Scott Read

Obviously I don't get to enjoy Thanksgiving here in the UK, but I have really enjoyed reading everyone's stories about what you were doing and the funny pictures, so it was enjoyable for me in a different way! I got close to a proper Thanksgiving once, but wasn't to be in the end, maybe one day in the future.

I just picked up and read through this old thread and it has provided some fascinating reading and idea's, although Maple Syrup is not really a big thing here in the UK, but I do genuinely love the stuff.

Anyway, whilst sat thinking about this and possible uses, something occurred to me, but I am not sure if this would work or how well it would work. I dabble a little in a very un-professional way in Moonshine making, I often use a thumper keg to flavour the produced product and am wondering if the sugar sand could be used in this way? Technically it should work, as the vapour passing through the thumper keg just takes on the flavour profile of what's in there by and large, so if the sugar sand retains a Maple flavour profile it should work.

Has anyone come across this use or even tried it?

This really was a fascinating read, I had no idea about Bracken aside from it being a nuisance at times when moving through the woods doing some photography. It really is a big problem here in the UK now, and have certainly noticed an upsurge in density through woodlands in general.

As someone who has had a passing interest in foraging for years, this thread is both informative and inspiring in equal messure. Thank you for sharing your various approaches, it has certainly spurred me on to learn more about what could potentially available in my local area and identifying said 'products'.

Do any of you have any recommended reading?

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

Christopher Weeks wrote:Ah, I see. This thread is specifically about the singles forum because it gets a lot of 'drive-by' outsiders who cause some headaches.

To your broader point, I get it. But this might tell you a bit about my own perspective: I spent a few years occasionally reading Permies when search engines brought be here for specific topics I was interested in. And then I eventually created an account (in June of '18) and started reading more regularly. Three years(!) later, in June of '21 I made my first post. I felt like I had digested enough of the zeitgeist that I could start tentatively participating. I'm not saying everyone should be so cautious, but if you start reading regularly, you won't be an expert in most of the things, so you'll mostly read. But then, all of a sudden, you'll see a thing about which you have some experience and opinions, and then, please, jump in and share! Maybe it'll be about gardening in your home county or maybe about losing the love of your life and how people move on. And if you have a question you'd like answers on before that happens, that's a good way to get your feet wet too! And before you know it, you'll be an insider. This place is quite permeable -- it's easy to move in and become one of us.

Thank you for sharing your story, it is very much appreciated and very relatable to me personally and to a lot of people I expect, it really is a wonderful community here and such an amazing resource of information.

Christopher Weeks wrote:Scott, if you want to post in Permaculture Singles, just include a picture of you in your garden, talk about your garden, and mention the other ways that you're trying or preparing for the homestead transition. It isn't about being an insider/outsider. It's about whether you share some values with the core of the community. If you do, you have something to talk about and if you don't, why even look here for love?

I was referring to the site as a whole entity, of which the singles sub forum is a small part. I totally agree with you that it would make absolutely no sense looking here for love if you were not committed to living in this lifestyle, and would hope that anyone here are just that, I mean what would be the point of trying to get involved with someone who lives a fundamentally different lifestyle, it would never work. I am not saying that there aren't outlying cases, but it must be such a small percentage that it wouldn't be worth potentially alienating people who are genuinely interested in the lifestyle.

A lot of valid points have been made in this discussion and understand that it will be difficult to get a balance to suit everyone. Protecting members obviously is important and a concern obviously, but some of the suggestions strike me as a little bit 'click' sounding, and that in itself can be quite damaging, as different people have different ways of interacting with platforms like this and have different needs that may not include actually interacting until they feel the need or confident to do so.

I must admit to being an overall forum lurker, this is due to learning from the wealth of information on offer in this long learning process of living in this lifestyle, which I hold my hands up and say I am not currently living in, but working towards, so am not confident commenting on something I have no actual experience of outside of growing in my current garden, which is a different kettle of fish to actual off gridding which I respect.

Some back story of my personal situation... I am currently based in the UK and was engaged to an American woman and had started the process of moving permanently to Montana where we were looking to transition to off grid living as it was a shared life goal of ours. Unfortunately I lost her during some routine surgery and my plans and life got torpedo'd. I still have those life goals and use this forum as a guiding light of information, inspiring people and maybe even meeting someone with the same dreams again, but it feels like you want to punish people like me because of how we choose to interact or based on our experience within the lifestyle.

If we are tarnished with the outsiders brush from the start, the culture will never encourage new people in, which would be a shame.