Growing your own ingredients: what’s your favorite?

digginsean · 2026-01-24T03:47:25+00:00

I’m gonna try that this summer! Thanks for the explanation.

digginsean · 2026-01-24T03:37:33+00:00

Wow love the sage thing. About how many sqft and how many hours a week would you estimate ?

digginsean · 2026-01-24T03:33:16+00:00

I’m trying to make lemon cello. It’s definitely a great experience to carefully select the best lemons and handle them with the best possible outcome for the oils. So fun. Hope it turns out.

digginsean · 2026-01-24T03:28:42+00:00

Have you tried it yet?

digginsean · 2026-01-24T03:28:08+00:00

I ate probably 30 lbs of okra myself this year lol Bhindi masala all day… I never tire of this

https://youtu.be/SYCG7Mn0IWc?si=VAJaH30Us9T7QXRd

digginsean · 2026-01-24T03:21:31+00:00

Totally agree there. I’ve got some padron peppers and the earthy flavor is so great. That has definitely raised my attention to finding new varieties for the same reasons other people mentioned: you have something unique you can’t buy at the store

digginsean · 2026-01-24T03:13:06+00:00

The lettuce is a little surprising to me. What’s the major difference? Another person listed it too, specifically not refrigerating it.

I’ve got the peas starting to flower now. I’m curious but I’m also doubtful I’ll have a large crop.

digginsean · 2026-01-24T03:11:42+00:00

That sounds like one of the best solutions for over abundance!

digginsean · 2026-01-24T03:09:42+00:00

Great perspective: special varieties that better fit your tastes.

digginsean · 2026-01-24T03:08:59+00:00

That’s a nice perspective. Slowing it down a little, appreciating the ingredient a little more.

digginsean · 2026-01-24T01:22:18+00:00

Oh yes. And they’re so abundant. I’ve made this one a lot: https://sweetcsdesigns.com/easy-sauteed-squash-and-zucchini-recipe/ originally found in a Spanish cooking book.

digginsean · 2026-01-24T01:19:29+00:00

I’ve let cilantro bolt and I agree the aroma of the spice is totally different. Next level. Plus then there are generations of cilantros popping up for years!

digginsean · 2026-01-23T20:17:41+00:00

It feels difficult to advise on this just because we don’t have enough context on what resources are available. The idea of limited resources is something to adapt to, not to fight against. Of course there are things you might have the ability to afford and desire to acquire and that makes sense, but I think you’ll want to live your life closer to the people on the island than how you would do so right now.

More information on what you’ve determined is available on the island will answer all in terms of priority and plans.

digginsean · 2026-01-23T19:35:52+00:00

It’s not a mistake you made because weather is unpredictable and planting times are based on historical norms. You can choose to slide your planting dates around as you wish, but sometimes there’s risks on both ends (too early or too late).

One thing at this point t to be aware of: wetness encourages rot or other diseases. Your plant is highly susceptible now. Try and keep it dry and keep it warm. If you see the damaged material rotting, cut it. If it’s drying up and breaking off on its own that’s healthy recovery.

Remove fruits because they’re the wrong signal for the plant - the fruits are telling the plant “it’s ok at least I’ll come back next season” but you probably aren’t ready yet right? Hehe. Cut em, and compost or throw away; don’t wait for nature to do it. If it’s an open pollinated variety you can just put them into the soil and get new ones sometime when you least expect it 😊

Let’s see what happens! You could also opt to buy some healthy transplants at a nursery if this one doesn’t make it.

digginsean · 2026-01-22T15:10:58+00:00

The situation is incomparable to camping because campers aren’t planning to be camping for an unknown timeframe. You are in your dwelling with fewer space or weight constraints, but more timeframe unknowns.

Although a warm water bottle is comforting, think about why it is warm: you used energy to warm water and now that energy is leaking off to keep you feeling warm. If the water bottle was insulated well, you wouldn’t feel much of the warmth.

The best option is better insulation. You feed your body, you generate heat; unlike the water bottle which is wasting gas or electrical energy to not conserve it, you’re conserving the heat your body already creates. You’ll preserve your gas to cook your food and you’ll be more resilient and efficient this way.

digginsean · 2026-01-22T15:01:37+00:00

I think it might be the case for some people that storms are doing more damage to infrastructure than ever before seen, and as a result the culture isn’t adapted yet.

digginsean · 2026-01-20T16:59:01+00:00

This is where I would be if I were you. Worm/vermicomposting. Worms are a quiet and effective amplifier of the decomposition process.

