Bloom Lunaress' Permaculture/Homesteading Diary

Day 9
I didn't know where to put this, so I figured the introductions thread was good. After all, I've been on the site for a bit now, & haven't said hello! So, well, hello! If this needs to be moved to a better location, that's fine.
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So, I'm Bloom Lunaress. I'm 28 nearing 29, trans & queer as can be, & for a while now I've wanted to live a life more connected to nature & the land around me than most people tend to these days. I don't want to go fully off-grid & leave the whole modern world behind, but a good bit of distancing from a lot of it is good, I think.
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Trying to fit into the main current societal model hasn't really worked out well for me this past decade, & it's not likely to ever improve. I've always been more into lasting skills like gardening, building, metalworking, etc. So homesteading/permaculture, when I found it, seemed like a natural fit.
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I want to learn all I need to to work the land & live off of it. To use practices that are sustainable & ethical. I'm VERY new to permaculture, but as soon as a new friend of mine told me about permies.com & especially about SkIP/PEP, I hopped on, signed up, & almost immediately got to work completing badges! It's been a couple of days now, & I've been looking over lots of stuff on the forums, particularly reading the old Evan's Ant Village logs. I'm really digging the format of regular updates with pictures. & while I don't have something every day (I am regrettably stuck in the city at the moment, with only a bicycle for a vehicle) I can post periodically about my journey through SkIP/PEP, & my more general journey to connect more to the land around me.
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Of course, the goal is to work hard enough to impress an Otis/Otessa & get some land, or to move onto a nearby existing homestead. & I'll be working hard to learn as much as I can along the way. & I've already gotten some of my friends interested in permaculture as well!
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I look forward to sharing my journey with y'all! If y'all have suggestions or ideas, feel free to let me know!

So this is just going to be a quick recap of what's happened so far!
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Day 1 (04/06/21 GC)
This is the day it officially started. I think earlier in the day (or maybe a day or two prior?), my new friend (one of the neighbors I met who is already doing some permaculture stuff in their large yard, like hugulkulturs) told me about permies.com, & SkIP/PEP. A little later, I went back to the apartment I'm couchsurfing at, & signed up on permies.com. Then I spent a while looking at the SkIP/PEP program, looking at all the relevant prerequisite info, looking at badges, etc. Eventually, I chose my first BB. Give Urine to Growies, from the Greywater & Willow Feeders sand badge (permies.com/p/1272548).
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Yeah. That was my first BB. Of course I had to start with one that most people living around me would side-eye me HARD for if they knew what I was up to. It was very easy, & I even went on to do another BB. The Sweep a Floor BB from the Nest sand badge (permies.com/p/1272595).
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Days 2-5 (05/06/21-08/06/21 GC)
Mostly just more permaculture research. No BB's completed in this time.
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Day 6 (09/06/21 GC)
This was another day of BB completion. I first tackled Make a Natural Medicine Reference Journal (Now DEFUNCT) from the Natural Medicine sand badge (permies.com/p/1274155). This was pretty easy. Later I tackled the Forage a Cup of Tea from the Foraging sand badge (permies.com/p/1274201). This was, again, very easy. I can only do easy BB's for so long, but it is a good place to start. Doing mostly easy BB's at first allows me to get used to the whole thing without becoming too overwhelmed. This day marked 4 BB's complete. 1 more & I can get BB5 certified!
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Day 7 (10/06/21 GC)
This is when I started work on the Dry Harvest List BB from the Foraging sand badge. I was going to do a local type of mint, but it's small & would take AGES to forage 0.45 kg (1 lb) of it. I remembered there was a nearby Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) patch in a local woodsy area, decently far from any roads. So that's what I chose. A bit of math is necessary here to get the true weight of the Haul. Total of 393 g minus the 66 g of the bin is 327 g (0.72 lb). This means I have to collect another 127 g (0.28 lb) to hit the goal of 453.59 g (1 lb). I tried to mostly only take leaves that had been partially eaten by bugs, thus leaving the fully functioning leaves behind for the plant. This allows the plant to stop trying to keep alive damaged leaves, & put more energy into keeping the rest of itself healthy. & it's not like the leaves I harvested are worse off for me personally to consume. I also tried to harvest even more ethically by only removing a few leaves from each plant (excepting when the plant was growing right in the middle of the trail. Those I harvested fully, as they were just going to get uprooted & disposed of soon anyway, probably by the next person to do trail maintenance. Plants bordering the trail I tried to harvest exclusively from the side facing the trail, so passers by would be less likely to get stung (& maybe destroy the plants in frustration). ADDITIONALLY, I finished the foraging out by clearing away lots of vegetation that was choking out the nettles, thus making it easier for them to grow/spread. I don't want a full forest of nettles, but growing the patch larger (for now) won't hurt & will ensure larger harvests in future years. I grabbed some seed on the way out of the area, so I could plant some nettles in a garden when I was ready. I also gave half the seed to my gardening neighbor friends so they could plant some nettles too if they so desired (they did, & saved the seed).
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Some time during the first few days I STARTED carving a spoon. I of course didn't use green wood (like an idiot) so it's slow going carving it out. Maybe I'll finish it before I get a hold of suitably sized green wood, maybe not. Either way I think I'll finish it with the cured wood to ingrain the lesson into me about carving green vs cured wood.

