Innholdsfortegnelse for April - May 2018 i MOTHER EARTH NEWS

I’ve recently moved to a new area, and in the process, purchased some rural acreage to begin my small home-based permaculture business, which I’m calling Orchard Heights Homestead and Permaculture. As a new subscriber to MOTHER EARTH NEWS, I wanted to share my successful homestead discovery. I decided to plant a dwarf fruit tree orchard at the bottom of a knoll on my property. My soil is comprised largely of rock and clay, so I chose an old German permaculture technique for planting called “hugelkultur.” Using the neighbor’s backhoe, I dug a 20-foot-long, 2-foot-wide, 3-foot-deep trench. After gathering fallen rotted trees and early-spring pruning branches, I threw them into the trench. On top of the debris, I backfilled a layer of straw, compost, mulch, and straw again until the trench…

How much poultry lives in America? The Livestock Conservancy wanted to know — and not just the total count, but also the number of each breed. To find out, they conducted the North American Poultry Census, a comprehensive survey of the chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys within the United States. Long ago, poultry breeds in America were as diverse as the regions they lived in, as landraces evolved to thrive within their specific environments. In the past few decades, modern agriculture has pushed for conformity in commercial poultry breeds to maximize profitable factors. Traits such as fast weight gain and consistent egg production have been encouraged at the expense of regional adaptations, disease resistance, and mothering instincts. To conduct its census, The Livestock Conservancy petitioned the help of over 4…

Every hobby I’ve ever undertaken had one thing in common: The information presented by the so-called experts was only partially correct. I’ve found that gardening is no different. Many of these garden myths started a long time ago, and have been handed down from generation to generation. Each person believes their gardening mentor’s advice and in turn passes that information along to other new gardeners. The web has worsened the progression of gardening myths by allowing anyone with a keyboard and monitor to claim they’re an expert. Social media is full of garden myths, and in this article, I’ll discuss five of them and explain why they’re untrue. In the process, you’ll be introduced to new information about plants and their environments, and armed with this basic knowledge, you’ll gain…

We used the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Vegetable Garden Planner to show you practical companion planting plans for a small garden of four 10-by-3-foot permanent beds. The Planner offers a bug’s-eye view of your combinations and tells you how many plants you can fit in your available space. It includes more than 250 plant choices, including the top insectary plants. The Planner can show you the best options for companion planting based on the latest expertise, what you can fit in where, and the best dates for planting. Our new Garden Journal app launching in April will allow you to track your garden’s progress on your mobile device or tablet. Try the award-winning Garden Planner free for seven days at www.MotherEarthNews.com/Garden-Planner. Companion planting plans for spring, below left. Top: Radishes serve as…

Ingredients • 8 cups goat’s milk• 1 cup cream• 4 to 6 fresh sprigs organic herbs, such as lavender, basil, sage, thyme, and rosemary, washed thoroughly and patted dry• ¼ cup white wine vinegar• 1 tsp flake salt, or to taste Supplies • 3-quart stockpot• Cooking thermometer• Large mixing spoon• Slotted spoon or spider skimmer (optional)• Large colander or mesh strainer• Fine cheesecloth• Large heat-resistant bowl for whey collection (optional) This recipe is my homage to a French-style chèvre covered in herbes de Provence (aromatic herbs including lavender). I decided to infuse the milk with fresh herbs as it warmed to keep the floral flavors without the fibrous bite of dried herbs and flowers. To stay truly Provençal, you can hand-shape the cheese into little “kisses” for tempting bites, perfect…

Materials • Six 1-by-6 pine boards, 10 feet long • 1 pound (about 35 to 40) 3-inch rosehead nails • 2 strap hinges • Colonial-style latch Cut List • Five 81-inch-long boards • Two 23-inch-long battens • One 70-inch-long batten Board-and-batten doors are a mainstay of the oldest and simplest North American homes. The originals were probably painted, and required a bit of rope or a thumb latch to stay closed. This type of door is rustic, light-duty, and simple to make. On the other hand, board-and-batten doors are about three steps above animal skins stretched over a stick frame. Putting them in your house may elicit accusations of advanced camping, as they’re thin, don’t insulate well, and aren’t dimensionally stable. But they do look nice, so they’re great in…

