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Freeze drying does not kill bacteria but removing the water keeps bacteria from growing and holds it in a safe state until using it. If the elderflower is exposed to water then it should be consumed right away or thermally treated in a recipe. Excellent question!

I've been using the applemint for tea too! It is delicious. Such an awesome plant and such a cool wasp!

I tell you what. This is so hard for the little guy to navigate. I am working towards my acidified certification and it is amazing the hoops you have to go through. I'm sad to hear that California is worse.

You can eat the berries. You still want to avoid the stems as much as possible. Raw berries can cause digestive stress in some people. We haven’t had any issues.

There aren’t any thorns on the stems, just the leaves like a holly tree

I think they would be too seedy for a pie. I definitely think using the pulp for syrups or jellies would be good but you should definitely strain and maybe combine with a more standard berry like blue berry.

Those are terrifying stories. I’m so sorry for your loss. I imagine you run into a whole host of interesting things where you are. Water moccasins seem pretty scary. Stories of them dropping out of trees and all! Stay safe out there!

@@foreverfoodsfarm I`ve had water moccasins fall in the boat. I`ve seen hundreds of thousands of them. As long as you don`t start a fight with one they`re very pushy but they won`t attack you. If you mess with one he will come after you especially at night and once that line is crossed the fight is on and you`ll be forced to kill the snake or flee. You just have to know how to treat them because they have no fear of people fishing and will always approach boats. Never hit one with a fishing rod or boat paddle. They can see you and know you did it. Give them a fish and they`ll go away.

@@foreverfoodsfarm People don`t realize that Louisiana has populations of the giant eastern diamondback rattlesnake. I`ve seen those and they were never aggressive. They are gigantic and almost look fake. Alligators are everywhere in the state now...every pond. My friend didn`t believe one came after me in his pond. It took nearly a week of looking with binoculars to spot it. This is in central Louisiana and nobody knows how they`re getting in these random ponds far from rivers.

I wonder if birds are doing it. I know that is a way for some fish like bluegill to show up. That is crazy about the moccasins! The copperheads here seem to be very still and won’t move until you are right on top of them. I was scything a grassy area and a huge one popped out and went right past my feet to get away. Took a few years of my life as I screamed like a newborn child and ran. Not proud. The bite incident happened wearing flip flops moving wood under a shelter during when hurricane Isabel was dumping rain before her arrival. Got the person in the toe. That just elevated a very stressful situation ten fold. I’ve seen on a wet night after a really hot day like five or six just crossing the yard probably out for a hunt. Ours don’t chase you or come after you.

@@foreverfoodsfarm I haven`t seen any venomous snakes on this rural lot since moving here in 2022. The mistake many people make is they kill the harmless snakes that eat mice and frogs and bugs then the venomous snakes move in. The bad snakes stay more hidden and can become overpopulated before you know it but they will avoid areas with lots of friendly snakes. My dumb nephew killed a king snake and a grass snake and put rat poison everywhere which killed more of them plus the stray cats, owls and other predators. He thinks he`s so smart and refuses to listen to anything I tell him. Now rats and mice are taking over there and the owl family I used to hear up there have gone silent. His mom, my half sister, grew up in a different home and knows nothing about any of this stuff and has never even grown a tomato plant. I grew up on a farm. My nephew loves bell peppers but refused to eat the ones I grew when I told him I grew them organically with no pesticides. He threw them away because "bugs might be on them." His grandmother once lived on this lot I`m on and ruined it. Just to have a garden here I`ve had to haul in forest soil in a wagon. All the topsoil was removed and gravel was put everywhere. I have the worst yard in Louisiana for growing food and it will take years to undo the damage.

Because it was too early. She didn’t even have breakfast yet!

It is a Li Jujube

Considering she eats the fruit from almost everything we harvest, I suspect so!

You got ripped off because you missed the whole event!

Is that bed filled all the way from the bottom? I filled mine with branches and wood chips with the last foot being soil last year. It sunk about a foot over the year.

We did the same thing. I’m anticipating lots of drop too.

I am way underutilizing this plant! I will have to step up my game!

I’m not aware of leaf use. But definitely throw some of the berries in teas!

@@foreverfoodsfarm I will give it a try! Many thanks 🥰

Initial freeze is -10 and dry temp 125.

Yes! And they are so beautiful on the plate. A perfect way to elevate your presentation!

Thanks!

Thank you!

She would destroy that drone if she could have caught it!

I totally agree! Coop is in corner of yard and is a shed so too big to move. In hindsight a coop in middle of yard with doors on multiple sides would have allowed for rotation. I could use a poultry net to block off areas for a while. What I really want is to expand the fenced in yard to make essentially two large runs.

I’m not sure. Mine is from my Mom’s garden where she dug a piece out to thin it.

I opened the berries and planted the seeds. We'll see if they grow! @@foreverfoodsfarm

@@d__r__m good luck!

We already had the structure but had to create the kitchen inside it. Water was the most expensive followed by heat/air system. Our water needed a sump pump to push it to our septic system. We also had to obtain a special exception permit from the county because we are on less than 10 acres. That was expensive and held everything up for 6 months. We also had the misfortune of building it right as the prices soared because of COVID. We spent close to $20k. It was a big investment but totally worth it!

Not good! They were not hardy birds at all! They died within 2 years. One was accidental hanging on a chair, one for no reason at all and the last one went blind and a predator got it. 😢