Jen Harrin

Yep, a translation error! Brackens contain ptalquiloside, which is a carcinogen (translator probably conflated carcinogen with nicotine since it is the most widely known English language carcinogen).  You gotta soak or boil bracken ferns (although ptalquiloside is water soluble, good penetration of the water throughout a fiddle head can be hard to ensure. Boiling is more reliable, as ptalquiloside begins to break down when even slightly warmed). Otherwise it's not the bitter flavor you worry about. Eat enough of them and you could be increasing your cancer risk. It's been known to cause cancer in cows and it is thought to be a contributing factor to the high rates of stomach cancer in Japan and Korea.

I'd work with what you got. Granted, I'm biased as a botanist that focuses on native northwest plant species ;)

Any of our native berries should do well -- hucks, blueberries, native blackberries (avoid Himalayans, they'll choke out everything), salmonberries, and thimbleberries are normal succession fruit plants for our conifer forests. Jeremy nailed it with the huckleberry recommendations, but I'd like to add that evergreen hucks are also a good choice for low altitudes and closer to the coast. You can slowly begin correcting the acidity of the soil without losing most of the above berries, with the exception of hucks and blueberries. Fill in those holes with other fruit trees as the soil profile evolves.

I'm all about simplicity. My favorite way is to saute them in a bit of butter and crushed garlic, then toss them with some pasta, lemon juice, fresh grated parmesan, cracked black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Simple, light dinner that can be made in minutes. Sometimes we use spaghetti squash instead of pasta.

bruce Fine wrote:

are was studs 1x2, 2x3 for real 2x4's? is there wood roof under the corrugated metal roof? is there delivery and setup cost?

I'll have to look into the studs, good call! Delivery and set up on a pre-installed foundation are included for the size we are looking at (may be a small fee if you are way off the beaten path, though, according to the gentleman I spoke with). Roof sheathing, engineer stamped plans, floorboards, etc are included, and there are options for a vapor barrier and wind/snow packages to meet local codes. I was clued into them when I called the permit office with some questions in one of the counties on our short list for a land purchase, and he mentioned these as an example of something that they will permit and give a CO on as long as foundation etc meets code and passes inspection.

Our issue with doing a complete scratch build on a temp home is our plan is to do this mortgage/debt free, so speed of getting out on the property is needed so we don't keep paying ridiculously high rent in town somewhere. I also don't want to get stuck in a moldy RV for 5 years if things take a bit longer than expected (and a used RV in my neck of the woods will cost us the same as the kit and will likely be moldy).

We've done scoby gummy candy, before.  They are also good for compost. These days I tend to give away my extras through my local Buy Nothing group. (I have two kombucha jars going at any given time, so a lot of scobys!)

Here's a website I found with a bunch of ideas Kombucha home

We're looking at putting something up quickly as a temporary residence while we self finance a more permanent build, then using it as a guest house for WOOFers or similar afterward. I've seen a few of these https://oldhickorybuildings.com/Old Hickory Sheds  around and am intrigued. I got the brochure and price list and have looked a bit into permitting it, and I'm still intrigued. I'm aware it's just a shell, which isn't a huge concern as we have the skills and creativity to finish it out inexpensively.  Anyone have any experience with these? Anything we should know?

I'm not sure why there is conflicting info from those websites, as the components in Galium have been studied and there is caffeine in galium. I could only find one journal article that wasn't behind a paywall that listed caffeine as one of the active alkaloids in Galium aparine. Link

Bedstraw, also known as cleavers (Latin name Galium aparine), seeds have caffeine in them and have a nice enough flavor.   They grow as a weed in most of the US and are extremely easy to cultivate -- just box them in as you would a mint because they will spread! Galium odoratum, sweet woodruff, is better known in gardening circles but I am unaware if its seeds contain caffeine.

Seeds are shaken off the plant once dried, then you can roast and grind them like coffee. Doesn't taste exactly like coffee, but gives a nice kick to herbal tea blends and tastes well enough on its own.

I need to get out and collect some long pine needles, as I'd like to weave a few baskets this winter. It requires going up the mountain a bit as there are mainly just red cedars, spruce, and firs around me. Should probably do that before the wet season really gets underway...

I'm predominantly a vegetarian. I do eat local honey, farm eggs, and the occasional bit of cheese (usually something fancy from the farmer's market as a treat - I'm lactose intolerant and can't eat a lot of dairy). Having raised our own layer ducks I personally don't see eggs, when sourced from a good home, as an ethical conundrum. Chickens and ducks are nature's composters :) We will very occasionally have fish, maybe once a month or so - we live on the coast and can source local seafood easily. I'd probably eat something someone close to me hunted, although I'm not much for hunting myself. I've never liked red meat even though I'm related to a long line of cattle ranchers. Go figure!

I fell into (mostly) vegetarianism sort of by accident. I'm not fond of most meats from a flavor standpoint, and it was less expensive to not buy meat. The main push after that was environmental concerns with CAFO's and other factory farming methods, along with food transportation. We made steps to make all of our food as local and small producer orientated as possible, which eliminated most meat. When we had our place, we took on the challenge of producing as much of our food as possible, which mainly meant produce, beans, and eggs. Not everything, mind you, no way we had the room for grains and you can't really grow avocados in the PNW ;) I will say our health improved significantly when we quit eating meat, but this is in large part because we eliminated processed foods when we went veg. We don't buy "fake meats" - I make veggie burgers, seitan "sausages," and even tofu (from both soy beans and chickpeas) instead of buying it. No fake cheeses or frozen vegan delights, either.

We are both doctor-tested healthy - low cholesterol, low BP, good nutrition. I'm guessing someone could have similar health benefits as ours and still eat small quantities of meat as long as they focused on whole, unprocessed foods. I see our diet as one of many optimum diets one could choose from.

As for veganism, no judgement but it isn't for me.  I can and do respect many a vegan, even those whose reasons for the diet I don't agree with. It is possible to be healthy and vegan, and I shall never ask you how you get protein ;) I am very much against unethical raising of animals for product, as I would assume most permies would be! By unethical I mean  treatment of the animals before they are slaughtered, treatment of product as it is processed for human consumption (and addiction), and the treatment of the environment throughout the whole process. I am not against ethically producing meat, for in my humble opinion if I was to be against meat consumption it would be an egotistic view that lifts the human out of the food chain, as though we are some supreme being and not the animals that we are. Of course, I can anthropomorphize plants just as much as animals, so if I went too far down the meat is murder rabbit hole I'd quickly also feel plants are murder and I would soon be unable to eat anything! Know thyself, and all that jazz!