Member DeepSouthBamaGRITS
MemberForum Replies Created
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@MartHale7 I have several sizes of Food Saver vacuum seal canisters (found a box of them at a Thrift Store for $5!!!!) to be able to seal some types of glass jars (like jelly jars or condiment jars etc,). You put the jar in the canister with the lid on the jar and it DOES seal it. Takes just a bit longer since you’re pulling air from the jar as well as the canister. I use these jars for different herbs/medicinals I’ve dried or to seal spices I don’t use often to keep them fresh longer.
I know Patrick (Heidi’s husband) has made a canister they sell with the same concept of sealing jars that the jar lid attachments won’t fit or to seal canning jars if you don’t have a lid attachment. I know you are a DIY’er “BRAIN” and wonder if you have any idea what to use to make a jar lid sealer for the larger jars, like pickle jars (some are half gallon but most are gallon). I have lots of these jars I would like to use (other than for waterglassing eggs). I agree with you with using GLASS JARS as moisture DOES permiate plastic over time. Double bagging with vacuum seal bags is not cost effective and no guarantee the product sealed will have a long shelf life if moisture gets in over time.
I figure you could use the brake bleeder/bicycle pump method but that would mean poking a small hole in the lid and covering the hole once sealed. Getting the hole sealed quickly enough to not lose some of the pressure of the vacuum seal is another worry. Would the O2 absorber remove the air in this situation?? I also worry about the tape/round adhesive divets not sealing or staying on the jars over time. PLUS your lid would now have a permanent hole. I guess you could probably try to seal it with some kind of solder/hot glue or the likes of something similar if needed to use it for for liquids (And if you have power to run the soldering/hot glue gun).
I’m not trying to be “COMPLICATED” but I do think outside the box trying to cover ANYTHING that could arise when you have no access to purchase needed items in an economic collapse or grid down situation.
I would appreciate your imput or suggestions. -
@MartHale7 Have you tried Heidi’s trick using a vehicle BRAKE BLEEDER??? Same concept if you have the jar lid attachments. It does work as I’ve tried it to have in a grid-down scenario.
Have you seen the newest hand pump vacuum seal device on the market?? It is very similiar to a bicycle tire pump. (I also have a bicycle tire pump for many uses in Grid Down). The new pump vacuum sealer is called a Pump-N-Seal.
https://pump-n-seal.com/pump-n-seal-systems/
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My 1st pineapple plant got severely root-bound when I forgot to up-pot it timely. I literally had to cut the smaller pot off the roots and they were so tightly wound all around each other and so THICK I couldn’t separate without cutting them. Even tho rootbound, it did produce a pineapple before I repotted it in a much larger pot. It was also HUGE & every bit of approx 4 ft tall & wide! Believe me, I won’t EVER forget to up-pot another pineapple plant as they are extremely difficult to maneuver around at that size. All mine stays in my greenhouse year-round as they LOVE all that extra heat, even in the summer. I do use an oil radiator electric heater in the winter as some of my tropicals can’t survive under 40{F}. It doesn’t use as much electricity to run this type of heater nor am I afraid to leave it running at night unattended.
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I think I would try spraying the plant with a water hose to knock off any bugs and cover it with some kind of netting when initially moving it inside. I would cover the entire plant & pot it is in & secure all openings to keep any that weren’t washed off inside the netting. I would also sprinkle a little diatomaceous earth on the soil to keep any bugs from emerging from the soil (a favorite place for them to hide or hibernate). If you see no bugs after a couple of days then remove the netting. If you DO see bugs, then take it back outside and spray again. Most bugs can be knocked off with a good spraying with water. I would also check all leaves, stems/branches for bugs/worms and hand pick those off & smash or feed to chickens.
This is what I do before moving any plants inside or inside my greenhouse for the winter. Seems to work well for me & NO BUGS in the house or greenhouse.As for the Stevia. I have some seeds to start this next spring. I understand a lot of Stevia seeds do not germinate (for whatever reason) so it is recommended to plant MORE than you wish to have to plant.
Here is some info on how to plant. I didn’t know you do NOT cover the seeds as stated in this article. Hmmm. I’ll let you know how mine turn out after planting this spring. Another article I read said to use FRESH SEEDS and use within 6 months of purchase.https://www.rareseeds.com/how-to-grow-stevia
rareseeds.com
How To Grow Stevia | Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Want to know how to grow stevia? Check out our comprehensive guide for expert tips and tricks. Shop our selection of heirloom seeds to get started.
