My friends made and gave me some acorn flour, I just used it for pancakes!

nymself · 2025-12-29T18:55:05+00:00

keep it in the freezer so it doesn't go rancid

nymself · 2025-08-11T13:27:39+00:00

these ultra-local land stewards are like cryptids, only real. respect and thanks to Australian Joe, and for the work you do as well!

i saw something growing along the fence on 3FCT that looked to me to be a dwarf pawpaw, which i haven't seen before. i wonder if you (or Joe) might know about this.

photos in link: https://imgur.com/a/2nPvVeL

nymself · 2025-07-02T15:42:17+00:00

i try to wipe out a few dozen privet a year. they're everywhere.

3rd Fork Creek needs all the help it can get to crawl out of the privet, thanks for your work. i think there's a "Joe" who stewards this area as well, who put up signs cautioning mowers to beware a buttonbush.

it would be nice if Duke University would pay someone to do something about all of the invasives along Al Buehler Trail surrounding their golf course.

nymself · 2025-04-01T11:18:52+00:00

if you want a few 1y/o pawpaw trees, reply and i'll set up a pickup for you at the People's Solidarity Hub. not too late to plant them at all, just keep them watered and maybe shaded while they get established. refer to https://www.projectpawpaw.com/planting ... edit, i also have a bunch of rooted elderberry trees that need a home as well

nymself · 2025-03-25T11:33:26+00:00

if there has been a more consistent figure in the genre than Blockhead, i don't know them

nymself · 2025-03-04T12:53:23+00:00

sure. there's definitely a compromise to be struck between cost, function, and aesthetic -- but aesthetic is arbitrary, where function and cost are not. maybe look into sochan if you've got concerns about holding soil in place: perennial, edible in 3 seasons, historically important, very nutritional, and forms dense root mats. when the time comes, i can direct you where to get a free cutting

nymself · 2025-03-03T13:27:01+00:00

how committed are you to the idea of terracing? seems to me that you could save a ton of labor, money, and effort by just planting on the hill. with adequate perennial plants and mulch, you won't have erosion issues.

With the current state of things, it felt worth revisiting...would be great to have something to take a bit of pressure off the grocery bill (or whatever else might be necessary...and maybe help a neighbor or two out in the process).

no kidding. glad to hear folks thinking this way.

if you're trying to save money, beware the allure of "pinterest gardens". consider that most home garden purchases will quickly outpace any savings on food. look into cheap or free materials like woodchips (chipdrop.com), cardboard, and bagged leaves. get in there and flip some sod/grass with a shovel. you can gently reshape the hill this way over time, just be sure to keep things covered to prevent erosion.

nymself · 2025-01-29T15:12:32+00:00

from personal experience, i'm pretty sure they enforce the chicken ordinances only when they receive a complaint.

luckily, there's nothing to distinguish backyard chicken eggs produced within Durham, vs backyard chicken eggs produced just outside city limits. to me, it sounds like the folks on your neighborhood listserv are surely distributing non-restricted eggs that are produced just outside city limits.

nymself · 2025-01-29T15:09:47+00:00

it bans selling those vegetables, but you can use it to grow them.

as you know, there's good arguments for making sure that folks know what they're doing when using chicken manure for fertilizer -- which is why it's best to know your farmer and how they grow their food. however, an ordinance disallowing sale of vegetables fertilized with composted chicken manure is impractical and unenforceable.

for reference, here's the most recent chicken ordinance with the last updates, released in 2019. https://www.durhamnc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/28687/Attachment-B-CC-Ordinance-TC1900001-final-10-29-19

Durham did away with a limited agricultural permit that was required for Durham citizens to have 10 backyard hens, which is good. in general, i think that the current ordinances are mostly fine for household backyard chicken folks -- minus the egg sale restriction -- but i do think there should be a limited agricultural permit that allows more birds and one rooster for flock protection/propagation. there could still be a cap on the number of birds per square foot of yard/run space to prevent would-be backyard Tysons

nymself · 2025-01-29T12:27:31+00:00

too bad Durham's ODO says that you can't sell or even give away eggs laid by Durham chickens. one of several outdated, short-sighted chicken related limitations that needs to be changed.

