Sally's GF3 thread

[NanaK]

I remember that cutie.

 

[Sally PB]

I remember that cutie.

She is still as cute. She and Sunny are my lap chickens. I'm looking forward to it being warm enough for me to sit out there again, and having them get on my lap.

 

[Apis mellifera]

Is there anything you can add to the water to keep it or the bowl from getting slimy? Or just plan on cleaning it everyday?

No, I just change the water out. If it gets really slimy, I just give it a quick brush and spray with the hose. Bees don't care, they'll collect water from a dirty pothole in a parking lot or a swamp. I put water out early in the year to train them to it. I don't want them going to someone's pool a mile or two away. For whatever reason they are really attracted to the Fortex tubs.

 

[Sally PB]

Well, I won't be using Meijer (store) brand plain Greek yogurt as starter to make yogurt again. I did the last time I made yogurt, and thought it didn't turn out as well. It didn't drain as well, and the flavor was ... bland. No tang at all. I let it culture for nearly 6 hours, so that should have been long enough

I used it this time, having forgotten that lesson, and got the same results. So it wasn't just that cup of yogurt. I'll use a name brand next time.

For about $4, I have 5 (almost) pints of bland yogurt. I put in a lot of vanilla this time and a bit more honey than usual this time. I'm going to sprinkle cinnamon on it and see how that goes.

 

[Sally PB]

I used the whey from making yogurt for a few things:

Yesterday's and today's mash snack for the chickens
Cooking rice
Making grownies.

Well, is my opinion on the last two:


For the rice (I cook it in my Instant Pot), it adds a very nice flavor. It reminded me of the taste of cheese, just slightly. For the grownies, the taste disappeared, but whey has good stuff in it*, so I will definitely do it again.

I'm wondering if another starter would make it taste much different? I can't bring myself to drink whey by itself.

*I found this site interesting

 

[cavemanrich]

I'm wondering if another starter would make it taste much different? I can't bring myself to drink whey by itself.

I would not drink it by itself ether,,, Never tried it ether. BUT,,, we use all the whey from cheese making ventures in soups, and in baking breads. Its like getting a sourdough flavor cheating.

On the other hand, The Meijer Brand Greek yogurt,,, may be Ideal for my needs. I make a Yogurt, to cheese thingie,, Basically, farmers cheese. The non sour flavor would be ideal for my cheesecake baking.

When I use Yogurt culture, I get a creamy spreadable cheese. When I use sour-cream culture, I get a stiffer, crumbly cheese

Yogurt I make @ 110°F,,,,, Sour-cream culture I make @ 85°F

 

[Sally PB]

I started my garden a couple days ago. WHEEEEE!

I have 8 pots of potting soil on a shelf in the living room with a seedling heat mat and grow lights.

1 pot of some kind of yellow onion seeds.
1 pot of home grown multiplier onion seeds. (They've never set seed before, so this is an experiment.)
2 pots of jalapenos.
4 pots of habaneros.

Last year's hot peppers were a total flop. Well, almost. We got 4 habaneros. The jalapenos were NOT HOT at all. The rest of the peppers were mild varieties, and they didn't have peppers until late. So this year, I'm starting them a month early.

Everything else that I start in the green house will be planted around April first. That give them about 7-8 weeks to get going before I harden them off.

 

[Sally PB]

I want to mention a book that I just finished reading. It's titled, Outlive, by Peter Attia, MD, with Bill Gifford. Main takeaways: work on four key areas, and lessen your chances of debilitating illnesses like cancer, metabolic syndrome (diabetes type II), cardio vascular disease, and neurodegenerative disease. He called these, "The Four Horsemen." (Referencing the four horsemen of the apocalypse.)

The four key areas:
Exercise
Nutrition
Sleep
Mental health

Yup, exercise was Number One. Three main parts of that were improving strength, stamina, and stability. He talked about aiming not for "what's a good number/result for your age," but aiming for something in the "good" range for someone 20 years younger.

Strength: Picking up and carrying 15 pounds (grandkids, bags of groceries). Stamina: Walking/running at a brisk pace (so that you can jog to catch the bus when you're a little late). Stability: being able to get up off the floor or up from a chair. (Balance is part of that too, to avoid falls.) These are all things I want to be able to do into my 80s or 90s.

Ok, not the grandkids. I won't have any of those. But groceries? Yeah.

 

[cavemanrich]

 

[Sally PB]

Dang. Fries sound good right now! Hot, crispy, salty...

The nearest place I could get fries is at least 10 miles away. And they don't deliver out to me. No door dash, no uber eats...

Whew. I'm safe from fries after all!