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Almost ALL of the well diggers/installers/repairmen that were once numerous in our very rural area have also retired. The best old-timer father/son business retired several years ago & they lived just minutes from me. You could call them most any time night or day, explain your problem and they were there PRONTO with the parts to repair. The old man must have been in his 80’s when he retired but he knew the land here and the problems that were common with all the iron rock and where the veins of iron rock were. The son took over for a while but after his father died, he slowly cut down on his services. He mainly did repairs & had most all parts needed to repair any problem. His only problem was he didn’t like to share his knowledge about repairs since it would take money out of his pocket if a DIY’er just wanted parts to fix it themselves. Most everyone in our area had wells since we didn’t have access to city water (which I would not ever use due to all the chemicals they use). Old farmers retired, sold off their farms & the younger generation went to city water once they expanded the service to the more rural areas. So his business declined & thus why he made the decision to do all repairs instead of helping DIY’ers. He was NOT CHEAP elther so he finally shut his doors, too. I have spare parts that are a common failure with wells. (Square D boxes, pressure switches/gauges/gaskets, etc. We now rely on friends with wells to help problem solve issues. Major problems we have to use the guy I mentioned in my earlier msg. With him being the ONLY Well Guy that services this area, you normally have to wait a while for him as his business has expanded to a vast area & he is ALWAYS out of town doing well drilling jobs. This is a dying business since city water has expanded to most all areas now and no one wants to fool with a well that can go out or give you problems at any given time, especially when you’re dealing with IRON ROCK, iron build-up that clogs up parts. I always looked at the big picture for the future to have water. Power grid goes down, NO CITY WATER. At least I have the Simple Pump if my backup power sources can’t power the well for whatever reason. Power sources fail & have problems, too. (Not enough sunlight to charge, etc., or failed parts).
Do have your well water tested once you have yours installed. I picked up a water test kit & sent a sample off with (back then) was just $10 and you have the broken down details of your well water & what was found in your water. This is crutial if you haven’t used the water or weren’t the original owner of the well. It may have been shut down for contaminated water. Just a heads up on that if you haven’t already thought of it.
We are HOPEFULLY seeing a break in this oppressive heat this next week as a cold front is slipping down our way. PLUS we have a Hurricane brewing in the Gulf of Mexico that could get very close to my area. We will welcome ANY rain we can get since we’ve been so dry for several months and EVERYTHING is dying. We can do without all the wind/devastation involved in a potential MAJOR hurricane, as this one COULD be. Every weather report given twice daily the path changes as well as the intensity growing. We are used to tropical systems, living along the Gulf Coast so we watch them like a hawk as they can change their landfall at the last minute. It seems we go from one weather related issue to another but the last two years it has been EXTREME swings way out of our “NORMAL” weather patterns. That is my reason for getting that 2nd much larger greenhouse/high tunnel built. To have a more CONTROLLED growing environment.
Another change I have made in my preps is a DEHUMIDIFIER for the main living area of my cabin. It will remove the humidity, which will make it feel much cooler (like an A/C does) PLUS the water it pulls from the air is collected that can be filtered and used to drink/cook/etc. They can be run off one of my solar generators, as long as it can stay charged via sunlight. The heat/humidity is our biggest problem here in the Deep South, other than hurricanes!! LOL! We seldom have to worry about FREEZING WEATHER except for last winter when we had a couple of bouts of Arctic Blasts that reached our area. No telling what we will face going forward but WE WILL SURVIVE and get thru whatever comes our way!
It is always good to talk to you. Hope all goes well for you moving forward. Definitely we face a lot of UNKNOWN problems no matter WHERE you live. It is always good to SHARE ideas with each other to help with troubleshooting our own problems.
BTW: our temps yesterday were 106(F) with feels like temps of 116(F) the last I checked at 1pm. Same expected for today but fingers crossed that changes in a day or two. I will be glad to see those EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS vanish from my weather app!!! Plus be able to get SOMETHING accomplished outside that is getting so far behind! Take care! -
Hi Emil, I am just now seeing this post on the Simple Pump. I have one I bought over 10 yrs ago for a grid down scenario. I have a deep water well and if we lose power I wanted to have a way to get water from the well. Mine is 125ft deep. I studied long & hard before making this purchase and compared it with other deep well hand pumps. I think the one in competition back then was the Flo-Jak deep well pump. The Simple Pump had much better quality parts & less problems operating than the Flo-Jak. Of course, I have not installed it since purchasing but have it stored away. I have a 2-inch well. I was hoping things would settle down in this country (even back in March 2013) when I purchased it but things have only escalated to where we are now. I’m not sure how the Simple Pump is designed these days but I have to pull the water pipe from my well casing to install it so I just stored it away for hard times. Mine has 125 ft of stainless steel pipe. Is this the same as today’s model? Just curious. I know I spent a fortune (to me) even 10 yrs ago for mine but I have peace of mind I will have potable water to drink, hopefully!
