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Harvesting Wild Ramps

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Here in SE Indiana, April/May is morel and ramp season. For those days we go out and not find the beloved morel mushroom, we can pacify ourselves a little when we bring back some saddles and wild ramps.

Ramps, aka Allium tricoccum, or spring onions are a North American perennial. Think green onion with 2-3 much broader leaves, and more of a pungence. There are a couple of varieties too. Around here, there is a variety that has a purple/burgundy streak coming up the leave stems (tricoccum) from the bulb, and there is the narrower leaf variety with no purple (burdickii). While the entire plant of both varieties is edible, we try to preach harvesting them sustainably. You can wipe out a ramp patch if you give no thought to harvesting. Ramps are bulb-dividing, rhizomes… just like ginseng and ginger. Their popularity has seen a surge in the last few years. About 5 years ago, I transplanted some on to my own property and have been leaving them alone to do their thing.

Here’s my wife standing beyond the ramps I transplanted.

Ramps from seed can take 6 to 20 months to germinate and even after germination, another 5-7 years before it is large enough to harvest. Remember that when you eat the bulb of a ramp, it likely took up to 7 years to form. It’s my thought that if we’re eating them, we need to be propagating them even more. Generally, I harvest only the leaves… and on occasions, I will take some bulbs from a well-established ramp patch to make a jar of pickled bulbs, or another personal application. Still, I cut the roots from the bulb in a way that keeps them intact, and I’ll return those to the ground. It’s the least I can do. Moral of the story is, if you take, then you should work to put back.

Below are some picks of my personal ramp patches (both varieties) and some public lands I hunt on.

  • Close up of burdickii patch.
  • Burdickii variety, narrower leaves.
  • Harvesting just the leaves. Leave one leaf alone.
  • A nice burdickii patch.
  • Tricoccum variety – Wider leaves.
  • Around here, there is no burgundy color on the burdickii variety.
  • Ramps, leaves only harvested in bucket.
  • Ramps cleaned and drying.

Now that we know how to properly identify and harvest wild ramps, let’s talk applications. I’ve always enjoyed the greens sautéed in butter and garlic… and of course with sliced morels! This year, I wanted to change things up. Thus far, I have not harvested any roots or bulbs and limited my harvesting to only the leaves. With these leaves, I have a few other projects underway. Click it out:

Growing Banana Trees in Zone 6

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Bananas are tropical plants, but have you ever noticed someone in your neighborhood growing them? When we see tropical plants in an area they don’t usually belong, we have to wonder… how?

Like growing anything, success comes down knowing about the plant you want to grow and then figuring out what is required to overwinter the plant. Is the plant meant to overwinter? Can it be done in the ground, or does it have to come inside? How cold does it get in your area? If it can overwinter in the ground, are there other precautions we need to take in order to ensure its success?

Today, we’re talking growing banana trees in Southern Indiana. That’s zone 6b on the USDA plant hardiness scale. and it basically means it gets darn cold in the winter where I am. So how are we growing banana trees here? Well, I’ve been growing banana trees for the last 10 years. It started when a friend gave me a “sucker” or two. Bananas propagate quickly underground. Around the main tree, it can shoot up 5-6 suckers around it. Once a banana tree blooms (i.e. produces a hand of banana) that main truck will die. But by that time, the 4-6 suckers around it are ready to go for the next season. If your tree really loves its location, it will eventually bloom. I like to see how big I can grow them. Sometimes, they will go t-3 years without blooming, and they get really big. Other times, they’ll bloom the first year. Trust me however, once you get them going, you’ll never run out. I find myself pulling some out of the ground just to keep my various “groves” under control.

I let the suckers grow and gain some girth over a season to make it more easy to separate and give away. Banana trees have a lot of water inside and so they can keep pretty good after being pulled out of the ground. However, the skinnier the main stalk, the sooner it can dry out so I like to get them big so they can handle the process (and time) of pulling them out of the ground, getting them to others, and letting them have time to plant them. The banana trees I started with were not winter-hardy. I didn’t know they existed, and maybe they didn’t early on. I was required to dig them out of the ground around the first frost, bring them inside over the winter, and then replant them in the spring.

