Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from January 2009

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from January 2009

Maybe we need hard times once again?(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I just received the Nov./ Dec. issue and I am really impressed with several of the letters from readers who talk about using what they have available to greatest advantage. I have been thinking that yes, this country is facing some...

Dry wine: the secret's in the sugar content.(Country conversation & feedback)(Recommended readings)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: In your Nov./Dec. 2008 issue, Richard asked for a wild cherry wine recipe. I can help. I have been a wine maker/beer brewer for almost 35 years. Not commercially but for myself, friends and family. Having lived in Italy, I...

Where can I find that stove?(Country conversation & feedback)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: Who is the manufacturer of the stove on the cover of the Nov./ Dec. 2008 issue? It looks good and I am wondering if it is a new one or some old beauty that has been resurrected? I am an old fashioned person and emailing is the...

Five days without power provided a wakeup call.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: Believe it or not I'm writing this by oil lamp. The incident I am about to relate is the reason I have decided to put pen to paper and share this experience. I suppose a little background should be given. Perhaps there may be...

Nest box and roost heights; cold cream recipe.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I have been thinking for three or four years of having chickens on my small acreage. For all of that time, caution has prevailed, but now caution has flown the coop, so to speak. I intend to purchase a dozen or so dual-purpose...

A partner's illness can prove challenging.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I saw the letter from Dianne in the Nov./Dec. 2008 issue about being older and still wanting to fulfill that homesteading dream, and I had to answer. I am a 49-year-old woman with a 57-year-old husband. We've always grown a...

The buildings don't look perfect, but so what?(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: When I open my mailbox and see COUNTRYSIDE, I know I'm about to learn something. Over the years there have been times I've thought of responding to articles or letters too, but I never have. The Sept./Oct. 2008 issue changed all...

There are great frugal tips from Dining on a Dime.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: About four months ago my husband picked up a copy of your magazine and we've been reading ever since. We both love it for different reasons. He would like to someday have a small animal farm on our 5-1/2 acres, so he appreciates...

Readers share unique chimney cleaning methods.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: This is for Todd from Wisconsin. Our fireplace chimney is on the outside of our house. It gets very cold and creosote is a problem. Our local chimney cleaner sold us a powder that you spray into the flue before you light your...

Start small and make it a habit.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: A philosophical response to "Can it ever be too late to homestead?" in the Nov./Dec. 2008 issue: Thoreau said it succinctly: "I wished to live deliberately... and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." ...

There'll be no "what ifs" for them.(married couple and homesteading)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: My husband and I are some of those people who thought about homesteading but it always seemed to be put on the back burner. We had just built a brand new house and lived in a college town. At ages 59 and 58 we were both working to...

Looking for round bale mover plans.(Country conversation & feedback)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: It is getting harder and harder to find small square bales to feed my goats and I don't own a tractor. I have seen two-wheel round bale movers that can move a round bale with your pickup. The ones that I have seen for sale are out...

Organic hay makes great mulch.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: In response to "Where did your mulch come from?" (Sept./ Oct. 2008). Hay is a fine mulch, but you should get it from an organically certified source, then there will be no pesticides or herbicides used on it. You may pay a little...

Another laundry soap recipe.(Country conversation & feedback)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I, too, make my own laundry soap--same ingredients as the recipe in the Sept./Oct. 2008 issue however, I use a dry version. Recipe is as follows: 1 bar of Fels Naphtha 1/2 cup of washing soda (not baking soda) 1/2 cup of...

Her Presto canner has been through a lot since 1957.(Country conversation & feedback)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I was sitting here reading my Nov./Dec. 20008 COUNTRYSIDE-since I broke a finger a couple of weeks ago I have my wrist in a cast and I'm sitting and reading a lot more than usual. I never heard of a Conservo Canner before....

Dowsing is becoming a lost art.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I am a new reader. I bought every back issue you have and am sad to not have access to the collective wisdom and experience in back issues that are sold out. I thought I would read up on everything I could find so as not to sound...

