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To add some seasoning: I've recently rediscovered lovage (Levisticum officinale).

From my childhood, I had a vague recollection of some weed that was always ready to substitute for parsley, dill or celery; recently, I found it again.

Right now, it's helping me to survive the squash season; I expect it to take me through the cabbage season as well. And it goes well with chicken!

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Hmmm...I’ll look for it and keep that in mind, Rat. Though, our parsley and other herbs are still going strong. No offense, but our war on rats continues! 😉

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Nicely written. Appreciate you and all you bring to the table. Xoxo.♥

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Sadie girl -- 💗💗💗

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Thank you, my sweet Sadie Jay!

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Agreed.

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Lawdog -- you KNOW I always appreciate that you read my humble posts. Thank you.

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I read them, and even though I'm a city boy, you make me fantasize about having a big old fashioned Texas ranch, with cattle and chickens and pigs. A safe, secure, and tasty food supply in the Central Texas hill country for this carnivore. Never thought that would be my dream.

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Well, you can visit us in Idaho!

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A slow grow for humid shady areas - mushrooms. I have shiitake growing on hickory and oak logs. Not all of my logs worked but enough did to give me quite a few when it has been rainy. NorthSpore.com has helpful info and supplies. Logs that took will last about three years of harvest but it takes winter or more before the first harvest.

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Thanks so much for the recommendation, Nutrition Goddess! We’ve been wanting to cultivate mushrooms for so long, but needed a trusted recommendation. I’ll be looking into this first thing Thursday. It’s not rainy here this time of year, but it’s quite hot 🙄 and humid!

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If you have a pond then they recommend letting the logs soak occasionally but watering them with a hose isn't recommended, so if too dry it might not work.

My area grows a lot of wild mushrooms anyway so I thought it might work better for me than any normal sunny crops. I am in a wooded lot, foresty. Ferns and hosta grow and not vegetables.

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I have access to a pond...wild mushrooms grow here too -- I just have no idea if they’re edible (probably not). As far as not being able to grow vegetables, I have a list of veggies and greens, which love shade. I’ll find it and post it on notes and tag you.

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I am not suggesting eating the wild mushrooms as much as that is an indicator maybe that the climate would support growing mushrooms. There was some investment and time. Japanese markets sell dried shiitake in bulk bags for not too much money and they last a long time and you just presoak to use them.

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Lemme guess, Samantha ... you can tell he's an ANTIFA adherent because he still insists on wearing a mask and a glove over his " headgear" whilst outside the coop

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Haha close. No it’s because he tries to attack me (the hand that feeds him) almost any time I go in his area! They free range during the day and I have to carry a rake around for protection!

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My son had an attacking rooster. He was gorgeous. And...now he is dead, replaced by a new king rooster son. Much nicer boy! Boom!

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And, yes, mine is gorgeous too. That doesn’t make up for the attacks.

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Haha yes I’ve heard rumor of these “sweet” roosters. Our next one will hopefully be nicer!

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"in his area" .... rather big difference ... those soros antifa (all over the world mind you) attack you in YOUR area .... but again you know better :-)

truth be told, antifa or proud boys are just hired mercenaries/tools except for the very few at the top.

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Let’s put it this way: he’s a b^stard.

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pluses and minuses ... at the end he serves lots of good purposes ... for you :-)

as always enjoy very much your posts!! you are doing what i am thinking :-)

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And thank you for your kind words. It seems they always come just when I need them most.

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i thank You!!

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You’re exactly right, Pandelis. Almost every time I complain about him, DS asks if I want to get rid of him. My answer is always the same. No.

He protects the girls -- we have concrete evidence of that and we’ll need him if we ever want/need to hatch our own chicks. So, I get it.

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i know you do ... otherwise, you wouldn't do it. thanks for sharing!!

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Number 2 and 5 are so underrated. Not only do they feed us directly, but they also feed the soil over long periods of time and help balance the ecosystem. Great tips as usual! :)

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I agree, Theodore. People are afraid of raising ANY type of livestock. And it can be daunting for beginners. That’s why I think it’s good to start with something relatively easy. In my opinion, chickens are the gateway drug to other animals! Haha

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hahaha! Gateway drug. Basically.

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Ha! Indeed, I have personal experience with this.

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August 17, 2023
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I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Bravo on your bucket experiment! Certain plants require more depth (carrots, potatoes, etc.), but if you can accolade that, container growing can be quite successful. We grow and dehydrate a lot of herbs too -- important for adding interest to one’s various foods, especially when growing your own!

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August 17, 2023
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Same here! Growing both small regular potatoes and sweet potatoes (different seasons, obv.) we learned a LOT from our mistakes.

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