tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39645817794701198562024-03-14T08:26:42.348-07:00The Redneck HippieA little about farming, a little about knitting and a whole lot about vegetable gardening.Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.comBlogger185125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-52843753639576807702021-09-14T12:00:00.002-07:002021-09-14T12:00:58.104-07:00Climate Change and Gardening<p> How do we know climate change is here?</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>FREQUENCY OF EXTREMES - records broken every year, historic events such as wildfires, hurricanes, and winter storms coming every season, every year now. This summer was not normal, but it used to be in the '70s - that is how much we've changed in just five decades.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Research has shown the warming climate is making heat waves, droughts and floods more intense and frequent. We are already having greater temperature swings closer together, and historic weather events happening more often - massive hurricanes, record breaking temps and rainfall, longer droughts, more snow and ice.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>20 of the 22 past years were the hottest on record.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>According to NOAA, this past July was the hottest in 142 years of record-keeping.It was Asia's hottest July on record and the second-most-sweltering July for Europe, according to NOAA. It ranked among the top 10 for warmest July for North America, South America, Africa and Oceania.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Gulf Stream is slowing. </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Summit of Greenland - it rained for first time ever.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sea level has already risen 8 inches in the past 100 years. Islands in the South Pacific are already going underwater at every high tide and even places in the United States - Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana isn't inhabitable anymore because of the rise in ocean levels, so the native peoples who had lived there forever had to move. PBS Earth Focus episode called Sea Level Rising: Living With Water is a great show about that.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Normal climate swings: at a climate and environment talk at The Natural Gardener years ago, Bob Rose, LCRA meteorologist, explained about a 30 year swing in our climate from warmer and drier to cooler and wetter. That might account for part of it, but certainly doesn't account for all of it or most of it or even a large part of it. </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>All is not lost and we don't need to completely panic. We definitely should be concerned, and take more steps NOW to do our part to try to help not make it any worse. If you can afford it, buy a hybrid car and get solar panels. The technology has come MILES from where it used to be. Conserve energy just like they've been telling us forever. But there are many more things we can do, especially in the garden.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p>What does it mean for us? </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We need to give a lot of thought to how gardening is going to change and how we are going to change with it. We need to have a long, hard look at what we can no longer do and accept that we can't. </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1. No more planting semi-hardy things thinking we'll get a few years out of them - now they'll likely have to be grown as annuals, if at all. </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2. No more planting delicate things all over the yard. Maybe we keep one spot that is very visible where we can plant those things we love that aren't hardy anymore, or grow them in pots so we can move them inside for the first few cold snaps so they'll last longer.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3. No more trusting the garden center person without doing our own research because they may still be going off of old rules. </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4. We'll have to be more accepting of more damage to the plants and rolling with it. We'll have to be okay with learning as we go as well, and sometimes getting it wrong. </p><p><br /></p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We'll have to "unlearn" and "relearn" a lot of things </p><p>1.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>UNLEARN: that we have "summer" and "winter". We don't have one long frost-free growing season. We have two very short ones interruped by not just freezing cold, but also dessicating heat.</p><p>2.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>RELEARN: when to plant annuals, vegetables, & even trees</p><p>3.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>UNLEARN old watering habits like once a week watering, "set it & forget it" for a season, giving plants more water DURING the heat (heat dormancy) instead of before, and just guessing how moist the ground is without physically checking. </p><p>4.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>RELEARN how to water adequately for each temperature swing (water everything but cactus before a cold spell - water *before* a heat wave, not during), how to change your irrigation system's timer, how to check the soil moisture level, relearn signs of over- and underwatering, & watch the weather forecast every day even in milder seasons.</p><p>5.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>UNLEARN: what plants we can grow here: HORRIBLY hot one season, then bitter cold a few months later, might finish off a lot of plants that previously would have been fine.</p><p>6.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>RELEARN what plants are hardy in our new climate: watch what comes back after a bitter cold winter. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>So what do we do? </p><p>First, don't go changing everything right away. Just pay attention - watch for a while. This is when you're unlearning and relearning. Notice what comes back just fine after being frozen back. Wait for at least June before deciding something is dead, and July or August is even better. Fall is the best time to plant here anyway. So wait for plants to die from cold or heat or floods or drought, THEN replace them with hardier things, or do something completely different, like a bird bath or porch swing. Porch swings don't die if you forget to water them.</p><p>Plant more trees. This helps in multiple ways, including:</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1. By the direct sequestration of carbon in the massive amount of plant matter of the tree itself.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2. By shading our house so we use less electricity to run the air conditioner.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3. By using the air conditioner less, we use less hydrofluorocarbons, substances that have tens of thousands of times more warming potential than carbon dioxide.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4. By holding the soil in place so it doesn't blow or wash away.</p><p>Re-use grey water.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Install a "laundry to landscape" system.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Install a handwashing sink on the tank of your toilet.</p><p>Grow some vegetables. Even a few. Agriculture accounts for 30% of the greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than all transportation combined.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1. Don't go buy a bunch of stuff to do it. Look at what you have and use that. I have numerous cattle troughs I don't use for animals anymore, an antique wheelbarrow, and an old goldfish pond filled with soil from the pots of dead plants. BAHAHA! A friend filled in her swimming pool and that's her veggie garden now. Or that sunny spot you used to plant annuals in, do colorful veggies instead. Veggies can be very pretty, too. </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2. Compost and use that on your vegetables. Helps you avoid buying as much stuff to garden with, as well as not putting it in landfills where it makes methane, another serious greenhouse gas.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3. Wasting food is a MASSIVE problem. If we grow it, we're a lot less apt to waste it. </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4. What you can't grow, get at the farmers market, or only in-season things from HEB. </p><p>If you grow fruit trees, do it strategically. </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1. Plant both low and high chill hour varieties. IF that means you have to plant more than you thought you would, plant them close and keep them pruned small.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2. Put most of your eggs in the "easy" basket - ie, figs, blackberries, pomegranates, & native edibles.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3. Keep citrus potted, or only grow Arctic Frost varieties.</p><p>Plant smarter in our yards. Plan for the extremes.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1. The "bones" of garden must be more hardy. - shrubs, trees, and especially plants that make a privacy hedge need to be hardy to at least zone 7, while still able to take our heat. </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2. That sunny spot on the west side of your house that never seems to grow much of anything? Stop fighting it, and just grow lettuce and broccoli in winter, then cover crops in summer, letting them naturally die back in the heat.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3. Plan for drier winters. Get up close and personal with your irrigation system NOW. Learn how to adjust it and change it every month for practice. Video yourself telling yourself how to adjust it, then watch that again later. Then keep adjusting it regularly, even when it's mild and cold. We need to not "forget" about our gardens when the weather cools off.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4. ...And wetter springs and falls. Use easy-to-rake mulch or plant rain garden plants. If a certain spot seems to constantly be wet in spring and fall, maybe build a real rain garden there. More on both of these later. </p><p><br /></p><p>Keep your plants healthy & unstressed in gentler weather so they can withstand those extremes. </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Garden organically</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Learn the signs of too much water so you can step in and fix it asap (turn off irrigation, rake back mulch, or transplant and replant with something that can take wet feet). WILTING IS A SIGN OF STRESS, NOT DRYNESS. </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Don't kill the soil. That will lead to desertification, the process by which rich soil degrades into desert. The soil dies by letting it dry out, starving it, using chemicals, or tilling too often.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>RELEARN how to check the soil moisture level - open a hole in the ground with a shovel, stick your fingers four or five inches down in the opening, and feel the soil. It should feel as moist as a well-wrung-out sponge. Aim for that level of moisture on balance - it should be wetter after you water, then drier before you water again.</p><p>About desertification: it is what happened during the Dust Bowl. </p><p><br /></p><p>When it rains, watch where the water pools and where it runs off, then adjust those for larger rainfalls.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Plant rain garden plants where the water pools and stands, and also where it runs off to slow down the runoff. Some common examples are Big Bluestem, Flame Acanthus, Horseherb, Bee Balm, Cast Iron Plant, and Butterfly Weed.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Build a real rain garden: A rain garden is simply a low spot intended to catch and hold rainwater runoff from any type of impervious cover. They are filled with plants that can handle wet or dry conditions. This helps in numerous ways: </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1. less flooding</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2. keeps toxins on site, not washed into waterways where they can become concentrated over time</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3. makes your landscape more attractive as well.</p><p><br /></p><p>Season Extenders - what they are and how to use them. Everyone should have these in your garage just in case. Even if you only plant hardy things, that first cold snap may be so severe and coming "out of the blue" that that might do them in. For instance, even if they normally are fine with 15F, they won't be now if it's coming after a month of temps in the 70s. <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p><br /></p><p>Season extenders are things used to keep heat in in winter and keep heat out in summer.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Kinds of season extenders we would use here in Texas</p><p>A.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Row cover (aka frost cloth)</p><p>B.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Shade cloth</p><p>C.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cold frames</p><p>D.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Greenhouses</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Heat sources: Be sure to have some passive heat sources (non-electric) if you have some plants that are incredibly special. </p><p>A.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Incandescent Christmas lights</p><p>B.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Small ceramic or oil-filled radiating heater w/thermostat </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>*Make sure any electrical things are plugged in to GFCI outlets. </p><p>C.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Candle smudge pots</p><p>D.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Thermal mass - The Earth itself! Or other large mass - it needs to be large to be effective, but even small mass can help a little bit.</p><p><br /></p><p>My Season Extender post on TheRedneckHippie.com with a lot more info and photos.</p><p>http://www.theredneckhippie.com/2014/01/season-extenders.html</p><div><br /></div>Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-19414603471250512402021-05-10T13:53:00.004-07:002021-05-10T13:53:39.578-07:00A WILD GARDEN TOUR: Bricks, Watermill, and More! — Ep 019<div>Today I Learned ... </div><div>You can share a video from YouTube by just clicking a couple links. </div><div><br /></div><div>Neat old guy with a neat old collection and a neat old way of thinking. Watch the minute linked here, then go back and see the entire thing.</div><div><br /></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/DIebhWL1mog" width="480"></iframe>Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-19689828226772195812021-04-28T20:02:00.010-07:002021-05-01T12:50:44.448-07:00Doin' the Texas Rain Dance<p> Been doing the Texas Rain Dance all day today. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1TxbH0V4pxQnbdiNN5R4kQCG55KjqhOTjyoyzI8UxGm0Q4UqG64_KLR_om2BFbHLIbnk49arCjht78WhWLSGiEiJn3qqWZRMotsbiIqR3CoMj7OWdct3IIS6xZ__2ZVPx5cfTnmFPl8/s1000/1+washing+the+car.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1TxbH0V4pxQnbdiNN5R4kQCG55KjqhOTjyoyzI8UxGm0Q4UqG64_KLR_om2BFbHLIbnk49arCjht78WhWLSGiEiJn3qqWZRMotsbiIqR3CoMj7OWdct3IIS6xZ__2ZVPx5cfTnmFPl8/w400-h300/1+washing+the+car.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtznPNdeTzy55jJQzB9pqqnGuvf7PGqTqXfpP4GPjTExhULkLlZXJQq1-OXI6-6z3eqBHzYU-2HoK4Gcwaqt9ylu-CdSsYH0Xmh6XxHaOx2gkXmaOh5EvychMPEYv0AnPpXaSnjQaeoGo/s1000/2+watering+the+garden.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtznPNdeTzy55jJQzB9pqqnGuvf7PGqTqXfpP4GPjTExhULkLlZXJQq1-OXI6-6z3eqBHzYU-2HoK4Gcwaqt9ylu-CdSsYH0Xmh6XxHaOx2gkXmaOh5EvychMPEYv0AnPpXaSnjQaeoGo/w400-h300/2+watering+the+garden.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnyZ-cEbND7P53suk_EPDLqqFbyytsJcoQZ9hVSmWRs9irmgblsGDaKFwL79NlXwL8V7Dc6ZtjGz0t4J-R5t_krHGcDKivizAWCGWejopfUj31DHk5n8p4gBlY1WQLt_3D9DX_PdJkF0/s1000/3+hanging+laundry+to+dry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnyZ-cEbND7P53suk_EPDLqqFbyytsJcoQZ9hVSmWRs9irmgblsGDaKFwL79NlXwL8V7Dc6ZtjGz0t4J-R5t_krHGcDKivizAWCGWejopfUj31DHk5n8p4gBlY1WQLt_3D9DX_PdJkF0/w400-h300/3+hanging+laundry+to+dry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For you new Texans out there, and people in other places, that's washing the car, watering the garden, and hanging laundry out to dry. Looks like my efforts just might pay off. Radar now:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmXDMVYibfMHbH20zA3f5Hpi6Fuh3OSjGD8HCEWwwMWcpPCdYae1ZcNhonYAmm8Ua3S-OilJ3tL6V8MwKG9VlU02Js-zW3mWl836CttYZbwqvcizmszeYDB1TlMMYfezexl-Q5EBtjCQ/s1280/4+now.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmXDMVYibfMHbH20zA3f5Hpi6Fuh3OSjGD8HCEWwwMWcpPCdYae1ZcNhonYAmm8Ua3S-OilJ3tL6V8MwKG9VlU02Js-zW3mWl836CttYZbwqvcizmszeYDB1TlMMYfezexl-Q5EBtjCQ/w225-h400/4+now.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And what they say it will look like at eleven o'clock tonight:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwgwLLpKJCCzAPXk3pJub9vRc_1gNzxZkH1tQhq1JjdRQIE0E0Z1KpKQUtr1V8iQi7HY8SIRHhgZkkgwt5ON1v3KOvdWd8TOB0psmeoFdlTI_53bN_nNPRKZdkPAa_p1PUqk3x3_UJS8/s1280/5+11+pm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwgwLLpKJCCzAPXk3pJub9vRc_1gNzxZkH1tQhq1JjdRQIE0E0Z1KpKQUtr1V8iQi7HY8SIRHhgZkkgwt5ON1v3KOvdWd8TOB0psmeoFdlTI_53bN_nNPRKZdkPAa_p1PUqk3x3_UJS8/w400-h225/5+11+pm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Yi5sK3epMmMC746HKHtGQVYPD3whpnrEgvfio6wfPNqoiDGhHWzC5gggM-4hNelixHChYPaAE7IrGKzhJJIkhgVsrvXwIlysiUBHgnX72yK2nzaijmWzBL8Tvh4MjBrN6dVJbCUBhSY/s539/6+fingers+crossed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="539" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Yi5sK3epMmMC746HKHtGQVYPD3whpnrEgvfio6wfPNqoiDGhHWzC5gggM-4hNelixHChYPaAE7IrGKzhJJIkhgVsrvXwIlysiUBHgnX72yK2nzaijmWzBL8Tvh4MjBrN6dVJbCUBhSY/w400-h268/6+fingers+crossed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maybe I should go wash my car again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>UPDATE, Friday evening, April 30th:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHsDZF8KHObFms7JSsibGKp6xuGENGL_WVq_07AP2RV_Z_Cj7TizevTZdZpJBUTuugm0EzD7QIPuXjS8ajk85r_EgvzEg5s0MzFew425K9H3x5ODs6EMeDwWWwopyBtPr36GJ5pimdYQ/s600/6+Hydromet+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="600" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHsDZF8KHObFms7JSsibGKp6xuGENGL_WVq_07AP2RV_Z_Cj7TizevTZdZpJBUTuugm0EzD7QIPuXjS8ajk85r_EgvzEg5s0MzFew425K9H3x5ODs6EMeDwWWwopyBtPr36GJ5pimdYQ/w400-h368/6+Hydromet+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6K4tAwEljnm6hJVWP1DbTBVS2d7pO2zda3tZydRpTAJAzHcCKIVUx_zNeD2dfaOpk11rwXNsHhZCKlyb1cuXdZ-AgWZXDxnfZGWy_FBby8NnXASBcWTGKPhsGwG-_wvXPGEz04pGdVkk/s1280/7+Flash+Flood+Watch+and+100%2525+chance+of+rain+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6K4tAwEljnm6hJVWP1DbTBVS2d7pO2zda3tZydRpTAJAzHcCKIVUx_zNeD2dfaOpk11rwXNsHhZCKlyb1cuXdZ-AgWZXDxnfZGWy_FBby8NnXASBcWTGKPhsGwG-_wvXPGEz04pGdVkk/w225-h400/7+Flash+Flood+Watch+and+100%2525+chance+of+rain+1.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBzS2i56F-YGHKl03IHr2NDH1w7LFZRmNp-XwY_RFJYaoAX5NUBN_ts5yyWEwr9XLsn9I35Sg6Sh-r-OjwplODMbjFGWpqQvjsmD3Q2sZWo6A3PQjVK9LNr1eKpBiwtYndEKPMa7zltc/s1280/7+Flash+Flood+Watch+and+100%2525+chance+of+rain+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBzS2i56F-YGHKl03IHr2NDH1w7LFZRmNp-XwY_RFJYaoAX5NUBN_ts5yyWEwr9XLsn9I35Sg6Sh-r-OjwplODMbjFGWpqQvjsmD3Q2sZWo6A3PQjVK9LNr1eKpBiwtYndEKPMa7zltc/w225-h400/7+Flash+Flood+Watch+and+100%2525+chance+of+rain+2.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG7RU1YaJ0q58DtIItgnO3BfUQlueuU7u8VnyeTDH2HZnU2iy_LSOgwkRKwLnkdEGSaUBAwBk8I02X1CU8hh2m-Gx51hs5BAVUeIrAsB90PIJ6zDN4ZQU0dAyFBGZaxCbMts7UGNFNHhU/s300/d818dc89-47b7-47b5-b1a9-89a50ee4cb44.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG7RU1YaJ0q58DtIItgnO3BfUQlueuU7u8VnyeTDH2HZnU2iy_LSOgwkRKwLnkdEGSaUBAwBk8I02X1CU8hh2m-Gx51hs5BAVUeIrAsB90PIJ6zDN4ZQU0dAyFBGZaxCbMts7UGNFNHhU/s16000/d818dc89-47b7-47b5-b1a9-89a50ee4cb44.gif" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;">UPDATE May 1:</span></u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqi38TAjXrhuU2ABLDWULcjb1kvdQP0J75sOcxCjRkMMAJcAjV3HJ0JH5K_A65kKhtOthp6tSzq5Q-9f0f2D_DwpraO9hjSCt-yCrXjR441VgOoEEFoDHttUE66vSOtNGsyb8jW5VCaMM/s1280/Screenshot_20210501-143032_KXAN+Weather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqi38TAjXrhuU2ABLDWULcjb1kvdQP0J75sOcxCjRkMMAJcAjV3HJ0JH5K_A65kKhtOthp6tSzq5Q-9f0f2D_DwpraO9hjSCt-yCrXjR441VgOoEEFoDHttUE66vSOtNGsyb8jW5VCaMM/w225-h400/Screenshot_20210501-143032_KXAN+Weather.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz0SQ1MR3iTD8cPZqkCVQ6K0A3KvDzyiyKbQRLYSXSotnmRyfeQqFvRF5LeVO9ZWelGKWu4zymNQeTsD8Rolg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>*~contented sigh~*</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-25629693890179891472021-04-25T12:40:00.010-07:002021-04-25T12:44:14.174-07:00Hanging Top Bar Hives ~ Three Sizes<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpAEZp2NCKp7n1AKEoD7QIt6T7HFg8dluxCcJcf4n2lT6VJY-LNeLFbC5pQaQAZ5oCcJyyiT3LSTXcC3b6RWVcWIFfbUW94uWk8w0QmUE9iLeBHyV_EIYthuaKlPaM5M22jbsZrVydNQ/s2000/top+bars+hung+1.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpAEZp2NCKp7n1AKEoD7QIt6T7HFg8dluxCcJcf4n2lT6VJY-LNeLFbC5pQaQAZ5oCcJyyiT3LSTXcC3b6RWVcWIFfbUW94uWk8w0QmUE9iLeBHyV_EIYthuaKlPaM5M22jbsZrVydNQ/w640-h480/top+bars+hung+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TA DA!!!!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div style="text-align: left;">Look what I did yesterday! Been meaning to do this forever and it finally percolated up to the top of the Neverending To Do List. Some friends were over a couple days ago and helped me get the hardware off the old porch swing and drill holes in the board the hive will sit on. Some other friends invited me to dinner and a visit Friday, so I took the hardware with me since I knew the He of the couple would have larger washers I needed. So by Saturday I had everything I needed for the project. Thanks to friends. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rQugMyjUlR8ps4UDayCRYOdHBpATnesIRjmuohmwKK9l_esQXWV-GdiBj4ooqe_dV_AAmy5n3Jwot29zB62MLQ3M6T5GbVXX2CiNJAYCWtQMJR5wzwz1MN9b0zw4CIXo7cuxwHFSTLM/s1500/top+bars+hung+2marked+compressed.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rQugMyjUlR8ps4UDayCRYOdHBpATnesIRjmuohmwKK9l_esQXWV-GdiBj4ooqe_dV_AAmy5n3Jwot29zB62MLQ3M6T5GbVXX2CiNJAYCWtQMJR5wzwz1MN9b0zw4CIXo7cuxwHFSTLM/w400-h300/top+bars+hung+2marked+compressed.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue=existing entrances. Red=new ones.</td></tr></tbody></table>I've been doing projects in stages, small steps every day. Things get done a lot easier that way and I don't wear myself out. I'm getting older, so can't expect to go all day like I used to. After too many disappointing days being a hardhead only to fail AND spend the next day painfully, I finally decided to give that shit up and just deal with the fact that I'm not twenty anymore. What a wonderful thing! Giving myself permission to NOT finish things in one day! Such relief. And, interestingly, I get so much more done now because instead of being disappointed in how little I got done, I'm happy that I reached my daily goal. Disappointment weighs you down while happy gives you energy, so I end up doing more than I thought I would. Bonus!