Innholdsfortegnelse for October - November 2018 i MOTHER EARTH NEWS

Not too long after we moved to our small farm, we realized there was work to be done before we could start growing produce to sell. Posts in the barn were leaning over, in need of support. Paint had completely peeled from the old chicken house, leaving bare wood. We had a well, but no water hydrants. And while the barn could house animals, it wasn’t set up for processing vegetables. So we decided to spend our first year on infrastructure: building greenhouses, installing drain tiles, remodeling a processing room, building a driveway, and otherwise organizing the farm. By taking time to build up our farm’s infrastructure early on, we set ourselves up for smooth sailing for many years ahead. Based on our experiences, we recommend that you establish these…

I was cleaning up my knives after a presentation at the Texas Mother Earth News Fair when an elderly man approached the stage. He smiled up at me and said, “Nobody’s ever going to do the stuff you’re telling them. They’re too lazy.” I remembered his face from the audience, smiling and nodding as I butchered half an animal from nose to tail, explaining the workings of the muscles, the different types of fat, and the value of the bones, the feet, and the organs. He went on to tell me, “When I was a boy, we were in the meat club. Once every month, somebody would slaughter a beef. After it was cut, everyone in the club would take a piece or two. There was a record of what…

Nothing beats the convenience of having homemade broth and stock on hand in your kitchen. Homemade broths and stocks taste better than canned broths, bouillon cubes and pastes, and even expensive boxed broths. In addition, you’ll reduce your kitchen waste if you extract the flavor that remains in bones and vegetable peelings after the other parts are consumed. But what do you call the simmering mixture in your pot? Is it broth, or is it stock? The two terms are often used interchangeably, and definitions do vary, so it depends on who you ask. But, in a nutshell, stock is the gelatinous result of cooking vegetables and bones in unseasoned water for several hours to extract flavor, while broth is made out of vegetables and meat simmered in a seasoned…

Be sure to keep your customer base in mind when selecting cultivars for your property. Once, a catalog description convinced me to try a particular cultivar. The berry was as flavorful as described, but it was so small and the plants were so thorny that picking them was very difficult. I’ve since phased out this cultivar for shrubs with larger berries and fewer thorns. The following is a sampling of gooseberry cultivars that have worked for me. All are vigorous and disease-resistant. In general, American species (Ribes hirtellum) are somewhat smaller and less flavorful than European species (Ribes uva-crispa). The downside to European species is that they’re traditionally more susceptible to powdery mildew, although many of the newer European species are resistant. ‘Hinnomaki Red’ (R. uva-crispa). One of the most…

When fall colors explode across the fields and forests of the eastern United States, many families participate in a long-standing tradition: gathering native persimmons. These unusual little fruits develop their appealing sweet and spicy flavor with the help of autumn’s first frosts, and are among my favorite baking ingredients during the winter. To prepare fresh persimmons for cooking, I press the ripe fruit through a colander to remove the seeds. I press my persimmons in bulk and freeze the pulp, so I can have it ready to go all season long. Some of my favorite persimmon recipes are the simplest ones, yet they’re always crowd-pleasers at family functions and holidays. Joseph F. Persinger Seymour, Indiana Persimmon Pudding Yield: about 18 servings. • ½ cup butter• 2 cups persimmon pulp• ½…

Kevin and Cherie Schenker live and work on several hundred acres of prairie in southeast Kansas, near land that’s been farmed by Cherie’s family since 1874. The task of tending this land passed to the Schenkers in 2008, which led them to establish their own cattle operation, Schenker Family Farms. Kevin and Cherie aim to steward their land humanely; their animals graze on specialty grasses and their farm is Certified Naturally Grown. Plus, they’ve worked to have a positive impact on their communities both globally and locally. Since 2010, they’ve partnered with Adopt-a-Platoon to ship their products to soldiers stationed overseas. And in 2017, they opened McCune Farm to Market, a small grocery store and café, to serve as a community hub and alleviate the surrounding food desert. In this…

“I just brought home a livestock guardian dog. Now what?” I read this question almost every day on various online livestock guardian dog forums. First, congratulations! Second, here are some tips on how to welcome your working dog to your homestead. Hopefully you’ve located a healthy pup from a good breeder who chooses breeding dogs carefully for their working behaviors, temperament, and soundness. Most importantly, if you want a good working dog, you’ll need to buy a pup from a recognized LGD breed or a cross of recognized breeds — and nothing else. LGD breeds were developed through centuries to be perfectly suited to this work, and they inherit a set of genetic behaviors and traits. You can’t train another breed to be an LGD. (See “Guidelines for Selecting an…

