Sonja Draven

L. Tims wrote:Anyone know of some nice thick-skinned storage/cooking varieties, that would probably be not very nice to eat fresh? It's hard to find information on those, haha. I get the sense that older varieties and russets are the thing to look at but haven't found much in the way of specifics.

Grew up with Wolf River and it fits that criteria.  They freeze great for pie, etc too.

Banana pudding. As a kid it was with instant vanilla pudding and Nilla wafers.

Between going gluten-free and then whole food plant based,  I hadn't had it in years. But I have been experimenting with making vanilla Chia pudding and vanilla cookies and am enjoying the playing.

Great post, Kelsy.  You actually sound very attractive in a lot of ways and i hope you find the man and area you are looking for!

Yes!  Welcome to the PNW - where people ask if the scratches on your arms are from tangling with your cat or blackberries.  ;)

Nicole, I had a similar project a few years ago.  There was an abandoned blue plastic tarp in some of the woods where we had had a wood storage area when I was a kid.  So it had been there disintegrating for 20+ years.  Some of it came out in folded chunks but mostly it was lots of little/tiny pieces.  And I didn't want to waste the good soil it was in or leave a big ugly hole so it was a lot of hands/knees work to pick out all of the little pieces.  So satisfying to have that part of the land start really healing though.

A couple years later, I ran into this:  http://airliftseparator.com/

I'm sure it's too expensive for the household projects like yours and mine but it still seems like a pretty handy gadget for larger projects!

I thought this was helpful for both men and women (especially us introverts):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqpYaQy1-jg

So I'm whole-food plant based so NOT typical SAD OR vegan eater.  I came to this way of eating from a health angle not from a save the earth/animal angle but I do see that as a side benefit (especially since I do focus on cooking whole foods for myself, not packaged or takeout, and do focus on local/regional most of the time.).  I have read a bit about the earth/animal angle because of the overlap in the food choices I make but I haven't researched it and I don't feel super strongly about it.

I am interested in and supportive of your book and although feel very new to permaculture, I am sold on it and your ultimate conclusion that growing your own (or supporting your neighbors) is best.  However, I don't see what you posted re. the carbon-related (dis)value of going vegan as supporting that conclusion.  I don't feel that quoting a vegan activist in an article supports negating a claim made in a movie.  I followed the links he referred to to the "conclusion" and the link to the actual study in English is broken.  I like to read the source data myself as much as possible rather than someone's interpretation of it and since I can't do that, and what you posted only refers to this one article as your reason for dismissing this large (potentially faulty) claim, I'm personally not convinced that claim is as wrong as you/he state.

Your book may be written differently than what's posted here and might have lots of great citations.  But if it doesn't, I would shore that up if you actually want to change the minds of people who don't already agree with you and won't just go amen, brother! to that chapter.

I'm sorry, Jocelyn, that's rough!  I hope you are able to figure out the cause and fix it.  

You may have already tried this but my BIL has had good success with (I think apple cider) vinegar.  Just spritz under the arms after washing and once it dries it is pretty neutral or non-existent odor (unless then he smells like vinegar).  He does have to wash and reapply after major workout but he is a pretty pungent fellow without anything and it does the trick.

I take dental hygiene very seriously so was frustrated a few years ago when they questioned what I was using for floss at my cleaning appointment.  Turns out there was a general consensus that Glide floss feels nice but is ineffective.  I switched to an unwaxed kind that then stopped being made. Since then I also switched to Dr Tungs and like it. You can get a big box through Amazon.

I also need to floss because of my some unique spaces but going whole food plant based generally made my teeth very clean. Now at my cleanings we spend more time talking after she tells me she doesn't feel like she is doing much. 😊 ( I am going to watch longer between visits now.)

Sorry no suggestions on plants for this.

Norma Guy wrote:I guess my coolest recent find was my Elektra Evolv climbing shoes, for less than a tenth of their original price.  Not something that would have in the budget to buy new.

Almost everything I own was thrifted.  Thanks to working in a thrift store I get an awesome discount too, but I always shopped thrift even before working there.  At Christmas they give us all gift certificates that can be combined with our discount... so good.  I get my husband really good workwear, Carhartt and Dickies, that will last longer in the woods, for less than a tenth of the original price.  And his two favourite pairs of shoes, Vibrams, and a really good pair of CAT work boots, were thrifted.  My wool base layers were thrifted.  The kid in our lives, almost everything she owns was thrifted or passed down from us, and when she grows out of it it gets donated again.  All my bedding.  All our dishes and cups.  Our printer.  Most of my books about permaculture, building, and homesteading, were thrifted.  We have a lot of things we never could have afforded to buy new.  Not sure what the single biggest score has been, because it's most of what we own.

Norma, I'm jealous (in a good way) that you can find that stuff at thrift stores and get good deals.  Good for you!!