<p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9WWz0MmRW1nf_VwvS3B3CIT4XChj7L3AvC1xL-VCf47wM9g-lbbO_Zf3BKlxX-grpYLDwNeNtrdDsgLVO4ywk2SX6iBy3dXBruFZ9Iu1vW8O_oCXEp4ux2M3qJRILZ-DwLvTo22Kv34/s2000/top+bars+hung+3+nuc+box.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9WWz0MmRW1nf_VwvS3B3CIT4XChj7L3AvC1xL-VCf47wM9g-lbbO_Zf3BKlxX-grpYLDwNeNtrdDsgLVO4ywk2SX6iBy3dXBruFZ9Iu1vW8O_oCXEp4ux2M3qJRILZ-DwLvTo22Kv34/w400-h300/top+bars+hung+3+nuc+box.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awwwwwww. Cute little nuc box.</td></tr></tbody></table>So yesterday I thought I'd just go hang the board and call it a day. It went so easily and I was so happy with it that I thought I'd clean out the best topbar of the two and just set it on the swing board to look at it. That went so well that I thought I'd screw it down so the wind wouldn't send it flying. That went so well that I thought I'd drag the other top bar to the house so I could clean it out the next day. That went so well that I cleaned it out, took it apart, cut it into two, cut new ends for the second nuc box one, screwed them all back together, drilled new entrances, and hung 'em on the swing, too! <p></p><p>So now I have a 44" top bar hive, a 30" top bar hive, and a 14" 8-bar nuc box. Ain't it kayewt?! I've always wanted a cute little top bar nuc box. Only thing left to do is fashion a top. Not sure what I want to do for one yet, so that'll wait for another day.<br /></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOa8Arr1zNgP6urL1V6Xx1UU0AfhS1e_HB2nOQCxb-0YJya8yq0diR60flBuAa55_AeUbau3ze3RljGLfbhu0F1EJQc36qZTSbJe4XgDIS_YtdwgSpz3kaPd4FtK5HGsujGQ_8c6jpcv8/s1000/top+bars+hung+5.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOa8Arr1zNgP6urL1V6Xx1UU0AfhS1e_HB2nOQCxb-0YJya8yq0diR60flBuAa55_AeUbau3ze3RljGLfbhu0F1EJQc36qZTSbJe4XgDIS_YtdwgSpz3kaPd4FtK5HGsujGQ_8c6jpcv8/w400-h300/top+bars+hung+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeder w/follower & divider boards either side.<br />Spot of melted wax, too - hot out already. UGH.</td></tr></tbody></table>I also cut some divider boards - three of them. I already had some follower boards, but those don't fit snugly enough to keep bees from going around them. I wanted to be able to divide a top bar completely in two to have two colonies in it if need be. I always thought that would be handy in case I saw some SURPRISE! swarm cells and wanted to make a split on the fly. <p></p><p><br />I'll keep the follower boards that bees can get around so I can feed them in the empty cavity part of the top bar. But now I have options, man. Options are nice. And are all easily stored at one end 'til you need them. You can always make one divider board, then drill a couple holes in it and add a swing-cover of sorts - then you'll have both in one board. I'll probably do that next time I build one from scratch instead of redo an existing one. </p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQ7Wn0gHvJ0qURdhc4vFakVXq6dqPqEYLzU6QDCgfE_AnX2vD_SatZXIPc2xSYAKAcPslr7e8pkhbcQxit-V-rqO-GFGjw5MsOr4EEyJCjvX4EJNzG46q9rEUkYDt8qw2spx-CYAId60/s1333/top+bars+hung+6.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQ7Wn0gHvJ0qURdhc4vFakVXq6dqPqEYLzU6QDCgfE_AnX2vD_SatZXIPc2xSYAKAcPslr7e8pkhbcQxit-V-rqO-GFGjw5MsOr4EEyJCjvX4EJNzG46q9rEUkYDt8qw2spx-CYAId60/w300-h400/top+bars+hung+6.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>I'd bought some extra-long bars when I bought the extra regular sized ones. The long ones fit perfectly into a Lang box. Handy. I know there's an idea in there somewhere. Maybe I'll build a top bar to use those bars on so I can switch the frames from topbar to Lang. Wouldn't THAT be handy when a top bar gets too packed and I'm not ready to harvest or split the colony. Or maybe I'll use them on the Long Lang I've always thought about building. Who knows. But that really WILL have to wait for another day.<p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyHsAc5w8lw5kjdZzIOdMVVXOgYqkIYgT98r4g01bBlwZXTU1lgzqjsbnyj290qb045k1ORM5BL7moN9AozcM05Nph807qb7Y0kb4O5OxtqZyH-2IZ6h5SJLSFNR61Me6IKCYwqmNLnU/s2000/top+bars+hung+4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyHsAc5w8lw5kjdZzIOdMVVXOgYqkIYgT98r4g01bBlwZXTU1lgzqjsbnyj290qb045k1ORM5BL7moN9AozcM05Nph807qb7Y0kb4O5OxtqZyH-2IZ6h5SJLSFNR61Me6IKCYwqmNLnU/w640-h640/top+bars+hung+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p></div>Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-39705518570517034902021-01-11T15:07:00.004-08:002021-01-11T15:35:59.609-08:00 Snow, Beautiful Snow <p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2i98U9KhDmtYnPFlyNstM6EhajgVx5OJfz36r-ee-OeixmtJ_yFggZJalqnv9JcgXcsIOWcDGbDgSWnvRi6OyoKBRfTz7NICkMHhyphenhyphenm_iXodqm19S9dhgRuigSg-u88ETCGSc4tIxmqzE/w640-h428/2021+January+SNOW+24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpGXJRw1_XY-fsKNcDPyvisdDaHh21YYQv4VnJDnT8wRH8aoJJa0G6g8rqm-1ICh-DgwpV76_v4PmLubzzjJr2jpoXlX_6ASQXCv14i_7yoYZMCjLfTadHzgr8ULLeKjzjqCXFMVQPeg/s1778/2021+January+SNOW+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1778" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpGXJRw1_XY-fsKNcDPyvisdDaHh21YYQv4VnJDnT8wRH8aoJJa0G6g8rqm-1ICh-DgwpV76_v4PmLubzzjJr2jpoXlX_6ASQXCv14i_7yoYZMCjLfTadHzgr8ULLeKjzjqCXFMVQPeg/w640-h360/2021+January+SNOW+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCN6iZj-5PGvg_LuQ7riIruxEAdmRnV6WtcluaylOwIFxF8ZUELubGFng5ShyphenhyphenfvfFUJLThCHCV7ZDvZzthjaI5p0qhacxcr4eAShj9u7SXqjC5vjWcTgJbI_MJnGP0Q5RlY-XUA0NzrFs/s1000/2021+January+SNOW+11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="563" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCN6iZj-5PGvg_LuQ7riIruxEAdmRnV6WtcluaylOwIFxF8ZUELubGFng5ShyphenhyphenfvfFUJLThCHCV7ZDvZzthjaI5p0qhacxcr4eAShj9u7SXqjC5vjWcTgJbI_MJnGP0Q5RlY-XUA0NzrFs/w360-h640/2021+January+SNOW+11.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='559' height='465' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz33uvjZCcBV1cEH28EtLkkRgDCG_roKQ1XcLMXcRCcE0WZilitfyZhWoLKZGwy0HVeUmlCA0UtdW2rhYTGWQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-19472169161598359252020-11-22T13:36:00.003-08:002020-11-22T13:38:42.413-08:00You GOTTA' Grow This: Mouse Melons<p>OMG! Y'ALL! You NEED to grow these! Seriously! They go by many names: Cucamelon, Mexican Sour Gherkin, Pepquinos, and my favorite Mouse Melons, but their botanical name is <i>Melothria scabra</i>, so as long as you get those, you're golden.</p><p>They're <i>so</i> cute that that alone is reason enough to grow them. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMGjaADmVdD4czgwimqq2xUeSRBIKQ5PM3RQB8QtMSZfUOwy4crXqF3AUOCXPGOmN0Ncf1LgFK4Epz2UDSt8aqnmlmKBMSveWa004hJ7aN1n93HKiYtVCqageKUl67TOJ7fQYnbUTRTo/s1000/Mouse+Melons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="1000" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMGjaADmVdD4czgwimqq2xUeSRBIKQ5PM3RQB8QtMSZfUOwy4crXqF3AUOCXPGOmN0Ncf1LgFK4Epz2UDSt8aqnmlmKBMSveWa004hJ7aN1n93HKiYtVCqageKUl67TOJ7fQYnbUTRTo/w640-h466/Mouse+Melons.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>But wait! There's more! They're tasty, too! Tart like pre-dilled cucumbers. Tangy and crispy and yummy. Bite sized even, right off the vine no slicing or dicing needed. I think they'll be great in a salad. Wonder if they'll last long enough for my mesclun that's just sprouting to join them. I'm going to leave a few in the fridge to see if they do, then make some 'frigerator pickles out of a some, then can the rest for later.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzRDQnaxPcraC-pPZZfd54HGpzTHsRASdfsWEEcvmotjGKOUkWve_XcL3_D1zB5R3AFGA85xz43lhgs1rlIkKhVGrYPsFFeB_-iepUFA3S4aXM5GJpcj7pGwq0x8olEOe2NbYR0uZrPk/s800/Mouse+Melons+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzRDQnaxPcraC-pPZZfd54HGpzTHsRASdfsWEEcvmotjGKOUkWve_XcL3_D1zB5R3AFGA85xz43lhgs1rlIkKhVGrYPsFFeB_-iepUFA3S4aXM5GJpcj7pGwq0x8olEOe2NbYR0uZrPk/w400-h300/Mouse+Melons+4.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzRDQnaxPcraC-pPZZfd54HGpzTHsRASdfsWEEcvmotjGKOUkWve_XcL3_D1zB5R3AFGA85xz43lhgs1rlIkKhVGrYPsFFeB_-iepUFA3S4aXM5GJpcj7pGwq0x8olEOe2NbYR0uZrPk/s800/Mouse+Melons+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>They've been growing out there all year and I didn't think they'd made anything, so never really looked. I did see a few on there a while back, picked a couple, and ate them. They were pretty great, better than regular cukes I thought, so I made a mental note to grow them again next year, starting earlier and paying more attention to them, then thought no more of it.<p></p><p>Last week's frost nipped the vines enough that I could see through them, and lo and behold, there was a shit load of the little buggers on there! Five little plants that covered a 3' wide by 4' tall trellis made a half gallon or so fruit. Interestingly, they also sent out a couple or three vines across the ground, shooting out singly in different directions. One was about eight or ten feet out, headed to the squash bed, and made little melons even right on the ground! </p><p>I'm impressed with them since it was so hot and dry this year, plus they were in a shadier spot. Next year they'll get much better accommodations.</p><p>Now I'm off to make pickles as the cold front rolls in. Ahh, bliss...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqd2hpA-FL-C-SL0xstlR_J8TYLJip4h8KoiCRKiUhHEMpPuwR9WPdvc4ZFI8XGt419sb80H4jojjknNjR1qVHnLLsTavfQqneVH8bM4BBCUe7d4L8sf65etIjAomCtXMeNxyHPCJ7KY/s1200/cold+font+moving+in+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqd2hpA-FL-C-SL0xstlR_J8TYLJip4h8KoiCRKiUhHEMpPuwR9WPdvc4ZFI8XGt419sb80H4jojjknNjR1qVHnLLsTavfQqneVH8bM4BBCUe7d4L8sf65etIjAomCtXMeNxyHPCJ7KY/w640-h480/cold+font+moving+in+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-23930931730855039502020-07-29T14:15:00.002-07:002020-07-29T14:40:00.393-07:00Cutting Back Tomatoes<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5caU7Xkb6pixfwrsYYLzFqGoKCFl-f1hAUQe6OyaLN-Ea2ugkf4eC4ZrBre6jlkl1_zY7TNd5U4z3tj7OK9l4kqdY3clEZYfEFpgf4zQ3X7FFI0QK414OkFTHs4mj-HnHZ5U2qOGw7e8/s1600/IMG_4989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5caU7Xkb6pixfwrsYYLzFqGoKCFl-f1hAUQe6OyaLN-Ea2ugkf4eC4ZrBre6jlkl1_zY7TNd5U4z3tj7OK9l4kqdY3clEZYfEFpgf4zQ3X7FFI0QK414OkFTHs4mj-HnHZ5U2qOGw7e8/s400/IMG_4989.JPG" width="265" /></a>If you haven't already, it's time to cut back your tomatoes. By now they're likely <br />
growing out the top of the cages and all the way back down to the ground again, making such a mess that you hardly know where one stops and another begins. They stopped setting fruit over a month ago, you've picked all the ones set before that, and you're getting tired of looking at them. Hornworms are more plentiful than fruit, especially the BIG ones that scream at you when you grab them, and you're probably noticing the beginnings of a spider mite infestation. Wouldn't it be great to just wipe the slate clean and start over?<br />
<br />
Well, go ahead then. Just cut off the tops and there ya' go. That's all there is to it. Really.<br />
<br />
Some people pull up their plants and replant this time of year, but I think that's such a waste. You've spent months growing a big healthy rootball, so why pull all that up and replace it with a baby that will have to grow it all back? Why not leave the rootball, and just get rid of the raggedy part? That's what I do, and it works wonderfully.<br />
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Sometimes, they'll try to regrow from the base themselves, but those sprouts won't get very far if they're shaded by the old growth. This time of year, the vines are so long and leggy that half of the plant's energy is taken up pushing water and nutrients through yards of stem just to get to the few leaves left on the ends. It's like the plant knows that, so is trying to deal with it by regrowing from new. Removing all the old top helps it do that.<br />
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If you want details, here they are: all you have to do is cut about a foot up from the ground, right above a node, preferably one with a little sprout already. Remove all the foliage, throw down some more fertilizer, and top that with a bit of compost. Watch the watering - without leaves, the plants won't need as much water now, so don't overwater.<br />
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That's all there is to it! Really. If you get it done now, they'll have plenty of time to regrow their tops in time to set more fruit when it cools off again. So get out there and do it! It looks so much better when you're done.<br />
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<br />Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-35927901232227332482020-04-19T05:56:00.002-07:002020-04-19T09:14:09.946-07:00Now we have time to think.This article in the link below really moved me. It put it's finger right on something that's been rattling around in my heart since this situation we're all in first started, and set the stage for me to sit here for the last hour and let it sink in. It explains what some might not have noticed: when the universe recently pushed the reset button, it gave us a chance to start our lives all over again, to rebuild them into something we always wished for but didn't have time to make. <br /><br />It's given us time to think. <br /><br />Caring about something takes time. Time to learn about it, to actively seek out more information. Time to think about how we feel about it. Time to figure out what we can do about it. Then Time to DO THAT.<br /><br />The universe is offering us the clarity needed to declutter our lives of all the extraneous bullshit and make room for more meaningful things, and all we have to do is choose to grab it and run with it. We have time now to figure out which items on our overstuffed calendar are really worth having to turn a blind eye to so many objectionable things. IF we choose this, we can come out of this with enough time to do something about those objectionable things - not all, but at least one. <br /><br />Can y'all imagine what that would look like? What our neighborhoods would be like if all seven billion of us figured out one thing to try to make better, then spent that hour a week we found that was previously filled with shopping or Netflix or whatever pablum we used to use to "find peace" when we were really only finding distraction - if we all used that one hour on making that thing we care about better instead? <br /><br />We can have that. All we have to do is have the courage to see what this virus has laid bare, then CONTINUE to see it after the main threat is over. When the opium sellers come calling, trying to convince us it really wasn't that bad, we really didn't see the man behind the curtain, close our eyes and buy this thing or believe this other thing and it'll be okay just like it used to be... please, <i>please</i>, don't listen to them.<br /><br />This chance - it won't come again. Please just think, and don't close your eyes.<div>
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<a href="https://forge.medium.com/prepare-for-the-ultimate-gaslighting-6a8ce3f0a0e0">https://forge.medium.com/prepare-for-the-ultimate-gaslighting-6a8ce3f0a0e0</a></div>
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Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-11885207558835315802020-04-17T18:21:00.001-07:002020-04-18T05:48:19.248-07:00No more mud in the garden<br />
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Hauled five tractor bucket loads of mulch from the pile in the pasture to the new garden today. Got it spread in the pathways, too. Now I can work out there without having so much mud stuck to my shoes that I'm two inches taller. I even moved a little metal pen to one corner so I can enclose it and turn it into a duck house. Yep, I'm going to get ducks. DUUUUUCKS!! Garden ducks! I can't WAIT. </div>
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Gonna' feel this tomorrow... But tonight I'm a happy woman.<br />
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Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-6394633703623598042020-04-02T11:47:00.003-07:002020-04-19T06:11:47.437-07:00Growing Your Own Sweet Potato Slips<div>
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As I'm writing this, we are still in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown. Yesterday our governor issued a statewide stay-at-home order, so all non-essential businesses are closed, and this will likely continue for a month, if not more. Seeds and some transplants were already being sold for a while before the lockdown, so you may think you have everything you need to plant your vegetable garden. </div>
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But not sweet potatoes! Most likely not anyway. Sweet potatoes like really warm weather, so usually aren't sold 'til later in the year. Mid April or so actually, and on into May. Sweet potato slips are already hard to find in a <i>normal</i> year, so with all this, they're going to be even HARDER to find now. So you may think you're out of luck for planting them this year.<br />
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Nope! Just grow your own!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roots coming off them are normal, and good.</td></tr>
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You won't believe how easy it is. Really. You can grow them from any sweet potato you have already or can buy from the grocery store. Grocery stores are still open, and I don't see them closing at all. So there ya' go! They may be out of some things when you go, but we're not talking toilet paper here, so just check back and I'm sure you'll find them restocked.<br />
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One caveat though: Since diseases that affect plants don't transfer to people (not that I've heard of anyway), supermarket produce meant to be eaten isn't tested for them, so if you do this it's possible that you can infect your soil with a disease that will live in your soil for years. But it's really unlikely. I don't know of any offhand. Still, if it does happen, most of them you can kill by solarizing the soil, so at most you'll only lose a season or two of growing time. Or just don't plant anything in the sweet potato family for a few years and starve it out. (In case you didn't know, that's their cousins the morning glories. I know, <i>right?!</i>) </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seven sprouts! Each is counted as one slip.</td></tr>
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So, back to growing your own... </div>
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All you have to do is plant that sweet potato and keep it in a sunny spot. Really. It's that simple. Plant it in some potting soil, pointed end down, water it well, and sit it in a sunny window or on the porch. </div>
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You can even suspend it in a glass of water with toothpicks if you want, sitting it in that same sunny window or out on that same porch. Do you remember your mom or grandma doing that in the kitchen window, ending up with the longest and most gorgeous green vines growing up and over and around the window? Yep, same thing. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I put this one in water about a week ago.</td></tr>
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Once you have your potato suspended in water or planted, it won't take that long for sprouts to appear. Depending on how long the potato has been in cold storage, it could be a couple weeks, but some of mine take only a week. But once they get going, they're <i>going</i>. They usually sprout from multiple places on one end, as many as eight or more. </div>
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When those sprouts get some size on them, say more than six inches or so, break them off and put them in a jar of water in that same sunny spot. Don't worry if they don't have roots. They'll form them over the next week or so. </div>
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Keep breaking them off and putting them in your jar of water until you have enough. Then simply plant them out in the garden a couple feet or so apart, keep well watered 'til the start to actively grow, and you're off to the races. </div>
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I like to plant them under my okra to maximize the use of space. Okra plants are upright while sweet potato vines sprawl over the ground, so there is room for both in the same spot. Just remember you'll have to water and fertilize a bit more, but I think it's worth it. And you will, too, come Thanksgiving when you're the only one with homemade pie from <i>home grown</i> 'taters. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More sprouts will grow soon. You can see one at the top of that<br />
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Cute little thing.</td></tr>
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~*~</div>
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Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-47880272497112326482020-03-31T19:11:00.001-07:002020-04-03T06:23:00.062-07:00Happy Birthday To Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What a wonderful day I had today. I've been feeling guilty for being fine with and actually enjoying this forced quarantine when so many are hurting, so for one day, my birthday, I let myself jettison the guilt. I still know I am SO LUCKY in my situation, so much better off than so many, but today I reveled in the alone time and let myself be happy about it. <br />
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I started the new garden plot last year and lost steam when the feral hogs tore it up. Assholes. So this year, the first spring I've had off in ten years, I found the gumption to work on it again. I started Saturday, did a little more Sunday, took yesterday off, and got back on it today. Got over a thousand square feet of bed space now. Hips hurt like a hell (Climbing on and off the tractor is hard on an old fat broad.), hands and arms cut up a good bit, shoulders sore from shoveling, and even have poison ivy on one boob, but WORTH. IT.<br />
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This is funny: I misplaced my phone during all this, so as I was walking around trying to find it, I'd just finished saying, "Okay, Mom, help me find my phone, please." and the ringtone started up. I'd left it on the trunk of the Miata where I wouldn't have looked for an hour, and it was a dear DEAR friend calling to wish me happy birthday. I so enjoyed that conversation. She laughed when I thanked her for helping me find my phone.<br />
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The bath I had afterwards took care of most of the aches, and the NOMMY brownies my friend Rhonda baked and sent over with her hubby Phil will take care of the rest. If not, the bottle of wine she also sent will. </div>
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Ahhhhhh.... What good friends I have. I'm going to finish that wine while reading the two dozen birthday wishes I got today again and making some birthday tamales. Or maybe I'll just have brownies for dinner. <br />
