Grit September - October 2017

I entered fatherhood last week. I’m in awe of my wife and her mental and physical toughness, and it appears that all is well for the time being with our two healthy sons, Jack David and Sawyer Douglas. This is written for them, but hopefully it’s a reminder to all of us about perspective and thinking of others throughout the world. To Jack and Sawyer: You are loved, and in the moments after the doctor delivered you, I felt a love that I have never known before. That’s the truth. I don’t cry often, but you two did it for me. Your birth was overwhelming. I went to Mass the following Sunday and sat in a pew among strangers, praying for your mom and both of you, and trying to…

Share your visual perspective with the GRIT community. Post your photos at Facebook.com/GritMagazine, Facebook.com/CappersFarmer, or tag us on Instagram (@grit1882). We chose several images you see here from those platforms, and you can find more within the blogging community on our websites. Share your best shots, and we just might select one of your photos for a future issue of the magazine. To admire even more readers’ photos, visit Grit.com and CappersFarmer.com.…

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Horseradish and mustard are both easy to grow and process for your own homemade condiments. (www.Grit.com/ homegrown-horseradish) Jeff Lewis: I think the garden books all say to harvest it in the fall, but I just dig a single root at a time when I want some. A kitchen rasp grates it pretty well, especially for a single use. Virginia Gennie Lou Ross: Not sure if Dad even knew where the original plant started or when it was planted. Every fall he would bring in several sections for Mom to grind with the meat grinder to preserve a pint or so. We butchered our own beef, so this would be gone come spring. I still prefer it fresh. POPULAR ON GRIT.COM “DIY Chigger Bite Relief” by Jacqueline Wilt…

Tree Time By choosing a quick-growing variety and giving your tree the proper care, you’ll have it made in the shade in a surprisingly short time. The white willow, a cousin of the familiar weeping willow, is an upright grower that soars 20 to 30 feet in just 5 to 6 years and eventually grows as tall as 100 feet with a 50-foot spread. Poplars are in the willow family and are also known for their rapid growth. The eastern poplar, better known as cottonwood in many areas, shoots skyward at 4 to 5 feet per year. Another speedy shade maker is the silver maple, a magnificent low-branching tree that grows 2 to 3 feet each season. The thornless honey locust casts a delicate shade through its tropical-looking fernlike foliage…

I just read the short article on the GRIT newsletter (www.Grit.com/newsletters). You asked about other hay stories — well, this may not be the only time you’ve heard people doing hay my way, but I’ll tell you anyway. We have four small fields and at one time had four horses, with no haying equipment except a tractor and a pullbehind mower that sometimes just knocked down the tall grass. The fields are about 200 by 200 feet, and the horses couldn’t keep up with springtime grass. We usually end up cutting it. Sometimes the weather is perfect for haying. My adult daughter and I are the horse people, so the horse chores were left up to us. I’m sure my husband was in the house shaking his head at us.…

Homestead Mentor. I’m 32 years old and looking for an organic homesteading mentor to help me learn how to live off the land organically. I have almost an acre in rural North Carolina, and all I’ve ever grown was one crop of spaghetti squash. I would like a mentor/pen pal that can give me direction on how to grow food, like vegetables, fruit, and chickens. I’d also like to learn how to dehydrate food, build a chicken coop, make juice from vegetables and fruits, and use backyard plants for healing. Ashley Passino 504 Whispering Pines Drive Dallas, NC 28034-8408 Tractor Part. I’m looking for a 2-cylinder head for a Yanmar 2200 tractor. Jim Williams 19830 Timbercove Drive Corning, CA 96021-9506 Family Member. I am looking for information on David Oscar…