Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from May 1997

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from May 1997

One more time: what is homesteading? Or, how do you get started in fishing? Or why we need a few dozen more magazines!(includes related articles on homestead magazines and homesteading as a natural lifestyle)(Editorial)
May 1, 1997... Of all the many questions people ask Countryside, the most difficult and frustrating involve "getting started" in homesteading. They make it sound like homesteaders are somehow set apart, perhaps a special elite, and there are secret rites of...

When they move, they really move!(moving a house)
May 1, 1997... About five years ago my husband, Morgan, who is mostly retired, and our unmarried adult son, Clay, who is a machinist, and I, a registered nurse practitioner, were living on six acres out in the country, but were about 20 miles away from where...

Driving a well; it really works!
May 1, 1997... February 9, 1996 was an important day for me. That is the day we drove a water well on our property in Brazoria County, Texas. I have been slowly making improvements to the property for the last three years or so. I first got the idea of...

This worksled saves time and your back.
May 1, 1997... Countryside readers in snowy regions may want to build this handy little work sled for hauling firewood, sacks of feed, or a bale or two of straw or hay. Last winter, when burning several brush piles, I used the sled for hauling a can of...

Amaze your friends and neighbors: make your own charcoal!
May 1, 1997... The making of charcoal was once a major industry in the U.S. It was used to fuel the early iron smelters and in the production of wrought iron itself. It was also used as a barter item. Blacksmiths who did not have ready access to coal...

Backyard barbeque becomes an efficient homestead smokehouse.
May 1, 1997... My parents always talked about how my grandparents used to make sausage. Whenever sausage was on the table it was compared to the sausage made by my grandparents in their homeland. Homemade sausage, however, was out of reach. Then my...

Old homesteads had many buildings and each one had a useful purpose.
May 1, 1997... Looking through the old photograph albums, we see there used to be lots of small buildings around the home place. What were these little buildings, and what were they used for? The animals were housed separately, so there was a hen house,...

A monumental mess.(cleaning up a mess teaches a lesson about saving)
May 1, 1997... I love to read countryside. It's more than just a magazine, as I feel that its contributors are companions, too. I'd like to share a life experience that I hope will be of help to others. This concerns the saving of things, which most of us...

An insider's guide for ragpickers.(making rugs from rags)
May 1, 1997... As a third generation carpet weaver, I learned from early on the fundamentals of using old clothing and linens for woven rag rugs and potholders, braided rugs, crocheted baskets and mats, quilts, toys and even "new" clothes--just to start with...

Nothing beats a fresh, ripe tomato! (growing tomatoes)
May 1, 1997... As I sit at my kitchen table poring over seed catalogs and sipping on some homemade V-8 juice, I realized that I went to some amazing extremes to grow the tomatoes for that juice. All that sweat last spring and summer was worth it because I...

You don't have to live in California to grow artichokes.
May 1, 1997... Part of the challenge and excitement of gardening in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is growing things that "can't be grown here." For the last two years I've grown artichokes in my organic garden in Concord, Vermont. Yes, right here in...

Tomatoes, and pumpkin bread.(growing tomatoes and other vegetables; includes recipe)
May 1, 1997... I grow a good assortment of vegetables and can and freeze. Tomatoes of course are very important and I've discovered a variety I love. While buying plants one spring I noticed a plant in a cup (I never buy single plants) with my first name...

California flood.(homesteader's account)
May 1, 1997... During natural disasters, we often think about our homestead friends, hoping that the preparations inherent in the lifestyle are helping them. We're always glad to hear their reports after the crisis passes. Recently, we've seen enough...

These homemade snacks are anything but junk food! Dried fruits, nuts and other delights.
May 1, 1997... Note: This is in response to a reader's request for suggestions for "junk food" that can be made on the homestead. Homestead "junk food"? What an oxymoron! Though my homestead is one block beyond the city limits and no farther from the...

Junk, bread, faux "Cracker Jacks" and other thoughts.(homesteading ideas; includes recipes)
May 1, 1997... I had a problem getting the Jan/Feb issue read due to Christmas. Lots of baking cookies and making candy. Then I helped my two older children make their Christmas gifts. It is wonderful what you can do with miscellaneous junk found at...

"We can't find anything to complain about guineas."(raising guinea fowl)
May 1, 1997... In reply to Linda Hawley's " Guinea fowl: not recommended" (81/1:47): We've had them for the six years we have lived beyond the sidewalks and have enjoyed them immensely. We have 23 acres with very few trees, not more than 20 total, so our...

How I feed poultry for fun and profit.(poultry shows and poultry feed)
May 1, 1997... I earn enough from my poultry in a year to pay for all their expenses--and to take a few trips to poultry shows around the country. Poultry shows have many benefits. They are a wonderful way to meet people with the same interest, and...

Feeding chickens the old-fashioned way.(mash and grain)
May 1, 1997... I've rediscovered an old-fashioned poultry feeding method that saves money and is better for the birds. It's the old "mash and grain" method. While you can feed birds a single commercial chicken feed, it will be easier on your pocketbook...

Home remedy saves Buttercup's injured teats.(Dermoplast numbs injured teats)
May 1, 1997... Recently one of our two family Guernsey milk cows suffered a terrible injury to her udder. The two teats on the right side were crushed and one split wide open. We assume that the young bull, an inexperienced beginner, was mounting the other...

He cleans up mastitis with Tide laundry soap.(cow disease)
May 1, 1997... I'm a registered nurse who also farms. In recent years I have been nursing less and farming more. I raise sheep, pigs, laying hens and feeder calves. I started by haunting a local sales barn. The nurse in me felt sorry for the calves...

Growing corn for feed.
May 1, 1997... As we were trying to plant our corn last May and June, we had massive amounts of rain from several storms. The plantings were late, on land that was worked too early, resulting in a poor stand on some of our land. (We were fortunate enough to...

A homestead adventure: learning about generators was only part of it....(beginning homesteaders)
May 1, 1997... My wife, Donna, and I have been homesteading in Arnoldsburg, West Virginia, for two years. It was not our intention to homestead; it was necessary in order to survive. A disabling injury in 1989 was whittling away at my life and the lives of...

She would have written sooner, but moving kept her busy....(homesteading)
May 1, 1997... I have subscribed to Countryside for a few years now and have to say that it is the best magazine out there. If only it were published monthly instead! First, I can hardly wait to get it in the mail, and then I find myself rather depressed...

We made it!(becoming a homesteader)
May 1, 1997... We made it! On Feb. 29, 1996, we left Rhode Island after selling our place on a lake. On Highway 90 it dawned on me that everything we owned was in the U-Haul truck my husband was driving. Our car was hitched to the truck and the three...

Homestead life can begin at 50.
May 1, 1997... Time flies when you're having fun, and I am. I've been meaning to write about how I started my homestead at 50. Better late than never! I guess it all started when I was 35 and my husband was 40. I relied on him for everything that was...

Homesteading in Africa.
May 1, 1997... What's a bumpkin from Otisfield, Maine and a farm girl from the backside of Rudyard, Michigan doing in a place like this? Well, we fell in love with Sahelian Africa, that semi-desert transitional zone south of the Sahara, while in the...

Homestead challenges.(homesteading difficulties; include two related articles on social challenges)
May 1, 1997... We asked what you consider your greatest homestead challenge. Here are some of the answers. Having considered myself a homesteader for only the last three years, I would have to say that I am still a novice. My first homestead, just...

Put your dogs to work!(using dogs to haul loaded snow sleds)
May 1, 1997... Homesteading in one shape or another has been supporting me. in part, for 16 years. Before that it was my recreation and pastime. So I think I am not easily fooled. I pride myself on finding out the important information before I start a...

Prepare taxes for fun and profit!(home or office based job)
May 1, 1997... My husband and I have both lucked into ideal (for us) careers for homesteading: teaching and tax preparation. Together we work 12 months of the year and we both have summers off! Teaching has always been viewed as a great job if you don't...

Cattle are their homestead business.
May 1, 1997... Raising cattle on your homestead can be a money losing proposition, or it can make you a few bucks. The price of cattle fluctuates in a seven to ten year cycle. Right now the cycle is on the down side, and the price when you sell a weanling...

How to Earn Extra Income in the Country.
May 1, 1997... You don't need an MBA to start a small business of your own, but for anything more complex than a lemonade stand, it isn't as easy as some people seem to expect, either. Nonetheless, few are stymied by questions about production, marketing,...

There's gold in your garden!(making money from gardening)
May 1, 1997... I would like to share with others how my garden supplied my family with good? nutritious food, paid for itself and also made extra money. I grew plenty of food for us to enjoy through summer and preserved more for later use. The chickens...

Get business help from these associations.(Directory)
May 1, 1997... If you are interested in pursuing opportunities to earn extra income in the country, the following associations may be of assistance: Aquaculture: International Aquaculture Foundation, 2440 Virginia Avenue NW, Suite D305, Washington, DC...

Letters to Matthew: Matthew Zehnder asked how a 14-year-old country boy can earn money. Here are some of the ideas you provided.(collection of related articles)
May 1, 1997... Matthew Zehnder asked how a 14-year-old country boy can earn money. Here are some of the ideas you provided. Try dogsitting and yard work Dear Matthew: My name is Taylor Deakyne. I'm 14 also and I live on a 4.5 acre farmette in...

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.(fishing for food; includes recipe)
May 1, 1997... I remember as a kid living in the country of North Central Wisconsin, harvesting almost everything that we needed from Mother Earth, including fish. I grew up comfortably situated between several lakes, all within a few miles of our house....

Muzzleloaders on the homestead: they might not be good choices as the first or only gun, but they impart a sense of history.
May 1, 1997... The article about becoming an outdoorswoman (81/1:31) inspired me to write again because it concerned, in part, muzzleloading firearms. I don't believe a muzzleloader is a good candidate for a homesteader's first or only gun....

Homestead help for computer users.(online sites)
May 1, 1997... More and more people are going "online" as the prices are coming down, and this includes many homesteaders. There are many of us out there, and many show up in our groups every day saying that it took them forever to find us. To make it a bit...

You always remember your first goat....(homestead goats)
May 1, 1997... Among a number of other "firsts" one will never forget, many people will always remember their first goat, no matter how many they later may acquire or know. My first was Abigail. Having grown up in Germany, I was familiar with goats from...