Teaoh Be

So as someone living off grid and making my own soaps, the detergents just kind of creep me out.

The most effective thing and pleasurable one for me is using used coffee grounds. They soak up grease, leave your hands dry, smells nice, gets ride of any odors and makes for a wicked compost. Nothing is wasted and it’s a pleasure to do. Ash is more work and needs water to rinse after, and me being ina dry climate, water. Ones at an expense.

Try it out and be amazed. Many cafes just throw out their coffee grounds, just ask and be surprised how happy they are for it not to go to waste

Great answers here, loving the knowledge on the humble squash.

My father used to tell me stories how in germany when he was growing up, people while harvesting would cut open the pumpkins, take out the seeds, and throw the pumpkins back onto the field. He said it was considered poor mans/uneatable food....i guess it might have depended on the variety but thats intense.

Anyhow, preference has got to be either Garlic (!yum on pretty much everything!) or the humble sweet potato - a survivor and big producer when done right. And, sweet potato fries anyone?! Yes, yes please.

Thanks for this!

Hey everyone,

so I havent been able to distinguish the variety of eucalyptus - asking the previous (portuguese) landowner and doing research (other blogs about the most common types say its most likely e.globulus - blue gum). It is definitely unbeatable, as 2 weeks after pruning/cutting new sprouts are already knee high.

To an earlier question, two properties surrounding ours are respectvely eucalyptus forest and pine forest. Thus, ill be thinning this forest down to the bare minimum (only the most beautiful and straight of pines will stay) and Im wondering, do you have any recommendations as to what trees do well in regenerating the soil after decades of eucalyptus?

Ive heard black locusts (robinalia pseudoacacia) does well here in portugal and is a soil fixer, and personally I'm going for all sort of variety and diversity over mass planting. The closest rows to the neighbour are going to be cypress (cypressus sempervirens) as research in spain is showing (insane!) fire retardant properties.

Any others I should be aware of?

Thanks a ton guys, this has been so utterly helpful!

I'm astounded and humbled to the degree that my chest and stomach are full of excitement. I've been looking for this information for months and all it took us1 day on premises, you guys have just changed my life and probably drastically improved the way I would've managed my forests. This is so much more sound than just thinning the weak trees or cutting clear circles and replanting.

The pines are pinas pinaster maritime pine so only wood producers and no idea about the eucalyptus, but it seems to shed a lot of bark which looks different to your picture posted.

I will probably need to take my time with clear cutting the forest for a moment as replanting in the heat of summer seems untenable and chainsaws are banned until October.

I will most definitely post pictures for sure,  thanks again guys keep it coming!!! If there's anymore you'd please do share!

Hey everyone,  long time reader first time poster here looking for some advice.

I've recently bought a little2 hectare mixed plot with 3 separate small pine, eucalyptus and small oak forests on it.

Being in Portugal that means massive fire risk and depletion  of soil life. The pine forest is maybe10 years old and much too dense in my opinion and the eucalyptus is nearly monoculture.  I've been considering cutting out the medium sized trees and maybe saplings to make space for other trees and grasses but my research on regenerative silviculture has not been very fruitful.

What would your recommend? Major use of the forest will hopefully be as a source for both food and wood,  more the former than latter and I just need want to decrease the chance of our land burning down entirely.  It's on a hilkside and I'm keen to either dig swales or majorly make terraces because it doesn't rain here for up to7 months a year.

Any help would be massively appreciated thanks everyone!