Innholdsfortegnelse for May - June 2016 i Grit

FEATURED COMMENT “I agree, there is nothing quite like the sky before and after a storm. I love to sit out on the porch and watch storms brewing out over the lake. They always come in so fast, and the aftermath is just as beautiful. Last year, I witnessed my first waterspout. It’s like a tornado over the water, swirling water high into the air. It quickly dissipates, though, once it hits land. Tornadoes are fascinating to watch on television, but I can’t say I’d ever want to see one in person.” “Learning to Love Tornado Alley” Homesteaders of the Year Do you know some folks deserving of the 2016 Homesteaders of the Year title? Perhaps you’d like to submit your own homesteading story. Whether beginners or seasoned veterans, we’re…

IT’S ABOUT THYME Thyme (Thymus spp.) is native to the sunny slopes of the Mediterranean, and once grew wild from Spain to Siberia. The Greeks and Romans considered thyme a symbol of courage and style. They flavored cheese and wine with the pungent herb, and they bathed in thyme-scented water before going to battle. In culinary circles, thyme is of the greatest essence. Its tiny leaves, fresh or dried, liven up salads and enhance the flavor of meat, fish and poultry. Along with parsley, savory and marjoram, it makes up the traditional French herbal mixture “bouquet garni” used to enhance the flavor of soups, sauces and stews. All thymes are edible, and many have their own unique flavors. Try orange, lemon, caraway or lavender thyme to liven up ordinary meals…

Raise Chickens Without Buying Feed Karl Hammer, owner of Vermont Compost in Montpelier, Vermont, has been raising hundreds of chickens and collecting thousands of eggs for more than 18 years – without buying chicken feed. He simply lets the birds feed on the compost at his commercial composting operation. It all started when a friend who owned a local restaurant needed a place to get rid of food waste. Since the city wouldn’t allow the restaurant to have its own composting bin, the owner asked Karl if he would take the material. Karl noticed that his chickens were naturally attracted to the food waste. Karl soon bought a couple hundred chickens and expanded the collection of garbage to other local businesses. The process is simple. The combined ration is placed…

It was on a recent road trip to Macon County, North Carolina, that I began to notice quilt blocks on barns and other rural structures. I was intrigued, and I thought it was a wonderful idea to help preserve rural history. Back home in McHenry County, Illinois, I discovered that I lived in one of the seven Illinois counties that feature quilt trails. I spoke to Nancy, office manager at The McHenry County Historical Society, who told me there were no specific trails per se, but that you make your own. “It’s a great excuse to get out and enjoy the great outdoors,” she says. To get started making your own quilt trail, visit BarnQuiltInfo.com and select your state and county. Copy down addresses of the barn quilts you would…

Folks maintained lawns and cut meadows long before the advent of power tools – motor-powered tools that is. Lawns belonging to early European aristocrats were kept trim by gangs of gardeners wielding grasstrimming scissors. Peasants who tilled those same estates made hay with scythes, and that work – which was every bit as tedious as it was grueling – stimulated the minds of 19th-century inventors who, lucky for us, spawned entire industries aimed at offering better ways to manage rank vegetation. GRIT.COM Turn lawn clippings into silage for livestock and poultry (bit.ly/1FXl9xo). Today, whether you are interested in maintaining a nicely manicured lawn, managing native grasslands, improving pastures, or just beating back the weeds, there are literally hundreds of mowers to choose from. We’ve included a roundup of a few…

Heirloom tomatoes have become the darlings of the garden in recent years, but they can be high maintenance. Famous for their flavor – and infamous for being temperamental – heirlooms can sometimes sulk and refuse to produce or even grow if conditions aren’t just right. Heirlooms typically have been selectively bred for tight, specific regions and conditions. One year, I tried Great White, a white beefsteak heirloom. Four plants produced one massive tomato – total. Meanwhile, other tomato varieties surrounding them produced like mad. Great White just wasn’t happy in my garden. Do you know what else have great tomato flavor, other than heirlooms? Homegrown hybrids. I’m not talking about those suspicious pale red lumps of plastic the supermarket sells that taste like they might be related to Plaster of…

AS THE SEASONS CHANGE in the early part of the year, I can’t help but feel behind with the projects around home. And it sounds odd to say it, but that’s one of the many things I love about living in the country. While I don’t particularly enjoy the feeling of being behind, I love the necessary seasonal projects that require a little bit of skill and know-how, even more grit and determination. The fulfillment that comes when you can sit back and have it more or less in order, there’s nothing else like it. By the time this sees the printed page, my hope is that the fence enclosing our chicken run is fully reconstructed and secure, and I hope to have a dozen or so chicks in the…

I’m writing you because we receive GRIT magazine, and for decades our founder, William “Tiny” Zehnder, read the GRIT newspaper. In about 1977, he read an article about the “last” of the wooden covered bridge builders out of New Hampshire in your paper. Tiny, as we called him, wrote a letter to Milton Graton, who was featured in your article. Within a year, Mr. Graton (probably 65-plus years young) and his son came to our Bavarian-themed town of Frankenmuth, Michigan, to talk about building a wooden covered bridge. A contract was handwritten between the two men – I think we still have it – on lined paper, and the process began to build our 239-feet-long, 230-ton wooden covered bridge, known as the Bavarian Inn Holz Brücke, or Wooden Bridge. Your…

Learn How to Grow Mushrooms DECATUR, Georgia – Have you always wanted to learn the secrets to growing mushrooms in your own backyard? Join microbiologist, mycologist and expert organic gardener Tradd Cotter on June 11 for a one-day “Mushroom Intensive” workshop. Whether you want to grow mushrooms for your own culinary and medicinal uses, or you’re looking to start a business, you’ll learn how to cultivate this important fungi, as well as how to successfully market your product. Tradd goes in-depth about how important fungi are to your land and the environment, and you’ll be sent home with an inoculated log and wood chips to get you started in the right direction with your mushroom cultivating. Reserve your spot at bit.ly/1pA3KcH. Build a Rain Barrel KUTZTOWN, Pennsylvania – Keeping garden…

