Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from November 2004

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from November 2004

Delicious dill pickle recipe was easy!(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I just wanted to tell you how easy that dill pickle recipe was to do (Sept/Oct 2004). I've been canning for about 10 years now and those are the best tasting, crunchiest pickles I have ever made. I couldn't believe that you didn't...

Grandfathers' scythes revitalized.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I wanted to take a moment to respond to the article in the July/August issue about using scythes. I had a patch of land that needed to be cleared. There were briars, polk stalks and other weeds higher than my head growing...

Sourdough needs clean surroundings.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: My credentials: a degree in pastry and specialty baking from an accredited culinary school, and 15-plus years in commercial artisan baking. I felt compelled to write about the well intentioned but misinformed article regarding...

Using and cracking black walnuts.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: In one of the back issues magazines, there was something about backyard harvesting. This took to my interest as I still live in a rural area that my father and his father and brothers once farmed. Often we would find raspberry...

Thoughts differ on chicken raising.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I read the article "Give your chicken a bath" (Sept./Oct. 04) with interest and puzzlement. We have raised chickens now for 20 some years and my experience in raising and butchering them is quite different from the article's...

Heirloom vegetable success varies with location.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: In response to Rebecca Whitford's article, "Heirlooms: what works & what doesn't," Sept/Oct 04, I wanted to point out that as frustrating as it might be, there can never be very extensive information on which heirlooms grow better,...

Looking for Floridian gardeners.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I am 80 years young and would appreciate it if you would let me know of anyone in the area of Steinhatchee, Florida who grows a garden, especially vegetables. I would like to meet them. Sometimes I drive around and see very few...

Cash is not a "four letter" word.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: This letter is in response to H. Licari's letter in the July/August 2004 issue regarding credit cards. Contrary to what society (and retail) would have you believe, cash is not a "four letter" word. You will not be turned away...

Tips for using leaves and Gatorade.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: First of all I would like to say that one of my valued possessions are my COUNTRYSIDE magazines. I have every one including the first issue. My husband and I have been raising sheep, goats, chickens and guinea fowl for many years....

What's eating their potted plants?(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: My husband, daughter and I live in an apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina. The only dirt we own is in pots out back, but every day brings us one step more toward the country. It's precisely those pots of dirt that is prompting...

A peek at life in Costa Rica.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: Just read my first issue and simply loved it. At first glance my wife and I--especially me--don't seem the type to be living on a farm. There was a time when my idea Of roughing it was having to stay at the Ritz Carleton but not in...

Cleansing cream recipe.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: In the May/June issue you printed a letter from Carole Braun searching for a lost face cream recipe. It sounds very similar to a recipe from Make Your Own Groceries by Daphne Metaxas Hartwig, published in 1979. This book has proven...

These folks are happy with their Retsel grinder.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: Regarding the drip irrigation article in Sept/Oct 2004: I love the book Drip Irrigation for Every Landscape & All Climates by Robert Kourik. I also was happy shopping from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply (PO Box 2209, Grass Valley, CA...

Where there's a will, there's a way to learn anything.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: This letter is in response to Lucy Gray, Question of the Month, July/August 2004. Her story intrigued me. Not that I would want her trials, but those trials have made her one tough gal. And I am sure she will learn to use the...

Tomatoes and squash are losing blossoms.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I have a problem I am hoping readers can help me with. I have been raising tomatoes with fairly good success, but I've noticed this year and in the past some of the flowers die and fall off before setting fruit. I know from reading...

A homesteading forum does exist.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: Have you ever considered an on-line forum for COUNTRYSIDE? I don't know what would be needed for time or resources, but it would be great to be able to exchange ideas with other subscribers.--MargeComeau; cwtvihayesm@westriv.com...

Chickens with "diaper rash" and a frozen milk question.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: First of all, thanks for a great magazine! I always find something useful and/or interesting in every issue. I always felt that I was a country girl at heart, but had no real experience with farm animals until we bought our...

