Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from January 2007

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from January 2007

Sabbaticals for homesteaders.(From the editor)
January 1, 2007... If you're looking for Notes from the Northwoods, we hate to say you won't find it in this issue. Sue Robishaw is taking a well-deserved sabbatical and concentrating on hauling firewood instead. Speaking of sabbaticals, I think it's...

Wire cages can do more than just house animals.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I am writing to tell you how grateful I am for the article on animal cages (Nov/Dec 2006). I have had a real difference of opinion with the chipmunks in my yard as to who is going to get the gooseberries. The problem has always...

Blister beetles are a common pest.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: In response to S. Reinshagen seeking help with blister beetles (Nov./Dec., 2006 page 27): We had the same problem with blister beetles destroying our tomato plants. I discovered the solution by accident. Plant marigolds in between...

Designing a passive solar home: functional can be beautiful.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: My husband and I built a passive solar home in 2005 that I spent a year researching and designing. In my opinion functional is beautiful, so our house is not only eye catching, but it looks like it belongs here. Our acreage is...

Sources for high desert gardeners.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: We were very happy to see a reader ask about desert living tips in the Sept./Oct., 2006 issue. We have been living at 5,300 feet 30 miles northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona for the past five years. It is the same scrub country as the...

Don't skimp on a chimney brush.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: If you own a woodstove it is worth the cost to purchase a real chimney brush. This is a relatively cheap form of fire insurance. A sack of rocks may work in a pinch, but having lived through a flue fire, I trust nothing but the...

Homemade salve recipe.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I am looking for the formula for a product called "Balsam Salve." I understand that it is made from Balsam apples or pears. Can you help? While we don't have the specific recipe you're looking for, here's a salve recipe...

Use extra care when using non-native species.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I really enjoyed the article "Food independence takes on new meaning for this urban Florida couple." However, I was alarmed to read that they have brought in exotic animal species such as Cuban lizards, Cuban tree frogs, etc., for...

Community gardens: good for the soul, too.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: Many years ago I remember articles about how some churches and organizations would plant community gardens to help feed the poor or struggling in their communities. One article was written by an elderly woman who fondly remembered...

He loves his Tennesee walkers!(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: This is in response to Eric Brown's article "What to look for in a usin' horse," (Nov./Dec., 2006). I was appalled to see that Mr. Brown obviously doesn't have a clue about the versatility of the Tennessee Walking Horse. I...

Why "waste" food?!(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I just bought a copy of your magazine and saw a homey feel, much like Warm Earth, an Australian magazine I like. However I am surprised that your Philosophy isn't under-pinned by a statement of long-term sustainability of...

Creativity on the homestead: who says fun and function can't coexist?(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: We bought a 1910 Belgium brick farmhouse in northeast Wisconsin about two years ago. We have 40 acres, of which 36 are rented to a local farmer. I love crafts and making things from items people would discard or see no use...

Share your results using DE as a livestock wormer.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I'm looking for some information regarding using food grade diatomaceous earth for use as a natural wormer in milking goats or horses, or other farm animals. If anyone has some info regarding the use of this substance (or another...

Was his disc purchase a good deal?(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: Maybe I can ask readers to give me a little background on a farm implement I bought at a farm auction. I bought a "Sunshine by Modern" disc and it looks like it's 5-1/2 foot (five feet six inches) wide. A guy at the sale said...

Don't become NAIS-complacent.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I appreciate the reader who encourages us to stop "preaching to the choir" regarding NAIS. Certainly our energy needs to go to writing our legislators on this topic. However, I'd like to offer a different perspective on the...

Raising children without modern conveniences.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I am the mother of two wonderful children. Two years ago I let my oldest go for a visit with her father. I moved to Missouri to have a better, more natural lifestyle for my kids. My daughter got in a fight with her father and ran...

Another stevia source.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: Stevia plants (a natural sweetener, 90/4:22) are also available from Wishing Well Herbs, 2784 Murdock Rd., Medina, NY 14103.--Renata Prell, Wisconsin

Burning emergency candles efficiently.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I'd like to share a tip with readers. When it's necessary to light those emergency candles during a power outage, I've found that by using an empty wide mouth glass jar and adding 1/8 inch of water, then a votive candle, the candle...

