SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
What's ramps? My garlic is over a foot tall already.
Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread: February 19~25, 2022
- Thread starter ReneeT
- Start date
What's ramps? My garlic is over a foot tall already.
Taco Salad
Contributing Member
Ramps and Wild Leeks are both used as names here. They come up very early in spring, sometimes poking through the snow. Here's a link to a site from Ducking them: Wild Ramps: The Complete Guide to Finding and Eating Wild Leeks
They're getting scarce here because nobody pays any attention to the law not to dig them. The patch that we normally pick from is getting very thin so we'll be in search of some new ones this year.
Edit: Trimming the tops which we do is perfectly legal.
They're getting scarce here because nobody pays any attention to the law not to dig them. The patch that we normally pick from is getting very thin so we'll be in search of some new ones this year.
Edit: Trimming the tops which we do is perfectly legal.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thanks for the link. They don't grow this far south I don't think. I guess that's why I've never heard of them.
kyrsyan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I want to plant ramps in some of the garden beds. But it's on the list. I might be able to work them in this year.
I'm keeping fingers crossed. Body gave warning signs this morning but I've been drinking raspberry leaf, once a day, for two weeks. (I had to wait for it to arrive.) I'm truly hoping that this helps with the issue because I'm not doing that again. But I am prepared to call the doc and ask for help if it goes overboard again this month.
I'm keeping fingers crossed. Body gave warning signs this morning but I've been drinking raspberry leaf, once a day, for two weeks. (I had to wait for it to arrive.) I'm truly hoping that this helps with the issue because I'm not doing that again. But I am prepared to call the doc and ask for help if it goes overboard again this month.
Yes
Sherree they grow in your area just known by another name. Wild onions?
This is garlic. And was planted by someone at an old home place. Asked owner if I could dig some up and he said “Take all of it”. Didn’t have to tell me twice! Ramps are up here also.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Oh yes, we have those all over our property. I let those that come up in my flower beds grow. I like cutting the green tops, sort of like chives. Cary ran the lawn mower over our front yard, yesterday, and mowed a lot of them down. You could sure smell it, too.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I'm going to have to look up wild carrots. I don't know what those are but would love to have some of them on our property as well.
kyrsyan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
So would I.
Please be careful harvesting wild carrots. They look almost exactly like poison hemlock (hemlock has purple splotches on the stems). I can't pull over images right now, but you can google them. I know you probably already know this, but someone else that is reading might not.
Did therapy this morning, and am trying to muddle thru work. It is so cold - even with the woodstove going.
Did therapy this morning, and am trying to muddle thru work. It is so cold - even with the woodstove going.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Yeah. Once I googled them, I'm afraid to take the chance of getting hemlock, instead. I can do without.
[QUOTE="SouthernBreeze, post: 9593557, member:
Oh dear didn’t mean to start a thing! I will be less controversial next time! Today we planted beets. We were given permission to get some blackberry sprouts from our previous home and a muscadine that DH had rooted. So we dug them up and replanted them. A big job! Tilled up some of the garden working in compost. Hens continue to do their job. Tomorrow we will put up more trellises for blackberries and muscadines. My 8 pound wonder dog loves Brussels sprouts and helps himself to them in the garden every chance he gets!
Oh dear didn’t mean to start a thing! I will be less controversial next time! Today we planted beets. We were given permission to get some blackberry sprouts from our previous home and a muscadine that DH had rooted. So we dug them up and replanted them. A big job! Tilled up some of the garden working in compost. Hens continue to do their job. Tomorrow we will put up more trellises for blackberries and muscadines. My 8 pound wonder dog loves Brussels sprouts and helps himself to them in the garden every chance he gets!
kyrsyan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
You didn't. To each there own. I spent time last year studying the variety of hemlock and how to ID them. But I'd rather get seed from someone who knows what they are doing and deliberately plant it in the yard.
Frequently I find that domesticating different plants makes them harder to grow. Other times there's a big flavor difference.
The vegetable beds get the domestic seed. The variety of other garden beds get the wild seed plants. Food and medicine hidden in plain sight.
We went to the barn yesterday to try to shoot a couple of pigeons with the B B gun. Several flew out of the barn before we even got to the barn. We got there and there was a Peregrine Falcon in the barn. We hope it stays around and dines on our problem pigeons. We see hawks a lot, but this is the first falcon we have seen.
We got some cleaning done in the barn on Monday. Stacked up the few bales of hay that is left all onto one pallet. Then hauled some of the old pallets to the burn pile. They were not usable anymore. We had picked up a bunch of free pallets a couple of weeks ago. We stack our hay on them to keep it off the ground.
