From Scratch {life on the homestead} - August/September 2013

From scratch {life on the homestead}

August/September 2013

The Homeschooling Issue

Power Couple of Permaculture Fall Weather Crops

Dr. Pol: America’s Favorite Vet

The Magazine for the Modern Homesteader

Contents What is so great about Goat milk anyway?

Dr. Pol: America’s Favorite Vet

page 6

page 74 The Farmstead the power couple of permaculture

this old truck

page 68 how to make homeschooling pickles the joy of

page 50 pecking order

page 14 2 • from scratch magazine

page92

page 22

Letter From The Editor

“

Who let the bugs out?”

Photo by: Erika Tracy

A

s summer winds down it is a great time to take stock of lessons learned this growing season.

There were a lot of challenges - We waged a war with the bugs and endured a month of rain. Celebrate the victories - we installed 20 new raised beds, enjoyed a huge crop of tomatoes (before the bugs got them) and with the fall season quickly approaching our days are filled with school, football and fall planting.

Our cool weather garden includes lettuce, spinach, kale, collards, and cabbage. Fall planting is a gardeners dream. You get all of the benefits of playing in the soil without all the pests and hot weather. Chris McLaughlin has great tips in this issue on how to get the most out of your cool weather crops.

After visiting Professor Will Hooker and Jeana Myers’ beautiful ex-

ample of permaculture in action we acquired lots of inspiration and knowledge. Learn about all of the exciting things they are doing on almost 1/3 of an acre in the middle of downtown Raleigh, NC when you read Permaculture Power Couple.

School is almost back in session (we have already started back) and we included a special homeschooling section with lots of tips and resources for you to use this school year.

It is that time of year. Time for the final push to prepare for the long winter ahead, where you will get to enjoy some food you canned yourself, some winter greens and a chance to kick back and watch the Incredible Dr. Pol with someone you love.

Enjoy!

Melissa Jones from scratch magazine • 3

Contributors

Thank You

Chris mclaughlin Gardening Editor A Suburban Farmer

gretchen ceranic This little life photography

lisa steele Chicken Columnist Fresh-Eggs-Daily Chicken Columnist

Lesa Wilke Better Hens And Gardens

carol alexander Lessons from the Homestead Homeschool Columnist

Rachel maxwell This Original Organic Life

Jennifer burcke 1840 Farm Farm Food Columnist

tamarah rockwood tamarahdotorg.wordpress.com

Melissa Jones From Scratch Publisher/ Editor

4 • from scratch magazine

Steven Jones From Scratch Executive Editor

from scratch magazine • 5

i

What is So Grea About Goat Mil

c About seventy percent of the milk consumed by humans is supplied by goats 6 • from scratch magazine

i

at lk Anyway?

By: Lesa Wilke

G

oat milk is preferred over cow milk in much of the world, and approximately 70% of the milk consumed by humans worldwide is supplied by goats. In the United States, the cow is still king, but goats are the fastest growing livestock animal and goat milk consumption is rising rapidly. Why is goat milk so popular worldwide and why is its popularity rising in the US? Well, compared to cows and cow milk, goats are easier to keep; and goat milk is great tasting, produced more naturally, more nutritious, available raw, easier to digest, acceptable to many with lactose intolerance, and it triggers fewer milk allergies.

Goats don’t need as much space as cows, are easier to handle, thrive on marginal pastures, and are perfectly happy eating things that we consider nuisances like poison ivy and brambles. Goats are suitable for hilly, rocky, and wooded areas where cows could not be kept, and actually prefer wooded browse to pasture (they prefer to reach up to eat rather than down like cattle). Goats convert their food into milk much more efficiently than cows, and many people find it easier to deal with the smaller quantities of milk (see Table 1) they produce. Much of the upsurge in goat popularity has been with those interested in increasing their self-sufficiency, and most find it much easier to keep a few goats.

The dwarf dairy goat breeds are even being allowed in some urban areas because they need so little from scratch magazine • 7

i

A goat is milked at Bramblestone Farm in Northeast Ohio. room, are easy to care for, and provide so many benefits.

Fresh goat milk tastes creamy, sweet, and mild – virtually indistinguishable from whole cow milk.

But, goat milk must be properly handled (processed in sanitary conditions and cooled immediately) to insure that its sweet taste is preserved. Taste also differs from goat breed to breed; with those breeds producing the highest butterfat content (Nigerian Dwarves and Nubians) typically producing the sweetest, mildest tasting milk (see Table 1). In some areas of Europe, stronger tasting milk is preferred, so breeds origi8 • from scratch magazine

nating there (like Oberhasli and Toggenburg) do tend to produce milk with a stronger taste. Dairy goat herds in the US are typically small, and the goats are allowed to free range rather than being maintained on feed lots as most cow dairy herds are today. Goat dairies also tend to keep antibiotic use to a minimum and rarely use hormones, whereas most dairy cows are pumped full of antibiotics and bovine growth hormone (as well as bovine somatotropin — a hormone used specifically for increasing milk production). Also, goat milk does not contain agglutinin, the substance that makes

cow milk separate, so goat milk does not need to be artificially homogenized like cow milk.

The vitamins and minerals in goat milk can play an important role in helping us meet our daily nutritional requirements. On the vitamin front, goat milk supplies up to 47% more vitamin A, 350% more niacin (B3), 25% more B6, is lower in folic acid (B9) and B12, and is comparable to cow milk for the other vitamins.

On the mineral front, goat milk is 13% higher in calcium, higher in phosphorous, has 134% more potassium, has more iron, contains four times the copper, has more magnesium, has substantially more manganese, has more selenium, and has comparable levels of zinc and sodium when compared to cow milk. Goat milk simply supplies more vitamins and minerals than cow milk.

Unpasteurized goat milk is increasingly available from small farms (laws regarding sales of raw milk vary from state to state), and many believe raw milk is much healthier for humans because pasteurization destroys the nutrition and beneficial bacfrom scratch magazine • 9

milk production by breed breed

yearly milk production (lbs.)

butterFat (%)

protein (%)

typical milk comments

Alpine

2396

3.3

2.8

Milk Taste can vary

La Mancha

2246

3.9

3.1

nubian

1835

4.6

3.7

Sweet tasting milk

Oberhasli

2256

3.5

2.9

Stronger tasting milk

Saanen

2545

3.2

2.8

Toggenburg

2047

3.0

2.7

Stronger tasting milk

nigerian dwarf

729

6.1

4.4

Richest tasting milk

ADGA (American Dairy Goat Association) Breed Averages (2010)

teria in raw milk. Pasteurization also makes it more difficult for humans to absorb calcium and it breaks down the lactase in milk (the enzyme that helps digest lactose), making milk more difficult to digest.

Although the US government strongly discourages the consumption of raw milk (and probably rightly so for the mass-produced milk from antibiotic and hormone fed cows living on feed lots), raw milk has been consumed by humans for hundreds of years, and if properly processed, poses little health risk.

Goat milk is naturally homogenized, with smaller fat particles evenly distributed throughout the milk, and is much closer to human milk in makeup than cow milk.

The vitamins, minerals, trace elements, electrolytes, enzymes, and proteins in goat milk are therefore

10 • from scratch magazine

easier for humans to assimilate than similar content in cow milk.

For these reasons, goat milk is typically digested in as little as 20 minutes; whereas it can take 24 hours for humans to digest cow milk.

As much as 75% of the adult population suffers from lactose intolerance, or the inability to digest lactose.

This is caused by the by the lack (or an insufficient amount) of the enzyme called lactase. Goat milk contains about 10% less lactose than cow milk and since it passes through the human digestive tract so rapidly, many with lactose intolerance have no difficulty with goat milk.

Also, because raw goat milk still contains the enzyme lactase, switching to unpasteurized goat milk can be helpful to those with lactose intolerance.

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Milk is a good source of protein (see Table 1), but the complex proteins in milk are what cause some to be allergic to it, and the alpha-s1-casein protein in cow milk is the primary one responsible for milk allergies in humans.

Goat milk contains much lower

levels (89% less) of this particular protein, and some goats produce milk with no alpha-s1-casein.

Studies of infants have shown that approximately 90% of those allergic to cow milk are able to drink goat milk without suffering any allergic reaction.

i

Nigerian dwarf goats, like this one at Bramblestone Farm in Ohio, are great milk producers. Bramblestone sells this type of goat every spring.

12 • from scratch magazine

Increasingly, goat milk is simply viewed as a healthier alternative to cow milk, and as interest in healthy foods and sustainable living grows, more are choosing it instead. Dairy goats are becoming popular additions to the small farm or homestead, goat milk is now regularly available in grocery stores, and with homestead goat ownership rising, it can also often be found at local farms or homesteads. It’s time to give goat milk a try!

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from scratch magazine • 13

ROAST ‘EM UP! ® Rotisserie Chili and FOOD Roasters for the Grill

a Special Homeschooling Section

The

JOY of

homeschooling By:Liz Gardner

F

or many families, homeschooling provides amazing opportunities to reflect on, reconsider, and restructure daily routines and rhythms around what matters the most. They find themselves opting out of the rush ‘n go in favor of a slower-paced, more balanced, fully flavored schedule. Having more TIME is just one by-product: Time to slow down and do things your own way with intention and purpose, time to establish routines that will nourish you and your family, restore balance, provide flexibility, time to explore your creativity and follow your passions, get involved in community projects, try something new, time to catch your

14 • from scratch magazine

breath and truly relish your time with your children.

Homeschooling can be a powerful antidote to the unsustainable way so many of us live our lives, and to the thoughtless, reckless consumerism at its core. After all, the rush ‘n go is expensive, stressful, taxing. We run out of time, cut corners, take the easy way out. However good our intentions may be, we often don’t have the time to follow through on them. Or if we do manage to keep up a breakneck pace, it’s at the expense of our health and wellbeing.

Many families have made homeschooling central to their mission

to simplify and live as sustainably as possible. This lifestyle can bring about a healthier balance and better prepare children to be resilient problem-solvers, compassionate community organizers and selfsufficient, responsible global citizens.

