Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from March 1997

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from March 1997

Improving the world by doing nothing.(Beyond the Sidewalks)(Editorial)
March 1, 1997... I don't recall exactly when the first reader said that COUNTRYSIDE is an island of sanity in an insane world, but it was a long time ago. That observation has been repeated often--and recently, quite frequently. The insanity is getting worse....

Homestead hints and recipes from Paraguay. (includes a recipe for making a corn bread with homemade cheese)
March 1, 1997... COUNTRYSIDE: Recently we received the May/June, 1996 issue and I wanted to comment on some of the articles. We only received it recently because it takes a long time for COUNTRYSIDE to get from Wisconsin to Paraguay (6000+ miles). I found...

Garden vegetable favorites.
March 1, 1997... We asked what vegetable crops you like to grow, recommended varieties and seed companies, and what tricks you use to grow them. Here are your replies: Tomatoes are versatile, abundant, and easy to grow BEV CARNEY STOUGHTON,...

Celery has been a stable crop for us.
March 1, 1997... It seems that every year there are one or two vegetables that out-do the others in our garden. One time the tomatoes produced enough sauce to last a full year; hot peppers from last year are still hanging from my ceiling, now alongside the new...

Short season calls for greenhouse.
March 1, 1997... This is ranching country, and the economy went flat because the price of beef fell. (You would never know it when you buy meat.) I decided I had to become as self-sufficient as possible. I decided to put in a garden. My land is 50' x 150'...

Herbs add flavor to her garden.
March 1, 1997... My favorite garden crops are the herbs. When city-bound in Washington, D.C., I would get up at the then unbelievable hour of 5:30 A.M. in order to taxi across town to Eastern Market by the Capitol in order to get fresh basil, dill, thyme and...

Wood ashes aren't always beneficial.
March 1, 1997... COUNTRYSIDE is one of the few magazines that I read cover to cover as soon as it arrives. I always learn a lot, even if the subject is not one that interests me. There is a spirit, an attitude, a driving force, that is reflected in every...

Former sodbuster is not a mulching maven.
March 1, 1997... I have a confession to make. I haven't used my tiller in so long, it probably wouldn't start if I tried to sell it. No, I didn't give up the garden, which is the heart of a homestead. On the contrary, I have a better garden now than ever. ...

Consider comfrey.
March 1, 1997... No homestead should be without this plant. Few herbs have been as well-known for their healing abilities as comfrey. Claims have been made throughout the centuries as to comfrey's powerful uses, and it has been used by herbalists for a wide...

Lousy soil, but great gardens: the secret's in the pots (and tubs and cans ....)
March 1, 1997... Gardeners just don't fade away, they keep on planting, watering and harvesting. Last winter my hubby Jim and I moved back to where we came from and that is this beautiful Gold Country of California. The weather's more conducive to...

Community supported agriculture - 'the essence of homestead farming.'
March 1, 1997... It's been two years since we moved from a large city to our modest rural spot in the hills of Wisconsin. We moved to be "green," but I was not green in the sense of not knowing what we were in for, having lived in the mountains of Ireland for a...

Growing a goat garden: when goad feed hits $19.50/cwt, it's time to shop for alternatives.
March 1, 1997... When goat feed hits $19.50/cwt, it's time to shop for alternatives Recent articles on alternative feeds take on a new meaning when goat ration is $9.75 per fifty pounds; plain COB (corn-oats-barley), $7.50 per fifty pounds; rolled barley,...

Eating from the garden requires planning.
March 1, 1997... When we first started gardening some 15 years ago, we found we were better at growing things than we were at incorporating that garden bounty into our meals. With all that great food waiting to be picked, we found we still depended on...

How we raise chickens ... and can cakes.
March 1, 1997... Luck of the Irish may save you money, but Luck of the Scots can get you a few pennies on top of it. To those who are concerned with getting good chickens, please, please do not overlook the harder to find, rare breeds. My husband's folks...