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Next project: hog trap. You eat my broccoflower, you assholes, I'm gonna' eat *you*. I need some bacon to go with all those beans I'm gonna' plant tomorrow, and a couple heads and butt roasts for more tamales this Christmas. </div>
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Mmmmm... tamales. Tamales in the crock pot. Can't wait 'til they're done.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ihSp-sbFRPxC7FFITAm68lwTPbeoBbJWAOqHdx0oz3iJJW2rC_5aNkCP4LVS4VSftwsUIJQxGL0JdA9aZFsx5ZxWmIW62BsD_lzq9DglHGYaK4Cx9ooluIOtvF4hjvfCefHWOhZ3lJU/s1600/20200331_183723%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ihSp-sbFRPxC7FFITAm68lwTPbeoBbJWAOqHdx0oz3iJJW2rC_5aNkCP4LVS4VSftwsUIJQxGL0JdA9aZFsx5ZxWmIW62BsD_lzq9DglHGYaK4Cx9ooluIOtvF4hjvfCefHWOhZ3lJU/s640/20200331_183723%255B1%255D.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love my tub on the porch.</td></tr>
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Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-1036798207575613452020-03-22T10:58:00.003-07:002020-03-28T10:23:59.933-07:00Gardening in The FlupocalypseAnyone want to do some Flupocalypse Gardening while we've all got so much time on our hands? I got skillz and would be glad to share, so if you have questions, lay 'em on me. As I get more questions that help me think of more tips, I'll update this, so check back every now and again. (And yes, I know this isn't the flu, but "Coronapocalypse" just didn't seem to have the same ring.)<br />
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Here are a few tips to get things started:<br />
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~ To find a spot that gets enough sun, take pictures throughout one day, every hour on the hour, then flip through them that night to count how many show sun on the spot - that's how many hours of sun that spot gets. Choose a spot that gets *at least* 6 hours of sun a day, preferably not all afternoon or evening sun. If you can, avoid the west side of your house or other building - things tend to fry there.<br />
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And you don't need a formal garden plot - just find any old patch of dirt with enough sun. If you have a flower garden out front, use that! Don't have any ground, but do have a balcony? Use old pots or empty coffee cans or used milk jugs or even straight in that bag of potting soil - just lay it flat and cut it open. Boom, done.<br />
~ Need compost, but garden centers are closed? Look under bushes in your yard for all those leaves that have accumulated over the years and dig under them. See that black rotted stuff that doesn't look like leaves anymore? Rake it up, pick out bits of sticks and wood, and use that. It's called "leaf mold" and is fab stuff. Be sure not to use it if it's mostly un-rotted wood since if you mix that in, that will tie up nitrogen in your soil and starve your plants. Mulch on top of the ground = good. Mulch IN the ground = bad.<br />
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Also look in your garage for that half bag of potting soil, and round up those pots containing nothing but dirt and Ghosts of Springs Past. Most potting soils are made of things that will definitely lighten up the dirt in your new garden plot. Other things you can use: peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, and coco coir fiber if you have any of those. <br />
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Nice side effect of this exercise: your garage's garden corner will get cleaned out.<br />
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~ Don't think you have seeds to plant, and again garden centers are closed? Look in your pantry. The best and quickest thing you likely have are those pinto beans from HEB. Yep, they'll sprout. Yep, the ones for cooking. Yep, they really will. So will the black eyed peas, navy beans, limas, and garbanzos. The only ones that won't are anything "split" or "cracked", like lentils and green peas. If you have any whole grains that haven't been steamed or rolled or whathaveyou, those might, too. It'll take 'til fall to get anything from them, but what the heck! They're fun to grow.<br />
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~ Look in your fridge, too. All these things will sprout: <br />
white potatoes, sweet potatoes, sprigs of basil and mint, ginger root, turmeric root, seeds from pumpkins and watermelons and spaghetti squash, carrot tops (though it's a bit late for them), and basal root plates from onions (especially scallions).<br />
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~ Once things get going, it helps to fertilize. If you have any fertilizer in your garage, use it. Even if it's not the "right" numbers on the bag, it'll help. Even if it's a conventional "chemical" type, it'll be better than nothing - just DON'T use any kind of "weed and feed" since the "weed" part will kill all broad leaf plants, and your veggies are broad leaved plants. And DON'T think, "A little is good, so more must be better!" Nope, it's not. Really. If anything, give them less.<br />
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If you don't have any fertilizer, try to find alfalfa-anything at the feed store. A bag of alfalfa pellets or range cubes will work. Put 2 or so inches in the bottom of a five-gallon bucket, cover with water, let sit overnight, and water your plants with it. Do this once or twice a week. You can do this a couple-or-three times before you've gotten most of the goodies out of the pellets, then just spread the sludge out over the top of your veggie bed soil and do it again.<br />
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Also, put any kitchen scraps in a blender with some water, then spread that on the beds as well or dig a little shallow trench a foot from the base of your plants to pour it in, spreading it out fairly well, then cover it back up. Blending it up will help it decompose faster so the plants can get those nutrients quicker. Don't put it too thickly anywhere - spread it out to about 1/2" thick - so it breaks down quickly and doesn't get nasty-smelly-slimey as it breaks down. If it does, it won't hurt anything, but isn't nice to work around while it rots.<br />
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So come on everybody! Send me your questions! Just post them right down there in the comments, and I'll answer them as soon as I see them. Or if you'd rather, c<a href="https://www.facebook.com/linda.wall.39566/posts/10219517603783469?__cft__[0]=AZXhoE74H9ORSyaLduB5IVM4snvrR1WtcUHWjJTjL3MB4MsAJ6VtojY4KUGPdbpn2mWwI6bmE00WKG5tNDSb3M8b5BXUBY_W-gM8c9vVek2urZLRJVg7qNUJt3jT7E0t9jQ&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank">omment on my post on Facebook.</a> See you there!<br />
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Even the dogs are bored.</td></tr>
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<br />Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-75877700806042605272020-03-21T11:00:00.000-07:002020-03-25T19:02:19.005-07:00Toilet Paper Substitute<br />
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No, not leaves. (Just in case you were thinking of doing that, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=poison+ivy&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS808US808&sxsrf=ALeKk0223Q67OEkhcvqXYnPUnrUvIwVo1g:1585188073161&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjOzoLghbfoAhXQmq0KHd3oDUkQ_AUoAXoECCQQAw&biw=1536&bih=695" target="_blank">this is poison ivy</a>.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQvRuQC-9yxv9_F3-5S-cAphyphenhyphenZMFbDt37Na8acUwxi0T4gNjH-E8d1g3Gk_NoEsZILpEauLrcvgN0vzNbmIgQkJbk105byW7dJjEy0ArzDgtN1BoAV3R6VfvXIcVeiIX2izacH8cEqe4/s1600/20200321_101316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQvRuQC-9yxv9_F3-5S-cAphyphenhyphenZMFbDt37Na8acUwxi0T4gNjH-E8d1g3Gk_NoEsZILpEauLrcvgN0vzNbmIgQkJbk105byW7dJjEy0ArzDgtN1BoAV3R6VfvXIcVeiIX2izacH8cEqe4/s320/20200321_101316.jpg" width="320" /></a><div>
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No, I'm talking about cotton knit fabric. If you're running out of toilet paper and can't find any <i>anywhere</i>, use a twelve-dollar bag of cotton painter's rags from Lowe's. If you can't make it out to the stores or are short on cash, cut up a couple old t-shirts. Those are about the exact same fabric and work just fine, too. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEU2QAMuSHBiBaY5sL2V-Pa-DXv-aRkN-4M4lW9juc3ARlNluffw0467qZ_sRR4CTf_tMV6XsYgJcxKLxDPxcrjjkYSe4dDpR1bnGUwLZKsm0yvqa5ht9kQzM-g2Q0wViFHvXrYsjUdaM/s1600/20200321_101512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEU2QAMuSHBiBaY5sL2V-Pa-DXv-aRkN-4M4lW9juc3ARlNluffw0467qZ_sRR4CTf_tMV6XsYgJcxKLxDPxcrjjkYSe4dDpR1bnGUwLZKsm0yvqa5ht9kQzM-g2Q0wViFHvXrYsjUdaM/s400/20200321_101512.jpg" width="225" /></a><div>
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I'd heard of this as an environmental thing, but never tried it because it sounded like so much trouble. Now that Flupocalypse is upon us and I can't find toilet paper ANYWHERE, I figured I'd better try it to at least conserve the last few rolls I have. </div>
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Turns out it's a lot more comfortable than TP! Easy peasey to wash, too. And my rolls of tp are lasting me well over a week now. Almost two.</div>
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I don't do the cotton fabric for Number Two. Even I, with my iron stomach and lack of squickedoutness about "nature", don't much like the idea of washing that. But for pee? Sure. Why not.</div>
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Contrary to popular belief, urine ISN'T sterile, but it's also not full of pathogens like feces. And so long as I keep them washed on the regular, there's no smell at all. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All sorted.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">~*~</span></b></div>
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Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-34006404147620481332019-11-08T17:55:00.001-08:002019-11-08T17:55:33.551-08:00And now for something completely different<br />
Ever get tired of that black fridge now that the "black" phase has gone out of fashion? Want to dress it up with some stainless steel? Or just want to make your garage fridge look better? It's easy! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPi0Orp8v5v21U3rEnSzm8Y9tXh7MziOzX4RZsEPlp2Wd9f6OnD7ypHXzTa6G2VHs0luju5fdw_NW3nE242RiNpMB0Br3-_X4krW2xKr154rkCMIzhP_1PWjGUIZgOnBMqvaw-DKhELk/s1600/20190827_115932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPi0Orp8v5v21U3rEnSzm8Y9tXh7MziOzX4RZsEPlp2Wd9f6OnD7ypHXzTa6G2VHs0luju5fdw_NW3nE242RiNpMB0Br3-_X4krW2xKr154rkCMIzhP_1PWjGUIZgOnBMqvaw-DKhELk/s320/20190827_115932.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
Tools you'll need:<br />
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4 cans of Spray paint. Get more if your fridge is extra large. Get more than you think you'll need - you can always take the extra back. I love Rust-oleum paint. It lasts a long time, is easy to spray, and covers really well.<br />
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Spray paint can handle. Gah, those things are FAB! I can paint all day using one of those. Without it, I'm about done halfway through the first can. Don't get the fancy schmancy most expensive one get the cheapie. The more expensive one doesn't work as well, doesn't lower itself enough to depress the can button so you have to stick things in there between it and the can button to make it spray. Pain in the ass. Just get the cheapie. It doesn't do that. <br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Sandpaper! Lots of sandpaper. 220 grit for sure, and if you have some rust or scratches to get rid of, get some rougher 150 grit, too. I think I used half a dozen sheets total on the fridge I did here. L</span><span style="text-align: center;">ike the paint, get extra. I</span><span style="text-align: center;">t's handy to have around since i</span><span style="text-align: center;">t comes in handy later for all sorts of things: sanding down that splintered spot on the deck, scuffing up the soles of your new shoes so they grip better, removing gummy ick from some things (don't do it on things that you don't want sanded below the ick), and sanding the tips of your wooden knitting needles.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Masking paper and tape, to cover all the parts you don't want to paint. For tape, get the thin "regular" width roll and a wider one as well. Both come in so handy if you're not used to masking things. Whatever's left, store inside, not in the garage or other "outside" building. When tape freezes, it damages it so it doesn't unroll well, tearing off as you pull it. Trying to unroll a roll of previously frozen tape will definitely drive you to drink.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">You can use newspaper if you have it - it works great. If you don't, then get some masking paper. In the store, it's usually right there next to the tape. You can get the small-ish rolls or the large 3' one, whichever will work best for your scenario. If you get the big roll, you can use the rest for sheet mulching a path in the garden later. Just don't get plastic - it's too thin, so flies around a lot when you're trying to tape it down. Maddening. Besides: plastic. Ick. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">I used to paint for a living, so I have a masking machine. If you think you might be repainting your house any time soon, GET ONE. They aren't really expensive, but man do they ever save you time. </span></div>
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And of course, you need a fridge. This is the one a friend of mine Terry gave me. He's a closer friend of Karina, and she's staying in the cabin where this fridge is going. She happened to be talking to him about the need for a fridge, so he offered it up for free! It works great and is really clean inside. Yeah, he's a great neighbor. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjmLRdPDGhODFgXNVqAIwmH6nJ2qlFp0zGtT51XKmelAsF4BCMRIGFWBwIxCGUEU6qiqSA-Ey0chOvVyEfirEl1T4kb2gkI-raCZlerkbtlkFLoYW5h_Wq__Jsroh6IHLUkGY47T-ouQ/s1600/20190827_114700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjmLRdPDGhODFgXNVqAIwmH6nJ2qlFp0zGtT51XKmelAsF4BCMRIGFWBwIxCGUEU6qiqSA-Ey0chOvVyEfirEl1T4kb2gkI-raCZlerkbtlkFLoYW5h_Wq__Jsroh6IHLUkGY47T-ouQ/s640/20190827_114700.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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First step: sand it down. All over. Every square inch of metal that you want to change the color of. If you want to paint the gaskets, you might want to hit those a little, too, but just the outsides - there's no need to paint the insides or faces of those since they won't be seen when the fridge is closed, and painting the faces might just impair it's ability to seal. (One note: sometimes, plastic will peel after you paint it, but sometimes not, so keep that in mind. It's a crapshoot, but even if you come up snake eyes, you can always repaint it with a brush later.)<br />
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If your fridge is still new and not rusted or beat up, you are doing it to roughen up the surface so the paint will stick to it. In that case, just use the 220 grit and go lightly all over the entire thing.<br />
<br />
Since I needed to remove some rust, I used 150 grit sandpaper at first to knock the big chunks off, then finished it all with 220 grit. If you're starting with a rusty one like me, you don't need to remove all the rust, but you do need to get most of it, and for sure get the pitted parts.<br />
<br />
You might think it better to wash it first, but you'd just end up washing it again after sanding since you need to get aaaaaallllllll the dust off. So unless it's really filthy (and this one certainly wasn't), wait for washing 'til after you sand it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-L51OmEnQN8bD1AxuvPXb_fXhrmN6SXAi0SjlgfZhnV-a5-Lzzgkg77k40WXM4B8cWWFKqjfx2F7IrQTMfm67_EEw_aBuTD5DYsQn5ACbEjImU6q0uVUqFqKVx840I5GvzVc7D1HgZE/s1600/20190827_105637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-L51OmEnQN8bD1AxuvPXb_fXhrmN6SXAi0SjlgfZhnV-a5-Lzzgkg77k40WXM4B8cWWFKqjfx2F7IrQTMfm67_EEw_aBuTD5DYsQn5ACbEjImU6q0uVUqFqKVx840I5GvzVc7D1HgZE/s640/20190827_105637.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
NOW wash it up. Terry had stored this one in the barn, so while it wasn't filthy at all, it did have a lot of dust on it and a few dirt dauber nests. I knocked all those off, then went over the whole thing with dish soap (Dawn, to cut any grease that might have been on it) and a rag. Then I let it dry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84JygAr7lsSPYAlEfXj-eV5PCOKQgMmsEsWousD3sXBP8IffK_hkBHzPVoVWswY_iACXwlspD5fmVHDZm3EkGgq_lRo51hegTZ5j04TtYuTDG4YEOaVLtcVad9E5gcHD0gVWAqiJhBzY/s1600/20190827_115334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84JygAr7lsSPYAlEfXj-eV5PCOKQgMmsEsWousD3sXBP8IffK_hkBHzPVoVWswY_iACXwlspD5fmVHDZm3EkGgq_lRo51hegTZ5j04TtYuTDG4YEOaVLtcVad9E5gcHD0gVWAqiJhBzY/s400/20190827_115334.jpg" width="225" /></a>Once your fridge is good and dry, make sure it's up on some sort of blocks with a drop cloth below it. The drop cloth will keep paint off your driveway if that's where you're painting, and if you're painting it in the grass, it'll keep bits of grass and dirt from blowing up on your smooth finish. (Speaking of that, if it's windy, don't do this. It will only end in tears.)<br />
<br />
Next, tape off anything you don't want to paint. Look over your fridge carefully, running your hands over the entire thing to <i>make</i> you notice each thing. Decide if you want to paint that thing or not: hinges, gaskets, medallions with the company name on them, handles, metal back. Mask if off if you don't. <br />
<br />
Masking just means covering it. If it's small, just use the tape. If it's large, use the tape and paper. Make sure you get right to the edge. If you don't have a masking machine, you can roughly tape the paper up first to cover it, then go back over the edges with wider tape, getting VERY close to the edges of the area you are going to paint, but not up on them of course. If you unroll a bit, stick it down, then unroll a couple feet of tape, you can use the hand holding the roll to keep it all taught and straight while your fingers of the other hand stick it down perfectly and closely. <br />
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<br />
The gasket cleaned up really well, so I didn't need to paint it. It tapes off really easily.<br />
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AND AWAY WAY GO! </div>
Ladies, start your painting! It's going to take multiple coats to get this done, and you have to put them on fairly thinly so they don't run. Smooth metal surfaces like appliances don't have much to "grip" the paint like a wall of your house does, so you have to go thin and wait just long enough for each to dry enough to be sticky so it'll grip the next coat. The first light coat is called a "tack coat" for just that reason - it's the first sticky one.<br />
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If you haven't spray painted before, practice on some newspaper taped to the front of your fridge first. Start spraying before you hit the fridge, then sweep to the side across the face of the fridge, then stop spraying. Do each sweep like that. You don't want to start spraying when the can is pointed at the fridge and not moving or you'll spray so much paint in that one spot that it'll run. Long, sweeping motions across the face are what you want, not stopping or starting the spray of paint until it's not pointed at the fridge. <br />
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Once you get the hang of it, cover the whole thing with a thin coat of paint. Here's what a tack coat on the freezer door and side look like. I haven't gotten to the fridge door yet. That's how light you want to spray. <br />
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<br />
Also, to help you not miss any sides later, pick a spot to start every time and go all the way around the fridge from that spot each time, the same route. Visualize it before you start, then once you do that repeatedly, it'll come as second nature and you'll be a lot less likely to leave a spot out. I went<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
- very uppermost top, right to left -</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- left side, top to bottom - </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- front, top to bottom - </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- right, side top to bottom - </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- the back edges - </div>
then looked all over to make sure I didn't miss anything. <br />
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Over and over again, around and around I went, waiting between each coat 'til it had dried enough to be sticky. Here's after about three coats:<br />
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You can still see the spray strokes. That's what you want - paint layers so thin that after three, you can still see a bit of the original color. Thin coats also dry faster, so it doesn't take as long as you might think. It does take a while. This took me about three hours. But really, that's not bad for a new fridge.<br />
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I think this is after the fourth coat, before it had dried completely. <br />
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I might have put another coat on after that though. You want to watch it closely as it's drying, looking from multiple angles to check for bleed through of the original color before it dries completely. Drying too much will make the next coat not want to stick as well. So make sure you've really gotten it all covered before you decide it's done. <br />
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Let it dry at least overnight. Even if the paint is dry to the touch, it's still "green", or soft. If you use your fingernail on it, it'll dent it. Don't move it until you can't put a dent in it with your fingernail. Or just wait overnight. If it's been really humid, wait a couple days before moving it. <br />
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Then move it in! </div>
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(If you're doing this alone, a tractor can come in handy.)</div>
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Looks nice, doesn't it?</div>
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Next time, I might try a stove.</div>
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<br />Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-77931776557767287222019-07-08T14:33:00.003-07:002019-07-09T06:33:25.271-07:00How to Make an Emergency Robbing Screen for Your Bees<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44mEgIkstQxutbD5q9Xzp52QuNNOUFtgxwD7xFZuaHsyFbdX5QBHGR9Lq3EwqKoD-6MhBhplyykxTyM1bPaJk8l04-LvqS4Cs5hV2C6BUxnzLr8xOmYGXj7L4KI-60W5VWH9jOVK_HFk/s1600/20190708_133708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44mEgIkstQxutbD5q9Xzp52QuNNOUFtgxwD7xFZuaHsyFbdX5QBHGR9Lq3EwqKoD-6MhBhplyykxTyM1bPaJk8l04-LvqS4Cs5hV2C6BUxnzLr8xOmYGXj7L4KI-60W5VWH9jOVK_HFk/s400/20190708_133708.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Supplies: staple gun and 1/8" hardware cloth, or window screen if you can't<br />