Then, my brother-in-law acquired some winter hardy ones from someone he knew. Of course, I had to get some. Today, all of my trees have been replaced with the winter-hardy variety and I cut them and leave them in the ground all winter. The way I cut and winterize them takes a little more work, but in return, I get monster-sized trees, and plenty to give away.

My brother-in-law would whack them just under the surface and mulch over them. Simple as that and it worked. However, come spring, we’d wait to see them poke out of the mulch and it would take time to gain it’s height. Experimenting… I played with hacking the trunks about knee-high. The height is really only dictated by what you have to cover them. Leaving them above ground gives them that much head start in the spring.

Bananas hacked and ready to cover for winter.

I use a machete, and I chop up the stalk and leaves and lay in my compost pile. The pile is HUGE by the time I’m done. I have tons of leaves in the yard each fall. I also keep my chicken feed bags which work very well because they are not like a plastic bag that would hold moisture in. Note, I have tried a kitchen trash bag, and it turned the trunks to mush. By the time I uncovered them, they looked decomposed and dead. They actually poked out new shoots around May or June however. So, they were not killed off, but they did have to start over. The chicken feed bags are like a woven synthetic material that can breathe and allow the moisture to escape. This is key since we want to keep them dry over the winter. I stuff the chicken feed bags with leaves and then force one down over each stump. Then, I cover all with whatever I have… I have used oversized planting pots, a kids plastic swimming pool, and for the large groves, a tarp, and one patch just an upside down kids plastic pool for a larger patch. The idea is to keep them dry. They can get cold… but they can’t be cold and wet. By spring, you see the new growth that is literally pushing my coverings off the top. You can see below the shoots that were there upon uncovering.

Just uncovered trees April 2019.

Here’s a few shots of the trees at various states during the season. I’ve added captions to each for a little more perspective.

Homemade Cheese Press

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I was asked recently about my cheese press and if I would be willing to show some pics and explain it. I’m always happy to ablige. This is a cheese press that I made for cheese making. I made it using all scrap materials and specifically recall, I made it over the winter in my bee mentors workshop… when I was supposed to be building beehive.

It’s rudimentary, but it gets the job done. It’s the only one I’ve ever used and I still use it today. Sure there are some quirks that I’ll explain, but with a little thought, maybe I’ll eventually figure out the clever tweaks it needs. Anyone can look around on the net and find ideas, and maybe even some plans. I refused to buy any because of the simple nature of the device. I also wanted something that I could tuck away when I wasn’t using it. Hence, the design is my own.

First, here is what it looks like when it’s collapsed and ready for storage.

Simple and collapsible.

The black base was a piece of scrap counter top that was cut out for the sink. This is particle board in nature, but it’s compact, and of course, has a piece of Formica laminated on the top. So far, so good, over the many years it’s been used, there’s no sign of de-lamination yet. However, the acid from the draining whey has discolored and stained it a bit. I wanted to bottom to be durable, smooth, and sanitary since that is where the cheese mould would be sitting… on a corrugated may, of course, to allow the whey to run out from under.

Spare hinge holding on a 2×4.

From the pic above, you can see that I have a hinge holding on a 2×4 that can be tipped up when it’s time to use it. The block under the 2×4 is simply for stability. Another critical piece is the wire coat hanger that goes from the top of the 2×4 back down to the front of the base. This is critical to hold things steady as we swap out various weights during use. You can see this in the next pic.

Wire coat hanger that hold the column steady.

Next, are the lever arm and the plunger. Both were made out of some scrap walnut that I had laying around. The shapes are my own. I just drew some sketches and based them off many of the presses I have seen on the internet. I knew what the press would have to do. Sometimes, based on the height of the cheese mould, the plunger may need to be adjusted up or down because we’ll always need the lever positioned in a way that we can hang various weights off it based on the amount of weight we need. As you can see, both are simply held together using some bolts I had laying around.

Walnut lever and plunger.

Here is the press fully assembled. When I use it, I hang the front edge over the side of the sink on my counter. It let’s the whey drip into the sink and I can leave the press set up for as long as it’s needed.

Assembled homemade cheese press.

