Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from September 2001

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from September 2001

From the editor.
September 1, 2001... The 12th annual Midwest Renewable Energy Association Festival in Amherst, WI was abuzz with activity in June. The rain had finally ceased after what seemed like weeks of nonstop wetness, and most of the COUNTRYSIDE staff took off for the fair...

Country living is fulfilling.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: How fulfilling country living is! The more we become self-sustaining, the happier and more content we become. It all started when my husband and I got married and I moved into his home in the city of Fond du Lac, WI. I realized...

Sharpening an adze and composting.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: I love your magazine and have been a subscriber for two years now. I wish I had known about it earlier! My wife Juanita and I have seven children. She homeschools them and I read articles to them from COUNTRYSIDE. We've been...

They raise chickens in the suburbs.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: Last year my husband and I along with our three children moved into a 1930s farm house on 1/3 acre on the edge of town. It is still "rural" but quickly being swallowed up by new home subdivisions. We had entertained the...

Notes on spinning article.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: Thank you for printing my article on drop spindle spinning (May/June 2001). I have a couple of corrections for the Materials section of the article. It should read a 2-1/2" wooden toy wheel, a 12" long 3/8" diameter dowel, and a...

Where to find a "Butter Bell".
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: Regarding the "French Butter dish," referred to in the July/ August issue, it's called a "Butter Bell." There is a company that has a website selling them--www. butterbell.com. I think the Betty Crocker points catalog also has...

This reader favors the Standardbred.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: I enjoyed the article on kids and horses "Oregon Kids Stay Out of Trouble by Horsing Around," in the May/June issue. I would like to suggest that COUNTRYSIDE readers looking for a horse consider a Standardbred. Though most...

Small-scale milking equipment.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: We currently pick your magazine up at a local bookstore. We thought maybe you guys could help us with a question. Do you know where we could buy milking equipment for one family cow? We need a home pasteurizer and something to...

"Handicaps" don't keep them down.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: I have come to the conclusion, from letters received from readers, that there are many more people who want to live the homesteading life than I had ever believed possible. Also, quite a few are (they believe) kept from that life...

Strict diet relieves allergies for her.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: For 40-plus years I suffered from "allergies"--coughing, hacking, runny nose, awakening congested and drowning in phlegm, recurrent sinus infections with periodic bronchitis and occasional pneumonia--particularly in the summer and...

Guineas work for raccoon control, too.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: I enjoyed the article on guinea hens for tick control. We think guineas are just great. I am sending a picture of our guineas chasing a raccoon out of the yard. -- Elizabeth Kivela, PO Box 294, Troy, NH 03465

More thoughts on allergies.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: After reading the letter in the July/August edition on allergies I thought I would write and enlighten your readers on a treatment technique that actually eliminates allergies. This has worked for me. I followed a series of...

Hay saver works well for them.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: The hay saver (Nov/Dec 2000) really worked for me. The goats put more hay on the ground than they ate before I built it. -- Norris Graves, 58254 Beck Graves Rd., Bogalusa, LA 70427

Pit greenhouses were built in the '40s.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: This is my first time writing to COUNTRYSIDE and I must start by saying that my husband and I love your magazine. Like so many homestead households, the fight is on when a new issue comes in the mail. We are building a...

Frugal fashion tips and other hints.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: We had hoped by now to be in a place of our own, but an emergency came up and we used all of our savings and went into debt to boot. So, we are now paying off the debt and hopefully by next year we will be able to get our...

Field Corn fertilizer.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: My husband and I have been given land on the family farm in which to plant a large garden. We planted beans, peas, peanuts, and lots of corn. The problem is that the land has not been cared for in years. We have a small garden...

She'd like to add to home business ideas.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: I really enjoyed the July/August issue and the article "25+ ways to make money without going to work." I was very surprised that nobody mentioned network marketing. This could be your ticket to financial freedom, providing you with...

And the lucky recipient is ...
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: I cannot tell you how many requests I have had for the 212 magazines I offered to give away for the price of shipping in the last issue, listed in "Contacts." There have been at least 65 and more are coming in every day. I cannot...

Storytime with Countryside.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: YOU can't start 'em too young down on the farm! On a recent visit to the Hill Country of Texas, our two-year-old grandaughter, Antonia Palermo, happily traded Goodnight Moon for COUNTRYSIDE. Grandmother's eyeglasses helped with the...

Pioneer update.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: I love the magazine. I wanted to know whatever happened to the Canadian Homesteaders? Did they not make it through the winter? Also, I have discovered that a great way to beat the heat is ginger iced tea! Steep either 2 tea...