get the hardware cloth in time. 1/8" is the largest size that bees can't get<br />
through, so max air flow while still keeping robber bees out. I put more<br />
suggestions for things that would work near the end of the article. Cut pieces<br />
as shown (one longer piece can be used instead of the two long ones.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's almost robbing season here in Spicewood (Central Texas, just northwest of Austin), and I don't just mean me robbing the bees. I mean bees robbing bees. Yes, <i>bees</i> robbing <i>bees</i>. They really do that, the little assholes. When the rain quits and the flowers die off, nectar is hard to come by. In the beekeeping world that's called a dearth, and that's a depressing and dangerous time to be a bee.<br />
<br />
As I'm writing this, it's raining.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b><i><u>YAAASSSSS!!!</u></i></b> </span><br />
So hopefully that will keep things flowering for a while yet. The mesquites are still blooming, have been for a while now, and this bit of manna from heaven might kick start the gallardias again. With forty acres of each here, the bees are plenty busy putting all that up. But if we don't get more rain, and it's not likely that we will since this one was quite the pleasant surprise, it won't be long before all those wither and die with nothing to replace them. That's the summer dearth, and that can spell real trouble if you're not ready.<br />
<br />
Wintertime is a dearth as well, but that's a different sort of dearth than the summer one. It's less dangerous because in winter there may be just a few thousand bees in each hive and they're busy keeping the queen warm enough to survive through the cold. They huddle up inside, clustering together to produce warmth, using the stores of honey gathered last year for food. The only time they come out is on a warm day, above fifty degrees or so, and that's only to take cleansing flights (that's a nicely delicate way of saying "take a shit". *giggle*).<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkL4vzD812TlBRoUh2HiPESajDdxVZxgtBuQulSrJdu9NgPIJmFmjRiYoR5XdSj3xp-d8bT0q1r6ppI4qM2i7pr0SwGw5wGDC33aXr4vTYvWJLBts9FL31AHvDtOKOVlHFj1koQ02iaIw/s1600/20190708_133844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkL4vzD812TlBRoUh2HiPESajDdxVZxgtBuQulSrJdu9NgPIJmFmjRiYoR5XdSj3xp-d8bT0q1r6ppI4qM2i7pr0SwGw5wGDC33aXr4vTYvWJLBts9FL31AHvDtOKOVlHFj1koQ02iaIw/s400/20190708_133844.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staple the small pieces to the sides of the hive, one on each side.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you look inside the hive during this time, it's a scary sight. At the winter solstice there is no brood and it looks all the world like your hive is dying out. If you've ever lost a hive so have seen this before, it'll strike terror in you for sure. But if you just grit your teeth and wait it out (bourbon helps), it won't be long before the queen begins laying again. It's just a small patch at first, small enough that the few bees in the hive can care for it, feeding the larvae once the eggs hatch, capping them once they begin to pupate. After those few hatch, the queen can lay more because now there are more bees to care for more eggs and brood. When those hatch, she can lay more still. And those hatch, and she lays more. And on and on, exponentially making more and more bees as spring approaches, and then summer. This is called the "spring build up" and it's timed so the colony has a large enough population to do all the work of collecting all that nectar and pollen once warm weather arrives.<br />
<br />
By now, just past the summer solstice, they are at their peak population. There are literally tens of thousands of bees out there in my bee yard. Come to think of it, with six colonies at the moment, there are probably over a hundred thousand. And there are likely tens of thousands more in the wild. At the moment they're all busy collecting nectar and pollen, but imagine what's about to happen when all that dries up and ALL THOSE BEES are now out of a job. They're going to get cranky and desperate, looking <i>everywhere</i> for <i>anything</i> to bring back home.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtFx1774RgzQBM-ArV2t5in4tImMVPKlMi5bP-gIyUcbnaKr9_X3tHAeAt0rW4fND6dYq-K1Vl2dgEOfhSQkaJalYfWAaz7slPNznNKAmhvb49tJPE0HuyvANM6f0oXlVeBWCIc5ADWA/s1600/20190708_133952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtFx1774RgzQBM-ArV2t5in4tImMVPKlMi5bP-gIyUcbnaKr9_X3tHAeAt0rW4fND6dYq-K1Vl2dgEOfhSQkaJalYfWAaz7slPNznNKAmhvb49tJPE0HuyvANM6f0oXlVeBWCIc5ADWA/s400/20190708_133952.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bend them back to make room for the front screen pieces.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's a biological imperative for a worker bee to fly out of the house and collect something. It's their very reason for being. They <i>CAN'T NOT</i> do it since they know their colony's survival depends on gathering as much food as possible in the warm weather to withoutadoubt have enough to make it through winter and build up a healthy population again next year. So now you have a hundred-thousand-plus bees roaming around feeling desperate, but nothing for them to collect since there are painfully few flowers.<br />
<br />
It's only a matter of time before they find other colonies in the area. They can smell those colonies' stores, and with nothing flowering, that's just flat irresistible, so they'll attempt to get inside that hive and take it for themselves. If your colony is strong, they will likely be able to put up enough of a fight that the robbers will go elsewhere for easier pickings. But if there are enough robbers to overwhelm the guards, if an extra strong colony is in the neighborhood or even in your own beeyard, the smaller colony is doomed. The robbers will make their way inside through brute force, fighting and killing as they go, their prize being the stores they know are there. Once they find them, they rip open the wax cappings and grab all they can, then head back to their own hive, offloading and returning for another round.<br />
<br />
Robbing screens stop that. They are screens attached to the front entrance of the hive, rerouting the actual entrance to another spot higher or to the side of the real hive opening. They work because the robbers will try to get in where the scent is coming from, so will keep trying to get straight in, but find the way blocked and give up. Your bees, the ones who live there, will know the secret key. It'll take them a bit to figure it out when you first put them on, but they will eventually. They don't give up because that is home, so they'll keep trying to figure out how to get in much longer than robbers will.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihovMmEgSuuVhCj2oEjV0krq56-kqRZyLu_QWC3BNpBJTH7VzJTsTiImS0oGxpoVt6kq-Tw88ea0oRrNaNM0GeFDuRKRnRg-lrT1eyw2DeUDuvdm7qCpiBj_fgpeVZIwNBMDjyJIafYgA/s1600/20190708_134722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihovMmEgSuuVhCj2oEjV0krq56-kqRZyLu_QWC3BNpBJTH7VzJTsTiImS0oGxpoVt6kq-Tw88ea0oRrNaNM0GeFDuRKRnRg-lrT1eyw2DeUDuvdm7qCpiBj_fgpeVZIwNBMDjyJIafYgA/s400/20190708_134722.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staple the long pieces across the front, bending them as needed to make a<br />
"runway" for the bees. This is shown better in the next photo. If you have to<br />
use two pieces of screen, like I did, be sure to overlap them well so<br />
that there are no holes robbers can get through.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you notice a lot of activity at your hive's entrance, especially during a dearth, stop and watch for a while. Don't be alarmed initially though. Orientation flights look a lot like robbing at first glance, but if you watch closely and see bees flying in figure eight patterns just a little ways out from the hive and doubling back to it, coming and going relatively peacefully, that's orientation - new foragers flying out just a bit to find landmarks, learning where home is so they can find their way back. If you listen, you can hear a peaceful hum that just sounds busy, not bad.<br />
<br />
But if you see a frenzy, fighting at the entrance, bees walking back and forth along the cracks between your boxes looking for a hole, bees dipping a bit immediately after takeoff (because they are heavy from being so full of honey), and hear an angry roar like you heard when you dropped that brood box that time, you better do something FAST. It can take just a few short hours for robbers to completely decimate a hive, leaving nothing but a bunch of wax dust from ripping open the cells, a few dejected live bees, and lots of dead ones. It's really sad.<br />
<br />
If you ever see this going on and panic because you still aren't ready even after reading this post, just remember this: grab a sheet off the bed and a sprinkler, throw the sheet over the hive being robbed, and turn that sprinkler on so it hits the sheet and the hive. That will buy you some time to calm down enough to think and round up your shit to make that screen. As soon as you uncover that hive though, the robbers will be back, so use that time wisely. And don't dilly dally - leaving them too long like this can make them overheat this time of year from all their ventilation being blocked. The longest I've ever left them like this was a little more than half a day (mad dash to the hardware store takes a while when you live in BFE), and I left the sprinkler on to help keep them cool, so do that. But hurry every chance you get.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nSZ4-gOL54vXginm2QBg4qqH4frh1GVaQLgun-tPZxlGQ2jb8qiJjT3QfqCk6BhhUiMtnHiJux-6gSx8ecAb_a7XyrET5W7vif_QrYtvPRz9GiEzF7wM-OJjA6b9DRd-UwDF_GCwyic/s1600/20190708_134651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nSZ4-gOL54vXginm2QBg4qqH4frh1GVaQLgun-tPZxlGQ2jb8qiJjT3QfqCk6BhhUiMtnHiJux-6gSx8ecAb_a7XyrET5W7vif_QrYtvPRz9GiEzF7wM-OJjA6b9DRd-UwDF_GCwyic/s400/20190708_134651.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bend the small piece you put on first so that<br />
it forms a tunnel for the bees to go through.<br />
Robbers will try to come straight in the front,<br />
but your bees will know the secret key<br />
to get in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last year I learned the hard way you've got to get those robbing screens on before the dearth starts. Watch what's blooming carefully, noting when the flowers start to fade, and remember how long it's been since a good rain. At the first instant your gut says it's drying up, get those screens on. Don't wait, or forget to pay attention like I did last year. I lost seven little colonies I had made from splits earlier that spring. They were building up nicely, then WHAM, the dearth hit extra early and dumbass me didn't pay attention.<br />
<br />
This year I swore I'd be ready! Last year, my bee buddy Karina and I made a bunch of robbing screens, and I had them staged out there right next to the bee bench so I wouldn't even have to go get them from the bee house when I needed them. Today was the day. I was going to install those screens so I didn't have a repeat of last year. BUT! But <i>of course</i> there's a but! As I was trying to put them on all the hives, I realized that the new bottom boards I got from a beekeeping friend aren't standard, so the screens don't fit on a couple of them. Yeah.<br />
<br />
Shit. Gotta' get creative then. At least I found out about this now, instead of later as I stand in the midst of a robbing frenzy in the beeyard. Another round of that and I might just be so disheartened I give up beekeeping. (Yeah, it's that bad when you experience it.)<br />
<br />
If you find yourself in the same boat as me and can't wait for your Mann Lake order to come in, or just can't afford enough screens for all your hives, read through the photos on this page to learn how to make one quickly and easily on the cheap, no saws needed.<br />
<br />
Buy 1/8" hardware cloth now because it's usually a special order thing, and most times that Mann Lake order will beat it to the post office. If you just can't afford that either, then use some window screen - cut one off your house if you have to. New window screens are about twenty bucks, and you know how much a colony of bees is$$$$$$. Or are you a crafter? I've used plastic canvas as a robbing screen before. Looked funny. Worked great.<br />
<br />
About that staple gun - if you have one, look it up and make sure it works now. If not, get another one. And make sure it's loaded and you have plenty more staples in reserve. In an emergency, trim nails, duct tape, or even thumb tacks driven in WELL with a rock would work, but I'd secure it better later, as soon as you can.<br />
<br />
Go ahead and cut pieces of whatever you're using so it'll be a cinch to put them on when you need them. Most window screens can be cut with regular scissors, though they won't be good for cutting anything else after that. Hardware cloth is a bit tougher, so takes wire cutters plus a lot of time, or sheet metal snips. Keep those pieces along with a staple gun and staples in a box near the bee yard, threatening anyone else with "NO HONEY FOR YOU!" if they use it and don't put it back. That's why I have a nuc box on my bee bench right next to The Asshole Hive just for storing things like this - even though I live alone, I have people over occasionally who help me do projects, but my tools will always be right where I left them, in that box, because no one's going near <i>that</i>. (Speaking of that, you know inside beehive tops is a great place to store important things you don't want stolen, or don't want prying eyes to see, right? Works great. Just ask Sherlock.)<br />
<br />
Better yet, just go ahead and put those screens on your hives now. You won't regret it. But The Voice Of Experience here says you just might regret it, OH how you'll regret it, if you don't.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8XRq-OpDOETfDXSTYbdIUJ95bfKVRMwQvlCG-isP9A5CpHhneKCw4KFsA3fYNKOiMOuoxYnDirR3tVVPcyGuRAVMt1uu5DnPW8MVz8GaYWYTR2dqFMWLNf3ROjCxsRO5jY2-3B9PC2k/s1600/20190708_134726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8XRq-OpDOETfDXSTYbdIUJ95bfKVRMwQvlCG-isP9A5CpHhneKCw4KFsA3fYNKOiMOuoxYnDirR3tVVPcyGuRAVMt1uu5DnPW8MVz8GaYWYTR2dqFMWLNf3ROjCxsRO5jY2-3B9PC2k/s640/20190708_134726.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my sweet Italian colonies, all zipped up tight! No chance of them being robbed out, heart wrenching crisis averted, no extra bourbon needed. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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~*~</div>
Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-40261842662705829162019-06-04T20:01:00.001-07:002019-06-04T20:27:28.301-07:00When to pick bluebonnet seeds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhdlUIlWt2C4kTBGb75iTpirN8AOPi5yCpipVMv5BDRrX1gxJnvpjiaEslO1tUUt9R9orQe1dqySn9s0OiSU9Rt90fRd6wL7He-ouuCoSq2JufL2Cfe_9QpXleoNWdS5CNciBuvUP0r0/s1600/20190503_153929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhdlUIlWt2C4kTBGb75iTpirN8AOPi5yCpipVMv5BDRrX1gxJnvpjiaEslO1tUUt9R9orQe1dqySn9s0OiSU9Rt90fRd6wL7He-ouuCoSq2JufL2Cfe_9QpXleoNWdS5CNciBuvUP0r0/s400/20190503_153929.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I get asked this often and I tell them, "When the pods are green, they're not done yet. When they just start turning brown, keep a close eye on them every day. When they're very brown, it's time."<br />
<br />
But what kind of brown? Pecan brown? Chestnut brown? Chocolate brown? If so, what kind? Milk chocolate? Dark? Or maybe it's just sorta'-kinda'-dry-looking brown?<br />
<br />
Mud brown. Light dirt mud brown. That's about right.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN06WiSgHLTeZb7vjlYS3C7-ydGmMYVjkEAdurCA12wu6udS9nDRSu5bBmcluLu0vUT3f8Sl9w9qJrqFVRuH5oGrIaaET4jDKMw1TbX6AXQQMx8PJLJzfDtXkz8HdVhNOhOcBefl5e1jM/s1600/20190503_154152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN06WiSgHLTeZb7vjlYS3C7-ydGmMYVjkEAdurCA12wu6udS9nDRSu5bBmcluLu0vUT3f8Sl9w9qJrqFVRuH5oGrIaaET4jDKMw1TbX6AXQQMx8PJLJzfDtXkz8HdVhNOhOcBefl5e1jM/s400/20190503_154152.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Even when I try to put it clearly like that, some people think they know, but later, when they show me what they picked, they didn't quite get it. Others, I can see by the look on their faces that they're not quite sure right then and there. It's important to get it right when harvesting seeds to make sure the maximum number of seeds are mature enough to sprout later. So...<br />
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Thank all the gods for pictures! In both of the photos, you can see the progression and pretty much the right shade of brown. Left to right: green (don't pick), sort of green and beginning to turn brown and kind of yellow sort of (watch closely 'cause it's any day now), and brown (It's TIME!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRlJPmBRJsKe1UISoU_pEhWGqtSrBcRQsLZ9pBR2uP0eAugpLRW-UprO_ukQhKDX9OEpwy1qtHyM1pw-jTo430cpyvMLrFjyIi6z8iEWgvjtgWmNrg3U6vy1DHi_sdK4RkrWVxWt_CWA/s1600/20190502_151329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRlJPmBRJsKe1UISoU_pEhWGqtSrBcRQsLZ9pBR2uP0eAugpLRW-UprO_ukQhKDX9OEpwy1qtHyM1pw-jTo430cpyvMLrFjyIi6z8iEWgvjtgWmNrg3U6vy1DHi_sdK4RkrWVxWt_CWA/s400/20190502_151329.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too green.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once they reach this point, they're close to splitting open and throwing the seeds. It's really cool how<br />
they do that - the pods "pop", curling open quickly, spitting the seeds away from the mother plant. Mama Nature, you're so cool.<br />
<br />
An interesting aside: I've read that if you're near when they do that, you can really hear the pop. I haven't ever. Maybe I need to spend more time in the bluebonnet patch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhI3P4IjDzQaz53xyAgfGJaA7I9QBUNfeIJOBiC0Zi7UO_PcIgy4gJerQetLDDcMxqww2RrBPGAuK-G9QtydxfM0UfAMDQdRp4g0AyyFewE3Iz59vAXZwXs5rVfiNs1a_mzymhg17rDQ/s1600/20190502_151404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhI3P4IjDzQaz53xyAgfGJaA7I9QBUNfeIJOBiC0Zi7UO_PcIgy4gJerQetLDDcMxqww2RrBPGAuK-G9QtydxfM0UfAMDQdRp4g0AyyFewE3Iz59vAXZwXs5rVfiNs1a_mzymhg17rDQ/s400/20190502_151404.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost done.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At that point, you can:<br />
1. ... pick them, plant and all, and put the whole thing in a brown paper bag to dry and catch the seeds when the pods pop. Some people say you can pick the whole plant earlier than this, but I like to wait to make sure the most seeds possible have reached as close as they can to maturity.<br />
2. ... or you can put netting around them, tied at the bottom like lollipop wrappers, to catch the seeds when they pop, though this can be a pain in the ass if you have a lot.<br />
3. ... OR, by now, they're mature enough to just pick outright, just the pods. If you do pick just the pods, put them in a paper bag or pillowcase and shake them every day to make sure none are sticking together so much that they mold. Once they're this dry that's unlikely, but just to be on the safe side, shake ... your booty. Ahem.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThQcFn5cEg18SWgjn7_rEDVFAV87m_E8nYYSbUJ2qfxRlEHyTNnxLPGcxWG78PDmObxhP0716JyCaVhvk1vtI146R6L_iPZJbGf-wtlzSyKV71F-mqgMlLCzMKuUoFozYOJ05nJEbYvA/s1600/20190502_151308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThQcFn5cEg18SWgjn7_rEDVFAV87m_E8nYYSbUJ2qfxRlEHyTNnxLPGcxWG78PDmObxhP0716JyCaVhvk1vtI146R6L_iPZJbGf-wtlzSyKV71F-mqgMlLCzMKuUoFozYOJ05nJEbYvA/s640/20190502_151308.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DING!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-91705383303141956372019-05-24T13:07:00.002-07:002019-05-24T13:07:55.278-07:00Introduction to Beekeeping Class Notes<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="western" style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="western" style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><b>Introduction to Beekeeping</b></u></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="western" style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">This class is NOT enough instruction to allow you to be ready to keep bees. This is just to point you in the right direction of where to learn more. I recommend learning as much as you can during the rest of this year including finding an opportunity to open a hive to experience it, and maybe even get stung, before deciding if beekeeping is for you. If so, order your bees this fall. I highly recommend Italians for their gentleness. Though many a new beekeeper got started by catching a swarm, I don’t recommend it since you never know what you’re going to get and very well could end up with extremely mean bees.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<div class="western" style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b>A note about stings:</b></u></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> Many people say they are allergic to bee stings when they’re really not. Normal reactions to a sting are severe pain, swelling, redness, fever, and itching in the sting area lasting for a few days. A true bee allergy involves signs and symptoms that show up </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>away from the sting site</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> and is a true emergency</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">. These occur in only 5% or less of the general population - fatal allergies in only 1% of children and 3% of adults.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Beekeeper’s Wife Allergy:</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> Long-term exposure to the dried venom while not being stung can bring about an allergy. Usually, being stung keeps this from developing, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b>but</b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> sometimes can actually bring about the allergy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">You never know when or if a true allergy will develop, so be aware of the signs and symptoms in case this happens to you. When in doubt, call 911, then head for the hospital.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b>Colony’s Social </b></u></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b>Structure:</b></u></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Workers, Drones, usually one Queen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b>Life cycle: </b></u></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Egg, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Hatch, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Larvae, Capped brood, Emergence, Nurse Bee, House Bee, Guard Bee, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Field Bee (See more below)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b>Glossary:</b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Colony:</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> The group of bees themselves. Consists of mostly workers, drones, and usually one queen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Hive:</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> What the bees live in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Apiary:</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> Beeyard.</span></div>
