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Do you get flowers? I had this issue with all the fruit on my property and finally figured out they weren't getting pollinated. I started hand pollinating with an artist brush and started getting fruit on my property. Now I have bee hives. Now I check the flowers for pollinators because many...

Based on this definition, my entire property and life qualifies as permaculture! Yay! I thought it was more about the word "permanent," as in not replanting, etc., and setting up companion planting to mimic the wild. I'm probably combining hugelculture with permaculture, though, since I was...

Right now I have apples, pears, raspberries, grapes, gooseberries, currants, peaches, strawberries, plums, rhubarb, spearmint, peppermint, scallions, walking onions, potatoes, parsnips, radishes, oregano, wormwood, comfrey, lemon balm, catnip, feverfew, chives, black walnuts, goji berries, sage...

Well, I don't drink juice, make jelly, or need/want juice in general. However..... Once in a while I get a craving for soda and mix the juice of a lime with some stevia and a can of seltzer. I recently strained some canned autumnberry puree that was getting a bit old and used the juice in...

We got new windows and doors and our heating bill was cut at least in half. Maybe 2/3 less, hard to tell yet as the winter was a bit mild. Then a bit cold. Then a bit mild. Then....you get the idea. But we are warm enough for the first time ever. We chose wood because if worse comes to...

Oh, and yes, my dogs are on a fully raw diet. I get New Zealand lamb shanks by the 40+ lb box for about $3 per pound. Each successive dog had been smaller than the previous one, for this reason. The latest, Guy (pronounced en francais, ghee) is about 15 lbs at a year old. Gunnar, his...

My new holistic vet told me to put a drop of rose geranium eo on the dog's back neck before walking them to repel ticks. A drop at each end of the spine for larger dogs. NOT for cats, though. I make a fly spray for my goats that works rather well, at least long enough for them to go out and...

I've done this for 4 years now. I will never go back! I just had a detailed soil test done on my gardens and another one done on my pastures. Keep in mind that my gardens were made in the middle of my pastures when I tell you that the soil test for the gardens came out pretty close to perfect...

A very basic mustard is just mustard powder. For hotter mustard, mix with cold water and let it sit a while and then add an acid, like ACV. The acid stops the heat from continuing to build. Let it sit for at least 24 hours as it will go through a bitter stage. For less heat, use warm water...

Here or in another topic? I make the ketchup recipe from the old Fannie Farmer cookbook and it is fabulous. I make mustard with mustard and turmeric powders, whole mustard seeds, salt, ACV, and garlic and onion wines. Yum. Mayo....an egg and a yoke, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders...

Which foods in particular? There are so many! And more being added all the time.

There is always more to learn but I am pretty self-sufficient in many ways. Mostly food. I grow most of our food and make everything from scratch. I process our pigs and poultry, making the lard, bacon, sausage, etc. I grind any flour we use. I make all condiments and freeze, can, and...

Maybe returning. I heard of some changes here so thought I'd stick my toe back in the waters.

Gardenweasel (who hasn't posted on this thread since the first post), I'd be happy to have a supportive discussion with you privately on this subject. I also struggled with this and came up with solutions that work for me that you might find useful. Moolie, from your comments, I frankly do...

A quick little video to let you know I'm still lurking out there.... Here I am talking about how I'm going to use every last drop of the fat from our pigs. I am finishing up my C-grade lard tonight (finally!). My critters (hens and dogs) will get their share of the vitamins from the fat of...

Also for the record.....kstaven has been very helpful to me on byh and has given me a lot of good advice on dealing with things pertaining to milking and caring for my lactating does in an organic way. Stuff that gets slammed on the forum so we took the conversation into pm. I like him a lot...

For the record, Elevan NEVER sent me an inappropriate pm. Yes, I was annoyed by newbie stuff, but I am not that easily offended, really. Everyone says things in the heat of the moment, myself included, and I try to give myself a few days to settle down if my feathers get ruffled. I will...

Apologies help, too.

I have to jump in at this point and say that I left (but still obviously lurk on occasion, always enjoyed many of the people and idea exchange here) not because of forum posts but because of a series of very nasty pm's. It was just too much. I came here to relax and that was NOT relaxing. My...

...rated G, worry not! I made this for all my cityfolk friends who get concerned about my callous shoving of girl goats in with the boy goat whether they want to or not.....hee-hee! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckq9234hJsA&NR=1