A few of questions on this BB:
1. Can any other natural product be used for pets, such as used tea bags and garlic?
2. What is a 48 hour flee trap?
3. Does the washing have to include more soap or can hot water (60 Deg C or 140 Deg F) be used which is better for the environment?
To achieve this BB does the one flee control measure need to be stated first then the rest of the BB submitted or can the whole lot lot be submitted at once?
Thanks
I think that there are those who get it and those who don't. I am very interested in getting the RMH video and would not need any candy to be tempted. As a visual and aural type person seeing and hearing is much better than having to trawl through a book. Happy to sit through hours of videos and podcasts on the RMH. Those who don't get it will probably not be tempted by the candy. As a collector of stuff, I am finding that I find that I have already got a download and forgotten so more than happy to get a great movie and downloadable plans. As for 14 or 30 days, most people have made the decision early and quickly so jump at the first chance according to what I have seen then there is an end flurry. Looking at $100 ($150 AU) to make sure it gets up. Have it sitting waiting to go👍
The mind boggles - 1,000 scientists chained themselves to banks supporting petro-chemical companies. How many tonnes of fuel was used to get to the venues and how many tonnes of fuel was used for the authorities to get there to cut them off and cart them away to be questioned+/- getting to courts for appearances? Beggars belief that such smart people may not actually be that smart.
I posted the following to LinkedIn to get a crowd swell (maybe) but to put Building a Better World in the spotlight and the same people not wasting money by crowd sourcing environmental activism - why am I not surprised that someone would be out to cash in?
At the $100 plus level, an additional booklet on tips, tricks and pitfalls would be fabulous (eBook would work for me). At first look any RMH looks easy to do and that any amateur can knock one out in a day or two but as one gets into it, it is a complex engineering and thermal dynamics puzzle. A compendium/ companion book would do it for me.
I don't do any of the basic (BS) social media stuff but I do LinkedIn. Is that any good for acorns? In the past, I have put a couple of posts out there about how good the Permies Community is. Thread it in like spammy spaghetti.
Welcome to Permies, Sage. I would also suggest you post something into the Australasian Forum. https://permies.com/f/51/australasia Best of luck with your search. We are Mid-Western NSW. Looking forward to seeing more from you down the track.
Cheers
Paul
Thank you R for starting off this post. The "updating" of something that works is a huge problem. They do get clunky.
Our family here on Permies has members with all sorts of abilities, disabilities as well as English not being a first or even second or third language.
To help out, can you please: Please list alternates clearly and concisely.
To those posting suggestions, please stick to the question asked without commentary.
"My problem is that Grammarly was great. But it is faltering. It's getting buggier with every update and the help desk has moved from helpful to "well, no one else complained." and "we're giving you what you want"
I want to make it clear that I'm not looking for advice on my disability. I know where I am at, and I know how much I rely on technology to make writing possible."
Thanks all for the great suggestions so far. Please keep them coming.
And especially thank you for being part of this awesome family
paul wheaton wrote:Last I heard, we couldn't ship anything to australia.
As promised, I have checked the Australian Postal Service. USPS has halted all shipments to Australia because of a backlog within Australia Post.
A number of freight and forwarding agents are also experiencing the same problem. There are three issues:
>COVID - 19 keeping drivers away from work,
>Adblue shipping delays from China and apparently Australia does not manufacture its own, and
>an unprecedented number of parcels needing to be delivered due to online shopping.
To compound all that ships and bond stores (awaiting customs clearance) cannot be cleared again due to lack of workers and vehicles.
I have just had a landrace seed order cancelled because USPS would not accept the consignment.
In a nut shell, the mail system is like a bloke with constipation - backed right up 💩😖
Christopher,
Well done on your Badge Bit. They are not always that easy to interpret or get right the first time. Well done. I note that you are fairly new to posting so for BBs, I tend to look at what others have done for the same BB and try to copy them. I usually look at someone with the most BBs or PEP 1.
Looking forward to seeing more BBs in the not to distant future.
Cheers
Tom Bergman wrote:I want to say that I have not used a chainsaw much, and this maple is the biggest I have downed. I have been practicing on smaller trees, working my way up. My saw is a tiny 16 " Stihl. I learned by reading and watching youtube.