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<u>“<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Hot” hive:</i></span></u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> MAD and agressive bees. Any bees can be aggressive, even docile European types.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Foundation:</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> Pre-formed sheets made of wax or plastic with honeycomb pattern stamped on. Thought to give the bees a head start in building comb.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Foundationless beekeeping:</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> Letting the bees build all comb.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Natural Cell Size:</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> What the bees build naturally. Usually smaller than standard foundation size.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Bee space:</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> 3/8” - The space between combs, which must be that specific width or bees will build burr comb.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Burr comb:</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> Sideways or otherwise “out of place” comb.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Nuc:</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> “Nucleus”- a small but complete colony with four or five frames of brood and honey, bees of all stages, and a queen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Package of bees:</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> A “box o’ bees” containing one queen in a queen cage and a few thousand bees. They are usually sold by the pound, with about 3,ooo bees per pound. The more bees a package has, the more workers, therefore the faster it will build up large enough to make a surplus of honey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Queen:</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The only bee that lays fertile eggs. She can sometimes be identified as the one with the longer abdomen, though in winter when egg-laying slows severely, her abdomen can shrink, making her harder to spot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Flow:</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i> W</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">hen flowers are blooming and bees are making a lot of honey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Dearth:</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> W</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">hen flowers aren’t blooming and bees aren’t making a lot of honey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b>Basic equipment:</b></u></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">A smoker, a veil or suit, a hive tool, and a hive – cost ranges from $200 to over $2000. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u>Cheaper</u></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">: building a top bar hive and wearing thick, light-colored clothing that covers every inch of your body, along with a purchased veil. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u>Not as cheap</u></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">: purchasing a Langstroth hive that consists of two or three hive bodes (“boxes”) filled with frames, along with one bottom and one top (top can be a simple piece of plywood, so long as it seals along the top edge).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u>Notice no extractor.</u></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> Small beekeepers can crush and strain, use gravity extraction, or borrow their club’s.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b>Types of Hives:</b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Langstroth</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> – the white boxes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Pros: Most common, so very easy to find parts to borrow/buy, including resources to strengthen a weak colony. Much easier to find a solution to any problem (feeding, excluding, robbing, etc.). Also easier to get advice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Cons: Expense, weight (10-frame deeps can weigh 80+ pounds when full of honey, though you can use all mediums or even 8-frame mediums.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Top Bar</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> –</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Pros: Cheap and easy to build (Les Crowder’s plans are online for free). Easy to work if you have problems bending or lifting. Not being able to exchange equipment with other hives can stop pest or disease infestations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Cons: If you have only one and need a frame of brood, you can’t just “borrow” one from a fellow beekeeper who has Langstroth. Some problems are hard to find a solution for, such as queen excluding should you need to.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Long Hive</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> – a long (3-4’) box that Langstroth frames fit in. Sort of a top bar and Lang hybrid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Pros: Much better for beekeepers with a bad back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Cons: Can’t find available retail easily, so will likely have to be home built.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Flow hives</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> – A recent innovation that allows the honey to be harvested without opening the hive. Still unknown if it’s practical over the long haul. All other beekeeping practices are the same – doesn’t lessen any beekeeping work except harvest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Pros: Lessens work during harvest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Cons: Expensive and untested.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>Observation hives</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> – A hive with a “window” in the wall to see inside. (Also, a glass/lexan “box” that you put frames of bees in temporarily.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Pros: Incredibly interesting teaching tool. Interesting for those wanting to see the inner workings of their hive. Inspections are very easy since there’s no need to suit up completely and use a smoker – you can just look in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Cons: Expensive to buy. Heats up too hot if you forget to close the cover.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b>What I use and why</b></u></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">: Both 8-frame and 10-frame Langs (mediums and deeps) and a couple top bar hives. I prefer Langstroth 8-frame mediums because they are easier to lift, and having all the same frames means I can move any frame to any other box/hive in the beeyard. 8-frame boxes also make great nuc boxes for starting small colonies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b>Timeline of work (Beekeeper’s Calendar)</b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">I constantly watch them come and go from their entrances and notice what flowers are blooming when.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Spring</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">: Inspect for stores (honey and pollen both), brood buildup, queen cells (indicator of swarming), make splits if needed, and test for mites, then treat. Monitor flow and add super (extra box on top) if needed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Summer</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">: Watch for dearth and install robbing screen. Inspect stores of honey and harvest if there’s a surplus. If low, feed through summer. Test for mites and treat before September.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Fall:</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> Most times we have a fall flow when flowers bloom again. This is usually left on the hive for the bees to eat during winter, though at times there’s a surplus that can be harvested. Test for mites and treat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Winter:</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> Feed if they run out of stores. Test for mites and treat. Fix equipment, order/build more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u>Site selection for the hives:</u></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Preferably facing east or south, morning sun, and sheltered from the north winds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u>Inspections</u></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> (things to look for): stores (amount of honey and pollen), brood (capped, larvae, eggs if you can see them), queen cells (to know if they will swarm soon or if they’re replacing a queen), and signs of disease or pests (varroa mites, viruses, small hive beetles, wax moths, EFB, AHB). Each of these things would mean you would intervene to help solve the problem noted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u>Feeding bees</u></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> – Use only refined pure cane sugar, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><u>not</u></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> organic sugar since it contains impurities. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">May need to feed pollen substitute as well at times. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">And water. With salt can be good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">My favorite sites:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a href="http://honeybeesuite.com/">HoneyBeeSuite.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a href="http://scientificbeekeeping.com/">ScientificBeekeeping.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Natural Beekeeping:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Les Crowder – top bar hives</span></div>
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<span style="color: navy;"><u><a href="http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm</span></a></u></span><span style="color: navy;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> - Langstroth</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Local resources:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Tanya Phillips: <a href="http://beefriendlyaustin.com/" target="_blank">BeeFriendlyAustin.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Tara Chapman: </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a href="http://twohiveshoney.com/">TwoHivesHoney.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Austin Area Beekeepers Association: Meetup.com/Austin-Urban-</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">TravisCountyBeekeepers.org</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">CentralTexasBeekeepers.org</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Supplies:</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">BusyBeeSupplies.com – Florence, TX, just north of Georgetown</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">BeeWeaver.com – bees and some supplies</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">MannLakeLtd.com – free shipping if you spend $100</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Dadant.com – also free shipping if you spend $100</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b>Colony’s Social Structure</b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Queen</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">: Only fertile female member of the colony. The “Mother of All”. Lives for a few years or more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Workers:</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> Infertile females who do all the work in the colony except laying eggs. Live six weeks or so in warm season, longer during winter. They hatch, then become</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>Drones: </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Haploid “males” who develop from an unfertilized egg. Their only purpose is fertilizing queens from other colonies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b>Life cycle of a worker bee </b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuJ9RtbN8IokSX10hbT3Wf7OVhbZMk-LiecL7ZayZy5u15mEAJ4RA3xMA9cuJ8m3ZPuHcZgfD-dQwC8AiSPXPLAI1L5oIiqj_LoGKE2AO1J9Cef3f44Imrh44nbH-VLhg6qnqLuCZUEC0/s1600/honey+bee+life+cycle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="288" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuJ9RtbN8IokSX10hbT3Wf7OVhbZMk-LiecL7ZayZy5u15mEAJ4RA3xMA9cuJ8m3ZPuHcZgfD-dQwC8AiSPXPLAI1L5oIiqj_LoGKE2AO1J9Cef3f44Imrh44nbH-VLhg6qnqLuCZUEC0/s400/honey+bee+life+cycle.jpg" width="285" /></a></b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Days 1-4: Egg</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Days 4-8: Hatch, Larvae</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Days 9-15: Capped brood</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Day 16: Emergence</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Days 1-11: Nurse Bee</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Days 12-17: House Bee</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Days 18-21: Guard Bee</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Days 21-death: Field Bee</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0104e/T0104E05.htm</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b>Colony Reproduction</b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">In spring, new queen cells are made and new queens reared. As soon as the first queen cell is capped, the old queen leaves with a group of workers to find another home. Sometimes the first queen to emerge from a queen cell leaves the hive with more workers – this is a secondary swarm led by a virgin queen. Once this type of swarm find a suitable home, the queen goes on her mating flight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">A queen mates only once in her life, within a couple weeks of hatching, and hopefully with many drones.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> A few days after hatching she flies </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">to a drone congregation area and breeds, usually many times over a few days, then comes back and never leaves the hive again unless she leaves with a swarm.</span></div>
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Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-67869371539501383122019-04-29T07:58:00.004-07:002021-03-25T19:35:36.615-07:00Baker Creek Seeds Supports Racism<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkZRTx09cIeCosmq9RkbvLLl8It_53f0NXBCu7tYPLlVr5tt7oq03jpj4AwjDDyUDfHicApLBDTY9bo6lH4hI8m8IpvagMwBtfSbR_E0D2njoB7FrEM7JBgJPv4oUuHeUhCclpnhS1Lc/s1600/bundy+baker+creek.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="1168" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkZRTx09cIeCosmq9RkbvLLl8It_53f0NXBCu7tYPLlVr5tt7oq03jpj4AwjDDyUDfHicApLBDTY9bo6lH4hI8m8IpvagMwBtfSbR_E0D2njoB7FrEM7JBgJPv4oUuHeUhCclpnhS1Lc/s400/bundy+baker+creek.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
As many of you know, I teach seed saving and seed starting classes at The Natural Gardener and elsewhere. One of the sources of heirloom seeds I used to recommend is Baker Creek Seeds. I won't be doing that any more because <a href="https://www.rareseeds.com/spring-planting-festival/" target="_blank">they have decided to host Cliven Bundy as a speaker at their spring planting festival this year</a>. [UPDATE: They have since uninvited him and taken down their entire speaker list. At right is a screenshot of what it did look like earlier today.)<br />
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If you don't know who Cliven Bundy is, Google him. He is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJqsy8OouO8" target="_blank">racist thug who has said black people were "better off" when they were slaves</a>. He and his family and friends destroyed Native American sacred spaces and artifacts when they decided they didn't want to pay the grazing lease fees they owed "<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/08/18/490498442/in-nevada-tribes-push-to-protect-land-at-the-heart-of-bundy-ranch-standoff" target="_blank">because they had ancestral rights" to the land</a>, so they took over a wildlife sanctuary and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/10/27/499575873/oregon-occupation-unites-native-american-tribes-to-save-their-land" target="_blank">bulldozed Pauite burial grounds that were there</a>.<br />
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Saying Cliven Bundy is a "land rights activist" is like saying there were "good people on both sides" in Charlottesville.<br />
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So unless Baker Creek Seeds de-invites him <i>and </i>puts out a sincere apology to people of color and Native Americans, I will never again recommend them. Quite the opposite, I will tell people NOT to buy from them, and will also tell them why.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Other good sources of heirloom seeds:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Try to buy from these two sellers. I've purposely linked to pages other than their homepages so you can see why: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://trueloveseeds.com/pages/meet-the-farmers" target="_blank">True Love Seeds</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.nativeseeds.org/pages/history-mission" target="_blank">Native Seeds Search</a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0000ee; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://www.allianceofnativeseedkeepers.com/" target="_blank">Alliance of Native Seedkeepers</a></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Thanks to Bird from the comments for this source!)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you can't find what you want from them,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">here are some other decent sources:</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.seedsavers.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Seed Savers Exchange</b></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.southernexposure.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Southern Exposure Seed Exchange</b></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.highmowingseeds.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>High Mowing</b></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.sandhillpreservation.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sandhill Preservation Center</b></span></a></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">UPDATE:</span></u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88ky_AqsPKHizRqegxFbZp7o2hnE-s0m1Fqo_cTzqehIKAjYrPd_hWcmeQwt4W4DsnqLADSuC2IzwWQCH2IpFQggjDfZqf5giD2am2s6TjNGYQcg_DvsBoHAvyc2ut4Mb0mlz0yPXVEE/s1600/bundy+baker+creek+2.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1027" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88ky_AqsPKHizRqegxFbZp7o2hnE-s0m1Fqo_cTzqehIKAjYrPd_hWcmeQwt4W4DsnqLADSuC2IzwWQCH2IpFQggjDfZqf5giD2am2s6TjNGYQcg_DvsBoHAvyc2ut4Mb0mlz0yPXVEE/s400/bundy+baker+creek+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I sent an email to Baker Creek about this issue. Below is the email I just got in reply. Note no apology to any kind of people of color. No apology at all actually. Just words about how they were "naively unaware of the controversy surrounding him". I find that hard to believe since they posted <a href="https://www.rareseeds.com/art-combes-amazing-ancient-watermelon/" target="_blank">this story on their website about an ancient Native American watermelon that Mr. Bundy also grew</a>, including <i style="font-weight: bold;">how they visited him in prison to interview him, and even writing about why he was in prison.</i> And look - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0f5HxKinqc" target="_blank">here's a video of the story even, with some of it shot right outside the prison.</a><br />
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So yeah, I ain't buyin' their story.<br />
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<i>Hello Linda,<br /><br />So sorry for the slow reply. I have just been given this information by our management team.<br />Cliven Bundy will not be appearing at our Spring Planting Festival next week. After a long discussion, both Bundy and Baker Creek staff agree that his presence could cause a safety issue and other concerns for all participants.<br /><br />We thank everyone for sharing concerns and thoughts about our speaker lineup. We recognize that many of you have passionate concerns on many sides of issues that have come forth. We appreciate the information and many points of view that people have shared about the situation. A few Baker Creek staff members became acquainted with Bundy while researching an heirloom seed variety, and we were unaware of many of the controversies surrounding him. We are committed to thoroughly researching the issues raised by our friends and customers during this discussion.<br /><br />Baker Creek is a supporter of diversity. The company was founded on the idea of saving the diversity of seeds. We believe just as strongly in the diversity and equality of all people. We would never consciously do anything that could be construed negatively toward any culture, color, religion, etc. The Gettle family itself is a multicultural American family, with Hispanic, Chinese, German, and Jewish heritage. We celebrate diversity in both our family and our business. We strive to include many cultures in our speaker lineup, our catalogs, and other publications, because we believe a diversity of cultures and ideas is what makes this nation great. In recent years, we have substantially supported humanitarian work in many nations with out regard to people's religion, culture, or color.<br /><br />A staff writer met Bundy while visiting farmers in Nevada. Several told her that she needed to talk with him because he was the longest-running organic farmer in the area. He had been commercially growing heirloom melons for over 40 years. That was our only connection to this farmer, who told our writer many stories of his past seed saving and plant breeding practices, and about his work in the valley to preserve the local seeds of the area. He volunteered to speak about his seeds and dry farming practices at one of our events.<br /><br />Our staff thought these sounded like great topics, and we invited him to participate in our Spring Planting Festival. As is the case with all of our speakers, he volunteered participation without receiving a stipend or honorarium. Although we had seen a few news clippings over the years, we were naively unaware of the controversy surrounding him. We do believe in rights of free speech and letting people be heard, even if we disagree with their ideals. But at this time, due to security and other issues raised by many of you, all parties think it would be better to research the situation, read the information that has been sent to us by customers. We apologize for any ill feelings this has caused, this certainly was not our intention.<br /><br />As the festival date approaches, we will be updating our speaker schedule with other changes.<br /><br />The Baker Creek Staff<br /><br />Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds<br />2278 Baker Creek Rd<br />Mansfield, MO 65704<br />(417)924-8917</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>SECOND UPDATE:</u></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2019/04/29/cliven-bundy-visit-baker-creek-heirloom-seeds-cancelled/3617902002/" target="_blank">So Baker Creek said they uninvited Bundy because a group of protesters were "threatening their vendors"?!</a> I saw that post on Facebook - a woman said she and some friends were planning on bringing some signs to protest outside their planting festival if Bundy was allowed to speak. How in the WORLD is that "threatening their vendors"?! I'm so done with Baker Creek. <b>SO. DONE.</b><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">THIRD UPDATE - July 28, 2020:</span></u></b><br />