In most areas, stone is relatively easy to access. For this project, the stone can be just about any size or shape. You can usually either buy it and have it delivered, or you can go for drives and load up small amounts from where it sits discarded on the side of the road by farmers — just remember to always ask first. For as little stone as you’ll need to build a culvert, gathering your own is definitely the best option. The adventure of finding stones for a project is often as much fun as building with them.…

An international traveler was touring in Botswana when he exposed himself to far too much sun and experienced tremendous heat, pain, and blistering on his face, chest, arms, and legs. Some large Cape aloe (Aloe ferox) plants grew close to the hotel. He severed a couple of fleshy, 3-foot-long leaves, went up to his room, split the leaves to expose the glorious cooling gel, and applied them directly to his body. Ah! He was saved! The aloe relieved the pain of the blisters. This anecdote illustrates some of the signal aspects of healing with poultices. Poultices are simply whole or mashed herbal material — leaf, root, or seed — layered or spread on skin without extraction or complex preparation. They use local ingredients, offer speedy relief, and cost little or…

Alternative Chicken Coop A lot of chicken predators prowl our area, where I live with my dog Gracie, indoor cat Moon Shadow, and our two hens and Bantam-Cochin rooster. So, when my washing machine finally needed to be repurposed, I decided it would make a great nighttime shelter for the chicks. I removed the innards from the washer, cut a removable plywood top and floor for the inside, filled it with straw, and — voilà! — I had a safe chicken apartment with the addition of a window. The flock’s run and house are situated under the covered corner of my deck so they can wander out but remain sheltered. The chickens are grown up now, and so far no critters have gotten to them. I shut their door every…

Nutrient deficiencies might not be the result of poor diet. A landmark study from 2004 revealed that many fruits and vegetables contain less protein, iron, calcium, and vitamin C than they did in the 1950s, though carbohydrate levels have increased over the same time span. While some researchers think this discrepancy is explained by farmers growing sweeter cultivars, others believe a bigger factor is at play — Earth’s changing atmosphere. Earth’s atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are rising. Within the next 50 years, CO2 concentrations are expected to reach 550 parts per million, which is approximately double the amount measured before the mid-19th century. Farming will be profoundly affected: Research shows that elevated CO2 levels will affect 95 percent of plant species — including staple crops, such as wheat, rice, and…

Staple crop production techniques are always evolving, but few strategies promise to change the game as much as Prairie STRIPS (Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips). For years, scientists from Iowa State University (ISU) have experimented with interweaving diverse patches of native, perennial prairie plants with traditional food crops. This ecologically sound farming strategy works to improve soil health without compromising farm productivity or profitability. Converting just 10 percent of a field into prairie strips reduces nitrogen loss by 80 percent, phosphorus loss by 90 percent, and sediment loss by over 95 percent. Estimates show that the STRIPS method costs about $30 per acre to implement, but farmers can apply for a Conservation Reserve Program contract that can cut this price by 85 percent. For farmers interested in…

They’re everywhere in summertime: mulberry trees every 10 feet with berries the size of your thumb coming down by the hundreds. Branches are loaded down with fruit that rains onto sidewalks, lawns, park benches, and meadows. The trees are prolific, and their fruit is delicious, nutritious, and, best of all, often free for the taking. Yet some people seem to despise them. Most often, complaints relate to stained sidewalks, fruit pulp tracked into the house on the soles of shoes, and a slew of purple bird droppings on cars. Another complaint I hear about mulberries is that they’re an invasive species that competes with indigenous trees for space and nutrients, but this is only partially correct. The red mulberry (Morus rubra), the one responsible for all of the magenta-hued avian…

Instead of laying flagstone and building a self-supporting stone channel for water to flow through, you can choose to use a permanent man-made pipe as a structural inner part of the culvert. You’ll want to set the outside edge of the plastic or steel culvert back from view, so making templates for the shape of the circular stone openings is a good idea because you won’t be able to build the outside arch on the culvert. Depending on the size of the opening, you can fashion your temporary form for the two outside arches out of plywood, a plastic bucket, or even a lid from a metal garbage can. The important thing is to get a good continuous contour around the arc of the opening. The dark shadows created by…