Oh & here is the Nettles air drying, hanging in clusters from the ceiling. I think I'm a right proper witch now. & for anyone wondering, yes I did get stung several times collecting & hanging these nettles. Nothing major for me to be honest. Minor stings, minor reactions.

Still Day 9, just later in the day.
Time to do some BB's!
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Today I was going to do the dishes, & then I realized that I remembered perusing some BB's relating to that! First one is Wash Dishes by Hand from the Nest sand badge. To qualify:
- post a picture of the dirty dishes in the sink
- post a progress picture of the dishes being washed
- post a picture of the completed dishes with obviously less than 3 gallons water used
- describe the soap used, its grey water friendliness, & a link to the verifiable biodegradeable dish soap
Now, I don't typically even use soap when washing the dishes, as it's primary purpose is as a de-greaser. It's not needed to clean the dishes, as a really good scrubbing will do that just fine with most modern dishes (No pores in glazed ceramic, so tiny bits of food can't hang out there). I'm hoping that I still qualify for the BB using no soap. If not, well, I guess I'll find out & have to do it again! No big deal.
First BB done (permies.com/p/1275196).
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Additionally, there's another BB I can get during this task. Clean an Oily Dish Without Soap from the Nest sand badge as well. To qualify:
- the oily dish after the meal is over
- the food scraps going into a compost or animal bucket (if applicable)
- the dish being wiped with a piece of paper for future fire starter
- the last bit of oil being removed with hot water
- the newly clean dish
There were no food scraps so no need to post a pic of scraps going into compost or animal bucket.
Second BB done (permies.com/p/1275198).
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& finally, there's a 3rd BB I can get doing this, though I'll have to save up from a couple of dishwashings to do it, I think. Use Water From a Dishpan to Flush a Toilet or Water Something from the Greywater & Willow Feeders sand badge. To qualify:
- a picture of the dishpan with water
- a picture of the at least 3 gallons of water being used to flush a toilet or water something
- a picture & link to the verifiable biodegradeable dish soap
Again, I'm hoping I can get by without the use of soap for this BB. But if not, I'll just re-do it.
Third BB NOT done yet, but it will be soon.
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Day 10
Today I tried to go out & forage apple serviceberries, but ran into a problem. Well 2 actually. 1st, almost none were ripe yet. 2nd, all but 2 plants had some sort of disease on it, pictured below. I did some digging, & it seems like it's something called Cedar-Apple Rust. It's a type of gall-fungus that uses plants from 2 families to complete it's life cycle. Cupressaceae family (eastern red cedar and other junipers) and Rosaceae (apple, hawthorn, serviceberry). This tracks, because aside from on the serviceberries, I also found this 'rust' on some nearby rose bushes. Seems like I'll have to find somewhere else to forage serviceberries. I don't know if it negatively effects people if ingested, but the mutated & warped berries leaves & stems were enough to dissuade me from even considering eating them.
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I also found one house that had a couple of these amazing flowers. They looked (but did not smell?) like corpse flowers!
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No BB's today, sadly.