Apparently they haven't changed. Got a comment below about how some of their customers asked them to make a statement about black lives matter and they dodged it. I'm looking for source material on that right now and not finding it (if you have a link, please let me know), but I'm also not finding them saying anything in support of black lives either. How hard is it to just say black lives matter? Really - how hard is it?<br />
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<i><br /></i>Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-27279597431923765252019-02-27T11:35:00.001-08:002019-02-27T15:15:11.560-08:00Pruning: WHACK IT!I recently taught a couple classes on pruning with the wonderful Stacie and the fabulous David, both from the grounds crew at work. They were a hit! We got some wonderful feedback on both of them, especially the Saturday one. It was a blast! I love teaching, especially when everyone is really engaged and learning, including me! (Yep, I often learn things during the classes. LOVE that part!)<br />
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During both classes, two things came up repeatedly: the question on just how much to cut back, and then surprise at the answer of most things get cut <i>to the ground!</i> At least once I even heard audible gasps.<br />
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I know it's scary. Terrifying even to some. So I cracked jokes to put people at ease: "Know how to fix your fear of cutting it that hard? Shot of bourbon." ... "Get in touch with your inner Red Queen and <i>off with it's head!</i>" ... "It's okay, y'all. It's not going to die, but even if it did, it's not a puppy." <br />
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Even so, I still sensed some reticence. We explained that half the plant was underground, so cutting off the top really wasn't that big of a deal. We explained about the energy transfer that goes on when a plant goes dormant - as each cold snap hits it, a plant slowly transfers it's growing energy into it's roots for winter, where it stays stored until it sprouts back out in spring, so you're really not cutting off anything of great importance. And we explained that most of the stuff above was dead anyway, and even what wasn't would be hard pressed to sprout leaves anywhere but the top, and that would lead to the plant having to push all that energy aaaaaaaallll the way up those spindly branches, wasting a lot of it in the process. But still, many found it hard to digest that you really do cut most things all the way to the ground. <br />
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In an attempt to show everyone that it really will be okay, here are some before and after photos of our butterfly garden at work. The before ones were taken last fall when it was rockin' in there. The after ones were just last week and they show exactly what the garden looked like this time last year. I'll try to remember to get a few of what it looks like this fall and post them as well, just to show that everything really is okay.<br />
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And one last one, the most dramatic of the bunch. See that 5+ foot tall </div>
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firebush just behind the clump of grass? It's gone! Mama Nature's </div>
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Winter took the other one further down the path with it.</div>
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So don't be afraid! Grab some gloves, some pruners, and some bourbon, </div>
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and head on out to WHACK SOME STUFF! Later this year you'll be </div>
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really glad you did.</div>
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~ * ~</div>
Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-67617285374981772862018-09-11T09:24:00.004-07:002018-09-11T10:09:01.095-07:00Fermented Vegetables: Class Handout<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Here is the handout for Neil Schmidt's Fermented Veggies class. If you're interested in taking this class, keep an eye on The Natural Gardener's events calendar for the next time Neil will be presenting it. </div>
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<br /></div>
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~*~</div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Lacto-Fermented
Veggies</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">(Class Notes)<br />by Neil Schmidt<br />Education Coordinator & Presenter</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The Natural Gardener</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaJJArsqNOMETKL3tRLHRfManypmFciwlvSxRcAzH5q_u0YlukDKY7pknxq4DLg-0stcuet_RbUS2E8NkIEoO5aAsJG9TLdO6hgLzYacffaqbO3asrz3XL_gJHYhzq6_WKGqQSGz_uGY/s1600/Brining+Cabbage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaJJArsqNOMETKL3tRLHRfManypmFciwlvSxRcAzH5q_u0YlukDKY7pknxq4DLg-0stcuet_RbUS2E8NkIEoO5aAsJG9TLdO6hgLzYacffaqbO3asrz3XL_gJHYhzq6_WKGqQSGz_uGY/s400/Brining+Cabbage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brining the cabbage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><i>Food Preservation:</i></b> Lacto-fermentation
is due to <i>Lactobacillus</i> bacteria that
produce lactic-acid in anaerobic environments.
These bacteria are found on the surfaces of vegetables and the digestive
systems of humans and other animals. Lacto-fermentation not only retains the
nutrients in the veggies but they are more easily digested since they have been
slightly broken down. Most food processing for storage decreases the nutrient
content of the food. Lacto-fermentation
allows for medium to long term storage without losing nutritional content. It is also less resource and labor intensive
than canning or freezing. On top of these benefits the microorganisms in
lacto-fermentation are highly beneficial probiotics for intestinal health.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjMUI4X90GzjqOH_Dc0wshGofQ5iwO9Ny8urmgxcv6G4tDcnCVf-p3qAKMeiqLCztzRUOcRr9nhs50CsZlnO9Wf4ZAKvd8oPimDFSOj6DaFYnpObOWvdTt7gO2r1CrY6XDILX2IRphf8/s1600/Cabbage+Topper1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjMUI4X90GzjqOH_Dc0wshGofQ5iwO9Ny8urmgxcv6G4tDcnCVf-p3qAKMeiqLCztzRUOcRr9nhs50CsZlnO9Wf4ZAKvd8oPimDFSOj6DaFYnpObOWvdTt7gO2r1CrY6XDILX2IRphf8/s320/Cabbage+Topper1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whole cabbage leaf to hold down smaller pieces.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><i>Traditional Fermented Foods:</i></b>
Every culture on Earth has developed some types of fermented foods. We will focus on the veggies! Pickles, Sauerkraut, Kimchi and Escabeche are
just the tip of the iceberg! </div>
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<b><i>Materials:</i></b></div>
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<i> Container w/ lid</i><b> –</b> Fermentation vessel needs to be large enough to hold all veggies
and at least 1-2” of brine above.</div>
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<i>Weight</i> <b>–</b> Ceramic, glass, sterilized rock, wedged chopsticks (anything to keep
the veggies submerged)</div>
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<i>Large Metal Bowl</i> <b>– </b>Large enough to mix veggies with salt and squeeze thoroughly.</div>
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<i>Jar Funnel</i> <b>– </b>Helps keep the area cleaner and easier to pack jars.</div>
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<i>Large Spoon</i> – Used to get veggies in and
out of the fermenter and jars.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSiYcATdaFFwkpBZiouUFJO7HZCOVOmg8CJ9_Fpx4t6WW_6S-C2fIxIbVtNhAXD4peMeVZZukwCskafGhtRwU7Ba6osgCoq2JTwIs-LE60udS3ax5mOlwt8CLD3CvcfOjbk0XEQz0w83o/s1600/Fermentation+Crocks+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1088" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSiYcATdaFFwkpBZiouUFJO7HZCOVOmg8CJ9_Fpx4t6WW_6S-C2fIxIbVtNhAXD4peMeVZZukwCskafGhtRwU7Ba6osgCoq2JTwIs-LE60udS3ax5mOlwt8CLD3CvcfOjbk0XEQz0w83o/s640/Fermentation+Crocks+collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fermentation vessels each with a different
airlock system.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 5.0pt;"><br /> </span></div>
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<b><i>Process:</i></b> 3 rules to keep
in mind: Use <b><i>fresh</i></b> organic produce, keep it <b><i>salty</i></b> and <b><i>submerged</i></b>. If you follow these tips your finished
product will be delicious!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoLGwqIbW8Z5E_LfzGUUR6dMUgbqmRDxQo_vZb4jJL1hPIMMBY9Jkp0C5cqwo2mB0rie8V5tv0yLaFM_IesReVrHyAoPtKufcrsoFh-ZJ5lozlJsHDI6oHA0mNlXJ-TTYhW2DACBVeg0/s1600/66014844750039p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="478" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoLGwqIbW8Z5E_LfzGUUR6dMUgbqmRDxQo_vZb4jJL1hPIMMBY9Jkp0C5cqwo2mB0rie8V5tv0yLaFM_IesReVrHyAoPtKufcrsoFh-ZJ5lozlJsHDI6oHA0mNlXJ-TTYhW2DACBVeg0/s320/66014844750039p.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->1)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Clean all equipment thoroughly. <i>It does
<b>not</b> need to be sterilized.</i></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->2)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Cut veggies to desired size, place in large metal
mixing bowl and coat with salt. Massage salt into veggies and squeeze out all
liquid possible. Let sit for 2 hrs.</div>
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“The salt pulls water out of the
cabbage (through osmosis), and this creates the brine in which the cabbage can
ferment and sour without rotting.” Sandor Katz</div>
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(I prefer to leave the veggies in
larger pieces so the bubbles can escape to the surface keeping the veggies from
lifting out of the brine.)</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXMJyxc1iZXD8QvWIk64V5PisY5APfGflkDftSHSTmRHL1Amt-iSGFkahjNzHl6tvzqiuu2fwySqRvl4quXB1sBGVNnmlq_XvEKUzPVU7f4FFTcAu0IodaevMbLCZdD5Hemb64SOrnN8/s1600/11313793_1636154589991755_248645967_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXMJyxc1iZXD8QvWIk64V5PisY5APfGflkDftSHSTmRHL1Amt-iSGFkahjNzHl6tvzqiuu2fwySqRvl4quXB1sBGVNnmlq_XvEKUzPVU7f4FFTcAu0IodaevMbLCZdD5Hemb64SOrnN8/s320/11313793_1636154589991755_248645967_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kahm yeast – edible but can impart off flavors. <br />
Increase salt content of brine and the issue
should go away.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 3)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Squeeze out all liquid again. Then spoon into fermentation vessel pouring
brine on top to cover veggies. More brine can be made and added if there isn’t
enough. 1 tsp-1 tbs/cup of cold clean water.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 4)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Cover the surface of veggies by layering whole cabbage
leaves to keep pieces from floating to the top. Place weight on top on cabbage
leaves.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 5)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->When the desired sourness is achieved (5 days- 2wks)
skim all growth from the surface of the brine and unpack fermentation
vessel. Pack into clean jars, fill with
brine and refrigerate.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySuR3oYDtfInx12Hx9_brbs8J3z14s9D7huvUj9FkJkrFlvp5gbZvPh59eGz0uRf5Ge_sUf1zQ60r1iLySCpVmgD6eAnsRe6vynT2jMKamk-4HJwgtrYeAXs_bn5k0dBaFdUVE8sq8WE/s1600/14058423_f520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="520" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySuR3oYDtfInx12Hx9_brbs8J3z14s9D7huvUj9FkJkrFlvp5gbZvPh59eGz0uRf5Ge_sUf1zQ60r1iLySCpVmgD6eAnsRe6vynT2jMKamk-4HJwgtrYeAXs_bn5k0dBaFdUVE8sq8WE/s400/14058423_f520.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kahm yeast again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Contamination by mold or other harmful organisms is not very
common when the 3 major tips above are followed. If mold is found or the veggies have started
to disintegrate and become mushy you will want to discard that batch! <i>Basically
when in doubt through it out!</i> However, strong smells do not indicate a
problem. I have found it always smells
worse (stronger) during the ferment than once it is harvested. Kahm yeast is a
common organism that can grow on the surface but presents no problem other than
slightly off flavors. If Kahm yeast
becomes a problem make your brine a little saltier. If the batch seems too
salty or vinegary the veggies can be rinsed and new less salty brine added to
the jars when putting them in the fridge.</div>
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More information from Sandor Katz's website WildFermentation.com</div>
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<a href="https://www.wildfermentation.com/making-sauerkraut-2/" target="_blank">Making Sauerkraut</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.wildfermentation.com/vegetable-fermentation-further-simplified-2/" target="_blank">Vegetable Fermentation Further Simplified</a><br />
And from elsewhere on the 'net:<br />
<a href="https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/easy-fast-kimchi-mak-kimchi-recipe/" target="_blank">Easy, Fast Kimchi Recipe (Mak Kimchi)</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now go ferment something!</span></div>
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Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-22887428015584065912018-05-17T13:34:00.000-07:002018-05-17T13:37:13.423-07:00I GOT EGGS!!!!!I GOT EGGS!! I GOT EGGS!!! AND I'M SO EXCITED I'M ABOUT TO POP! SO I GOTTA' TELL SOMEONE SO I DON'T!!!<br />
<br />
See?! EGGS!!! Those ickle bitty white things in the cells near the bottom. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDOFhWTzaXZlJlBiYdcc7tWAtYhRe8OwBCR7IWee51Aw8GBhkEIN-CZbi6uyi8KvEeQDDbQkKr6Eonj9uXHDpEWps7S_QqZdZqcRmiapj5dCgaeahf5iSlgfX1jmYMJX6fusTd9BBmaA/s1600/IMG_20180517_115816+cropped+best.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDOFhWTzaXZlJlBiYdcc7tWAtYhRe8OwBCR7IWee51Aw8GBhkEIN-CZbi6uyi8KvEeQDDbQkKr6Eonj9uXHDpEWps7S_QqZdZqcRmiapj5dCgaeahf5iSlgfX1jmYMJX6fusTd9BBmaA/s640/IMG_20180517_115816+cropped+best.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Here they are!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gD7LtkFWSvsBMY74zBOLa5mE-9QXeSFC3fan4YN35czzI9g-94d6QK9ftWlEqrHNi0LJ0_wxwhCM0n6BL3I1uIKiwxcF9DheyGCoklJa39GJuS8e1BMo3l2FRfQH-V2czFrgNCwCF6k/s1600/IMG_20180517_115816+cropped+best+eggs%2521.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gD7LtkFWSvsBMY74zBOLa5mE-9QXeSFC3fan4YN35czzI9g-94d6QK9ftWlEqrHNi0LJ0_wxwhCM0n6BL3I1uIKiwxcF9DheyGCoklJa39GJuS8e1BMo3l2FRfQH-V2czFrgNCwCF6k/s640/IMG_20180517_115816+cropped+best+eggs%2521.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Late last month, the same day I brought those Africanized foragers home, I split one of my honeybee colonies into four (five counting the Africanized forager one). A couple weeks before, I'd also taken a little split from another colony, the one in the top bar hive I got from Sarah and Justin (Hi, Sarah and Justin!). <br />
<br />
Checked them today and four of them have eggs! That means QUEENS!! The fifth looks like it should any day now, and the sixth - well ... it's made up of those Africanized foragers, and it's all the way across the creek. I should check them, too, but they're all the way across the creek, and they're assholes, so I don't wanna'. <br />
<br />
I don't know if I told y'all, but I had health problems early spring last year (all better now!) and didn't notice my hives getting robbed out 'til it was too late. So I started this year with one little colony I cut out of the floor of a storage building in South Austin last fall, and now I have six and possibly eight colonies. Life is SO good! Despite it being 91 degrees right now here in Spicewood. (Why yes, I did get into my beesuit nekkid today.)<br />
<br />
I have a young friend who wants to get into bees, and I told her if I'm lucky with the splits, I'll share. I'm going to have so much fun texting her that SHE'S DEFINITELY GETTING BEES! <br />
<br />
~*~<br />
<br />
<b><u>Update:</u></b> I texted her and SHE'S ABOUT TO POP, TOO!! What a good day.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQLLHuQcwVn7DfBKQ9oUZu2IcxsLtNrjNt4NXZhyphenhypheniyZUtO-Y0nsmtZcvrUuc4Sl5HNxw7dZw3gAsRWcBDhe_wFgoZd_vhkrKmZc9819vexc4jMYjvGIossG3eyLekUfdD9duY81Lf-ig/s1600/IMG_20180517_115819.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQLLHuQcwVn7DfBKQ9oUZu2IcxsLtNrjNt4NXZhyphenhypheniyZUtO-Y0nsmtZcvrUuc4Sl5HNxw7dZw3gAsRWcBDhe_wFgoZd_vhkrKmZc9819vexc4jMYjvGIossG3eyLekUfdD9duY81Lf-ig/s640/IMG_20180517_115819.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See that black blob? That's a bee who wanted her closeup.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
~*~</div>
Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-23963068774767463752018-04-26T09:54:00.001-07:002018-04-26T16:38:19.936-07:00How to Change an Aggressive Colony of Bees from Demons to Angels.Well, that was fun.<br />
<br />
A friend of mine "inherited" a honeybee colony when she bought her property a few years ago and they came with it. They'd always been gentle little things, causing no more trouble than drinking from her birdbath and drowning in it occasionally. She'd enjoyed watching them flitting around her butterfly garden and pollinating her squash. She's not (yet) a beekeeper, but felt strongly that her property benefited from them being there, so she called other beekeepers out to check them every now and then to make sure they were healthy. Life was good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dEVc3Wp4QcuUzKfJorYWmUljC4M3vxtcR6F9MAKuQJ9NhsfTPm8ABgaQIy5rk-TeuKlg4itPIjaE5Y6iL3oyFNlgbJREPw3cCuRblGwUESs-R2eioaN69TUFHzkhPCIbXgnUKhheH30/s1600/01+Africanized+bees+after+inspection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="688" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dEVc3Wp4QcuUzKfJorYWmUljC4M3vxtcR6F9MAKuQJ9NhsfTPm8ABgaQIy5rk-TeuKlg4itPIjaE5Y6iL3oyFNlgbJREPw3cCuRblGwUESs-R2eioaN69TUFHzkhPCIbXgnUKhheH30/s400/01+Africanized+bees+after+inspection.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After my inspection. Man, that's a lot of bees!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
That changed this spring. They started buzzing her up at the house a couple hundred feet away, fifty or so at a time, getting caught in her hair and stinging the dogs. Something was wrong. So she hired me to come check them, to see if the little jerks at her house were from her hive or a feral colony. I suited up, lit my smoker, and dug in. It didn't take long to find out that yep, it was her hive. I got bumped by a couple bees twenty feet from the hive, and man did they boil out as soon as I took the top off! Ever seen three hundred tiny little faces lined up along the edge of a beehive box, glaring at you with <i>much</i> malice in their beady little eyes, vibrating with malevolence while five hundred of their sisters dive bomb your face? I have.<br />
<br />
Thanking the Lord for xanax, I gritted my teeth and went through the whole thing anyway, checking for swarm cells so I could squash them and forestall these genetics from escaping into our local area more than they already have, giving us time to figure out how to deal with them. The five boxes took me well over an hour to look through, and I got stung through my suit fourteen times that I could count. Three of those were on my face, so <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfD_zDF7gCJ0mF9KKGxsHOzIIX56yMcyknrKMRBnhNgGzgFkRewyGcduBO0QXHMS2NbRjQxLMCORN1xQhsvwQCdYVlUSi5E7lLy9Qx5RqnmTcUhPhhTSjkk4GTjYomKEbHla6BEqnrdA/s1600/02+stung+by+Africanized+bees.jpg" target="_blank">I spent the rest of that day looking like I'd had a bad collagen injection from a cut-rate plastic surgeon</a>. (Not to worry - I was <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmZOvk9DSZrIIV5YtDBeM9_nOii0mVx2saum2ltN7GqLJxlmwX7HIkZ2QYDGD3MINvNeeQZv_o9tg2xSqjj8KThQJjtqDp2lauZe68xKxDfPY6MCqQIQW8sRhBk-yzd73dCXE3hm4vKE/s1600/03+stung+by+Africanized+bees+-+all+better%2521.jpg" target="_blank">all better that evening, after a swig of liquid benadryl and a nap</a>.)<br />
<br />
They were scary mean, so I knew and she knew they had to be dealt with. How they got this way we'll never know for sure, but it's likely her old gentle queen was superseded, and the new one bred with some drones from a mean queen in another colony. I told her we should requeen with a more gentle one, and we set about finding her. BeeWeaver was all out for the season, so she called Tanya Phillips of <a href="http://beefriendlyaustin.com/" target="_blank">Bee Friendly Austin</a> to see if she had any available. After describing to her what I told my friend I'd gone through, Tanya strongly recommended she get <a href="https://www.facebook.com/les.crowder.1" target="_blank">Les Crowder</a> to do the requeening. Of course I jumped at the chance to tag along! So I called him and we made a plan. I installed queen excluders between all the boxes so he could find the queen easier the following week, and we met up at my friend's house five days later to do the deed.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfwT8foIcxImt8Hcs8hOWCO1CRaP1r9jkwL51eJs81Pj14mfHIPTEm5CL2zkfkfVlP0gDbgMTMp2RQHy72k8G_trM03KAW6ctVjJAXMsDq9qBYquODs5xVkywU_fRb0Wz9CbGCPcQ8vw/s1600/05+Africanized+bees+on+the+Miata+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1144" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfwT8foIcxImt8Hcs8hOWCO1CRaP1r9jkwL51eJs81Pj14mfHIPTEm5CL2zkfkfVlP0gDbgMTMp2RQHy72k8G_trM03KAW6ctVjJAXMsDq9qBYquODs5xVkywU_fRb0Wz9CbGCPcQ8vw/s400/05+Africanized+bees+on+the+Miata+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How to haul bees with a Miata. Who needs a truck anyway?</td></tr>
