T. Woolf

Thom Bri wrote:Time to start eating bear.

LOL, missed this! Yeah, bear is yummy.

Anne Miller wrote:Do you have wild edible plants on other parts of your property that you could encourage to multiply thus helping feed the bears and discourage them from coming into your living space?

Some plants are easily encourage to multiply by using "layering" and I believe berry bushes are some that do.

Hmm, maybe I could look at planting some native grasses and create a feed plot for them? Not sure what might work. Maybe plant wild roses in an area that they could just stay in and forage? Bears are a nuisance here, but not because we encourage them. Although at least one of my neighbors used to leave dog food outside and FWP had to trap and kill the bear because it got used to humans. 🤬🤬🤬 Never mind that there are some people here who still don't go with bear resistant trash dumpsters, even though it's the law where we live. 🤬🤬🤬

Truth is, usually there is enough berries for them, but we did have a spring frost that killed the buds too. So, anything that survived was pretty much fair game. The local bear expert says the early greening combined with the failure of most of the berries drove them down here. So, no berries for me. I have to wonder if there is anything left to pick when it comes to foraging.

Anne Miller wrote:Why not encourage more of those plants so maybe there will be enough for you and the bears?

Or plant more in a more inconvenient place?

Well, we have a lot of chokecherries. And they are wild, so there is that. 🤷‍♀️ We have several by the barn, in front of the house, along the road towards the neighbors.

Only two elderberries on my property, as far as I know. two rose bushes--one which is right in front of my house. Several serviceberries in front and next to the barn.

I swear, it wouldn't matter, really. It's been a nasty, lean year, especially for bears.

Joao Winckler wrote:That's a rough year. Hard to compete with bears when they're that determined. Any chance you can get to the rose hips before they circle back? I'd have thought those ripen later so might still be worth a trip out if there's any left on the bushes.

Nope, they are GONE. Completely. Even the ones below my house. Everything looks like it got beaten up badly too. The chokecherries and other trees look like they got scraped through. Leaves ripped off; branches stripped. I do have some dried rose hips, but not as good as the fresh ones.

On my property we have chokecherries, serviceberries, Oregon grapes, elderberries, and rose hips. And all have been looted because this year was awful for the bears. Now, granted I have two bags of chokecherries in my freezer from last year, but the early green-up caused the bears to have a caloric deficit when they emerged from hibernation. (No early shoots).

I suspect with the "super El Nino" this season, we'll probably have an early spring. Which means another round of starving animals.

I like the idea of forest plots, but honestly, the forests out here are hungry and I'm more likely to see everything eaten than not. I live in the mountains of Western Montana and don't recognize any of the wild edibles other than maybe dandelions (too bitter for me), mallow, and some other weeds. Maybe someone here has suggestions--if not for the fall, maybe next spring/summer?

No, I won't do mushrooms. Too scary. And I despise asparagus.  

Well, understanding why he did what he did might help or just give him an excuse to wheedle himself back into the job. I can't imagine in any version of reality that you wouldn't notice the extra charges, uptick in mileage, or the weed smell, but apparently he didn't think you would. Maybe if he came clean when you got back and offered to make amends, I'd consider keeping him on, but the weed would probably be a deal breaker because it meant he was driving high and probably high while working--if he was working at all.

Firing is no fun. You could possible let him know the reasons for firing, but he probably already knows it.

People can be flaky. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

bruce Fine wrote:Ok I posted here not long ago about this really awesome bread I made in the machine. 1 cup each of bread flour, dark rye flour and whole wheat flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp each molasses, oil, brown sugar and 1 cup water 2 tsp yeast. First time I made it most incredible bread I ever imagined I could make. the second and third times it came out like a brick. it just died not rise. Could the problem be old rye flour? I used the same yeast in a wholewheat loaf yesterday and it came out perfect.

I'd proof the yeast (a little warm water and sugar mixed with the yeast until it bubbles) before adding it to the machine. What ingredients did you use in the whole wheat loaf? Things like egg and gluten will help it rise. Be sure to add ingredients according to the manufacturer. It usually means liquids first and then dry stuff, and then yeast. But not always. Temperature of the water may affect the yeast, but most bread machines warm the ingredients as they mix. But if you add the liquid and the yeast together, cold water may shock the yeast.

Hope this helps!

Douglas Alpenstock wrote: sing along with a favourite song in a loud voice. Better if your favourite song has harmonies, and you can choose different parts. Put it on repeat. Who cares if you nail it -- nobody can hear you anyway.

Hand out earplugs beforehand? 🤣🤣🤣

Even in the middle of a field, people may hear you.

Seriously, though, good idea if one is only into scaring the pets or wildlife. 😉

Salads, chicken pot pie (just remove the strings and keep the pods), shepherd's pie... The list is endless. Use them instead of peas or green beans and they'll work out fine.

Onions are a no-no here because a family member is too sensitive to them (food intolerance). They can tolerate garlic in small amounts, though.

I've been substituting peppers and garlic for onions in recipes, BUT I'd like to know what else one could plant in an ABFP. Incidentally, I live on a mountain hillside with lousy soil and a Zone 4b microclimate with 5a behavior. I should probably put that somewhere in my info.🤔