Now, the quirks… or should I say quirk. There’s only one. We need to adjust the amount of weight that we are pressing with. Typically, you start low, say 5 or 10 pounds of weight, for 30 mins to an hour, then increase to maybe 20 pounds for an hour, then 50 pounds for 2 hours, 75 pounds for 5 hours, and then maybe even 100 pounds, etc. Different cheese have different weights and times. The idea is that when you press low, you are allowing the proper amount of whey to escape from around the curds. If we pressed with too much weight too soon, then we actually trap whey inside. The whey is acidic and it develops the cheese in different ways. The right amount of whey need to be evacuated at the proper rate so that acidity is properly managed. That said, I use my bathroom scale under the plunger and then I add weight with whatever I have laying around to get it there. It used to range from a dutch oven hanging on the lever with stuff in it, to my more modern approach of using real bench weights. Also, weight can be adjusted simply by where you position the weights on the lever arm. So, a 5lb weight could actually weight more when it’s moved out to the furthest end of the lever arm. Notice the blue rubber band on the lever arm. That simply holds whatever I have on the arm from slipping in the even the arm is angled downward slightly. If it’s too far downward, then I can adjust the plunger lower by selecting a higher hole on the plunger arm.

Pressing Esrom cheese at 75 pounds.
Checking the weight using my bathroom scale.

So that’s it. I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and maybe even hear about the press you made. I’m sure this could be improved upon. Who knows, I may one day buy a real cheese press but as long as this one keeps doing what it does, there’s no need. I do love upcycling and any excuse to re-use the stuff that I tend to squirrel away for the right need.

Auxier Ridge at Red River Gorge, Kentucky

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We took a hike around the Auxier Ridge and Courthouse Rock trail at Red River Gorge April 6, 2019. I posted a video of Auxier Ridge and it’s surrounding features on YouTube. Auxier Ridge Trail to Courthouse Rock is a 4.4 mile moderate, well-known out and back trail. It features an awesome forest setting and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking and bird watching and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also welcomed to use the trail, just keep them leashed if they are exuberant explorers.

It’s easy to see several nearby features such as Haystack Rock, Raven’s Rock, Courthouse Rock, Bolt Rock and Double Arch. There’s tons of breathtaking views. I think Auxier Ridge is one of the more scenic trails at the gorge.

Climbing Courthouse Rock is totally possible and allowed. The casual hiker may not be ready for it. I’d recommend ropes and basic safety gear. If you are looking to get vertical, it’s a great trail but safety should be paramount. You can kill yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing.

As always, and most important to me… be sure to “leave no trace!” Take your garbage out with you and pay attention to the roped off reclamation areas. These are roped off for a purpose… to allow nature to recover from humans. Keep the gorge beautiful, obey the rules, be safe and treat other hikers on the trail courteously.

Enjoy these pics and aerial video of my experience. Here’s a link to the trail map.

  • Double Arch
  • Great group campspot
  • Steps decending to base of Courthouse rock
  • Bottom of Courthouse Rock
  • Base of Courthouse Rock

  • Courthouse Rock
  • Starting Auxier Ridge
  • Loonging down Auxier Ridge to
    Courthouse Rock
  • Steps on the trail
  • Entering Nada Tunnel
  • Auxier Ridge view
  • Auxier Ridge Trailhead
  • Steps near
    Courthouse Rock
  • Auxier Ridge
  • Looking off Auxier Ridge
  • Cool rock near
    Courthouse Rock
  • Auxier Ridge ending at
    Courthouse Rock
  • Interesting flora
  • Majestic
    Courthouse Rock
  • Haystack Rock
  • Haystack Rock
  • About Auxier Ridge
  • More flora at Red River Gorge

LG gas dryer DLG2302R is not Heating

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If your LG gas dryer is not heating and you’re pulling out your last hair trying to figure out what in the actual F is going on, then this post is for you. It’s my hope this may help the next poor soul who’s trying to troubleshoot this issue without having to go through what I did… or incur the expenses of a “qualified technician.”

Let’s start with some symptoms. We bought the washer and dryer set used and they have been pretty solid up until recently. On occasion, my wife would tell me she’d detect a faint smell of natural gas. Other times, she’ll say it took more than on cycle to get the clothes dry. This all while we’ve been diligent on emptying the lint trap and keep the vent and ductwork clear.