Reviving the breadbox.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I am a relatively new subscriber to COUNTRYSIDE. I subscribe to about 20 magazines which cover a very diverse subject matter, but there are only about three that I read from cover to cover, and one of them is COUNTRYSIDE. I have...

Building a simple cabin--without all the permits?(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: We need helpful advice from those homesteaders who have managed to set up low-technology homesteads in spite of regulations that would try to keep us from living simply. My husband and I are finally at the point in our lives where...

Reduce mud in livestock pens with carpeting.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I noted Ms. Padgett of Pennsylvania's problem with a muddy chicken pen (Sept./Oct, 2006). It brought to mind how that same problem was handled by a friend of mine in Port Angeles, Washington. She has her goats and chickens in pens...

Tv or no tv for homestead kids?(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I apologize in advance for the rather scathing tone of this letter, but Miss A. M. Larson paints with a very broad brush when she labels teens other than herself as "lazy, boring, brain-dead, and useless." My husband and I raised...

Death by television?(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I'd like to comment on the great number of COUNTRYSIDE readers who have no time for tv. This was in an article in the Oct./Nov., 2006 issue. The article mentioned how much better a family with teenagers did when there was no...

They want "Nebraska Roll" sausage secret.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: While on vacation in Nebraska we stopped in at a butcher shop in a small Czech community. We like to try some of the local favorites whether it's brats, smoked sausage or wieners. They had a smoked sausage called "Nebraska Roll"...

Guests take a toll s on her hospitality.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I wanted to write and say how much I am enjoying Patricia Lewis' series of articles on selling home crafts. I have angora rabbits and alpacas, and spin, weave, and knit their fiber. Her comments and experience are really helpful...

Family album.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: Here is a picture of my little brother Nathan and I doing the chores for our free-range chickens. This is the first year we have raised poultry, so it has been a learning experience. We bought a grain truck topper at the local...

Jack Henstridge the passing of a cordwood legend.
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE: I just received the very sad news of Jack Henstridge's passing. Jack probably wouldn't have ever considered himself a legend, but he is. Without a doubt, Jack was responsible for the building of hundreds of cordwood dwellings...

Don't forget your survival kit!(Communing with nature?)
January 1, 2007... Here in the mountains people are needlessly found dead every year because they became lost or disoriented, and were unprepared for an emergency. Though I identify with po' folks and prefer to write articles restricted to their interests, even...

Choosing the right off-grid inverter.(Life the sunny side)
January 1, 2007... Getting ready to move back to the land, and say Adios to the local power company? It s an empowering feeling, but it s also a process that takes a ton of planning. As your mind swims in a veritable sea of options for the off-grid solar and wind...

Hot water with less worry.
January 1, 2007... Water heating accounts for approximately 15 percent of the average household's total energy consumption (and a sizable chunk of its energy costs). If your water heater is more than 10 years old it is likely running at less than 50 percent...

Livestock on the homestead.(Cover story)
January 1, 2007... The natural world is inhabited by a hugely diverse mix of both plants and animals. If the secret of sustainable food production is imitation of natural systems, I conclude that, if we possibly can, we should include livestock as well as plants...

Innovative milker works for a variety of livestock.(Homestead livestock)
January 1, 2007... A hand-held, trigger operated pump originally invented for mares is also used for milking sheep and goats. Sautie Krey, a sheep breeder in Alberta, Canada, discovered the Udderly EZ Milker last year. "I was weaning Iambs and my ewes had far too...

Minerals for your horse: striking a balance.(The homestead horse)
January 1, 2007... Somewhere between the meat-and-potatoes subject of hay and grain, and the glitzy, fashionable topics of vitamins, glucosamine and MSM, lie the minerals, the nebulous, elemental necessities of life. In a chemical sense, minerals are about as...

Why do people ride aside? To preserve the tradition!(The homestead horse)
January 1, 2007... Introduction I have subscribed to your magazine for around five years, and my husband and I enjoy the articles in every magazine we receive. Our side saddle display team, Ride2theSide, has been travelling around the country for the...

Family album.
January 1, 2007... We raise Angus beef cattle--we wean and sell off calves in the fall. We also raise chickens and Boer goats. We are currently fixing up our neglected 150 acre farm that we bought four years ago, trying to do most of it ourselves and paying as we...