I found out yesterday that a lady I have bought lots of poultry from lost all her birds to bird flu. It happened over 180 days ago. She is trying to get a start again. She put 2 kids through college with her poultry business. It is so sad. I hope her business can recover. She is not young either, late 60s maybe, but I think early 70s. She is a real wealth of knowledge.
I am wondering about maybe adding some turkeys to our farm. If I can find some fertile eggs locally i might give it a try. But i would have to build housing for them if I do.
We got some cleaning done in the barn on Monday. Stacked up the few bales of hay that is left all onto one pallet. Then hauled some of the old pallets to the burn pile. They were not usable anymore. We had picked up a bunch of free pallets a couple of weeks ago. We stack our hay on them to keep it off the ground.
I found out yesterday that a lady I have bought lots of poultry from lost all her birds to bird flu. It happened over 180 days ago. She is trying to get a start again. She put 2 kids through college with her poultry business. It is so sad. I hope her business can recover. She is not young either, late 60s maybe, but I think early 70s. She is a real wealth of knowledge.
I am wondering about maybe adding some turkeys to our farm. If I can find some fertile eggs locally i might give it a try. But i would have to build housing for them if I do.
For sure, you can buy a turkey around Thanksgiving MUCH cheaper than you can ever grow one... heck, the cost of poults hasn't been much less than you'd pay for a dressed, "loss leader" turkey... forget the grain input!
But I've never had better turkey than when we grew them ourselves. No added water/broth, but the meat was moist and tender... even the 42# Tom we roasted (the 44# Tom had to be cut into pieces... couldn't fit in the oven!)
Summerthyme
nomifyle
TB Fanatic
No telling what nefarious ingredients are in the broth they add.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
No, you didn't start anything! I just thought that for carrots, I would play it safe and plant my own domestic seeds, instead of trying to distinguish between wild carrots and hemlock. I googled them, and they look too similar to each other. Absolutely no harm done.
kyrsyan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
For the past 3 years, each year the amount of brine vs bird has increased. IIRC, this past year some of the discount birds listed that they could be as much as 20% brine in the package. So that price break may not really be there. As well as taste and ingredients issues.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
So, it's the same old issue of paying more and getting less. Cary and I don't care for the taste of turkey, so I never buy one. DDIL always buys organic.
It's very easy to tell poison hemlock and wild carrot apart... simply break a leaf off and sniff! Wild carrot smells strongly of carrot... hemlock has a musky, slightly disagreeable odor.
Basically, if it doesn’t smell like carrots, leave it alone!
Summerthyme
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I've felt pretty good today. No pain issues. So, Cary has been outside most of the day doing cleanup work all over the property, and I've been supervising him, LOL. It's a wonderful 84 degrees right now. If it would stay like this with no rain, we could make head way in getting our raised beds sown with seeds. They still need to be mini-tilled. I checked the soil, and they're still too wet. We've still got puddles in our driveway.
I also made Cary an Oreo Cake, today. I just finished that up. I'm going to try a piece for dessert, tonight. It's soft and creamy, so it should be ok. I can start having more solid foods, tomorrow, but my diet is still restricted to basically softer type foods. I'm going to make some boneless pork chops in the crock pot with lots of creamy gravy tomorrow night with mashed potatoes. The chops just fall apart and melt in your mouth, so I'm dying to eat something besides ice cream, yogurt, and soup.
Not really anything prep wise going on, until my next shopping trip. DS is getting ready to start on his chicken pen. The coop is already made. He'll do his own butchering, too, when the time comes. He harvested 4 deer and 2 hogs this season.
I also made Cary an Oreo Cake, today. I just finished that up. I'm going to try a piece for dessert, tonight. It's soft and creamy, so it should be ok. I can start having more solid foods, tomorrow, but my diet is still restricted to basically softer type foods. I'm going to make some boneless pork chops in the crock pot with lots of creamy gravy tomorrow night with mashed potatoes. The chops just fall apart and melt in your mouth, so I'm dying to eat something besides ice cream, yogurt, and soup.
Not really anything prep wise going on, until my next shopping trip. DS is getting ready to start on his chicken pen. The coop is already made. He'll do his own butchering, too, when the time comes. He harvested 4 deer and 2 hogs this season.
When GS and I took on the turtle project it was to demonstrate to him that he could live off the land with very basic skills and knowledge. I shared my knowledge with him and then we built off of it together! We both learned lots.
ioujc
MARANTHA!! Even so, come LORD JESUS!!!
