Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from November 1999

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from November 1999

They get by with just 900 gallons of water per month.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: I had to respond to the article by the Rayberns (83/4:58). While I agree with their advice on food storage, the part about conserving water warranted comment. I wouldn't call us "ultra conservative" by any stretch of the...

Extra pressure tanks can be used to store more water.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: Thank you so much for your magazine. It is a real source of blessing in my life. I am writing a quick note about a water storage idea that I have yet to hear about elsewhere. It is a method for folks with a private water...

People don't need electricity to live.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: I know this is a very busy time and it's hard to sort out what should be printed but I think I have something to offer. Something has been bothering me for some time now, and I need to tell you. People do not need electricity...

Drying food without electricity.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: I didn't plan on writing to you again, but my garden has done so well I have been forced to find alternative (non-electric) means of long term storage. The only conditions necessary for solar drying are a temperature over 80c with...

A sign of things to come?(worry over Y2K)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: I do diagnostic testing at a hospital that's located within the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. The Y2K point I would like to make is that earlier this year, my hospital was certified as being Y2K compliant. Well, just recently, I...

Hull-less oats save time.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: One Y2K item I'm eager to share with COUNTRYSIDE readers is hull-less oats. I was quite concerned about how to remove the hulls from homegrown oats until a friend brought me a hull-less variety to try. We put some through our...

Activated charcoal instead of toothpaste?(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: In a recent issue was an article about activated charcoal, including brushing with it to whiten teeth. I talked to my dentist about this and he said to avoid it because "It's abrasive on the same principle as Lava soap." I'd like...

Cool with evaporation.(constructing a desert cooler)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: I have not seen a plan for a desert cooler, also called an Arizona cooler. When I was young we had a cooler on the side of the house that used evaporation to cool. I later worked in a summer camp that had a large desert cooler to...

Inexpensive water bottles.(for rabbits)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: Having kept rabbits for just less than a year, I was already tired of replacing those $6 plastic water bottles that kept breaking. Finally one day, while gazing idly at an orphaned screw-top with spout which just happened to be...

In praise of Nigerian Dwarf goats.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: I'd like to help promote little Nigerian Dwarf milk goats. They are so underestimated as a dairy goat. I got mine after reading a nice article in the Dairy Goat Journal. It said the official record as of May 1997 for one goat on...

They've accomplished a lot in three years.(canning hot peppers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: It has been almost three years since I have written an article for COUNTRYSIDE. I had to stop a moment and think about why... Three years ago we had just moved from a large 3,000 sq. ft. plus home in town to a single-wide...

Drought didn't harm his Garden of Eden.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: After the dry spell we've experienced, agribusiness people are in serious need of corporate welfare, but the farmers all seem to be doing well. And I mean that with a song in my heart. No smut in the corn, few weeds in the fields,...

Survival Soup contains all food groups.(Recipe)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: Love your magazine read it from cover to cover. We have been preparing for Y2K for some time now: alternative heat, shallow well pump, canning, tools and heirloom seeds. This past summer we grew many types of beans, e.g....

Small fruits work for her.(odd varieties of fruit)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: Most of us are familiar with apples or pears but have you tried the lesser known native or odd varieties of small fruits? Some of them are even left alone by the birds, which is a big plus. The Hansen bush cherry is very easy...

Using natural dyes.(making dye from food)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: Natural dyes can be made cheaply out of household items. The following plants make these colors: Shredded red cabbage = midnight blue and teal Ground coffee = creamy brown Turmeric = vivid gold Beet root = reddish...

Old-time corned beef recipe.(Brief Article)(Review)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: I am planning on making corned beef this fall and we have copied the article of Jan/Feb, 1999 by D.L Salsbury for our recipe book. I also have a recipe that my parents got from a neighbor 60 years ago. They made corned beef in...

Finds web forum helpful.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: I want to thank you for the forum. This is the most useful spot for me on the internet! It is a great service to COUNTRYSIDE readers (and others). I have received numerous thoughtful and helpful responses to my question about...

Cooking in a pressure canner.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: Barb Tanzosh needn't have bought a new pressure cooker if she still has her old 22-quart canner. As we don't like to cook in aluminum, we use a smaller loose-lidded enameled-steel corn pot inside our 22-quart canner. This gives us...