Good luck with your installation and hope you can find someone close to install it for you. My well guy lives about 30 min. from me so with him being a homesteader/prepper he will be available if I run into any snags. He ordered it for me when he installed my well and highly recommended the Simple Pump. He did not sell them but his supplier had them in stock & was gracious enough to order it for me at his cost. -
Hey Mart, I have a countertop Ice Maker that will make up to 50 lbs of ice a day, and LOVE IT! I’ve used these type of ice makers for over 10 yrs and have learned all the quirks of using them. In order to get the 50 lbs of ice you have got to EMPTY the ice basket thru out the day and freeze as well as keep the water reservoir full. The ice melts in the ice basket (where the ice is dumped when made) and will drip back into the water reservoir. Most people think the countertop icemakers will keep the ice frozen but it does not. Also if the ice basket is full, the icemaker will not make more ice until it has either melted down or you remove it to a freezer as it does have a sensor to tell it when it is full. I’ve been thru 3 different icemakers thru my 10 yrs of using them, mainly because I was not familiar with the proper cleaning. Debris, sediment, etc., will build up in the water lines as well as the water reservoir so it MUST be kept clean for it to work properly. I also use triple-filtered water in my icemaker. I use the Brita Pitcher water filter that is then filtered into a ZERO pitcher water filter that then goes into my Alexa Pur Pro water filtration system that is used in the ice maker. Yes, it is a little extra work, even using well water. It will save you many headaches down the line as well as keep the icemaker working properly. As it makes ice you will have to remember to add water for it to keep making ice unless you don’t use the ice and it melts back into the water reservoir. I allow so much room for the ice in my freezer since it does take up a lot of room but I ALWAYS have extra ice when needed for butchering or for those extra hot days or extra company when more ice is needed. I’ve noticed that they are now making a more advanced countertop icemaker that has a built in cleaning system so you don’t have to take it apart to do the deep cleaning, which can take a bit of time. Slime WILL build up in the water resevoir as well as the area the ice cubes are made. That is just a given thing I’ve noticed during the years of using one. I would hope I would never have to live without the use of one and a solar generator will run it with no problems. My next one will definitely be one with the auto cleaning feature as it thoroughly cleans all the working components that you would normally have to manually clean which can take up to an hour or more if done properly.
Two of my previous countertop Ice makers had the IMPELLER go out that moves the water up to the freezing tray. I probably could have replaced it (if I can find the part) but at the time it was just easier to buy a new ice maker. My favorite and longest working ice maker is no longer available (wouldn’t you know if it was the best & longest working with no problems) that it would be removed from the market for a cheaper made version. Remember, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR so try to get a good model when purchasing one. There are literally HUNDREDS of them available. Check the reviews from customers when looking at one to purchase. And REMEMBER, they do NOT keep the ice cubes frozen in the icemaker. That is one of the most common reviews people leave and why they don’t like their purchase. Mine makes a rounded tubular-shaped ice cube and is generally a softer cube as it melts some. It is all about what you want for your needs.
I’m no pro but have used them for over a decade so I can pretty much answer most any questions you may have before purchasing one. I do use a LOT of ice so I chose the one that makes a larger quantity of ice per day over the smaller models. There are usually some good deals on the smaller quantity makers, it just works more to keep making ice so I figure would tear up quicker. Just my theory & opinion.
Also watch for those with POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE if you have problems. (Those that do not respond to customer inquiries or that require you return the icemaker for them to repair. They are very heavy and the cost to ship for repairs are NOT cost effective. Most times it is just as cheap to purchase a new one BUT OF A DIFFERENT BRAND if it didn’t last long before tearing up. Understand how they work, what routine maintenance is needed, do the maintenance and they will last a very long time. I’m on the 6th year with my current one and it is still working like a charm. -
You can buy COMFREY root pieces from Perma-Pastures when they have them in stock. I had 7 of 10 root-cuttings sprout and are growing well. I have also bought ROOTS on Etsy and some sellers have seeds for both Comfrey & Borage. I use GrowOrganic to buy lots of seeds for hard-to-find medicinal plant seeds. Southern Seed Exchange on Etsy has a good variety of seeds with a great germination rate on what I have purchased from them.
