I wonder if there is any plan to ration water? How would it be effected if it were enacted? There is no rain predicted for us. Dire?

Our little retirement village has no lawns Shuhak. Dyed green cement or small pebbles or that fake "lawn". We water the lemon tree in back and we have a few rosebushes in the front. Jim has a watering schedule he follows. We go to the "water store" to buy our cooking/drinking water. It's only 25 cents a gallon and if you buy 100 gallons it's 20 cents. Jim tested it for purity with a little measuring device he has and it is almost entirely free of any impurities. Our local water isn't that tasty but of course we use it for taking showers, washing clothes and we have a dishwasher as well. Our situation is already dire but so far we've received nothing specific. I guess they could really JACK UP the prices horrendously if you go over your allotment. There's just the two of us. What do families with kids do? Well I guess we will find out. Thank you for your reply! Fingers crossed it won't be as bad as we fear. This post was edited by RosieG at July 3, 2021 11:53 AM MDT

I have grass, trees, roses, a garden, numerous gladiolas and more.  I save rinse water (from rinsing veggies), I save water needed to "obtain desired water temperature (due to copper pipes my kitchen water is scalding hot by early afternoon), I save that first "shower water before you get in".. and use it to water the outside flowers/plants in my flower gardens. 
I had to abandon watering the flower garden behind the gartage last year to try and save water.  It was filled with sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes) that blocked out having to look at my neighbors.  This year only a couple scrawny plants returned. 

 
During in the 1976/77 drought My dad attach a hose to our washing machine drain hose and ran it out to our backyard.  We then hauled the washing machine gray water from the bottom of the backyard, up the hill, and all the way around the house to our upper lawn in an attempt to save it. When my cousins came to visit they were "drafted" to help.

Once again I'm very impressed with what you've done Shuhak. "They" should put you in charge of guiding the rest of us through this crisis. I mean that seriously. You know how to do what needs to be done. Maybe not to  completely solve the problem but certainly to mitigate it in the best way you can. You're got the muscle because you've already been tested and your dad certainly was a good example. I wonder how that could be effected? Getting all you know OUT THERE to others? By the way I LOVE sunchokes. They are very nutritious but hard to find in the markets locally. Do you have any idea when the worst of it will hit? I know you're not a mind reader but still do you have a clue? So far all we hear about is Drought but not a word about what comes next. Thank you for your informative and thoughtful reply Shuhak. I appreciate it! :) This post was edited by RosieG at July 4, 2021 10:21 AM MDT

Sunchokes are practically a weed in my yard.  If they can find water, they grow... up to 15 feet tall!  Like a potato, each "arm" on them makes a new plant.

The worst will hit in the autumn, just before the rainy season sets in.  Ofcourse, buy then farmers won't be using as much water as their crops will be done.

A WEED? Oy vey! Have you ever washed, peeled and eaten one? They are DIVINE. And extremely nutritious. Jerusalem artichokes. Once upon a time I found them at Sprouts and bought them all the time. Not lately though. Thank you for your reply Shuhak! :) This post was edited by RosieG at July 5, 2021 3:08 AM MDT

Yes, I've eaten one.  I wasn't impressed.   

So you're not a fan of jicama either then? I like the crispy crunch of it. Knowing that sunchokes have a lot of nutrition whereas jicama is less so means a lot more to me now when I'm old than it did when I was younger. In fact I never read labels until my son was born and I learned he was anaphylactic. I had to read labels assiduously. I was 28 when he was born so all those years I ate whatever appealed to me. Now at this stage of our lives our appetites are smaller so what we eat has to be the most nutritious. We are exceedingly healthy and I attributre some of that to what we eat/drink and our lifestyles. Anyway different strokes right? Thank you for your reply. I love to CRUNCH. I'm gong to ask if others do too! :)

I've never eaten a jicama.  I've only seen them in the produce department.

Oh? They're kinda difficult to peel but they add a nice crunch to salads and also they can be used like carrots or celery to eat dips with.  Have you ever eaten a vegetable called Kohlrabi? I've not seen it locally but it's supposedly very nutritious. I'm always on the prowl for new veggies Shuhak. Thank you for your reply and Happy Wednesday to thee and thine! :) This post was edited by RosieG at July 7, 2021 11:56 AM MDT

Yes, I've eaten kohlrabi.  I even tried to grow it once, but I only got greens.  I wasn't impressed by it.  Maybe because I expected it to taste like a turnip.

Thank you for the info Shuhak. Do you like turnip? I've eaten it before and I think it's okay but it would not be my first choice. I know tastebuds differ dramatically. :)

I love turnips!    Raw only.  Finding a good turnip isn't easy.  Most store turnips are either soft, pithy, bitter or tasteless.

RAW? I never tried it that way. I didn't know it lent itself to that. So what do you look for in "good" turnip? We're going to Sprouts tomorrow Shuhak. Our local upscale "healthy food" store. We go each Thursday and I browse. Some gals do that for clothes or jewelry. Me? NEVER. I browse for some delicacy. I figure if I don't do it now at the age of 83 when will I? What should I look for? Thank you for your reply! :) This post was edited by RosieG at July 7, 2021 12:05 PM MDT

I've eaten raw turnips since I was a little kid.  I eat them like apples.  Biting into a hard "sweet" turnip is heavenly!  get a bad one, and not so much.  I don't like cooked turnips.  To me they lose their "sweet" flavor when cooked.  

A turnip should be medium sized, or on the small size of medium.  Large turnips are often pithy or bitter, and very small ones can be biter.
It should be firm (no give whatsoever), and heavy (for its size).  Its root should also be firm.  Squishy or lightweight turnips are old and will be pithy and/or tasteless.
Avoid any with cuts or gashes in them (they dry out quickly and can harbor mold).

Thanks m'dear. I just wrote "TURNIPS" down on my marketing list for Sprouts for our Thursday jaunt. I'm pretty sure they would be the good kind. I'll let you know what happens What you wrote is extremely helpful! OH BOY! Something new to try! RAW turnips! :) I ate them cooked and wasn't impressed! :)