Canning in January is fun, and it warms the house.
Have you tried a dehydrator?
I like the cheap one that Walmart sold, about now it is sometimes half price, it will have about 5 trays, is round and has a fan.
I have a larger homemade one, but it involves real work and uses too much electric for small batches.
Watch for onions in your produce, as when they are planted, they will bloom and give you seeds, plus split into 4 onion bulbs......yes, the common onion.
I had read that when you cut the roots off, you can plant them and they will grow again, I didn’t get mine planted in time to really test it, but it looked like it was going to grow.
I also found a half onion in the refrig, that was growing nice green onion leaves from the center.
If you cut the leaves for cooking, it will make your growing onion smaller and I think stronger flavored, so I use lots of greens and then use the bulb for soups.
yes, I have sand, or a sand / clay mix, some spots are pure sand.If the earthworms are happy, the soil is doing the right things.
I envy you, a move and compost piles too...You will enjoy the challenge of a new place.
I laugh at lawns, such a waste of effort, even flowers are better than grass to look at, for me.
My sister insists on flowers, she calls them “ Food for the soul”.
If you live in an area that has canals, watch for the time they clean the moss from them.
We would bring home all the trailer would hold and dump it in a pile, and the poultry would have said it was a poultry heaven, all those little shells and other goodies.
Most folks have never heard a batch of chickens sing, they do with a pile of moss.
This was in Wellton, near Yuma, Az, if there was any moss left after they had eaten their fill, we put it in the compost.
And I am loving that!!! This house is old with only 1 gas space heater so it doesn't stay very warm unless I am cooking. Fortunately for the 2 of us, I love to cook. But, the canning has made it so that I am warm during the day without using the gas (of course it is electric with the range, but at least I'm getting more out of it than heat.) And the steam has done wonders for the plants that are still in the house.
I had not heard about planting onion that way. I will try that because there are occasional misformed onions in the lot. I have also gotten wilted live basil, thyme and oregano plants which are in the ground buried under mulch now. Not sure if they'll all make it but I gave 'em a good soaking in some compost tea.
Another seed that I have not had success with is onion and chives. I have some chives in the beds that have been there for years, I just divide them every now and again. Need to do it this year. And I have garlic growing wild. But, the seeds of onion and chives have just eluded me. As I posted with the tomatoes and pepper seeds, I have never had a good seed starting location.
Also, until 2 years ago I worked a forty to fifty hour week and there wasn't as much time to maintain things daily. Now is my time to do all the things I always wanted to try!
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I know what you mean, but I will say this about lawns; they're great for cleaning off shoes! They also help to keep ticks away.
Granny, if you don’t mind can you tell me what you did with the dehydrator? I have looked at them and find them interesting, it would be good for herbs and fruit etc.