Most often I will put off doing new tasks. Fear of failure? There will be lots of them coming up , new tasks and failures. I found a plunge router. I think over this cold snap I will sharpen chains (new to me, I bought the Stihl tool for it to make it as easy as possible a year ago and haven't used it yet) and work on some frames for the windows (using the router which will be new to me as well).
So, I am pushing myself by building this and making myself learn new skills. I chose to document the journey here because of the great attitudes here. I will try to add a little human interest. Thank you for making me accountable.
Tom, Thank you for the privilege of sharing your journey. If you are thinking about things like sharpening your chainsaw chain, get something for it. We call them Badge Bits (BBs). Here is a link to it all: https://permies.com/wiki/skip-pep-bb Nicole, Mike and Ashley have put a huge amount of information and advice on doing stuff from the vision Paul has with Skills to Inherit Property (SKIP). Looking forward to your journey and thank you for the great comment about the people here on Permies. It really is a beautiful family to be a part of.
Australia Post is snowed under so deliveries are so far behind is is unbelievable. COVID putting drivers off the road and running out of Ad Blue has crippled the trucking industry so there are thousands of tons just sitting waiting. I will speak to my go to guy to see what is the go.
The GST rules in Australia have changed since 2018. Permies.com will need to be registered for GST to sell to Aussies as far as I can work out. https://www.ato.gov.au/Business/International-tax-for-business/Non-resident-businesses-and-GST/ For low value items, less than AU$1,000 (US$ 714), the merchant collects the GST. For higher value products, the GST is collected at the border. To ensure that all is right with the Australian government world, the Australian purchasers should be paying 110% of list price, excluding postage for products under $1,000 and we pay import duty at point of collection for all items of high value.
This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum. Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in round wood working.
This mallet is similar to the club style mallet. However, this mallet is made out of two pieces of wood instead of one, and is also made by only using hand tools and no glue.
With this mallet, a dry piece of wood serves as the handle, fitting in to the green wood head (freshly cut piece of wood). The idea is that the green wood head will shrink and further tighten itself to the handle.
A hole is made all the way through the head, which the handle is inserted into. This should be a very basic and simply built mallet, able to be built pretty quickly.
Wooden mallets have many uses in carpentry. They can be used to hit wood pieces to join and fit together and can also be used to strike shaping tools without damaging the striking surface.
Be safe when using hand tools, work at your own risk, and enjoy building!
Minimum requirements:
- Green (fresh) head
- Dry handle passes all the way through the head
- Big enough to be useful. At least as big and heavy as a common hammer
- Handle that you can comfortably hold
- No wedge
- Made with hand tools only
To get certified for this BB, post three pics.
- Your chunks of wood that you are starting with (one is clearly green and the other dry)
- Progress about half way through, with the hand tools you have decided to use for this
- Final product held in your hand showing that your thumb and first finger can touch (any fatter than that and your hand will get very tired using it)
We have not had a microwave here at all (since 1974). To heat up things we use the wood stove in winter and during summer, we can use the solar cooker. We often up size left overs. We convert roast veges with onions and gravy into bubble and squeak and have with cold meat or with eggs at breakfast time. Rice and most things can be steamed. We have three steamers so it is never a problem. IMHO, steaming is often as fast as microwaving anyway. If all else fails, there is always eating it cold.
Tom Bergman wrote:Wow I feel great! I made some good progress today. And it worked some muscles. There was an old ice shanty turned deer blind on the downhill of my prime spot. It was made of mostly OSB. I salvaged 3 plexiglass "windows", the rest is in a to burn pile.
Left behind is the platform it was on. 8'x8' square 2"x6" rim with two plywood sheets on top. It is supported by 6 4"x4" posts that stick up from the ground about 2'. They are in cement, not sure how deep. Everything is treated.
So I have this treated wood platform with legs and steps, will I get kicked off the forum for using this toxic stuff, or is it ok to recycle it? I am thinking of sawing off the legs at the ground, flipping it over onto a sled and pulling it to a different spot to use as my base. Or not? I think if I could mount some posts with a roof to it I would be so excited. Have oak and maple and poplar I need to cut. Can select some white pine if I need something lighter.
Of the maple and oak, do I need to peel the bark? Are we talking about using a draw knife or are there better ways?