B Lunaress wrote: I think I'm a right proper witch now.

Haha! I feel that way, too, sometimes! After my kids go to sleep, I go out and harvest dandelions/cleavers/rose petals/whatever for my tea. There's just something about harvesting herbs in the light of the moon that feels all hedge-witchy!

& for ayone wondering, yes I did get stung several times collecting & hanging these nettles. Nothing major for me to be honest. Minor stings, minor reactions

We really lucked out with our property--we have a giant patch of nettles, and I love it! I always put on gloves and use scissors to prevent the stings. They're unpleasant! Though, putting sword fern spores, or plantain, on the stings does help a lot. (There's a BB for a plantain poltice, so you can totally get that one the next time you get stung)

Haha! I feel that way, too, sometimes! After my kids go to sleep, I go out and harvest dandelions/cleavers/rose petals/whatever for my tea. There's just something about harvesting herbs in the light of the moon that feels all hedge-witchy!

Nice! I'll have to give foraging in the moonlight a go soon.

& for anyone wondering, yes I did get stung several times collecting & hanging these nettles. Nothing major for me to be honest. Minor stings, minor reactions

We really lucked out with our property--we have a giant patch of nettles, and I love it! I always put on gloves and use scissors to prevent the stings. They're unpleasant! Though, putting sword fern spores, or plantain, on the stings does help a lot. (There's a BB for a plantain poultice, so you can totally get that one the next time you get stung)

I wear gloves when harvesting & hanging nettles, but it still doesn't prevent ALL of the stings, just MOST of them. They really aren't that bad for me. Maybe that's because I've done wasp-sting therapy in the past? In any case I don't NEED any medical treatment for nettle stings, but maybe I'll do it anyway for the BB. See if it lessons the time I feel it for. It's cool that you have a bunch of nettles. I'm collecting seed this year to sow my own patch elsewhere next year. I might even use them in guerilla gardening. We'll see!

Day 14 (18/06/21 GC)
Finally got another BB finished! It's been a few days, but progress is being made still so it's all good. I'm trying out a slightly modified update for these BB postings.
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So I finally did enough dishwashing to complete Use Water From a Dishpan to Flush a Toilet or Water Something - greywillow.sand.dishpan PEP BB
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Requirements

To show you've completed this Badge Bit, you must:
- a picture of the dishpan with water
- a picture of the at least 3 gallons of water being used to flush a toilet or water something
- a picture and link to the verifiable biodegradeable dish soap
- OR a 2-minute video of you doing the above and a link to the verifiable biodegradeable dish soap

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The primary purpose of dish soap is as a de-greaser. Since I wasn't de-greasing anything, no dishsoap was used. Just good old fashioned elbow'grease' here. 4.73 L is 1.25 Gallons.

UPDATE
Yesterday I went out & foraged some more Stinging Nettle (which came from a newly discovered patch somewhat near the first patch I found) & horsetail. The Previous weight of the Stinging Nettle was 327 g (0.72 lb). Yesterday I collected 242 g minus the 66 g for the bin for a total of 176g (.39 lb). That, plus 327 g gives me a total weight of 503 g (1.11 lb). Just over the 1 pound needed! The leaves this time were mostly some absolutely massive specimens!
As a Recap:
To document your completion of the BB, provide the following:
- A picture of one of the plants/fungi in the wild
- A picture of the bounty on a scale showing the weight
- A picture of the dried goodies in or with their storage container
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Now I don't have all the goodies dried & in containers yet. I still have to dry yesterdays Stinging Nettle Haul, & that will take a couple days via air drying, hanging from the ceiling. I also need enough bins to store all of this bounty. But I'm much closer!

