Josh Hoffman

Okay, I must have just noticed the year appearing after a hyphen in the subject line. I did not realize it had been there all along. For example:

R. Ford wrote:Sounds like you have an infinite switch/s that is stuck. It uses a bi-metal piece to control when current is applied to the burners. Look behind the burner knobs or if you have a control panel. They are easy and cheap to replace if you can source them for your particular use.

+1, very likely the culprit.

I may have missed when this was done or mentioned.

I imagine knowing how old the post is, if it is not current, will really help temper expectations for those looking at the invitations.

A very good idea and a very thoughtful idea. Thank you.

Jay Angler wrote:I tried hard to suggest that those living lighter on the land are part of the solution.

Yes.

M Ljin wrote:Josh—

So are you essentially saying, you approve of having children insofar as the family can feed them self-sufficiently off of their piece of land, and the land is able to support them?

Not exactly, because I believe it would take a cooperating community to be able to meet all of the community members needs. We are not able to meet all of our needs.



In both instances, I am pointing out my observation that it is consumerism causing the issues, not population growth.

Our family of 8 consumes less than an average city dwelling couple with no kids from what I have seen with folks I know, coworkers, etc.

As for the math, I really couldn't say what choices our children would make. To go into more detail on how we are teaching and training them an dhow that will affect their decisions would be pretty far out of the topic question.

If they are, or are not a problem may be a question of context. Context is King.

We have 6 kids and hope to end up with 8-10. If we were in a city raising them under the banner of consumerism, or anywhere and raising them under the banner of welfare benefits, I can see why we'd want to discuss why it may be prudent to not have kids.

Since we live rurally and are learning to provide as many of our needs as possible, I consider our large family to be a benefit to our culture and nation. We homeschool, home birth, pay taxes on my income for those under the banner of welfare. We invest in our land and hope to pass it along, ready to provide for our children.

I am PRO LARGE FAMILY in this or a similar context. I am NOT pro large family under the banner of consumerism or welfare or any parasitic scenario you could think up. The conversation may benefit from asking; which class of people's birthrates are declining and which class of people's birthrates are increasing.

It may not be as black and white as just asking if we are trending positive or negative in population reproduction/increase.

James Stott wrote:Did you find your Lemon Balm slow to start? I'm three weeks in and my seedlings are still tiny.

Yes, not as slow as Oregano but pretty slow. But like Oregano, once it gets going, it really takes off!

Cheryl Gallagher wrote:1 cup oil (I prefer avocado)

+1 on the avocado oil. it is great!

Benjamin Dinkel wrote:Hey Josh,
I'm suprised too. I thought there would be a longer period in which it would always compress and compost back down.
The leaves might be part of it, although the ones in contact with moisture and the BSF larvae disappear quickly.

In general a lot of things work better with bigger volume to surface area ratios. The test pile might just be too small.

Okay, so just the ones that stay dry, that makes sense with the open sides.

I think the recommendation is a 1.5 meter cube for a family of 4. I am shy of this but I have solid walls and the top is open so I get to 150-160 degrees within 36 hours of making a deposit and after things start to cool back down the BSF activity gets very high. I try to switch it over every year, while the ambient outside temps are still higher, to get a good base going for the cooler weather.

I like the experimentation you are doing!

Benjamin Dinkel wrote:Deposit #12. It's getting rather full.

Based on the volume in the wire container and the frequency you make deposits, I am surprised it is getting full this rapidly.

We have 2 spots that are 4' cubes (480 gallon volume) next to one another. There are 8 of us and I save 6 buckets full before I deposit them into the pile. The current pile is about a year old and is roughly 3' of the 4' height. I have also added several dead animals to the pile during this past year.

I use grass clippings to cover the pile year round (I bag and save them in a spot next to the compost pile for winter cover). I wonder if the leaves are the reason it is filling so quick. I have a pile of leaves about 6'x3'x3' that my 2 boys pee in all day, every day. I also put leaves in the with the chickens. The leaves do seem to take quite a long time to break down in both scenarios. If I bag them with the mower and they are partially shredded, that helps some.