I always feed my rabbits wild carrots...they inhale them. I have also bought carrots at the store and shared them with the buns'....they prefer the wild stuff.
I am having a hard time getting my energy and enthusiasm back after not having my meds for a full month. I am just sort of "stuck" and am spending a lot of time laying in bed.....not very motivating. I am also so overwhelmed by all the crap going on in our country, I get very angry at TPTB. I did go to church last night, so that was good for me and I enjoyed it.....especially seeing two very special friends that I have missed a great deal.....one of them just turned 80 yesterday!! He is such a sweet and precious man!! And, my Pastor, who has always been an advocate for me. I am actually putting an effort into getting out of my house and doing something other than being alone, which I have done pretty much since I retired.
I am having a hard time getting my energy and enthusiasm back after not having my meds for a full month. I am just sort of "stuck" and am spending a lot of time laying in bed.....not very motivating. I am also so overwhelmed by all the crap going on in our country, I get very angry at TPTB. I did go to church last night, so that was good for me and I enjoyed it.....especially seeing two very special friends that I have missed a great deal.....one of them just turned 80 yesterday!! He is such a sweet and precious man!! And, my Pastor, who has always been an advocate for me. I am actually putting an effort into getting out of my house and doing something other than being alone, which I have done pretty much since I retired.
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nomifyle
TB Fanatic
The insurance company is finally sending out an adjuster to look at my camper damage. Yes, its a fema camper, but it was brand new when I bought it. Hopefully we will get enough money to cover the materials for DH to repair it.
Still feeling like a normal person this morning, hope it stays that way. We got some deer neck bones in our commodities that we picked up on Monday. I've got them in the crock pot. There is some meat on them. If DH ate the meat off of it there would be enough for a small meal, but I think I'm going to add some beef broth and veggies to it to make a larger meal for the two of us.
I bought some premade chicken salad in 3 oz cups at walmart the other day. I though it tasted good, there is enough in one cup for a nice sandwich or make a fat tortilla with it.
Last night at church there was a philly cheese steak with pasta casserole, it wasn't very good so I wasn't tempted to over eat. The garlic bread was tasty though. I fell off my diet some on our trip and now I have to get back to it.
This morning I got all the canned goods from commodities put away in their proper place, although it was nice when DH was putting it away, LOL, since I'm feeling normal I have no excuse to let it build up. Its all put away. There were some things I'm donating to the church that I don't use. I like canned mixed vegetables but not if they have celery in it, 6 cans of that are going to the church. 6 cans of sweet potatoes, I have a wagon load of that, pasta sauce and spaghetti pasta going too. The church is having a fund raiser next month for another trip they are taking, so the spaghetti stuff is going for that.
Still feeling like a normal person this morning, hope it stays that way. We got some deer neck bones in our commodities that we picked up on Monday. I've got them in the crock pot. There is some meat on them. If DH ate the meat off of it there would be enough for a small meal, but I think I'm going to add some beef broth and veggies to it to make a larger meal for the two of us.
I bought some premade chicken salad in 3 oz cups at walmart the other day. I though it tasted good, there is enough in one cup for a nice sandwich or make a fat tortilla with it.
Last night at church there was a philly cheese steak with pasta casserole, it wasn't very good so I wasn't tempted to over eat. The garlic bread was tasty though. I fell off my diet some on our trip and now I have to get back to it.
This morning I got all the canned goods from commodities put away in their proper place, although it was nice when DH was putting it away, LOL, since I'm feeling normal I have no excuse to let it build up. Its all put away. There were some things I'm donating to the church that I don't use. I like canned mixed vegetables but not if they have celery in it, 6 cans of that are going to the church. 6 cans of sweet potatoes, I have a wagon load of that, pasta sauce and spaghetti pasta going too. The church is having a fund raiser next month for another trip they are taking, so the spaghetti stuff is going for that.
Taco Salad
Contributing Member
Just remember that ramps like it wet. I have the perfect spot in my woods and a small patch I started that I'm letting slowly grow. I see other people talking about wild onion, but those are different, the tops are more narrow and they taste and smell like onion. Ramps have a very wide leaf top and taste and smell like garlic.
John Deere Girl
Veteran Member
I'm working on organizing our long term pantry. I'm pulling things out to remove and have a nice stack of food to give to a family member that will use it.
I still have to clean out one of my raspberry bushes and one blackberry bush, and then I should be ready for mulch next week.
I still have to clean out one of my raspberry bushes and one blackberry bush, and then I should be ready for mulch next week.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Maybe, I haven't been paying attention, but I don't think I've ever seen what ya'll are calling "ramps" around our place.
nomifyle
TB Fanatic
I added two cans of beef broth, one can each of mixed vegetables and diced potatoes to the neck bones in the crockpot for several hours on high and it turned out good.