I've officially been BB5 Certified! CEEEEEEEEELEBRATE good times, COME ON!

Day 17 (21/06/21 Gregorian Calendar or 17/01/01 Bloomian Calendar)
Finally finished the Dry Harvest List - foraging.sand.dry PEP BB.
The last haul finished drying, & I stored it in a couple containers. This is great, seeing as Stinging Nettles are useful for several BB's in the Natural Medicine Badge.
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I also knocked out the Dry Stinging Nettle Leaf for a Tea, Infusion, or Decoction - naturalmedicine.sand.dry.stingingnettle PEP BB.

Day 18 (22/06/21 GC)
So staff has ruled that my Use Water From a Dishpan to Flush a Toilet or Water Something - PEP BB greywillow.sand.dishpan BB doesn't qualify as it requires the use of biodegradeable dish soap. The biodegradeable part I would agree with, but using it all is a waste for me. Dish soap's primary purpose is as a degreaser, & since I don't eat greasy foods often enough for it to be worth having (& there are other free options that do basically the same thing, one of which is represented in a BB), I do not own biodegradeable dish soap. I also don't have much use for it, even if I did have it. So this means I'll have to wait until I can afford luxury expenses, buy dish soap, use it once for the BB, then regift it (can't easily sell used dish soap), & accept the loss of money. Yeah, it's only a bit, but waste is waste & I try to minimize it where I can. Alternatively, I MIGHT be able to get some from the free network I'm a part of. I can try that & hope it works out.
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Oh well. This isn't my site or my PEX, so I will comply. It's all worth it in the end. But if I get far enough to make my own PEX, it is something I will change. It is very hard to see eye to eye 100% of the time with people. This is one of those times. That's just life, & I get it. I still think the staff is by & large good people. I'm still learning so much by going through PEP, & that is something that I can't get anywhere else right now, as far as I know. I intend to continue on the PEP path until I finish it. So thank you Paul, & all the wonderful people, staff included, that make PEP possible.

Why not just buy some washing soda? Then the left-overs can be used to do your laundry, or clean the cooker, or the floor, or the sink, or for your room-mates to experiment with instead of their usual detergent? I'm not sure if anyone has tried the BB with wood ash yet but I have a feeling that would qualify.

I buy it in 1kg bags for not much over a euro and it gets used for all sorts of things. The idea of the BBs is to get you to experiment and educate others as you learn, not to cut corners and try to manipulate the decisions.

Burra Maluca wrote:Why not just buy some washing soda? Then the left-overs can be used to do your laundry, or clean the cooker, or the floor, or the sink, or for your room-mates to experiment with instead of their usual detergent? I'm not sure if anyone has tried the BB with wood ash yet but I have a feeling that would qualify.

I buy it in 1kg bags for not much over a euro and it gets used for all sorts of things. The idea of the BBs is to get you to experiment and educate others as you learn, not to cut corners and try to manipulate the decisions.

Washing soda? I could do that, but again I'm on a very tight budget (tldr: covid took my job & has made getting a new one difficult), so if the local free network can hook me up with some free biodegradeable dish soap, then I can use it for free & gift it back to the community. I can't actually make a fire of any kind in the area I'm in without getting into trouble, but eventually, if I haven't finished the BB by the point I can do a fire, I'll try it out & see if it qualifies.
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I'm not about cutting corners or manipulating the decisions. I'm about doing things in a way that holds to the spirit of the thing, & verifying what is & isn't allowed when something doesn't make sense. Making a polite request, not a demand. & complying with the final decision handed down.

PEP/SKIP is done entirely by volunteers. Volunteers make the badges, and they certify them. None of us are perfect, and none of us are Paul. I'm actually pretty sure that Paul doesn't like soap, and he might even be okay with certifying the dishwashing BB if someone used just water. But, Paul's a busy man. A really, really busy guy. And we really try to support the volunteers who certify so that they keep certifying.

We're not opposed to improving--in fact, many BBs have changed over time to refine them. But, we're also really swamped with making more BB pages and certifying BBs.