The chicken and the egg.(The henhouse)(Recipe)
January 1, 2007... During our four decades of homestead living, we have had many kinds of livestock. Though milk goats, ducks, a goose, rabbits and pigs have come and gone and sometimes come again; we have always had chickens. Our multi-purpose barn sits in...

Babying your chicks.(The henhouse)
January 1, 2007... I use a baby crib to brood newly hatched chicks. I bought a small crib for $10 at a thrift store. (You can't use the mattress so save it for another project). The crib I bought had adjustable legs, which was very nice for my arthritic back....

Corporate control of our food supply: the real impacts of the National Animal Identification System.(Homestead politics)
January 1, 2007... COUNTRYSIDE readers are by now familiar with the National Animal Identification System, or NAIS. Most people who own livestock animals are opposed to the NAIS as soon as they hear what it would be require, but others often ask, "What's so bad...

Government beef.(Homestead politics)
January 1, 2007... A quick succession of shots rang out, echoing through the forest to the southwest of us as I was giving a couple of visitors the grand tour of the farm. We were chatting near the silo when we heard the commotion. Our guests that day were Kurt...

Choosing the right hunting knife.
January 1, 2007... Choosing the right knife is a bit like choosing a mate in life. In both cases it seems that everyone has a different opinions as to what characteristics are the most important. The problem in both cases is if you don't choose wisely you could...

Earth's most user-friendly composter: used tires.(The garden)
January 1, 2007... To broaden your scope of why you should home garden, and for a digest of soil enhancement methods available to you, you will find no better overview than in Harvey Ussery's "Achieving food independence on the modern homestead, Part 1,"...

An organic leap to a compost heap.(The garden)
January 1, 2007... If you have a yard, an ideal way to return as much organic matter as possible to the soil is to build your own compost heap. Compost is "ecological," easy to make, and your plants will love you for it. It's like having a backyard trash masher....

Make your own rotating compost barrel.(The garden)(Reprint)
January 1, 2007... If you can find a large old (used and discarded) oil barrel, cut a hatchway out of one side; about 20"x 30" will do. Cut holes exactly in the center one each end to match the size of steel water pipe you plan to use. Measure the total length of...

Grow your own greens (all you'll never have to worry about the stuff in a plastic wrapper again.(The garden)
January 1, 2007... SPINACH CROW MILLER NEW YORK Under the best growing conditions, plants will begin to bold (go to seed) when daylight exceeds 14 to 16 hours, depending on variety. However, spinach will bolt even faster when grown in temperatures...

Using your chestnuts: with recipes from France and Italy.(The garden)(Recipe)
January 1, 2007... The recently identified 40-year-old pure Chinese chestnut trees started to drop their nuts yesterday. Last year over 40 pounds of nuts were harvested, shared and prepared. First spread out in shallow containers to dry slightly for seven to 10...

The art of ordering garden seeds: you'll want enough plants to feed your family, of course, but don't order so many seeds that they just go to waste.(The garden)
January 1, 2007... Once the holiday pleasures have been fully enjoyed and the decorations are packed up in boxes and relegated for another year to their place in the attic, we find ourselves reflecting upon the past year and looking forward--with a clean...

The healthy & tantalizing pomegranate.(The homestead kitchen)(Recipe)
January 1, 2007... Wonderful to look at, appetizing in flavor, delicious in taste and with a juice which is refreshing on a hot summer day," is how a northern European tourist visiting the Middle East once described the pomegranate. With this characterization,...

All about cinnamon.(The homestead kitchen)
January 1, 2007... Kyle is a 17-year-old home-schooled student who wrote this article for a recent school project. He thought other readers would be interested in knowing more about this interesting spice. The spice that is called cinnamon comes from the bark...

You, too, can save up to 50% on your grocery bill!(The homestead kitchen)
January 1, 2007... I have discovered the secret of saving money feeding babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Well, I can't take the credit for it. My mom taught it to me many years ago but I didn't put it into practice until the first financial crisis we had when...

Skin care tips.(The homestead kitchen)
January 1, 2007... Facial Toner 2 cups water 1/2 cup dried chamomile flowers 1/4 cup vinegar (any kind) Heat the water to 110[degrees]F and add the flowers. Shake and allow to cool. Add the vinegar and put in a cool, dark place for about a week....