Proper watering is one of the most important aspects of growing your own vegetables. On a recent trip to Virginia, I met Scott and Susan Hill of Hill Farm. Scott and Susan turned their retirement into a profitable farm venture. Susan is a master of the growing and accounting part of the operation, and Scott is the architect, maintenance man, and everything-else guy. Scott was a helicopter maintenance test pilot in the U.S. Army before retiring. His skills in fluid dynamics shine in his development of this unique dual watering system. Scott and Susan use these dual watering systems in both their raised and in-ground garden beds at Hill Farm. One part of the system is comprised of a series of three soaker hoses, and the other part provides drip…

Yes. The taste of fruits and vegetables is determined by the combination of sugars, vitamins, and aroma compounds found naturally inside them. Too much water dilutes these flavor components, while less watering boosts flavor. When crops are watered sparingly, yields may be a bit smaller, but the flavor becomes more intense. Soils rich in organic matter hold onto soil moisture for longer. This means you’ll need to water less often to enhance taste. Minimizing your watering of fruit trees, such as cherries and peaches; fruit bushes in containers, such as strawberries and blueberries; and fruiting vegetables, such as tomatoes and chile peppers, will cause the plants to concentrate on fruit production. The plant roots will delve deeply into the soil in search of water and minerals. When the fruits have…

Something I discovered as a trainer is that learning by doing is easier. For most homesteading skills, on-the-job training works best and allows you to complete projects as you learn. Several essential projects which are important to learn as a homesteader, include sourcing alternative energies, greenhouse building, and gardening. Here are some of my suggestions for readers on how to skill up cheaply and efficiently on the homestead. Book learning. Books are the cheapest and most efficient way to study new skills. Rather than just reading a book on a project, read it while building your new potting shed, garden greenhouse (mine is pictured at right), or animal shelter. Apply the techniques as you go. If you mess up or get stuck on a detail, take time to do web…

My son built me a self-sifting worm bin! He built it out of rot-resistant lumber, and the bottom is a piece of metal roofing. It’s set on a slight slant so I can catch casting tea in 5-gallon buckets. It has legs for added height, which makes it easier for me to access, and a hinged metal roof. To make the bin self-sifting, my son installed a piece of hardware cloth across the middle of the bin. I feed on one side of the bin, and when a good bit of worm castings builds up, I start feeding the other side. I usually scoop up and add a handful or two of worms to get them started. The rest of the worms crawl through the hardware cloth to get to…

SHOW US! Share your unique perspective with our community by submitting photos of inviting gardens, nutritious foods, wild animals, and more to the MOTHER SHOW US! EARTH NEWS Photo Group on Flickr (www.Flickr.com/Groups/MotherEarthNewsPhotos/Pool). We’ll feature our favorites here and online!…

While many people rely on a cup (or four) of coffee to get going in the morning, they may not realize that their favorite brew contains far more than the caffeine that kick-starts their days. Dozens of chemicals long banned in the United States, such as chlorpyrifos, disulfoton, and methyl parathion, are still used in nonorganic coffee production, putting both farms and field workers at risk of toxic contamination. In light of coffee’s potential adverse environmental effects, some Americans are turning to a more local source instead: yaupon. This increasingly popular drink is native to the southeast United States and contains a caffeine level that falls between black tea and coffee. Many southeastern Native American tribes valued yaupon as a ceremonial drink, and the brew, similar in taste and texture…

In late January 2017, a surprise calf was born on our farm. Out of context, this may seem like a happy accident — even a bonus. However, it was still midwinter in Wisconsin, and we were unprepared. Calving is a regular event in a beef herd, and we’d been looking forward to our first calving, but we weren’t expecting any births until late April, when the weather would be warmer and the cows would all be on good green grass. We started our herd with 22 heifers — Galloway and Shorthorn — and a yearling Shorthorn bull named Chief. But the tiny, black Galloway bull calf wasn’t Chief ’s offspring. Cattle have the same approximate gestation period as humans, and we turned Chief out with these heifers on July 20,…

