Because Living Well is Always In Season
Special Issue February 2015
Maple Syrup Candy
Strawberry Jam Meringue Cookies
Birdseed Ornaments
Homemade Elderberry Syrup
Natural Wormers
Herbal Rabbit Treats
Understanding Heirlooms
Make Your Own Seed Starting Mix
The Three Sisters Garden
Photo by: Happy Days Farm
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Maple Syrup Candy Strawberry Jam Meringue Cookies How to Make Birdseed Ornaments Homemade Elderberry Syrup Natural Wormers Pumpkin Soup, Nasturtium, and Garlic Homemade Herbal Rabbit Treats Understanding Heirlooms Make Your Own Vegetable Seed Starting Mix The Three Sisters Garden
Jennifer Burcke lives and writes at the intersection of family, food, and farming at 1840 Farm in Southern New Hampshire. Three generations of her family call the farm home along with their heritage breed hens, Nigerian Dwarf goats, and one dapper French Angora Rabbit named Herbert Menninger.
Brittany May and Penny Ausley have a combined thirty-eight years experience raising and using herbs. Brittany is a certified herbalist through the New England Herbal Academy. Since starting Happy-Days-Farm, this love of herbs has turned into an opportunity to learn how to apply natural and herbal prevention and treatments to our animals to keep them healthy.
Jennifer Sartell and her husband Zach have a passionate goal to enjoy a simple life by creating art, enjoying nature, raising animals and to continue a deep appreciation for homesteading. Jennifer’s written work, illustrations and photography have been published in many books and magazines both in print and online including Grit, Capper's Farmer, Hobby Farms and Community Chickens.
Mike the Gardener Enterprises was founded by Michael Podlesny, a 3rd generational home vegetable gardener and published author, who has been vegetable gardening himself for nearly 30 years. Mike`s vegetable gardening tips and tricks have been featured in newspapers, magazines and blogs around the world. He has also appeared on ABC and NBC talking about vegetable gardening and the Seeds of the Month Club.
Lisa Steele is the creative mind behind Fresh Eggs Daily速, the popular destination for natural chicken keeping advice and one of the Top 10 Gardening Blogs for 2014 as named by Better Homes & Gardens magazine. She is a fifth-generation chicken keeper and certified herbalist who has been raising her own backyard flock since 2009 and sharing her farming adventures on her blog and Facebook pages.
Katy Light has a 44 acre homestead in North GA, where she raises goats, rabbits, sheep and chickens. She is passionate about self-sufficiency, natural ways to live, and fiber.
Julie Thompson-Adolf is an obsessive organic gardener, local food lover, wrangler of kids and critters, nature nut, and writer. She owns Garden Delights, an organic gardening business and nursery specializing in heirlooms and edible landscaping. Julie teaches community members and school kids why and how to garden organically and helps instill in them the importance and pleasure of growing their own food.
Special Issue
Februar y 2015
W
elcome to a very Special Issue of In Season Magazine. Within days of delivering last year’s Holiday Issue, our readers started asking us to publish more than the four quarterly issues we had promised for 2015. We listened and invited our contributors to share their favorite seasonal content with you while we work to prepare next month’s Spring Issue.
In this issue, you’ll find an amazing collection of their great content. We hope that you’ll enjoy learning about making maple syrup candy in time for this year’s maple sugaring season and how to transform ordinary strawberry jam into extraordinary meringue cookies. You’ll find a great step by step DIY project for making lovely birdseed ornaments for the songbirds overwintering in your yard.
If you’re looking for new ways to incorporate herbs into your life, you’ll discover a recipe for homemade elderberry syrup for your family. You can learn all about incorporating natural wormers into your daily chicken keeping routine. You can also find instructions for creating your own herbal rabbit treats.
We didn’t forget about the garden. You can learn more about heirlooms and add a few of our favorite varieties to your garden wish list. We have a great article about making your own vegetable seed starting mix that you’ll want to keep close at hand as you prepare to greet the gardening season.
If you’re still planning this year’s garden, you won’t want to miss reading about the three sisters garden. Learning about this method of interplanting and the
legend behind it might be just the inspiration you need to grow an American history lesson in your garden this summer.
To celebrate this Special Issue, we have our first Subscriber’s Giveaway to share with you. Every subscriber is automatically entered to win an heirloom, nonGMO seed collection. There are an amazing nine collections to choose from. We think that you’ll find that there is something for everyone from aspiring to accomplished gardeners alike.
You don’t need to visit a page, click on a button, or go to a single moment’s effort to enter the giveaway. There’s nothing to do except enjoy this issue from cover to cover and revel in the benefits of being a subscriber to In Season Magazine. One winner will be randomly selected on March 1, 2015 and notified by Email.
We’ll be passing the time during the last few weeks of winter by dreaming of the upcoming growing season and working on our Spring Issue. We can’t wait to share our favorite spring recipes, projects, and seasonal inspiration with you in March!
