Cathi Allen

I've fallen away from doing sprouting and microgreens, but a few things I learned when I was doing it:

1 - Most birdseed is treated to not sprout, because it is often seed that modern western homes consider weeds, and they don't want them cropping up in the yard. If you are absolutely set on trying to sprout birdseed look for the cheapest junkiest you can find to be most likely to sprout. (not saying it would be safe and uncontaminated with other stuff, but if you were determined to do it...)

2 - Todd's Seeds, at least a few years ago, had some of the widest variety and best pricing in sprouting seeds. And if you can sprout it, you can grow it into microgreens.

3 -  If you are looking at using growing pads for microgreens, be very careful, they are often pretty chemically, and plain old light soil and fine sifted compost works fine without getting used up.

Anne Miller wrote:...
Sorry to hear about the rats though.

I would have thought rats too, or something big like squirrels (the bane of my solar system wiring) or even chipmunks. But it seems to have been plain little bitty field mice!

I just started back at work after 3 months of medical leave with no paid leave of any sort. We've been doing a partial-to-total pantry challenge the whole time and will continue for a few months as bills get caught up.  The worst part was finding stuff that I'd let go so long it really wasn't usable (usually I packaged it wrong, thinking it would be used faster). That and what had been hit from behind by rodents that chewed through plastic storage bins to get to the boxed goods inside!  There will be a yearly short pantry challenge from now on to make sure this never happens again.

Cliff Taylor wrote:Does the sourdough without fail book include information on making gluten free bread?

I want to know too! Medically necessary auto-immune celiac here, so GF is non-negotiable.   I haven't tried doing sourdough yet but was starting to look into it so  I really hope this book goes there.  

Jay Angler wrote:

John C Daley wrote:...
- the issue of changes to the upstream landscape that has increased runoff.

The biggest issue in my area is the increase in "hardscape" by humans.
1. Houses are much larger and cover more of the property.
2. Gravel driveways being replaced with asphalt or concrete.
3. "Wild" hedgerows being replaced with monoculture hedges, or worse, grass.

Yes, the storms are getting larger and wilder. However a fairly bad storm went through Geoff Lawton's farm in Australia. He had almost no damage, and the damage that was done was easily repairable, because he'd done the permaculture approach in advance.

If we get everyone in increasingly risky areas, getting everyone in the landscape to take a more permaculture approach, we likely could reduce the levels of damage we're seeing from storms in many cases, even if not in all cases.

I've just begun studying in a master rain gardener class in my community. I realized that it takes a much smaller area than most people probably think to capture a fair amount of what would otherwise runoff and give it time to soak in.
A lot of suburban communities, even in the dreaded HOA holes, could find ways to use small areas to manage each home's water runoff, but the suggestion of permaculture sends people running clutching their pearls like someone suggested adding portals to hell in their front yards.  Yet there is increasing acceptance of terms like rain garden, so I am hoping to bring permaculture awareness in bits and pieces to the suburban masses. If they won't buy in under one word I'll sell them on another.

I noticed in the Wikipedia article that the amaranth family is the largest family of C4 plants. I'm hoping the more edible varieties are among the C4 species because that becomes great all-purpose growing: Carbon sequestration, edible greens, and gluten-free grain (I have autoimmune celiac, so I love that I can grow my own GF flour).

Zachary Bertuzzi wrote:I think if anyone wants to get back into biking or just start, you should invest in a good bike. But before you buy a bike I’d recommend you go to a bike shop that will fit you. Tell them what type of biking you want to do (road biking, mountain biking, trail and gravel roads, city or commuting, etc). This will help them know if you’ll be riding more upright or “down in the drops” (drop bars)...
BUT you don’t need to spend a lot of moola on a bike. One thing that upped the comfort level for me initially was swapping out the handlebars for a more swept-back style. That being said, don’t be afraid to upgrade things like seats and handlebars, they make a huge difference!

Shortly out of college, more decades ago than I like to admit, I got a second job to pay for a paralegal program. Ended up staying at it long enough to have a good chunk extra, which I spent getting a new bike, that fit me right. It was down to two, and fortuitously the clerk advised me that, though it was a little more, the one bike was much more adaptable so that in the future I could change it up as needed without changing the entire bike out. This was because I had indicated an interest in possibly getting two bikes, one to be my street and stores bike and one to be a trail bike with light off trail capabilities for bike camping. With that good advise on an adaptable foundation, I've been able over the years to switch things like seats, handlebars, and tire types to suit my lifestyle and aging body. In the long run, I've saved hundreds, if not thousands, vs. randomly trying different bikes until one fit and switching bikes every time I needed something different.  

Hello Kristine, welcome and a quick silly question. Would the pond information in your book also apply if I simply want to maintain our pond for wild ducks that visit seasonally?  We have a pair of Mallards that show up every spring like clockwork.)