Washingtonians

[justbugged]

Quote:

This year I attempted something I read about online - growing potatoes in straw. It didn't work for me. I got a few, very tiny potatoes in the dirt below, nothing in the hay. Wish I hadn't tried all of them that way. I have such a tiny harvest of really small potatoes. I was growing the purple potatoes - my favorite, and they are hard to come by in stores.

Edited to change the word "hay" to "straw". I attempted to grow in straw.

I can find them year around in the QFC store here in town. They aren't cheap, but they are for sale all the time.

 

[Chickielady]

Sweet potato starch and glutinous rice flour make good binders. Mom uses them in her flour mix when she wants biscuits or cookies since she can't have wheat or any of the gums. I'm always on the lookout for flours that she can experiment with. So I get shopping lists for when I go down to visit. The asian markets have some of the best quality flours. The sweet rice flour I pick up for mom there is almost like cornstarch fine and doesn't leave a gritty texture in baked goods like the stuff she finds in the health food stores.

I'd taken her some sweet potato starch last year and she was experimenting with it. She loves that stuff since it gets very gooey and binding. It has a neutral flavor. It works awesome for frying. Doesn't burn like flour or leave bits in the pan to burn. It makes a very good crisp chewy crust on whatever you're frying. I'll never fry with a breading of anything else again.

I use Xanthum Gum, and available at Health Food Stores.
They also have other gums available there as well.

 

[justbugged]

Quote: A feed bag that is made out of that fiber mesh should work very well. The bag would just need to be able to handle being damp or wet for most of the summer. It also would have to not hold the water in. So it is all about getting the right kind of feed bag. I might try this next year.

 

[Chickielady]

Awww! Yes I did do a disconnect there. Thank you for the clarification on this. Storing the taters in straw is a very good idea. I am going to try that this year. I think that if I put them in a bin with the straw, keep it out in the shed I might have a chance at keeping them longer.

Once again I deeply appreciate your ideas.

So far this year, I have gotten 1 purple tomato, and 3 ripe Romas. I did just notice that I do have some green yellow pear tomatoes on the patio plant. I have also gotten a couple of lemon cucumbers, and a couple of peas out of the garden. I know that I will get some yellow beets this year. Over all I am not unhappy with the garden. I do know that I will get more zucchini and pumpkins out the patch too. I think next year that I need to not plant squash type plants in the garden space. I think I am going to plant them in the front yard next year. I have been reading more about square foot gardening, and the squash plants take up too much space. I also need to plant my tomato plants much earlier in the year, and maybe plan on keeping them in the greenhouse all summer.

I have 1 tater tower DONE, and I cannot remember if they are reds or Yukons.....
At this point I then dump over the tower, and get the taters in a collander & spray with solution to discourage infection, and when dry, they are stored in straw.
The other tater tower is still growing, and has bloomed & had made seeds which look for all the world like green cherry tomatoes...so anyone do anything with these "potatoe tomatoes " ?

 

[Chickielady]

My subscriptions do not come anymore, no e-mail notifications of PMs or subs.
I have talked to Terrie, and she cannot help.
Do not know why this is happening..............................?

I reset my notifications to "daily digest" and it pops right back to "site only"
Great if I have an auction running....or egg sales...this sucks !

Owner Builder Loan going GREAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Should be approved in the next few days & we can put a lid on this house !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Imp]

Well, tonight I'm kinda sad and a little torn. one of my BO chickens turned out to be a cockeral, started crowing for real today. Bet some of the neighbors are freaking. lol! Such a nice deep voice (think James Earl Jones of chickens) Well he has to go to his new home tonight. Leaving in a few minutes. I'll miss him; like everyone says he's very friendly. But on the good side of things, I found him a home on a farm where he'll get to be a rooster with his own hens and coop.

Russ- sadly

 

[Chickielady]

If there is a South-Wester get together, please someone call me, I am not getting PMs or notifications.................and am BUSY and LAME.

I also have Exhibition Quality Bowen line Black Javas for sale~~~~~~~~~~~Pullets at POL $20 ad Cockerels at $10
Assorted Olive Eggers at POL $15
Assorted EEs (Orloff/Ameraucana or Blue CopperX at $15.....
Some Partridge Chanteclers~~~
Gotta thin the head after the last knee blow out...having issues getting around~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The price is a steal compared to the loss of buying hatching eggs, and hatching, and then raising mature birds............my loss ...your gain.

Sorry, but I am cripped and maybe looking square at a knee replacement or some such issue

AND ALL I WANT IS A HOUSE TO LIVE IN

Camping for 3 years is getting awfully old~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Greg Richardson]

Seattle Parks Dept. final life jacket sale is this Saturday


Today, September 14, 2012, 5 hours ago

The final Seattle Parks and Recreation low cost life jacket sale is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Evans Pool, 7201 E. Green Lake Dr. North in Seattle.
State law requires children age 12 and under are required to wear a Coast Guard approved life jacket or life vest on vessels less than 19 feet long. There must also be a life jacket on board for each person older than 12.
Cost for life jackets sizes infant to youth large is $20, and for teens to adult size XXL is $30. The life jackets are comfortable, high-quality vests in fashion colors. All sales are final.
Customers younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Fitters will be available to help choose the correct size.
The Parks Dept. offers this program in partnership with Seattle Children's Hospital, Mustang Survival, and the Coast Guard Auxiliary. For details email Diane Jones at [email protected].

 

[TerrorBird]

Well, tonight I'm kinda sad and a little torn. one of my BO chickens turned out to be a cockeral, started crowing for real today. Bet some of the neighbors are freaking. lol! Such a nice deep voice (think James Earl Jones of chickens) Well he has to go to his new home tonight. Leaving in a few minutes. I'll miss him; like everyone says he's very friendly. But on the good side of things, I found him a home on a farm where he'll get to be a rooster with his own hens and coop.

Russ- sadly

I'm sorry that it turned out that he's a he, but at least he's not going to be dinner! When I was about eleven or twelve and living in Delaware, we were given a single Delaware hen. The people who gave her to us claimed that they thought she was a wild bird, but she was just an awkward teenager. We named her Chick Chick and kept her for a while, but realized that our small yard was no proper place for her. We took her to a farm where they wouldn't eat her. I was sad, but at the same time glad.

 

[Greg Richardson]

THE CARING GRANDFATHER

A woman in a supermarket is following a grandfather and his
badly behaved 3 year-old grandson.
It's obvious to her that he has his hands full with the child
screaming for sweets in the sweet aisle, biscuits in the biscuit aisle;
and for fruit, cereal and pop in the other aisles.
Meanwhile, Granddad is working his way around, saying in a
controlled voice, "Easy, William, we won't be long . . . Easy, boy."
Another outburst, and she hears the granddad calmly say, "It's
okay, William, just a couple more minutes and we'll be out of here.
Hang in there, boy".
At the checkout, the little terror is throwing items out of
the cart, and Granddad says again in a controlled voice, "William, William,
relax buddy, don't get upset. We'll be home in five minutes; stay
cool, William."
Very impressed, the woman goes outside where the grandfather
is loading his groceries and the boy into the car.
She said to the elderly gentleman, "It's none of my business,
but you were amazing in there. I don't know how you did it. That whole
time, you kept your composure, and no matter how loud and disruptive he got,
you just calmly kept saying things would be okay. William is very lucky
to have you as his grandpa."
"Thanks," said the grandfather, "but I'm William . . .
The little brats name is Kevin."