Stove clearances vary.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: I see I was not the only one to comment on the wood cookstove featured on your cover a few months ago. Some interesting points were raised about tolerances for cookstoves possibly being different than for straight woodstoves. Does...

Pen pals almost replace neighbors.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: This morning I went on an early morning walk, eager to view the drenched palm trees and stormy black sky, after last night's rain. As I tried to cross a side street, a car whizzed by going at least 50 m.p.h, undoubtedly heading...

Ash "crumbs" are poisonous to pets.
September 1, 2001... COUNTRYSIDE: I have a household hint and a warning. My 11-year-old spayed female cat was sick and had not eaten for several days and Was trying to throw up clear liquid. We took her to the vet and after several tests, the vet determined that...

Countryside contacts.
September 1, 2001... Majestic cooking stove and Water Stove info wanted Does anyone have any experience with a Majestic cook stove? Is it a wood burner with an oil burner added on? There is piping and a gauge at the side. Can it be used for wood? I thought it...

Home sausage making: The versatile meat grinder.
September 1, 2001... Meat grinders aren't just for meat. These versatile kitchen tools can be used for chopping all kinds of vegetables and fresh or dried fruits. You can make bread crumbs from dried bread, chop herbs, crack grains for cereal and even make nut...

Home butchering: Fall butchering advice & reminders.
September 1, 2001... After chasing the calf across the farm for hours before catching it, you might want to wait a couple of days before slaughtering it for the home freezer. Animals slaughtered after stress might not be top quality, said Warrie Means,...

Why we miss while hunting the big game.
September 1, 2001... Not all of your meat may be homegrown. Here's advice on how to increase your odds of filling the freezer. None of us like to admit to having missed a shot while hunting, but there are few hunters among us that can truthfully say it hasn't...

Alternative energy: Grow your own heat The basics of corn stoves.
September 1, 2001... A number of manufacturers now make stoves which will burn shelled corn. Although similar to wood stoves, these new stoves have been specifically designed to burn a dry granular fuel, such as shelled corn. Corn burning stoves usually have a...

Alternative energy: The economics of biomass fuel.
September 1, 2001... Being a 15-year veteran of using biomass fuels, I have grown to love the economics of it. As a corn and soybean producer in central Illinois, there has only been one time that I had to burn some grain out of one of the bins. What is a...

Alternative energy: Biomass works for them.
September 1, 2001... Their heating bills were lowered by over $1,000! We've had our Countryside Corn & Pellet Stove for one year now. (No connection to COUNTRYSIDE.) The initial cost is expensive (with pad ours ran about $2,400), but with our fuel and heating...

The cost of corn.
September 1, 2001... The breakeven cost for producing corn in 2000 was $2.00 bushel and it sold to the elevator for $2.50 bushel. Of the $2.00, 10%, or $.20 was related to fertilizer. The cost of fertilizer doubles, now raising the breakeven cost to $2.20. Can that...

Homestead construction: Construct a reflective fireplace grate.
September 1, 2001... Don't send all that precious heat up the chimney! This small project can readily be completed in a weekend, and will easily last a lifetime. Due to the limitations imposed upon builders when constructing fireplaces--weighing the...

Homestead equipment: Take care of your vehicle.
September 1, 2001... Tires aren't normally something we think about--until we bare a problem. The recent brouhaha about tire problems on SUV's has had one positive note, that is quite simply--tires are not to be taken for granted. Tires are phenomenally...

Biodiesel fuels San Francisco.
September 1, 2001... San Francisco welcomed the first public pumping station for biodiesel in a major city in May. Made from either soybean oil or recycled vegetable oil from restaurants, biodiesel costs $3.15 a gallon -- almost twice the cost of conventional...

The Solar Cowboy: There's a renewable energy tern for you.
September 1, 2001... A fret a brief hiatus in India and Europe, I'm back again riding on a wave of enthusiasm generated by seeing how other people live and use resources. My research trip was filled with experiences that let me know we're doing well and making...

Energy efficient housing: Croatians build houses to be energy efficient (and may take up to 20 years to finish!).
September 1, 2001... In May, 2001 I spent eight-plus days in Croatia, doing family genealogy and visiting relatives' One aspect which really stood out were how energy-efficient their houses were. This was partly due to two aspects, a fairly low average wage and...

The homestead workshop: Make a woodland spring pole lathe.
September 1, 2001... Spring pole lathes have been around since early Greek and Roman times, probably even earlier. Many designs have been created over the years but the original concept remains the same--a reciprocal turning device that uses no power except that of...

The garden: Build a greenhouse for under $100.
September 1, 2001... My family and I moved to a new house last spring and I no longer had my south-facing windows for starting seeds and transplants. I built a very useful greenhouse for well under $100--although I did have some scrap lumber on hand and some old...