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Les is a soft spoken man who just feels good to be around. He worked the bees so gently, taking care not to squash any if at all possible, taking his time easing each frame out, working slowly and methodically, waiting for the bees to get out of the way before doing the next thing. I like that. I'm the same way. Part of it is self-serving - the more bees you kill, the madder and more likely to sting they get - but a bigger part of it is the guilt I feel for killing them just so I can hurry up and get things done. Yeah, yeah, there's over twenty or forty thousand of them in the hive so what does it matter to kill a few. Well, there's over half a million minutes in a year, so what does it matter to kill a few of those instead?<br />
<br />
I was ready with my little bottle of alcohol when Les found the queen (I bet she makes a great swarm lure!). We talked a bit about what an amazing animal she was, such a strong queen to make such a productive and healthy colony, how Mother Nature sure knows how to breed things better than we can. Of course we both knew what had to be done, and into the alcohol she went.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDFjyyb0kVzr-z0ndKYe5ryxIMzvtUYQo0mp0KXppzXW8VawYGLY5Mg4m6uKOGpD2o10WqZ1_WeOaKFOhmNUSHL0Ha8_0O8qJ9jJI9XiZD9kqBlUBvvst43MAh8m_z-O_cYoh2b0MIVg/s1600/07+beeswax+makes+a+great+entrance+plug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1144" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDFjyyb0kVzr-z0ndKYe5ryxIMzvtUYQo0mp0KXppzXW8VawYGLY5Mg4m6uKOGpD2o10WqZ1_WeOaKFOhmNUSHL0Ha8_0O8qJ9jJI9XiZD9kqBlUBvvst43MAh8m_z-O_cYoh2b0MIVg/s320/07+beeswax+makes+a+great+entrance+plug.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beeswax makes a great entrance plug.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Les proceeded to move the hive to a new spot further from my friend's house as I gathered up tools and set a box on the original spot to catch the foragers so I could take them away that night. On Les's suggestion, I'd brought a frame of open brood with eggs from my Sweetheart Hive, a darling little feral colony I'd cut out of the floor of a storage shed in South Austin last fall. We put it in a box with a few frames of capped brood from the aggressive hive, and I set it in place. Taking some of the capped brood and the majority of the foragers would lessen the numbers of aggressive bees my friend had to deal with while waiting the month and a half for the new queen's more docile daughters to take over, and if all goes well I'll end up with a new colony headed by a daughter of my Sweetheart queen. Nice trade for being willing to deal with the jerkiest of the jerks for a month or two.<br />
<br />
Les told me where the queen cage was so I can find it easily when I come back in a week to let her go, and we left, glad to be away from that colony. Man, they were not fun.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8ZMb8LEBDywtUvG50qN8vGmagCPKm8qwudrA5xfPOBjNLoH6xPcjKkxkSIvEq0EXAMOUpActi_XQ_WsqRGJIPSYpLjEKLN4CipsPvpDb4LsFmg8eW0D4HEtWiHrAxTPcRBmuKHiS3zE/s1600/08+Loaded+up+and+ready+to+haul+across+the+creek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1144" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8ZMb8LEBDywtUvG50qN8vGmagCPKm8qwudrA5xfPOBjNLoH6xPcjKkxkSIvEq0EXAMOUpActi_XQ_WsqRGJIPSYpLjEKLN4CipsPvpDb4LsFmg8eW0D4HEtWiHrAxTPcRBmuKHiS3zE/s400/08+Loaded+up+and+ready+to+haul+across+the+creek.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the vibrating begins.</td></tr>
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I'm so glad my friend called Les to do this. Not only was it fun to work with him (yes, him - <i>not</i> those bees), but I learned things, AND he saved me from making a <i>big</i> mistake. If it had been me, I'd have let them release the queen in a few days, or released her myself in three. Les said with Africanized bees, which these very well may have been, that's too early. They'll likely kill her unless you leave her in the cage for at least five days, or better yet a week. So yeah, my inexperience with Africanized bees would have at best cost my friend more money and frustration having to find a new queen and having this done all over again, or at worst doomed her colony. Crisis averted! I'm so glad I got to avoid screwing up and dealing with the guilt that would come along with it, especially because I'd told her, before I found out how mean they were, that between the two of us we could absolutely handle caring for this hive without having to call anyone else in to help. Ooof.<br />
<br />
A cold front blew in last night, so I decided it'd be best to wait 'til just before dawn this morning to go get them. It was perfect - almost all of them were in the boxes, and it was so cold that the few left outside couldn't put up much of a fuss. I plugged the entrance with a wad of beeswax, <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpv_oNudf6vKsfC2AYIOqC482fMccRoaUWK95s-8s70ZSXyR2FU5EXbDId0YC6EDNIPvTI0mrcB0P8UBzQdmA9hYjuvCGk2IyKh1BygjgWIAI0KanBDLl4EKDleHVlRUSQwLIDAwtiCbI/s1600/09+Watch+out%252C+Joe%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1144" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpv_oNudf6vKsfC2AYIOqC482fMccRoaUWK95s-8s70ZSXyR2FU5EXbDId0YC6EDNIPvTI0mrcB0P8UBzQdmA9hYjuvCGk2IyKh1BygjgWIAI0KanBDLl4EKDleHVlRUSQwLIDAwtiCbI/s400/09+Watch+out%252C+Joe%2521.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wonder if Joe knows what's in the boxes.</td></tr>
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ratchet strapped the whole thing together, carried it to my car, ratchet strapped it to the trunk, and away we went. With thoughts of what would happen if they slipped on the way, or worse yet I got into a wreck, I used two one-ton-test straps to hold the boxes together and five to strap it to the trunk, then oh-so-carefully and oh-so-slowly putted all the way home. Yep. Seven tons of ratchet straps. I probably would have used more had I had them. *snicker*<br />
<br />
As if riding four miles on the back of the Miata wasn't enough to piss them off, they got loaded into the tractor bucket when I got home and, as daylight broke, we slowly vibrated our way across the creek to the spot I'd carefully picked out for them, Joe Dog following behind. Their new home is a few hundred feet from my house, a hundred more than that from my beeyard, across the creek and through a bunch of brush and trees. I would have put it even further away, but wanted to keep it a good distance from the county road back there. Bicyclists ride by there fairly often and I didn't think they'd appreciate SURPRISE BEES!!!1!! Though I guess it would have made them pedal faster ... more cardio, yes?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Before I opened them up, I turned the tractor around and headed it towards home, still running, so I could make a quick getaway, or at least as quick of a getaway as one can make on a tractor. Man, they were <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTwYk0vBzi4lVNXiNamd8Lvz6tKUTgFXUSinzmOnu3ZfS5zxBoDiMaVQHChQ5vUY-2wWXdjInuYp1KAX9inQsHdxqxzhaF6Q1BbdYbx6E3MFTVK0ZrsSoRZGRwlNvdL1MG2Du1p3OXeY/s1600/11+FREEEEEEEE%2521%2521%2521%2521%2521+And+pissed+off.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1144" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTwYk0vBzi4lVNXiNamd8Lvz6tKUTgFXUSinzmOnu3ZfS5zxBoDiMaVQHChQ5vUY-2wWXdjInuYp1KAX9inQsHdxqxzhaF6Q1BbdYbx6E3MFTVK0ZrsSoRZGRwlNvdL1MG2Du1p3OXeY/s400/11+FREEEEEEEE%2521%2521%2521%2521%2521+And+pissed+off.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opened up and all done! Yes, I took that photo while hiding on the tractor.<br />
Mama didn't raise no fool.</td></tr>
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mad. Good thing it was still cold or me and Joe would probably have gotten nailed a few times again.<br />
<br />
It feels good to have accomplished this. I'd always wondered if I could take working a really aggressive colony. Living in an area Africanized honeybees have definitely infiltrated, that's a very real possibility. My friend said Les told her this was one of the most scary-aggressive colonies he's encountered in this area. With his decades of bee experience, that's saying something. So now I know. I'll be fine. So long as I have xanax.<br />
;)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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~*~</div>
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<br />Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-66483009718472649182017-08-25T09:56:00.001-07:002017-08-25T11:01:58.373-07:00Small Batch Canning - Fall Recipes<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 20.0pt;">Fall Canning
Recipes<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">For
canning instructions and more recipes, visit Ball Canning’s website </span><a href="http://www.freshpreserving.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;">freshpreserving.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">
and <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">the National Center for Home Food
Preservation’s website </span><a href="http://nchfp.uga.edu/"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;">nchfp.uga.edu</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Hot
Peppers</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Makes about 5 pints</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">2-3/4
lbs banana, jalapeno, or serrano peppers</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> (or combination of these varieties)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">6
cups vinegar</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">
(5% acidity)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">2
cups water<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">3
cloves garlic</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">,
crushed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Ball® Pickle
Crisp (optional)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.45in;" valign="top" width="523"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">LEAVE peppers
whole or cut into 1-inch pieces. Mix peppers together if using multiple
varieties.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">COMBINE vinegar,
water, and garlic in a large saucepot. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat
and simmer 5 minutes. Discard garlic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PACK peppers into
hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Add Ball® Pickle Crisp to each jar, if
desired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">LADLE hot liquid
over peppers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">REMOVE air
bubbles, wipe rim, apply lids/bands and tighten fingertip tight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PROCESS 10
minutes in a boiling-water canner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></div>
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mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical-relative:text'
o:connectortype="straight"/><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]-->
<!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> </span></div>
<br clear="ALL" />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-insideh: none; mso-border-insidev: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 243.9pt;" valign="top" width="325"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Green
Tomato Salsa Verde</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 306.9pt;" width="409"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Makes about 6 (8 oz) half pints or 3
(16 oz) pints</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 243.9pt;" valign="top" width="325"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">7
cups green tomatoes</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">,
chopped cored peeled (about 12 medium)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">5
to 10 jalapeno, Habañero or Scotch bonnet peppers</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">, seeded and finely chopped<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">2
cups chopped red onion</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">
(about 2 large)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">2
cloves garlic</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">,
finely chopped<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">1/2
cup lime juice<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">1/2
cup cilantro</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">,
loosely packed finely chopped<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">2
tsp ground cumin<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">1
tsp dried oregano<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">1
tsp salt<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">1
tsp freshly ground black pepper<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 306.9pt;" valign="top" width="409"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PREPARE boiling
water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not
boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water
and set bands aside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">COMBINE tomatoes,
peppers, onion, garlic and lime juice in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Stir in cilantro, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer 5
minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">LADLE hot salsa
into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. REMOVE air bubbles, wipe rim, apply
lids/bands and tighten fingertip tight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PROCESS filled
jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Quick
Tip: Use from 5 to 10 hot peppers to reach the level of heat you desire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.45in;" valign="top" width="523"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></div>
</div>
<table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td height="8" width="80"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td><img height="2" src="file:///C:/Users/infodesk.TNG/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="_x0000_s1027" width="556" /></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_s1027" type="#_x0000_t32"
style='position:absolute;margin-left:60.75pt;margin-top:6.7pt;width:415.5pt;
height:0;z-index:251659264;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;
mso-position-vertical-relative:text' o:connectortype="straight"/><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]-->
<!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> </span></div>
<br clear="ALL" />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-insideh: none; mso-border-insidev: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.45in;" valign="top" width="235"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Summer
Squash Relish</span></u></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.2in;" width="499"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Makes about 5 pint jars</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.45in;" valign="top" width="235"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">4
pounds fresh, firm yellow and/or zucchini summer squash</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> (as purchased)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">½
cup diced sweet onion</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">
(about 2.4 ounces prepared)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">2
cups cider vinegar (5%)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">2¼
cups white sugar<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">2
teaspoons celery seed<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">2
teaspoons turmeric<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">4
teaspoons mustard seed<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.2in;" valign="top" width="499"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Rinse squash
well, remove blossom and stem ends and shred in a food processor. Peel onions and remove root and stem ends.
Rinse well and dice, or shred in a food processor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Combine remaining
ingredients and bring to a boil.
Carefully add squash and onions.
Return combined ingredients to a boil; boil gently for 5 minutes,
stirring often.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Pack hot
vegetables with liquid into sterilized, hot jars, leaving ½-inch
headspace. Make sure liquid covers the
top of the food pieces, wipe rims, and apply and adjust prepared canning
lids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Process in a
boiling water canner for fifteen minutes, adjusting for altitude.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</div>
</div>
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-insideh: none; mso-border-insidev: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 3.45in;" valign="top" width="331"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Canned
Tomatoes</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 4.2in;" valign="top" width="403"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 3.45in;" valign="top" width="331"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">2-1/2
to 3-1/2 lb ripe tomatoes (about 8 to 11 medium) per quart<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Water<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">1/4-1/2
tsp Ball® Citric Acid or bottled lemon juice<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Salt</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">, optional<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Ball® Glass
preserving jars with lids and bands <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PREPARE boiling
water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not
boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water
and set bands aside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">WASH tomatoes.
Dip in boiling water 30 to 60 seconds. Immediately dip in cold water. Slip
off skins. Trim away any green areas and cut out core. Leave tomatoes whole
or cut into halves or quarters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PREPARE tomatoes
according to raw or hot pack recipe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">ADD ½ tsp Ball®
Citric Acid or 2 Tbsp bottled lemon juice to each hot quart jar. ADD ¼ tsp
Ball® Citric Acid or 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice to each hot pint jar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 4.2in;" valign="top" width="403"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PACK tomatoes
into hot jars according to raw or hot pack recipe. Add 1 teaspoon salt to
each quart jar, 1/2 teaspoon to each pint jar, if desired. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">REMOVE air
bubbles, wipe rim, apply lids/bands and tighten fingertip tight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PROCESS filled
jars in a boiling water canner 40 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for
quarts, adjusting for altitude. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Raw Pack<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PACK tomatoes
into hot jars leaving 1 inch headspace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">LADLE hot water
over tomatoes leaving 1 inch headspace. Add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart
jar, 1/2 teaspoon to each pint jar, if desired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Hot Pack<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PLACE tomatoes in
a large saucepot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil gently 5
minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PACK hot tomatoes
into hot jars leaving 1 inch headspace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">LADLE hot cooking
liquid over tomatoes leaving 1 inch headspace. Add 1 teaspoon salt to each
quart jar, 1/2 teaspoon to each pint jar, if desired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-insideh: none; mso-border-insidev: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 135.9pt;" valign="top" width="181"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dilly
Beans</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 414.9pt;" valign="top" width="553"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Makes about 6 (16 oz) pints<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 135.9pt;" valign="top" width="181"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">3
3/4 cups vinegar<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">3
3/4 cups water<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">1/3
cup Ball® Preserving & Pickling Salt<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">6
cloves garlic<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">6
springs of dill<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">3
lbs green and/or yellow wax beans</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">,
trimmed and cut into jar-length pieces</span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 414.9pt;" valign="top" width="553"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PREPARE boiling
water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do
not boil. Set bands aside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">TRIM off ends of
green beans and discard. Wash.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">COMBINE vinegar,
water and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat,
stirring to dissolve salt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PACK beans, dill
and garlic in jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace at the top.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">LADLE hot liquid
over bean, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">REMOVE air bubbles,
wipe rim, apply lids/bands and tighten fingertip tight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PROCESS filled
jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="text-align: center;">~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-insideh: none; mso-border-insidev: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.9pt;" valign="top" width="337"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pickled
Okra</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 297.9pt;" valign="top" width="397"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Makes about 3 (32 oz) quart jars or 6
(16oz) pint jars</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.9pt;" valign="top" width="337"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">3
pounds okra<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">3
medium hot chilies</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">
(small ones, like cherry peppers), seeded and sliced thinly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">3
garlic cloves<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">3
sprigs fresh dill<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">1
quart cider vinegar<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">¼
cup kosher salt<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">1
tablespoon mustard seed</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 297.9pt;" valign="top" width="397"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">BRING the
vinegar, 1 ½ cups water, salt, and mustard seed to a boil in a small pot.