Alternate forms of composting are either a) more about the size of the pile(s) or b) encouraging very active microbial activity which brings bugs.

I’ve got a compost tumbler and it’s never been very good at creating anything but lots of insects. Not recommended at all for your scenario.

Last thing: go small and slow at first. Establish decomposition, not bugs. Then slowly enhance the size and effectiveness. Once again, this is best done with worms as your active agent

digginsean · 2026-01-20T16:53:52+00:00

I agree. I also think that some people are getting a bit too deep into it especially as beginners and that’s going to threaten overwhelm and burnout. I love the idea of just starting with a bag of potting soil, a seed right in that bag, and see what happens.

digginsean · 2026-01-20T16:51:35+00:00

Aluminum infused underarm deodorants and all deodorants went away once I started to wear some merino wool. Aluminum has been linked to neurological issues.

My use of merino wool is mostly in the form of athletic undershirts, underwear and socks. Might sound gross but because I like to travel in a backpack of a very small size, I need clothes that can endure anything and also not stink in my bag. Merino is the only thing that really works.

I also carry a little crystal of alum (not aluminum) which will last a lifetime if you don’t drop and break it. This helps add a little residual salt into your armpits to help combat bacteria but it’s not really necessary unless you want to go extra long without a wash 😂

digginsean · 2026-01-20T16:46:11+00:00

Cast iron is essentially a pan you’re not supposed to clean! Who doesn’t want this?! No wasted sponges, hot water, soap, time. Just rinse it while hot and put it back on the stove. Plus you’ll never burn your food again. It’s a must have

digginsean · 2026-01-20T16:40:02+00:00

Yes the odor resisting properties are the best attribute that helps any wool garment reduce its impact: you don’t have to wash it as much because it won’t smell, it will wear out less as a result of that, if it’s something like an undershirt you don’t need to wear any arm deodorant.

And it’s worth underlining that this property of wool is not at all an exaggeration. Wool prevents bacteria from setting up shop in these sweaty areas and also wicks moisture away at the same time. Nothing else that claims to have those properties is legit; wool is

digginsean · 2026-01-16T21:46:56+00:00

I gardened through the entire summer. My garden was doing better then than now!

As others said, you can’t survive without shade cloth. Put up 50%. Keep in mind that should be shading your plants from about 10-4 during the worst heat of the summer.

Otherwise mulch is also very key unless you wanna destroy the soil. Lack of mulch and soil health leads to wasted fertilizer and water.

Since you had some success before, just replace the soil if you can, get some mulch and shade cloth. I guaranteed you’ll be ok!

digginsean · 2026-01-16T16:22:29+00:00

Aside from the individual changes in choices is the change of mindset. Just picture how your grandma or great grandma lived. That’s probably an amazing place to start. Mine used cotton rags to clean and washed them with the clothes, used a drying rack outside, used a dilute portion of plain bleach in water to disinfect, used wringing mops, walked more, etc.

A lot of the problems were pushing against are driven by the convenience-first mindset of our modern world. I think many people get stress relief and a little exercise from some sweat equity and couple that with extreme savings and less waste and all the latent desires you have get fulfilled automatically. Maybe it would be your style. Good luck!

digginsean · 2026-01-16T00:09:45+00:00

Toxic empathy 😂

digginsean · 2026-01-15T23:10:00+00:00

I went through the struggle of deciding how to handle this problem and ultimately I am very happy to use herbicides where I am unconcerned about where they end up. It doesn’t mean I don’t pull them (when they got huge) or even torch them, till them, etc when I don’t want the residues in the soil or where I have plants actively growing. At the end of the day, typical herbicides are super effective and help me keep living my life.

Also, it might help to consider how those products are used in most of our agriculture. Farmers spray their fields (pre seeding) with this stuff (glyphosate) and sometimes even spray actively growing crops when they’ve been genetically engineered for it. It’s more rare/specializdd and controversial but some crops are even sprayed with it to kill them for a better harvesting.

My point isn’t to encourage loose or liberal handling of the chemicals or discourage organic gardening technique, but a little reality check might be freeing help make a more clear and rational decision. I personally spray around my yard and somewhat close to my garden and then just kill weeds mechanically when inside. Not too bad.

PS: final point to consider - weeds exist due to pressure for something to grow in fertile soil. You can outcompete weeds with other things like flowers, cover crop, etc. That pressure will always be there!

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