Here's a thread for posting BB refinement ideas: PEP refinement ideas

And here's a thread about about contesting BBs: PEP Court

This one fits with the others, too: Eliminating edge cases

One nice thing about the PEP dishwashing badge bit is that it is now  a resource for people looking for biodegradable soap. Since each of the BBs that are certified used a biodegradable soap, those posts are great places to look for a biodegradable soap, and for people to learn more about it.

I personally use Dr Bronner soap. I'm thinking it might be pretty easy and affordable to get a bar of Dr Bronner's soap and use a bit for the dishes and the rest for handwashing. Handwashing soap is just a bit more "fatted" than laundry soap or dishwashing soap, but it still cuts grease and is gentler on the hands. I've learned a lot about soaps here on permies!

Here's some of my favorite threads about soap/dishwashing:

Castile Soap and Build Up
Castile Soap Brands
hot-cure soap recipe from reclaimed oils?
Best Sources for Beginning Soapmakers
Cleaning with water
Can you wash dishes without soap?
graywater with dish soap

Nicole Alderman wrote:PEP/SKIP is done entirely by volunteers. Volunteers make the badges, and they certify them. None of us are perfect, and none of us are Paul. I'm actually pretty sure that Paul doesn't like soap, and he might even be okay with certifying the dishwashing BB if someone used just water. But, Paul's a busy man. A really, really busy guy. And we really try to support the volunteers who certify so that they keep certifying.

Entirely fair! Hence why, before asking & after receiving a verdict, I made it clear I would comply regardless of the decision. I'm not trying to make certifying harder on any of the staff here, & again am very grateful for everything everyone does to make PEP possible.

Nicole Alderman wrote:We're not opposed to improving--in fact, many BBs have changed over time to refine them. But, we're also really swamped with making more BB pages and certifying BBs.

I get that. I've read, even before this post, that staff are volunteer-based. That's part of why I asked about whether I could help make BB threads (done one so far, & will be getting to more over time).

Nicole Alderman wrote:Here's a thread for posting BB refinement ideas: PEP refinement ideas

And here's a thread about about contesting BBs: PEP Court

This one fits with the others, too: Eliminating edge cases

Thank you for the resources. I was not aware of the BB Refinement thread or Contesting BB thread. Sometimes it can be tricky finding things here, but I'm getting better at it, thanks in large part to the assistance of staff.

Nicole Alderman wrote:One nice thing about the PEP dishwashing badge bit is that it is now  a resource for people looking for biodegradable soap. Since each of the BBs that are certified used a biodegradable soap, those posts are great places to look for a biodegradable soap, and for people to learn more about it.

That is a nice benefit, I can't deny.

Nicole Alderman wrote:I personally use Dr Bronner soap. I'm thinking it might be pretty easy and affordable to get a bar of Dr Bronner's soap and use a bit for the dishes and the rest for handwashing. Handwashing soap is just a bit more "fatted" than laundry soap or dishwashing soap, but it still cuts grease and is gentler on the hands. I've learned a lot about soaps here on permies!

Affordable is relative. I think I've mentioned that I lost my job due to the pandemic, & said pandemic has made getting new employment difficult. But On the flip side, it has given me time to create a business, so as soon as that starts yielding returns, I'll probably try out Dr. Bronner's soap. Until then, I'll stick with my local free network for some suitable soap. I know some general information about soap, but I'm not an expert by any means. permies has been teaching me more about it though, as well as a documentary on 13th Century Castle Making (including all the small jobs that support a castle-making workforce in said time period). That documentary is actually where I learned about hardwood ash being used to mix with grease & fat to make soap (apparently, softwood ash does not work).

Nicole Alderman wrote:Here's some of my favorite threads about soap/dishwashing:

Castile Soap and Build Up
Castile Soap Brands
hot-cure soap recipe from reclaimed oils?
Best Sources for Beginning Soapmakers
Cleaning with water
Can you wash dishes without soap?
graywater with dish soap

Again, thank you for more resources to check out. ^-^

B Lunaress wrote:

Nicole Alderman wrote:We're not opposed to improving--in fact, many BBs have changed over time to refine them. But, we're also really swamped with making more BB pages and certifying BBs.