No, you do not get kicked off the site for using Ply and such stuff. You may get called out for advocating its use though. I like using ply but I have questioned what actually goes into it since really getting involved with Permies. You are talking about reusing so it is way better than buying something with toxic gick new.
The main thing that gets you noticed is being unkind, not nice, truthy or not allowing others to have an opinion. While Permies is a heavily moderated site, the reality is that staff err on the side of the poster. You have some great questions in your post. Something like "..... will I get kicked off the forum ......." may cause a moderator to take a second look at the language. To be honest, I have had to review the way I say things because I can be truthy, short and not leave room for other than verified scientific (in my opinion) evidence. For me, it is amazing how much I have learned about other countries and cultures and their facts are different to mine but no less true.
In short Tom, great questions, congratulations on your great post but watch how you post. John C. has some good stuff that may help.
Anna Bo wrote:What to do if you live in an apartment with no land access to grow? No available land for community garden and no basement for storage? Wish I could move, but it’s currently not an option.
Welcome to Permies Anna and congratulations on your first post. The easiest option to start is a potted garden in your apartment. If you do a search for growing plants in apartments. you may get some ideas. Depending on the light, you may need to get a lamp so the plants get sufficient intensity of light. This is a great place to start: https://permies.com/t/33885/Potting-Permaculture-Permaculture-Pots
Megan Woods wrote:I just turned 60. Have lived offgrid here for 20 years, 18 of them by myself. Its high country lots of snow. Could definitely write a book about what I've learned! The hardest thing for me is trying to do "mans work" because if i am successful i risk losing all my femininity. If i am not successful, which is a lot lately, i get a real bad attitude, which at my age especially, is far from attractive. I cant seem to do both. But what men close to my age would want to be here with me?
Megan, welcome to Permies and congratulations on your first post. IMHO the biggest problem is that there are too many people focusing on what you are and not what you bring to the table. They are bogged down by "equality" instead of embracing equity which is about respect, recognition of achievement and merit. These same people are often jealous because of what you [generic you] have achieved and can bring to the table by way of experience, and knowledge. There is no concept that there may have been some monumental failures along the way but that is when the learning occurs. I will applaud any success achieved by work.
We live in a poly-sexual, multicultural world so who is to say what is "man's work" or "woman's work" ? The great thing bout Permies is that there are no gender barriers and each member of the Permies' community is celebrated for what they achieve and not what they are. Never ever sell yourself short. There are plenty of folk who will do that for you, and without your permission usually. You go for it and be a proud person, feminine or otherwise, proud of what you have, and what you can achieve.
Hydroponics is for the main a chemical based system and input intensive. Aquaponics is a balanced system that can be a closed loop and hence more in keeping with the permaculture philosophy or reducing carbon and improving your bit of this sphere we inhabit.
Ara Murray wrote:Paul, the UK was changing over to the metric system before they joined the Common Market (as it was in 1973 when they joined). I can remember having new, metric maths books in school in 1970.
The coinage wasn't actually in base 12 because, although there were 12 pennies in a shilling, there were 20 shillings in a pound. And then, there were guineas which were one pound and one shilling but they tended to die out following "decimalisation" in 1971.
My (grown up) children laugh at me because I use both imperial and metric measurements when cooking, depending on when I learned the recipes, ones learned from older members of the family are either in UK imperial measurements or Canadian cups, depending on where those family members lived when they learned them.
My Uncles were winging about the changes when we were there in 1970. They still had the dual signs in the early 2000s. Like you, we have to use both because we have my grandmother's original cookbook, my mother's and MIL's cookbooks and an original Mrs Beetson. My grandmother, as far as I can remember always used a cup, as described earlier, as her standard measure. So we have to apportion her recipes as parts of cups and we have the teaspoon she used (can't help good luck)
Here is an excellent cooking converter: https://goodcalculators.com/cooking-conversion-calculator/ It converts almost anything to everything. Some one has done a huge amounts of work and if they were on Permies, there is no doubt they would never have to buy pie again. I would shout them at least one.