They're looking for a Missouri homestead.(Country conversation & feedback)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: We are looking for an old farmstead or abandoned family farm in southeastern Missouri. We would be willing to swap our current home in Jackson, Missouri or do a land contract. We would also be willing to live and work on a farm...

Has homestead, but hates taxes.(Country conversation & feedback)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I currently own a 75-acre farm in upstate New York--four bedroom, two baths, a barn in great shape, and the best part--it's all paid off! The government extorts $10,000 a year from me in taxes. What is the best way to help reduce...

Country Hatchery closing its doors.(Country conversation & feedback)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I, Dr. Dennis P. Smith, have retired from the poultry business and have closed Country Hatchery. We do not have any more birds available of any kind. Please express my sincere appreciation to the many thousands of customers...

The Greenhorn's guide to homesteading: part II: buying the farm.(Special feature)
January 1, 2009... Welcome back, Greenhorn. So, you've been out scouting for your perfect homestead have you? You've got a pretty good idea of what you want in a rural property. You can picture the idyllic rolling meadows and smell the scents of a country...

Planning your homestead.
January 1, 2009... I have observed the modern homesteading movement from primarily the perspective of a planning consultant and builder. Much of my work has been assisting owner-builders who do not have the tools, equipment, time, or knowledge to construct one or...

Life in the bush.(homesteading)
January 1, 2009... Who among us hasn't dreamed of living in the wilderness? Well, in 1999, after years of homesteading in Northern Maine, we decided to make that dream a reality. During our years in Maine, we gained the experience, honed our skills, and developed...

Life in the high desert: it wasn't exactly what they had planned on, but they're excited just the same.
January 1, 2009... A couple of years ago my wife and I decided when we retire we wanted out of the cookie cutter development environment in northwest Tucson, Arizona. We moved here over 10 years ago and at that time the area was wide open. We could hear coyotes...

Homestead skills don't appear overnight.(Homesteading advice from former greenhorns ...)
January 1, 2009... My very best advice for homesteader wannabe s is, "don't rush it!" This is the biggest mistake I have seen people make over and over again. I grew up in rural North Florida in the 1960s and 70s when the "back to the land" movement was at...

Buy as much land as you can afford.(Homesteading advice from former greenhorns ...)
January 1, 2009... I would like to respond to Elizabeth Hamra's recent request in the Sept./ Oct. 2008 issue. My biggest suggestion for people as to "how to start the homesteading lifestyle" would be to begin with buying as much property as they can possibly...

Don't be fooled by appearances.(Homesteading advice from former greenhorns ...)(relocating for homesteading)
January 1, 2009... Like many before me, let me say COUNTRYSIDE is an awesome, insightful and educational magazine that I look forward to receiving. Many topics have caused me to start a letter but it's the Clements' question that "won the stamp." We are also...

No answers, but lots of questions.(Homesteading advice from former greenhorns ...)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... I recently read that you wanted to help greenhorns. Well, that is what we are. We moved to 14 acres in the country and so far are failing at most things. Our chickens even quit laying! Most importantly, we are in way over our heads financially....

You need the basics--and a vision.(Homesteading advice from former greenhorns ...)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... I have been receiving COUNTRYSIDE for a few years now but before that we found our piece of heaven. We had searched for three years for the right piece of property--this is something that only God can guide you to. I am totally convinced that...

Managing debt is their new mission.(Homesteading advice from former greenhorns ...)
January 1, 2009... We aren't the homesteaders that we want to be, but we keep growing with each new experience. I was raised in a homestead environment--they called them "back-to-the-landers." We were debt free, had a very frugal living style (some people...

Collect tools and skills before making the move.(Homesteading advice from former greenhorns ...)
January 1, 2009... Since I've been living my homestead dream for 27 years now, perhaps I'm qualified to give some advice to newbies. While it's said that experience is the best teacher, I find it's useful to learn from the experiences of others. The Nearings'...