Maple Syrup Candy Story and Photos by: Jennifer Sartell from Iron Oak Farm
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decided to make these maple syrup candies for the Thanksgiving table last year. I thought they would look adorable as a sweet decoration on top of slices of pumpkin or pecan pie. They are also beautiful nestled in a dollop of whip cream on top of a Spiced Apple Cider, Hazelnut Latte, or a Hot Buttered Rum. They also work well as a natural sweetener dropped into a cup of herbal tea. To make these candies you need one ingredient: real maple syrup. You don't really even need candy molds; you can pour the candy into a 9x9 baking dish and cut into rustic cubes. I found the instructions and temperatures for this project at Allrecipes.com. The process couldn't be easier.
Add two cups of real maple syrup to a small sauce pan. Using a candy thermometer as your guide, heat the syrup to 235 degrees. It will bubble and froth, stir this down and remove from heat from time to time to control the boil. Once it reaches temperature, remove from heat and let the temperature drop to 175 degrees. Once cooled, stir until it becomes lighter in color and moving quickly, pour into molds. Before the candy cools too much, I sliced the backs even with a knife. Let cool and pop out of the mold gently. If you've never had maple syrup candies, they are intensely sweet and maple flavored. They are an interesting texture of firm candy that melts instantly into a creamy treat. Give them a try!
Strawberry Jam Meringue Story and Photos by: Jennifer Burcke from 1840 Farm
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y family loves meringue. I have made meringue cookies flavored with peppermint, vanilla, and chocolate chips for years. What’s not to love? A properly made meringue is equal parts light, crispy, and delicious. These cookies up the ante with the addition of sweet strawberry jam. The prospect of making a meringue can seem daunting, but don’t be fooled. Successfully making a meringue is much more about technique than anything else. You don’t need fancy equipment or years of experience as a pastry chef. Instead, you need only a bowl, mixer, and a secret weapon: white vinegar. Fat residue in your mixing bowl or on the beaters of your mixer is the mortal enemy of meringue. Fat will impair the egg white’s ability to be whipped into stiff, glossy peaks. You can prevent this disappointment with one teaspoon of white vinegar. Before beating the egg whites, simply wipe the mixing bowl and beaters with a paper towel lightly moistened with vinegar. Doing so will ensure that your bowl and the beaters are free of any traces of fat. So go ahead and give it a try. In mere minutes, you’ll have a beautiful cloud of meringue ready to flavor and bake. You can drop the meringue by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet or use a piping bag to make beautifully decorative shapes. With a little practice, you can even make beautiful hearts. The cooled hearts can
be dipped in melted chocolate for an extra special treat. Trust me, once you’ve mastered making the perfect meringue, you’ll be on your way to making a whole host of meringue based recipes. If you’re a chicken keeper like me, you’ll love whipping fresh egg whites from your flock’s eggs into a mile high meringue before baking it to share with friends and family. If you’re looking for a few new recipes that feature meringue, I’d highly recommend Individual Baked Alaska or my Great Grandmother’s Daffodil Cake.
Cookies Strawberry Jam Meringue Cookies makes 4 dozen one inch cookies 4 egg whites 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 6 Tablespoons sugar 6 Tablespoons strawberry jam/preserves 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Prepare a large mixing bowl and the beaters for your mixer by wiping with a paper towel lightly moistened with white vinegar. Preheat oven to 240 degrees Fahrenheit and position oven racks in the top and bottom third of the oven. If you have an oven thermometer, this is the perfect time to use it. An oven that is too warm will cause the delicate meringue to brown and the outside edge of the cookie to dry out. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Place strawberry preserves in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds or until warm enough to stir easily with a spoon. Process warm preserves in food processor, blender, or using an immersion blender until smooth. Add vanilla extract to the smooth preserves and stir to combine. Set aside to cool as the meringue is prepared. Combine egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the prepared bowl. Mix on high speed until light and frothy. Continue to beat on high speed while adding the sugar one Tablespoon at a time. Beat the mixture until stiff peaks of meringue form. The meringue will be stiff and glossy and remain in the bowl when turned upside down. Gently fold in the strawberry mixture
using a spatula. Fold until the mixture is well combined. I love the natural, pale pink color of the meringue. If you prefer a deeper, richer color, a few drops of food coloring can be added and folded into the meringue at this stage. One inch cookies can be formed using two spoons or a pastry bag. To use spoons, gently remove a spoonful of meringue from the mixing bowl and use the second spoon to slide the mixture on to the prepared baking sheet. A piping bag works well using a large round decorating tip. Bake the meringue cookies in the preheated oven for 90 minutes. When the meringue cookies are finished, they will have a dry exterior. Once they are cool, they will lift away cleanly from the parchment paper. Remove the baking sheets from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, the meringue cookies can be dipped in warm melted chocolate. Store cool cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
How to Create Birdseed Ornam Story and Photos by: Julie Thompson-Adolf from Garden Delights
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love post-holiday days. Don't get me wrong: I adore the holidays. I'm a sucker for lights and glittery ornaments. I enjoy making lists and checking them twice. I revel in the whirlwind of festivities leading up to the BIG DAY. I'm like a little kid, ready to eke out as much fun as possible, sneaking an extra piece of fudge, full of anticipation and trying desperately to make it the most memorable holiday ever.