The garden: Black gold.
September 1, 2001... Vermiculture on the modern homestead Some call it "worm ranching," others call it "a vermicompost system, our son calls it "worm poop, GROSS!". Any name you call it, vermiculture is an important and often overlooked subject on many modern...

Notes from the Northwoods: Dry beans to Santo Domingo squash.
September 1, 2001... Early fall is such a hectic, beautiful, fun, and chaotic time. Finishing off the summer, getting ready for winter, frantically soaking up as much sunshine as possible to get you through the gray months ahead. A challenging, but very satisfying...

The garden: My garden.
September 1, 2001... A springboard of food, pleasure and history "You mean that from this postage-size garden you grow enough vegetables and herbs to last you all year?" my friend asked in unbelief as he watched me plant my tomato plants in early May. "Not...

The beehive: The art and science of feeding bees.
September 1, 2001... When, what and how to feed bees are the questions beekeepers want to know. If 10 experienced beekeepers are interviewed, there will likely be 10 different methods of feeding bees among them. There are some consistent factors with regard to...

The rabbitry: Raising rabbits the Croatian way.
September 1, 2001... While doing genealogy research in Croatia I stayed with my cousin Matilda and her husband Alojz (Ahlow-ia) Kuaternik in the small village of Suhopolje in northeastern Croatia. Suhopolje is in a fertile plain between hills and the Drava River...

The goat barn: Minerals are a vital part of goat nutrition.
September 1, 2001... As a rule of thumb, minerals are fed free-choice and vitamins in or on the goats' concentrate rations. Excesses of minerals can throw a tremendous strain on the kidneys, and some are toxic in excess (selenium, copper and others). Giving...

The sheep shed: Brecknock Hill Welsh sheep.
September 1, 2001... We have a small farm located in the Pacific Northwest. The climate is well suited for a Welsh breed of sheep. I have raised a few different sheep breeds over the years, but we were either not happy with that breed's temperament or...

The homestead horse: Old type Morgan horses.
September 1, 2001... In 1980 we moved to Northern California from Southern California. We read about the all-American light draft horse--the Morgan. The article appeared in the Small Farmers Journal, Summer, 1980, Vol. 4, No. 3. The author of the piece, Norm...

Question of the month: Can you really live off your homestead?
September 1, 2001... In the last issue a reader asked if it was really possible to live off your homestead. Here are the answers we've received--some are optimistic, some are not Kelly Saul, Glenns Ferry, ID: John's question is a good one, because it is not...

International neighbors: Homesteading in Costa Rica.
September 1, 2001... This is about the ultimate in recycling, or, turning nothing into something. It is also about having faith and perseverance, and never giving up hope. I'm so proud to tell you this story, as it's one more shining example of how COUNTRYSIDE and...

International neighbors: Homesteading in Croatia.
September 1, 2001... In May, 2001 I spent just over eight days in Croatia doing family genealogy research and visiting relatives. I had already traced the family name of S'arabok back to 1622, but it came to the point where I simply had to visit the ancestral...

Country neighbors: Heaven in the Ozarks.
September 1, 2001... I first met your magazine while waiting in line at the grocery store last year. Out of curiosity, I purchased a copy and found that I was intrigued by every article. I especially enjoyed the letters from readers and I have been a fan ever...

Country neighbors: Thoughts on 40 years of homesteading.
September 1, 2001... A couple of things happened since I wrote the letter responding to Jean Dandrea in the Jan/Feb '01 issue. First, in the March/April '01 you printed another letter from her, suggesting that those of us who have some knowledge and skill of the...

Country neighbors: Their persistence paid off.
September 1, 2001... A friend loaned me several back issues and we've been eating them up--so many helpful and relevant articles! I think our story will give hope to others who want to live a simpler, quieter life, but who wonder how to make it happen. Let me say...

The simple life.
September 1, 2001... It sure can get complicated As I sit here in the midst of summer I once again find myself overwhelmed with this "simple life" I've chosen. When I first made the choice 18 years ago to cut away from my urban life, I envisioned myself...

Country neighbors: Good things do come to those who wait.
September 1, 2001... (But it certainly isn't easy) Ever since I married my husband at the young age of 19, I had been dreaming of a day when we could afford some land outside of town. Like many other young couples, we started out living in a little one-bedroom...

After chores: Bathing a cat.
September 1, 2001... There are several "barn cats" that live on our farm. We don't see them much, as they are quite wild. Once in awhile you might walk into the woodshed and surprise one or two of them, and they will instantly turn into little furry pinballs flying...