Keep snow out of an unused chimney.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: Here's an idea I used back in 1974 to cover a large stone chimney on an estate I was managing at that time. The owners would come out in midwinter to use their old 1906 log cabin. In previous years the chimney could never...

COUNTRYSIDE is just like family.(Countryside and Small Stock Journal)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: Just a note to say I really do enjoy "our COUNTRYSIDE." I really enjoy reading it each time it comes --it's like hearing from all the family at once! (Our COUNTRYSIDE extended family!) Too, I learn something new in every...

Pencil scratchings on many topics.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... COUNTRYSIDE: I don't know where I've been. I just now discovered your magazine. Well, I guess I've been too busy in the tomato patch, wood pile, clothes line... Let's just say I've always lived a "Countryside" life, but not nearly as...

What will the last day of 1999 be like for you?(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Keep a two-day diary and share it with us It's December 31, 1999. Whether or not you plan on celebrating later that evening, you can't help but think about the last New Year's Eve of the 1900s... and how that might affect computers... ...

It's about time.(time management)
November 1, 1999... Time--years, days, minutes--is what life is made of. How we use time determines what our lives are, what we are. Here are some thoughts on time from a homestead perspective. COUNTRYSIDE Staff Most homesteaders, unfortunately, have...

It takes time to acquire homestead tools and experience.
November 1, 1999... Many factors are involved in homestead efficiency, but perhaps none is as important as experience. Experience is generally accompanied by an increase in proper and useful tools, which further increases efficiency. In brief and in homestead...

Time saving devices.
November 1, 1999... Nothing really belongs to us but time, which even he has nothing else.--Baltasar Gracia'n It would be difficult to discuss time, and saving it, without mentioning time-saving tools and equipment. In a homestead context, that isn't as...

How many ways can you think of to save time?
November 1, 1999... All my possessions for a moment of time.--Last words of Queen Elizabeth I Here are some idea-starters: [check] Carrying water to livestock can be a time-consuming chore, especially in winter. Piping water to the animals, with a...

Building underground with Mike Oehler's PSP system.(post/shoring/polyethylene)
November 1, 1999... When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.--Henry J. Kaiser Unique, affordable shelter you can provide for yourself The biggest investment most people have is their home. A mortgage, or rent, is a major item in most budgets....

Low-cost homestead building.(storage sheds)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Old-timers used to say "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear," but when you have to do things as cheaply as possible, you tend to get creative. Connie and I had needed, for some time, a place to put the washer and freezer other...

Fast survival axes from sandstone.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... We had left our knives at home. My two brothers and I were in the middle of the woods without food, matches, bedding or tools of any sort. We needed a good blade, quick. We knew that flint (which makes the best blades) is rarely found here...

Double doe's foot handle is an improvement for his maul.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Did you ever hear of a double doe's foot handle for a splitting maul? My father burned wood for extra heat, and splitting the wood was my favorite job. When I was a young woodsplitter, the sparkle in my eye was a six pound splitting maul...

The versatile kerchief: Simple, inexpensive, remarkably useful.
November 1, 1999... Access to technology does not automatically mean that we become smarter. In many ways, today's television culture--though highly informed in many general ways -- has become incompetent in many practical ways. We think that by looking at...

There are many uses for cornhusks.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... In Vol. 76, No. 6 (Nov/Dec `92), a reader wonders about uses for cornhusks. Oh yes, there are numerous uses for corn by-products, so you can indeed use "everything but the squeal!" For starters, you need to save husks that are in good...

Make a lantern from recyclable materials.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... A simple, inexpensive lantern can be made from some common recycled materials. You will need a tall juice can (four inch diameter, seven inches tall), a quart mayonnaise glass jar (wide mouth works best), some wire, sand and a candle. How...

In the next month, 200 of the people reading this will have a fire.
November 1, 1999... Here's how to cut your losses. From another ardent reader and an old retired fire chief the letter entitled Ready then, ready now from Judith Richardson Haralson on page 25 of the March/April 1999 issue mentions possibly more in seriousness...

Traps and snares for survival outperform hunting.
November 1, 1999... For survival, there is nothing more important to have with you than modern traps and snares. A trap works for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With modern snares you can snare anything from rabbits to black bears. Traps are silent, quick...