Thankfully, the handy men in our family turned this odd outdoor space into a cozy, functional extension of the living room. Peter and his dad expanded the balcony, adding built in benches and stairs to access the backyard. Suddenly, we had a favorite outdoor spot to eat lunch, to read a book, or to search for comets. I gained more space for containers. And with some additional creativity, Peter added a pole to hang bird feeders.
It's exhausting, but mostly in a good way.
When I say we spend a lot of time bird watching, much of it occurs while sitting on the couch in our PJs. The birds put on quite the show. The squirrels provide entertainment, too, which is often hilarious. We like our squirrels. After all, squirrels are hungry in the winter as well. Kristen places a bowl of food out for the squirrels, then becomes indignant when birds dare to steal a few bites.
However, it's the days after the holidays that I really love. The time when the kids are home, on vacation, with no agenda, no homework, no fixed bed time. We watch movies, we read books, we laze around in our pajamas embarrassingly late. It's like my prize—my respite from all of the madness of the holidays. It's a little vacation before all of the work in the garden begins. During this time, when we're couch sloths and often confined to the house because it's so gray, cold, and wet outside, one of our highlights is bird watching. We have a weird little balcony off the living room. It's not as weird as it used to be. When we moved in years ago, it was just a tiny perch that led nowhere. We couldn't sit there. We couldn't access the backyard from it. We could walk outside, look around, and come back in. The end.
While Kristen will always advocate for mammals, Michael is my birding buddy. Last year, we spent many post-Christmas days traipsing through the forest with our new binoculars, searching for birds. He began a notebook dedicated to our bird outings, writing down the different species we found. He wants to be a biologist. I want him to stay my baby. Still, grow he must, and I'm thankful that he's not too old to hang out with his mom or argue with me about who loves whom more. (As if it's even a question.)
ments
using Christmas cookie cutters, then gifted the Christmas-y bird feeders to their aunts and cousins. However, in keeping with our holiday theme, the tree is hung with heart-shaped feeders, embellished with red and white ribbons. Making the ornaments is simple and a perfect craft with the kids on a chilly, gray winter day. Ingredients: ½ cup water 3 tsp. unflavored gelatin 3 tbsp. corn syrup ž cup flour 4 cups bird seed cookie cutters non-stick cooking spray straw ribbon or string Directions: Of course, the post-holiday quiet is over now. We're back into the thick of school, riding practice, horse shows, swim team, with the greenhouses and seed catalogs beckoning me. Soon, gardening madness begins. And recently, we had another, albeit minor, holiday. Valentine's Day. Combining our love of bird watching with Valentine's Day, we created heart-shaped bird seed ornaments to hang in the Japanese maple outside my office. Perhaps this wasn't the best location. I've now spent two hours this morning, grabbing my camera and trying to capture decent photos of the birds as they grab a snack. I have many, many blurry photos as they fly out of the frame. While I've lost productivity this morning, it's been a pleasure watching them. We've made bird seed ornaments before. In fact, last year, the kids made them
Combine water, gelatin, and corn syrup in a medium sized pot. Warm the mixture over low heat, stirring well. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and bird seed together. Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl slowly; mixing well to ensure the seed is evenly coated. Place wax or parchment paper on the work space. (I used a cookie sheet to help keep the sticky bird seed from rolling all over the floor.) Select several cookie cutters, and spray the inner edge with non-stick cooking spray. Fill the cookie cutters with the mixture, pressing it firmly into place. Cut the straw into several pieces, approximately 2 inches long. Insert the straw to make a hole in the bird feeder
ornament, at least an inch from the top. You can judge where you'd like the hole to be, but just make certain it's not too close to the edge of the ornament, or the string might break through the seeds. Allow the ornaments to dry overnight, with the straws in place. After drying, remove the straws from the ornaments. You should have a clear hole to use to hang the feeder. Carefully remove the ornament from the cookie cutters. Add ribbon, twine, or string. Hang the bird seed ornaments from trees, bushes, or shepherd's hooks. Note: you might also feed a few squirrels, too, but hey—they're also hungry in winter. I make certain to hang our feeders high, so that we're not feeding our cat Oreo.
feeders. I think Michael needs to find his notebook to keep track of which birds visit. We'll report back in a few weeks and let you know who came to the Valentine's party. If you or someone you know loves birds, consider joining Project FeederWatch. “Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track broad scale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance.”
the
It's an entertaining—but scientifically important—project you can participate in from home. Have you participated in Project FeederWatch? Let me know if you join in the count--we can compare notes!
