Tanya White

Tonight I made a stewing hen in a slowcooker (older bird). I took the skin off to make cracklings later. Added garlic and potatoes towards the end. The hen had tons of flavor.

Can't help but post again - I feel like I am so much better at cold weather recipes vs hot weather. I just can't seem to master cold/cooling dishes (like a good potato salad).

Last 3 nights:
1. delicata squash stuffed with millet plus ground beef. I had precooked millet in freezer.

2. chicken based soup with mushrooms and barley (also precooked that I had in freezer, takes forever to cook).Dried mushrooms were rehydrated and fried in butter with a little flour to thicken the soup. Garnished with dill. Chicken was from a neighbor down the street, really made a great broth.

3. Mustard greens with andoille sausages.

Loving the cooler weather!

Open the windows and regular cleaning/dusting for sure. I am a fan of clean smelling essential oils (eucalyptus, rosemary, mint, and citrus), but my partner doesn't like any scents. A simmer pot in cooler seasons sure is awesome. I do add small amounts of essential oils when cleaning. For instance, when using a vinegar spray.

I often hang laundry outside and put various items outside to air out, like the trash can, slippers, and hampers. Sunlight and fresh air really help.

Biggest problem is cooking smells. One time we left the house for a week and closed the windows. Came back to house smelling like the last meal we ate!

I killed about 30 last year and this year only found 2. Lots of other caterpillars and tons of butterflies this year in my area.

This is from personal experience

-Firewood from felling the right trees. Which will let in a little more light.
-Ramps.
-Mushrooms.
-Vines that don't mind part shade and won't strangle a tree (maypops on the edge of wood).
-Neighbor has a pig. This is a pet pig. He LOVES those acorns. I see him almost every time I drive by. As many people mentioned, animals may be of use.
-Many things just didn't grow well for us in more woodsy area. Or grew but didn't fruit.

Tons of black bears here, at least 4 that frequent our property, a new tiny baby cub this year. They go for other food (like apples, not a single one left for us, and they love the birdfeeder) and never touch the compost. Electric fencing helps if you keep up with trimming the grass.

Not very permie, but we do have an electric composter which we use for chicken and fish bones primarily and then add the product to the compost pile. Or sometimes in winter when too cold to take stuff out there. We bury larger bones very deep in the garden (beef or pork). That way, no smelly trash and no particularly smelly compost. I always top fresh additions to compost with some soil and less attractive matter (i.e. watermelon rinds get buried a little deeper into the pile).

Edit: I should add, don't let the bears get habituated. They should be scared of humans. City bears are certainly different and may not be easily deterred at all. If your friend lives in a more suburban setting, bears may be more bold and less predictable.

I grow red Chinese noodle beans and save the seeds even in bad years (except moldy ones), at least from best looking plants. Then I mix the seeds up. And give some away. At least that way you can sow more thickly and replant if crop gets destroyed early on (looking at you, bunnies).

I have long wavy hair and so does my partner. I like to keep everything as simple as possible.

For me, I have only a few: hair down, low ponytail, high ponytail, low bun, high bun, simple braid, bun with a claw clip. For hairties, we use silk scrunchies. The smaller scrunchies, super skinny ones, are "manly" looking enough to share and are small enough to secure end of braid. Partner has just 2 hairstyles: low ponytail, ponytail half loop into a bun.

There are tons of silk scrunchies on Etsy, various sizes. They don't pull your hair out. I wash them in the washer on gentle cycle in a bag and hang to dry. They last for many years. That way they don't stretch out too much. I won't use any other hairtie.

Oh, and I can't figure out how to make a bun so I bought one of those slap bracelets that wrap around your ponytail and make a bun.

The key to not needing hairclips is a nonlayered haircut and parting down the middle. We have been cutting each other's hair for years. We use a thing called creaclip which looks gimmicky, but works. Basically, it is a plastic clip that allows you to trim hair straight across/half moon shape. Long hair is much, much easier to maintain for me than short hair ever was.

I know that this is an old discussion, but I've used Knapp Made Chainmail Dishcloth for 7+ years now. The chainmail is so fine it doesn't scratch things. I even use it on crystal. I don't have any nonstick pans, however, so not sure if it would be okay for that. I run it through dishwasher to sanitize when dirty. One of my absolute favorite purchases.

Nancy, I would have never thought of plastic sheeting idea. I don't have a way to implement that now, but I think this won't be the last time for such dilemma.

We are now on day 19 (or 20, I am not actually sure, I just remember Aug 1 it was raining). This morning started off with a downpour. On the bright side, it has been a good mushroom season. The root cellar has not flooded - pleasantly surprised. There is a rain garden above it, seems to work well.

I am learning that short season varieties really do help with unpredictable weather (mentioned by Carol Deppe in her books). Seed hoarding is important too. I haven't been able to collect many seeds. Some are drying indoors now.