Guns on the homestead: just another farm implement.
November 1, 1999... Guns are like broccoli. Some love them, and some hate them, but that's where the analogy ends. Those that don't like broccoli simply leave it alone and don't care if someone else likes it. But when it comes to guns, those that hate them aren't...

How to improve your firearm accuracy.
November 1, 1999... Project MOA (minute of angle) is primarily concerned with the mechanical accuracy of a gun. This is generally tested and proven by shooting from a rest. Your ability to use a gun's accuracy for hunting requires you to shoot accurately while...

Making jerky.(Recipe)
November 1, 1999... Ask anyone how the technique of making jerky originated, and most folks will give you an answer, usually based on some impression gained from a Hollywood movie. The only problem is that the true origin is probably lost in antiquity. One...

Canning meat can be better than freezing it.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... This is my first time canning meat. I have chickens in the bathtub now! We used to keep two freezers for our beef when our family was larger. Eventually we sold one, and then with the two of us found we didn't use the meat fast enough, or...

Make good use of venison scraps with these sausage ideas.(Recipe)
November 1, 1999... When the deer season is over, or when the autumn butchering is done, the freezer often contains bags of meat trimmings that were cut away from the usual roasts, chops and steaks or from those parts of the carcass that don't fit agreeably into...

Another venison sausage recipe.(Recipe)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Looking for a venison sausage recipe? My farm is located in an area overflowing with deer and eventually I'll bag one for the table. So when I saw this sausage recipe I saved it. Venison Sausage 2-1/2 lbs. venison trimmings 1...

Don't tan ... taw!
November 1, 1999... Technically, not tanning--but the results are the same, and easier! Using the skins of your butchered homestead animals makes good sense financially and environmentally, and besides being easy it's fun. It must be easy because even a Stone...

Indian tan leather.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Skins must first be put in fresh water and soaked until soft, for 24 to 36 hours. They are then put over a round beam and the surplus flesh scraped off with a knife. The skins are then hung up in a warm room until the hair slips. The hair is...

How to tan a rabbit skin.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Start with a fresh-off-the-rabbit skin, or soak a dry skin in warm water. Split the skin down the belly. 1. Wash in warm water; rinse; remove as much water as possible. Spread flat and cover with 1/4 inch of salt on flesh side. Fold sides...

A cheap and easy method to tan sheepskins.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... After a fresh pelt air dries for a day, shave the fat away with a sharp, curved-blade knife. Scrape the entire hide so the thin membrane layer is broken up and can absorb the tanning materials. Pour a cup of household detergent and a cup of...

Tanning with alum.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Here's another easy way for homesteaders with a few hides to make use of them without a lot of equipment and experience Prepare the hide in the usual way by first salting it, removing all flesh and fat; and, if necessary, shave it down to...

Think there's no such thing as a "free lunch?" Then you haven't tried foraging.
November 1, 1999... Think there's no such thing as a "free lunch?" The words "free" and "food" are seldom used together: There is no such thing as a free lunch. Foragers might disagree. Foraging--locating, gathering, preparing and eating foods that grow...

Wild foods are part of the homestead food culture.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Eating is a cultural experience. Naming a food can bring to mind an ethnic group as often as it does flavors and aromas. Try it! Tacos. Pasta. Borscht. Bubbles and squeak. Hot dogs. But tastes -- and the world -- change. Today, it's...

Foraging in the animal kingdom.(Recipe)
November 1, 1999... You might turn up your nose at some foods which other people consider delicacies The foods we eat, or don't eat, are largely determined by the society we live in. The average American wouldn't dream of eating a cat or dog, or a horse....

Eating dandelions (and other wild foods) could save your life.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Peggy Zone Fisher, wife of former Ohio gubernatorial candidate Lee Fisher, tells about how her father survived a Nazi concentration camp in WWII by eating dandelions growing in the exercise yard. He came home, while others died. People...

Burdock: a valuable plant farmers love to hate.
November 1, 1999... Here's another example of some people fighting "weeds" that other people grow as vegetables The first time I saw a wild burdock, I was certain it was a rhubarb plant. I was observing the first-year growth on my grandfather's farm in Ohio,...

Thinking about medicinal herbs.
November 1, 1999... Both herbal and mainstream remedies should be used with caution, common sense, and careful thought For individuals, families or settlements in relative isolation, home treatment utilizing some form of herbal preparation, particularly of...