The activity at the tree is distracting. It's just to my left, so after every sentence I type, I feel an overwhelming urge to peek, to see if anyone new arrived at the
After all, we need something to occupy our time until growing season begins, right?
It's good to have ornaments high.
help
hanging
Homemade Elderberry Syr Story and Photos by: Jennifer Burcke from 1840 Farm
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ast year, I announced that I would be taking the Intermediate Herbal Course offered by The Herbal Academy of New England. As part of my study, I was asked to make an herbal preparation. As we were in the midst of cold and flu season, I chose to make an immune system boosting elderberry syrup. I used the Herbal Academy’s post as a starting point. I wanted to add my own signature to my formula, so I began researching other components that I could add to the existing blend. I also wanted to incorporate as many ingredients as I could that were produced right here on our farm. I was able to use locally produced honey along with thyme from our heirloom garden, and maple syrup produced by my family using the sap collected from our own sugar maples. As I care for a family member with Type One Diabetes, I also wanted to reduce the sugar content and therefore the carbohydrates of the finished syrup.
Component Elderberry Ginger
Characteristics Hot and dry-combats damp phlegm and mucus and cold chills Warm to combat chills associated with cold or flu
Orange Clove Turmeric Thyme Honey Maple Syrup
Powerful humectant, helpful in soothing dry and sore throat Delivers high levels of calcium, manganese, and zinc to boost immune system function
I found that orange could be incorporated and was believed to help relieve congestion and add bitter, warm, sour, and dry energetics. By studding the clementine with the cloves called for in the original recipe, some of the oil from the orange was released and infused into the formula along with the clove. Turmeric and thyme both added a slightly herbal note to the finished syrup. While I reduced the amount of sweetener by half, the final syrup was still very palatable with plenty of sweetness. If you are interested in joining me in the Intermediate Herbal Course, you can learn more about it by visiting the course description on The Herbal Academy of New England’s Web site. Their site offers a full detail of the topics covered in the course and a few fantastic links to posts with recipes and practical applications for the skills learned in the course.
Actions Anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, fever reducing, stimulates the production of antibodies Anti-inflammatory, expectorant, antibacterial, fever reducing Expectorant, helpful in relieving coughing and phlegm Antiseptic, antiviral, antibacterial, antispasmodic to relieve coughing associated with cold and flu Antioxidant, circulatory stimulant, antibacterial, antiinflammatory Antiseptic, antispasmodic to combat coughing, expectorant Antibiotic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, immune system stimulant Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune system stimulant
up
Elderberry Syrup* 1 cup (4 ounces) organic dried elderberries or conventional dried elderberries 6 cups purified water 2 Tablespoons fresh organic ginger, peeled and grated 1 organic orange 1 generous Tablespoon whole cloves ¼ teaspoon turmeric ¼ teaspoon thyme 4 ounces organic honey 2 ounces organic maple syrup Combine elderberries and water in a small pot over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Strain the liquid to remove the berries. Return the elderberry liquid to the heat. Stud the orange with the whole cloves before adding to the liquid along with the ginger, turmeric, and thyme. Return to a gentle simmer, continuing to cook until the liquid has reduced by about half. Remove the syrup from the heat and strain into a glass mason jar or other container with a lid. Add the honey and maple syrup and stir to fully combine. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator. As an immune system booster, take ½ to 1 teaspoon daily. At the first sign of infection, take 2 teaspoons every three hours until symptoms have passed.
Sources and Related Content: http://herbalacademyofne.com/2013/11/quick-and-simple-elderberry-cold-syrup/ http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2013/11/homemade-elderberry-honey-coldsyrup.html http://www.cloverleaffarmherbs.com/#sthash.Mw4U2ts5.dpbs http://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/citrus-peelmedicine.aspx#axzz2oh8IuxzK
*This information is presented solely for general informational purposes only. Nothing contained in this publication is intended to constitute medical advice or serve as a substitute for the advice of a physician or health care provider.
Natural Wormers - Pumpkin So Story and Photos by: Lisa Steele from Fresh Eggs Daily
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have never wormed my chickens with any kind of commercial wormer. Many experts recommend 'proactive' worming with a wormer twice a year, but I don't believe in administering any medications unless absolutely necessary. Instead I rely on holistic preventatives. I have never had any trouble with worms in my flock, and have had our vet take fecal samples and no sign of worms have ever been found.
I use pumpkin and squash seeds (fall), nasturtium (spring/summer), watermelon and cucumbers (summer) and garlic and DE (year round) to combat worms because all are perfectly healthy and natural, with no withdrawal period during which you can't eat the eggs.