One day, the dryer just stopped heating all together so I was finally forced to dig in to see what was happening. Anyone can google and find what is typically the common causes. The common causes are usually when one or more of the following parts fail. I have lettered them for easy ID.

When you read about no heat, or poor heating problems online, everyone agrees that the above parts are all cheap enough to replace ALL while you are in there. This also fixes about 90% of the problems people have. Alas, it was not the case for me.

What is strange is that there is also an extra thermal fuse in this particular LG model that isn’t documented in the manual, nor in the parts schematics that I found online. It’s a fuse located exactly next to the thermistor on the blower housing before it gets to the burner tube.

I was finally able to track this part down as. Refer again to diagram above.

I replaced it, and still, NO DICE!

So, now what? Back to reading, and huffing and puffing about the thought of having to buy a new dryer. The next things to consider were the flame sensor and the ignitor. I pulled both of these out and tested with my meter. BOTH WERE FINE! These parts are also not too terrible to replace, but I was pretty confident they were OK. I can watch the ignitor glow upon start up, and since the flame sensor checked out OK, I moved on.

The next part to look at was the gas valve. Most gas dryers have gas valves with two coils. One or both of these coils can go bad over time and often, they can both be replaced individually for around $12-25 each. For this particular gas dryer, however, the coils are built on to the valve and the entire gas valve needs to be replaced. Of course. Refer again to diagram above and image below.

I thought this had to be it! And before anyone thinks I didn’t get out the multi-meter and test it out, I did. Even more discouraging, it checked out fine. I was thinking, what. in. the. F? When you do an ohms test on smaller components like thermostats, thermistor and fuses, the resistance falls into the lower ranges and many meters have an audible sound. However, when you test the coils on a gas valve, the resistance is much higher. There should be ohms in the range of 500-3000. This is not enough to trip the audible sounds on most meters. Both of the coils on my gas valve looked like they were burnt up though… so, I decided to risk it. If it worked, I thought it was better than having to buy a new dryer. So I ordered it up, and had the dryer apart ready to get it in when it arrived. I put it all back together and anxiously kicked it on.

….aaaand, NO! It still didn’t work! The igniter was glowing, but the gas valve was still not opening. With everything else checking out, I was beginning to lose hope. My wife, sharing my frustration decides to get on the net and google along with me. Anyone who thinks their woman has nothing to offer in this scenario needs to take a breath and sit down for a moment. She was reading in some forum where someone (who seemed reasonably qualified) said something to the extent of… “This particular LG dryer has a history of the coils on the gas valve taking out the main control (PCB) board.” At first, I was like… oh, great, let’s plan on buying a new dryer. But after looking it over and keeping an open mind, I found the control board for like $125 on Amazon. Reading more… someone said, “they sealed up the entire board in silicone. There’s no testing or troubleshooting it, and with the pricing of like $140 to replace the board, it suggests they just decided to skimp on this and make it so that someone can reasonably replace the board at some point.”

Whooo-hoo! Let’s piss another one in the wind. With no way to test the board, I ordered another one, and it was in fact, very easy to replace. I shouldn’t forget to mention that there are videos on the net that show how to tear down the dryer and replace all the parts I have mentioned… and let’s give a hand for www.appliancepartspros.com because they have made most of the videos. I have bought many parts from them for past appliances as well.

After buying the board, I was going to be in the hole for like a total of $250. I reasoned that it was still better than paying a repairman or buying a new dryer entirely. I got the board, put it in, and it fired right up! I was happy as can be.

To conclude, one may be thinking that I replaced the gas valve unnecessarily, but it does appear that the bad coil(s) on the valve did fry out the controller board. So, I didn’t buy the gas valve in vain. I promptly tossed the old gas valve in the garbage along with the controller. Make sure that if you isolate the fact that the coils on your otherwise working gas valve did take out the controller… that you do not replace the controller and re-use the old valve. Otherwise, you’ll be heading for the next heartache.

Well, that’s all here. If this helped you out, comment below to let me know, and good luck!

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AllMorgan started as a family blog to keep extended family and friends around the world apprised on what's going on at our Indiana homestead. It always been a cross between a family diary and photo … Read more

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The queen bee doesn’t decide what happens in a colony. The workers do. They adjust her feeding to make her do what the majority says. The queen can’t feed herself.