Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2023 i MOTHER EARTH NEWS

I thought I had a lot to offer. But I have even more to learn. In January 2017, I made my first trip to Africa as part of a tiny nonprofit called I Am Zambia. For years, I’d watched the endeavors of a good friend, Heidi, who traveled to Zambia with another non-profit. I felt that Africa called to me, but I had no travel money or anything to offer. Then, Heidi co-founded I Am Zambia, focusing on educating young women to give them more options. The nonprofit purchased land within Mwembeshi village with the intent of building an elementary school with an attached farm to address food insecurity. Suddenly, I could help—and I Am Zambia wanted my help! Before that first trip, I created a business plan based on…

In the Cherokee creation story, a buzzard creates the mountains and valleys with each flap of his wings. It’s these very same mountains and buzzards that envelop Tamarya Sims (they/them) with a sense of peace and protection as they farm this tribal land in Western North Carolina. Tamarya is a Black environmentalist, farmer, herbalist, educator, and beekeeper. I had the pleasure of interviewing them recently about their experiences residing and working in rural Appalachia. Britney: Can you tell me where the name Soulfull Simone Farm came from? Tamarya: Simone is my middle name and is sentimental to me, and Soulfull is intentionally spelled incorrectly. I added two Ls to the end because I wanted people to ask me why. The reason is I want people to come to my farm…

As I dig deeper into hobby gardening, I’ve experimented with starting seeds in late winter to jumpstart the growing season. This practice saves money, and I find it immensely satisfying to watch seedlings emerge under a grow light indoors, especially when I’m still hibernating from frozen temperatures. Once you have your grow system in place, there’s a huge cost savings in buying seeds and soil compared with buying green-house plants to transplant. Even better, it can become an endless cycle if you save seeds at harvest time. Multiple books in the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Store teach seed-saving. Simply click on the “Gardening” tab and select “Seeds & Seed Starting.” I recommend Beginning Seed Saving for the Home Gardener by Jim Ulager. The author covers a variety of seed-saving topics, including…

For the past three years, I’ve had blossom end rot on all my tomatoes. I’ve read that this isn’t a virus, but that it’s a problem with too much or not enough water, or watering at the wrong time. I’ve also been told to add lime or to water with a mixture of powdered milk or Epsom salt. I’ve taken all of this advice with no success and am at a loss. Do you have any suggestions? A lot of gardeners have problems with blossom end rot. If you reach out on any garden forum, people will overwhelmingly tell you to put eggshells in your soil. But here’s the catch: Those eggshells have to decompose first, so that trick only works well for the following year! Several different factors can…

“I’m so grateful for the early years of my life and the skills I learned. I’ve used them with raising my kids and now my grandson, teaching them to appreciate Mother Earth and use her resources wisely.” EDITORS’ PICK Checkin’ Out Moss I loved reading “Mossin’ Annie” (October/November 2022). After spending most of my life in Phoenix, Arizona — where we were always amused by newcomers’ fascination with cacti — I found myself being the one to entertain the locals when I moved to the Pacific Northwest a few years ago. My initial awe of “Wow, look at all these trees!” quickly became “Wait, what’s all this fuzzy stuff growing on them?” Perhaps folks aren’t amused to see a stranger lurking at the corner of their yard to examine the…

Sheep are a great addition to many farmsteads. They can be a source of fiber, meat, and milk for your family, and they’re excellent mowers. Although you’ll have to weigh many factors when choosing the right breed for your needs, the same basics of safety and sustenance apply to all animals. Let’s include fencing and shelter in the safety category, and place food and water under sustenance. Begin by loosely evaluating your current setup for existing fences, barns, and outbuildings; nontraditional areas that could be used as pasture; and streams and ponds. Then, consider how to use, modify, or add to those existing assets to provide the best possible environment for your sheep to thrive. Fences That Make Sense Fencing is essential for keeping livestock in and predators out. Your…

Cattle breeds as we know them today developed from the specific needs of humans, the environment, and, to a certain extent, from the cattle themselves. Some breeds excel at milk production, some excel at meat production, some are good at both, and some are good at both with the added bonus of making splendid oxen teams. Cattle evolved from a common ancestor into the two species we know today, Bos indicus and Bos taurus. The array of today’s highly unique breeds of cattle are all subunits of one or the other of those two species. No matter how wildly different a Highland cow looks from a Holstein, they’re both of the Bos taurus species, and when bred together, they’ll produce viable, fertile offspring. In fact, Bos indicus cattle and Bos…

(Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685; Published in Dec/Jan 2023 MOTHER EARTH NEWS) 1. Title of Publication: MOTHER EARTH NEWS. 2. Publication No. 0027-1535. 3. Date of Filing: September 30, 2022. 4. Frequency of Issue: Bimonthly. 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 6. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $19.95. 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, Shawnee, KS 66609-1265. 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 1503 SW42nd St., Topeka, Shawnee, KS 66609-1265. 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Address of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Publisher – Bill Uhler; Ogden Publications, Inc., 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609-1265; Editor – Marissa Ames; Ogden Publications, Inc., 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS66609-1265; Editor-at-Large – Hank Will; Ogden Publications, Inc.,…

How cold is too cold for my chickens, and what can I do to help them weather winter? There’s no exact answer to this question. In general, chickens can survive quite well in cold temperatures. If you live in an area with cold winters, consider stocking your flock with cold-hardy breeds, such as Black Australorps, Buff Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, and Barred Rocks, to name a few. The better question to ask is whether your chicken coop is properly prepared for winter. Two things are absolute musts for a chicken coop in cold weather. First, your chickens need fresh water that’s not frozen. There are lots of ways to keep your water flowing, including refilling throughout the day or using a heated water bowl. Second, your coop needs proper ventilation.…

Notably, it provides millions of dollars for building infrastructure to combat climate change in rural areas across the country. And through tax credits, energy rebates, loans, and grants, the IRA provides billions of dollars to support climate-friendly agriculture, forest conservation, and climate-resilient forests as well as sustainable, domestic production of biofuels. The IRA is the largest investment the United States has made in combating climate change. More than $20 billion has been designated to help farmers implement and expand conservation practices, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and encourage carbon sequestration in soil and trees; $14 billion will be invested toward clean-energy transitions in rural areas and creating clean-energy jobs in rural communities. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill is unlikely to improve inflation for Americans in the near…

In the children’s book The Wind in The Willows, one character says to another, “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” Without a doubt, there’s a unique sort of peace to be found when paddling a boat or, more particularly for me, a coracle. Lightweight River Vessels Coracles are small fishing vessels designed to carry just one person, and they’re usually made from natural and locally sourced materials. The shape of these tiny boats can vary slightly, depending on local customs and the type of water they’re used on, but one thing all coracles have in common is that they’re easy to transport and are light enough to be carried on a person’s back.…

I’m having trouble with my well pump; can I replace it myself? I did, but there was a learning curve! I recently went to our home-stead kitchen faucet to get a glass of water, and nothing came out. What a “sinking” feeling that was. After checking the breaker and testing the control box and pressure switch, I determined that our well pump was at the end of its life, so we decided to remove and replace it. We’ve been homesteading for about six years now. When we lived in the city, we had a water pipe that entered our home and provided pressurized water at the tap. We sure did take that for granted. But I love our well water. It’s the best water I’ve ever had. Absent our well,…