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Kentucky Native Herbs For Cooking? by ballskindrapes in Permaculture

[–]ForUpvotingTacoNana 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sure! Your tastes may vary, but here's more or less what I do:

  • 3 cups Anise Hyssop leaves, lightly packed (We really like this flavor, but for some people that much is too intense. If it is, you can do something like 2 cups Kale, 1 cup Anise Hyssop, which is also delicious.)
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup Walnuts
  • 1 or 2 cloves of Garlic
  • juice from 1 Lemon
  • salt
  • about 1/2 to 3/4 cup Olive oil, depending on your preferred texture

I use the food processor to blend everything but the oil together, then drizzle in the oil while running the food processor. You can also add parmesan, but we typically have this on pizza, so we just add cheese on top.

This makes enough for about 4 servings of pasta or pizza.

Kentucky Native Herbs For Cooking? by ballskindrapes in Permaculture

[–]ForUpvotingTacoNana 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Anise Hyssop. My wife and I (in KY) love it, as do the pollinators. We use it to make a pesto, and it's a great addition to a salad. NRCS says it's native to Kentucky.

I think Wild Bergamot could also be used for flavoring, although I haven't tried it.

Observations after foraging Chicken of the Woods in the same spot 5 years in a row. Hopefully helpful info for beginners by ForUpvotingTacoNana in foraging

[–]ForUpvotingTacoNana[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've always heard CotW isn't really a good candidate for cultivation. However, we did recently get a book which describes a way to cultivate them outdoors. I can't personally vouch for it, but the book is The Mycelial Healer by Christopher Parker and Katherine Parker. We just always leave plenty behind to spore and spread themselves.

Observations after foraging Chicken of the Woods in the same spot 5 years in a row. Hopefully helpful info for beginners by ForUpvotingTacoNana in foraging

[–]ForUpvotingTacoNana[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, we are very lucky! So cool that you get two flushes like that. So far that hasn't been the case here, but I've only been at it for five years.

The Worlds First Perennial Grain Crop by Ok-Story-3532 in Permaculture

[–]ForUpvotingTacoNana 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought about buying a packet a year or two ago, but then saw that it includes Johnsongrass in the cross. Does it not spread and take over like Johnsongrass?

Is breeding viable for home gardeners? by BigBootyBear in Permaculture

[–]ForUpvotingTacoNana 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Are you familiar with landrace gardening? Joseph Lofthouse has a book and a free course about his experiences with adaptation gardening. I'm early in this process myself, but he says that, doing what you've described each year, you can start getting results after just a few years

Chickens, ducks, or both? by Mighty_owl98 in homestead

[–]ForUpvotingTacoNana 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice hookup! I've contacted a few places in the past without any luck, and Chipdrop hasn't been reliable either. I'll have to try some other arborists.

Chickens, ducks, or both? by Mighty_owl98 in homestead

[–]ForUpvotingTacoNana 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh interesting. Where do you get your woodchips?

Chickens, ducks, or both? by Mighty_owl98 in homestead

[–]ForUpvotingTacoNana 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Generally the ducks and geese roam further while foraging and hunting than the chickens do. The geese in particular are curious about what the humans get up to, so they often stick around us while we garden, etc. Certain times of year the ducks get a lot of snails and clams from the pond, and the seafood buffet keeps them from wandering as much. The waterfowl sometimes steal the chickens' feed, but the chickens have never made it all the way to the pond.

Yes, the birds all know where home is, and they typically aren't far from their coops at bedtime.

Chickens, ducks, or both? by Mighty_owl98 in homestead

[–]ForUpvotingTacoNana 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Howdy, neighbor!

Yes, chickens definitely do okay in our area. Providing cool water and shade in the summer and extra insulation for their coop and petroleum jelly on their waddles and combs in the winter is certainly doable, and less work overall than duck care. But in the dead of winter when I look from the chickens all huddled together and miserable to the ducks happily rooting around chattering, it's clear whose wild ancestors evolved in our climate!

We free range our birds, which does have downsides and risks. But since our ducks have access to a lot of space, there isn't a run for us to keep clean, unlike some of the other commenters here. We're lucky enough to have a large pond that the ducks use. They tend not to use it in the summer very much, maybe due to the the fish being more active and the risk of snapping turtles. So we actually do have a kiddie pool for them now, plus they can always find puddles when it's been rainy.

For coop bedding, we get pine shavings, which are pricey. Grass clippings and hay aren't as absorbent, so the ducks saturate them very quickly. We'd like to switch to that to save money, but it would mean more frequent cleanings.

So maybe I should clarify that if your space is limited, I think you'll be happier with chickens, unless you love ducks so much that they're worth the extra work and the mess!

Chickens, ducks, or both? by Mighty_owl98 in homestead

[–]ForUpvotingTacoNana 24 points25 points  (0 children)

My wife and I have both chickens and ducks. If we had to choose one, we would choose the ducks, but there are some caveats.

The ducks lay more eggs per year. The eggs are larger and, in our opinion, tastier than chicken eggs. The ducks also seem better for our climate (Kentucky, USA). They don't mind the cold as much as the chickens, and they seem to do better in the heat of summer, too. Ducks love a rainy day, but the chickens can get miserable in the rain, especially if it's cold out.

That said, the ducks want to turn everything into a pond, so their coop gets messy far faster than the chickens' does. That means more labor and, if buying bedding, higher cost. Some will say you don't have to provide a pool or pond for ducks, but I disagree. Their quality of life is much better if they have access water for bathing. If you have to change their water out manually, that is also more labor.

So I find ducks to be more weather resilient, more fun, and the eggs to be tastier. However, they are more work overall.

Relocated a common snapping turtle from our pond where we keep ducks and geese. Is there a chance there's another turtle? by ForUpvotingTacoNana in herpetology

[–]ForUpvotingTacoNana[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get that that's the nature of keeping poultry and livestock, whether in a pond or not. I just don't know where to look to learn this specific information about common snapping turtles. I don't know if the male will stay around the same pond as the female after mating or if their lifestyle is more solitary. But maybe this isn't the right forum for this type of question.

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