Hal Schibel

I love hearing what people like about their jobs!

I went into hydrogeology and water resources. After I got into the field, I pivoted more toward data and records management (stuff that no one wants to deal with but needs to happen!) and ended up with a remote job as a data engineer. This job sounded promising at first but I found that they did not have a lot for me to do (which drove me crazy!) and then they decided to have everyone return to the office (after a bunch of us had been approved to move out of state) and I left.

I've been fortunate enough to have a husband that can support both of us especially since we started living below our means back when we had two incomes. I've been able to volunteer my time a lot within our local community and started pursuing SkIP soon after leaving my remote tech job. I actually just got offered a part-time job as a kitchen manager at the local senior center which I will start next week! I am super excited to grow my cooking and kitchen management skills while being useful to my community.

David Nightingale wrote:PNW coffee drinkers can be picky, we have great coffee.

I definitely miss the PNW coffee since I moved inland. I realized that it's not just about the coffee itself, coffee and coffee shops are a big part of the culture as well!

David Nightingale wrote:Yet, the Japanese have a Dark roasted (burned) barley when soaked in water makes exceptional iced coffee.  Mixed with Argentine mate for caffeine I drink it all summer long.

I've heard of mate but am not super familiar with it. What's the difference between yerba mate and Argentine mate?

David Nightingale wrote:Chicory is an excellent additive to lengthen a coffee supply but it can get out to control in most climates.  Cheers.

Have you tried chicory root in coffee before? How was it?

I was excited when I found out that chicory root would make a good substitute because last summer I saw fields and fields overrun with chicory when I go out for a drive. I have only found one chicory plant on my property but I hope to propagate more now that I know it grows well here. I would dig it up and try it if I didn't want to lose my one chicory plant! Perhaps I'll go foraging sometime this year for some.

Another coffee substitute I've heard about is sweet potato coffee. My sister-in-law told me she made some and she said it probably tastes like coffee, but she is not a coffee drinker so I think I will have to try it for myself to find out. Has anyone else tried sweet potato "coffee?"

I love the thought of making your own instruments out of what you have lying around!

I am not personally familiar with cigar boxes, but one thing I remember hearing about growing up was making a guitar out of a tissue box or a shoe box and some rubber bands or strings. I don't think I tried this myself, but this can be a fun project to do with kids.

Here is a useful video I found after a quick search that actually explains the different kinds of common stringed instruments and then shows you how to make a guitar out of a shoebox. I'm sure there are a lot of tutorials out there for this type of thing. Fun stuff!

The other day I was scrolling through Youtube and I thought I'd find some simple gardening videos to try and figure out why I always kill all of my plants when I feel like it should be something stupid simple. For years I've been resigned to saying that I just don't have a green thumb but after watching this simple video about pruning it was like a light bulb turned on. I had been trying to follow miscellaneous bits of advice like "use lots of mulch!" or "never prune your plants!" or "you need to have some sort of greenhouse effect to start seeds" without actually having a fundamental understanding of how plants work. I've done things like suffocating my seedlings, let things grow way out of hand so that they choke everything out, let my herbs bolt and die without a clue as to what I was doing wrong, etc. etc.

So for everyone else out there that does not have a green thumb or they have turned their thumb green through a lot of frustration and perseverance, I would like to know...

What was an "aha!" moment you had where you found a piece of information that was seemingly stupid simple but it made all the difference for you? This is likely something that the "experts" neglect to explain because it should be obvious (but obviously it wasn't for some of us).

For me, it was the fact that when you cut a plant it grows back. And you can control how it grows back. I guess I always knew this because things like grass grow back but for some reason it did not occur to me that an herb will grow back. i tried this on my sad sage and basil plants that I have growing in my kitchen window and the they are both putting out a million more little sprouts (branches? leaves?) and are no longer all leggy. Here's the simple video that I was watching:

I would like to rescind my previous submission as it was a duplicate of the foraging "make a tea" BB and I would rather use that cup of tea for the foraging BB. Apologies, I thought some BBs could be used as two-fers.

Anyway, here is a completely different dandelion infusion made from dried dandelion leaves.

Harvesting dandelions.


Cutting them up.


Dehydrating dandelions.


Stored dandelion leaves.


Getting ready for tea.



Pouring the hot water.


Completed infusion.

Rebekah Harmon wrote:Could currants count?

Mike Haasl wrote:I'm not sure if those are a foraging option in Montana...  

I was just about to ask about currants as well. They grow like weeds here. I found this article claiming tgat tgey grow in Montana:

https://extension-store.montana.edu/montguides/growing-currants-and-gooseberries-in-montana

If it doesn't work for this BB, I think the dry list says you can harvest "berries" (without the specific type being specified).

For this badge bit, you will create a dandelion leaf or root poultice.
- Make dandelion leaf or root poultice, with pictures of it being made, and of it being finished.

To document this BB, post pictures or a 2-minute video depicting the following:
-Your dandelion leaves or roots being harvested
-Your poultice in mid-preparation
-Your completed poultice

Dandelions being harvested


Separating out parts of the plant


Mortar and pestle. This was actually my first actually super successful use of the mortar and pestle. Hurray!



Completed poultice

To show you’ve completed this Badge Bit, you must post:
- a picture of your plants being harvested
- a picture of the infusion being made
- a picture of the finished  infusion

Harvesting dandelions



Making infusion



Finished infusion

To show you've completed this Badge Bit, you must post:
- a picture of the fresh herb being harvested
- a picture of your herbs drying (hanging, in a dehydrator, in a bag, etc.)
- a picture of your herbs in a sealed and labelled container, with the label indicating where the herbs came from, the method of drying, and the date

Harvesting dandelions.



Rinsing off the dirt.


Chopping them up.



Dehydrating.


Completed dried dandelion root.