Author basil67 Posted March 21, 2020 Author Share Posted March 21, 2020 I've just planted what will be my last basil plant for the season. Once the sun goes lower, my vege area doesn't get adequate sun to support winter growth. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
pepperbird Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 13 hours ago, Happy Lemming said: How long does it take to grow herbs from seed to harvest?? I'm thinking about planting some basil... (ordering some seeds from ebay) Please and thank you. I have to start mine in side because we still get killing frosts up until mid-June. I have some basil growing on my kitchen counter. It took about six weeks from germination until I could harvest the first little leaves. Other herbs I have are perennials (lavender, catnip, a lot of mint, feverfew, sage, savory, etc.) which I grew from cuttings. The one thing you've got to watch out for with mint is it's very vigorous. I had little patch of it which accidentally got mowed over. The darn stuff simply re-rooted where it was, and now I have patches of mint on my lawn. I;m fine with that, as our pet rabbit love sit as a treat. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
simpycurious Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Well, I am still going the toilet paper route. I have however decided to teach myself to cook. I have a huge kitchen and ZERO culinary skills. So, that is my desparation/isolation plan if it comes to that extreme. Link to post Share on other sites
IndigoNight Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 We haven't changed much. I'm already immune copromised, so we have always taken certain precautions in or home. When everyone gets home they clean up, change clothes and dishonest before they come see me. I do want to ask people though, my daughter works at a grocery store. Please be nice! They don't have ANYA control over the ordering. Every other checking is open for social distancing. They are just following corporate rules. So, please, be nice!!!! My daughter comes home wrecked and upset because customers tell at hey all day. There is no reason for it. She is just doing her job. Be nice! 2 Link to post Share on other sites
lana-banana Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 On 3/23/2020 at 2:29 AM, IndigoNight said: I do want to ask people though, my daughter works at a grocery store. Please be nice! They don't have ANYA control over the ordering. Every other checking is open for social distancing. They are just following corporate rules. So, please, be nice!!!! My daughter comes home wrecked and upset because customers tell at hey all day. There is no reason for it. She is just doing her job. Be nice! It absolutely guts me when I hear about people being unkind to service workers, especially now. These people are genuinely putting their lives on the line so you can buy boxed mac and cheese; the least you can do is be grateful and gentle. I'm so sorry for your daughter. Please give her lots of hugs. Legumes are cheap and healthy. Before all this started, a lot of food and climate experts were telling everyone legumes were the future. As climate change wrecks crops there won't be a lot of fresh vegetables left and water supply issues will make it much more difficult to grow grain. But pulses are abundant and easy to grow, so we'll have to adapt our palates accordingly. I remember reading some of those articles just a few short months ago and thinking about what it'd be like to adapt in a crisis. Well, here we are. We have had lentils and beans pretty regularly since this started. Joe Yonan just came out with a cookbook called Cool Beans if you're interested. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 I looked under my sink and found two packages of vinyl disposable gloves (20 total) so I was happy about that. One thing that is hard is sanitizing the groceries, which I'm trying to do before I bring them into the house. And it's hard to hold a wipe or paper towel with Lysol in one hand and turn the package around and all. So I'll reserve those for just that situation and I can just sit out on the porch and clean all the surfaces of the packaged food. It's hard to know what to do about fruit and vegetables, though, but Monday I did wipe them off with Lysol and then brought them to the sink and washed with soap and water. (Lemons and avocados it was). I got a package with a prescription in a bubble pack and I'm leaving it sit for a few days since it came from a hospital pharmacy and then will also wipe it down. Ever since reading that that one cruise ship was still showing virus in the air and on surfaces 17 days afterward (when they finally sent a crew in to sanitize), I'm a lot less doubtful that you can pick it up off surfaces and food, etc. I mean, they found it still airborne! That's really scary. Think how much there is in a grocery store airborne accumulating over time. Now, I guess there's more air circulation in a grocery store than places on a cruise ship (or jet), but still.... I'm about to go pick up an order at Kroger. Taking my gloves. Glad its nice out and I can work on the porch. I'm throwing plastic bags away in the garage and not even leaving any of them on anything and rewrapping stuff like produce myself. Link to post Share on other sites
Ellener Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 On 3/22/2020 at 12:08 PM, simpycurious said: I have however decided to teach myself to cook. I have a huge kitchen and ZERO culinary skills. So, that is my desparation/isolation plan if it comes to that extreme. How is that going? Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 I now realize gloves are not even the answer to use while sanitizing. You will just touch the item again with the gloves as you clean it. I'm using kitchen tongs to hold things and sanitize them. Then have to sanitize the tongs, of course. It's getting old real fast! I got a takeout burger and cheese fries and won't do that again because no way to get rid of the packaging and dump stuff out. On the other hand, takeout from Panera was super easy, no signing receipt, and everything easy to dump out of original container. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 On 3/21/2020 at 6:40 PM, basil67 said: I've just planted what will be my last basil plant for the season. Once the sun goes lower, my vege area doesn't get adequate sun to support winter growth. Oh, no. Basil with no Basil. You could get one of those AeroGardens. Basil grows great in those. They have a light, yes, but it still needs to be near a window for additional light. For that reason, I didn't replace mine once gone, because especially with the basil, it is a LOT of water you have to carry to keep those filled up, like twice a day. However, if I had a window near my kitchen sink where I could fill up easily, I would definitely keep one going. One basil plant will take up most of a six-hole garden on one of those. It crowds out just about everything else. But you can get maybe one other small thing in there. I'd love to have a single one for leaf lettuce, but tired of carrying water, so.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Ellener Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 I'm looking for an apartment, it's a challenge during lockdown, just driving around in the evening to see how noisy it is and looking online right now. I expect the prices will fall over the next couple of weeks...realtor friends say the house prices already are. My budget will be tighter now for the rest of 2020 and my son isn't sure of getting a job he wanted for next month; so he may also be coming to live with me temporarily... All my plans have changed! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
simpycurious Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 On 4/18/2020 at 1:28 AM, Ellener said: I'm looking for an apartment, it's a challenge during lockdown, just driving around in the evening to see how noisy it is and looking online right now. I expect the prices will fall over the next couple of weeks...realtor friends say the house prices already are. My budget will be tighter now for the rest of 2020 and my son isn't sure of getting a job he wanted for next month; so he may also be coming to live with me temporarily... All my plans have changed! The prices will fall Ellener. Just like used car prices are falling, new car prices will as well. You see Insurer's giving money back, to incredibly low gas prices, values of incredibly good companies being devalued. This is a GOOD TIME TO BUY lots of different things. Good Luck Ellener. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
chillii Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 l'm still workin , damn it. Though l did take mostly 3wks off while my gf was here , and then another mostly one while my daughter was here. But this wk should be my last , ahhhh. Pretty right to sit it out so l'll be kicken back from there, plenty to do inside or out if l felt inclined which l probably won't now , effg last jobs been a b@tch so sleeping in and watchin movies feels much more my pace atm until further notice haha. Link to post Share on other sites
simpycurious Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 time to go offshore for a bit 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Fletch Lives Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 (edited) I didn't need toilet paper when I went to the store in early March. Then when I needed it, they were rationing small amounts. The third time I went to the store, I bought what i thought was toilet paper, but it turned out to be paper towels - you can't tell what products are from the marketing on the packaging anymore. Long story short, I ended up with a six month supply of paper towels and no toilet paper 😄 In the end, I had to go to Ace hardware to find toilet paper! Also picked up a 100 box of gloves. The city mayor gave people the tip about where to by toilet paper via Spacebook. Edited April 21, 2020 by Fletch Lives 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Ellener Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 I'm back in minimalist budget frugal mode! 🚶♀️ walking miles and eating a lot of banana, cucumber and oatmeal. I dropped another size which I've found means buying more clothes ultimately but I'll make do for now...not going anywhere it matters...so I cut down a pair of trousers for shorts 🩳 I'm just handwashing things and drip drying them, growing a few plants and pressing flowers etc to put in frames. Written to a lot of seniors. 📬 Been chasing up overdue payments from my customers, the upper management have been super helpful with that as my contacts on the ground are all busy with essential worker stuff. Think there's about $700 still to come in. Next is to use up the giftcards I have- for protein meals! My diet is getting low in protein 🥩 Keeping busy and mostly positive ( few tearful quiet moments- anything can set me off ) I have library books still to read, some work prep, and I'm listening to jazz on the radio and watching antenna tv. Monk all day today. Little House on the Prairie. New series of Call the Midwife... Got a routine going 🤹♀️ 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author basil67 Posted April 24, 2020 Author Share Posted April 24, 2020 I'm with you there on Little House. Not sure how old you are, but I grew up with the series and Pa was like my other dad. And Call the Midwife is terrific. I don't cry often but that series can squeeze a few tears out of me. Have you seen the thalidomide era yet? 😭 Go you on the weight loss. I'm eating and drinking too much and have lost so much motivation - so I'm just trying to hold steady where I am. Surprisingly, a local fabric store (similar to what I imagine Joann's to be) is open so I bought some ponte which will come in handy as we're coming into winter. I can see a pair of fitted trousers happening. And if I have enough fabric left, a fitted knee length skirt with tights and boots. You've got a lot of thrifting going on there. Are you out of work at present, or are you generally a thifty person? 1 Link to post Share on other sites