The Federal government lifted its ban on gooseberries and currants in 1966. However, several states have bans of their own on the books. Some prohibit outright the planting of all Ribes species, while others require permits or restrict them in certain regions. Often, the laws remain on the books, however, most states allow home gardeners and orchardists to plant gooseberries without any restrictions. The following states do not allow the planting of Ribes members anywhere: New Hampshire, North Carolina and West Virginia. Delaware requires a permit for gooseberries. Maine prohibits gooseberries in some counties but not others. Massachusetts requires a permit, and restricts planting by municipality, as does Rhode Island. New Jersey restricts gooseberry planting by municipality, but does not require a permit. All other states allow gooseberries to be…

Whether determinate or indeterminate, any tomato will appreciate some support, and there are several options for providing that support. Staking. This is the traditional method of supporting tomatoes. Use a 5- to 6-foot-tall stake for each tomato. Tie each branch to the stake with soft nylon or cloth ties, and don’t be afraid to prune off “suckers” or excess branches. Tomato cages. Those store-bought wire cones really don’t supply enough support for the average tomato plant, especially when your part of the country sees significant winds. Save them for your pepper plants. The larger cages will work, however, as will concrete reinforcing wire panels or stock panels used for cattle and hogs. These can be rolled into cylinders for superior tomato cages. Another option is staking the tomato with a…

REAR-TINE TILLER I priced the rental of a rear-tine tiller for $89 per day or $39 for a half-day. If you’re breaking up ground on a new garden area – even if it’s of average size – you will probably take a day to get it worked to a fine till. That same garden spot tilled after it is harvested in the fall will probably take a lot less time to till. An average price for a rear-tine 16-inch tiller is about $600. In this case, if you plan on gardening for more than four years, you would have paid for your tiller if you rent twice a year. LOG SPLITTER More people are burning wood for alternative heating sources, and putting up wood in the fall is a pretty…

WHEN I WAS A KID, I loved to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Along the way, I grew to love gardening, growing trees, fishing, camping, and just about every other activity that would give me an excuse to get out of the house. I know my interest in the outdoors was key to my interest in studying plant biology and ecology in school. I even sought jobs that would offer me independence and a chance to be outside. And though I dreamt of being a farmer or a grassland ranger, among the earliest of those bouts of gainful employment was a paper route and a lawn-mowing route. What those early jobs did for me was offer some financial independence and the wherewithal to lobby my folks to make…

BOOK & INFORMATION. I am looking for a good used copy of the book Windmills and Pumps of the Southwest, by Dick Hays and Bill Allen. I’m also looking for information on the Currie Windmill, made from 1880 to the mid-1950s in Kansas by the Currie Windmill Company. Allan Engel 1408 S. Main St., Apt. 5 Aberdeen, SD 57401-7062 RECIPIENTS FOR FREE SEEDS. I have extra luffa seeds that I’m willing to share while supplies last. The fibrous interiors make luxurious bath sponges. Harlan Pallasch 7 Monroe Ave. Debary, FL32713-3203 FABRIC DONATIONS. I’m in need of new cotton fabric, 30-by-40 inches, patterned or plain, to make stuffed bears for children’s hospitals, local police and sheriff’s departments, and the elderly in health care facilities and nursing homes. Gladys Sharp P.O. Box…

A HANDFUL OF NUTS, raw or roasted with a touch of salt, are delicious all on their own. They’re easy to take on the go, and they serve as a nutritional powerhouse with a wealth of nutrients, making them a great choice for snacking any time of the day. With good amounts of heart-healthy fats, just a handful of plain nuts a day can help improve overall health. A nut is actually a fruit made up of what is usually an edible seed or kernel encased in a hard shell. Oftentimes, especially around the fall and winter holidays, you can find mixes including walnuts, pecans and hickory nuts, among others, freshly collected from the land and for sale on the stands at markets. Each autumn at the farmers’ market in…

■ OP: Open-pollinated. This means the plant is not a hybrid, its parents were the same variety, and saved seeds will produce more of the same variety. ■ F1: First filial. This is a fancy way of saying first generation hybrid. A hybrid is the product of crossbreeding two different varieties for specific, desirable traits. ■ IND: Indeterminate. Indeterminate tomatoes will sprawl over a large area and grow as tall as allowed, and tomatoes will ripen over an extended period of time. ■ DET: Determinate. Determinate tomatoes have a much more contained, bushy habit of growth, and tomatoes ripen all at once. ■ V: Verticillium. Variety is resistant to verticillium wilt. ■ F: Fusarium. Variety is resistant to fusarium wilt. There are several strains of fusarium wilt, and tomatoes may…

Experienced swarm catchers keep a kit of supplies handy during swarming season – midspring to early summer – in order to take advantage of the short window of opportunity presented by a clustered swarm. A well-outfitted swarm kit includes the following: ■ Empty hive or nucleus body with bottom, lid and frames. Often, the bottom will be tacked into place with scrap board ends to simplify moving the occupied hive. ■ No. 8 hardware cloth entrance block, with tacks. ■ Ratchet straps. ■ Empty large cardboard box as a backup plan. ■ Drop cloth or tarp. ■ Pruning saw and pruning shears. ■ Whisk or dust brush. ■ Light rope, approximately 25 feet long, with weighted end. Baling twine or wash line weighted with a small (1⁄2-pound) scrap gear works…