These very ideals can inform the curriculum as well. Want to grow and raise more of your own food? Lessons in permaculture and agriculture, dendrology and botany can be framed in a handson, real-world context. Build a chicken coop, set up a rain barrel, design and plant a garden. Learn how to preserve your own food, prune your fruit trees, take care of farm animals, tap your trees and boil your own sap. Hook into

the rhythms of the natural world, observe the seasons and celebrate the subtle shifts each day brings.

The great outdoors offers amazing learning opportunities — and most are free. The more time you and your kids can spend in nature, the happier and healthier you’ll all be — and with important benefits, as well, for our planet. More time in nature, more unstructured free play and more laughter is good for the brain, body and spirit. And children who spend more time outside — exploring, learning, appreciating, noticing, discovering — become stewards of the land We need as many as we can get.

Homeschooling families often spend time rediscovering some

DISCOVER Your Own

Inspired Path to Learning WE BELIEVE all children deserve an education that nurtures confidence, curiosity, and a love of learning. Our carefully crafted homeschooling curriculum is infused with imagination and heart. Use it independently or through our fully accredited distance learning school that offers expert teacher support and official school records.

High school students will find opportunities for Q dual enrollment Q advanced study Q life experience credit Q travel and summer programs Visit Oak Meadow’s website or call to speak with an Educational Counselor to learn more about how students in grades K-12 can explore their interests, develop their talents, and discover their own inspired path to learning.

oakmeadow.com 802-251-7250 from scratch magazine • 15

i

‘Lost arts are incorporated into daily lessons’ of the more practical lost arts: Things that have been gobbled up by the rush ‘n go culture and fallen out of favor in some schools and families, but still hold a firm place in the heart of our collective consciousness. These lost arts are incorporated into daily lessons and explorations, including writing letters and thank you notes by hand; practicing the art of cursive and calligraphy; making gifts and cards; knitting, sewing, and crocheting; upcycling projects that honor and close a more sustainable loop; building projects that involve imagining, designing, problem-solving, taking things apart, rebuilding, working together — skills that will be essential for our children to have as they begin

16 • from scratch magazine

to face the challenges of this rapidly changing world.

Allowing your schedule to follow a more natural rhythm when homeschooling can enhance the overall experience as well; being flexible can help minimize stress, prevent illness and open up your world to new possibilities.

Schedules can be rearranged to accommodate the need for more sleep, especially during times of illness or those changing circadian rhythms of adolescence. Daily walks, yoga sessions or bike rides can be incorporated into the day, along with all sorts of spontaneous, active fun. Homeschooling provides more time for exercise and outdoor play, resetting one’s

compass and improving focus and concentration. Taking advantage of opportunities as they arise enables families to work with and not against the natural flow of learning and can lead to unexpected discoveries and joys. This is typically when the good stuff happens!

Spending more time with family — particularly family elders — and incorporating intergenerational trips, family history and community service projects into the homeschooling year can be an amazing way to enrich the learning experience. It allows us to honor the rituals and traditions that make us who we are. Whether sharing family stories or helping build

a Habitat for Humanity home together, family projects create a closeness that deepens our children’s sense of surety and sense of place in the world, and their understanding that we are all in this together.

This is an education fueled by curiosity and imagination, guided by the individual student’s learning style, interests and passions, and shaped by the natural, organic flow of learning.

At the center of the homeschooling experience is the curriculum, which can be brought to life, stretched and expanded, enriched and infused with real-world, project-based, community learning

from scratch magazine • 17

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‘Take advantage of your local libraries, farms and gardens’ opportunities; outside resources and programs; and spontaneous, serendipitous adventure.

When my two sons and I were homeschooling, we organized town-wide Earth Day clean-ups every spring, which invited residents to come together to clean up the roadways, learn more about recycling, build community and enjoy some locally-produced ice cream. When we were studying native history and local history, we were able to work with townspeople and tribal elders to explore and preserve a sacred burial site in town that was being 18 • from scratch magazine

considered for development. We attended committee meetings, researched local history, and volunteered to help with the geothermal survey that was done on the property, learning more about archaeology and the science of ground penetrating radar in the process.

When we were learning US and world history within the context of family history, we spent hours on end happily researching, interviewing family members, reading old letters and journals, visiting ancestral haunts with grandparents and unearthing some amaz-

a Special Homeschooling Section

ing stories, which we brought to life on our family history blog.

When my sons helped out at my weekly two-hour Story Adventures and Summer Reading & Arts programs at the library, they assisted in planning, preparing and leading the programs, helping me brainstorm ideas, choose books, songs, hands-on projects and read stories to the younger children.

Every fall, we spent long hours immersed in gearing up for the local Kids’ Craft Fair, carefully choosing and working on craft and food projects, figuring out pricing, signage and display; prac-

ticing making change and putting together artist cards and packaging. At the fair itself, the boys enjoyed connecting with other homeschooling families and learned marketing, economics and people-skills. These self-designed projects offered invaluable lessons in the importance of building strong families and communities, in service and volunteerism, in entrepreneurship and in the wonderful fusion of curriculum — and community — based learning.

Take advantage of your local libraries, farms and gardens, historic houses and museums and from scratch magazine • 19

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‘This type of learning experience offers deep, meaningful connections to community, family and self, enabling a more authentic engagement’ 20 • from scratch magazine

other community gathering spots for accessing books, workshops and other first-hand, how-to opportunities. Explore the World Wide Web for an amazing breadth of ideas and tutorials.

Being able to take advantage of existing opportunities and to create new ones is one of the great benefits to homeschooling.

This type of learning experience offers deep, meaningful connections to community, family and self, enabling a more authentic engagement that has a positive impact on the entire community.

Sustaining such a dynamic, wideranging home learning experience over a long period of time is possible simply because engaging

educational adventures provide sustenance.

They fill our hearts and souls as well as our heads. When this happens, homeschooling blossoms from basic academics into a whole lifestyle of family and community learning that seeds a lifetime of civic engagement and responsibility, stewardship and love of learning.

Liz Gardner is a former homeschooling mom, a blogger, a health advocate and Oak Meadow’s Director of Community Development and Social Media.

Her four-year homeschooling journey with her two sons was lively, lovely and tons of fun.

from scratch magazine • 21

Pecking Order

Story and Photos By: Gretchen Ceranic

I

officially became the weird chicken lady two years ago when I purchased my first five fluffy chicks. I got them all at the same time when they were all about the same age.

Life was good with my newly expanded family.

And even though they were each a different breed, they all got along like sisters. Well, better than sisters really.

They slept snuggled together on their roost, ate from the same feeder giving one another plenty of room, and as they got older shared the same nesting box. Even though

22 • from scratch magazine

it only fit one hen comfortably, I’d often see three girls crammed into the nesting box somehow laying eggs. When I think of giving labor I cannot imagine being surrounded by two other laboring mothers, but they seemed to enjoy one another’s company inside that tiny box, probably sharing breathing techniques and gossiping about the other girls.

Several months after we were nice and attached to our little girls, we tragically lost one. The one my daughter had picked out to be hers, and had affectionately named Henrietta. After our mourning peri-

od, and after hearing how unfair it was that she no longer had her own chicken, we decided to get a replacement Henrietta. I did do some research on bringing a chicken into an established flock and found a local breeder for our desired breed. She was about the same age as the hens I had so I thought they’d get along great. Once she was quarantined for a while, I did as the breeder said, “Just take the new hen into the coop at night and set her next to the others on the roost. The next morning the original hens will wake up and not even realize someone has moved in.” Ok, I should have known better. This is not how it went down.

After the covert night op, the next day I went out to check on things.

Just like entering 7th grade in the middle of the school year when I

was a kid, it was not pretty. The older hens were ticked that this cute, new girl had moved in and they banded together to make sure she knew her place.

Suddenly I had a flashback of being left out and picked on for being the new girl and I was furious at how I thought my “nice girls” were behaving.

They chased the new hen around anytime she came near them. If she tried to get some food one of them would run up and squawk at her or peck her, causing her to be extremely frightened and skittish.

When they free ranged things were much better.

She’d go off by herself somewhere and breathe a sigh of relief. Kinda like when I’d go to the library during lunch period. After a week or so, things settled down and

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from scratch magazine • 23

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These ‘mean girls’ aren’t always the most accepting of new hens into the flock. much to my surprise this second Henrietta is now the dominant hen in the group. I’ve always loved a good underdog story.

So, a few weeks ago when I purchased two new baby Buff Orpington’s I was afraid that they’d suffer the same kind of social bullying. But this time, I did things a little differently and noticed a much smoother transition.

I kept the two buffs in a pen near the mature hen’s pen.

I would let them free range alone after the older girls had had their turn.

Then they were about 14 weeks old, I began to let them free range

24 • from scratch magazine

together.

The little girls stuck together, away from the group and the older girls totally ignored them.

Yep, had another flash back of middle school cliques, but was relieved that they weren’t being aggressive.

It’s far better to be ignored than to be attacked, in my humble opinion.

After a week or so of this, I gave the new girls a pep talk and did the covert night operation again.

As I walked back into the house I whispered a little prayer that these two would be accepted for who they were and all they had to offer the group (even though they’re blonds) and thanked that sweet girl that finally asked me to sit with

her at lunch (we’re still friends to this day).

The next day things were a lot better than the first go round.

There was a little pecking here and there, especially around the food, but overall they seemed much more willing to accept the new girls.

There is definitely a pecking order with my little flock, but I’m happy to report that now when I introduce new chickens, I’ll no longer need therapy.

i

new chicks to the flock explore their run.

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from scratch magazine • 25

a Special Homeschooling Section

Top ten online resources for homeschoolers

H

omeschooling has been on the rise for more than a decade, with the numbers of parents opting to do so nearly doubling since 2000.

to outpace traditional educational materials.

Children can learn all the basic skills of education online (reading, writing, math), while other services allow parents to teach computer programming, physics, college level writing courses and foreign languages. The bulk of these programs are free.

The number of children homeschooled are expected to continue to grow. With the rise of the information age, parents find more and more reasons to homeschool their children, as the cost of text Check out the top ten online books increase and the resources resources for homeschoolers: for homeschooling online continue

26 • from scratch magazine

1

Founded by Salman Kahn, an MIT and Harvard graduate,Khan Academy sets the standard for online education. The site features thousands of lessons on subjects ranging from civics, history, math, science and economics. It also features invaluable tracking software, allowing home educators to follow the progress of all their students from educator accounts.

2

w3schools is a site devoted to programming for the web. Although the target of recent criticism, the site provides tutorials on a variety of programming languages for the web, including HTML5, Javascript and PHP. It also offers a certification process, the value of which can be debated. Even with the criticism, it is hard to find tutorials and informa-

from scratch magazine • 27

tion about web programming as user friendly, making this a good starting point for young programmers.

sponsor support to end world hunger. Mixing charity and learning provides unique opportunities for parents and students while allowing students to drill and practice skills they've learned in other lessons.

3

Duolingo is an online foreign language tutorial favorably compared to programs like

Rosetta Stone with one major difference: It is completely free. The project was started by Carnegie Mellon University Professor Luis von Ah and his graduate student Severin Hacker. The project was originally funded by Luis von Ahn's MacArthur fellowship and a National Science grant. It features a clean interface with a great tutorial process in which students earn points for completing lessons and practice.

5

It should be taken as a challenge for a user to find a subject not touched on by the now famous TED talks. At their website, users can browse the topics and hear lectures from top thinkers on neurobiology, music theory, science and culture and anything else a user can think to learn about, including gardening. In 2012, about 1,300 TED Talks were posted online. Five to seven new lectures are posted online every week.

6 4

Free Rice is a trivia game in which users answer questions about subjects ranging from vocabulary to art history. For every question a user gets right, 10 grains of rice are donated through

28 • from scratch magazine

Project Gutenberg, named after the first moveable type printing press in the west, has the humble goal of putting all open source books online for free in a variety of formats. It allows users to download the books, including well known classics like Moby Dick and religious texts, like the King

James Bible. The books can then be with goals, which help with motivaread on your computer, printed out tion and provide fun quest badges at home or read in one of the many upon completion. ebook formats available. The site is completely free and is financed from user donations. All the books are in the public domain, which means you will not violate copyright laws while learning.

9

Youtube: If you want to learn how to do something, there is an instructional video on Youtube. Be it rewiring your house or building rockets, there will always be someone who shows you how to do it, records the process and posts it on Youtube.

The ubiquitous video site is a great PBS, the well-known public tele- way to learn all sorts of activities and vision network has a great web- to supplement your homeschooling. site and provides much of its broadcast content online. In addition, it has resources for parents and teachers to help them get the most out of the television channel, including connections to local content and local scheduling. The site also proIf you do not know it, Google vides content for download, so you it. There is not another site can take lessons with you whenever in existence which illustrates the family makes a trip. the learning resources online like Google. The search engine allows users to find information and learning materials, answers questions and even provides a calculator. Not Fitocracy: This site allows users to mention the full suite of cloudto get physically fit by earning based software that challenges anyvirtual points for real life activity. thing by Microsoft or any other softUsers can use the points to level up ware manufacturer, with programs their profile and earn badges while for processing and even a presentacompeting with other users in their tion program. group online. Quests provide users

7

10 0

8

from scratch magazine • 29

back to school

World Globe, Etsy -TheGreatIndoors $15

Vintage wooden school abacus, Etsy - antiquesbg $26 30 • from scratch magazine

General Electric School Wall Clock, Etsy - WiseApple $62

vintage SWINGLINE stapler, Etsy - vintagemarmalade $10

Chalkboard United States Map, Etsy - dirtsastudio, $60

Old school pencil sharpener, Etsy - wretchedshekels $22

Vintage Brass School Bell, Etsy - BeeJayKay, $38

Lufkin Wood Folding Red End Ruler 72 Inches, Etsy - jalopee $10 from scratch magazine • 31

Barnyard art

Three Amigos, Etsy - artprintsbycheri, $95

Yorkshire pig , Etsy - artprintsbycheri $150

Chicken Oil Painting, Etsy - cmqstudio, $50 32 • from scratch magazine

Dreamer, Etsy - MarinaPetroFineArt $195

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Lashes Bunny, Etsy - artprintsbycheri, $15 from scratch magazine • 33

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34 • from scratch magazine

Squirreling

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from scratch magazine • 35

photos from our readers 3.

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5.

2.

1. Riley feeding the new baby cria on the Henry family’s Alpaca Farm 2. Chicken BFF’s from Laurie Weiss and her husband who live on a homestead in Coatesville, PA 3. Rooster from Laurie Weiss and her husband who live on a homestead in Coatesvills, PA 4. Second story chicken coop from Terri 5. Beverly Whipple sent in this photo of Hansel — a French Angora Rabbit.

36 • from scratch magazine

6.

7.

8.

9.

6. The first crop of cherry tomatoes from Jane Mruck. 7. Sunflowers from Laurie Weiss 8. Laurie Weiss’ chicken coop 9. Submitted by Michmech, this sunflower was beautiful for months and then it was turned into a special treat for the chickens.

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homestead essentials

Hen Supplement Kit, Scratch and Peck, $15.99

5L Fermenting Kit, RawRutes, $130

Herb Farmer’s Fruit Tea, Possum Creek Herb Farm, $6

1 Gallon Stainless Steel Bucket with Lid, Homesteader Supply, $43.80

Wild Blueberry Jam, Red Lake Nation Foods, $5.99

Heirloom Garden in a can, My Patriot Supply, $37.95

1 Gallon Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil, Nature’s Approved, $39

38 • from scratch magazine

Special Advertising Section

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Premier 1 Supplies - The ultimate source for equipment, fencing, show supplies and poultry!

The Essential Herbal - All about herbs. Download a free issue.

from scratch magazine • 39

Special Advertising Section

DIY on the homestead

Homebrew on the homestead by steven jones

B

rewing beer is a staple of civilization, and it has been done by farmers for thousands of years. Many archaeologists claim that brewing alcohol was one of the contributing factors of beginning agriculture, giving nascent farming communities a reason to come together in the first place.

“Home brewing is part of our history and heritage,” Marcus Bezuhly, of Homebrewstuff.com, said. “In fact cultivation of beer ingredients were one of the first priorities of early settlers (in America). George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were both prolific home brewers.

Bezuhly has been home brewing for more than 16 years. As a registered beer judge, he knows a thing 40 • from scratch magazine

or two about home brewing.

Brewing – either beer, cider, wine or mead – is a great way to “put up” some of the calories produced on your homestead, as fermentation serves as a preservative process.

“I personally find a romance to making something at home that most people take for granted by going to the store and buying off of the shelf,” Bezuhly said. “At the very least it makes you appreciate the time and effort that goes into making products from scratch.”

Sustainability

Home brewing can also be a big part of your sustainability plan.

According to Bezuhly, it is a big

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i

blossoms of hops. force in the craft beer trend.

“Spent grain from a mash (the grain component in a batch of beer) is commonly given to hog or dairy farmers as feed. Breweries like Sierra Nevada and Rouge own estate farms and produce large portions of their own ingredients.

Colorado’s New Belgium Brewery utilize solar and wind power, as well as power generated from combustion of waste materials from the brewery,” Bezuhly said.

It is possible – with perhaps the exception of brewers yeast – to produce all the ingredients needed to practice home brewing on your homestead.

Apples from a small orchard can be used for cider, any number of

42 • from scratch magazine

grains can be used to make beer and any sugar producing fruit can be used for wine.

“There is a huge range of fermented beverages that can be made from home,” Bezuhly said. “Beer is made from (malted grain, hops, and water and yeast), and of course wine is made from grapes, but there are also hybrids of the two.

Mead is made from honey, Braggot from honey and malt, Sake is made from rice ... Perry from pears.”

Brewing beer is probably the most common form of home brewing.

The lessons learned from brewing beer can be applied to all the other products a homesteader might wish to make.

Getting started

Start up costs vary for home brewing. Bezuhly said a beginning home brewer can get started for about $150, while a dedicated maker might spend up to $500 “depending on how you intend on brewing and how you intend on packaging your beer.”

Brewing from malt extract – a syrup made from malted barley that has been “mashed” to extract sugars – is simpler and cheaper, Bezuhly said.

More experienced brewers may opt for an “All Grain” brewing, which is more expensive and and a bigger investment. Bezuhly said this method is a closer approximation

of the way commercial brewers make beer.

Using an extract recipe means a brewer will need a stove, boil kettle, fermenting bucket and a few other accessories.

A boil kettle is the pot in which the wort is brewed. Wort is the non-alcholic first state of a brewed product. It is usually made, in the case of beer, with hops, grain (mostly barley) and malt (the sugar component from roasted grains).

The fermenting bucket is the container the wort in which the wort will ferment. Just about any clean container will do, but it must be airtight. Oxygen kills yeast, resulting in a lower alcohol content and

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wort boils in preparation to make beer sometimes a bad product.

Using the “All Grain” method means brewers will mash malted grains in a mash tun. While the extract method, Bezuhly said, is generally cheaper, the ingredients for the All Grain method are generally less expensive.

Production

At its most basic form, brewing beer means making a wort with boiled grains and sugars – or the appropriate extracts – fermenting the wort by adding yeast and then filtering and bottling the finished product. Fermentation usually takes up to three weeks and involves keeping the fermenting wort free from oxygen, light and 44 • from scratch magazine

extreme temperatures.

A lot of home brewers ferment their wort in closets and garages, using vapor locks to keep oxygen from entering while allowing waste carbon dioxide to leave the fermenting bucket. Vapor locks are attachments to fermenting buckets. They are made of glass or plastic and hold a small amount of water. As carbon dioxide escapes the fermenting bucket, the water in the lock will bubble, letting home brewers know the fermentation process is working.

If CO2 cannot escape, brewers run the risk of explosions from the buildup of gases.