I get that. I've read, even before this post, that staff are volunteer-based. That's part of why I asked about whether I could help make BB threads (done one so far, & will be getting to more over time).

We really appreciate it! Thank you!

B Lunaress wrote:

Nicole Alderman wrote:Here's a thread for posting BB refinement ideas: PEP refinement ideas

And here's a thread about about contesting BBs: PEP Court

This one fits with the others, too: Eliminating edge cases

Thank you for the resources. I was not aware of the BB Refinement thread or Contesting BB thread. Sometimes it can be tricky finding things here, but I'm getting better at it, thanks in large part to the assistance of staff.

If I get a spare moment, I'll try and make a big wiki thread with links to all the different PEP/SKIP  threads so it's easier for people to find them all. It took me far too long to find the PEP Court one, and I think it'd be a lot better if it was easier to find this stuff.

B Lunaress wrote:

Nicole Alderman wrote:I personally use Dr Bronner soap. I'm thinking it might be pretty easy and affordable to get a bar of Dr Bronner's soap and use a bit for the dishes and the rest for handwashing. Handwashing soap is just a bit more "fatted" than laundry soap or dishwashing soap, but it still cuts grease and is gentler on the hands. I've learned a lot about soaps here on permies!

Affordable is relative. I think I've mentioned that I lost my job due to the pandemic, & said pandemic has made getting new employment difficult. But On the flip side, it has given me time to create a business, so as soon as that starts yielding returns, I'll probably try out Dr. Bronner's soap. Until then, I'll stick with my local free network for some suitable soap. I know some general information about soap, but I'm not an expert by any means. permies has been teaching me more about it though, as well as a documentary on 13th Century Castle Making (including all the small jobs that support a castle-making workforce in said time period). That documentary is actually where I learned about hardwood ash being used to mix with grease & fat to make soap (apparently, softwood ash does not work).

My kids and I LOVE watching BBC's Secrets of the Castle series. We've watched twice now, I think! The rest of the farm series is great as well (there's actually a big thread with all fo them here.

(I'd taken so long to dig up the resources, that I hand't seen your reply about soap. I'm sorry you're going through hard times--it's been such a crazy year! I hope you're able to find a job soon ♥)

Making a collection thread or post like that would be really useful, I think.
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You've seen it! Nice! I'll have to look at the farm series when I'm all done with the Castle Making part. Thanks for more useful links. ^-^
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Thank you. You & me both. I was a Nanny before. But as I said, I'm currently focusing on building up a business. So ideally, that takes off soon. I might go back to Nannying when the pandemic settles, but only if my business hasn't started supporting me by then.

Day 18 update
I completed another BB today. Dry enough horsetail for a tea, infusion, or decoction - medicine.sand.dry.horsetail PEP BB
I'm really enjoying the Natural Medicine badge so far. It, like the Foraging badge, is getting me out to the more natural places in my area (which I already do, but it makes happen more), & getting me to look even closer at the life found there. It's also helping me to see how I can improve those areas for future passersby.
Weight of bin plus Haul: 228 g
Weight of bin: 66g
True weight of Haul: 228 g - 66 g = 162 g (0.36 lbs)

"Sometimes it can be tricky finding things here"
I use All forums view on Permies
and Advanced search
to find things.

:D

Day 19 (23/06/21 GC)
Knocked out two BB's today. It's made easier for these since they piggyback off previous BB's.
Make an Infusion of Stinging Nettle Leaf - medicine.sand.infusion.stingingnettle PEP BB
Make an Infusion of Horsetail - medicine.sand.infusion.horsetail PEP BB

Day 40 (13/07/21 GC)
I've not been doing much lately, in all honesty. But today I finally got my BB10 Certification!

Congrats on your BB10 certification!

Thank you! It's been fun, & now it's time for me to push for BB20.