But I want it now: it takes time to establish a home business.(Your homestead business)
January 1, 2007... Imagine, if you will, that I've adopted a nasty whiny voice, something like a three-year-old might utilize in some of her more annoying moments. "But I waaaant it noooowwww!" Want what? A toy, a play date, a cookie? Nah, nothing that...

Livestock on the homestead: no two homesteads are the same--which is part of their charm. This month readers share the livestock breed(s) that share their domain.(Question of the month)
January 1, 2007... Maybe because my parents never let us have any pets as a child, I've gone quite overboard in raising animals. I've raised animals as pets, but I've raised them mostly for food and to produce an income. I'd like to share a few things I've...

Water buffalo and yak welcome.
January 1, 2007... We have just begun to realize our dream. We have added two water buffalo steer calves and four yaks to our life. None of these animals will be raised for food; they can contribute in other ways. The yaks will give milk and fiber and will...

They became llama owners on a lark.
January 1, 2007... We have always had an assortment of critters. Dogs, cats, sheep, a goat, poultry and horses. When our two older horses passed on, I decided to wait a while before considering any other new additions. We still had the dogs, cats, chickens and...

They've tried them all--almost.
January 1, 2007... We live in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and have had all types of livestock. Although I don't think that anything would really be considered "unusual." Many people are more amazed that I, being female, have slaughtered them. My husband...

Alpacas for fiber and temperament.
January 1, 2007... We bought our first alpaca in April, 2005. Two months later, we had her and her cria (a baby alpaca) along with another female on our small acreage. What a joy and what a journey they have given us. We now have five females, three males, and...

Running springs farm.
January 1, 2007... Last year, our family bought 44 acres in Maryland. My parents were born in the big city--my dad is from Los Angeles and my mom is from New York City--but over the last few years, we have been collecting livestock, so we really needed a farm to...

A love affair with ducks.
January 1, 2007... My love affair with ducks began about three years ago with a rescued domestic duckling abandoned after Easter. "Chen" had no fear of humans and obviously had been hand-raised as he readily fed from a hand. Of all the ducks I've had, he is the...

Goats get the votes on this homestead.
January 1, 2007... My family raises goats. At the moment we have a mixed herd of nine LaManchas, five Nubians, one Boer, and two Boer/Alpine crosses. We bred nine does this year, which is a record high for us. Our goats are dual-purpose livestock animals. The...

The long & winding road.(Country neighbors)
January 1, 2007... Our trip to the homesteading way of life was a long road that spanned three decades with the ultimate end still a couple of crossroads away. It was all set up by a partial life in the United States military, which at this time may be an...

Oregon bound! In search of a small farm we could call our own.(Country neighbors)
January 1, 2007... My husband and I had taken a tremendous leap of faith and moved from suburban Connecticut to rural Oregon in the middle of December 2003. We left our condo, jobs and health insurance in a snowstorm, and headed west with our two elderly cats for...

Memoirs of a flatlander.(Country neighbors)
January 1, 2007... Some of my faithful readers may know I relocated from the Sacramento Valley to the Sierra-Nevada Foothills a number of years ago. The transitional years were as smooth as a steep, gravel country road after the rainy season. Most of the...

Home from Alaska: Mel Gillund was able to take in some of the local artisans' works, and shares his tales with us, now that he's ...(The wood carver)
January 1, 2007... I had a most enjoyable two weeks in Alaska while my wife Marlys, our daughter Karen and Marlys' sisters visited New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. Marlys had visited all 50 states except New Jersey and West Virginia. Now she...

Poor Will's Countryside Almanack for Winter of 2007.
January 1, 2007... There is no season such delight can bring, As summer, autumn, winter, and the spring.--William Browne Astronomical data for January The Phases of the Owl Nesting Moon and the Singing Cardinal Moon Owls court and nest in the coldest...

"If only ...".(After chores)
January 1, 2007... This was first published in the Jan/Feb, 1987, issue of COUNTRYSIDE. Just think of all the things we could have accomplished (or better yet, have accomplished!) in the 20 years since then, by "creating our future" today! "Gosh," the old...