Grit Nov/Dec Issue by Ogden Publications Marketing

Celebrating Rural America Since 1882

Homestead Winter Preparation: MEET CHILLY CHALLENGES HEAD-ON WITH A LITTLE PREP

Baling Hay:

IS IT RIGHT FOR YOUR FARM AND BUDGET?

BUTTER MINTS:

SIMPLE, TASTY HOLIDAY TREATS

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Contents

November/December 2023

19 Rebuff the Rust

Clean your cast iron with electricity

51 Comfort Foods:

Home-Canned Meals

Put up meals to get through those busy days on the farm.

On the Farm 27 Sow Hoe:

Seeds for Children

Planting a love of farming in future generations.

48 Raising Miniature Zebu Cattle

Small in size, big in heart.

63 Dealing with Rodents on the Farm

How to prevent rodent infestations.

30 In

On the Cover

e Every Issu

15 Homestead Winter Prep

G rit

w 2 Our Vie ll a 4 Mail C Times 6 Best of e of the Trad 12 Tools iew 14 Your V odle 72 Roodo Homestead Winter Preparation: NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

Celebrating Rural America Since 1882

Baling Hay:

IS IT RIGHT FOR YOUR FARM AND BUDGET?

VOL. 141 ISSUE 6

ADOBESTCOK/BEEBOYS; SHUTTERSTOCK/NOR GAL

CLEAN YOUR CAST IRON • SEED SCIENCE • GET READY FOR WINTER

TOC_GRT_ND23_final.indd 1

MEET CHILLY CHALLENGES HEAD-ON WITH A LITTLE PREP

Meet chilly challenges head-on with a little pre-season prep.

25 Holiday Goat Butter Mints

Simple, tasty holiday treats.

In the Kitchen 8

Homemade Gifts for Cold and Flu Season

Simple remedies to support wellness.

In the Wild 30 Thrifty Tanning for Beginners

Make the most of your hunt by learning how to preserve hides.

36 Forestry Basics:

Tools and Sampling Methods

Understand tools and techniques to maintain healthy woods.

41 Survival Shelters

Construct a simple, effective shelter during a wilderness emergency.

BUTTER MINTS:

SIMPLE, TASTY HOLIDAY TREATS

Cover: AdobeStock/5ph Cover Design: Shelly Bryant

Stories with this logo are available in audio form online!

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Our View

® VOLUME 141, ISSUE 6

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR BRENDA ESCALANTE; BEscalante@OgdenPubs.com ART/PREPRESS SHELLY BRYANT, Art Director

– Tatanka Iyotake (Sitting Bull) ■ This quote by Tatanka Iyotake has always resonated with me. Not only because he was a great leader in my culture, but also because it rings so true. People needn’t waste time trying to be something they’re not. What’s the point? Each life is different, and what the eagle eats, the crow cannot. No person should compare their journey with that of another; their journeys are different intentionally. My personal journey has led me down many roads and through many forests. Literally. I grew up traveling much of the southern United States. For nearly a decade now, I’ve called the Piney Woods of East Texas home — it’s where my family is from and where I learned to hunt and fish, to sew and bead, to build a house and take a car apart (then put it back together). These days, when I’m not fiddling with words, I’m out wandering the forests, hunting or fishing, making new regalia for my family, or trying to convince my chickens that no, we did not build our fish farm for them to play in. And, as of two days prior to writing this, I embarked on a new rural-life adventure: raising guineas. As my journey with Grit begins, I hope, one day, I may soar with the eagles who previously flew in my place, though a crow I may be. And I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to meet so many other crows — and eagles, and hawks, and songbirds — along the way. The community in and surrounding Grit is wonderful and diverse and strong in so many ways. It’s an absolute joy to speak with our authors and readers and learn from them; this little crow is just thankful to be here with you all. Our flock of Grit writers has much knowledge to share with you. In this issue, we look to traditional knowledge for modern living. Many cultures tanned hides at one time, so Fala Burnette shows us how to honor our pasts with modern tools. Jenny Underwood shares the timehonored tradition of putting food away for winter — or for busy modern lives — with recipes for easy meals from a jar. Leah Smith writes on the importance of preparation for the next season and the joy of passing knowledge to our children, while Constance Rutherford shares a story of endearing pastimes that span multiple generations. Whether you’re rural or urban, off-grid or on, a crow or an eagle or a dove or a hawk, we hope this deep-rooted know-how helps you on your journey. May your adventures be full of heart, and your heart full of adventure. Karmin Garrison KGarrison@OgdenPubs.com

