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Category Archives: Sustainability
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
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Garden ollas save water in the Pacific Northwest
This is such a cool graph, I had to write a post for it. This is the first empirical evidence that ollas reduce water use in Pacific Northwest gardens. In 2009, I watered our 650 sqft of gardens by hand … Continue reading
Posted in cistern, olla irrigation, summer, Sustainability, vegetable garden
Tagged clay pot irrigation, drought, water savings
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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
Chicken Grazing Frames!
Since locking our chickens up in 2010, I have been struggling to find a solution to the lack of greens in the chicken yard. A few weeks ago I found a post on grazing frames for sustainable chicken greens. OMG: … Continue reading
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