Member KimC
MemberForum Replies Created
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Just came across this. Quite interesting!
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I tried them last year in 10-gallon grow bags because I have no room for them to become invasive in. They grew very tall, and there were some blooms on healthy plants, but the roots were a complete disappointment. Very small and elongated, similar to a carrot or parsnip, not round, and not big around at all, but quite a lot of them. I was trying them because I kept hearing they’re a great survival food alternative to potatoes. When researching I learned that you have the cook them to death to avoid gastrointestinal distress, so between the lack of space to grow enough to make a difference, the effort (kept having to tie them up because they get so tall they fall over), and the fact that gut issues were warned against, I decide not to grow them again, and to instead concentrate on other things that are better yielding and lower maintenance. Maybe they didn’t like being grown in any kind of container? I’m sure others could give better tips on that, but that was my experience in zone 9b. Hope yours do well.
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If you build your poultry tractor raised off the ground over the skids, the birds can hid under it if there are weather or predator issues and you won’t have to move any other shelter along with it.
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Does anyone know what the best bantam breed is for laying, or for laying larger eggs? I want to add two to my flock and I’m having a hard time finding a place to get them locally. Does anyone sell and/or ship pullets that can be recommended? Thanks!
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I use polyculture and mix everything up (mostly to confuse bugs to prevent infestations of anything on an entire group of the same edibles). I built single row raised border beds around the perimeter of the yard because space is so limited.
Growing unconventional edible greens that don’t look particularly edible is helpful, such as Egyptian spinach, Okinawa spinach, Surinam spinach, ashitaba, red-veined sorrel, beet greens, arugula, even celery (when you don’t bind it and let the stalks go their merry way, they’re not as recognizable as what people are used to seeing celery look like).
Plus, I grow one of the best omega3-rich plants that most people use as a shrub (it’s called elephant food), and something that’s (I think) a cousin to chard called perpetual spinach, and malabar spinach, moringa, etc. I also interplant flowers to attract pollinators. Conventionally, I believe it’s recommended to plant flowers at the end of each row, but I put them wherever they’ll grow and be helpful, including nasturtiums, which are entirely edible and medicinal, and grow wonderfully in shady areas where nothing else does well.
If you want a leafy green that will re-seed itself and come back forever, plant claytonia (miner’s lettuce). My chickens go absolutely crazy for it, and it’s great in salads, and I’ve never had to plant it again. If it pops up where I don’t want it, that’s just another chicken snack.
Some things, like certain fruit trees, can’t be disguised, but many others might surprise you. Most people who’ve been in my back yard just think it’s lush greenery. One person continually calls it a jungle when everything is leafed out in spring and summer. When it’s all growing, it melds together and just looks like vegetation around the perimeter of the yard. It must trick their eye or overwhelm the visual sense just enough. I see the individual plants, but most people don’t seem to be able to distinguish them. It’s kind of interesting.
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Thankfully we have not lost power so far this winter, although many near us have had those issues. I recently came across this and think it’s a decent idea as a backup or secondary backup to a propane heater like a Mr. Buddy. Since it is safe indoors and also allows cooking, it’s dual purpose, and it has a built in fan to distribute the heat. Have any of you seen this or tried it out?
https://mypatriotsupply.com/pages/search-results-page?q=vesta
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Sure wish you were near me. I’d love to learn more about many of the things you listed. 🙂
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Very interesting. Great find. Thanks for sharing.
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Yes, I’ve heard of that and seen other videos about them. Mainly posted this for people’s information who may not have heard of these before or seen anything like this. I know a lot of people who would consider all that “conspiracy theories,” and some others who have just never been exposed to the topic. Still others who are so in denial and impacted by normalcy bias who refuse to even consider such things despite all the info/evidence out there that it’s real.
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Those are tasty-sounding ideas.
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Valid points, all. Thank you for providing this perspective. I imagine that there are far more folks like me, without such extensive training, understanding and experience as you have had, than those of you who have done these jobs, been in these situations and circumstances, and comprehend the intricacies of it all far better than the average person. My point in the entire post was the realization I had that nobody will likely come in a true SHTF and I need to ponder and prepare for that. Perhaps the emotion of what happened to this neighbor was charged by what’s going on with my own now-demented mother who seems to be declining rapidly.
The 96-year-old neighbor was raised picking cotton, has remained (until now) healthy, physically fit and very active. She had still been on the move continually, out daily doing yard work of various kinds and sweeping the gutter in front of her own home and others. Her daughter had left the day before from her usual multi-day visit (and more often if needed/wanted). The daughter and I have talked about little issues and concerns as they came up over time that I alerted her to. Her mother still wanted to live alone and on her own as long as possible. Now we know the time has come for change. There had been no forecast for high winds or extreme weather before we went to bed, and I regularly check on the lady, so she hasn’t been left completely alone with nobody to notice. We’ve shared food, laughs, stories and enjoyable conversations with this woman for decades. We care about her, and particularly her soul, which is the most upsetting part to me.
I’m sure she and her family would appreciate your prayers. God bless, Kim
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Ambulance attendants are folks who already presumably want to help, or why else would they be in that profession? The woman’s local family came and realized something was definitely not right, and within an hour or less, 911 was called again and she was taken to the hospital. Her daughter informed me later that she had a bleed in her hypothalamus! The last update I got yesterday was that she was stable and would require physical therapy, at the least. I am concerned that she may not make it, especially given her age. We’ve witnessed to her for decades, yet her response was always that she believes all you have to do is be a good person to go to heaven. Had the attendant not returned and contacted local family members, she may have already passed away from a brain hemorrhage and gone into eternity — her fate sealed. If you think of her, please pray that she will not die without Christ.
If the professionals who supposedly already want to help in a non-SHTF situation were willing to walk away, imagine what it might be like in a true SHTF.
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Indeed.
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Do you have a recipe or instructions you’re willing to share?
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Do you use it as a tea or in another form?