Mother Earth News website, frugal
sr
is one of the most self help frugal site I know
What's your favorite site for fugal living?
Rod Speed
sr
"Rod Speed" <rod.sp...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:7krefjF...@mid.individual.net...
>
>
Rod Speed
> Rod Speed <rod.sp...@gmail.com> wrote
>> sr wrote
>>> http://www.motherearthnews.com/
>>> is one of the most self help frugal site I know
>>> What's your favorite site for fugal living?
>> I dont bother with sites, I use usenet for that instead.
> Look at it , Rod Speed,
I did, quite a while ago now.
> you'll like it, you really,really will
I didnt. Nothing there that I didnt already know.
Just had a frugal problem this morning. I've just got into making lemon
and lime marmalade, because the commercial one I liked is no long
being made. Managed to get charred sugar burnt into the bottom of the
stainless steel stock pot and couldnt work out how to fix that. google on
>cleaning burnt sugar pot> turned up hydrogen peroxide in the first hit.
Works very well indeed. One hell of a resource.
I've just got into growing vegetables again, last time more than half
a century ago, just because its more convenient to get them out of
the backyard than to run around town every week for tomatos and
lettuce etc. Much more convenient to use google than that site.
sr
I like people's hands on experience. I went to Hendersville NC thinking
Mother Earth was there, I was too late, they had moved to NY! That was some
years back.
=
Good tip, I'll try. I usually use soda and vinegar and dish soap. Your
method sound less messy. Both bubbles, guess that's the clue
As to gardens. We had the tomato blight, potato blight in this area.
However, I escaped the blight. Hung my tomatoes in a shopping bag, also
cucs, etc. For 3 bucks each, I had a harvest from my woodshed eaves!
Funnest looking sight. and it kept my neighbors chattering.
Rod Speed
> Rod Speed <rod.sp...@gmail.com> wrote
>> sr wrote
>>> Rod Speed <rod.sp...@gmail.com> wrote
>>>> sr wrote
>>>>> http://www.motherearthnews.com/
>>>>> is one of the most self help frugal site I know
>>>>> What's your favorite site for fugal living?
>>>> I dont bother with sites, I use usenet for that instead.
>>> Look at it , Rod Speed,
>> I did, quite a while ago now.
>>> you'll like it, you really,really will
>> I didnt. Nothing there that I didnt already know.
It is however a pretty decent site if you are into sites.
>> Just had a frugal problem this morning. I've just got into making
>> lemon and lime marmalade, because the commercial one I liked is no long being made. Managed to get charred sugar
>> burnt into the bottom of the stainless steel stock pot and couldnt work out how to fix that.google on cleaning burnt
>> sugar pot> turned up hydrogen peroxide in the first hit.
>> Works very well indeed. One hell of a resource.
>> I've just got into growing vegetables again, last time more than half
>> a century ago, just because its more convenient to get them out of
>> the backyard than to run around town every week for tomatos and
>> lettuce etc. Much more convenient to use google than that site.
> I see what you mean.
> I like people's hands on experience. I went to Hendersville NC
> thinking Mother Earth was there, I was too late, they had moved to
> NY! That was some years back.
> Good tip, I'll try. I usually use soda and vinegar and dish soap. Your method sound less messy.
Yeah, very easy, you just put the peroxide into the pot and put it back
on the stove and heat up the peroxide and watch it lift the burnt sugar off.
Not quite as cheap as the other way, but hopefully I wont burn it again
now that I realise you have to dissolve the sugar before applying full
heat to get it fast boiling to get the petin setting the marmalade.
> Both bubbles, guess that's the clue
Its a lot more than bubbles, the peroxide reacts chemically with the burnt sugar.
I used to be a chemist in a previous life before the net.
> As to gardens. We had the tomato blight, potato blight in this area. However, I escaped the blight.
Mate of mine's daughter in law did fine the first year,
then had no luck after that, even with fresh soil imported.