IndigoNight Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 On 3/24/2020 at 5:49 AM, lana-banana said: It absolutely guts me when I hear about people being unkind to service workers, especially now. These people are genuinely putting their lives on the line so you can buy boxed mac and cheese; the least you can do is be grateful and gentle. I'm so sorry for your daughter. Please give her lots of hugs. Legumes are cheap and healthy. Before all this started, a lot of food and climate experts were telling everyone legumes were the future. As climate change wrecks crops there won't be a lot of fresh vegetables left and water supply issues will make it much more difficult to grow grain. But pulses are abundant and easy to grow, so we'll have to adapt our palates accordingly. I remember reading some of those articles just a few short months ago and thinking about what it'd be like to adapt in a crisis. Well, here we are. We have had lentils and beans pretty regularly since this started. Joe Yonan just came out with a cookbook called Cool Beans if you're interested. Thank you for your post. I appreciate it. They've been out of beans off and on for weeks. Yeast is something they're always out of. I agreed her why they don't just make their own, it's really easy. Now when costumers complain, she suggests that they look online for instructions to their own, and several customers came back and thanked her. They had no idea it was so easy. They asked how she knew about it, her reply, "in the words of my mother, how do you think it was made before grocery stores existed?" Most laugh. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
SolG Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 On 3/22/2020 at 8:33 AM, basil67 said: We went to Bali for the first time and with the pressure those things had, I thought they were strictly for replacing a toilet brush to clean the bowl. Certainly more hygienic than a toilet brush. Basil, This made me literally laugh out loud. I had this mental image of someone trying to clean their bum with a gerni. What could go wrong? Link to post Share on other sites
Ellener Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 4 hours ago, basil67 said: I'm with you there on Little House. Not sure how old you are, but I grew up with the series and Pa was like my other dad. And Call the Midwife is terrific. I don't cry often but that series can squeeze a few tears out of me. Have you seen the thalidomide era yet? 😭 Go you on the weight loss. I'm eating and drinking too much and have lost so much motivation - so I'm just trying to hold steady where I am. Surprisingly, a local fabric store (similar to what I imagine Joann's to be) is open so I bought some ponte which will come in handy as we're coming into winter. I can see a pair of fitted trousers happening. And if I have enough fabric left, a fitted knee length skirt with tights and boots. You've got a lot of thrifting going on there. Are you out of work at present, or are you generally a thifty person? I was born in the 60s in England so I remember homes looking like the 'modern' ones in Call the Midwife. My own grandma's place looked more like downstairs at Downton Abbey, and she herself, born 1896, spent her younger working life 'in service'. I should learn to sew! It's cool you can make clothes 👗 Where did you learn? My work is suspended and I could go in to the nursing homes and do essential work but I'm house sharing with an older person and can't risk exposing her; when I get my own place again I will. But yes, I live very simply a lot of the time anyway, partly so I can do what I love and be fulfilled creatively, also I don't enjoy lots of the material things of our era, they stress me out! I've found it's easier for weight control and general health for me too, I eat in my truck or the park a lot even before this- those meals you see on Call the Midwife were the things I grew up with, bread and butter every meal, stodgy recipes, cake, biscuits ( chocolate digestives! ) sherry and beer...I'm type 2 diabetic so I had to stop all that anyway! Yes, those episodes of Call the Midwife were very well done. Little House reminds me a lot of Texas mentality, the way of thinking which can be infuriating at times, but also self-reliance and coping/helping neighbours. There's definitely a pioneer spirit here. When we had the biggest flood after Harvey people got out their boats and put on their waders and it was civilians who did loads of the rescues co-ordinated with the emergency services. Link to post Share on other sites
pepperbird Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 all I know is that given the scarcity of flour, there must be one hell of a lot of baked goods being made right now. 🤣 Link to post Share on other sites
IndigoNight Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 1 hour ago, pepperbird said: all I know is that given the scarcity of flour, there must be one hell of a lot of baked goods being made right now. 🤣 Yep. Lots of people are making bread. My daughter manages a major grocery store, and they can't keep flour, sugar, or yeast in stock since our state went into lockdown. When they do get it in, it's limited to 1 per costumer. It's sold out within a few hours. It doesn't matter that the store has plenty of already made bread. Link to post Share on other sites
Ellener Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 13 hours ago, IndigoNight said: It doesn't matter that the store has plenty of already made bread. There's no comparison though is there! And everyone has time now...it's kind of relaxing and reassuring too, making bread. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Ellener Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 (edited) Speaking of bread, I got two for the price of one Big Macs at McDs's tonight, bread = awful, threw that away and just ate the burgers, pickle and onion! 🍔 Edited April 25, 2020 by Ellener spelling Link to post Share on other sites
Mallimari Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Is anyone else sticking bits of scallions/green onion ends, garlics, herb cuttings into water and trying to get a new batch that way? I've been trying to -- the green onions and garlics are starting to grow and I'm way more excited about this than I ever thought possible, haha! Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 (edited) What a good idea!! Do you just cut off the top of a green onion and put it in water or what? How do you grow garlic? My aunt had some but I never knew when it was ready. I just looked it up and it shows just putting the onion where it covers the roots and keeping that clean and that it grows a new set in a week. But then do you have to ever plant it in the ground? I'm also reading that if you have them in the ground, if you want, you don't have to pull up the whole plant but can just use a couple of inches of the green part for your recipes and leave it there. Then in the fall, it will be a big onion. Edited April 29, 2020 by preraph Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts