Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from March 2009

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from March 2009

Efficiently run homesteads can be profitable.
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: The article, "Homesteads must be run efficiently," by Jerry Belanger, was informative and made me think about my grandparents' family farm, the proceeds from which enabled them to survive from the 1920s until my grandmother's death...

Homesteading is easier with support: try a "swap luck!".(Country conversation & feedback)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I count on your magazine for my bimonthly dose of inspiration and support. Because of the compadre-type spirit your readership provides through their letters, I've tackled a lot more than I ever imagined possible! We have a small...

Widow finds the resolve to go it alone.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I have been an avid reader for a very long time. In the July/August 2004 issue you had a Question of the Month where single homesteaders gave tips and encouragement to others. I took that issue to the hospital with me to read as my...

She regrets "living for today": but she's happy to discover homesteading.(Country conversation & feedback)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I was moved to respond to Irvin V's letter about people always coming up with reasons (or excuses) for not taking control of their lives and living a lifestyle that gives them a feeling of contentment. I grew up living a more...

Are bees dying due to altered genetics?(Country conversation & feedback)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: IS it just coincidental that the emergence of the condition "Colony Collapse Disorder" in beehives, began the season after the introduction of genetically altered seed? One of the big introductions was Bacillus thuringiensis...

Zucchini recipes are a hit!(Country conversation & feedback)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I want to tell you how delicious two recipes in your July/ August, 2008 issue are! They are in a zucchini article by Ellen J. Pilch, Chocolate Zucchini Cake and Zucchini Casserole. I made both for supper tonight and can't believe...

Wine making resources.(Country conversation & feedback)(Guide to Better Wine and Beer Making for Beginners )(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: For Richard (November/December 2008) looking for a recipe for dry cherry wine: Instructions for making this are included in the book Guide to Better Wine and Beer Making for Beginners by S.M. Triton, available from Dover...

Land use suggestions.(Country conversation & feedback)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: This letter is in regard to Barb from California, asking how to get an income off of two un-used acres (July/Aug 2008). Perhaps she could consider retiring garden plots. When my children were small, we were involved in the local...

Chainsaw safety suggestions.(Country conversation & feedback)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: Love the magazine and all of the information it contains! In the Nov./Dec. 2008 issue I read the article by Jerri Cook on chainsaw basics. I am by no stretch an expert, but with 30 years experience of running a saw I have learned a...

Cash is preferable to credit on their homestead.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: A few things came to my mind about Laura's response to the article titled "Cash and Carry, or Stop Making Rich People Richer" in June/July's issue. It is definitely great to get something for nothing, but since when does anyone...

Technically, diatoms aren't animals.(Country conversation & feedback)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: In his article "Diatomaceous earth is tops for pest control" in the January/February issue, author Richard Fagerlund makes the statement that "Diatoms are animals that are related to the crustaceans of today." This is incorrect;...

Readers' safety is appreciated.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: One of your greatest benefits to your readers is the safe contact you provide for each of us, to one another. This, of course, is meant as an "in addition" to the terrific info you also provide. I have enclosed a letter to...

Ecstasy and agony in the countryside: you never know what's around the corner.(Country conversation & feedback)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: In 2004 I wrote to you saying I was moving to New Mexico and wanted to hear from other single women (I was a widow) homesteading there. I got many lovely letters in return and one from a very special lady named Debra who introduced...

Goats are fun! And the milk is nice, too.(Country conversation & feedback)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: Living on a 10-acre hillside, a green oasis in the middle of very urban Kansas City, Kansas, we tried all kinds of livestock. We had chickens, a few cattle, ducks and a pig or two. However, my favorites were the goats. They are...

Looking for water heating ideas.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I read the article on building a wood burning barrel stove awhile back (November/December 2004), and was impressed with the simplicity and how it would adapt to a wilderness cabin. I've been thinking about how to do the same thing...

Is there less ice than in years past?(Country conversation & feedback)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: Meagan Brown's question in January/February 2009 COUNTRYSIDE took me back a few years, when we lived next door to an elderly woman, Elsie, who if alive today would be 105. I used to visit with her almost daily and one of the many...

Ingenious reader her own makes dish soap.(Country conversation & feedback)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: After searching many sites for a homemade hand dishwashing detergent, I have made up my own recipe and I'm pleased to say it works! 2 bars shredded Octagon soap 1 cup baking soda 1/4 cup washing soda 1/4 cup lemon juice...

No power? No problem! The "Old House" isn't wired for it anyway.(Country conversation & feedback)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I just had a free moment to sit down and read my latest copy of COUNTRYSIDE (January/February 2009), when one of the first letters I read began with a interesting time of no electricity for five days. I had to laugh, because I just...

Wonderful stove; rotten renters.(Country conversation & feedback)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: Regarding the stove on the cover of the November/December, 2008 issue: Yes--this is a wonderful stove and it is available from Lehman's Hardware. Back in 1989, we had lived in our little home in South Carolina barely one year...

At 86, he sees another 1930s on the horizon.(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I'm sending my money order to extend my subscription to COUNTRYSIDE, even though I may not be around for the end of it. So, while I'm doing this, I thought that I would try to get something else done that might take too much...

Tax topic stirs debate.
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: There is no patriotic duty to pay more taxes than required. Property values are often based on a lack of information to both the homeowner and the assessor or their agent who evaluates the property value. Here is a list of...

Homestead update: there have been many changes since 1992.(Country conversation & feedback)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I'm still here! Back around 1992, I posted an article after we had first moved to our little place in the country. We had big dreams and made a lot of them happen. We bought an old farm tractor, put in a half-acre garden,...

Searching for Simmons cookstove parts.(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I would like to locate a source for parts to repair a Simmons four-burner kerosene cookstove. We bought it at an auction and need a tank, wicks, etc. I thought someone out there might know something about this particular...

Land wanted.(Country conversation & feedback)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I am looking for either abandoned acreage (no less than 40) or an abandoned farm up around Grand Rapids, Minnesota. I would be able to make a down payment of $300-$500 and a monthly payment of $100. I can be contacted by e-mail at:...

Coming events.(Calendar)
March 1, 2009... February 7, 2009 New Hampshire Dairy Goat Seminar: Understanding Your Butcher's Cut Sheet, Manchester, NH. What cuts of meat are expected from each area of the animal carcass and how many pounds of meat should you expect back when you take...

The Greenhorn's guide to homesteading Part III: location, location, location!
March 1, 2009... In the previous issues, we explored intentional rural communities, and we looked at ways to finance your independent homestead. Now, we'll take a look at where you want to homestead. Do you want to give it a go out West? Maybe the mists of...

Earth stewards: erasing the human footprint, one step at a time: how we built Rainwalker Mesa.
March 1, 2009... One size never fits all. Each homesteader and their life circumstances is different, making it necessary to pick through the advice you receive for the gems that really work for you. However there is one golden rule that seems to apply...

Off-grid homesteading ... on a barrier island.
March 1, 2009... Some people have told me that I am living their dream, while others have said that I must be out of my mind. After living nearly three years alone on a barrier island, I think that it's maybe a little bit of both. In March 2006, I retired...

Geography and culture are considerations.
March 1, 2009... Other areas to research when you are searching for your homestead are the history and culture of the region. Who were the original settlers? How has the topography of the land affected the inhabitants? For example, I am a native of recently...

Mental and physical preparation required.
March 1, 2009... In the last several years I've met quite a few people who want to homestead. Many are well prepared. They have done their homework and have a five-year plan. Others, well, they are the ones who need to read COUNTRYSIDE. Before you even...

Lesson # 1: don't give up.
March 1, 2009... We're not homesteading yet but we re on our way. I wanted to share how we got where we are and what our plans are for where we're going. We started looking with a few requirements in mind: 1. Five acres minimum 2. Agriculturally...

Plan for obstacles: he's been working on his ideal homestead for 8 years--now he's 84.
March 1, 2009... "was very much interested in your November/December, 2008 issue of COUNTRYSIDE in which your readers have participated in a discussion of their experiences as a "greenhorn" homesteader. Since I spent my boyhood days on a country farm during the...

Investing wisely: install solar and wind electricity for a secure and sustainable future.
March 1, 2009... What is the hidden value of a renewable-energy dollar? Ten years ago, when my wife and I hauled all of our animals and belongings to the mountains to begin a new life beyond the power grid, I would have answered, not much. The renewable energy...

