piece of mind of "hey, at least I tried". See what I mean?
You did it your way, and should be proud of it.  So, you are brave! Besides, just think how many  people on permaculture site will benefit because of you!
P.S. I should be so lucky with trying to grow skirret (have to wait till next Spring while the seeds are going to rest in the fridge until then! LOL)

I'm more like Timothy Norton when it comes to gardening
As a rule, I do not chop & drop most of my plants because some  will go to seed  after pulling & dropping (dandelions, forget-me not, and few more I can't remember the names of right now,  but I have them).
I spread the unwanted into the bush, and the ones with bigger roots I keep trimming because any root is better for building healthier soil, than yanking it out and leaving it bare.
In the Fall, rye grass and red clover is a must now (since my experiment last year).

... Helloooo, and Welcome. Hope you stay for a looong time

Nancy Reading wrote:.

WOW! That's fantastic! You are so brave!  Thank you for your observations, notes. and pictures!

It could be a cultural thing? Not sure. I grew up with picking wild edibles  as a normal thing to do. Funny thing, no one  talked about micronutrients, diet benefits and so on. It was picking things, drying some things  for tea/for hair rinse  or make a salve (never heard of dehydrator nor ever saw one back then LOL) or, pickling or canning.
For example, people would pick a good bunch stinging nettles, lay those down (on a bed or ground) , placing nettles at the lower back area and kidneys, and lay on top  (skin exposed) until they couldn't feel the stings anymore. It was (so they said) good pain reliever for arthritis/ sore back, sore joints.
I never tried it, so it's just by hearsay . LOL
I'm still learning and loving it. Last year my friend and I "discovered" wild garlic. It's great because both of us are interested in learning our land

It was a pleasure to read about other people experiences  and stories in this thread. Thank you

beautiful idea and beautiful pictures.
However, I have opposite idea; unless there are people who are willing to carry on once we get too old, that's great.
But here's my story:
It took 8 years before I saw total benefit from our 7+ acres of land. Had 1 acre garden each; one for vegetables, the other for fruit bushes and fruit trees, and other trees for wild life.
It took a lot of work to make it happen.
Then we moved, bought smaller place, and finally moved again to retire.
In every situation the same thing happed; trees were cut (all of them),  gardens planted with grass. Perennials ripped out and so on. It broke more than just my heart and made me just as angrier,  when we went back for a ride just to see those places.  I just cannot "see" why people love just grass!? All they want (it seems) is frigging grass!
So for me, no more. I became selfish. I grow what I can/will grow for me/my little family,  here-and-now.

My 2 cents; it looks like your tomato is infected by Septoria lycopersici fungus.  
It starts as small black dots and then it spreads.  I am not 100% sure, it just looks like it to me.
As for purple color under tomato leaves, I never worry about it. All my seedling always  have it, and then all leaves turn green once hardened off to grow outdoors.
I was trying to insert pictures, but not sure if it will work.

May Lotito wrote:I picked some flowers from a wild rose bush and made my first petal jam following Ela's recipe.  Basically just fresh petals and sugar with no extra moisture. The resulting jam has a lovely plum color and preserves the fragrance of wild roses! Thanks for sharing.

Awe, thank you so much :-)

Some funny telling here
I don't have an answer, but all living things give off pheromones. I think if humans are scared, "they" know. If humans are calm but aware, "they" know it too.
I had similar experiences  to Pearl Sutton.  So who Knows?
There were some experiments with playing classical music or talking to plants which grew better and stronger.
Not meaning to get political, but you can tell the bees to relocate or might end up in El Salvador