Pumpkins and Other Squash/Melons There are varying opinions on this subject and not much study has been done, but raw ground pumpkin seeds are thought to be a natural dewormer, not only for chickens and ducks but for sheep and goats as well. Twice a year, spring and fall, it is suggested that you feed your girls ground raw pumpkin seeds freechoice for a week. The pumpkin seeds (as well as the seeds of other members of the cucurbitaceae family such as winter, summer, zucchini and crookneck squash, gourds, cucumbers, cantaloupe and watermelon) are coated with a substance called cucurbitacin that paralyzes the worms. The larger fruits and vegetables contain higher levels of cucurbitacin, while the smaller cucumber contains far less.
Since pumpkins are plentiful and inexpensive in the fall, that is what I use for my fall worming. You can merely cut a fresh pumpkin in half and feed it to your chickens, but I take it one step further and make them a Pumpkin Soup. I add some yogurt and molasses to cause a bit of diarrhea and help flush the paralyzed worms out of the chickens' systems. Dandelion greens also serve as a natural diuretic and are included in most natural livestock wormer 'recipes', plus the chickens and ducks love them!
In the fall I save our Halloween pumpkins and grind up the seeds and pulp. In the spring I buy a bag of hulled plain pumpkin seeds and a can of pureed pumpkin and grind them up in my coffee grinder. Then I make the 'pumpkin soup'.
oup, Garlic, and Nasturtium
Pumpkin Soup (serves 8-10 hens) One entire bulb crushed fresh garlic Dandelion greens 2 cups raw oatmeal One shredded carrot 8 Tablespoons ground raw pumpkin seeds 1 Tablespoon blackstrap molasses Pumpkin pulp in the fall from two small pumpkins (or one can of pumpkin puree in the spring) Blend all the ingredients in your food processor and add enough plain unflavored yogurt to achieve a 'soupy' consistency. Then pour some soup into each pumpkin half (or a bowl if you are using the puree), garnish it with shredded carrot and serve it up! The girls clearly love it! And when they are done, they will eat the bowl too!
Garlic I add garlic powder to my chickens' daily feed mix every day. Every couple of weeks I mince up a whole bulb, mixed with some chopped fresh mint, and feed it to the chickens freechoice and they seem to love it. Garlic, especially in conjunction with mint and wormwood (artemesia) is a wonderful year-round natural wormer.
Nasturtium Nasturtium is a wonderful addition to any garden. It is not only pretty and easy to grow, it repels insects, the chickens love to eat the leaves and blossoms, and it also acts as a natural wormer, as well as a laying stimulant, antiseptic and antibiotic. The chickens can (and will) eat the nasturtium leaves, flowers and seeds. I plant some in my garden each spring and am thinking of planting some right in the run this year for the chickens to eat at will.
The common weed plantain also has natural worming properties. I pick and feed it to my chickens all summer long as another layer of parasite protection. DE (food-grade diatomaceous earth) is also thought to combat worms and I add it to my chickens' daily feed. Although there isn't too much information or scientific evidence out there to prove or disprove the ability of these holistic preventatives to combat intestinal worms, there have been a few studies done that point to their effectiveness. Regardless, the girls love the pumpkin soup and it’s nutritious if nothing else. Pumpkins contain antioxidants, as well as high levels of Vitamin A, both of which strengthen immune systems and help them better combat illness.
The beta carotene in the pumpkins contributes to vibrant orange egg yolks as well as bright orange bills and feet on our ducks. Another substance in the pumpkin, phytosterol, is thought to lower cholesterol, so I believe it probably makes our eggs lower in cholesterol as well. Bottom line, the pumpkin and garlic, as well as other types of squash and melons and the nasturtium, are nutritious, so I figure there's no harm....and besides, we've never had any problem with any kind of intestinal worms - so I'm a believer. References: The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable by Juliette de Bairacli Levy, 1952 University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Services The Apha Practical Guide to Natural Medicines Delaware State University Cooperative Extension Program http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=8316 http://www.ehow.com/list_6562471_natural-remedies-dogs-parasites-worms.html U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health Rybaltovskii OV. 1966. On the discovery of cucurbitin—a component of pumpkin seed with anthelmintic action. Med Parazitol (Mosk) 35:487–8 Plotnikov AA et. al. 1972. Clinical trial or cucurbin (a preparation from pumpkin seeds) in cestadiasis. Med Parazitol (Mosk) 41(4): 407-411.
Homemade Herbal Rabbit Treat Story and Photos by: Brittany May from Happy Days Farm
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arsley is especially good for your rabbit’s health. It is known to help improve urinary tract health, help treat inflammation, treat fertility, and improves their blood counts. Parsley leaves and roots can also be used to treat constipation.
This recipe will focus on parsley. However, you could replace the parsley with any rabbit safe herb that you have an abundance of in your garden. Another added benefit of these bricks is the fact that they are hard and brittle. This is very good for your rabbit’s teeth! Just make sure to give them as treats. I usually give one per day, per bun.