Electronic entertainment off-grid requires planning: but it's possible.(alternative energy)
March 1, 2009... It's another cloudy day here in northwest Montana. Mix that with the shorter daylight hours this time of year (late November) and it's been a hard week for solar power. We conserve as much power as we can, and with carefully-made choices, what...

Can gas forced-air and wood furnaces share a chimney?
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE." I am not exactly new at this, but I would like some helpful insight: I have a gas forced-air furnace in my basement with one chimney. I want to install an add-on wood furnace to the gas one, but only have one chimney and have been...

Don't leave tender seedlings out in the cold: cover up!(The garden)
March 1, 2009... I didn't use any method of season extension in my garden last year, which proved to be one of the worst growing mistakes I've made in awhile. I've made some doosies in my time. I've picked burdock thinking it was rhubarb. I've soaked sweet...

Caring for carrots.
March 1, 2009... Thirty-one years ago, our first garden on our new homestead. How exciting. BBRRMM BRM BRM, start the new tiller, chop up the sod (poor though it was), plant seeds. I could already taste the carrots. Then reality set in--poor fertility, no time,...

The three cent row maker: eliminate back breaking work & save time with this simple device.(The garden)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One of the great things about living in the country is having a garden. Nothing beats eating a tomato right off the vine, however prepping the garden is another story. After dumping over a ton of well seasoned goat,...

$ave money on your garden! What treasure$ can you find?(The garden)
March 1, 2009... Close to $100 billion a year is spent on materials and equipment in today s garden place. With the economy on the shrinking end, there are ways to save across the homestead. The first recommendation is to limit the "browsing syndrome" at...

Effective gopher control.
March 1, 2009... My wife and I are retired and live on acreage in southwest Washington State. I (the husband) have always had an interest in forestry. When the farmer who grew wheat and hay on our property said we were too small for him to make a profit, I...

Pick a peck of pears.(The orchard)
March 1, 2009... When I was a child, my favorite snack was a crisp pear picked fresh from Mr. Henry Jones farm, which was right next to our side pasture. Mr. Jones never used the pears as he and his wife were not real country people but city folk who just liked...

Grow pears on your homestead.(Reprint)
March 1, 2009... Varieties Te pears that most of us associate with the name are those which are classed as European. These pears need about 600 hours or more of chilling to produce a crop and are the varieties which most commercial growers favor. Bartlett...

Hooked on Dutch: give this delightful old breed a try.(Black Dutch buck rabbit )
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dutch rabbits have been a special part of my life for over five years. I was previously raising a large herd of Mini Rexes. I purchased my first Black Dutch buck rabbit from a woman who was allergic and could not...

Rabbit meat sources are hard to locate in Alabama.
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: There is a market for rabbit meat. Here in southern Alabama and north Florida there is a suffering market for local fish and many restaurants have chosen to place rabbit on the menu for variety. The problem is that locally grown...

Assist kidding with "careful confidence".(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Those beginning goat raisers who approach kidding time with trepidation might take some solace from the knowledge that even experienced MD's know just how you feel! Here's some comforting advice from Dr. Hal Onyett. After 10 years of...

In defense of the Pygmy goat.(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... I've heard several times that people looking into owning goats have been quickly turned away from Pygmy goats because of their difficult birthing. My family and I have raised registered Pygmy goats for seven years now, and I would like to say...

Any phosphorus alternatives for my neighbor?(organic fertilizers )(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... I have a neighbor who raises dairy goats on pasture. By now the pasture is so deficient in phosphorus that the hay crop is suffering. He is unable or unwilling to spread much manure, and rock powders are expensive, slow-acting and not so...

Cooling milk fast: "Killer" goat doesn't like women and children: why?(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Here is something I discovered accidentally, but it works great so I thought it might help someone else. Our pasture is five miles away, and when I go to feed and milk our goat I find that if I put two quart bottles (the kind juice comes...

Roasting soybeans for your birds.(The henhouse)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: I came across the following website: www.lionsgrip.com/ chickens.html. I don't have a farm, just have a little time on my hands.--Helen B. Preparing Soybeans When hens stop laying in the fall, many just attribute it...

How much should a dry cow eat?(The cow barn)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE: Thanks so much to Wayne Cook for the article about watering cattle in the January/February, 2009 COUNTRYSIDE. My whole family enjoys reading the magazine, and we learn so much. At the end of Wayne's article, he stated that we...