Today's chicken feed bills aren't chicken feed! Here are some ways to save money.
March 1, 1997... In response to Robert Plamondon's article on the costs of raising home-grown chicken, perhaps these ideas will help cut costs. The most expensive item in raising chickens is feed. By getting your feed specially prepared, you could save a...

Raising chickens the way my grandmother did.
March 1, 1997... Years ago I raised chickens with current conventional methods. I purchased only vaccinated chicks, used starter feed, put antibiotics in drinking water, and anxiously watched for signs and symptoms of illness. Finally, I wised up. My...

Consider all factors when building coops. (poultry)
March 1, 1997... I felt I had to write about the chicken coop in 80:2/38-40, as I have had some experience building/using one very similar. I built a coop very much like this, minus the nest boxes, to be used solely for people who came to look at birds for...

New, cute dwarf Nubians promise big potential. (cross-breed goats)
March 1, 1997... "Do you have goats?" "Yes, I do. What kind were you looking for?" "Well, you know, the ones with ears." (Good, we just eliminated La Manchas which I don't have anyway.) "I see. Upright ears or pendulous?" "Ears! You know, the...

Texas Dall sheep: the horns are everything.
March 1, 1997... This is in response to the article in the Nov./Dec., 1996 issue about Texas Dall Sheep. We lived in Texas for about 11 years and a good friend of ours, Georgia Anders, Moulton, Texas, (512-569-7600), raised fine quality Texas Dall sheep...

Equine dentistry meets a challenge. (a horse with grossly overgrown teeth had to be serviced)
March 1, 1997... It started out as a cosmetic blemish, but as long as she kept her mouth shut, no one noticed. Then the strange noises started: slurping when she drank, snuffling when she ate. I knew it was time to do something about Polly's parrot mouth, but...

Curly Bashkir hoses have more than just unusual coats to recommend them.
March 1, 1997... My husband and I met through horses. I've had horses since I was 12 years old and Terry became a horse addict when he took a job as a carriage driver in Texas about 10 years ago. He bought a horse and carriage of his own and brought it all out...

Buying livestock for the homestead at the auction sale barn.
March 1, 1997... Not all livestock sale barns are the same, and not all experienced livestock owners recommend them. With that said, here is one man's advice on this method of acquiring animals. Buying livestock for the family homestead? Look to your local...

Draft animals: the other side of the coin. (the economics of using draft animals: includes a reply from Gail Damerow originator of an article on using draft animals)
March 1, 1997... For all of you homesteaders out there who are unfamiliar with the use of draft animals and have become enamored with the idea as a result of the article "Is there a draft animal in your future?" (80/6:37), let me fill you in on the other side...

Hot tips on building electric fencing.
March 1, 1997... I am a cattle producer running between 80 and 100 head. I practice what is commonly called rotational grazing where my pasture is subdivided into paddocks and I cycle the herd to a fresh paddock every two or three days. Thus far I have put...

Kansas homestead has it all.
March 1, 1997... I have read so many wonderful stories and articles since I subscribed to COUNTRYSIDE a year and a half ago. They have inspired me, so I have decided to share some of my family's homesteading story. A few years ago we left Washington State...

California crime sends them to Mississippi.
March 1, 1997... Two burglaries, a mugging, a robbery and a stolen car in Hollywood turned me into an avid homesteading advocate. As a result, my wife, teenage son and I obtained seven acres in the Appalachian foothills of Mississippi. We've been living there a...

Finding a homestead though work, planning ... and luck.
March 1, 1997... We thought we were the only ones with the feelings we had... Wanting to get away from the rat race, of living to work, wanting room to spread our wings a little and let the dogs run free... until we discovered COUNTRYSIDE! Our search for a...

Would you like to join an intentional community? (cooperative homesteading)
March 1, 1997... Intentional communities obviously aren't for everyone, but we detect a great deal of new interest in them. Here is one example. I just picked up the Nov./Dec., 1996 issue of COUNTRYSIDE and loved reading it from beginning to end. My husband...

