Catherine Brown

Thanks all!  Sorry I didn’t get back to respond sooner. We did read them all. We ended up using half bricks only. It’s a J-tube style 8” out of Erica and Ernie’s book.

The thread title asks it all, but for more explanation: Our semi-local big box stores only sell half bricks. We’ve bought them out of those twice now and have more halves than we need for the 8” system. I haven’t found a nearby wood stove shop for full size ones, but will keep looking. Our evenings are cooling so we need to get it going either way (otherwise ready to level the base this weekend) and it’s looking like we will have to order the full-sized firebrick online.

I’m assuming doubling half bricks for the burn tube, etc would significantly complicate sealing it all...or is that not the case?  Can we use just halves and double them up where necessary without a ton of extra cuts?  I didn’t find that specifically mentioned in the book or videos.  Any help with suggested suppliers or size/number adjustments would be appreciated!  

For annuals, I’d look at growing times. You want short season crops, under 90 days. If you’re in South central you likely get plenty of sun and warmth in a summer. I’d get an heirloom seed catalog (which includes seeds from Russia and the Ukrain), see which varieties have shorter growing seasons and experiment some. A catalog I’ve enjoyed is Baker Creek, and for cheaper prices (and a text-only catalog) you can find many of he same offerings from Sandhill Preservation. We have ordered from both and experimented a bit while living in SE AK. We ordered far too much and saved all our excess in the freezer (we ordered A LOT in preparation for homesteading and then spent a few years dealing with severe illness). When we moved to Missouri and pulled those seeds out of the freezer last spring (most over 10 years old), we expected maybe a 50% germination rate and ended up with closer to 90% and had to split everything super quickly. I’d say the seed stock is pretty decent given that experience.

Hugh Kay wrote:Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has experience growing red alder east of the Rockies.  I would like to plant some in mid Missouri (zone 6a), if possible.
Thanks,
Hugh

I'm with Hugh (somewhat literally).    

Any thoughts/experience on their ability to survive in Mid-MO?
Their invasiveeness?
Ability to withstand regular coppicing?

Thanks!

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:
Could you ask him for roughly the ratio of tea to DMSO? And did he use the gel, or the liquid?  

He used liquid DMSO, and the tea was pretty thick. He says he used ground up herbal grade comfrey root and didn't use any measurements: "I don't know I just put a bunch in." Then gently boiled it. Strained it. Allowed it to cool. Then used roughly 4 parts comfrey tea to one part dmso. It will get warm when mixing, so let it cool off before jarring.

Oh geez.  I totally forgot something that I personally used as a liver detox for 6 months straight.  It's...well...gross and likely controversial.  In a time of severe and ongoing illness, I used coffee enemas daily.  I feel it really helped, but there came a time when its effectiveness waned till it didn't help any more.  The theory goes that it doesn't so much speeding up filtration, but speeds up the "dumping" of what has been filtered by the liver, freeing up the liver to filter more.  Does it do that?  I can't say.  How?  I don't know.  The same people theorize that in enema form you don't get all the same negative effects on heart rate, stomach, etc.  I never felt a caffeine high from it, but I don't when I drink coffee either (And I wasn't a coffee drinker at the time).  I can only say it seemed to noticeably help me for quite some time when other things made me sicker or did nothing at all.  

Again, best of luck.  And...sorry if TMI!    Letting it all hang out.  lol

I would definitely support his liver with the medicines he'll be getting, lots of fluids and rest too, and probably some probiotics for his gut flora (or ferments, yogurt, etc) to help keep that stable too.  

I don't know about the others you have on hand, but comfrey is GREAT externally for tissue damage and healing.  I've been told not to use it with open wounds because it can cause rapid healing and trap in infection.  I would *think* a surgical wound would be fairly sterile...but just a word of caution there.  

I've personally used it (dried, chopped herbal grade) for pulled hamstrings that had given me days of severe pain.  I sprinkled it on a warm, wetted towel, then applied directly to my hamstring areas.  I placed a dry towel on the outside of that and then a heating pad (Because of it being the back of my thighs, I sat on all this on the couch, so really I did it backwards, so the heat would radiate up through the towels and comfrey.  

My husband made some recently into a solution and mixed it with DMSO (a horse linament, but an excellent absorbing carrier oil/solvent basically).  That's a bit more complicated...You make a fairly heavy comfrey tea, allow it to cool, strain it, mix it with the DMSO.  That creates an exothermic reaction, so you have to allow it to cool.  Once it does, it's ready for use/storage in a jar.  Just rub it on the effected area.

You didn't mention it, but tobacco is supposed to have almost the same soft-tissue effects in case you have that (Use in basically the same way).  

As far as liver protection, Milk Thistle is a good one specifically for that (I've also taken it for that reason, but just bought herbal capsules). Dandelion root is supposedly amazing for it, too, but no personal experience there.

Best of luck to him!  

Anyone?

Newbie question - why is my full name showing up as poster and not my username?  How do I change that?

ETA: Nevermind!  Didn't know the username rule.