Alex Howell

It's the perfect time of year, so here is me harvesting wild Fish mint (common forageable known as "dokudami" in Japan, named after it's detoxification properties) flowers.

I harvest the leaves of this plant yearly and dry them for teas, but the fresh leaves are too bitter to drink.

This year I decided to see how the flowers alone would taste, so I decided to make a quick cuppa for this BB.

Turns out the flowers have a very pleasant, light flavour! Maybe I'll try them dried next...

Thank you for reviewing my submission!

I found an old maul in my warehouse that has seen better days... The blade was chipped and blunted, and the handle has been repaired numerous times with stainless steel wrap and tape (the next job on my list is replacing the handle itself).

The first time I took a file to it I curved the tip of the blade entirely to one side, but after some work on the other I brought it back to a nice straight edge.

I thought about using sandpaper to finish, but the new edge could cut paper without any issues, so it didn't seem necessary.

Thank you for reviewing this submission!

The tougher bits are great for stock, just toss them in a bag and freeze them for when you need them.

I use the softer, juicy stuff alongside regular onions in sauces and soups also, so never tend to have any left after that...

Interested to see if pickling works if you go through with it!  

Pete Albrecht wrote:Hey Matt,

I'm not an engineer, but I really recommend you speak to one before you install a RMH on that structure. That's a huge dead load to put on a small footprint.

I'd be interested to know the predicted weight for the current proposed set-up.

I also have the same dilemma of living in earthquake country in a wooden framed house. My worry is less about reinforcing the floor and more about the consequences of anchoring the house frame to a heavy weight...

I've gone ahead and sent you a purple moosage. I'll see if the new version fixes things before I report them

I was interested to see if you were still working on it!

It's been gently ticking away in the background and I'd been focusing on unlocking skills to test. It's likely that all the issues I'd found have already been fixed!

Would you like me to continue reporting things I notice? Or will you leave the project here for now?

I think I've completed my BB5!

One post is still pending, but I think it passes so here are my 5:

Perform some sort of labor over the internet and get paid:
https://permies.com/wiki/90/118748/pep-commerce/Perform-sort-labor-internet-paid#3751628

Check a Game Cam:
https://permies.com/p/3751634

Dry enough horsetail for a tea, infusion, or decoction:
https://permies.com/p/3768030

Make a Chamomile Flower Infusion:
https://permies.com/p/3774518

Repair a Hose:
https://permies.com/p/3775931

Thank you for reviewing!

Here is my submission for the repair a hose BB.

I accidentally left the mains water running before going away for the weekend and came home to the hose ballooned and spraying everywhere. Luckily I've set up irrigation channels in the farm and had just been passively watering the garden while I was away...


Step 1: Check where water was leaking from (the hose below the nut)
Step 2: Remove the spray head.
Step 3: Cut below the ballooned section and refit the nut.
Step 4: test - no more leaks

No replacement parts were used, just a simple cut of the hose below the problem area.

There's a hot-spring that's quite sulfur heavy near me and leaves your skin smelling of eggs for days. I wonder if it would also help to deter mosquitos...

Hi everyone,

Here's my submission for cooking grains with a slow cooker. My grain of choice is Japanese Genmai rice. I prefer is to regular short grain as it's got a nice chewy texture and a lot more fibre.

Thank you for reviewing my submission!

EDIT: Since the requirements updated this morning I went away and did some research on my rice-cooker. The bowl itself has 3 layers, one outer steel one for IH conductivity, an iron core to hold heat, and an aluminum liner. There is a ceramic coating on top of the liner, so it isn't in direct contact with the food, but if any of this coating wears off then it would be. While it's currently in tact I will be looking at replacing it when I have a bit more financial freedom.

I realize that this is likely an edge case from the above information I have provided, and hope that judgement on this particular submission can help further define whether ceramic coated aluminum bowls are classed as "food touching aluminum" or not, as this is a very common construction for modern rice cookers in general.