Changing local policies can be daunting, whether you’re working alongside officials to create solutions, or engaging your community to fight for your collective rights. We’ve gathered three firsthand accounts of folks who’ve helped transform their place on the planet at the city and state levels. Common steps led to the success of all three: speaking up, including the community, finding allies, and persevering. We hope you’ll be inspired by them and know that, no matter how daunting, positive change is possible when we work together to achieve common goals. — Mother Policy Pollinators When the conditions are right, planting a seed may be all it takes to reap a bounty. When making a case for urban agriculture in Lawrence, Kansas, the seed was a simple question about placing a bee…

The cool, dry winds, unsettled weather, and decreasing daylight hours that we experience in winter can be difficult for our bodies and minds. The ritual of making and drinking herbal tea is a fine way to tune into the slower rhythms of colder seasons. Sipping a cup of tea will allow you to pause for a moment and let the stillness of this time of year nourish you. Try these two herbal tea recipes to stay happy and healthy this winter. Each recipe calls for dried herbs, which you can grow and dry at home or purchase at your local natural foods store or online. To make teas, you’ll just need a kettle for boiling water, a pot for making herbal decoctions, a measuring spoon, a teapot, a tea infuser…

If you’ve walked into a health food store lately, you’ve no doubt seen a proliferation of syrups, tonics, and homeopathic medicines made with elderberries (Sambucus nigra). These products are meant to prevent and treat cold and flu symptoms and to boost your immune system, and often include honey as well. It’s no surprise that herbalists everywhere are combining elderberry and honey. According to information on the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center website, “Some evidence suggests that the chemicals in elder flower and berries may help reduce swelling in mucous membranes, including the sinuses, and help relieve nasal congestion. Elder may have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-influenza, and anticancer properties.” Honey is likewise well-known for its medicinal qualities — it can soothe a sore throat and calm a cough, and it’s…

Sturdy Wheel Hoe From $239 at www.ValleyOakTool.com If your farm or garden is too small for a tractor but too big for hand tools alone, the Valley Oak Wheel Hoe has you covered. This versatile tool accepts multiple quick-change attachments, such as a furrower, a cultivator, a hiller, and multiple weeding blade assemblies. The ability to switch out attachments without tools is something that editor Russell Mullin appreciates; simply pull out the pin, remove your attachment, and replace with another. “I really like that Valley Oak uses quick-release pins instead of nuts and bolts for attaching the various implements. I don’t have to worry about forgetting my wrench back in the toolshed if I decide to switch attachments out in the field.” Made in the United States for the past…

Whether they’re just getting started or have been hobby farming for years, more and more people are interested in turning their passion for farming into a full-time career. If you’re one of those people, I encourage you to follow your dream, just as I did in 2006. Before you dive in, let me offer some advice for starting a profitable farm business, based on my personal experience operating a sustainable livestock farm. 1. Treat Your Farm Like a Business Many people ease into farming. They start modestly — a chicken or two here, a raised bed or two there. Before long, they’re producing more food than they can consume, so they decide to sell it, first to neighbors and later at a local market. A few years go by, and…

Don’t adopt a pup under the age of 8 weeks — try to choose one closer to 12 weeks old. Pups learn important lessons from their littermates on how to interact with other dogs, though after adoption, you should only raise one LGD pup at a time. Don’t select a pup that’s small or fine-boned, or that has a pointed muzzle. Most LGDs average 20 pounds at 8 weeks old. At 16 weeks, they should weigh 35 to 40 pounds. A pup that’s significantly smaller probably has mixed parentage and won’t grow large enough to handle predators. If you’re obtaining an adult LGD, it should weigh 80 to 120 pounds or more, depending on the breed. However, avoid oversized and massive dogs, which may result from crosses with other breeds.…

Passing the Smell Test Over 30 years ago, my late father gave me a beautiful handmade wooden cutting board. It was cut from the wood of a tree that grew near my childhood home, and it holds huge sentimental value for me. After many years, I noticed that smells from frequent use had penetrated deep into the wood, and had caused my cutting board to reek of onions and garlic. I despaired at the thought of having to throw it away, but anything I cut on it would quickly absorb the onion flavor. I tried baking soda, lemon juice, salt, and even mustard powder, but nothing could kick the lingering smell. One Thanksgiving, I was scrambling around getting dinner ready when my daughter offered to help. She began to peel…

Yes, you can. One of the benefits of buying a log cabin kit home over a pre-built home is that you can tailor it to your specific needs and lifestyle. But if you go the kit route, you’ll need to be sure that you’re purchasing the right kit for you, and that it comes from a reputable company. Follow these five steps to ensure that you choose a quality log cabin kit home. 1 Determine your budget and location. After you know how much you can afford to spend on the total build, you can then work out how much of your overall budget to use for the kit. Depending on the level of finish you opt for, the kit should cost about a third of your budget, and you…

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