Orioles and catbirds showed up here about a week ago. I think only two orioles are eating the jelly so far and also a black squirrel.

Thanks again guys. The boat just rolled out with the 2nd guy that looked at it for the asking price. I probably would have started in the low to mid 20’s if not for your input. Should any of our paths cross in the future, drinks are on me.

I started a packet of 100 Mary Washington seeds indoors 3yrs ago. This will be their 4th Spring outside. Planted all the seedlings in clusters of about 10 in a 3′ x 8′ patch. The following year, I planted a dozen Jersey Knight crowns spaced evenly a in 2′ x 20′ row. I believe the crowns were already 2-3yrs old when I bought them. The Jersey Knight spears are larger, but fewer in number than the small patch. That may switch as the smaller plot starts to crowd each other. I’ve heard a good plot can keep going for 20+ years.

Thanks for the responses. Just wondering if anyone else has any input on this before I list it.

VERY nice cook on that steak.

Another old wive’s tale I see is to let a thick steak come up to room temp before cooking. In the hour or two most people are comfortable leaving a steak on the counter it doesn’t warm very much. In a 70* room it gets about 10* warmer in 2hrs, so you’re still at about a 45* interior.

I like the flip as needed method, but I mostly sear both sides then finish on the indirect heat.

It depends on how many hours of sunlight are getting through. Some direct sun would be best. Most summer plants need 6-8hrs of sunlight per day. It doesn’t have to be continuous and some dappled sun is better than total shade but you can probably grow anything. You’d likely just get a better yield with more sun. Fungus, powdery mildew and disease love shady damp environments, so I’d look for disease resistant hybrids of whatever you want to try.

I’ve been using 6g black grow bags since 2020. The fabric prevents them from getting rootbound. In a smooth pot, the roots will circle round and round and basically choke itself. You’ll see that with transplants from the garden center. When the tips of the roots reach the inside wall of the bag a process called “air pruning” happens and the tip of the root dies, but the rest of it is in good shape. They don’t have drain holes but do drain well. They sit on top of wood chips.

I mostly use them for hot peppers, and though I can’t say they’re any warmer than the ground, peppers seem to like it. Peppers don’t need nearly as much watering as tomatoes, so I only water about once a week, twice if it’s been very hot and dry. Your planting medium will dictate how well it holds moisture more so than drain holes. I used a few bags last year for cheery tomatoes and they did well, too. Super Sweet 100 tomatoes grew like weeds and I didn’t even stake them up.

In 1993, shortly after HS, I started as a delivery driver and order picker for an electrical parts distributor in Chicago. I spent about 9yrs going from that role to warehouse manager and then inside sales for about 3.5yrs. Moved to WI in mid-2002 and have been in inside sales for another electrical distributor since then.

I’m moving to mostly metal raised beds this year. My ground sucks and I’m tired of fighting underground vining weeds, like wild grape and horsetail. I used some spiff points from work to order eight galvanized Hanover beds 72L x 35W x 22H. Going cost me some coin to fill them but they should outlast me. I know there will still be weeds, but at least there will be better dirt to grow in. I have two dozen 6gal grow bags that I use for peppers. I find that I can grow two hot pepper plants just fine in each one. I still haven’t found an always reliable tomato variety and I try a few new ones each year. Amish Paste seems to always do better than the rest.

I’m going to go with scratch made food. We probably eat at a restaurant or fast food once every 2-3 months or so. We eat 2-3 eggs each almost every day. Pickled red onions are a staple nowadays. I use a stick blender and make “refried” beans out of canned pinto or black beans that I season. I don’t even cook it. We eat it at least 3-4 times a week. Since I’ve been known to have beer instead of having supper about once a week, beer may qualify as food for me.

We have a deal around here. I do all the cooking and grocery shopping. She does all the dishes by hand. We’ve never had a dishwasher. The exception being the mandolin and high speed blender blades. She’s cut herself washing them more than once.

No pics, but Mom served over 200 homemade potato onion pierogis, polish sausage, kraut, and a nice beef tenderloin. I was in charge of the tenderloin. They only have a sh!tty gas grill and the damn loin was still frozen Christmas morning, but I did my best. It wasn’t as pretty as BigWerm’s. After I seared all sides the inside temp was still only 47*. Turned one burner off and let it ride until it hit 120 at the thickest. There was quite a range from medium-well down to medium-rare, so everyone was happy.

PS: My mandolin rarely gets used. It scares me. In fact, I decided I wouldn’t use it again until I bought a cut resistant glove.

Jimmy Jones wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
Well that kind of takes the fun out of trying out my new heated boxer shorts.

Go ahead and use them. Just bring a fresh bun and condiments.

Jimmy for the win again!

BigWerm wrote:

Made white boy pho, or noodles, not really sure the proper name or what to call it bc I just made it up. Ground beef, stir fry veggies and noodles. Sauce was beef stock, gochujang, and peanut butter. Super easy and delicious.

If you made it up you get to name it. I make a cream of leek soup with turkey meatballs that I call creamy leeky turkey balls.

Yesterday was my wife’s birthday. She just asked me to make something for dinner that she’d like. Simple, I make dinner every night and it’s always tasty. As long as pasta is involved, she likes it. I don’t know if we ever did, but we don’t exchange gifts for any reason. If one of us needs or wants something, we get it. We went to Vegas for a few nights around Halloween and we’re going back for five nights on 12/8. I guess that’s our Christmas present to each other?

