Strawberries and Podcast and Reader Comment Updates

Strawberries:
A few years ago I planted some strawberries in a bed behind the house.  Behind the house is never a good place to plant something unless you actually spend some time behind your house.  I don’t usually go back there.  In addition to that, even though it was in the sun, the bed was barely out of the shade of the north side of the house.  They were never very happy.  Then a couple of years ago my kids wanted to have their own garden spaces in the yard and so I transplanted every strawberry plant I could find from their sorry little home in the back yard to new spots where the kids would love them.  It turns out one of these spots is REALLY good for strawberries.  Full sun, plenty of runoff water from the lawn, plus we walk by it every day at least five times so it never gets neglected.  The strawberries have gone crazy there over the last two years.  So last week I thinned them out and transplanted them and now my strawberry patch will be about five times the size it was.  Then, two days after I was out digging in the dirt, we got snowed on again.  I love spring.  At least the new starts got watered really well.

Podcast:
This week on the podcast I interviewed Leon Pantenburg of Survival Common Sense.  Leon has some great information for staying safe in the outdoors.  Plus I share my family camping list and some ways to make a camping trip with children a little more enjoyable.  Check out the episode on my network page or on iTunes!  And this week I’m talking about making an emergency plan and have a really fun interview with Survivor Jane!  New shows every Wednesday, so keep checking back.  And if you know someone (maybe even yourself!) that you’d like to have interviewed or a topic you’d like to have covered, just let me know.

And now, here’s a roundup of recent comments from you, my fabulous readers!

Michelle suggested adding a thermometer to the Baby 72 Hour Emergency Kit Great idea!

Helen commented on Dehydrating Shredded Zucchini: “I’ve been drying zucchini for several years. I add it to meatloaf, scrambled eggs, soups, etc. no extra liquid is needed for the meatloaf or eggs. I line my Excalibur drying sheets with parchment paper, that soaks up the extra liquid of the zucchini and makes removing it clean and dust free. I reuse the parchment until it cracks!”

Lori added another great use for empty food storage cans: “keep it in the kitchen with a lid for peelings to put in your compost”

And Lissa added a great tip on 72 Hour Kits: “Tampons work great in a pinch for nose bleeds. The things they use in the hospitals and doctors offices are basicly the same thing. A ER nurse once told me about it.”

Keep preparing!
Angela