What is the value of cattle manure? Putting a price on your "black gold".
March 1, 2009... Manure has become an asset, not just an expense to be moved and applied to a field. The increase of commercial fertilizer prices has generated the question of manure's value. Using current prices averaged from local suppliers let's put a value...

A gourmet Sunday dinner on the homestead.
March 1, 2009... Sunday dinner was an important ritual during my youthful days on our southern Saskatchewan homestead. Even though I often yearned for bologna and sardines, foods we rarely had, I always looked forward to my mother's tasty Sunday dinners that...

Don't buy "cheap" food: plant, barter and trade to get the most nutrition for your food dollar.
March 1, 2009... In the current state of our economy, a trip to the grocery store has been as bad as a trip to the gas station-we buy the same amount each week yet pay more as prices skyrocket. Clearly the time has come to change the way we eat and shop, but...

A brief course in homemade wine-making.
March 1, 2009... AS a homesteader without a homestead, I nevertheless practice many traditional skills, from wood chopping to wool spinning. One of my favorite activities is making wine. I first got into making my own wine when I realized I was allergic to...

Wine making, simple, easy & cheap!(Recipe)
March 1, 2009... We have many friends who have enjoyed an evening at our home, sipping wine or relaxing with a glass of homebrew. Invariably the statement arises, "I wish we could do this, but it seems pretty difficult." Most are concerned with the time and...

Made from scratch: discovering the pleasures of a handmade life.(Reprint)
March 1, 2009... Angora rabbits: portable livestock When you don't have space for a flock of sheep Iwant sheep. I really want sheep. Some people want to fly planes, some want to cure diabetes, and some want to run half marathons. These are all...

January 1, 2009: welcome to the New Year!(homesteading)(Essay)
March 1, 2009... COUNTRYSIDE attempts to inspire and enable those who want to become more productive, sustainable, and self-sufficient on their own land, using their own skills and resources. I think 2009 promises to be a year when we will need all the skills...

Baking soda: dirt cheap, simple, amazing.
March 1, 2009... Save your skin, save money, save space on the counter, save on the aggravation of all that stuff that doesn't work and you can't take it back. It really all started with a little brochure about baby care products. At the time I didn't have...

Home birth study conclusions problematic.
March 1, 2009... Your article on rural healthcare, The Stork Stops Here, sparked my interest because I have personal experience in home birth both as a mother and as a certified nurse-midwife. I have a unique perspective on both the risks and benefits of home...

Education for parents in exchange for wages.(home childbirth)(Essay)
March 1, 2009... My husband and I have had the pleasure of receiving COUNTRYSIDE magazine for maybe a year now. I find it the only magazine worth reading. We don't have cable and with two children, a business, and a bunch of animals, very few pieces of...

One C-section baby was enough.
March 1, 2009... My husband and I have had two home births, one attended by a midwife and one attended only by the two of us and our two children. Both were amazing experiences. Our first son was born by C-section. And while it was a joyous life-altering...

Home births allow the family to participate.(Essay)
March 1, 2009... My first child was born in a hospital at 35 weeks. While the birth was completely natural, fast and relatively pain free, after my son was born he was rushed off to the special care nursery. I had to ask to hold him. It was three hours before...

Smalltown entertainment.(The hapless homesteader)(Short story)
March 1, 2009... I don't get back over to the old hometown as often as I'd like anymore, yet I recently had occasion to drive over to visit an old friend, just after dark on a December evening. I took Maggie along. She likes to ride. Mer Rouge, Louisiana,...

Poor Will's Countryside Almanack for early spring & middle spring 2009.(Chronology)(Calendar)
March 1, 2009... In all meteorological chronology, there is reassurance that extremes seek equilibrium and that the earth is balanced well Having evolved in that planetary context, we too, in spite of our extremes, seek stability and symmetry. --Leon Quel...

Good-bye gated retirement communities: now it's fresh air and fresh vegetables.(After chores)
March 1, 2009... Homesteading is a constantly, evolving, learning process. It takes years, lots of research and hands-on practice. Most of it is trial and error. Too many want it "all" right now. You will be overworked and overwhelmed, so take it slow. I...