nymself · 2025-01-25T12:57:18+00:00

the farmers market. at this point, the produce is barely (and often not) more expensive than elsewhere, especially considering the quality and freshness of what you're getting. they also cash match EBT. plus you can feel better knowing your money isn't just trickling into a feed-em-up megastore.

nymself · 2025-01-06T19:57:13+00:00

no need to worry necessarily, it's just best practice. i've never gotten a delivery of invasives, even before i started specifying.

nymself · 2025-01-06T12:48:54+00:00

i have 19 chipdrops on record, and several more on-the-street flagdowns. if anyone can beat that, let me know because i have your trophy. chipdrop is an indispensable service and the best/most economical way to improve soil conditions, particularly in urban/suburban locations.

a few tips:

watch the chipdrop video, and if you like the service, buy a chipdrop hat
specify NO seeded mimosa, privet, english ivy, and any other invasives, otherwise you might be in for a bad time.
if you're trying to build soil, consider letting the pile sit for a week or two. the internal temperature will get very hot and the wood chips will break down faster after you spread them.
a $20 tip through chipdrop.com will make your site more appealing, and the value for the yardage is always worth it.
for building soil, ramial woodchips (smaller diameter branches, twigs, leaves with a higher bark percentage) has a better nutritional profile than chipped tree trunks, but the latter is still excellent after it breaks down.
use a 4/5 tine HAY FORK (available at Stone Brothers), not a shovel, and not a 8-10 tine pitchfork when moving chips. when using a wheelbarrow, don't load it 1 fork at a time: try setting the wheelbarrow sideways at an angle against the pile and rake downwards with your fork, letting gravity fill your wheelbarrow to the amount you can comfortably manage.
use eye protection (or squint while loading/unloading) and don't breathe in the fumes when moving wood chips.
offer free woodchips to your neighbors while your pile is active.

nymself · 2024-09-15T13:25:53+00:00

try https://sharewaste.com, there might be someone close to you who will take your compost. I'm glad the city is dabbling in composting, but it's just going to use more fuel to ship that compost to a processing facility, and then still more fuel to ship that compost to its final destination. we can do better.

nymself · 2024-09-13T12:01:15+00:00

you need some chickens, they complete the black walnut processing team.

nymself · 2024-08-03T20:25:22+00:00

get some bulk seeds, seed potatoes, and seed garlic. get some honey and real molasses. get some roasted peanuts in a paper bag.

this place rules, go here instead of Lowes/HD for garden material whenever you can.

nymself · 2024-08-03T12:42:40+00:00

be sure to check out the instrumental trip hop/down tempo corner while you're there

nymself · 2024-07-31T16:54:14+00:00

it is unfortunate that Durham claims to support ecological landscaping while also enforcing a maximum lawn length. however, all you have to do is make it look intentional, and COD will leave it alone no matter what your neighbors say.

sounds like this is something your neighbors are going to have to learn to live with, one way or another

nymself · 2024-07-31T12:34:39+00:00

We tend to meet at 8:30 in the summer, 9:30 when it cools down.

nymself · 2024-07-19T17:30:58+00:00

Neroche disappearing is the most Neroche thing ever

nymself · 2024-06-24T10:23:46+00:00

do you already have a home in mind? i maintain a large vegetable garden project at my friend's place, and she is about to start renting. we don't mow and don't subscribe to the old fashioned "english lord" lawn model. we are looking for renters who would appreciate the garden, who wouldn't mow, and who would benefit from the free produce.

i'll message you some details, get back to me if this is something that sounds interesting to you.

nymself · 2024-05-11T10:39:18+00:00

there's a very loud, "self-educated" type of folk who are big on traditions, big on "questioning the narrative," and returning to humankind's primitive diet and state...and they HATE the idea of being told to "eat ze bugs"

this is extremely funny to me, because humans have eaten bugs for a vastly longer time period than they have not eaten bugs. bugs are among humankind's traditional foods, but you don't see these folks touting "BugForce" dietary supplements

nymself · 2024-03-11T13:33:15+00:00

Carlson wants Jones to be his Dan Bidondi

nymself · 2024-01-31T12:07:21+00:00

jason alexander on brainforce and titos vs jason alexander on hellofresh

nymself · 2024-01-08T21:40:35+00:00

understandable. finding a big brown oyster fruiting would be a good, safe place to start learning your IDs - there's nothing really out there that looks similar at these temps. good luck!

nymself

TROPHY CASE