Coat wheat berries with cooked wine.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I enjoyed Maria M. of Milford, Ohio's contribution in the July/August 2004 issue regarding wheat berries. I would like to add to her comments, and ask for help. Cooked wheat berries can be thoroughly drained of water and...

Wanted: woman to cook squirrel while driving nails.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: The article, "Where are all the homesteaders?," March/April 2004, by Linda B. of Washington, really hit home. Currently in our 40s, we relocated onto a secluded 55 acres, surrounded by national forest in the Missouri Ozarks 12...

Book opened young vegetarian's eyes.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I am 15 years old and have been a vegetarian for almost a year now. Most people eat animals because they either like to condone the fact that what they are eating was alive, had feelings, eyes, and was born into the world for the...

Apple cider vinegar as livestock breeding aid.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I just read in a book of hints for simple country living that giving goats apple cider vinegar for six weeks before breeding increases the percentage of female kids to 75%. Wonder if anybody's had any experience with doing anything...

Beware of internet auction scams.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: Since more and more homesteaders are using Internet auctions to buy and sell, some even making part-time income off of it, be careful what you respond to. The most common attempt at Internet identify theft is to send you an...

Reader agrees, pickup trucks are "cool".(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I don't usually write responses to items in magazines or other printed media. However, when I got to the last page of the Sept/Oct 2004 issue featuring John L. Braese's "The utimate social necessity: The pickup truck," I had to...

Age is only a number for this 73 -year-old.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I haven't taken this magazine for very long, but I truly enjoy it. I moved to my homestead when I was 71 years old. For something to do, I planted fruit trees in my back yard (I only have an acre of ground) when I was 73. I...

Eliminating roaches and homeschooling dilema.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I would like to know if there are any thing that I can use for getting rid of roaches? I have tried roach powder, roach traps, vinegar and soap. None of these things have stopped my problem. I have cleaned and poisoned these...

Eliminating noxious Russian knapweed.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: Our family has a serious problem and we are at our wit's end. Being a long-time subscriber, I am asking readers for help. We slowly reclaimed a place in the country that had been empty and let go for over five years. In...

Mowing "by the moon" reduced thistle patch.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: For several years I had been battling a patch of thistle. I mowed this area about every two weeks--with no effect. I then sprayed twice with Roundup. Still no effect. On June 25th, I mowed for the first time this year and there was...

Will hay bales lead to mice?(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: We are temporarily living in a house trailer up in the northwoods of Wisconsin. We had a little trouble keeping things under the trailer warm enough last winter. The pipes to our washing machine froze and burst. This year I am...

Earth floors--are they sealed?(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I was reading an article about earthern floors. Unfortunately, they only touched on the fact it was a lot of work at the end of building a strawbale house. We are moving to New Mexico next year and are planning an earth sheltered...

Guineas vs. neighbor.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I'd like to respond to the letter from the woman in Michigan, whose roaming guinea flock is causing issues with her neighbor. The neighbor claims that the guineas are eating her strawberry crop, while the writer claims this cannot...

Looking for house plans.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I really enjoy your magazine and I am inspired to try many of the ideas in your articles (though truthfully, I still haven't gotten around to many of them). I live in a mobile home on five acres here in California but dream of...

A cheap alternative to hotel rooms.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: Have you ever heard of homestaying? People all over the world accommodate travelers in their homes. I've never done it, but from what I've heard, the cost is reasonable--much less than motels. If you have access to he Internet,...

Living off the grid once was enough.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I have been reading COUNTRYSIDE over a year now. I have never written so I thought I would put in my two cents. My wife and I live on 7.5 acres in Mississippi. We both grew up on farms in the 40s and 50s then left home for a...

Earth-sheltered RV garage.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I have done a lot of pondering about homesteading within the parameters of time and money. My conclusion is to build a type of earth sheltered barn into which I could park a travel trailer. (See drawing.) This barn would be...

A "must read" when searching for a homestead.(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: I knew I hung on to everything for a reason. I pulled out all my stash of country living info and found the book I was looking for about buying land in rural areas is: Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country by Les and Carol...

Back on the farm and it feels great!(Country conversation & feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE: This letter has been a long time overdue. I began my love for farms as a child when we lived on an Ohio farm in the early 1960s. My father, who believed in raising your own food, instilled in me the same values. My husband I have...

Coming events.(Calendar)
November 1, 2004... Send your Coming Events at least three months in advance to: COUNTRYSIDE Editorial, W11564 Hwy. 64, Withee, WI 54498; csymag@tds.net November 12-14, 2004 CFSA's 19th Annual Sustainable Agriculture Conference, The Holiday Inn Sunspree,...

Build a wood-burning cookstove from a steel barrel.(Build it yourself)
November 1, 2004... Many people are familiar with wood heaters made from steel barrels. This is a description of how to make a wood cook stove from a barrel. An effort has been made to keep it simple so that you will not need special skills like welding or...

An easy, inexpensive, low-tech shower system.(Build it your self)
November 1, 2004... Are you living in a country cottage that hasn't yet been plumbed? Or are you worried about being able to take showers when you move in and renovate the plumbing in your recently purchased "fixer upper?" You may be planning to use a solar...

Build your own one finger tailgate lift.(The machine shed)
November 1, 2004... It wasn't too long after moving to, our 12 acres in the country that we realized that having a good functional trailer would be very helpful. Like most COUNTRYSIDERS, our finances are limited so we knew that one trailer would have to be used...

E-z grass snake.(The smithy)
November 1, 2004... This is just a fun sort of thing to make of no particular practical value. You need about a 24-inch long piece of one-half inch construction reinforcing bar (aka rebar). It should be available in that size and length at most building...

Should we survey? After a long battle, the answer should have been "yes".(Getting started)
November 1, 2004... I am sure this question is asked frequently by people like ourselves when they are starting out. You've found a place and you're excited to get started on your dreams. Maybe you're like us and the bank didn't require a survey to get a loan, or...

A dream gone bust.
November 1, 2004... Our dream began in 1998 when we first bought five acres of heavily wooded land east of Mena, Arkansas. Prior to that time we had spent two years researching alternative building styles while we traveled in our 35-foot motor home. We were...

Daughter's lack of electricity enhances this mom's tales.(Getting started)
November 1, 2004... My husband, Mike, just left on a nine hour trip down to the hills of Tennessee. He had the truck loaded down with supplies and tools and he'll be gone for about a week. It's a sad day for me, for a few reasons. First of all, I didn't get...

Life in the hogan: simple and happy.
November 1, 2004... The road wound steeply toward a mountain-lined blue sky. The range was scattered with creosote bush and barrel cactus. A jackrabbit darted playfully, barely escaping our Jeep's knobby tires. As Route 66 disappeared into the merciless desert...

So you want to be a homesteader ... where should you start?(Getting started)
November 1, 2004... When a new homesteader is looking for the how-to's to achieve greater independence, COUNTRYSIDE is one of the best places to start. This publication reminds me of the neighborhood I grew up in. Everyone helped everyone else. Our one-room...

Advice for new homesteaders.(Getting started)
November 1, 2004... The biggest "drawback to COUNTRYSIDERS who want a farm these days is the price they have to pay for land. Thirty years ago farms were cheaper, but if you consider the wages in the south back then, the prices were actually high. A lot has...

Ripples in the stream.(Homestead water)
November 1, 2004... ... down where the falling waters talk across the pebbled beds of rock ... where the new grass grows along the stream, painting the water with borders green. Half Time Creek enters our land from higher up the hollow. It comes down the...

Lost in the wilderness! Tips to help you emerge safely.(Survival tips)
November 1, 2004... I have a friend that has spent a significant amount of his life living and working in the remote outdoors as a backcountry hunting guide and outfitter. He is actually about as close to a primitive outdoorsman as today's world will tolerate. One...

A simple hand-warming heater you can make yourself.(Survival tips)
November 1, 2004... A little bit of warming heat can go a long way in the outdoors, particularly when it comes to warming cold hands. You can always solve the problem by gathering up wood and building a fire, but in some cases the wood may be wet, or maybe you...

Whitetail tracks: is it a buck or a doe?
November 1, 2004... It's a chilly November morning in Jackson County, Wisconsin. The sun has begun to glisten behind the trees just above the horizon. The small storm that blew through late yesterday afternoon left behind two inches of wet snow, the kind that...

Food security is a real issue.
November 1, 2004... The practice of "dumping" by the United States which, in simple terms, means selling agriculture commodities on international markets at prices below the cost of production, is putting farmers in America out of business and is hurting farmers...

Thrift in the garden.(The garden)
November 1, 2004... I have been gardening for about 45 years and have a few words of advice concerning thrifty gardening. I hope some of these may be of help to COUNTRYSIDE readers. 1. Save your own seeds. If you grow non-hybrid plants, you can save the...

Great gardens begin with seed catalogs.(The garden)
November 1, 2004... The summer warms my bones while the garden nourishes my spirit. Mental health flourishes in a row of colorful zinnias in full bloom, surrounded by drifts of bachelor buttons. Tomatoes remind me of ladies on the beach, they love the sun so much....

Mushrooms and more.(Homestead foraging)
November 1, 2004... Here at Timberlakes the approach of late autumn marks the end of the year's garden and crop harvest. As we watch the fields and garden patches settling into dormancy for the long winter's rest, we are naturally filled with a sense of...

Heirloom tomatoes: they grow great in Green Bay.(The garden)
November 1, 2004... Personally, I've seen a lot more variation on performance of heirloom varieties than Rebecca Whitford (Heirlooms: What Works and What Doesn't). I've been growing heirlooms for the last six years, and they generally produce as well or better...

Lasagna gardening is the way to go.(The garden)
November 1, 2004... I have just finished my second issue of your magazine, I am amazed. I have been an avid reader of Mother Earth News since its inception. I have learned more in two issues of COUNTRYSIDE than I gleaned from decades of Mother. I mean useful...

A root cellar for food and storage.(Notes from the Northwoods)
November 1, 2004... One can get so involved in the late summer and autumn food preservation frenzy that it is easy to forget what you are doing--simply providing food for the non-growing season. One gets caught up in the "all food all year, can everything in...

Trees and vegetables have different needs.(Notesfrom the Northwoods)
November 1, 2004... I usually agree with Elizabeth and Crow Miller on gardening topics but in the Sept/Oct 2004 issue, in their article entitled "Feed your trees" there are several statements that can be misleading. They begin by stating, "Trees should be fed...

Bread making basics.(The country kitchen)
November 1, 2004... Baking with various whole grains can be rather tricky! Knowing a little about each one before you endeavor to use it in a recipe can be most helpful. "Read on about the desired grains to find out more about how best to use them. Wheat:...

Sourdough bread variations.(The country kitchen)
November 1, 2004... Thanks to D.L. Salsbury, D.V.M.'s article "Sourdough revisited" in the July/August 2004 issue, I have come home to baking my own bread again. When I could no longer bake bread, I either had to give up my homemade bread or go to the...

Acres of apples--frugal to the core.(The country kitchen)
November 1, 2004... I've always dreamed of having an apple tree in my back yard. You know the old saying, "be careful what you wish for?" Now that I actually have my own apple tree, I stand in my yard watching the apples piling up around me thinking, "Oh no--what...

Stuffed vegetables fit for a sultan.(The country kitchen)
November 1, 2004... Known to the Greeks as dolmath, the Turks dolma, the Persians dolmeh, and the Arabs mashi, stuffed vegetables have been a favored food in the Middle East and the Balkans for centuries. It is believed that their origin goes back to the ancient...

Frankincense, myrrh, and more: oils that heal as referenced in the Bible.(Alternative medicine)
November 1, 2004... Do you remember the story of I the baby Jesus receiving gifts from the Three Wise Men at his birth? They were gold, frankincense and myrrh, right. By our standards today, most people on the face of this earth would consider gold to be the most...

Holiday harvest at far out farms.
November 1, 2004... Farms operate by the season. Spring is the season for planting and anticipating the rich flavors of harvest. The chickens and ducks cannot lay eggs any faster than the peak of spring. Summer starts the harvest of early fruits and vegetables....

Tips for a merry--and green--holiday season.
November 1, 2004... The spirit of giving is at its peak during the winter holiday season. Unfortunately, so is our environmental impact. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, we generate 25 percent more landfill waste than during the rest of the year, and buy...

Ideas for your chickens' enjoyment.
November 1, 2004... Two years ago we took the plunge and bought some chickens. The kids and I have enjoyed them ever since. My husband can take them or leave them; I guess he doesn't see what all the fuss is about. However, he was kind enough to build me a...

Rare birds part of preservation breeding program.
November 1, 2004... Seven rare Old English geese moved from Texas to Pennsylvania in May. Four are mature and three are youngsters, a saddlebacked female hatched in 2003 and a male and female hatched early in 2004. "It didn't take them too long to adjust,"...

Lice: costly hitchhikers/.(Livestock health)
November 1, 2004... Fall is the time of year when lice love to hitch a ride on the backs of cattle for the winter. There are five types of lice that are costing cattlemen thousands of dollars when their cattle lose weight and become susceptible to all kinds...

The merits of domestic rabbit meat.(The rabbit barn)
November 1, 2004... The tender, healthy white meat-domestic rabbit. Let's begin with a closer look at what the above statement is really saying to us. Tender, means "delicate" and in looking at something that we consider as "delicate" we see in the domestic...

Water your hogs without using electricity.(The hog pen)
November 1, 2004... I would like to share with readers how I was able to water my feeder pigs without the use of electricity. We are not off the grid, and don't plan to be anywhere in the near future. So when the electricity goes out it is an adventure around...

Raising exotic alpacas.(Alternative livestock)
November 1, 2004... Alpacas are beautiful, intelligent animals that are easy to handle and raise, require minimal acreage and food, and have the potential for numerous financial benefits. Alpacas, cousins to the llama, are native to the Andean Mountain range...

For the love of goats.(The goat barn)
November 1, 2004... Greetings from Iowa County in southwest Wisconsin. My name is Clare Wiesbrook. I am a 15-year-old goat owner. I have been actively involved in the 4-H goat project for five years. I own 12 Alpine/Nubian cross goats and am currently milking...

The homestead donkey.(Alternative livestock)
November 1, 2004... I have Jacob sheep, an old Biblical variety and we also have a resident lion. We've known her for years and have caught glimpses of her and her young at night over the last 20 years. Lately there have been countless numbers of "loose" dogs...

My life as a diesel gypsy or how to pay for a 50 acre homestead in five years.(Homestead finance)
November 1, 2004... For those of you who want to make the transition from the city to the country, you may want to consider "the road." Granted, truck driving is not for everyone, but for others it may be an option you haven't thought of. Consider these...

Fiat paper money vs. real gold dollars.(Homestead finance)
November 1, 2004... I hate to disagree with a chartered financial analyst and a reverend ("Commodities, fiat and theories," July/August 2004) but I fear that Reverend Rittenhouse has not visited the real world recently. I agree with his definition of money--a...

Growing old, death, and insurance.(Homestead finances)
November 1, 2004... I wrote an article about a year ago about my mother-in-law passing away and the insurance mess that followed. Now almost two years after her death we are now faced with ongoing problems. My father-in-law is in bad health, he has spent all the...

Last month we asked: how can you make extra income on one acre?(Question of the month)
November 1, 2004... Make herbal soaps I make herbal soaps to sell. They sold well in gift shops, apothecary shops and places that cater to tourists who like to bring home some "country flavor." Since the Cochrans own an acre and are familiar with growing...

Trip to the landfill.(After chores)
November 1, 2004... As we our pickup full of "junk' to take to the landfill, I remind my husband Ron, "Let's not take out more than we brought in!" Our county has two days a year designated as County Clean-Up Days. That's when we're supposed to clean up unsightly...