Tanya White

1. A glass jar for the starter. No need for fancy ones.
2. A large mixing bowl, plate large enough to cover the bowl or a clean towel.
3. dough whisk - totally not necessary, but I like using it.
4. plastic/silicone bowl scraper - not necessary at all. I use a spoon if needed.
5. dough scraper/cutter (metal) - nice to have, but also not necessary. I had one gifted, so I use it.
6. scale - I resisted buying one for years, but it doesn't take up much room and I prefer using it. Not strictly necessary.
7. banneton - not strictly necessary. I then ended up buying one anyway and later getting a linen cloth liner for it. Any bowl lined with a well-floured cotton/linen towel works.
8. some sort of vessel to bake the bread; does not have to be a dutch oven or baking stone unless you already own one. I use a rometopf clay pot. This is where specialized version would cost the most and take up a lot of room in storage.
9. Lame - not necessary. Use a sharp knife.
10. Special proofing chambers - not necessary.
11. Thermometer to stick inside the bread to check if ready - not necessary, but you may already have one.
11. Cooling rack - you may already have, not strictly necessary.
12. Large cutting board or other large clean surface for shaping.
13. Parchment paper - not necessary. I use sunflower seeds and oats to prevent sticking. But depends on your cooking vessel.
14. Time, patience, energy - absolutely necessary.


You could absolutely just start with the absolute basics (jar, bowl, towels, baking vessel) and then figure out if you need any specialized equipment. Different people have different needs and I found that I did too much research before finally getting started.

I am an adventurous eater.
Pickled funky fish is common and found in many cuisines.

-Nordic style pickled herring (no sugar!) is great on rye toast with a little onion
-Gravlax (not exactly pickled) can be made at home - EASY
-Greek marinato fish (have not tried) made with lemon/vinegar
-Ceviche - EASY
-Multiple fermented and pickled fish preparations from Japan and China
-Many, many, many more

I sometimes buy herring and make gravlax, ceviche regularly. These are "safe" as they are refrigerated. Most foods purchased and even factory made can be replicated at home. If I had access to more fish, I would certainly try.

My mom once had a friend that made salted dried fish (hung outdoors on a string on our balcony). Quite stinky!

I've had Sanuk yoga mat flip-flops last me for over at least 15 years (but only intermittent use). With that being said, looks like quality went down according to Tereza. Recently, I bought leather flipflops on Etsy that were handmade from Greece, plastic free. Seem to be of excellent quality. My partner owns a pair very similar to Cairn (sandals, not flip flops) and they seem like they will last forever, at least the nylon straps will. Not sure how comfortable the style is for Cairn model, really depends on your feet.

We had a terrible year with early blight (tomatoes and potatoes). It has been an incredibly rainy July (and now August). In fact, it has rained every day except 2 at our house for the past 45 days. Next year, I am sticking with early blight tolerant varieties for both. The only potatoes that survived were Masquerade which I hear are more tolerant - that says a lot. I have been following all of the environmental measures like mulching, but you can only do so much when your garden is pure mud and it pours every day. And it is not possible to spray either. Unfortunately, too much rain is hard to fix. We did have terrible drought this spring (when it should have rained) and it was almost as bad.

On the bright side, good mushroom year here.

As far as your rhubarb, are you sure this is not normal? Our dies down around this time of the year and comes back reliably. Unless you are growing it as an annual which is usually done in cooler months (?) I thought.

Just keep working on picking varieties that work for you locally. Better yet, make your own (landrace) if you can.

-Any flowers that are full of pollinators buzzing around (even radishes in bloom, so popular)!
-Big tall huge sunflowers. So cheerful.
-First flowers/plants to emerge in the spring. That first snowdrop, daffodil, early bloomers like forsythia.
-Things that I thought were dead, but are coming back.

I have grown these before more as a cover crop. From my understanding, there are varieties bred to be edible-ish or at least sold commercially. I saw some imported from Italy for sale.

Never tried to eat the ones I grew. From the etsy shop (Plantiful Farm) description:

"Lupini Bean (Lupinus albus): A mix of several different lupini bean varieties all in one packet! A nutritious and ancient legume perfect for adventurous gardeners. Unlike other beans, lupini beans have a distinctive firm texture and require boiling and soaking over several days to remove alkaloids. Wait until the pods are dry and rattle when shaken, then harvest and dry further. Use in Mediterranean-inspired dishes, such as hummus or stews. Or grind into flour for use in baked goods. Or dry roast for a protein-rich snack. Cooking time is longer than other beans, but the nutty flavor and high protein content make it worth the wait. Lupini beans have a protein percentage even greater than soybeans! Lupini beans also fix nitrogen in the soil, making them a great companion plant. Try this unique and rewarding legume in your garden!"

Edit: I am not sure of what the difference is in these 2 species. I guess I had the albus.

I recently read Grow a Little Fruit Tree by Ann Ralph which advises summer solstice pruning to keep tree size in check (but not too close to fall as this type of pruning promotes growth, same as winter pruning). I did this (the solstice prune) for the last 2 summers and it worked well for the cherries that got too tall. I still winter prune for all the usual reasons. I tend to underprune anyway.

I am not a dermatologist. Malassezia yeast thrives in warm, moist environments. If you don't already dry your scalp immediately, definitely don't leave a towel on top of your head for a long time. Realistically, there is not a "cure" yet, but longterm management.

It often improves at the beach due to UV light which is antifungal and anti-inflammatory (in this context) and saltwater does have some antimicrobial properties and helps break up the scale. Saltwater also has other minerals compared to store salt (depending on the kind). De-stressing also helps. The condition often flares up during periods of stress. They do use UV therapy as a treatment option (usually for more extensive involvement not just scalp).

For a medicated shampoo (antifungal) to work, it is best to first loosen the scales with coconut (not olive) oil, salicylic acid, or tar shampoo. Dermatologists can prescribe a higher strength shampoo. Natural remedies that seem to have the most "proof" are coconut oil, tea tree shampoo, apple cider vinegar, diluted raw honey, aloe vera gel, antifungal essential oils like rosemary.

Not sure if getting a difficult case checked out (once) professionally would be worthwhile. I do understand the reluctance, especially with needing to renew prescription over and over.

We have this exact scythe. We are not experts at all or good at sharpening. The handle is too short for my partner to use also and not as ergonomic as I wish. If I could go back in time, I probably would have bought a better scythe. In the end, if we replace it later, we still lose money. But the lee valley one does work relatively well. I haven't used a different scythe, so can't really compare. But I can tell you it didn't fall apart or break in half, so the quality is not terrible.

We have a tough "lawn" that keeps reverting back to a forest. For a while, we strayed and got a brush cutter. It worked pretty good until we realized we have turtles that live in our lawn - they make these holes and stay there. So we are back to scything after trying 4 other methods of cutting grass.

I should expand a bit on the steamer... Steaming food is quick and healthy. I also use it to reheat foods without drying them out. I can cook a protein with veggies in a plate on top of a grain and call it weeknight dinner. I couldn't be happier. And yes, not strictly necessary as you can improvise to make a steamer. But I truly love it! The Tatung specifically only has one button to push, the amount of time things cook depends on how much water you add to outer pot.