During all stages of the process, proper sanitation cannot be over

THE BLONDE recipe for beer INGREDIENTS

Original gravity 1.051 Final gravity 1.013 Alcohol (by volume) 5.0% Bitterness (IBU) 31 Color (SRM) 7.3°L

• 5lb Light Liquid Malt Extract • 1 lbs American Two Row • .5 lb Caramel 15°L • .5 lb Wheat Malt • • 1 oz Mt Hood Hops - Boil for 60 min (of 60 min total boil) • .5 oz Tettnanger Pellet hops - Boil for 30 min (of 60 min total boil) • .5 oz Tettnanger Pellet hops - Boil for 20 min (of 60 min total boil) • .5 oz Tettnanger Pellet hops - Boil for 10 min (of 60 min total boil) • 1 tb Whirlfloc Tablet - Boil for 10 min (of 60 min total boil) ***If you have a coil immersion chiller, add 10min before boil is complete***

YEAST (Liquid) Wyeast 1056 American Ale -OR- (Dry)

Safale-05 - Pitch into fermenter of cooled wort. Ferment at 65°F for 7 days. Rack to Secondary for an additional 7-14 days.

PROCEDURE Heat 2.5 to 6.5 gallons (depending on the size of your kettle) of water to 155°. Steep specialty grains in muslin bag for 30 minutes. Rinse grain with hot water and remove from kettle.

Add liquid malt extract and bring kettle to boil. Once a good boil is going, add the first hops and start a timer. Maintain a boil and add hops according to the schedule above. ***If you have a coil immersion chiller, add 10min before boil is complete*** When boil is complete, transfer wort to sanitized fermenter, then add water to make a total volume of about 5.25 gallons.

Pitch yeast into cooled wort (<75°F). Ferment according to Schedule above Blonde Recipe from www.homebrewstuff.com

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hops stored in mason jars.

46 â&#x20AC;˘ from scratch magazine

emphasized. do not see any activity in about “Clean everything, then sanitize it.

48 hours, then you have probWhen you are done, clean it again,” lems and need to start over. If Bezuhly said. this happens, consider getting Once the process is complete, filter new yeast, as dead yeast is one the sediments out of the beer and of the most common problems bottle it. brewers face.

Bottling your beer can be done in a 6. Allow the wort to ferment for couple of ways. at least a week, depending on “The least expensive method is to the recipe. Once this happens, recycle used beer bottles, clean, siphon the wort from your fersanitize, refill and cap them. The menting bucket into another – alternative is to use kegs and botclean – container, leaving as tled CO2 to store and carbonate much of the sediment in the feryour beer,” Bezuhly said. menting bucket as possible.

You can also purchase flip-top bot- 7. Bottle your beer from the new tles with attached stoppers. container. Some home brewers have been known to filter the beer at this point using filter 1. The first step is to clean all your papers, but it depends on the equipment, the spoons, the boilrecipe. At this point, a little sugar ers, anything that will come in or dried malt extract is added to contact with your wort. increase carbonation.

2. Then, mix your wort according 8. Cap off the bottles and allow it to the instructions of your recipe to age for about a week before (see the Blond Recipe from EDGE refrigerating. As the beer refrigBrewing Co. in this magazine). erates, more sediments may set3. Boil your ingredients according tle. Do not drink this material, as to your recipe and then chill the it is generally composed of dead wort in ice water and then transyeast. fer it to a fermenter. Many reci- 9. While you may be tempted to pes recommend you strain the use bread yeast instead of bakhops from the wort at this time. ing yeast, it is not recommend4. “Pitch” or add the yeast. Some ed. While the product will be yeasts require “blooming,” where alcoholic, it probably will not the yeast is added to warm water taste very well. before adding it to the wort, similar to how yeast is proofed Outside of having a good recipe, while making bread. that’s about it.

5. Cap off your fermenting bucket, With a little effort and some investbeing sure to place the vapor ment, you will have your very own lock in place. In about 24 hours, beer. With a little practice, you can you should see bubbles com- produce a product enjoyable for ing out of the air lock. If you you and your friends.

Steps

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Chicken Chicken Columnist Columnist

Talking chicken Scratch With Lisa Lisa Steele Fresh Eggs Daily

Q.

A.

Do chickens see in color?

Chickens do see in color and in fact can differentiate between more colors and shades than humans can. They not only have red, blue and green receptors like we do, they also have violet and ultraviolet cones. It is believed this ultra-sensitivity to colors helps them find colorful fruits and berries to eat. However, while chickens’ daytime eyesight is far supe-

48 • from scratch magazine

rior to human’s, they have very poor night vision, which is part of the reason why they naturally migrate back to their coop and a safe roosting place as darkness falls.

They feel extremely vulnerable in the dark without being able to see potential threats and predators.

Chickens do have superior ‘motion sensors’ in their eyes, which helps them spot predators during the day from afar, but can’t actually ‘recognize’ a flock mate un-

Q.

A.

til they come within 2 feet due to thicker and twisted as the egg ages. You will normally only see their nearsightedness. this in very fresh eggs. Like the Why is it that the eggs from my occasional blood spots you might chickens contain stringy white see, it’s perfectly edible, but you membrane on the end of the yolks? can remove the strands and lumps Some have a lot, some have not so carefully with the tines of a fork, if much, but its like a soft lump. What you wish, for aesthetic or textural is it and is it OK to eat? purposes before cooking the egg since the chalazae doesn’t generIt is perfectly safe to eat. Its the ally break down with cooking. chalazae, strands of protein that hold the egg yolk in place in the Lisa Steele from Fresh Eggs Daily middle of the white. Chalazae start The resident off as a thin strand but become From Scratch Chicken Expert.

Q.

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610 Kirby Street, the home of Will Hooker and Jeana Myers, serves as a homestead and classroom.

50 â&#x20AC;˘ from scratch magazine

Power Couple

of permaculture By: Steven Jones

Professor Will Hooker, at first glance, comes across as a hippy.

A good old-fashioned, bearded, long-haired, sandal-wearing hippy.

But if you look carefully, you might notice a near military bearing in the way he carries himself, a sense of self-discipline which belies the stereotypes of the culture he appears to belong.

When he speaks, Hooker chooses his words carefully, making sure a listener understands what he is saying and working hard to be clear.

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Jeana Myers and Will Hooker

52 â&#x20AC;˘ from scratch magazine

Permaculture is an agricultural

system or method that seeks to integrate human activity with natural surroundings so as to create highly efficient self-sustaining ecosystems.

T

hen you meet his wife, Jeana Myers. She’s also deliberate in her speech. Her movements are confident and assertive. Her posture is impeccable. The woman is freshfaced and — if you catch her at the right time — her muddy shoes let you know she is not afraid to do work when necessary.

Myers might be driving a pickup truck when you first meet her, albeit one painted in psychedelic colors in a style reminiscent of African tribal designs.

Then you might be one of the hundreds of people who have toured their home in Raleigh, North Carolina.

You’ll see clean lines in the layout of the property, with spirals apparent in the way the garden is planted. The property — just less than a third of an acre — is home to chickens and bees. They grow a dizzying array of plants, most edible, including paw-paws, grapevines, elderberries, pecans, plums, apples, peaches, assorted herbs, shiitake mushrooms, persimmons, figs, apples, mulberries,

cedar, onions, pumpkins, ten different kinds of lettuce, and … you get the idea. Without the obvious sense of discipline applied to the property, there would not be room for half of the food Hooker and Myers grows.

Meet the power couple of Permaculture.

Hooker is a Landscape Architecture Professor at North Carolina State University. In 1994 he became a Certified Permaculture Designer/Instructor, teaching one of the few classes in Permaculture in the country.

Myers is the Horticulture Extension Agent for the Wake County, North Carolina, extension office. She did her PhD work in soil science.

In the 90’s while taking a bike trip across the United States, Hooker discovered permaculture, environmental design focusing on the development of sustainable architecture and self-maintaining agricultural systems, using nature as a model.

With roots stretching back to the beginning of the 20th century, the

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a wood-fired stove, which doubles as a sculpture, stands guard outside of 610 Kirby Street idea did not really take off until the 1970’s, when Bill Mollison and David Holmgren started thinking about how to deal with industrial damage done to the topsoil in the Australian state of Tasmania. In 1978, Mollison and Holmgren published Permaculture One. Hooker provides an example of creating a “closed system” on his property in Raleigh.

On their property, they have chickens, which eat kitchen scraps, weeds and insect pests.

The chicken run is covered in straw for the chickens comfort and they eat the seeds out of the straw. They also provide a “nitro-

54 • from scratch magazine

gen deposit” (colloquially: poop).

The straw is gathered, used in compost, which is used to grow vegetables, scraps of which are used again to feed the chickens.

On his website, Hooker says, “This is a closed system.”

But this is now.

Nearly 20 years ago, Hooker was on a bike ride and thinking about the earth.

While biking, he had an epiphany.

“Who the hell is paying attention to what we’re doing to the earth?” he asked himself at the time.

He was looking for something revolutionary, something to shake up current thinking.

He examined permaculture, but felt it was lacking.

“It didn’t seem to answer the questions,” he said. “It wasn’t strong enough at the time.”

But then he re-examined the idea.

He convinced his Academic Dean at the University to use college funds for a permaculture design course.

Hooker says the dean was “kind of living vicariously,” describing him as a straight-laced, “dress for success guy.”

In 1997, Hooker began teaching a permaculture design course at the University himself.

By then, he had been working on

his home, described as a “Urban Permaculture Model” on his website, for three years.

The home functions as a home, a homestead and a teaching tool for Hooker.

While the property is gorgeous, and Hooker admits he wants a piece of property that is pleasing to work on, the property is not landscaped in the “normal” way residential properties are landscaped. There are a couple of patches of lawn, for his children and grandchildren to play on, but the rest of the property is covered in edible plants, beneficial shrubs and fruit trees.

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Bees beard on a hive in Raleigh, NC, at the home of will hooker and jeana myers.

“Curb appeal doesn’t hold much value to me,” he said. “I design places to be lived in.”

For Hooker, the design element is what he brings to the world of permaculture. Hooker has visited permaculture-based farms and homesteads all over the world.

Very few, he said, could be considered attractive.