I found one of the varietys, Father Tom, has been specially
developed to be ultra virus immune, and that has worked for
others that couldnt grow tomatoes, so it will be interesting to
see how she goes with some.
I'm managed to infect him too, he's just got 8 varietys
planted in pots, after I told him about the Father Tom.
Its mid spring here.
I infected the other one with beer brewing too. Then he got into veg
growing and thats why I started, his worked well with minimal effort.
> Hung my tomatoes in a shopping bag, also cucs, etc. For 3 bucks each, I had a harvest from my woodshed eaves! Funnest
> looking sight. and it kept my neighbors chattering.
Might try that myself. I've been looking for cheap pots at the yard sales,
plan to try growing tomatoes right thru the winter, inside. The house is
passive solar and its got 8 8x8' patio doors along the sunny side of the
house and concrete and quarry tiled floors so I plan to have the pots in the
sun inside thru the winter. That approach was in the River Cottage english
gardening doco on TV and gets a mention on that motherearth news site too.
The lettuce should be fine outside, it doesnt get all that cold here in winter, no
snow, just some decent frosts. The mate's lettuce did fine thru the winter here,
self seeded from the summer lettuce. Unfortunately he's so casual that he didnt
even bother to record what the varietys he planted were so I'll have to get
some of the seeds off his when they go to seed again at the end of summer.
I've also planted strawberrys and potatoes. Thats about all the veg I bother to buy.
I do eat a lot of nectarines thru the summer, but they have the major downside
that you can only eat them for about 3 weeks per variety, and for some reason
the local nursery that does do multi graft trees only does double varietys, not
triples with nectarines, so I'd really need say 6 trees, to give 6 varietys and
duplicate trees in case one dies and I dont really have the room for that may.
My next door neighbour has 3 farms, and when I told him about the vegy growing,
he said he'd grow some himself in my yard when he retires. He's got no room in
his yard with the pool and the very big shed. I thought afterwards that I should
say that thats fine if I can plant the nectarine trees out on one of his farms.
Dunno if he plans to sell the farms after he retires tho, he's got one daughter
involved in that operation, so maybe they plan to keep at least one of them.
sr
>>> sr wrote
>
>>>>>> http://www.motherearthnews.com/
snip>>> sugar pot> turned up hydrogen peroxide in the first hit.
>
>>> Works very well indeed. One hell of a resource.
>
>>> I've just got into growing vegetables again, last time more than half
>>> a century ago, just because its more convenient to get them out of
>>> the backyard than to run around town every week for tomatos and
>>> lettuce etc. Much more convenient to use google than that site.
>
>> I see what you mean.
snip>
> Yeah, very easy, you just put the peroxide into the pot and put it back
> on the stove and heat up the peroxide and watch it lift the burnt sugar
> off.
>
> Not quite as cheap as the other way, but hopefully I wont burn it again
> now that I realise you have to dissolve the sugar before applying full
> heat to get it fast boiling to get the petin setting the marmalade.
>
>> Both bubbles, guess that's the clue
>
> Its a lot more than bubbles, the peroxide reacts chemically with the burnt
> sugar.
>
> I used to be a chemist in a previous life before the net.
>
snip
===I suppose there are potatoes and tomatoes that would be blight
resistance.
I know I have fruit trees that are disease resistance, so it follows--
I believe the problem with the Irish famine, was --planting just one type of
potato.
I wonder if the heirloom would be resistant. I'll google Father Tom, I have
never seen this
variety. We have purple tomatoes, Russian heirloom, Kids at the Highschool
have a greenhouse.
We old people get a discount. They try different varieties, purple, being
one. I like the yellow
less acid tomato, because I eat so many, I start itching at the end of the
season.!
Anyway, the blight spores didn't get to my plants, they did get to the Amish
farm down the
road from me, sad.
Now, I got these tote bags for one dollar each. You will need a piece of a
sponge to hold the plant in when
you put the plant in the hole in the bottom of the bag, the sponge will hold
the plant from falling out, if you are
making upside down plants. Just put a slit in the sponge, slide plant in.