Insects, lack of heat and beady green eyes equal home.
January 1, 2009... I asked for a divorce after 35 years of marriage. My husband and I owned three properties, and most of the 35 years we were together, we lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma. That is where we raised our children, except for a year when we moved to a rural...

Homesteading, no excuses! We've never heard a story quite like this one--and we've heard a lot! If you need inspiration, you'll find it here.
January 1, 2009... This letter is in response to Nov./ Dec. issue "can it ever be too late to homestead?" I am 67 years old, 5' 2", 130 lbs., alone and female. When I was young, I climbed mountains with ropes, ice axes and pitons. No fancy harnesses in those...

How to earn extra money in the country.(Homestead finances)
January 1, 2009... Everyone has unique capabilities and needs, as does each community. One person may build up a successful business and then sell it to a new owner, who is unable to continue its success. A person who dropped out of high school may be successful...

Do you want fries with that? The perils, pitfalls (and profits) of custom work in your home business.(managing the business)
January 1, 2009... If you announce to any of your friends and family that you re going into business for yourself making a home craft product, you'll immediately be faced with requests for specialized work. "Hey, I want a frammerjammit!" your best friend...

Bring customers to your front door: increase your sales with a website.
January 1, 2009... As the price of food, fertilizer, and gas keep skyrocketing, it keeps getting harder to sell enough to stay in business. The good side is that the public wants farmstead and handcrafted products, but it is hard for them to find your products if...

Sizing a solar-electric system for worry-free off-grid living.(Life on the sunny side)
January 1, 2009... Some people just don't have the right stuff to live off the power grid. Whether the reason stems from a primal, unwavering revulsion to storage batteries, or a pathological need to have access to unlimited power at all times, it's a simple fact...

Build your own greenhouse by converting an outbuilding.
January 1, 2009... Have you ever considered building a greenhouse? I think many of us have, and for many different reasons. Are you interested in an extended growing season, year-round gardening, fresh cut flowers, or an environment for starting seedlings?...

Get an early start in your garden.(planting vegetables)
January 1, 2009... If you garden north of the Mason/ Dixon line, your last frost date may come after Easter. To harvest mature vegetables before fall, you need to start seedlings of tender vegetables about six to eight weeks before your last spring frost. I...

Garden without water? Dry farming in the southwest.(The garden)
January 1, 2009... One of the great things about travel, even when just bopping around locally on those few remaining back roads, is the people you meet. All kinds make the world go 'round it is said, and believe me when I say, that in the deserts of the...

Diatomaceous earth is tops for pest control.(The garden)
January 1, 2009... Diatomaceous earth is nontoxic to mammals and birds. However, there are several types of DE. Use only food-grade DE in and around your home or business. It is labeled GRAS or Generally Regarded As Safe, and kills insects more effectively. Do...

Wolfberries: exceptional nutrition in a small package.
January 1, 2009... Years ago I started hunting deer on a friend s ranch in what we here in Utah call the West Desert. If you think your electric bill is high you should try pumping water to irrigate alfalfa in the West Desert. How about $3,000-$4,000 a month! It...

Spinach--the prince of vegetables.(The homestead kitchen)(Recipe)
January 1, 2009... Come on, eat your spinach. Don't you want to grow up to be as strong as Popeye?" How many times have mothers urged their long-suffering offspring to consume this vegetable made famous by that comic strip hero? More often than not, children...

Dr. Chase's crackers & bread.(The homestead kitchen)(Recipe)
January 1, 2009... We always enjoy old recipes, in part to rediscover long-forgotten little snippets of information and lore of value to homesteaders. These are from a book published in 1866. Dr. Chase's crackers: Butter, 1 cup; salt, 1 teaspoon; flour, 2...

Which goat breed is best for the cheesemaker?(The goat barn)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Which breed of goat provides the best milk for making cheese? I've read that the Nubian's milk has the highest butterfat content and supposedly that would make the best cheese but I'm not sure.--Ruth Ittner This seemingly innocent little...

