What did you do in the garden today?

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I cleaned a bunch of receipts out of my purse today and found two from the feed store. There was a slight increase in the All Flock price. It was about $1.50 a bag from last month to this month. I’m not too upset by that compared to how much prices on everything else has jumped. I save a lot of money by making my own bread. When I look at the cost of a loaf of bread I know I can buy 5 pounds of flour for less than that and make several loaves without any added preservatives.

 

[SheaLoner]

Yep. To Florida. I'll miss this place for sure.

Sad to loose the place, glad to be getting out of Cali though I bet.
Are you taking any of your plants?

 

[SheaLoner]

I do miss cardinals. I remember the last time I saw one. It was in a tree outside my bedroom window and I remember thinking it was probably cold because there was still snow on the ground. Many many moons ago!

I saw 3 cardinals on my way to work 2 days ago. Think they were trying to tell me something. Miss you too Grampa.

 

[igorsMistress]

Good afternoon all. I’ve got the water on the lemon tree today and not doing anything else out there. It’s hot and breezy, like standing in front of a blow dryer. This weekend is our trip to the worm farm to see the fruit trees. I’m taking a couple of buckets to fill with compost while I’m there. Speaking of the worm farm, the beans and cukes are still going, and the borage I transplanted is still looking good. I am very pleased with most of the things this year. Hoping for good results with the three sisters in summer!

 

[Noreaster Egger]

Pawpaw seeds are starting to germinate on my pellet stove. I‘m potting them up in propagation air pots for better root pruning. The cold weather is making it difficult to do anything else. Some of the leaves are breaking bud on the willows, but everything else is just swelling or quiet. 30-40mph gusts today with temps in the 40s despite full sun. Thankfully it should start warming up a bit come 5/1.

 

[SheaLoner]

Just incase anyone wondered. This is the result of just saying F It and tilling in dock 3 yrs ago. And then not being able to get in and weed that portion last year due to excessive rain.

Nothing got cleaned up last year. I gave up on most of it.

 

[Sally PB]

I save a lot of money by making my own bread. When I look at the cost of a loaf of bread I know I can buy 5 pounds of flour for less than that and make several loaves without any added preservatives.

I've been making our bread for a year or more. No way I'm buying GF bread at $5-6 a loaf.

I've made it a goal to have at least one homegrown ingredient in as many meals as possible. Tonight, it was just the cilantro. Not much, but something.

I'm going to preserve some eggs by waterglassing. Has anyone done that? I'm pretty sure there will be an egg drought this fall/winter.

 

[jerryse]

Yesterday I made a pot of chili . Reduced salt I thought . Forgot to check sodium on the chilly beans . I knew very little salt in home canned tomatoes and juice . Gained 2 pounds overnight due to water retention . So I checked the can of chili beans and over 3000 mg of sodium in that big can . !500 mg is my limit . So I guess plain old kidney beans next time .

 

[Elyrian1]

@TJAnonymous Probably one of the big reasons the big farms aren't being sought after for their manure output is the questionable use of hormones, pesticides on hay being fed to cattle, and antibiotics. That's the primary reason I don't run out to any of my neighbors and say "Hey can I get some manure?" Because I have no idea what they've been feeding their cattle/horses. I've heard horror stories of one herbicide used on dairy cow hay that "does not affect the milk" but if you get their manure your garden won't grow for three years.

@Sally PB Hey! I have a $100 a week budget too! But that's just food, and we're a four person family. ... the baby doesn't count yet. She's on high octane baby fuel.

 

[WthrLady]

Yes, I understand the concerns about e.coli. I'm not talking about taking it direct from the pasture to the field. I'm just wondering why there isn't a domestic business that would collect the manure, process it for fertilizer, and make fertilizer domestically? Why are we having to import fertilizer?

Simple, we no longer have the infrastructure to do that nor the people who want to do it. It was outsourced.