Often times, it is the sap of the plant that is most toxic. When mangoes are picked, small amounts of sap get on the skin of the mango and them when it comes out of the cold storage, the condensation mixes with the sap and spreads it, particularly if they are not washed before packing. apricot kernels, peach kernels and cherry pits should not be processed with the fruit. All contain cyanide derivatives that leach out while being preserved. These like cyanide smell distinctly of almonds.
When we were in PNG, the locals used to eat the very young nightshade as a green with other greens and rice. Apparently, the nightshade would give the slight tingling sensation to the lips. Potatoes and tomatoes are also in the nightshade family. and the parts we eat and generally safe although there is some level of sensitivity to both by some people. The black berries of the nightshade were used in earlier times by the court women to make their pupils dilate in order to seduce a suitable husband. Nightshade jam can be made from black nightshade which to the untrained eye looks remarkably similar to deadly nightshade..... it is not a good idea to mix them up. Both are highly toxic to animals.,
Oxalic acid is is found in varying quantities in lots of edible and non-edible plants. The plant uses it as a deterrent hence the higher concentration of OA in the leaves of rhubarb. The red stems also serve as a deterrent. Spinach is also very high in OA. There are some dietitians who believe that Poppy should not be a kids show because of the potential damage spinach can do to children - but that is not the question or topic for debate here. Raspberries contain a large amount of oxalate. Rhubarb has by far one of the highest levels with 1.5 Grams per cup. OA while called an anti-nutrient, is not particularly harmful except for those prone to kidney stones. Just as a side note, the body makes oxalic acid as a part of its metabolic regulation.
Dawn Dish soap has small amounts of petrochemicals: https://upgradedhome.com/is-dawn-dish-soap-safe-for-septic-systems/ There are many types of Dawn Blue. The advertising says that it is septic safe but I have my doubts, long term. You asked about Dr Bronners. Yes it is safe. You will need to cite the website because it is not on the bottle. Best of luck with the next go.
Having not read the BB requirements correctly in round 1, attached is my corrected submission using a plate for round 2
I always journal the learning for my BBs so I can form my SKIP journey book Both the pictures and the journal form the BB entry for each activity
BB Submitted for consideration. To ensure that I can track my learning and add new information, I journal my experience and this journal will form my SKIP Book.
Refrigerate after opening is a way of manufacturers shifting the responsibility to the consumer. Use by dates have increased the sales of some products by up to 25%. Since when did honey go off? It was found in the pyramids and tasted OK, apparently, after 2000 years. Manufacturers are finding new ways of making jams and spreads that will drop the input costs. As pointed out in previous posts, preservatives are being removed from manufactured products because of public pressure.
So to the home made jams, the making of jam is both an art and a science. There is a relationship between acids, pectin and sugars. Fruit contains fructose and small levels of sucrose. Sugarcane sugar is 100% sucrose Sugar will not gel in a low acid environment. Think Toffee - the sugar turns to toffee with the addition of a tablespoon of vinegar (the acid). The other bit of science is a gel factor so the jam is not toffee like. This is achieved through pectin. Some fruit such as apples, citrus and raspberries are very high in pectin. By combining fruits and sugar, it is possible to achieve the the right balance to achieve "Jam-set."
The art is knowing how to manage the heat and knowing how to tell when the jam is done. This can be done by a few ways. We use the frozen saucer method: take a saucer that has been in the freezer for a few hours and place a drop of jam on it. Wait 20 seconds until the drop is cold and press a fingernail against it. The Jam is done if a skin appears to wrinkle on the surface of the jam drop. https://preserveandpickle.com/test-jam-setting-point/
We have taken to adding apples at a rate 2 parts fruit to 1 part apples. EG: 1 Kg Strawberries, 500 G Apples and 1.5 Kg sugar we add 100 ml Lemon juice for acidity. This gives about 6 X 250 ml jars of jam when finished.
Apple gives both pectin and fibre plus tempers the sweetness. We always grate the apple and add immediately so it does not go brown (oxidise). The mixture less the lemon juice is soaked for 12 hours to draw the juice from the fruit. Stir the mixture and put on the stove to cook. Add the lemon juice after the sugar is dissolved and the mixture boiling. Continue to cook at the highest setting, stirring regularly to prevent burning. Once the mixture stays on the pot side, start testing for setting. Jam needs to be cooked quickly to achieve gelling or it becomes toffee-like.