Cold water treatment works on snake bite.(The goat barn)
January 1, 2009... Several years ago, while living in a remote area of the Sierra Mountains, my goats and I had a very unusual experience. Our place could be reached by fording a creek, usually a very quiet little stream. This particular August day, the creek was...

Make sure your pigs get proper minerals.
January 1, 2009... Although minerals comprise only 1 1/2 to 2 percent of a swine ration--30 to 40 pounds per ton or 1 1/2 to two pounds per hundredweight-they're a very important part of that ration. The most important minerals for pigs are phosphorus,...

Finishing the perfect chicken coop.
January 1, 2009... I have been in love with chickens ever since I was a little girl. In the past three to four years, since I moved to a place where I actually have the space to raise them, I have done quite a bit of research. I wanted to find that one certain...

Winter care for your chickens.(The henhouse)
January 1, 2009... Winter, what a wondrous magical time of the year! listening icicles, powdery new-fallen snow, and your chickens' good health can all go together with a little care and preparation. Winter is definitely a time of special considerations. In our...

Feeding rabbits in the 1930s: soybean meal was required; no cod liver oil, please.(Reprint)
January 1, 2009... My dad had been raising rabbits for years before the Depression. He used to boil up a mixture of ground corn, oats, wheat bran and I'm not sure what else, and feed it to the rabbits as a sort of gruel. One reason I'm not real sure what was...

Lessons in goat raising.(The goat barn)
January 1, 2009... About four years ago we embarked on our dairy goat adventure. We are a young couple with three homeschooled kids who are active in 4-H. We garden, have a small orchard and at the time I had two horses. I knew nothing about goats but we wanted...

Watering your herd in winter.(Livestock)
January 1, 2009... Winter is hard on grazed cattle and dairy herds in northern climates. Snow-covered pastures offer little in the way of forage, and water sources routinely freeze solid. Add to this the effects of sub-zero wind chills, and pastured animals will...

When will she calve?(cow reproduction)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cows generally calve about nine months and seven days after conception. Average length of pregnancy is about 283 days, but this figure is just an average and very few cows calve exactly on their estimated "due date."...

The stork stops here.(maternal health services in rural areas)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The rain started to turn to sleet in the darkening afternoon. Mary (not her real name) could feel the road icing up beneath her; yet she drove on. The U.S. Postal Service isn't the only one that delivers through...

4 conditions for sustainability.
January 1, 2009... For more information on sustainable living, visit or call: tgips@ sustainabilityassociates.com; 612-374-4765; Alliance for Sustainability; www.afors.org; 612-331-1099. 1. What we take from the earth's crust: Metals/minerals and fossil fuel...

The flying squirrel.(The hapless homesteader)(dirtbike riding accident)
January 1, 2009... Since my adventures began appearing in COUNTRYSIDE, inquiring minds have wondered, "Is this guy simply hapless as a homesteader, or does his haplessosity extend to other areas?" Well, gentle reader, wonder no more. My talent extends into...

Poor Will's Countryside Almanack for deep winter, late winter & early spring 2009.
January 1, 2009... There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature, the assurance that dawn...

2008 Countryside index vol. 92 nos. 1-6.
January 1, 2009... After chores: Do Animals Go To Heaven?, 92/1:130; Farm Fragrance, 92/2:114; A Wedding Cow, 92/3:114; Home Is Where The Heart Is, 92/4:114; Aunt Myrtleis Mistake, 92/4:114; The Lessons Of Less, 92/5:114; A Town That Gave Thanks, 92/6:114 ...

I've been malled!(country girl goes to the mall)
January 1, 2009... They used to be a block or so long and 20 feet or ore tall. They were often filled with tropical ants and bright lights. I remember when the first one opened in my hometown; everyone went to see it. It was the first one in our area. We dressed...