YJL

Its really cold, my laptop booted up to just 25C, took a while to climbing up. Everything is touching cold, the water cup, the bed, the chair, the keyboard, the mouse, the everything. I even wore a knit cap, which made my forehead itchy, but it kept me warm. And I wanted to go toilet so often, not just urinating to be honest.

I stuck a few toothpicks into a long and thin sweet potato and placed in a jar of water. The only problem I got was I couldnt tell which end was the pointy and round side. If the greens come out downwards, Id just flip it upside down.

Ive been trying to find out if you can plant potato slip like sweet potatos, but a search never worked out. They are from same order, Solanales, but different families, potato is from Solanaceae also known as nightshades while sweet potato from Convolvulaceae, commonly known as bindweed or morning glory. That doesnt mean potato slip cant or can, but I just cant find a definitive answer because poor design of top 1 search engine. Anyway, I will stick a few into water and see if they rot.

Pruned pink flower tree, so no branches rubbing each other, I planted to use those branches to build a bird house. After pruning, I stuck in the solitary bee house I just finished. Not sure if any solitary bees would move in, definitely not immediately, its still cold and there isnt anything to attract them.

Its so cold all tomatoes lower leaves wilted, two seedlings probably wouldnt survive.

What else today:

• 2 of 3 tray were dried after about 14-15 hours, probably refilling twice a day will work, but I did see a bit of soil drying.
• Spreading moss.
• Saved small bell pepper seeds.
• Decided not to do that compost bag idea, need more than one set.
• Wash bed sheet, pillow case, blanket, and door rug.

Last night, lying in bed, I was thinking of the potato that has been chitted and the annoying flies around compost, although the flies are minimal.

The potato eyes are just about to sprout and I may have to plant it soon, but I have no place for it and nothing to grow in. No ground, so container is only choice, it has to be small and probably goes up by stacking up. I am considering thick shopping back and using bottom-less cardboard as confinements, stacking up by tapping another bottom-less bag with tapes. I dont know if it will leak, which will be disaster. Also thinking double bagged the starting, the outer one is for the excess water.

As for whats for growing in, I am preparing shredded cardboard, and anything possible to grow in. Ive watched a video that showing a pepper plant growing in carpet, actually, it was directly sowed on it and they used soda cans as mulch.

I dont how big those potatoes would grow, I want to put all three in one, instead of making three bags. This idea could end very badly, either leaking or potato dies.

The compost, I am also thinking about using bag to compost with two rings or cylinders, one is bigger. The opening of bag wraps from inside outwards around the smaller ring, then a cloth covering the opening and bigger ring clamps onto smaller ring to secure the whole things. You have an opening that allows air to flow, and you can easy to add more to the compost.

What else today?

• the green tomatoes starting to turn red in brown paper bag.
• weather forecast revised again, Sunday 5-3C.
• watched a video about solitary bees, which I have known of, but I might try to make one bee house out of cardboard next week, I already have 47 sheets ready to roll into tubes. Maybe a bird house as well? Not to bees, of course.

I am under the weather today, stuffy and then running noses, but not too bad. The temperature is below 15C, it is the lowest this year, so far. However, the yardlong bean and Chinese red noodle bean still flowering, I counted 6 flowers, but I dont know if they are still fertilized.

This morning, I made a jar of sauerkraut, only white cabbage, nothing else. Also, the oyster mushroom in shredded cardboard, the king oyster mushroom that I prepared a few days ago, there seems to be some mycellium growing.

I heard that you can do leaf cutting, not all plants can grow into new plants, but I have to try this once. Seeds, stem cutting, leaf cutting, there might be other ways to propagate that I couldnt never imagine.

The cat wasnt interested in the toy I made, a flexible clothes hanger connected by electric wire to a small bell, he just didnt want to move.

Sprouting has been going on for long time, celery sprouts are packed in that little cup, but I didnt know how they taste. So I added some celery microgreen to toast, didnt taste very strong, but if I eat one sprout directly, its very strong celery flavor.

This afternoon, as I walked to balcony, looking at plants, a pigeon suddenly landed on railing of external window sill. I immediately froze, kept very still as best as I can. It looked at me, or passed me, then busy looking down at ground level. Probably a minute or two before it took off. We were distanced in two meters at most, the only thing between us is window screen.

Some rainbow potatoes, I decided to chit three of them, not sure what colors inside or what I can grow in if they do chit, which I believe they would, quite some eyes on them. I am thinking about thick plastic shopping bag, filled with shredded cardboard, stacked with another bag if lucky enough that works. This would be an experiment, I just have to shred a lot of cardboard.

It doesn't look as good as you buy from fast food restaurant or bags of frozen fries from supermarket, but I feel it tastes better. I didn't add any flavor on, just potato and oil.

After I took them out, I broke one, the feeling is same. Look at this cross section:



And, they don't bend! I remembered the fries I fried before, they were soft and wobbled like worms, though they didn't taste much different.



I learned from Jimmy's Food Factory on BBC, but I couldn't remember the exact detail. Anyway, here is how I did:

• Parboiled the fries for about 10 minutes, I used low heat. Somehow I felt I shouldn't be cooking for mashed potato, so I lowed the heat.
• Coated the fries with oil, then sent to oven. You can season, add some spices, but it's really not necessary. Great food doesn't require any added flavors. I didn't eat with salt or ketchup, only the original taste of potato.
• Once the top side started to wrinkle, I flipped them.
• I picked up and broke it, the feeling was right.
• I dropped one onto plate, crystal clink. Done.

If I recall correctly, if you freeze them, then you can fry them later. Just like the bags you buy from supermarket and this is how food factory manufacture French Fries, parboiling is the key. Something about the starch in potato, you have to parboil fries, so... uhmmm I forget the rest. ;)

I have also heard if you put fries in icy water for a while, 30 minutes I guess, make them really cold, then you fry them. It will be crispy, too. I will try this method next time.

(I never got him eating any human food.)