Now, this may be the reason
that helped with the blight, I filled the bag with purchased soil? These
bags dry out fast, must water frequently
Next time, I'm putting some plastic around part of the bag. You will be
amazed how many feet these plant
grow, so hang them high. For fungus, on some of the apple trees, and rose
bushes, (black spots)I use baking soda in the water hose apparatus.
I use a lot of salt, vinegar, soda, alcohol for various reasons, inside and
out. Sometimes the old ways, are the best way, I have found. I'm becoming
my grandmother and grandfather!
Gardening is better for the health than any pill that has been made
I'll make more comments later, it's a warm day, a plus for the North, so I
have to get back to work
I noticed the mention of nectarines! How lucky are you! Are these dwarf
trees, how many years to
maturity? The green gage plum, I planted 20 years ago and the bing cherry
succumed to the brutal winter,
global warming never came to us.
I don't know if I have enough years left to bother to replant-- Gotta
Go! didn't mean to write a book
Rod Speed
> I suppose there are potatoes and tomatoes that would be blight resistance.
Yes there are.
> I know I have fruit trees that are disease resistance, so it follows--
> I believe the problem with the Irish famine, was --planting just one type of potato.
Nope, no one ever had just one variety in that era.
In fact there were TWO THOUSAND varietys of apples.
> I wonder if the heirloom would be resistant.
Generally they arent. The resistant varietys have generally been bred for that relatively recently.
> I'll google Father Tom, I have never seen this variety.
Looks like it hasnt made it out of Australia. Its
a hybrid so you cant even just buy some seeds.
> We have purple tomatoes, Russian heirloom, Kids at the Highschool have a greenhouse.
Yeah, the one I infected planted one of those. He's into the exotic stuff.
> We old people get a discount. They try different varieties, purple, being one. I like the yellow less acid tomato,
> because I eat so many, I start itching at the end of the season.!
> Anyway, the blight spores didn't get to my plants, they did get to the Amish farm down the road from me, sad.
> Now, I got these tote bags for one dollar each.
Yeah, I can get them for free. My other neighbour whose
house I look after when they are motorhoming is a salvo.
> You will need a piece of a sponge to hold the plant in when
> you put the plant in the hole in the bottom of the bag, the sponge will hold the plant from falling out, if you are
> making upside down plants. Just put a slit in the sponge, slide plant in. Now, this may be the reason that helped with
> the blight, I filled the bag with purchased soil?
I'd use potting mix, easier to get.
> These bags dry out fast, must water frequently
I'd automate that.
> Next time, I'm putting some plastic around part of the bag. You will be amazed how many feet these plant grow, so hang
> them high. For fungus, on some of the apple trees, and
> rose bushes, (black spots)I use baking soda in the water hose
> apparatus.
> I use a lot of salt, vinegar, soda, alcohol for various reasons,
> inside and out. Sometimes the old ways, are the best way, I have found. I'm becoming my grandmother and grandfather!
I only ever knew one of my grandparents.
My dad did get into making marmalade, for the same reason,
couldnt find any of the commercial marmalade they liked as much.
They're dead now so I cant ask him what he did about the labor
intensive cutting up of the fruit. I only did 1Kg of limes on the first
batch, complete pain in the arse to cut them up with sharp knife.
I've since thought of just slicing them and putting the slices
into one of those plunger style Tupperware onion choppers.
You can get plastic things that slice oranges etc. I've got
the chopper already for onions so will try slicing by hand
and see if that works.
The other alternative is obviously a food processor, but its much
more of a gamble price wise since you need a decent one to have
any real chance of it not burning out, the limes are pretty solid.
> Gardening is better for the health than any pill that has been made
> I'll make more comments later, it's a warm day, a plus for the North,
> so I have to get back to work
OK.
> I noticed the mention of nectarines! How lucky are you! Are these dwarf trees,
They dont grow all that large, but not strictly speaking dwarfs.
> how many years to maturity?
