Sally's GF3 thread

[saysfaa]

Thank you! I love banana bread and stopped eating years ago because I made it once and found out how much sugar is in it. This recipe has a reasonable amount.

 

[Sally PB]

Thank you! I LOVE cinnamon and vanilla, so they will be added generously.

 

[Sally PB]

Today is it! The last 90 in the forecast. 84 tomorrow, then 70s and even some 60s in the 8 day.


That means... I have to get serious about the weeds in the gardens. I just won't have to sweat quite as much when I go into attack mode. Now if we could just have some rain so I can dig in the clay garden...? Like the passing showers coming through tomorrow... can you pass my way, please?

Freya had her annual checkup today. A yeast infection in one ear, so drops for that. Got the "young dog wellness bloodwork" done. Liver function, and I don't recall what else. We'll hear the results of that tomorrow.

Tomorrow is also the monthly bee club meeting. The topic this month is extracting honey. Since we won't be getting enough to worry about (probably), this is just information for us for next year.

I've read that people get OUT of having bees because of honey. You need to do the extraction indoors, or you will have every bee in the area coming in to get some. Extraction is messy, I'm sure. I'm wondering if we can rig up some kind of enclosure in the basement to contain the mess.

I thought that the extractor would contain the mess... but I'm sure there is ample opportunity for honey to end up... everywhere. Since we have just one hive, there wouldn't be that much to deal with. What do I know? Even our 8 frame (as opposed to the more common 10 frame) medium super could weigh 45-50 pounds when full of honey, and yield around 30 pounds (!) of honey. That's a lot of honey!

 

[Sally PB]

I was going to town on the crabgrass in the heavy soil garden. We got a bit of rain, so the soil was not as hard as if we hadn't gotten rain. I was making headway, doing well... and dug into an ant nest. I didn't notice at first. I pulled a few things by hand, felt a bite on my wrist. Yup, one under the cuff of my glove. Sorry, ant, you bite, I mash.

Weed a bit more... wait... what do I feel on the back of my leg...?

There must have been 40 of them on my pant leg. I made those stupid, incoherent female noises that might be spelled, "Garhg! Awwggh! Eeeerrrk! Nooorrrk!" Kicked off my shoes and stripped off my pants. Dozens of them crawling on me. Pulled off the socks. Swiped them all off, checked the shoes for any residual enemy forces. The socks and pants went into the cart along with the shovel and hori hori knife, and I walked home. The clothing is still outside in the cart. Yeah, I have ants in my pants.

Dang, I was making really good progress.

 

[fuzzi]

I was going to town on the crabgrass in the heavy soil garden. We got a bit of rain, so the soil was not as hard as if we hadn't gotten rain. I was making headway, doing well... and dug into an ant nest. I didn't notice at first. I pulled a few things by hand, felt a bite on my wrist. Yup, one under the cuff of my glove. Sorry, ant, you bite, I mash.

Weed a bit more... wait... what do I feel on the back of my leg...?

There must have been 40 of them on my pant leg. I made those stupid, incoherent female noises that might be spelled, "Garhg! Awwggh! Eeeerrrk! Nooorrrk!" Kicked off my shoes and stripped off my pants. Dozens of them crawling on me. Pulled off the socks. Swiped them all off, checked the shoes for any residual enemy forces. The socks and pants went into the cart along with the shovel and hori hori knife, and I walked home. The clothing is still outside in the cart. Yeah, I have ants in my pants.

Dang, I was making really good progress.

You have my sympathy.

I laugh because I have been in the same situation!

I was standing by the side of the road, talking to a friend when suddenly my legs were on fire. I did a dance and ran into the house, and jumped into the shower where I disrobed and found fire ants all the way up my legs, biting/stinging!

I hate them with a vengeance, and pour boiling water in their nests every chance I get.

For those unfamiliar with fire ants...you don't have to be bothering their nest, just close enough for them to come boiling out in attack mode.

At this time I have several bites on my legs which look as if I've come down with the pox. It's best to not open and drain the pustules, but let them heal on their own.

 

[Sally PB]

Wow! The ants here are just the little brown things, not fire ants! My sympathies.

I get a welt like a big mosquito bite that itches worse than a mosquito bite.

I hate them with a vengeance, and pour boiling water in their nests every chance I get.

Yay!

I wish the ant nests in the garden had the little cone of dirt to mark it. Then I'd know to steer clear of them. Actually, I'd just leave that spot for the end. Dig up the nearby weeds, give the ants a big wet raspberry, and go.

 

[Sally PB]

My high school history teacher, Ernest Anger (really, that was his name), was dull. With his, "They took and did this," or "You take and do that," mode of passing along information, he was soporific. It seems that nobody ever just did something, there was a lot of taking going on back then, too. I once counted 23 "took and dids" in one 55 minute lecture. He made me vow to never take another history class.

I had to take one in college, so I chose American History, 1876-present, thinking it would be the least painful. It was FASCINATING! Lyn Mapes was a great lecturer, and the material was very interesting. Gone was the dry stuff of names/date/places/happenings. These were flesh and blood people, subject to the whims and desires of the flesh, and actually bleeding. (Blood wasn't mentioned much in my high school text book. People just died. Or, "took and died.")

Anyway, Ernest Anger was dull. He was on my mind today because I realized that as dull as he was, my kitchen knives are duller. I am tagging the people I know here who have a lot of practical knowledge.
@aart @DobieLover @gtaus @Shadrach @U_Stormcrow

Please, please, how do I go about sharpening my knives? I have no whetstones or electric sharpeners, so I need to get some equipment. What kind of whetstone would you recommend? How many do I need? Two? Six? What grit? How do you care for a whetstone? Do I need a hone? Would an electric sharpener be better?

I have two knives. One is a small paring knife that will cut butter and bruise onions. It was my mother's, so it is near and dear to me. The other is an 8 inch Zwilling J.A. Henckles that my MIL gave me. It's "the good knife" and also bruised the onions I was cutting up today.

I know I could watch a dozen you tube videos and use up the rest of this month's data. If I could narrow it down to one or two that explain the process well (and not try to sell me something), that would help.

Suggestions?

 

[cavemanrich]

Please, please, how do I go about sharpening my knives?

I have a drill attached device similar to the one pictured. Had it forever,,, so I could not find same online...

Then I use a similar devise to fine sharpen afterwards. Mine is again slightly different,, but same concept.

I can shave with the knives I sharpen.

A simple solution and least expensive,, is a sharpening stone.. Since you don't have many to sharpen,, it may be the right choice.. Does require patience, and time, and slight elbow grease,, but not strenuous.

I can get pictures of my devices,,, but the above pictures describe same as what you can find, and purchase at current time.

 

[Sally PB]

I can shave with the knives I sharpen

Wow. What's the best way to store knives that are that sharp? In a block?

 

[NanaK]

I have a device similar to the 2nd photo caveman posted. I also have one in the greenhouse for tools. They work great.
I have 2 sharpening stones as well. I like the hand held types best for most things.