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Someone has done a conversion for this in Pinball’s forums. How to make 4% into 5% & the formulation method.
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I’ve got to check my storage of vinegar to make sure they are not 4% as well. About 15 months ago a local grocery was closing and had most all grocery items on clearance and both ACV and White Vinegar were marked down to $1.50 a gallon. Of course, I loaded the wagon since I use a lot of vinegar (and I do make my own but not in the quantity to use for all my canning).
I’m not sure when this started and HOPE & PRAY it has just been recently, but I fear with everything else being reported with tainted bioengineered food, this may have also occurred without our knowledge. I would be SICK to have to throw out all of the pickles, pickle relish and other relishes I made last year with the bumper crop of cukes I had and the pear relish I made. I guess (in the back of my mind) if I don’t check them, I won’t have to go thru all the anxiety of a major ordeal of throwing away all that hard work and food with things going downhill as they are. But I will do it so no one gets sick or worse.
Thank you for your response! -
All of mine here in coastal AL (zone 8b) have the same thing and are barely putting on any new leaves. I know some of the branches are dead as the wood looks dark and has absolutely no green growth. I did lose a couple of my 4 yr old prized fig trees and 2 others came back from the roots. The smaller trees were covered but my 3 large, much older trees were not.
I talked to a Fig Pro about how mine have leafed out/died back 6 times since fall (October) when they lost their leaves. Even the frigid Christmas Freeze didn’t do as much damage to them as the March 20th freeze. He said it was the sudden drastic drop in temps (greater than a 40 degree drop in temps) that caused all the damage in March PLUS the wind chill temp of 21(F) that froze them. Fig trees do not like sudden drastic drops in temps and I pray they survive. I have already pruned back some of the branches to where there was green (cadmium layer) but had to prune back even more this week as they seem to keep dying back. Not all the limbs, just a few but it is sad to see such big, beautiful VERY PRODUCTIVE fig trees dying. I lost all my blueberries, wild huckleberries, dew berries & blackberries along with my peaches & pears (that had already set fruit) and now I don’t see having any figs this year either. I am even fighting Fire Blight on my pear trees and my poor pomegranate tree that actually had blooms a month ago seems to be struggling as all the leaves have suddenly turned yellow. Could be all the torrential rains we’ve been having, but I’ve not seen any insect(s) or damage or the cooler than normal temps for our area. I’m just shaking my head at all the loss of fruit harvests this year AND the loss of my fruit trees!
Just this afternoon we had 4.5 inches of rain in less than an hour and more rain predicted every day this week. -
I bought the same press/juicer last year for juicing my sugar cane. It was easy to use and did great extracting the juice! You are right, the only drawback is that it is heavy. I really like the large wheel you turn for extracting. It seems to make the thicker pieces go thru much easier and faster. I don’t know why it wouldn’t work for sorghum. I intend to plant sorghum this next year if I can find info/seeds and see if it can be grown this far south. I’m not sure it can with our heat/humidity but if at all possible, I’m going to try.
The Arctic Freeze in Dec 2022 got most of my very heavily mulched sugar cane so I don’t have but maybe a dozen short but thick stalks to juice this year. -
You are right about Chinese Medicine & acupuncture! I had to take my very sick Yorkie to a Holistic Vet (4 hrs ONE WAY from me) to try to save him after a traditional Vet almost sent him to Rainbow Bridge. He has had acupuncture many times and was on Chinese Herbs and was STABILIZED. Damage to his body/organs can’t be totally reversed but he is still alive and doing well since his life-threatening event in March 2017. Very hard to find a Holistic Vet here. Most have closed their practices due to harassment from FDA and “Unknown sources”. My Vet has fought the “SYSTEM” to stay open and will continue to fight. She was originally a practicing traditional Vet & when she saw what was going on with our Pet Health Care or lack thereof, she started studying Chinese Medicine and will never look back. She has even cured some pets of cancer and gave some the ability to walk again after being paralyzed from neurological damage or other injuries. I would LOVE to find one that practices near me for my health issues as I am a total believer in Chinese Medicines after seeing what was done to my fur baby!! But natural or Chinese medical practices are hard to find due to all the harassments and threats of the powers that be to keep everyone SICK with regular medicinal practices & Big Pharma poisons. AMA & medical education was developed by the Rockefella’s & others with their own agenda’s for human life and also in partnership with Big Pharma’s multi-billion dollar profits for treatments. GET OUT OF THE SYSTEM AND GET TO NATURAL TREATMENTS if at all possible is my advice to people. GOD put everything we need to survive and treat illnesses in NATURE but MAN-GREED-EVIL led us down another path.