East Texas homestead.
March 1, 1997... After a year of looking for land in East Texas, after many disagreements with my husband (I wanted this, he liked that) and after a firm commitment that we would not buy something (even if it was beautiful and seemed like the perfect place)...

West Texas homestead.
March 1, 1997... After being an avid reader/subscriber for many years, I'm finally taking time to make my contribution, "in-kind," by writing and giving something back to the readership. Over the years, I've enjoyed all the readers' comments, ideas and tips,...

How we make kielbasa - and smoke it, too. (includes related articles on building a smokehouse)
March 1, 1997... After grinding and seasoning the meat, we like to leave it set in a cool place overnight to blend. The next morning we stuff the casings, arrange the links on sticks and hang them in the smoke house for about six hours. We then remove them from...

Budget cookery for frugal gourmets.
March 1, 1997... Ethnic cookbooks provide recipes for peasant dining with elegance I've been reading COUNTRYSIDE for about two years, so I guess that makes me a newcomer still. But I thought that I might "chime in" on a couple of subjects, even though I...

A homesteader's primer on wheat. (includes recipes)
March 1, 1997... The valleys are mantled with grain, they shout for joy and sing.--Psalm 65:13. Wheat is the oldest known grain originating between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The Bible talks about how important bread was for food in Israel and Egypt....

Cooking under pressure ... with a pressure cooker, of course<!
March 1, 1997... Thank you so much for helping save my sanity. The last time I wrote to everyone, I lived in the Sierra Nevada "high country" on a 130 acre ranch and was homesteading big time. My daughters were small and enjoying all sorts of extra fun as...

There's a drugstore at your doorstep! (includes a herbal salve recipe)
March 1, 1997... My son, who operates a landscaping service, came home one evening several years ago with a major case of poison ivy. Wanting to assist him in alleviating his misery I immediately raced to a local pharmacy where I purchased a somewhat expensive...

Home security in modern America.
March 1, 1997... The days of unlocked doors are long past, even in rural areas; Here are some suggestions on protecting your homestead Home security. It isn't something we like to think about--kind of on a par with making out our wills--but it's a topic...

Homesteaders (but they didn't know it) pass on a few lessons learned.
March 1, 1997... About a year ago my mother lent me a copy of COUNTRYSIDE. It made my day and now I anxiously wait for my next issue. I guess we are homesteaders but never knew it. Bill and I have been married for 14 years and we say we got our education...

Homesteaders and taxes.
March 1, 1997... Homesteading can be a profitable venture, but let's face it, you can (and probably will) have some years when you lose money on your homestead enterprises. The way you manage your time and your records can have a big impact on how much (if any)...

Notes from Grass Valley/many tracks. (part 2)
March 1, 1997... In our last issue, Sue Robishaw shared some of her observations and experiences on many topics; here's more from her Michigan U.P. homestead Peas: Green peas are an oft-mentioned vegetable crop, but another well deserved to be considered...

Homesteading is not really about earning a living, but enjoying a life; these are not mutually exclusive.
March 1, 1997... Can you really make a living from a small homestead? For many, the homestead experience is not really about earning a living, but enjoying a life. Why are these two goals considered by many, if not most people, to be mutually exclusive? I...

Revelling in the homestead experience.
March 1, 1997... Just finished blow drying a goat's butt. Yes, I said that. We have a three day old kid that developed diarrhea and we had to soak his bottom to get the yuck off. All in a day's work on our homestead. I'd like to share some of my most...

Teaching Peace Through Gardening. (R
March 1, 1997... Teaching young children to garden is a rewarding experience and can be made easier through a manual called Teaching Peace Through Gardening. This spiral-bound manual combines gardening activities with games and art, teaching children...

Ponds: Building, Maintaining and Enjoying, The First Complete Book of Pond Management.
March 1, 1997... Ponds: Building, Maintaining and Enjoying: The First Complete Book of Farm Pond Management, by Carolyn Garrick Stern; 95 pages, soft cover; available from Progressive Farmer, PO Box 830069, Birmingham, AL 35283-0069; $14.95 postpaid. This...