Herbal Rabbit Treats Parsley Herbal Bricks 1 cup rolled oats, finely ground 1/2 cup rabbit pellets, finely ground 2 medium-sized bunches of parsley 1/2 of a carrot 1/2 of a banana 1/4 cup of water (If you need more moisture, you can add more water or more banana.)
ts
1. Grind your oats and pellets in a food processor. If your food processor is large enough, add the parsley, carrot, banana, and water, and grind again. If not, simply remove the oat and pellet mixture before grinding the remaining ingredients and combining them together in a bowl.
2. The top left photograph shows the consistency the mixture should be. Using waxed paper, flatten the mixture to about 1/4" thick. Score the mixture with a knife, making small squares.
3. Lift the waxed paper and place it on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 35 minutes. Do not let it get too brown. Next, simply turn off oven and let it completely cool with the bricks still in the oven.
You are attempting to completely dry the treats out. Any moisture means that they could grow mold eventually. If they still feel like they are moist, remove from oven, re-heat oven to 350, and turn it off again, and set them in for the cool down. Another option would be to place them in a dehydrator at this point if you have one. Once they are completely dried out and brittle, simply snap them apart. Store them in a jar or plastic bag, anything airtight. If you are making these to use up extra herbs, then store the bulk of them in the freezer. That way, you can have fresh herb treats for your buns in the winter!
Understanding Heirlooms Story and Photos by: Katy Light from Poppy Creek Farm
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very year, right around about January 1, I start to get itchy to get my garden in. Being in Zone 7, realistically it’s not that far off at that point, so I start to prepare my plot. Last year I put in around 2500 square feet, and I plan to do the same this year. First off, I start to chip away at the disaster known as my deep-littered barn, beginning with the most poopy areas, especially where the alpacas hang out, and under the rabbit hutches and in the big rabbit colony. I dump all this on the garden and spread it out ready for it to be rained in and then tilled in by the guy with the tractor who comes to prepare the ground for me. Unlike horses and chickens, alpaca, goat and rabbit poop does not need to be composted, making it perfect to put right on the garden - and the vegetables LOVE it! Everyone has their favorite seed companies, and I’m no exception. My go to is Baker Creek because their seeds are such high quality, service is awesome, and their website and catalog are beautiful. My second go-to is Seed Savers Exchange and I have ordered from them several times in years past. What you’ll notice about both of these companies is that they sell exclusively heirloom seeds. They’re rarely more than a few cents more expensive than the (broadly speaking) hybrid varieties you’ll pick up from home improvement stores or
your local garden center, but they’re a great investment for your garden. With just a little extra work at the end of the season to harvest, prepare and store the seeds, you have seeds forever! This is because heirlooms are ‘open pollinated’, meaning that seeds from the fruit produced can be saved and re-planted, over and over. These are the fruits and vegetables that your grandparents and their grandparents used to grow and they’ve been around for years. They’re delicious, beautiful and some of them are just plain funky looking, and provide a great conversation piece in both the garden and one the table. Heirlooms breed true, time after time, always giving you the same kind of fruit or vegetable. Unless, of course, you have inadvertently allowed some kind of cross pollination with another kind of heirloom, in which case you might get some surprises! I got delightfully striped green and yellow zucchini one year thanks to this! On the other hand, a hybrid variety is one which is derived from two different varieties. For example, type A is crossed with type B in order to create type C, which may be more disease resistant, or more productive, or better suited to a certain kind of soil or environment. Hence the term, ‘hybrid vigor’.
However, when you save seeds from this kind, they will either be sterile, or they won’t breed true. What I mean by that is if you cross type C with type C, you won’t get type C. You get type D. Therefore, their value for seed and future gardens is minimal. The other added benefit of heirloom seeds is that they are GMO free and sometimes organically raised. You know that your
seeds are clean and healthy and free from the ‘roundup safe’ modifications added to many modern varieties. If you truly want to also be Monsanto free, check out this great list of ways to avoid them. Here are five of my favorite heirlooms, they’re staples of my garden and they’re always a hit when they appear on the menu!
Golden Marbre Scallop Squash I grow Golden Marbre Scallop Squash every year, and never tire of finding new and yummy things to stuff them with. They’re beautiful little gems to find nestled in the leaves of the bush squash. Again, I’m not the biggest fan of vining squash. Every couple years I try again with something that catches my eye, and once again the rambling tendencies drive me crazy and I go back to bush plants. Call me Type A.
Blue Lake Bush 274 Bean The Blue Lake Bush 274 Bean is a great bush snap bean that require no staking, stringing or extra fuss. I’m a huge fan of bush beans, and I’m a huge fan of not having to string beans. These tick all the boxes for me. They freeze well, they can well and they’re good enough to eat right off the bush! These are a super prolific bean, so plan to succession plant so you have them right through the season and you don’t end up preserving beans for four days straight when they all come ready at once.
