Ashley, do you ever sleep?😄. I can't wait to read the 50 meals in a jar. I haven't gotten the new electric pressure cooker you recommended, but hope to. I'm intimidated actually fill it with jars!
Do you have a good recipe for comfrey salve/balm? I am wanting to help my injured ribs heal sooner rather than later. Thank you also for your informative posts.
It's stronger if made with the roots, but you can make it with any part (and cleaning the roots is messy). If you want to use the roots, I suggest washing them well and then peeling with a veggie peeler before infusing. Or just buying dried roots.
Comfrey combines really well with Arnica and St. Johns Wort, both of which are excellent for the same types of things.
I love getting your ideas into my inbox. Your articles are so well written and informative. Thank you! I plan on thanking you in the acknowledgement section of my book Foraging as a Way of Life (that will be coming out in April 2024) for your generous sharing of ideas and ways to use plants.
Hello there, I see you have a greenhouse attached to your house- how do you like it and are their any recommendations or things to note in doing so as I have been hesitant due to the humidity factor and having it located up against a building. Thank you!
So it does have some serious pros and cons. On the positive, it's AMAZING for passive solar heating all winter. We often don't have to run our heat in February for months at a time if it's sunny. That's the good...
Everything else is less good. In the summer, it's hot, as you can imagine, and not ideal for cooling...and humidity against that wall is an issue...but less than you might think. In the winter, the air is very dry and the humidity in there is actually welcome, we open the door between the house and the greenhouse anytime it's warm and the very dry house soaks it up, it's actually kind of nice, but we still never get above 40-50% humidity indoors all winter.
In the summer, it's 80+ % humidity all summer, but it's also hot, so the doors and windows are always open to vent, so it basically maintains ambient humidity outdoors.
The wall there is cedar, and there's good drainage and it's flashed inwell, with good house wrap and waterproofing, which is also essential. The main downside is it's really really difficult to maintain a consistent temperature in the greenhouse, but that's because it's an old fashioned glass greenhouse instead of a modern double layer polycarbonate greenhouse. A modern one holds temperatures really well, but you can't see through it. Ours...is nice and pretty...but it'll be 30 degrees one minute and 100+ the next if we don't stay on top of ventilation, and topping off our heat sink barrels.
Anyhow, that's a long rant, but if I were to design from scratch, I wouldn't attach a greenhouse, I'd do a free standing one near the house but not attached to it.
The flooding around here was pretty catastrophic, with roads and bridges washed out just about everywhere. Most people couldn't leave home until today, as the roads didn't really do more than a mile or two in any direction without a sinkhole or worse, and a lot of home washed away too. Our land happens to be uphill from the mess, and we got through just fine without problems (thank goodness). We are very lucky indeed.
Thank you!!!
Ashley, do you ever sleep?😄. I can't wait to read the 50 meals in a jar. I haven't gotten the new electric pressure cooker you recommended, but hope to. I'm intimidated actually fill it with jars!
Thanks as always! You're VERY informative.
Ha! Not that much...two young kids ensure I almost never have a good night's sleep anyway...might as well stay busy!
Do you have a good recipe for comfrey salve/balm? I am wanting to help my injured ribs heal sooner rather than later. Thank you also for your informative posts.
🌻🐾🦮❤️
This is my post on comfrey salve: https://practicalselfreliance.com/comfrey-salve/
It's stronger if made with the roots, but you can make it with any part (and cleaning the roots is messy). If you want to use the roots, I suggest washing them well and then peeling with a veggie peeler before infusing. Or just buying dried roots.
Comfrey combines really well with Arnica and St. Johns Wort, both of which are excellent for the same types of things.
Thank you 🌻
Thank you I'll give it a try.
I love getting your ideas into my inbox. Your articles are so well written and informative. Thank you! I plan on thanking you in the acknowledgement section of my book Foraging as a Way of Life (that will be coming out in April 2024) for your generous sharing of ideas and ways to use plants.
Oh that's amazing! Do let me know when it's out, I try to get every foraging book I can get my hands on, I learn so much from every single one =)
I very much enjoy reading through your articles.
I'm so glad you enjoy them =)
Hello there, I see you have a greenhouse attached to your house- how do you like it and are their any recommendations or things to note in doing so as I have been hesitant due to the humidity factor and having it located up against a building. Thank you!
So it does have some serious pros and cons. On the positive, it's AMAZING for passive solar heating all winter. We often don't have to run our heat in February for months at a time if it's sunny. That's the good...
Everything else is less good. In the summer, it's hot, as you can imagine, and not ideal for cooling...and humidity against that wall is an issue...but less than you might think. In the winter, the air is very dry and the humidity in there is actually welcome, we open the door between the house and the greenhouse anytime it's warm and the very dry house soaks it up, it's actually kind of nice, but we still never get above 40-50% humidity indoors all winter.
In the summer, it's 80+ % humidity all summer, but it's also hot, so the doors and windows are always open to vent, so it basically maintains ambient humidity outdoors.
The wall there is cedar, and there's good drainage and it's flashed inwell, with good house wrap and waterproofing, which is also essential. The main downside is it's really really difficult to maintain a consistent temperature in the greenhouse, but that's because it's an old fashioned glass greenhouse instead of a modern double layer polycarbonate greenhouse. A modern one holds temperatures really well, but you can't see through it. Ours...is nice and pretty...but it'll be 30 degrees one minute and 100+ the next if we don't stay on top of ventilation, and topping off our heat sink barrels.
Anyhow, that's a long rant, but if I were to design from scratch, I wouldn't attach a greenhouse, I'd do a free standing one near the house but not attached to it.
Thank you so much for your honesty. You have solidified my decision on this subject! ♥️
GREAT “newsletter” today. Lots of interesting topics. Keep up the good work 🙂
Thanks Deanna!
thanks for the info ! , hope you guys are ok the rains look bad near yoou guys !
The flooding around here was pretty catastrophic, with roads and bridges washed out just about everywhere. Most people couldn't leave home until today, as the roads didn't really do more than a mile or two in any direction without a sinkhole or worse, and a lot of home washed away too. Our land happens to be uphill from the mess, and we got through just fine without problems (thank goodness). We are very lucky indeed.
My great uncle used to make linamint from mint leaves. It was the best for sore muscles I'd like to try and make some. Do you have a recipe for that?
I don't have one written, but a found you a recipe from a friend of mine: https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/using-fresh-mint-to-make-lip-balms-salve/