4 years apparently.
> The green gage plum, I planted 20 years ago and the bing cherry succumed to the brutal winter, global warming never
> came to us.
Yeah, hasnt happened here either.
> I don't know if I have enough years left to bother to replant--
Yeah, thats too long for me to bother now.
> Gotta Go! didn't mean to write a book
No problem.
sr
place. My grandmother warned me about this, she was right.
I've used the peroxide solution today, having good luck woodstove is going
good and hot, so I thought I would give it a try.
I'm looking more and more for the heirloom seeds. I remember grandmother,
in my mind's eye, taking the seeds from a tomato and laying it on a piece of
cloth to absorbed the liquid. She had 13, so they had to make things go
along ways.
------
My father grew a peach tree, on the South side of the house. It was
beautiful, but he needed room for the woodpile so he cut it down! I almost
bawled! and I did bawl when he cut down the Wolf River*heirloom, apple tree.
I guess I asked for it as I would climb in the tree and throw apples to the
cows that would gather around the tree. Than I would yell until someone
would come rescue me!. Got old, I guess, and the cows had loose bowels, so
that might be the reason the old apple tree was cut down. You think!
Get out your goggles, sounds like a messy process. Can you take the process
outdoors!
Rod Speed
Didnt happen. I just made sure that the sugar had dissolved properly
before putting the pot back on the heat and stirred it a lot more often
and it didnt burn at all with the second batch done yesterday.
It is a stainless pot, sposed to be important with marmalade.
> I've used the peroxide solution today, having good luck woodstove is going good and hot, so I thought I would give it
> a try.
> I'm looking more and more for the heirloom seeds.
We do have a number of sellers of those.
One of the gardening mags had a packet of 4 varietys of heirloom tomato
seeds on the cover. The Prosperitys germinated fine, and some damned
bird or other much save lunched on one, it just vanised, quite literally. The
other is growing fine.
Havent had any luck at all with the College Challenger, cant even get them
to germinate at all. Havent tried putting the seed tray on the top of the
hot water service yet tho. One of our megaexperts claims that you should
put tomato seeds in a piece of stocking on the hot water tap and run the
hot water over it for quite a while. Havent tried that yet.
Thats one problem with heritage tomatoes, not much online on
the College Challenger, just some detail about where it came from.
> I remember grandmother, in my mind's eye, taking the seeds from a tomato and laying it on a piece of cloth to absorbed
> the liquid.
Yeah, plan to try that at the end of the summer.
> She had 13, so they had to make things go along ways.
> ------
> My father grew a peach tree, on the South side of the house. It was
> beautiful, but he needed room for the woodpile so he cut it down! I
> almost bawled! and I did bawl when he cut down the Wolf
> River*heirloom, apple tree. I guess I asked for it as I would climb
> in the tree and throw apples to the cows that would gather around the
> tree. Than I would yell until someone would come rescue me!. Got old,
> I guess, and the cows had loose bowels, so that might be the reason
> the old apple tree was cut down. You think!
> Get out your goggles, sounds like a messy process.
I did try it yesterday, worked well. Not very messy, but I
did let the cutting board drain into the pot after every lime.
> Can you take the process outdoors!
I could, but dont really need to.
sr
> sr wrote:
snip to reduce band
your seeds
I would think a warm place would speed up the process.
For a test, I put a few seed in a damp paper towel fold over, and place in a
clear plastic sandwich bag
to keep dampness in. Couple of days, usually, you can tell if the seeds are
furtile. I found that garden seeds are good for a couple of years, Why is
it the weed seeds last for years and years. Just wondering.'
At the end of the gardening season
My grandmother would put the seeds in a sm paper bag, air dry, thoroughly,
than into a coffee can
Everything in the garden, and fruit trees had to produce to feed the kids,
to make a mistake would
be disastrous for the family. Good for them, she did have a green thumb. I
had to leave her when I
was 6, I missed so much knowledge. I know the old people are seen as a
burden, now.. but I
learned much and miss much.