Cream of the Crop Squash Last year was the first year I tried Cream of the Crop Squash, but they were recommended to me as a great squash for putting in the root cellar and keeping as a winter squash. And boy, were they ever right. I was gathering dozens of these beautiful little squash every day, and forcing them on everyone who visited, as well as serving them a couple times a week at home. For a quick-and-simple dish, slice the squash in half vertically, scoop out the seeds. Make a few scores in a crisscross shape in the flesh (be careful not to go through the skin). Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of honey. Put in the oven and bake at 425F until tender.
Georgia Southern Creole Collards What Southern garden would be complete without collards? Georgia Southern Creole Collards are another prolific variety. There’s always enough to satisfy my husband’s desire for steamed collards with balsamic vinegar. I let several plants grow big and tall because the rabbits really enjoy the large leaves.
Two Delicious Heirloom Salad Blends Rocky Top Lettuce Mix Blend and European Mesclun Blend are both a visually stunning mix of leaves for endless summer salads, and a perfect mix of sweet and bitter. They’re so good they’ll inspire you to mix your own dressings - no store bought for these beauties! Fresh and crisp and just simply Mmmmmmmmm! The taste of summer.
Make Your Own Vegetable Seed Story by: Mike Podlesny from Average Person Gardening
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f you want to ensure that the vegetables you grow are the healthiest they can be, then you must be involved in the growth of your vegetables from the start. That means growing them directly from vegetable seeds as opposed to buying established vegetable plants. Now that is not to say that the vegetable plants you buy from your local garden nursery or home center are bad. It simply means when you start your vegetable plants at home from vegetable seeds you are in complete control of the environment in which your vegetable seeds will germinate and where they will grow. This is important, because when you start directly from vegetable seeds, you get to choose the vegetable seed starting soil. The better the vegetable seed starting soil, the better the start will be for your vegetable plants, and in turn the healthier they can become.
Each of these three ingredients serves a purpose that helps your vegetable seeds germinate. What you should be looking for in your vegetable seed starting soil is an ingredient that helps with water absorption so that you do not over water. That usually comes in the form of perlite or vermiculite. Both are readily available at any garden center in its own form and will also be included in many commercial vegetable seed starting soils. The second ingredient that should be on your radar is something that will make your vegetable seed starting soil loose and friable. Two good choices are sphagnum moss, aka peat, or coir, which is the fiber extracted from the husks of coconuts. Both can be found at local home and garden centers or online.
Just like a tall skyscraper needs an excellent foundation, so do your vegetable plants. This foundation is your vegetable seed starting soil. The best vegetable seed starting soil you can have is one that actually contains no soil at all. Instead, your vegetable seed starting soil is made up of three different ingredients.
Finally, your vegetable seed starting soil must contain some form of fertilizer otherwise the vegetable seed will not get the nutrients needed for proper germination. There are a wide variety of choices and combinations here, but the simplest vegetable seed starting fertilizer you will find is compost. Easily made at home, you can add in your own compost to your vegetable seed starting soil, which gives you a true, self-made vegetable seed starting soil.
Whether you make your own vegetable seed starting soil or buy commercially packaged vegetable seed starting soil, all should have these three main ingredients.
So how do you make your own vegetable seed starting soil with the items mentioned above? Making your own vegetable seed starting soil is very simple.
d Starting Mix Combine equal parts (by volume) of the peat and compost, and a quarter to half the amount of perlite or vermiculite. I have a clean 5 gallon bucket that I use for this process. I use the bucket to measure the ingredients, and then dump the ingredients in a wheel barrow where I mix them up with a hand trowel. Your homemade vegetable seed starting soil has everything your vegetable seeds need to germinate properly. As mentioned earlier, you can also purchase vegetable seed starting soil from your local home or garden center. There a variety of different combinations of ingredients that are used with commercial vegetable seed starting soils, so be sure to read the packaging to know exactly what you are buying. Some are formulated for specific vegetable varieties, such as tomato or pepper mixes, make sure you read the bag before you buy.
The Three Sisters Garden Story and Photos by: Jennifer Burcke from 1840 Farm
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or the past few years, we have been dedicating a portion of our garden for growing food to be enjoyed at our family’s Thanksgiving table. As a food lover and gardener, the Thanksgiving holiday provides me with the perfect opportunity to plan ahead for a meal that will be served months from now. As I page through seed catalogs while waiting for winter to yield to spring, I find myself dreaming of our Thanksgiving feast.