Companion planting means growing two or more different plants in close proximity for a specific purpose, such as better pest control or higher yields. In the past, many companion planting practices were based on folklore or bad science, but recent research into reducing pesticide use on farms has shed new light on how companion planting works. Increased diversity is at the heart of companion planting. Incorporating plants that attract beneficial insects, deter pests, or invigorate the soil will turn up the volume on interactions between plants, insects, and the soil food web — and the result is boosted garden resilience. A successful combination often has multiple benefits. For example, when arugula and onions are grown together, the onions repel some flea beetles from the arugula, while the wide leaves of…

This mild, creamy, multiuse cheese is simply great to have on hand. It’s easy to make, easy to use, and easily one of my all-time favorite cheeses. Buttermilk gives it a slight tang, and the result is something between cream cheese and ricotta. Coagulation is swift and visually dramatic for this one, making it an impressive cheese to make with kids or for dinner guests (double the recipe for a crowd). The entire process is low-stress and gratifying, and takes about 30 minutes. I love dipping garden-grown veggies in a dish of farmers cheese, but you can also use it for baking — or spreading on breakfast pastries. Alternatively, you can shape the cheese into a log and cover it with dry herbs for a lovely and delicious gift to…

Ingredients • 2½ cups fresh mulberries, divided• 1 cup chicken stock• ½ cup ketchup• ¼ cup brown sugar• 2 tbsp pickle juice, white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar• Juice squeezed from ½ lemon• 2 tsp chili powder• 1⁄8 tsp cinnamon• ¼ tsp mustard seed, crushed• Pinch of salt Mulberries come into season in time for summer cookouts, and my absolute favorite thing to make with them is my super-duper, (nearly) world-famous Mulberry Barbecue Sauce. It’s inexpensive and easy to make, and it’s an excellent addition to chicken, brats, fish, veggies, or just about anything else you could throw on a grill. Feel free to experiment with it, get creative, and have fun. Yield: 4 cups. 1 In a medium saucepan, add 2 cups of mulberries to the stock and bring…

Taking on the task of building a dry-stacked stone culvert — that is, a stone culvert that doesn’t use mortar — presents the very satisfying opportunity to build something that’ll be strong enough for you to drive a vehicle over and will look very much like a beautiful dry-stacked stone bridge. There’s no reason to go with bags of sand or cement, blocks, plastic, metal, or anything man-made in your finished culvert. With a little bit of effort and the right stone material, a culvert can become the showcase of your property. After all, it’s the first thing people will see when they pull up to your drive. Why not make it stunning? Creating Your Culvert Start by digging out and removing the dirt from the location of your future…

The cattail plant has been a staple of both Native American and rural European diets since prehistoric times. It’s one of my favorite survival foods because it grows in wet places all over the world, and virtually every part of the plant is edible at some time of year. You won’t have to look far to find it — cattails, the most common and largest being Typha latifolia, grow in moist soil or standing water, such as around the edges of ponds or in marshes. The plant is easy to identify and harvest. This makes it a fine staple in addition to being a great survival food. If I had to choose between surviving barehanded for a spell near a pond with catfish or one with cattails, I’d probably opt…

The house you’re considering is among more than 1 million homes that have a solar power system, thanks to falling costs and advances in solar equipment. Before moving into the home, ask the seller the following questions. 1 Is the solar energy system owned or leased? Typically, it’s better for buyers if the system is owned, because it means that they, in turn, will own it outright after purchasing the home without having to pay anything extra. Even if the solar energy system was acquired with a loan, the seller will be responsible for paying it off, meaning the buyer will receive ownership of the panels without having to fork out any additional cash. Purchasing a home with a leased system, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated.…

The production of jeans isn’t very eco-friendly, so I want to get as many uses out of them as I can. Making small rugs is a great way to put old jeans and towels to good use. Our family alone doesn’t wear out enough jeans to make many of these rugs, but I find that other people we know are often getting rid of worn-out jeans and are happy to give them to me. Yard sales and thrift stores are also great sources. The pattern for these rugs comes from Reinvention: Sewing with Rescued Materials by Maya Donenfeld, and it uses small squares of denim pieced together in a technique similar to quilting. I back the denim squares with worn-out towels for support. This is a great way to use…