Turn off heat. In 3 clean, pre-warmed Ball® quart jars, divide the okra,
chilies, garlic, and dill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PACK tightly
leaving ¼ inch headspace. Pour the hot brine into the jars making sure to
leave ¼ inch headspace. Cap with a clean Ball® lid and tighten canning band
to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars
are filled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">PROCESS jars for
10 minutes, adjusting for altitude.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: center;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ah65EfGSUEqajma_7aYBNHeORevlEa_PCP6L4Dqa1SRDRiqjEe7Yx1-kqfsgCJIOg4rvOLRlCcGVstBIfxyuzEbQcQodACzGIQJwxDyaX_xfM-yzzucn5iJ1Z92bnIFiEcTZ5-jQYH8/s1600/15.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ah65EfGSUEqajma_7aYBNHeORevlEa_PCP6L4Dqa1SRDRiqjEe7Yx1-kqfsgCJIOg4rvOLRlCcGVstBIfxyuzEbQcQodACzGIQJwxDyaX_xfM-yzzucn5iJ1Z92bnIFiEcTZ5-jQYH8/s640/15.JPG" /></a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-25312404302861725272017-05-30T10:23:00.001-07:002017-06-16T15:29:02.815-07:00Food Preservation Class Notes<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16pt;">Preserving the Harvest</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For an online copy of this handout
and others, go to TheRedneckHippie.com and click on the “Tutorials” tab.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Freezing<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizI1MweZydzE-JCYoctJ4lJ_-Gt7rnmBlJhjEiWjowRcG_W4qMtMBf_sxy23QBN8CjJLGTfFdCRDE77_XyZaoo7oi9A9gOgkJh1jhbxKoBAHHLTXGYBKBR3p7-3vJMl5-pSugFMi43gUE/s1600/garlic%252C+inchellium+red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="572" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizI1MweZydzE-JCYoctJ4lJ_-Gt7rnmBlJhjEiWjowRcG_W4qMtMBf_sxy23QBN8CjJLGTfFdCRDE77_XyZaoo7oi9A9gOgkJh1jhbxKoBAHHLTXGYBKBR3p7-3vJMl5-pSugFMi43gUE/s320/garlic%252C+inchellium+red.jpg" width="227" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Most foods can be frozen
easily preserving the texture more than canning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Before freezing, most
vegetables must be blanched using either boiling water or steam. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Water Blanching: dunking
the vegetables in boiling water for a few seconds or a few minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Steam Blanching:
steaming the vegetables in a single layer held over boiling water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">What vegetable you are
preserving will determine the best method and time - consult the table on the
“Freezing” page on NCHFP’s website (url below).
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Once the time is up,
remove the vegetables from the boiling water and dunk them immediately in
either cold or ice water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Pack into freezer bags,
label with contents and date, and freeze. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Drying<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Whole:</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> There are a lot of vegetables that are almost designed to be
stored by simply drying them once they are mature: winter squash, garlic,
onions, soup beans, soup peas, cowpeas, and hot peppers. Simply let them mature completely on the
vine/plant, then store indoors or out of the weather. Beans and peas will need winnowing to remove
the husks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQxtjgKHMPrUPXa5F9masmihXEqJ3dMMpNhcGzlodNDIvL7L6vae8pvtPtHFUVf5Js1m1f2uNeZuY7sObaKWNCC3x2I4S1sOfTI1RkyJmHwLjVST4hbVnjdrYg028XMOQwdh490ct3gk/s1600/tomatoes%252C+drying%252C+red+fig%252C+snow+white+and+brandywine+black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQxtjgKHMPrUPXa5F9masmihXEqJ3dMMpNhcGzlodNDIvL7L6vae8pvtPtHFUVf5Js1m1f2uNeZuY7sObaKWNCC3x2I4S1sOfTI1RkyJmHwLjVST4hbVnjdrYg028XMOQwdh490ct3gk/s320/tomatoes%252C+drying%252C+red+fig%252C+snow+white+and+brandywine+black.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Sliced:</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> Other vegetables take a bit more work to dry. Tomatoes, green beans, peaches, apples,
apricots, and many more can be washed, sliced, and dried on racks, then stored
in vacuum-sealed jars or frozen. In less
humid climates, people can simply put the food on covered racks and leave them outside
where there’s a good air flow. It’s
quite humid here, so using an electric dehydrator or your oven is wise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Oven-Dried Tomatoes:</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> Best done with small, cherry types. Slice them in half or thirds, lay in a single
layer in a baking pan or cookie sheet, and bake in the oven on it’s lowest
setting until dry and leathery (Some gas stoves have a pilot light that alone
will dry tomatoes overnight.). Store in
the refrigerator in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, or freeze. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Leather Britches:</u> Green beans strung on a string, ends and "strings" removed, then hung to dry until leathery. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Canning<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">There are two canning
processes - which type of process to use and why:</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Water-bath canning</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
= to preserve very acidic foods (at least 4.6pH) - heating sealed jars of
food in boiling water for a specified time. Kills all bacteria and toxins
except botulinum spores, so only food that is 4.6pH or more acidic should
be preserved this way (that level of acidity keeps those spores
dormant). <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pressure canning</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
= to preserve foods more alkaline than 4.6pH - heating sealed jars of food
under pressure which raises temperatures above 212 degrees, so kills even
the botulinum toxin spores. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Both</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
processes are exactly the same in their methods until you do the actual
cooking/boiling. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1j6hiku912l7uoAETCSb0Wc3d2Nmp9Yl9YJ4cAewJfB07_lSYK7p2nN7jdcp1OyMenI3e8k7rtcGuTyxVrKoZlmAt7xeXoKUgrg4F5gCFg3_MSdyAFxn8NyWLfrf_H_cWI0wGQTj2EIo/s1600/canned+peaches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="781" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1j6hiku912l7uoAETCSb0Wc3d2Nmp9Yl9YJ4cAewJfB07_lSYK7p2nN7jdcp1OyMenI3e8k7rtcGuTyxVrKoZlmAt7xeXoKUgrg4F5gCFg3_MSdyAFxn8NyWLfrf_H_cWI0wGQTj2EIo/s320/canned+peaches.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Then the only
differences are the type of canning pot, the amount of water in those
canning pots (only 2 to 3 inches in pressure canning – completely covering
the jars in water-bath canning), the application of pressure, and possibly
the amount of time to process. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Basic equipment for
water bath canning</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ball Blue Book.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Large pot with lid and rack, large enough to hold jars along with enough water to cover them
well. A pasta pot with colander insert works well for small batches,
or soup pot with vegetable steamer in the bottom. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Canning jars - Only use jars made and sold for canning.
<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rings and NEW lids - Rings can be re-used, but lids
cannot (unless they are Tattler re-usables).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cooking pot - Anything big enough to prepare the food
you are going to put in the jars.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Clean kitchen towels and hot pads, spoons, measuring
cups, butter knife for “bubbling” jars (working air bubbles out of filled
jars)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tongs for removing jars, rings, and lids from hot water
- Special canning tongs are recommended for this, but you can use anything
that will allow you to safely and firmly grasp and lift hot jars and lids
from boiling water.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stove or other heat source capable of boiling water.
Glass-top stoves are not recommended. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Labeling supplies<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Timer<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And, of course, food to be canned<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6nsBPaAPqRZenNZmLwziX7fHkiK1f-u7NMIGs10MGmLhoIV49UY59pwal6CS7cQSFPk1k6UZkowCCYrDRx7u-3ZRgrjJw_IgH8GoCqW1_nfDfXeGMu5VXstciKILacdNKnza9qpX1JY/s1600/filled+jars+before+processing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6nsBPaAPqRZenNZmLwziX7fHkiK1f-u7NMIGs10MGmLhoIV49UY59pwal6CS7cQSFPk1k6UZkowCCYrDRx7u-3ZRgrjJw_IgH8GoCqW1_nfDfXeGMu5VXstciKILacdNKnza9qpX1JY/s320/filled+jars+before+processing.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Extra equipment that
is recommended but not essential</span></u></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Canning tool kit: Magnetic lid “lifter”, canning jar
funnel, canning jar tongs<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Food mill, food processor, tomato mill, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Water-bath canner with rack<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">How to water-bath can high-acid foods, step by
step:</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bring lids, rings, and jars just to a simmer in your canning
pot, then turn off heat. To avoid lime deposits on jars, add a cup
vinegar per gallon of water.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While jars are heating, prepare food to be canned
according to your recipe or method:<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Use ONLY lab-tested
recipes to ensure acidity stays in the safe range, and follow them
exactly. Even something as simple as
substituting “whole” for “sliced” can adjust the pH to dangerous levels later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Be sure to use vinegar
of the exact percentage of acidity your recipe calls for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">A note about tomatoes:
Some tomatoes aren’t really as acidic as commonly thought, so need acidity
added to make them safe to water-bath can. Refer to your recipe or the
Ball Blue Book for specifics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol start="3" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Remove jars,
lids, and rings onto clean kitchen towel laid out on counter.
Immediately fill jars, being careful to keep rims clean, leaving at
least half an inch of headspace (empty space between top of food and rim
of jar). <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Bubble” them, ie insert a thin utensil to work out air
bubbles. Wipe rims with clean kitchen towel.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Working quickly, put lids and rings on jars, not
tightening, just applying ‘til snug. The lids and <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnq2o1TDGUdMRnXfRXGFbBjQPsOlfSD4C9e9SkboEQ3vI-nhzWME85t5558gA0hKwgp260tIzdj2f0MhtMPLCzHtWUjHF8WlD544qRL6S-yAIFNUNzUJJ0ZfW7YUEzRtX1WEKMPMDBn7g/s1600/filled+jars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnq2o1TDGUdMRnXfRXGFbBjQPsOlfSD4C9e9SkboEQ3vI-nhzWME85t5558gA0hKwgp260tIzdj2f0MhtMPLCzHtWUjHF8WlD544qRL6S-yAIFNUNzUJJ0ZfW7YUEzRtX1WEKMPMDBn7g/s320/filled+jars.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
rings are designed
to form a one-way valve, allowing pressure that builds up inside the jar
to exhaust during processing (also called venting). If you tighten
the rings too tight, the jars may break or explode. Venting is also
why you leave the half-inch of headspace - so your food doesn’t get pushed
out of the jars as they vent, dirtying the rim and possibly getting in the
way of a safe seal forming between the lid and the jar rim.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Place jars back in canning pot, making sure water is
covering top of jars by an inch. If you stack jars, don’t stack
directly on top of each other: instead, place one jar “staggered” over two
below so they can vent. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cover pot, bring back to a boil and start timing.
Process (boil) for the time recommended by your recipe. If canning in altitudes higher than 1000
feet above sea level, consult the link below about adjustments. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When time is up, remove the jars from the canner to a
towel on the counter. Using towels as hot pads, tighten lids. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let cool slowly, keeping them out of drafts (if they
cool too quickly, the jars make break). <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Smile as you hear the pings of the jars sealing while
you’re drinking that well-earned beer to celebrate your first canning
success. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Next day, test every seal (see below, under “Problems you
may encounter”), then label and date all jars and store in a cool, dark
place. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Problems you may
encounter</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jars not “pinging” when sealing - Wait ‘til jars
are completely cool (next day is good) and feel the center of the lid.
If it’s convex (“caved in/down”), your jar is sealed. I
double-check by removing the ring and trying to pick up the jar by the
lid; if it holds, I’ve got a good seal. If the jar fails any of
these tests, I refrigerate and eat promptly.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lime deposits on jars - Add one cup vinegar per gallon
of water to canner pot before boiling jars. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jars breaking - This doesn’t happen often, but it’s
usually because the rings were tightened too much before processing or
they were exposed to drafts or cold while still hot from the canner.
<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;">Helpful links:</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.freshpreserving.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ball Company Canning Website at FreshPreserving.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://nchfp.uga.edu/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">National Center for Home Food Preservation at Nchfp.uga.edu</span></a></div>
Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964581779470119856.post-54048347841403025552017-02-21T07:08:00.000-08:002020-07-28T09:19:43.238-07:00Organic Weed Control Class Notes<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">When Ben Franklin said,
“Nothing is certain except for death and taxes,” he revealed that he was not a
gardener. Gardeners know that weeds should be added to that list.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Sadly, there is no magic
bullet. There is not a product alive
that does what Roundup promises. Not
even Roundup does what Roundup promises.
So, unless you want to pave your entire yard, you will have to deal with
weeds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">First, <i>Know Thy Enemy</i>: what kind of
weed are you dealing with? This will
dictate how you will control them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Types of weeds:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">v<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Annuals ~</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> Weeds that complete their entire life
cycle in one season. Easiest to get rid of physically, but quickest to reseed. Examples: Cleavers, Chickweed, Henbit, Hedge Parsley
(Torilis), Annual bluegrass, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">v<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Biennials ~</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> Plants that complete their life cycle in
two years. Easier than perennials to get rid of, but harder than annuals. Examples: Wild
carrot and it's incredibly toxic lookalike Poison Hemlock. (Note: <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2&rlz=1C1NHXL_enUS692US692&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&q=poison%20hemlock&oq=poison%20hemlock&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.2098j0j7" target="_blank">LEARN about poison hemlock</a>, then always use gloves when eradicating it. It really IS as toxic as they say.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">v<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Perennials ~</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> Weeds that live for years, going dormant
in winter (usually) and sprouting again to grow in spring/summer/fall. This includes many types including creeping,
rhizomatous, and bulbous. Examples: Bermuda grass, Nut grass (Nutsedge), Sheep Sorrel,
Johnson grass, Dallisgrass, and Crabgrass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Basic ways to control weeds:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">v<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Annuals</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> ~ Cut them off at ground level or just below the soil
surface. Don’t let them go to seed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">v<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Biennials</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> ~ Same as annual control when they’re
young, more like perennial control when they’re older.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">v<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Perennials</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> ~ Dig them out, sheet mulch, repeated
vinegar/orange oil sprayings, repeated pruning to ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Some Tips<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">v<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">First, avoid weeds.</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> <b>One year of seeds means seven years of
weeds</b>, so don’t let any go to seed if they get away from you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">v<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Don’t put those that have gone to seed in
the compost pile</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> or they
will come back to haunt you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">v<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Increasing soil fertility and organic
matter content</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">
discourages many weeds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">v<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Damp soil is easier to pull weeds from.</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">
Not wet – you never want to work wet soil as it can cause clods that
take forever to “melt”. And not dry –
dry soil can be rock hard, and harder to pull weed roots from. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ways to control weeds:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">About
weed barrier fabric</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> –
I’m not a big fan. It stops natural
cycles (leaves falling on soil and breaking down, and soil moisture level
fluctuations) and many times don’t work anyway, leaving a mess of plastic
threads you have to pull up (which isn’t always easy if Bermuda has clambered
across it and pinned it to the ground). If
you do use it, try to use a thick paper one so it will eventually break down
and not leave you with that mess to clean up.
In extreme circumstances, when sheet mulching hasn’t worked, use heavy
black contractor’s plastic covered with mulch, then pull up in a year or
two. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">In the lawn: <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Keep the grass as healthy as you can</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> so it can choke out most weeds. Also,
increasing soil fertility and organic matter content discourages many weeds while
encouraging turf grass. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Corn gluten</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> – A pre-emergent weed killer used at
least twice a year just before the two main weed-sprouting times: at the change
of cool weather to warm weather and warm back to cool. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Hand digging/hand removal</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> – There are a number of hand tools that
will help you with this. Check into Lawn Jaws, Cobra tool, hori hori knife, Cape Cod weeder, rockery trowel, radius weeder,
ball weeder, cork screw weeding tool, daisy grubber and weed jack type tools.
You can also use a knife or screwdriver for some things, and a regular dinner
fork and/or longer-handled barbecue fork.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Weed popper</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> for clumping weeds and those with large taproot
systems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">In
extreme cases, use a <i>spading fork</i> to
loosen the area in and around the weeds, pull them up roots and all, then
carefully replace the grass. Care will
need to be taken for the grass after this as you’ve effectively just
transplanted it. Seaweed and extra
watering will be needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">In planted beds:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Mulching </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">– A good, thick layer of mulch will shade
out most weed seeds and make any others easier to pull since they won’t be as
well-rooted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Hoes</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> – stirrup hoe (aka oscillating hoe) is my favorite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">20% Vinegar</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> – This extra-strong vinegar can be
sprayed as is, or mixed with orange oil and soap. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">In
extreme cases, use a <i>spading fork</i> to
loosen the area in and around the weeds, pull them up roots and all, then
carefully replace the grass. Care will
need to be taken to avoid roots of established plants if possible. If not, seaweed will help them get over it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">In veggie beds:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Intensive planting</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> – Planting crops so close together that
they act as a living mulch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">No-Till,</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> or minimizing soil disturbance – Some
weed seeds can lay dormant for decades and only need the briefest light
exposure to germinate, so tilling actually increases weed seed
germination. It’s best to avoid if you
can. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">v<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Cover cropping</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> – Cover crops shade out the newly
sprouted weeds and add organic matter to the soil, increasing its organic
matter content and nitrogen content (when using legumes as a cover crop),
discouraging weeds in the process. Cool
season cover crops good for our area are crimson clover, Australian winter pea,
elbon rye, perennial rye, and annual rye.
Warm season cover crops are buckwheat and cowpeas (black eyed peas,
purple hull peas, cream peas). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">v<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">In
extreme cases, use a <i>spading fork</i> to
loosen the area in and around the weeds, pull them up roots and all, then
carefully replace the grass. Care will
need to be taken to avoid roots of established plants if possible. If not, seaweed will help them get over it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">In new areas that will be planted beds or veggie beds or
lawn:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Sheet mulching</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> – Multiple layers of
compost-newspaper-cardboard to shade out and rot weeds below. It must be left in place for at least two
seasons before planting through it, longer for certain hard-to-kill weeds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Pre-Sprouting</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> – Watering the area to encourage weed
seeds to sprout, then tilling again or using a hoe to kill them while they’re
still small. You can do this for a
month, hoeing once or more a week, and you will presprout and kill 90% of the
weed seeds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Linda Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16899795559171921618noreply@blogger.com2