DH killed a fairly good size castrated wild pig yesterday, so today he's going to get it butchered. That will take awhile. We have a hand cranked tenderizer that doesn't do a very good job, I'm sure he'll do some steaks and the rest ground with brocks seasoning. That tenderizer is a nightmare to clean even when I let it soak for a couple of days.
At some point today I've got to go out to the camper and start pulling things out, not a lot each day but something. DH did put some 2x4's in there to brace up the ceiling to some extent. I wish I could pay someone to clean it out, but I don't trust people so I'll have to do it myself.
Its cooler today, might get to 70, but yesterday it was hot, 84 in the house, I had all the fans going.
DH killed a fairly good size castrated wild pig yesterday, so today he's going to get it butchered. That will take awhile. We have a hand cranked tenderizer that doesn't do a very good job, I'm sure he'll do some steaks and the rest ground with brocks seasoning. That tenderizer is a nightmare to clean even when I let it soak for a couple of days.
At some point today I've got to go out to the camper and start pulling things out, not a lot each day but something. DH did put some 2x4's in there to brace up the ceiling to some extent. I wish I could pay someone to clean it out, but I don't trust people so I'll have to do it myself.
Its cooler today, might get to 70, but yesterday it was hot, 84 in the house, I had all the fans going.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
We broke all records here in my area of Mississippi, yesterday, with our high temp of 87 degrees. Today, high of 56 and RAIN. It's raining now. Tomorrow will be in the mid 60's, then going back into the 70's, but RAIN almost every day next week. Wet Springs are the reason most here don't have Spring gardens. It usually doesn't start drying out, until May. Last year, we didn't stop using our wood heater, until sometime in May.
Our temp at 2 p.m. is 12º above zero. It was zero until nearly noon.
My preps have taken a major hit from using and not shopping for the last two months. I have gift certificates for Aldi and Fareway but have shopped only at the local expensive store for necessities due to my back issues and bad roads. Both last week and this week we've had snow on possible shopping days, so I've stayed home. My shopping list is quite long and I hope that when I do shop, I will be able to find everything I need. Also, no limits on number of items as I'm replacing six of some items that I've used.
A real tragedy this week a father of six was killed in a head-on car vs semi accident on icy roads. The news today reported his family was in the process of moving back to Iowa after having served ten years as missionaries to Peru. A go-fund-me page was set up for funeral expenses, moving expenses and replacing the vehicle. The man's name was Mark Rader if anyone is inclined to pray for his family.
My preps have taken a major hit from using and not shopping for the last two months. I have gift certificates for Aldi and Fareway but have shopped only at the local expensive store for necessities due to my back issues and bad roads. Both last week and this week we've had snow on possible shopping days, so I've stayed home. My shopping list is quite long and I hope that when I do shop, I will be able to find everything I need. Also, no limits on number of items as I'm replacing six of some items that I've used.
A real tragedy this week a father of six was killed in a head-on car vs semi accident on icy roads. The news today reported his family was in the process of moving back to Iowa after having served ten years as missionaries to Peru. A go-fund-me page was set up for funeral expenses, moving expenses and replacing the vehicle. The man's name was Mark Rader if anyone is inclined to pray for his family.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I've used quite a bit out of my food pantry over the last 2 weeks. My list is long for my next trip, too. There are two things I need to use down, and that is canned veggies of all kinds and cream of......soups. I've got so many cans of those that I'm still using 2020 dated cans. I just switched to my supply of coffee that's dated 2020, too. What I need more of are jarred sauces, boxes of Lipton dry soup mixes of different varieties, pickles, condiments, etc. I've been finding lots of new recipes online, that call for different ingredients. I've tried them all (love them), and I need to stock up on all the different ingredients to make those that I don't have stocked, already. I won't get to grocery shop, until around the 1st, so my list is continuing to grow.
I'll say a prayer for Mark and his family.
It's been pouring rain all day!
kyrsyan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Oh the fun. Part of the porch railing disintegrated this winter, and fell off, literally. So I was looking at replacements and found poly vinyl railing for the same price as wood. That is a no brainer. Then I looked at the price of paint and primer. And took into account the quality of said paint and primer that I was going to have to buy so I didn't have to repaint again in 3 years. Well frag that. I went back and bought 5 sections of the poly vinyl. I'll get the brackets over the next month or so. We'll replace the wood rails with the poly vinyl. Then all I have to do paint and upkeep on is the posts, steps, and gates. But I may have enough extra to make gates from so that would be good. But truly, the practical difference might be a total of $150. Since I have it, I'll spend that to keep from having to continually repaint the balusters and rails. And over time, I'll likely replace the rail along the steps. And if they ever come out with a poly vinyl stair tread and supports that are strong enough, that as well. Just a piece at a time. The deck boards are already Trex.
