This one may be a little of topic but as the title says, this is the best beef jerky ever, and worth a post.  I discovered Jim Dandy in Minneapolis one day at a gas station, I was drawn in by the clear packaging (not hiding anything) and so I gave it a shot.  Right away I knew i discovered a  rare treat!

This Jerky is not the big brand crap you find these days that’s all moist and comes in 30 different flavors, no this is the dry as a bone, sore jaw inducing gold. Yes dry as a bone and sore jaws are compliments, I’m not the only one that loves this Jerky though as I quickly found out when I purchased a bunch for a Metal Roofing install we had up north. The whole crew looked at me like I was crazy when I walked up with near $100.00 worth of Jerky but by the end of the weekend the roof was done and the Jerky was in short supply, my girlfriend even enjoyed it but that’s another story.

It comes in three flavors, the black label being my favorite and If you haven’t had it yet here’s a link to the website, now go get some jerky!

Your grass is green. Your lawn care techniques should be too!
Here are a few suggestions to keep your lawn nice and green.

• Use a push mower or electric mower! They are quiet and don’t pollute. Keep blades sharp and oiled.

• Set your mower to mow high. Long blades of grass develop deep roots.

• Regardless of your mower type, dry tips on grass blades indicated that your mower blade is dull.

• Leave clippings on your lawn to provide nitrogen and moisture. Mow often.

• Use a hand weeder not herbicides. Develop a tolerance for a few weeds and weed when your tolerance is reached.

• Focus on the grass, not the weeds. Healthy grass makes it tough for weeds to thrive.

• Research has shown that corn gluten  meal (available at most feed stores like Fleet Farm) effectively prevent seeds from sprouting, including seeds from many weeds such as crabgrass, chickweed, and even dandelions. It is effective only against seeds, not existing plants. Annual weeds that are already up and growing will not be killed by products made of corn gluten meal.  To learn more check out this link.

• If you have compost available, spread a ½ inch on your lawn as a fertilizer.

Let your grass go dormant during the hot dry months (like now).  The Lawn Institute has some great tips including:

‘Summer dormancy is a perfectly normal response to the stress of heat and drought.  It is important to make sure grass is as healthy as possible before dormancy begins and not to stress the grass any more once conditions become unfavorable for growth.  Grass should be maintained slightly higher before and during drought.  Grass should only be mowed as needed and mowing should be preformed early in the morning or late in the evening with a sharp blade to minimize stress on the turf. ‘

Xcel Energy is committed to reducing the impact of their business on the environment. As of the end of 2008 Xcel had a total of 1300 megawatts of wind energy capacity in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Most of this is located in southwestern Minnesota.

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Xcel is required by Minnesota law to reach a 30% renewable energy mix, and wind power is one way for them to reach this goal. An average home uses around 500 kWh a month. Based on this usage, converting to 100% wind generated electricity will increase your monthly bill by about $3.50 a month, or the cost of one large designer coffee.

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Xcel Energy has made a committment to increase their wind resources to more than double their current capacity by 2020. If you live in Minnesota, North Dakota or South Dakota and have Xcel as your electricity supplier, you can sign-up to have wind power supply some or all of the electricity provided to your home or business. Click on Windsource® program to be directed to the Xcel site where you can sign-up and support wind power.

 

Increased demand for renewable energy will help push projects forward and ultimately reduce costs. While property owners do have wind rights that they can lease to companies like Xcel, the wind itself is free. We really should take advantage of that whenever possible.

 

 

I don’t think that Martha Stewart is the end all to gardening or signage for that matter. Every year I plant bulbs and perenials in my garden. In the spring I go to weed my gardens and I am never sure what is a weed and what is a plant just breaking ground. The bulbs aren’t so hard to identify, but I often forget which bulbs I put where. Martha’s idea is not original, in fact people have been painting on stones since the dawn of time all around the world (cave paintings, fun images, and park signs). 

Martha just told me what I’d need in case I didn’t want to think too hard.  It is easy and super inexpensive.  All you need are some smooth stones (the north shore has some great stones if you happen to be in the area).  They can be large or small, and you can choose how you want the finished product to look.

Use a permanent dye-based ink and a set of alphabet stamps (or freehand if you are that good), stamp or paint the names of your plants on cleaned stones and then put them in your garden next to the corresponding plants.

If you want to get your kids involved, you could also use a paint brush and an exterior paint. Let the kids paint the words on the stones (you may need to spell the words out for them).  It’s a fun weekend project for the whole family.

Just leave those stones in your garden when winter comes and next year you’ll know exactly where all your perenial herbs, plants and bulbs are. PLUS every surface the stone covers is that much less area to weed!!!