“The aesthetics of permaculture suck,” he said.

As a result, Hooker’s design on his own property is functionally attractive. He makes use of all of the small space, hunting down shady spots for mushrooms, putting his compost bin in the chicken pen, growing vegetables in the next door lot, where a neighbor’s home used to be.

56 • from scratch magazine

At the same time, he incorporates clever, whimsical elements.

He uses a counterweight system to close the garden gates and pens. Used wine bottles, filled with bright blue salt water, pull the gates closed when visitors walk through them. A wood-fired oven in the back yard is a piece of sculpture. The chicken coop is painted with pictures of chickens: All bright yellow feet and red combs.

“I think permaculture has to be aesthetically pleasing in order to be attractive to a wide range of people,” Hooker said.

Hooker said he designed the property to reflect an “experience of progression” as you move through the property. A trellis frames the

‘I design places to be lived in.’

Will Hooker

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“It was amazing, fresh food everyday” - jeana Myers

58 • from scratch magazine

entrance. Pathways move you through the property past gardens, beehives and through the gazebo, which supports vining fruits and vegetables.

He said his wife is the master gardener in the family.

Jeana Myers is devoted to permaculture as well.

And while she seems just as passionate about the lifestyle as Hooker, she also professes a more visceral reason for her devotion: Great food.

“We’ve (the country) just totally gotten away from good food,” she said.

Once she started eating fresh, locally grown food, she couldn’t stop.

“It was eating amazing, fresh food everyday,” she said.

“Something clicked. It was impossible to turn back.”

She wants people to start growing their own food, even if it is just some herbs.

“I always encourage people to grow a pot of herbs,” she said.

“It really awakens your process of eating. Herbs in pots are a great place to start.”

Since Myers and Hooker discovered permaculture, they have spent decades living more sustainably and educating others on how to do it.

Hooker has worked to teach students the benefits of the methodology while Myers helps keep their property a showroom for visitors.

Hooker maintains a website to

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60 â&#x20AC;˘ from scratch magazine

educate people about permaculture. Since he began practicing permaculture, he’s seen interest in the movement grow.

Now, after decades of working on their little homestead both Hooker and Myers work to promote permaculture and sustainable living.

With his retirement from the University looming, Hooker hopes to beginning designing permaculture landscapes for others and continue educating as many people he can about the design methods.

Myers will continue to work to encourage others to take up the practice of sustainable living.

“I think people will have to want to do it,” she said.

After seeing an idea they’ve been

working on for about 20 years become a part of a conversation -sustainable living -- that it seems everyone is having, Hooker is pleased to have been part of it for all this time.

He remembers an incident where he overheard a fellow educator talking about his permaculture program eight years ago. “‘What the hell is Hooker spending so much money on sustainability for?’” Hooker recalled.

“What’s the option?” Hooker asked himself, “Unsustainability?”

Learn more about Will Hooker and Jeana Myers at their website, http://610kirby-permaculture. org/610kirby-permaculture.org/ Welcome.html

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Meet Some Cool Characters vegetables for fall and winter gardens

by Chris Mclaughlin 62 â&#x20AC;˘ from scratch magazine

j Coolseason crops Asparagus Beets Broccoli Broccoli Raab Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower

W

Cilantro Endive Fava beans Kale Kohlrabies Leeks Lettuce Parsnips

hen I first started growing cool-weather crops, I accidentally ended up experimenting with the crops to see which “cool season” they preferred the most: spring or fall.

Peas Radicchios Radishes Rhubarb Spinach Swiss chard Turnips

er lovers in the fall and found that they produced a better harvest; for much longer.

I was amazed at the amount of produce I collected from a garden that was planted after what most At that time I was living in the San people refer to as “the end of the Francisco Bay area and when I plant- gardening season.” Au contraire. ed my broccoli and cilantro plants in the spring, the quick temperature After asking around I found that rise (as the season switched from many gardeners weren’t using these spring to summer) caused them valuable months either and were to bolt (flower and produce seed) typically “putting their gardens to quickly. Although fast transitions bed” much after September. are typical for California, it was also frustrating until I remembered that Interestingly enough, I now find I had another cool season to work that fall gardening is one of my favorite gardens all year. with fall.

After that, I planted my cool-weath- There are less pests, less watering,

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and fewer weeds. Hello...sign me mer as long as they got a good up! So if you haven’t given fall and start in the cool weather. winter gardening a go, may I sugOn the following cool-weather veggest you do so this year? etable list, you’ll typically find that Many cool-season crops can go well it’s the leaves, stems, flower buds, beyond cool and into the freez- and roots of these plants that we ing cold; and all the way through enjoy in the kitchen. The exceptions being fava (broad) beans and snowy winters. peas.

Of course, then you’ll need a little help from lots of mulch, your I do realize that many of you live handy-dandy hoop house, and/or a in much colder areas that me.

However, year round gardening is cold frame. possible almost anywhere, so if you By the way, there are several “cross- need help with very low temps, over” cool-season vegetables (e.g. check out Niki Jabbour’s book, The carrots, beets, Swiss chard, cab- Year Round Vegetable Gardener bage, potatoes, and leafy greens) (Storey, 2011) and you’ll quickly that can be harvested in the sum- run out of excuses.

64 • from scratch magazine

from scratch magazine â&#x20AC;˘ 65

Pass the peas please

by Chris Mclaughlin

the ladies of the garden

P

eas are the ladies of the spring and fall garden. Like every other vegetable I can think of, they’re just so much tastier when they’re fresh from vine to plate. These legumes are easy to grow and are perfect for vertical gardening. Peas generally fall into one (or more) of three categories: • shelling peas — also called English or garden peas.

• snap peas • snow or sugar peas

66 • from scratch magazine

Shelling peas are usually prepared by removing the peas from inside their pods before they’re cooked.

With snap peas, the pods are eaten whole and are sweet and tender, even when mature. Just like green beans, they also give a great snap when bent in half. Many great snap pea varieties will also make a wonderful shelling pea, as well.

Snow or sugar peas are those small peas that are associated with Asian or Chinese dishes. Pods are harvested young, and even if they’re

left on the vine, they don’t split when they’re mature like shelling and snap peas do. Like beans, peas are a legume and they’re roots are nitrogen-fixing.

If this is the first time peas will be grown in that bed, you may want to consider purchasing seed that’s been inoculated with Rhizobium bacteria. This helps the plants fix nitrogen in their roots.

Pea vines are extremely light, and you can get away with the most basic structures as supports. Lightweight netting and twine work just fine for these climbers.

Tending Your Pea Plants

Water your peas regularly until the flowers show up; after flowering, peas require a bit more water.

By “regularly” I don’t mean overwatering. Just keep them evenly moist because water-logging will slow plant growth, while drought will stress the plant and leave you with a low yield.

As far as fertilizing goes, I don’t fertilize my peas much; just some compost and manure tea. I tend to aim for letting them do their thing.

If you’d like to fertilize, they can use it most while they’re young plants, Peas can be started indoors, but as it takes weeks for peas to begin it’s always been simpler for me producing their own nitrogen. to plant them in their permanent place outdoors.

I’ve always soaked pea and bean Harvest snow or sugar peas when seeds in warm water overnight they’re 2” to 3” long and before the before planting the next day and pods swell. it seems to me that they come up Snap peas should be harvested faster. Other gardeners have men- after their pods swell -- they’ll also tioned the same. Just remember snap like a green bean. Shelling that it’s not a deal-breaker, as most peas (English or Garden peas) gardeners don’t have any problem should be harvested when they’re getting peas and beans to germi- bright green and have a cylinder nate. shape.

Plant the seeds 1” deep and 4” apart No matter which peas you’re growin organically rich soil. That may ing, pick all of the mature pods as sound like they’re closely spaced, soon as you see them (and they but they’ll tolerate it -- especially in can be hard to spot) so that the loamy, prepared soil. Peas do like plant continues to reproduce. Also, good air circulation, but positioning plan on eating them as soon as their bed in an open area makes possible once they’ve been picked; up for any cozy spacing. Full sun their sugars will begin to be conis ideal, but they’ll tolerate light verted to starch as soon as they’re shade without a problem. off the vine.

Perfect Planting

The Pea Harvest

from scratch magazine • 67

life on the homestead column

68 â&#x20AC;˘ from scratch magazine

This

old truck By: Steven Jones

{

}

Steven Jones is the Executive Editor of From Scratch Magazine. He also works on the extended family homestead in North Carolina: Sunshine Sisters Farms.

Contact him at: steven@fromscratchmag.com.

Every homestead should have an old pickup truck.

Something that is painted at least six colors, with two of those colors being rust and primer. The color of the primer can vary, of course.

At the Sunshine Sisters Farms, we have got a 1976 Ford F100.

It is magnificent.

The gas gauge is not entirely accurate, it is a three-speed (on the column, it loses points if it’s on the floor) and it sounds as if at least one spark plug is fouled out.

Recently, the truck’s…idiosyncrasies led to a lovely adventure.

Like many old trucks, the lovely beast performs several duties.

One is hauling trash to the landfill. We recycle like hoarders, but still, every so often a load of trash that can’t be composted, re-purposed, reused, fed to an animal or recycled must be taken to the landfill. (Styrofoam’s the worst, amirite?)

And of course, as it is an arduous chore under

from scratch magazine • 69

the best of circumstances, the truck must be piled high with all that unusable trash before anyone thinks to haul it off.

So, the Sunshine brothers get out there and being the conscientious citizens we are, strap it down with a tarp tied over the top to protect fellow motorists as we drive down the road.

For some reason, whenever we haul the trash to the landfill the only tarp we can ever find is about 33 feet too long and possessed of several large tears. I have almost come to view this object with a certain amount of affection.

Now, finally after strapping the 70 â&#x20AC;˘ from scratch magazine

load down, we set off on our glorious adventure. Being a 1976 Ford F100, it has an amazing suspension. I assume that more than 40 years ago, when it came off the line, it was a firm, solid ride. Now, after years of faithful service to humanity, it creaks and groans and rides with the familiar discomfort of a grannyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lap.

