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Category Archives: Scientific
Neem oil to control chicken lice – a.k.a. I am such a geek
Yesterday was sunny and ‘warm’ (45 F), so rather than watch the Superbowl, we treated our chickens for lice. After talking with fellow members of the Seattle Farm Co-op, I opted for the soapy bath with neem oil treatment in … Continue reading
Posted in chicken coop / run, chickens, education, geek, pest control, Scientific, Sustainability, update
Tagged chicken lice, menacanthus stramineus, neem oil
16 Comments
Making Bacon Soap
We eat a lot of bacon. Even our vegetarian meals tend to have a strip of bacon. And I save every drop of grease. How could I not? I grew up with a mug of bacon grease in the fridge for frying eggs in the morning. This was ironic because we otherwise avoided animal fats (the fat-free craze was gaining speed at that time). Instead we used Imperial Margarine (Canada’s premier butter-substitute) for baking and ‘buttering’. Except for potatoes and popcorn – those were butter. I guess my parents just made this stuff up… Continue reading
Posted in DIY, homemade, homemade soap, personal care product, Scientific, soap, Sustainability, update
Tagged bacon fat, bacon grease, cleaning bacon fat, lard
29 Comments
Urban Birds – 6 species in 6 minutes!
It is a cold rainy January morning here in Seattle. I realize that several of those words are redundant. ‘It is January in Seattle’ would have sufficed. There is nothing special about today; a hard rain all night, and a … Continue reading
Holy Shiitake Mushroom Log!
Three years ago we bought shiitake mushroom spawn. The instructions recommended hardwood, specifically oak, as a substrate. Biking around town we found an oak tree chopped into logs on someone’s lawn. We knocked on the door, obtained permission from a … Continue reading
Posted in cooking, DIY, Fungi, Scientific
4 Comments