I can’t help it. As I mentally picture the heirlooms that will be planted in our garden this year, I also visualize the dishes that will be made using each of them. The garden harvest will be enjoyed all year long, but it will be the star of our family’s Thanksgiving table. For the most celebrated single meal of the year, I plan to feature a cornucopia of ingredients that were produced right in our backyard. Doing so makes the meal seem like a true celebration of our hard work to produce food for our family’s table. The Th an ks gi vi ng holiday started in much the same way. It was a celebration of the harvest, a commemoration of the growing season’s bounty. Nearly 400 years have passed since that first celebration, yet we still gather with friends and family at Thanksgiving to share a meal and reflect on all that we are thankful for. The Thanksgiving meal has changed over the years. For example, the wild fowl that
supposedly graced the first feast has been replaced with our modern-day turkey. History tells us that there would not have been cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, or pumpkin pie at the inaugural celebration. The settler’s sugar stores had been depleted by that time. The potato had not yet made its way to North America. The practice of using butter and flour to make a pie crust was a luxury far beyond the reach of those gathered at the first celebration. Instead, their menu would have featured the best of local, easily accessible food products. It is likely that venison, seafood, corn, beans, and squash were present at their multiday celebration. By the time Abraham Lincoln officially made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, sage dressing and mashed potatoes were making their way onto the menus of many Americans and our modern-day menu was taking shape. I intend to see to it that my family’s Thanksgiving is a celebration of our garden harvest. Over the last few years, we have incorporated increasing amounts of locally produced foodstuffs into our Thanksgiving meal. While we don’t raise turkeys on our farm, we proudly featured a heritage breed bird from a local family farm last year and hope to do so again this year.
To compliment that delicious bird, we’ll be planting the herbs we use on Thanksgiving to make our family’s favorite side dishes. We’ll also be planting a Three Sisters Garden to provide us with a few of the heirloom crops that have been gracing American dinner tables since our farm was built in 1840. Each year, the beans, corn, and squash grown in our garden are featured on our Thanksgiving table. These three crops can be grown in a variety of ways in the garden, but I like to use an interplanting technique that may be as old as Thanksgiving itself. Planting a Three Sisters Garden will provide delicious produce for our November celebration and allow us to participate in an American history lesson right outside our farmhouse door. The Three Sisters Garden may very well be the first instance of the companion planting technique that gardeners still use today. There is a wonderful old legend about the Three Sisters Garden that involves a Native American woman who had three daughters who struggled to peacefully coexist. The legend tells the tale of her brilliant method for showing her daughters the value of diversity and peaceful coexistence. She planted the three crops of corn, beans, and squash together to show her daughters that together, they
your garden by following a few simple guidelines. To plant a Three Sisters Garden, prepare a mound of garden soil approximately 48 inches wide. Amending the soil with compost will help to improve the productivity of each of the crops during the growing season. After the danger of frost has passed, plant the corn within the mound, creating a circle about 24 inches in diameter. Plant four to six seeds in each inch deep hole. Space the corn plantings about 8 inches apart along the perimeter of the circle.
could support each other yet retain their own individuality. As members of the group, they were stronger than they could possibly be as individuals. While some historians disagree regarding the historical accuracy of the story, the legend of the gardening technique has endured through the centuries. In fact, artwork of a woman tending a Three Sisters Garden appears on the reverse side of the Sacajawea US Dollar coin that was released in 2009. I can’t say how historically accurate the legend is. I can share with you that this planting method works amazingly well. These crops are beneficial companions, helping each other to thrive in the garden. The method is easy to put into practice in
Once the corn has grown to between 4-6 inches tall, the beans should be planted. Evenly space the beans around the base of each corn stalk. Seven to ten days after planting the beans, plant the squash seeds. Plant 2-3 squash seeds in each of three or four holes within the circle of corn and beans. Planting corn, bean, and squash together is a sustainable method of companion planting, allowing each plant to help contribute to the success of the other varieties. The towering corn stalks serve as a trellis for the climbing beans, allowing them to be grown without the need for a supplemental support system. As the beans grow, they help to enrich the soil. Their roots produce nitrogen which feeds the corn and squash plants throughout the growing season. In the Three Sisters Garden, the large leaves of the squash plant shelter the soil, s u pp re ss in g w ee d gr ow th and discouraging pests from damaging the trio of crops. The prickly vines of the squash plant deter pests from the garden and
help to protect the developing crops. The flowery blooms of the bean and squash plants help to attract pollinators to the garden, increasing the productivity of the entire garden. I like to include sunflowers in the area of our Three Sisters Garden. While I know that they are not included in the legend, I find them to be a natural pairing for the other crops. Their bright blooms will help to attract pollinators to your garden. When spent, the large flower heads can be harvested for their delicious seeds or
shared with your flock as a nutritious treat. When we sit down at our family table on Thanksgiving Day, we will be surrounded by food that represents the hard work of many months in the garden. It will undoubtedly be a proud moment when we survey the delicious, homegrown holiday dinner before us. The knowledge that we have grown part of our own Thanksgiving dinner will be one more reason for us to be thankful to gather together as a family and celebrate.
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Homemade herbal solutions for cleaning your home, coop, and everywhere in-between
Planning and planting your garden with delicious meals in mind
How to add to your flock, herd, and homestead
Recipes to celebrate food at its seasonal best
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