As such, any speeds over 50 mph make it feel as if the vehicle will fly apart in some sort of spectacular explosion. The cars on the highway on the way to the landfill express their respect and admiration of seeing such a museum piece still up and running by flying rapidly

past us and sounding off with a staccato of honking horns.

We always wave and smile whenever they do, pleased with bringing a little bit of technicolor to their humdrum and rushed gray lives.

On the way, without fail, our tarp flares out behind us, 33 feet of tattered cape, no matter how much we tie it down (I think this is the truck’s way of trying to appear faster, but as we cannot impede other drivers, we always pull over to tie it back down) Usually, it only takes stopping twice on the way to the landfill to keep the tarp at a respectable 15 feet. We would not want the old girl to appear too

ostentatious.

On the way to the landfill, I try to make up for the lack of a working radio by loudly and tunelessly singing a song about Collard Greens that I am pretty sure my father made up when I was a child. I am not entirely sure, however, as I was 19-years-old before I realized he did not write “Ol’ Slewfoot.” It made me suspicious about the authorship of all those old songs about hunting dogs he bellowed for all the years of my youth.

Now, because the truck’s 8-yearold battery has a bad cell, it will not hold a charge. This is the reason we always travel with a booster box to

from scratch magazine • 71

jump the truck off whenever we turn the engine off. Since we want to get to the landfill before the end of the day, we do not turn the truck off whenever we stop to retie the tarp. So one of the younger Sunshine brothers slides over the tattered bench seat, dodging tools and jumper cables and a half-quart of oil that always seems to be in the cab to hold down the brake and clutch while I wrangle the dirty length of nylon cloth on the back.

ter) we arrive at the landfill.

The landfill helpfully provides dumpsters to unload our wares into, which are later hauled off to the landfill proper. The landfill… people, workers, administrators?… have built up a hill to drive to the top of so the dumpsters are at a lower level than the vehicle you have to unload.

This is a big help in unloading, but does require some pre-planning when it comes to the old truck. As

“There’s nothing like spending three hours on a Saturday in an unairconditioned truck, listening to a large, crazy and bearded man sing really great songs about collard greens” We are always pleased with our ingenuity and teamwork in this regard. Again, occasionally other drivers express their respect of our abilities by honking whenever they go buy us as we are parked on the narrow shoulder of the two-lane state highway. It truly is an honor to be able to bring such joy to others.

Finally, after about an hour of driving (I am told by reputable sources that the landfill is only 20 minutes away, but as the Sunshine brother most often tasked with making the drive, and only in the old truck, I must take their word on the mat-

72 • from scratch magazine

one of the eldest Sunshine brothers, I believe it is my duty to help the younger generation learn the dignity of work and the joy of labor.

So the younger Sunshine brothers who are honored with taking the trip with me get to help unload. I feel the job of unloading a haul of trash is particularly educational for the younger generation.

There’s nothing like spending three hours on a Saturday in an unairconditioned truck, listening to a large, crazy and bearded man sing really great songs about collard greens and then unloading a soggy load of trash to hammer home the lesson.

As a result, the younger Sunshine brothers cannot slide over in the bench seat and hold down the clutch and brake to keep the truck running. So the engine is disengaged.

And since the emergency brake has not worked since Noriega was captured in Panama, the younger Sunshine brother takes the cinder block we keep in the passenger side floor for the purpose, hops out the truck and runs and puts it under the back tire.

Again, we are mightily pleased to have worked out this solution.

Homesteading really is all about teamwork.

The trash is unloaded and we jump off the truck with the booster box to get it running again. The cinder block is removed where it does double duty as a weight to hold down the errant tarp in the bed of the truck.

The trick of having a younger Sunshine brother hold down the clutch and brake is repeated at the booth where we pay the landfill fees.

Then begins the trip back to the homestead. Sometimes we stop at a local gas station for soda pop and Little Debbie cakes, which is a very pleasing reward after such a big job.

Then we rattle home, where we park the lovely old beast and wait for the next big trip.

Since the last trip, we made the decision to purchase and install a battery for the truck. Which will make for a slightly easier trip, but I feel something may be lost in the

experience. Only time will tell. I am sure, however, the lovely beast has some ideas on how to continue to make the trip an adventure.

from scratch magazine â&#x20AC;˘ 73

DP

r. ol America’s Favorite Veterinarian Story By: Melissa Jones Photos By: Michael Stankevich

Dr. Jan Pol, of Nat Geo WILD’s The Incredible Dr. Pol, is rapidly becoming America’s favorite veterinarian.

Dr. Pol, originally from the Netherlands, spent his youth on the family dairy farm before becoming a vet specializing in large animals.

His more than 40 years of farm and animal experience means he has a lot of helpful information for new and experienced farmers, big and small.

We recently had a chance to interview Dr. Pol and get some answers to some of the more common questions homesteaders might have.

74 • from scratch magazine

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76 â&#x20AC;˘ from scratch magazine

What is the number one mistake you see new farmers make?

The number one mistake new Farmers make is that many times they over extend financially. They need to start small and then grow.

Is there a difference in the health of animals on larger farms and smaller homesteads?

I don’t see much difference in the health of animals between large or small farms.

What is the easiest way to ensure the What are some health of your health problems animals? in livestock that homesteaders and The easiest way to ensure the health farmers shouldn’t of your animals is to keep a closed see a vet for? herd. Do not buy and sell animals frequently. If so - vaccinate with a good vaccine.

What kind of animals do you have?

We have horses, dogs, cats, chickens, peacocks, ducks, chickens, and doves.

How important is cleanliness on a farm?

Cleanliness on a farm is very important. When you sell a product, it is very important that it comes from a clean environment.

The health problems in livestock that homesteaders and farmers shouldn’t see a vet for depends on the owner and how much he can diagnose and treat for himself.

What do you think has contributed to your success as a vet?

I think that three things have contributed to my success as a vet: hard work, being available 24/7, and being honest.

from scratch magazine • 77

Dr. Pol grimaces as he reaches his hand into the backside of a cow

Many of your family members are farmers. What made you decide to be a vet and not a full-time farmer?

As the youngest of six children, there was not a chance that I could get on a farm in The Netherlands. Therefore, I decided to become a large animal veterinarian. In order to practice, it was easier to practice in another country.

Large animal vets are declining in numbers. Why do you think this is?

Many large farms have their own herdsman, so the work for the large animal vet is declining. Also the work is physically harder and the pay lower in most cases than small animal work.

What does your ideal retirement look like?

My ideal retirement would include lots of sun, sand, and sea in many different places.

78 â&#x20AC;˘ from scratch magazine

Diane Pol getting ready to fly fish.

Charles leaps into the icy water dressed as ‘Super Charles’ at the Special Olympics Polar Plunge.

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Charles petting an older horse.

Dr. Pol standing with a horse as it dozes off from a tranquilizer.

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Dr. Pol’s veterinary practice began in 1981 out of their home. It has grown in the decades since, and now Dr. Pol employs ten people and has served more than 19,000 clients since opening.

Dr. Pol, a large animal vet in the field and a small animal vet in the office.

He treats horses, pigs, cows, sheep, alpacas, goats, chickens and the occasional reindeer.

Dr. Pol prides himself on working with family farmers to ensure they remain in business. Known as something of a character among Central Michigan farmers, Dr. Pol works long hours traveling all over with his Dutch accent and signature mustache.

His son, Charles Pol began assisting his father at the age of five. Charles lives part time in Los Angeles, but joins his father to film episodes of the Nat Geo WILD show, The Incredible Dr. Pol. A graduate of the University of Miami, he divides his time between filming the show and working in the entertainment industry.

Watch the new season of The Incredible Dr. Pol on Nat Geo’s WILD (check your local listings) starting on August 16 at 9 p.m. ET

from scratch magazine • 81

Homeschool Columnist

Lessons from the Homestead By: Carol J. Alexander

O

ur family lived in a major city until my oldest child was nine.

We then moved to a rural area but rented for the first four years. Although we couldn’t build the little farm that we dreamed of, I felt it important to prepare for when that dream became a reality—especially for the children.

Lessons from the Homestead reader Wendy asked: We are a family of 8 but we live in downtown Richmond. We do have a yard, but it is not very big. Besides growing vegetables, and canning, 82 • from scratch magazine

are there other homesteading “things” you can do living in the city?

Richmond just passed laws stating we CAN own chickens in the city limits, but I would like to do more. Is that possible?

YES, Wendy, it is more than possible!

The first place to start is with attitudes. Have you discussed with your kids about where your food comes from? I’m not talking about the garden out back; I’m talking about the farm. If you’re buying your groceries at WalMart, stop it. Support your local farmers by going to the farmers’ mar-

ket. Subscribe to a CSA. Buy your animal feed from the mom-and-pop feed store rather than Tractor Supply.

Homesteaders support their local community (even if it costs a few more pennies) because they understand the hard work involved in growing that perfect tomato. Once the kids adopt this sense of community, teaching them the rest will be much easier.

As I talked about in the last issue, chickens are just one option for keeping animals in the city. You may also consider rabbits or earthworms or whatever they will allow in your neighborhood.

Learning to be responsible for lives besides their own, is important for kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;before getting to the farm.

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from scratch magazine â&#x20AC;˘ 83

and buy a pre-made coop or shed.

Get a couple of books out of the library, look at plans, scrounge for scrap lumber and have the kids build their own. Homesteaders are do-it-yourselfers through and through. For some top-notch ideas on self-sustaining ideas for the homestead I recommend the new book Plowing with Pigs by Oscar H. Will, III and Karen K. Will.

Don’t let the title fool you. It’s not a book about keeping pigs, it’s about using what you have on hand (even if it is pigs) to get the job done.

Also, have you considered investing in a grain mill? Milling your

84 • from scratch magazine

own wheat and baking your own bread is the first homesteading skill I tackled from my city home.

And if you have six kids, you have plenty of helping hands. Before I could trust my oldest to measure all the ingredients correctly, I had him baking bread. I measured all the dry ingredients for a batch of bread into a plastic bag. I did this once a week—a batch per bag— and stored in the cupboard. Each morning he would dump one bag into the bread maker, add the water, and press the button.