The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine.(Review)
November 1, 1999... The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine by Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D.; 136 pp; $14.95; Keats Publishing, Inc., 27 Pine St. (Box 876), New Canaan, CT 06840. Herbal medicine was once the dominant form of treatment of various disorders of...

The Healing Power of Herbs: The Enlightened Person's Guide to the Wonders of Medicinal Plants.(Review)
November 1, 1999... The Healing Power of Herbs: The Enlightened Person's Guide to the Wonders of Medicinal Plants by Michael T. Murray, N.D., 246 pp; $12.95; Prima Publishing, PO Box 1260 MM, Rocklin, CA 95670; ph (916) 726-0449. Herbal medicine was once the...

The Dandelion Celebration, A Guide to Unexpected Cuisine.(Review)
November 1, 1999... The Dandelion Celebration, A Guide to Unexpected Cuisine, by Peter Gail; Goosefoot Acres Press, PO Box 18016, Cleveland OH 44118-0016; 156 pages; paperback; $10.95. You don't have to be interested in wild foods in general to enjoy and...

The advantages of the two-wheel tractor.(Buyers Guide)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... A big one: They cost less! Someone has said death and taxes are inevitable. For the homesteader, land maintenance can be added to that scenario. However, brush and grass control are not the only needs for the multiple acre land owner. From...

You too, can build a gas-fired generator.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... It'll take lots of study, but it will be better than the cheap units and cheaper than the good ones I have read many letters on the topic of producing electricity and decided to write one of my own. My family has made their own...

Growing vine-ripened tomatoes in a solar/composting greenhouse.
November 1, 1999... If this is the first season in your solar/composting greenhouse, start your seedlings the first week of November. By January first, most northern solar/composting greenhouses can provide the proper soil temperature. In the South, greenhouse...

The henhouse: Male birds need light stimulation, too.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Almost every poultry article written concerning lighting discusses the effects of light stimulation on laying hens for better year 'round egg production. But light is just as important to male poultry. It may, in fact, be even more important to...

Don't feed rats and mice in your henhouse!(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... It's probably costing more than you think Rodents have always been a problems for poultry raisers; it is estimated that feed loss to rodents can amount to $4 per 100 birds per year. When one realizes the population of poultry in the U.S.,...

The goat barn: Be alert for ketosis.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... This metabolic disease can kill pregnant does -- quickly Be alert for ketosis, now that you've got a barn full of pregnant does -- or even just one pregnant doe. Ketosis, often called "pregnancy toxemia," is a metabolic disease which can...

The rabbitry: Raising rabbits the easy way -- without cages.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... I was told about this communal rabbitry many years ago by a lady in England. First you need an old garage or shed about 10' x 20'. If there is no floor you must dig up the dirt to about three inches deep. Then lay one-inch mesh chicken...

Nature: Butterfly farming.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Some of my earliest childhood memories involve butterflies. Around the age of three, one of my most vivid recollections involved a large wild lantana shrub in the far corner of my backyard. I can still envision the deep yellow-'n-orange flower...

The Intentional Peasant: Those funny little green things.(money only has meaning because society gives it meaning)
November 1, 1999... The trouble with money is that we don't understand it. All that we usually understand about it is that we need to have some. Then we never seem to have enough of it and often have to do unpleasant things just to get a bit more. Lightning...

Home business: From cabins to caskets.(planning simple burial on one's own land)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Several years ago, my wife and I moved to an isolated farm in the rolling hills of eastern Iowa. For us, the move represented the fulfillment of a long-time dream to get closer to the land, to farm and garden and to simplify our lives. The farm...

It ain't over 'til it's over.(potential problems resulting from year 2000 computer transition)
November 1, 1999... It might be a long time before we see the end of Y2K For more than a year we've been saying that nobody knows for sure what effects the Y2K computer glitch will have on our world. This means that anyone who says it's all hype and nonsense...

The Adventures of Hatless Elmo: Starting from Zeros.(Short Story)
November 1, 1999... For several years during the 1980s we imitated the old-time farm magazines by printing something seldom found in modern magazines: fiction. Specifically, in our case, the continuing saga of a crusty old farmer and his unusual friends and...