Innholdsfortegnelse for April - May 2016 i MOTHER EARTH NEWS

The Massachusetts-based biotech company AquaBounty Technologies developed the GM salmon back in the 1990s, and its approval process spent several years in limbo as government organizations reviewed safety information, while many consumers, scientists and environmentalists pushed back with fervent opposition. The “AquAdvantage Salmon” has been genetically modified to grow to market size in about half the time as a non-engineered, farmed salmon. The company combined growth hormones from Chinook salmon and a gene from the ocean pout, an eel-like species, to cause the new salmon to produce growth hormones year-round instead of only in spring and summer. A prominent concern is that wild salmon populations could be affected if the labengineered fish were to escape into oceans and rivers. The GM salmon are made sterile to prevent reproduction in the…

Many of us who keep backyard flocks are aware that industrial chicken breeds from commercial hatcheries aren’t the best option if we’re hoping to raise self-reliant birds. We prefer sturdier, heritage chicken breeds, capable of free-ranging and foraging much of their own feed. We want breeds that retain natural resistance to disease and climate stresses. We “flocksters” often prefer to harvest meat and eggs from the same flock, so we’re more interested in dual-purpose breeds than in industrial hybrids with either astounding laying or growth rates. To meet those goals, we choose to raise heritage chicken breeds, expecting they’ll offer the traits that made such breeds popular on homesteads for generations, including longevity, the inclination to forage, immune system integrity, and, of course, reliable production of high-quality meat and eggs.…

If there’s one fruit every homesteader and suburbanite should cultivate, it’s the strawberry. No matter where you live, you can find a variety that will thrive in your area (see “Recommended Varieties by Region” on Page 41). Strawberries typically do best in cool, moist regions, but you can also grow them in hot, dry climates, especially if you adjust nutrients, provide proper windbreaks, and give plants plenty of supplemental water during July, August and September. Strawberry varieties fall into one of several distinct fruiting habits. June-bearers yield one large crop of fruit during the growing season, and the harvest period usually lasts for two to three weeks. Depending on your growing season and region, you can plant early-season, midseason or late-season June-bearers. Day-neutral (sometimes known as “everbearing”) strawberries should be…

On a freezing winter night many years ago, my wife and I saved our young daughter’s life with an onion poultice. Our struggling daughter woke in the middle of the night so congested she could barely breathe. With some quick thinking and the help of a few common ingredients we had on hand in our wooden yurt and garden, our daughter’s breathing returned to normal within an hour. To be able to immediately help a dangerously ill child by using simple, nearby ingredients is a valuable skill. Having experienced firsthand the self-empowerment that comes from knowing the healing potential of plants, I’ve dedicated my life to finding, growing and disseminating medicinal herb seeds. Here are some of the healing plants — all of which you can grow at home —…

Throughout the centuries, the world’s farmers have developed thousands of livestock breeds. But now, at least one breed becomes extinct each month, and 20 percent of the world’s cattle, goats, pigs, horses and poultry breeds are currently at risk of extinction, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). How did we get here, and how can we reverse this trend — and why should we care? The story is complex, but the future can be bright if we act now. Whether you’re a farmer or a consumer, preserving the genetic diversity of animals is a critical issue. Traditional, or heritage, animals bring many beneficial characteristics to a homestead: They’re often sturdier and more adaptable to local conditions, and in general their slower growth compared with industrial hybrids…

Have you ever considered making your own knives? It’s much easier than you may imagine. To get started, you can buy blade “blanks” in many styles, and then all you have to do is cut handle scales, rivet them to the blade, and then shape, sand and oil the handle. The photo on Page 55 displays the variety of blade blanks you can choose, while the photo above shows the range of knife options you can create, from simple to fancy. MOTHER EARTH NEWS Editorial Director and hobby knife-maker Hank Will provided the following basic steps, and made all the knives shown above. — MOTHER The indispensable utility knife is, without argument, the most useful implement for tooling about a farm, homestead or shop. Whether you’re cutting baling twine or…