We didn’t have a grain mill until the boys were much older—a hand-cranked Country Living Mill.

The boys were responsible each morning to grind the grain to make their bread. Great for a P.E. credit.

While we’re talking food, where does your milk come from? If you can get milk from a farm, do it. Then you can start making your own butter and cheeses and yogurt. You can also dry your herbs in the oven, grow sprouts, make kombucha and kefir or other fermented foods, grow mushrooms in the basement, and make your own herbal medicines.

Sewing is another lost art that is now getting lumped into the homesteading camp. Not to mention all of the fiber arts like weaving, knitting, embroidery. If you don’t know how, find classes in your area and take them with your children.

Another possibility is lawn care.

A homestead has a lot of outside maintenance chores. Are your kids taking care of your lawn, trees, and shrubs? If so, great. If not, get them started. Then once they have it down, hire them out to the neighbors. Encourage their entrepreneurial spirit and they will be more willing to do the hard labor that a homestead requires.

These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg, Wendy. Virtually anything you can think of that you do for yourselves, I would classify as a “homestead-y thing.” Just make

Follow Lessons From the Homestead For More Homeschooling Information.

Homeschooling for 18 years and homesteading for 12, Carol J. Alexander looks for the lessons in every aspect of her family’s homesteading lifestyle. She is the author of a series of e-books entitled Lessons from the Homestead which help parents find those lessons as well.

sure you involve the kids in all of your projects. That way, when you do get to move to the land, you will already have trained farm hands ready to get to work.

Lessons from the Homestead Down-to-Earth Support for the Homesteading Homeschooler

E-Books • Blog • Newsletter

from scratch magazine • 85

86 â&#x20AC;˘ from scratch magazine

C

Easy Peel

HARD-BOILED FRESH EGGS By:Lesa Wilke

I

love hard-boiled eggs (and egg salad and deviled eggs), but very fresh eggs are nearly impossible to peel after hard-boiling using the traditional water method.

It has taken several years, and many failed experiments – but I’ve finally found a way to make hard-boiled eggs that can be peeled easily and perfectly from fresh eggs!

Eggs from the grocery store are typically six weeks old before they reach us (so they’re easy to peel when boiled) whereas ours are very fresh (they never last more than a few days after the chickens lay them) so are very difficult to peel.

from scratch magazine • 87

I

tried every method I came across to produce perfect hard-boiled eggs from fresh eggs and, I’ve finally got the answer – steam them instead. It’s always seemed ridiculous to me that we’ve got the healthiest, freshest eggs – but no way to enjoy them hard-boiled. Here’s the way, and it’s pretty much foolproof!

• Bring a small amount of water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer or pot that you can sit a steaming basket within (you want enough water so that it won’t completely boil away in 20 minutes).

Place the eggs in the steaming basket, place the steaming basket in the pot, and cover the pot.

• Steam the eggs for 20 minutes and then put them into ice water until they’re cool enough to peel. Roll each egg on the counter to break up the shell and peel from the wide end of the egg.

I’ve also found it helpful to sit the eggs in the steaming basket with the small end down, this causes the air pocket to center in the wide end of the egg and

88 • from scratch magazine

tends to keep the yolk more centered in the egg.

And the result is perfectly peeled eggs egg salad and deviled eggs are back on the menu!

Recipes

r

Best deviled Eggs

12 extra-large eggs ½ cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons whole milk 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes ½ teaspoon dried chives ½ teaspoon ground mustard powder ¼ teaspoon dried dill weed ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon paprika 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 drops tabasco sauce Steam and peel eggs per directions above. Slice the eggs in half (lengthwise), put the yolks in a mixing bowl, and reserve the whites for filling. Mash the yolks well making sure to remove all lumps, and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well to combine.

Taste the filling mixture, adjust seasonings if necessary, pipe the yolk mixture into the reserved white halves, and sprinkle with paprika for decoration. Makes 24 servings. *You can substitute fresh herbs for the dried if you have them on hand – simply use triple the amount of fresh herb for the dried. It’s a good idea to make the filling a day or several hours ahead to allow the flavors to blend.

Egg salad

- 12 extra-large eggs - 1/3 cup good mayonnaise - 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard - 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill - ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste) - ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (or to taste) - Steam and peel eggs per directions above.

- Coarsely chop the eggs, and add the remaining ingredients.

Combine lightly with a fork. Enjoy!

from scratch magazine • 89

a Chocolate & Zucchini

A Match Made in Heaven!

By: Jennifer Burcke

D

uring gardening season, we celebrate every piece of fresh fruit and vegetable grown at 1840 Farm.

We eat as much as we can while it is at its fresh best. We also can, pickle, and freeze our garden harvest so that we can enjoy the fruits of our labor during the long, cold winter. It’s a constant race against time trying to make sure that not a single morsel goes to waste.

During summers that include a bumper harvest of zucchini, I like to find ways to include it in savory and sweet dishes. Incorporating shredded zucchini into baked goods isn’t anything new.

My mother made zucchini bread every summer when I was a child. Making a zucchini cake with chocolate and 90 • from scratch magazine

mocha flavor puts a new spin on an old favorite. Zucchini adds an unbelievable moist texture to baked goods without altering the flavor.

It can be used as a substitute for oil in cakes and breads with excellent, delicious results. This cake is no exception.

The flavor is rich, full of chocolate and espresso flavor. The texture is moist and evenly dense.

Chocolate Mocha Zucchini Cake is delicious served warm with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

When fresh berries are available, I love to serve it topped with whipped cream and fresh berries straight from our garden. No matter how you serve it, this cake is sure to be a hit with the chocolate lovers at your family table.

Chocolate Mocha Zucchini Cake makes 12 servings INGREDIENTS • 2 ounces (1/2 stick) butter, melted • 2 ounces oil • 2 ounces plain yogurt • 1/2 cup (96 grams) granulated sugar • 1/2 cup (96 grams) brown sugar • 1 1/2 cups (120 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder • 1 Tablespoon espresso powder • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract • 8 ounces shredded zucchini (see note above) • 3 large eggs • 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) Allpurpose flour • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt • 7 1/2 ounces (1 cup minus 1 Tablespoon) milk • 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a bundt pan by spraying lightly with pan spray or brushing with melted butter. Place the bundt pan on a baking sheet and set aside as you prepare the batter.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, oil, yogurt, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix until

smooth before adding cocoa powder, vanilla, espresso powder, eggs, and zucchini. Stir until the zucchini and cocoa are fully incorporated and the batter is smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, baking, powder, and sea salt and stir until just combined. Add the milk and vinegar and mix until the batter is completely smooth.

3. Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan. Place the cake in the middle of the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, adjusting baking time as needed. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean or with small crumbs attached.

4. Allow the cake to cool at least 10 minutes in the pan before inverting on a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature. from scratch magazine • 91

How to Make Pickles Story and Photos By: Rachel Maxwell

I

’ve never gone out of my way to eat pickles.

I admit they make a nice addition to a sandwich, which in my life has really been the only setting where pickles and I have been acquainted.

But now, I have a garden ... six steps out my back door (there is a slight turn and a 92 • from scratch magazine

hop over a fence involved, as well, but you get the picture). And, well, anyone who has grown anything in the cucurbit family knows that if you don’t harvest often, you can wind up with a zucchini three times the size of your forearm, or a pickling cucumber that may as well be a prickly armrest (I don’t know what this means but it

DIY on the homestead

sounds itchy). My husband and partner-in-homesteading, Jon, and I thought we’d only planted one pickling cucumber plant, and still after having composted the plant’s remains, the mystery of exactly how many plants we really had is still up in the air.

other in one big squash slumber party.

You know how all those squash wrap around each

I cannot let them go homeless or unacknowledged.

Now, with all these baby cucumbers being born into our world everyday, it’s essential that I, as an urban homesteader, do something with them.

from scratch magazine • 93

• Canning/pickling salt So, we’ve been pickling quite • 4 cups of vinegar a bit, experimenting and play- • 1/6 cup of sugar • Mustard seed ing it safe all at once.

• Fresh dill Start with fresh cucumbers, within 24 hours of harvesting, Directions: or as soon as possible after purchasing. You need: 1. Fill quart-sized canning jars (sanitize the jars in boilingredients: ing water for 5 minutes) with the sliced cukes, being careful to keep things sani• Canning jars (sanitized) • 5 1/2 pounds of pickling tary by not handling them cucumbers, rinsed and with grimy hands sliced in quarters 2. Fill up a few jars with the • 5 1/3 cups of water lovely cukes 94 • from scratch magazine

from scratch magazine â&#x20AC;˘ 95

3. Add about 2 sprigs of fresh dill to each of the jars 4. Add a little less than 1 tablespoon of mustard seed to each jar as well 5. After adding the dill and mustard seed to each jar, add the solution of 5 1/3 cups of water, 1/3 cup of salt, 4 cups of vinegar, and 1/6 cup of sugar we had boiled while we were doing the above steps.

We filled each jar, leaving 1/2 inch from the top (called “head space” in the canning world).

6. After screwing the lids on tight, we were ready to process the soon-to-be pickles by placing them in a boiling water bath (aka a pot filled with boiling water) for 15 minutes, 96 • from scratch magazine

making sure the water went 1 inch over the tops of the jars 7. After the 15 minutes has passed, carefully remove your jars from the water.

Allow to cool on a towel or other surface.

8. Store in a cool, dark place for 4-5 weeks.

Then, feel free to enjoy these lovelies!

There are many other ways to make pickles, and this is just one of them that works for us. I invite you to explore the many other methods by doing some research on your own, or using resources like The Homesteading Handbook, which I find very helpful in my homesteading efforts. I hope you enjoy your delicious, repurposed cucumbers. from scratch magazine â&#x20AC;˘ 97

homesteading business profile

Homesteaderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supply

Name of business: Homesteaderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supply

competitive prices with old-fashioned friendly customer service.

Your Name: Jerri Bedell

What is your favorite part of homesteading?