I had a 2015 and traded it for a new one in 2020. I think they went to the turbos in ’21 or ’22, so I know nothing about them. Other than a couple cracked windshields my 2006 Scion xB, 2006 Tacoma, 2018 Prius and both Tundras have been trouble free. Tundra is a gas hog, but does everything I need it to do.

Everyone agreed that the locally raised turkeys tasted better. They were just not very moist. Brian Lagerstrom on YouTube just did a turkey video and a wet brine and injecting the brine were the ticket.

It’s totally fine in the fridge for a week if you’re not in and out of the fridge constantly. I would wet brine it if you have room in there. I bought two twenty-ish pound fresh turkeys two years ago and two days of dry brining didn’t help. I brought them to Mom’s for Thanksgiving and my sister’s Butterball turkeys were a lot better. We usually have a huge group, so multiple turkeys are needed.

I think a person that knows how to cook without measuring everything would do a fine job making jerky to taste. The only thing I measure any more is the pink salt. Everything else is there for flavor, so use what you like. I believe the LEM bag of pink salt I bought says 1/4 teaspoon per pound of meat. A quick Googling indicated one teaspoon curing salt for #5. If I’m going to use Worcestershire or soy sauces I use it sparingly. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne and/or pepper flakes go a long way. Making it in the smoker is 10x better than a dehydrator, but you can smoke for a short time and finish in the dehydrator so it’s more hands off. No maple syrup or sugar for me. I’d rather it be savory and spicy.

Congrats. Nice one.

Just a follow up. I’m alive and back behind the keyboard to collect a paycheck. Surgery was Mon morning 10/7 and I was home before dark on Tue. In case there were bets out there, the tumor was benign and weighed #2.5. My right adrenal gland was removed with it. By comparison, the adrenal gland was about 100x smaller than the tumor. It was like a cantaloupe growing off of a grape. At my 10 day appointment, the surgeon said I was doing better than some patients that have a robot assisted adrenalectomy. Mine was open abdomen. I have a 6″ vertical incision above my navel that turns horizontal for almost 9″. Going to be a hell of a scar. I haven’t smoked or drank alcohol since 10/6, but I’m about to break that streak and have a couple/few beers tonight. No reason to start smoking cigs again. I seem to no longer have high blood pressure, but will keep an eye on it daily. Meds kept is consistently around 120/80 for many years but it was 102/56 at my follow up. I stopped taking the meds and it’s been ranging between 107/73 and 120/79. Going to see my primary on Fri.

Really sorry to hear this. Pets are family.

glenn57 wrote:

Brother stuck this near new Richmond wi

Congrats to your brother, Glenn. I bet he didn’t go too far with that shot placement. I’m out for this season unless someone wants to do the heavy lifting for me. It’s been 2wks since my surgery and I’m restricted to #10 or less until late Dec.

I think keeping it simple was the ticket to perfection on this one. Also, that Plowboy’s rub does make a cool smoke ring and really tasty bark. I know the smoke ring isn’t actually indicative of good BBQ but when it looks great you can’t help but think it tastes better.

Smoked a #3 meatloaf last night served with mashed potatoes from the garden. We both agreed it was the best meatloaf we’d ever had. I’ll try to remember to post a picture when we have leftovers tonight. I mixed about a cup of panko, two eggs, 1/2T of Better Than Bullion beef base, finely minced a medium onion and sweet red pepper. Dusted the outside with Plowboy’s Bovine Bold that always delivers a great bark. Took about 2.5hrs at 275-300 on my WSM with a chunk of mesquite and a few chunks of apple wood.

Been prepping for surgery recovery in two weeks lately. Got the camper closed up, boat is winterized and covered. Spent most of the weekend prepping food, since my wife doesn’t cook as well as I do. I made a huge batch of colcannon and portioned it all into pint size deli containers, and two gallons of beef stock from some bones I had in the freezer. I smoked a package of short ribs yesterday. Really tasty. After supper tonight, I’ll shred the rest and into the freezer. Tomorrow I’m either doing split pea or red lentil soup. Haven’t made up my mind yet.

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Another sure sign is if Latinos are actually eating there. Keep tabs on what they’re ordering, because it will probably be the most authentic. I’m sure a lot of rural folks prefer or even only know about Tex-Mex recipes. In my book, you just can’t beat some tender chopped steak topped with cilantro, onion and a generous dose of hot sauce. Homemade corn tortillas are the clincher for me.

I’d argue that Mexican food in small town middle America is likely tailored to the local palate. When I moved to the middle of WI in 2002, salsa at the only Mexican restaurant for 30 miles tasted like ketchup. The few locals I knew said that black pepper jerky was too spicy for them. I knew the folks working there weren’t eating that crap, so we’d always ask for whatever sauce they were eating. I do this now in any Mexican restaurant if their salsa is too mild, and thankfully there are a lot more options in our county now.

Search “leak proof bento box”.

My nephew is a manager at Discount Tire. When I asked him for a recommendation on a better winter tread for my Tundra, he hooked me up with Bridgestone KO2’s. There wasn’t much left of winter when I got them but they did way better in the snow than any tires I’ve had before.