Bottle in small jars and place lids on ASAP. By turning the jars upside down, the lids are sterilised. Wait 5 minutes and turn the jars right way up and leave to cool. The jars will seal. Label once cooled. Jam is much better once it has had time to mature.
Make sure that only a clean knife or spoon is used to remove the jam from the jar and the lid is replaced as soon as possible.
The mould that forms on the jam is easily removed and does not detract from the taste of the jam. A mould layer acts as a barrier to bacteria and other yick. It is removed with a spoon by scraping. We have kept home made jam for over 5 years sealed and it was still in good condition.
Hope that this adds another dimension to your jam making. We make 900 jars per year to sell at a local co-op.
Jason Manning wrote: Thanks for taking the time to respond to my thread. I'm still surprised when someone does and the message isn't something along the lines of "What on Earth are you doing, fool!" 😄
I didn't know about SKIP, so thanks for bringing that to my attention. I have downloaded the eBook and will investigate.
I am aware that parts of it are not applicable to me (as in I can't will land that I don't actually own - my wife owns everything!), but it has reignited the thought I once had (before the world shut down) of maybe having like-minded (or better still, knowledgeable) people come here to learn and share with us.
The two main obstacles are visas for Thailand (realistically visitors would be here for 2 or 3 months at a time maximum) and my aversion to most other people, especially overexcitable people (I'm a miserable Limey/Pom after all).
Food for thought - thanks for the heads-up!
My father was a Limey so all over it. Poms are not miserable, it is the weather that is. You are measured in your considerations and only like people who enable further consideration. I am creatively lazy so work towards my redundancy on this earth. Permies enables this to materialise through better practices. Your Banana Circles has me considering a fig circle. So thanks for that.
To further enable your journey further into Permies, can I suggest that you go into your profile (the circle in the top right and click on view profile. There are a number of tools there. One is the scavenger hunt. As you complete one hunt, another one comes up. Each is designed to help you to navigate the Permies website. I have been a member since 2015 and am still learning skills and how to drive my bit of land better. I have just completed the garden master course and now understand why things work so for me it will be less hit and miss - creative laziness at its optimum. Happy to keep in touch. If you need help with the site just send me a purple moosage. I note that there is an emerging group up your way. If you get into the Regional forum https://permies.com/c/3 you can set up a Thailand specific Thread. With Pie, you also have access to more stuff. Each pie piece expires after a month - just a warning. https://permies.com/wiki/pie Cheers
Jason,
Congratulations on your detailed postings of your journey. A lot of what you are doing is highly adaptable to other climates and situations. Have just found your Undone in Udon and am fascinated, if not a bit envious. A lot of what you are doing are Badge Bits in the SKIP journey . If you were to submit them, they will be great examples for other SKIPers. Doing the SKIP is also a great way of keeping track of your journey.
Again, congratulations, I am learning so much from your posts. Your efforts need PIE.
Cheers
R, the attention to detail in the walking skirt is amazing. And the hand stitching bring forward an almost lost craft, words cannot express how really good it because superlatives would undersell it.
In such a project, supervision is mandatory. I have two making sure I do not stuff this post up 🙀😸. A couple of questions if I may?
How heavy is the material? I am assuming it is linen?
Cheers
This with no doubt is the best overview on how to fix my garden I have attended. Answered a huge number of questions and through observation, I no doubt will be able to solve others using the information supplied by Helen and Alan. Paul has a fabulous way of engendering critical thinking by always asking "Why" and then lets them off the hook after some discussion by saying "I agreeeeeee".
My biggest take home from this week is that I have some good plans in place and some I need to adjust BUT I now know how and why rather than guessing and seeing if it works in the long term.
Thank you every one who put it together the attendees and the VAs for great background chatter.
Some times it is difficult to calculate when an online activity such as a Zoom call will occur. There are several different factors and in particular, daylight savings. The World Time Buddy will do this for you.
Copy and Paste the link in your own browser
https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/ Never miss a Permies online activity again
This is so mind blowingly fabulous. Just learning so much each day. Thanks Paul for getting this off the ground. Thank you to the crew for keeping it going. A special thanks to Helen for giving so freely of her thoughts, time and wisdom for us mere and humbled learners.