Website address: www.homesteadersupply.com Business Purpose: Online retail sales of products geared towards folks looking to live a self-sustaining lifestyle. My home-grown business was created from the passion for homesteading, and the desire to live closely with the land, the animals, our friends, and to get back to the lost traditions of old.

We provide quality products at

98 â&#x20AC;˘ from scratch magazine

Knowing all the hard work was so well worth it; the pride for having created my own bounty. I remember 30 years ago the feeling of success I had when taking a photo of my very first salad from the bounty of my very first garden.

How did homesteading inspire your business?

Homesteading saved our life!

I worked as an staff RN at a

from scratch magazine â&#x20AC;˘ 99

local VA part time (homesteading) was my downsizing opportunity after 20 years in nursing, teaching and management.

Homesteading became a full-time adventure: Raising animals for meat, milk, and eggs; maintaining a large organic garden and learning how to prepare and preserve everything. I learned how to make cheese, how to milk the cow, butcher the animals, can the veggies, etc. In the process I tried to find the best equipment to manage these chores â&#x20AC;&#x201C; equipment that would last. The best example was the milking pail. I searched long and hard for a better stainless steel pail, and found a manufacturer right here in the US. It was the type of pail that

100 â&#x20AC;˘ from scratch magazine

would last you the rest of your life. Martha Stewart has featured us and our pail twice in her magazine. Several friends suggested that with my ability to find these great products, I should start a business selling these products to other homesteaders. That was the beginning of Homesteaders Supply!

What is the most practical piece of advice you would give someone just starting out?

Start small! You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to it all at once. Nothing worse than putting in your first garden that is way too big. Better to put in a small garden and feel a sense of

success with your bounty which will empower you to do a little more next time.

the family and the dogs and the ducks sliding around on the ice topped pond in winter.

The other piece of advice is to get with other like-minded folks and work together. A community can create more than individuals alone. Each can share in projects, or divide the projects and share the bounty.

What has been your biggest challenge?

What is your favorite animal to raise?

I loved all the animals â&#x20AC;&#x201C; how the pigs loved to have their ears rubbed; the cows loving their chins to be scratched; the chickens being so industrious helping you clean their coop; how Olive the goat would go on walks with

The biggest challenge with homesteading here in Arizona is the weather. Although we are in the mid-mountains of central Arizona and do enjoy four seasons, it is still very dry which makes it more difficult to grow veggies or grass you have to buy good hay, and pay a lot for electricity to pump the water you need for the animals and the garden.

The biggest challenge for the business has been learning to deal with the competition. Today, you

from scratch magazine â&#x20AC;˘ 101

don’t make very much profit on products and there are always those businesses that will undercut you. I have prided myself in building a company where we actually answer the phone or call back fairly quickly. We provide great customer service, and work out deals whenever we can. By selling quality products that last, I feel good that folks won’t have to come back and buy another one and they will be happy to come back and check out any of our other 1500 and more products we carry. We frequently help our customers with their product, from

102 • from scratch magazine

making cheese to learning how to milk the cow. If we don’t know about a product, we get the information for our customers from our suppliers. I’ve created a real customer service oriented business.

It’s really the right thing to do.

What has been the most helpful book you have read?

Chick Days. This book helped me understand raising chickens, and it’s the one book every time I’ve suggested it to a customer that wanted to raise chickens but was

scared to — this book helped them overcome all their obstacles and now love their poultry!

What has been the most helpful homesteading product?

The internet! Most folks starting out homesteading have never lived this type of lifestyle and will need help that is not always available locally.

It doesn’t matter what question or problem you have, it’s probably not new!

The good news is that there are forums out there on the internet discussing all the issues that come up for homesteaders.

It’s the larger community that is sharing what they have learned to help others. Today we don’t have to learn from our own mistakes, we can learn from others and be more successful at homesteading.

from scratch magazine • 103

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich squirreling

our little coop

by emily mcgrath

around

Ingredients: 2 pounds of chicken breast 1 medium onion chopped 2 clove of garlic minced 1 tablespoon of brown sugar 1 tablespoon of paprika 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar 1 cup of apple juice Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup of chicken stock 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce Kaiser rolls Coleslaw Directions: • Place all of your ingredients in your slow cooker EXCEPT the chicken stock and BBQ sauce.

• Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

• When the chicken is done cooking, add the chicken stock and BBQ sauce. Shred the chicken and mix the chicken with the sauce and BBQ sauce.

• Serve the pulled BBQ chicken on a kaiser roll topped with coleslaw.

Enjoy!

104 • from scratch magazine

easy crockpot recipe perfect for fall

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from scratch magazine • 105

going gluten free

By: Tamarah Rockwood

S

ometimes, it feels like going gluten free requires a nutritional certificate and a degree in biochemistry in order to understand what, exactly, you are dealing with.

Trust me, it took me a while to not only get the hang of reading labels and understanding foods, but mostly relearning how to eat...and getting out of denial (“but sandwich bread doesn’t count!” yes, it does.

So does soy sauce, despite my protestations).

106 • from scratch magazine

I’ve been gluten free for about 8 years officially, and probably a lot longer unofficially. Because once you reach the point where you actually have a name for all these weird symptoms, you’ll actually have already cut out foods that don’t react well with you. I cut out macaroni and cheese before I was 20, besides it being one of my favorite foods when I was in college; I had to cut out bread sticks after I passed out after eating a couple while watching a movie with my husband; and the last bagel

Celiac disease is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy.

The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats.

-National Library of Medicine

It had left me in hives, so that’s gone.

By the time I actually had the term “Celiac” to explain what was going on, I was already on the path of going gluten free. I just needed some additional knowledge to help me get there and start recovering. Unfortunately, this is when it started getting confusing. I wasn’t raised by nutritionists or chefs, so my ability to pick out food and cook it well was a huge challenge.

Long story short, I was tired of “hidden” gluten labeled under dif-

ferent names, or not named at all, and just started cooking everything from scratch.

So this is where it got interesting.

But before we get there, let’s start at the beginning. The first thing a person needs to know when food shopping is that just about everything pre-made has wheat/gluten in it (this is a bit of a gross overgeneralization, since not everything has gluten...but most do, and it’s much safer to say “everything” than “some things”). Be prepared from scratch magazine • 107

to become the crazy person reading labels on everything in the store, because that will become your life. You’ll start finding gluten in things that really shouldn’t have any wheat in it, and you’ll yell at boxes saying, “why are they putting wheat in rice/salad dressing/ yogurt?!” Which is a good question, for the record.

The answer is because it is not only a filler and a thickener, but it adds some nutrients to foods that don’t have much nutritional value.

It’s a big commercial thing, and it’s cheap. So start reading labels.

Even a little bit of wheat/gluten will affect you. Like soy sauce: you are going to have to find a gluten free

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soy sauce. Salad dressings: You are going to have to avoid caesar salads like it is death (seriously, my worst reaction was on a freaking caesar salad). So start checking everything, even if you think you’re sure. Chocolate, ice cream, cereal (even corn flakes), juice, yogurt, bread (obviously), noodles, rice — if it comes in a bag, a box or a bottle, you have to double check.

The second most important thing a person is going to be battling is their habits. People like to eat what is familiar to them, and when you have to change that drastically, it sucks (frankly). Food and eating is part of our lives and part of our cul-

ture, and having to relearn this is annoying on a day-to-day bit, but it also throws us off our personal heritage enough to bug us. You are going to both give up and relearn eating, and for a while it’s a pain in the neck.

and I have found it takes about 2 or 3 weeks to really get the hang of it, and a few months to own it.

Once you get to this point, you will find something that might be alarming ... and it isn’t: You will find yourself getting hungry more I’m used to it by now, but for the often, which isn’t a side effect of first few months you’re just con- anything. stantly reminded of what is forbidden, and that gets old fast. You are removing the foods that fill Nothing breaded, nothing fried, and expand, and hunger is going no doughnuts, no pizza, no regu- to be surprising. It is important to lar noodles, no normal hamburg- make sure you think of your meals ers, no corndogs, no sandwiches. as a balance of foods that nourish She can give GF bread a shot, and and foods that fill. So, rice and there are a few brands out there potatoes are very helpful in that that make really good GF stuff; area. Snacks are also very helpbut she’s going to have to replace ful, and I usually recommend high these substitutes for what she’s protein snacks like nuts or apples used to. That just takes patience, to fill you up and give you some

from scratch magazine • 109

pep during the day. And, although you probably already know this, but filling a hungry stomach which is already being deprived of food that it is used to with sugar/junk is just going to make you feel worse.

And cranky.

Avoid this, because it is just a slippery slope. Fresh food is the best option to good health.

I have been doing 100% gluten free for about 9 years now, and my methods are different than other people’s methods at this point. My road has been through the forests of gluten free bread, the plastic rice cracker aisle and staring longingly at pizzas, remembering the good old days.

By now, I make just about everything from scratch, because I got absolutely sick of surprises.

Nothing ruins a night by laying in bed with shallow breathing, heart palpitations, muscle contractions, flushed cheeks and kicking yourself for not seeing the millionth ingredient on the label. However, when you are beginning this road, do not grab the bull by the horns and tackle it head on: Start slowly, or you’ll get frustrated.

So to start out Going Gluten Free: Begin by replacing your noodles with gluten free noodles (corn, quinoa or rice noodles are the best), replace your bread with gluten free bread, replace your flour tortillas with corn tortillas, and replace

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your breakfast cereal with something gluten free (Chex is a safe bet, if you can’t find anything).

Get a taco instead of a burrito; lettuce wrap your hamburger; find the frozen food section with gluten free pizzas and lasagnas.

Start by maintaining your current menu and simply replace the gluten foods with some-thing else. This is actually harder than it sounds, but it is the first step to wrapping your head around this whole gluten thing.

Symptoms of Celiac disease: -Abdominal pain, bloating, gas, or indigestion -Constipation -Decreased appetite (may also be increased or unchanged) -Diarrhea -Lactose intolerance -Nausea and vomiting -Unexplained weight loss (although people can be overweight or of normal weight) -National Library of Medicine

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