You’ve had your eye on a certain space in your yard for a while now, thinking about revamping it into a garden, and the weekend weather forecast couldn’t be better. You’ve been brainstorming what you want to grow, envisioning the harvests ahead. The time has come to dig in and start the vegetable garden of your dreams — but perhaps you’re not sure exactly how to get started. Right on time, MOTHER is here to help! Set Your Sites First, ask yourself a few questions about the potential site. Have you watched to see what happens after a heavy rain? If water doesn’t absorb into the ground or run off after a couple of hours, the site could have a drainage issue. Evaluating the sun pattern is important, too, because…

The following reader letters are in response to Joel Salatin’s article “Teaching Youth the Cycle of Life,” which appeared in our February/March 2016 issue. In the article, Salatin encouraged involving children in livestock care and harvesting so they gain a better understanding of — and appreciation for — animals’ lives and ethically raised meat. Home-based livestock processing has greatly impacted my family. The 9-year-old boy that Joel Salatin wrote about in his article is my son. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that David Schaefer and Mr. Salatin let our curious son onstage during their chickenprocessing demonstration. We involve our children in gardening, raising animals, and, yes, even processing our livestock. Our children’s involvement with the animal harvest is their choice, just as it was our son’s choice…

Old-World Crops for New-World Kitchens Spring begins at different times in different places, but its arrival happens in a predictable sequence. Southern Californians welcome daffodils in February and Mainers anxiously await them in April, but no matter where they’re growing, they always bloom before tulips. It’s the same with edible perennials, such as sorrel, chives and dandelions — one heralds the appearance of the next. Sorrel is the horse to bet on — so early that it’s up as snowdrops bloom. What a welcome sight it is! When it comes, we’re ready to use its lemony flavor to spark up salads and give a fresh taste to soups. Meanwhile, the root cellar empties out as remaining stores turn spongy and sprout new growth. Even in the dark, they know it’s…

Free food abounds at your feet, offering itself to the hands of the savvy. I’m not talking about rough fare that you’d eat only in an emergency, nor a sacrifice that you’d make to help your family’s budget. These are greens as scrumptious as anything you can buy or grow, and they’re exceedingly high in vitamins and minerals when compared with cultivated garden plants. I’m sure you’ve heard of collecting wild edibles for food, but you may still have questions about this seemingly intimidating proposition. How will you know what to pick? Are there poisonous look-alikes? How should you handle these plants after you’ve harvested them? These are all good questions, but don’t let the unknown scare you. You have the ability to do this without any trouble and with…

Despite the many advantages of solar electricity, including its recent cost effectiveness, some remain skeptical about photoelectric technology. A number of common misconceptions fuel this skepticism. In this piece, I’ll debunk six of these, most importantly those regarding the cost and reliability of home solar electricity. Let’s get started. 1 There’s not enough sunshine in my area for solar. America is bathed in sunlight. Solar works, even in the Pacific Northwest or the Northeast where cloudy days are more frequent — you’ll just need a bigger system. Photoelectric systems produce optimally in spring, summer and early fall. Bear in mind, you don’t need a crystal-clear, blue sky to generate electricity. Even on cloudy days, solar electric systems easily generate 10 to 20 percent of their full capacity. 2 Solar electricity…

After we decided to bring two goats onto our homestead, we needed to build an affordable yet sturdy goat shelter that would withstand the weather conditions of northern New England. We decided wood pallets would offer the most economical design because we knew we could retrieve them free from the local newspaper’s office. We were only building this structure for two goats and didn’t need a separate milking or birthing space. We built a rectangular frame out of seven wood pallets, and then attached an eighth pallet on hinges for a door. After nailing the pallets together, we covered the outer wall with oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing. We purchased 2-by-4s from a local hardware store to form a sloped roof. We salvaged the remaining roof materials from the Swap…