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I used to LOVE squirrels and always kept a food source for them (in the woods) like peanuts, other nuts so they would have food. BIG MISTAKE as they moved closer to their human that was providing them food. They got into a very tiny hole I missed covering in my soffit/fascia boards & somehow got down into the wall of my addition that houses my wood burning heater/stove. I would hear them gnawing & chewing and finally figured out where they got in and had no choice but to either tear out that wall to remove them or put in some poison & close off their entrance. I chose the latter and knew I would have to endure some horrible funk smell for a while but it was the best choice as I couldn’t chance removing the INSIDE WALL & release them in my house and removing the outside wall would have been MAJOR WORK I didn’t have time for. I tried watching them on my security camera to see when/if they were leaving/returning to hopefully be able to close off their entrance when they were out. Only ONE would leave at a time so I assumed they had BABIES. Did my necessary deed, endured the stench and when the wall was removed inside, they had built a large nest in the wall insulation which did have babies.
They also chewed thru many many wires of my wiring harness on my car. I didn’t drive the car much as I had my truck & jeep so it sat under my portable carport beside my house. I decided to downsize all the vehicles (after my husband passed) so kept the car & the truck. Went to drive the car to town one day and it started doing CRAZY things like the radio would turn off/on by itself, the lights would turn on/off, windshield wipers would turn on/off without me doing anything but sitting there. I took my car to the dealership only for them to find the largest squirrel nest they had EVER seen built under the hood of my car. They even took a picture of it that is still to this day in their service department on the wall. Those squirrels chewed the wiring harness to bits. I could either replace the wiring harness or have their repairman splice all the chewed wires back together, which was my CHEAPEST option by far. Car Insurance wouldn’t cover the repairs so it came out of pocket and needless to say, my LOVE for squirrels went out the window quick!
I had 3 inch styrofoam insuation in the ceiling of my large covered deck. They decided to find an entrance and built nests & chewed the styrofoam that was up against the tin roof/rafters so I didn’t notice they were there. Then I saw a HOLE in the insulation that they had chewed a bit too much and there was styrofoam balls & bits falling all over the place on the deck. HOLY HECK at the mess I had when I removed the styrofoam to inspect the damage. I had left an air space from the tin to the top of the styrofoam that they had used as their ROUTE 66.
They eat all my peaches every year, they eat my bird feeder seeds and I could go on & on with the destruction they’ve done thru the years at my homestead. Understand I LOVE all of God’s creatures and normally do NOT take revenge or harm them in any way unless they HARM ME or MY STUFF! One evening in the fall after the leaves had dropped I went to every single squirrel nest outside and blasted it with my shotgun. I got a reprieve from their destruction for a few years til OTHERS moved in. One thing I can say with the hurricanes we sometimes have…they will rid the squirrel population and send them to the next county and it took years for them to repopulate here back in 2004 with Hurricane Ivan & 2005 with Hurricane Katrina. No, I’m not wanting a hurricane EVER to make another direct hit here so I will rid those TREE RATS as best I can.
People can criticize & condemn me for the actions I’ve taken on squirrels but once you’ve had to deal with the destruction and EXPENSE of their destruction, you would do the same. Living in the deep backwoods has its advantages, BUT, you have to deal with destruction of moving into animals/rodents habitat. Now WOOD RATS are ANOTHER STORY…and snakes and the SAGA CONTINUES 🙃
You had some good ideas & remedies for all creatures to get along & live TOGETHER…but won’t work in these here deep backwoods! 🤨 -
Which side of FL? East coast-Gulf of Mexico or West Coast-Atlantic Ocean?
Remember the BP Oil Spill???? Petroleum products/residues have contaminated the Gulf just as Fukushima destroyed, poisoned, or maimed all aquatic sea life in the Pacific. I thought about that several months ago when wanting some fresh raw oysters to grill. If the people that were involved in the Oil Spill clean up are still having health issues there was SOMETHING in the sludge/water that was a contaminant. I’m not eating anything from the Gulf anymore. It will soon get to the point there will be NOTHING safe to eat (unless you’ve been a long-time farmer) that has raised generation after generation of animals that weren’t exposed to the mRNA jab ingredients. Same goes with our fruits & veggies. If we plant our own from STORE BOUGHT SEEDS regardless of whether they are ORGANIC & Non-GMO, you do not know if they have been tampered with or come from contaminated stock. The only safe seeds are ones that have been saved for years & are they really safe with all the chemicals from the SKYTRAILS that get into the soil & water supply???