Other than that, bought some things that are on the "wait" list. And I'll pay off a medical bill.
In one week boss has brought on 5 new clients. And I'm doing more work. I was worried about making a minimum number of weekly hours because I work so quickly and have a minor obsession with being efficient. Not as worried now. And it's honestly work I enjoy. Spent time today figuring out why deposits didn't match correctly. Turned out that it wasn't my error.
It also helps that I don't have ego in this and I don't play the blame game. People are human and make mistakes. That smooths over a lot of things.
Boss wants me to take EA training starting this summer. I'll do it but I really don't want to do taxes. It'll be good knowledge to have to make sure that customers accounts are in good condition for tax time and that the EA or CPA doing the taxes has everything they need.
All in all, I'm so grateful for the positive changes in our lives.
Other than that, bought some things that are on the "wait" list. And I'll pay off a medical bill.
In one week boss has brought on 5 new clients. And I'm doing more work. I was worried about making a minimum number of weekly hours because I work so quickly and have a minor obsession with being efficient. Not as worried now. And it's honestly work I enjoy. Spent time today figuring out why deposits didn't match correctly. Turned out that it wasn't my error.
It also helps that I don't have ego in this and I don't play the blame game. People are human and make mistakes. That smooths over a lot of things.
Boss wants me to take EA training starting this summer. I'll do it but I really don't want to do taxes. It'll be good knowledge to have to make sure that customers accounts are in good condition for tax time and that the EA or CPA doing the taxes has everything they need.
All in all, I'm so grateful for the positive changes in our lives.
Barry Natchitoches
Has No Life - Lives on TB
First of all, I am glad you are feeling better. I have been praying for you, and mouldy, and several others on this board.
The key to being able to grow an early garden in this area is maintaining a soil bed with lots of organic matter on a regular basis, so that you do not ever need to till your garden soil.
if you need to till your bed every year, you are at the mercy of the elements. Too much rain - or too little - and you cannot till without doing major damage to your soil structure. Not to mention endangering the life of your garden’s earthworm population.
The earthworm is the gardener’s best friend. We need to do everything possible to encourage their colonization of the garden bed with earthworms. Not chop them up with our tiller.
I planted 4 feet by 20 feet of garden bed a week ago - lettuce, cabbage, broccoli and spinach. The soil in this (and other) of my beds is really just compost. I use an organic mulch on my plants:
1/3 fresh grass clippings (from lawns that have NOT been chemically treated;
1/3 chopped autumn leaves, chopped up using the lawn mower; and
1/ 3 small broken branches or twigs, specially mixed in so that the organic mulch does not matt up and block water from getting to the plants.
I use this mulch around my spring plants, replenishing it as needed, as it will break down and create compost right there on your garden bed.
It also feeds the earthworms. The earthworms, in return, thank me by keeping my garden soil well tilled with all their tunneling. And they fertilize the soil on an ongoing basis with their manure (worm castings).
So all I have to do in the early spring is mix some aged chicken manure into the top few inches of soul with my garden rake, dig my planting holes, and I am good to go.
I planted much of my early spring garden last week, between rains. Of course, I do have row cover available to protect them from harsh winter frosts - but I have not even had to do that this past week.
That is the basis for a no till garden (at least Barry’s method of growing no-till - there are other ways that others employ their no-till gardens).
it is a very cheap way to grow vegetables, as I do not have to buy any fertilizers or chemicals for my garden. None at all. I just recycle free organic matter over and over to keep my soil fresh and my current plantings well mulched.
And because I do not till, I can plant my garden much earlier than others in this area.
Maybe you could set up a test patch of garden and use this method for a year, and see how you like it.
You really would be able to plant that test patch early next year, if you so desire.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I guess we need to do ours differently from the way we always do our raised beds. We compost all year directly into them, then Cary covers all the beds in deep mulch with leaves in the Fall. Then, in the Spring, he tills all of that up to make good loose rich soil for planting. We also have bags of cow manure to incorporate into the soil this year, too. After not using all of our beds last year, they need a bit extra.
Thanks, Barry, for your prayers! I'm doing really well. My jaw and gums are still sore, and all the stitches make my mouth feel funny.