Nicole Alderman

r ransom wrote:So, instruments are a buy it for life kind of object?

It depends on how you treat them! If you take your instrument outside, play it in the rain, bang it on things, etc, it might not keep sounding great forever. My husband has had a Seagull guitar for around 20 years. It still plays and sounds decent, but I bought him a new one last year. His old one had been played outside, gotten banged on by kids, got dropped a few time. We've fixed cracks in it, repaired the neck, and re-stained it over the years to keep it sounding good. And, it's still playable and sounds good to me. But, it's not as nice as the new Seagull I got him. It's all in how you treat them!

Nancy Reading wrote:

Nicole Alderman wrote:The walking onions I shared with my mom are doing way better at her house than mine, so she actually dug up a bunch of them (along with garlic and grape hyacinths) for me to give to my students.

I didn't know grape hyacinth were edible - there's my new thing for the day! They have a tendency to be invasive in the UK, so there is the opportunity to turn a problem into a solution there. :D

Apparently, only the flowers are edible--the leaves and bulbs have too much saponins. I tried eating some at my mom's house, and they weren't too delicious. Apparently, the biggest draw to eating them is that you can use them to color jam, lemonade, etc. They have the same anthocyanins as purple cabbage, and they act as a PH indicator. Acidic mixtures will turn them pink, alkaline mixtures will turn them blue. I haven't played around with them yet, though!

I asked my husband, and he said:

Each instrument ages differently but after being cleaned up it should be playable at 100. Mandolins are pretty stout. Tuners might need brushed and oiled or just replaced. Strings should be replaced at least annually, and finer strings are always easier on the instrument and player.

My husband has played my Great-Grandmother's mandolin. It's at my parents' house, so I'm not sure how old it is...but my great-grandma was born in 1899, so it's probably about 100 years old.

My husband just tunes the mandolin as a guitar and plays it that way. No one was ever concerned about it being damaged, and it is a pretty wall art as well as fun to play.

I'd have to ask him more about it (he's the musician, not me), but I'd get the mandolin!

It's as if the universe knew about this thread! I just picked up a grocery bag packed FULL of strawberries. There's more than enough for my students to each get a strawberry plant, and for my garden as well!

I also found out from my mom that the elephant garlic she gave me, had been given to her by her mother. Perennials carry such history and love.

If you're interested in selling on the Permies Digital Market, here's the how-to: How to set up a thread in the Digital Market

You can sell on Facebook Marketplace without any sort ID verification. I see things sold both locally and from far away, but I usually just get local stuff.

You can sell physical things here on permies, too, in the Digital Market here on permies. There's some pros and cons to selling physical items on permies.

Pros to Selling Physical things on Permies Digital Market:

• No upfront cost.
• No monthly cost
• Permies only takes a tiny cut of the money
• The only investment is the time spent in making a thread.
• You're selling to fellow permies, which is probably your target audience!
• It's free advertising. You could always arrange payment in other ways than through the permies system. Just say something like, "If you're interested in buying different quantities of items or are buying multiple things, PM me to arrange alternative payment methods." I've had people paypal me, some have mailed me a card with money, and I've set up special digital market threads just for other purchasers. But, it all started with the Digital Market thread.
• You can reply to your Digital Market threads with more pictures or information. This is a great way to "bump" the thread for increased visibility.
• If you're selling enough things, you can have your own Digital Market forum. You can see mine here

Cons to Selling Physical things on Permies Digital Market:

• There's no "cart," so you have to add shipping costs to each item and try to find a way to refund people if you want to.
• You can make "Package deals" to get around the issue, but it's a pain.
• People can only buy one of something. I've gotten around this by allowing people to "buy it as a gift" or having an "upgrade" for another item. But, it's a bit of a pain. Often people just paypal me for additional things.
• There's a learning curve to setting up Digital Market threads. It's not that intuitive, but it can be done!
• It's easy for your thread to get lost in the plethora of Digital Market threads.
• The Digital Market is not easily searchable.
• You only get paid once you've sold $20. And payments only come once a month.

I've sold at least 12 things on permies, and I've not sold stuff anywhere else. I like selling here, because it doesn't cost me anything, and if I need more income, I can always reply to my threads a few times to bump them up. That usually results in more sales. Honestly, though, I'm super busy right now, so I'm glad people aren't finding my threads. I do not have time to needle-felt right now!

Nancy Reading wrote:Many of my perennial vegetables came to me when I was writing my 'blog regularly - I found other people with similar interests and we exchanged messages and plants. I have three cornered leek and nodding onions, hosta, and some interesting Yacon and mashua varieties...

I'd forgotten about my hostas! I got those from my mom once I realized I could eat them. The same with the grape hyacinths I just got from her :D.

I like the saying 'if you want to keep a plant - give it away'. If your mother plant fails for some reason (exceptional drought/frost bugs) then if someone you know has one that you gave them, they may be very happy to give you a division back. Some plants haven't survived the lack of polytunnel over the last few years, so it is reassuring to think that some of the tubers I gave away may come back to me in time.

So true! I've given away bits of my lovage multiple times, and I cut off a bit too much the last time and was worried it might not come back and I'd have to ask for a division from one of the people I'd given it to.

The walking onions I shared with my mom are doing way better at her house than mine, so she actually dug up a bunch of them (along with garlic and grape hyacinths) for me to give to my students.

Do any of you have special stories relating to perennial plants?

I've been reworking my gardens over the last few days, diving up and spreading around my perennial fruits and veggies. It's got me thinking just how grateful I am for these amazing plants. Most of them were given to me, and all of them I've given divisions of to other people.

When I look at my lovage, I think of the various local homesteaders I've given chunks of it to.

When I see my French sorrel, I think of how my sister-in-law got it from a friend, and gave a division of it to me, and I've given it to many others. I'll probably plant some at my kids' school, too!

When I see my mint, I remember how I'd bought that plant when I was a kid and my mom let my brother and I pick out plants. He picked out a cactus. I picked mint. I was like 6 years old. That mint is still growing, and I got a division of it a few years back and planted it in my garden and around my chicken coop to keep away mice. I gave a bunch of it to my students this year, too.

When I see my walking onions, I remember how they were given to me by a friend here on permies, who got them from another permie. I gave some to my mom, and they've taken over. She gave me a whole bunch of baby walking onions, and I'll be planting them at school and giving them to my students.

When I see my rhubarb, I remember how it came from my grandma's garden, and I gave divisions of it to my neighbors and other local homesteaders.

When I see my strawberries, I remember how we snagged some for free off the side of the road, and our neighbor gave us some, too.

When I see my raspberries, I think of how some came from my grandma's garden, and some I bought, and how I've given many to friends and neighbors.

When I see my elephant garlic, I remember how they came from my mom. She just gave me regular garlic, too.

When I see my Babington leeks, I remember how I got them from free from a local homesteader and have shared them with many friends.

I've also given away chives, thimbleberries, comfrey and more that I probably can't recall off the top of my head.

I love how I'm always able to share with others. I don't have much in life, but the perennials make me rich in plants. They've given me ways to help others, build friendships, grow community resilience, and continually have more food. I can give some away, and still have more that keep growing that I can spread around my property.

I love how these plants cost so much if you try to buy them, but they're free if you have community that has them. They don't take much work to keep alive, and they keep giving you bounty for you and those you gift them to.

They are truly the gift that keeps giving, and that you can keep giving!