Tanya White

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.

Okay, I have many. And some even single-use. Mostly, no regrets.  
Things I have owned in the past an no longer do include a instantpot, microwave, electric kettle, rice cooker, garlic press... and many others.

Gadgets that get a lot of love:
-large mortar and pestle (technically a molcajete)
-Tatung steamer (my new absolutely favorite purchase); I use it to cook grains as well
-Food mill (few uses, but useful nonetheless)
-All the sourdough bread paraphernalia
-instant thermometer and kitchen scale
-tortilla press (not strictly necessary but we have tortillas so much more often now)
-small cabbage shredder (which essentially is my mandolin). Not strictly necessary, but when processing a lot of stuff (even a bunch of radishes which I like to quick pickle), it really helps
-cast iron spice grinder. No electricity needed. Actually use it more than I thought. I like to buy/grow whole spices.
-toaster oven (we do not have a microwave)
-wooden bean masher/pickle tamper - whatever you want to call it
-small battery operated frother/whisk for matcha, whipped cream, sauces
-vitamix
-microplane
-fermentation crocks
-slow cooker --- not as much use as I hoped for us, but still useful

Joao Winckler wrote:The sun and airflow angle is real. I've noticed black rot is always worse on the shaded interior growth where things stay damp longer. Aggressive thinning of the canopy mid-season made more difference than any spray for me, just keeping the clusters exposed.

I am trying to prune more aggressively this year. Fingers crossed. Already lost some to black rot. Perhaps this is the most important cultural control?
I am not sure how anyone is able to grow grapes organically in a humid climate!

D-handle just seems more natural. Like some other folks on this thread, also struggle with joint hypermobility. It just seems easier to carry the shovel around, too, as well as hang it. I don't really see any downsides to the D-grip. Husband (who is much taller and has normal joints) prefers it also.

We just freed a snake in our neighborhood a few days ago from this awful plastic netting that is used for "erosion control" on the side of the road. After heavy rain, this netting became exposed in many places. We cut the poor guy out. This plastic material is so tough that it had damaged my Leatherman trauma shears! No animal could stand a chance. We did not realize the poor creature's home was nearby and, as soon as he was freed, he got tangled again! It is unlikely that this snake will survive, but we have tried our best. Very heartbreaking experience. I want to make sure I never use anything like this knowingly and I am trying to spread the word.

We thought about getting some bird netting before as we lose a lot of our fruit. It is just not worth it for me.

Not a peanut expert here by any means. I feel that peanuts are not worth growing for a lot of people, at least for eating. Although super easy to grow (they fix nitrogen), they are super hard to clean and then you have to shell them and the shells are kinda hard.

We grew them once a cover crop in our clay. Cleaned some.... Sorted. Dried some. Not worth it in terms of eating. I suppose if we had sandy soil, it would be okay, and even then, maybe. Made some boiled (green) peanuts with earlier crop (this is before they form skins).

I would concur with boiling peanuts. At least they are easy to shell. Use LOTS of salt, just like the recipes say.

I keep mine with desiccant packets in plastic ammo boxes. The seeds seem to last several years, but I haven't tried anything older than 4. The ammo boxes are very convenient and airtight and relatively cheap ($14 for a small one). I cannot sing them enough praises. Some seeds need to be more fresh (carrots) for good germination, but I don't save these these. I do save just about all others minus corn.

You can also make sure they are super dry and freeze them in jars. You cannot let them get wet. I haven't tried this method. I believe I've read this in Carol Deppe's books - don't quote me.

Completely agree and what a timely post! Prep what you eat already and rotate - FIFO. I enjoy cooking and eating, there is no way I am stocking things I hate. Why add stress to an already stressful (hypothetical) information? I will want at least some comfort, knowing myself.

And if there is something you want to store that you haven't cooked with a lot, now is the time to learn. Make a variety of recipes with each (versatile) food item you store. Plain oats get tiresome. Even sweet oats get tiresome. Perhaps a savory porridge, energy balls, and so forth.

Diversify the foods as well as perhaps storage locations and ways to replenish supply. Don't put all of your eggs in one basket type deal. Don't forget to store plenty of salt (unless you have easy access).

This one is obvious, but if you have a favorite item that stores well and it goes on sale, you may as well stock up. You will eat it quickly anyway.