WEB AND DIGITAL CONTENT TONYA OLSON, Digital Content Manager WEB SERVICES TEAM BEN SAUDER • DARBY STIPE • ALYSSA WARNER DISPLAY ADVERTISING 800-678-5779; AdInfo@OgdenPubs.com CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 866-848-5416; Classifieds@Grit.com CUSTOMER CARE • 866-803-7096 CustomerService@OgdenPubs.com

BILL UHLER, Publisher MARISSA AMES, Editorial Director CHERILYN OLMSTED, Circulation & Marketing Director BOB CUCCINIELLO, Newsstand & Production Director BOB LEGAULT, Sales Director TIM SWIETEK, Information Technology Director ROSS HAMMOND, Finance & Accounting Director Grit Magazine (ISSN 0017-4289) November/December 2023, Vol. 141, Issue No. 6. Grit is published bimonthly by Ogden Publications, Inc., 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609-1265. Periodicals Postage Paid at Topeka, KS and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Ogden Publications, Inc., 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609-1265. For subscription inquiries call: 866-803-7096 Outside the U.S. and Canada, call 1-785-274-4361 Fax: 785-274-4305

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SUBSCRIBERS: If the Post Office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within two years. ©2023 Ogden Publications Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. In accordance with standard industry practice, we may rent, exchange, or sell to third parties mailing address information you provide us when ordering a subscription to our print publication. If you would like to opt out of any data exchange, rental, or sale, you may do so by contacting us via email at CustomerService@ OgdenPubs.com. You may also call 866-803-7096 and ask to speak to a customer service operator.

Karmin Garrison

“Each man is good in His sight. It is not necessary for eagles to be crows.”

ISSUE EDITORS KARMIN GARRISON, Lead Editor OSCAR H. WILL III, Editor at Large EDITORIAL TEAM INGRID BUTLER • REBECCA MARTIN JESSICA MITCHELL • ILENE REID KALE ROBERTS • AMANDA SORELL JEAN TELLER • CARLA TILGHMAN AUDRA TROSPER

November/December 2023

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Mail Call

November/December 2023

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SHUTTERSTOCK, KUTTELVASEROVA STUCHELOVA; KIT VIATKINS

Gardening never stops at my house. When the temperatures drop, the ground freezes, and the winds outside begin to howl, I plant my salad garden under the grow lights in my basement winter garden area. I harvest salad greens all winter, and when it’s time to begin seeds for plants for the coming year, that, too, happens in the basement gardening area. My gardens are a combination of raised beds; self-watering buckets; and open land for squash, melons, and pumpkins. Unfortunately, because of family responsibilities, I had to let the garden go back to being wild. This is the year for reclamation and fence mending. The rock-lined beds are still there, but much cleanup is needed. The seed catalogs are always special gifts that start around Thanksgiving time. I consider them my first Christmas presents. I dream of a beautiful, weed-free garden with lush fruits and vegetables ready for harvesting. Every year begins with the hope of that happening in my mind. Maybe, just maybe, this will be the year. NEBRASKA DAVE URBAN FARMER

SHUTTERSTOCK. MARIA SBYTOVA; EVGENIUSD

PLANTING GOALS

Mail Call

Looking For Yellow Beans

SEWING SUPPLIES My 12-year-old granddaughter has decided she wants to learn how to sew and crochet. I’m seeking any sewing notions, needles, scissors, hooks, buttons, or boxes, old or new. This grandma appreciates your help. Kara Friend 84 Church St. Ext. Smithfield, PA 15478

I grow green beans and yellow beans sometimes. I’m wondering what kind of yellow beans stay bright yellow when they’re pressure canned. I wish they’d look like the kind I buy at the store. I’m wondering if it’s the variety. I just thought maybe a reader might have the answer. CAROL WEHR KEOTA, IOWA

Family Gathering Growing up in a rural community, relatives and neighbors would come to our backyard and we’d sit under an old pear tree and shuck corn when it came in. This was a time of telling stories and knowing the love of family. Near the end of summer, my mother had every Mason jar filled with fruits and vegetables. In a kitchen closet, she’d place new shelf paper with a lacy pattern on each shelf. She’d arrange the Mason jars on the shelves by items and colors. Then, she’d proudly say, “Come see my food pantry!” It was beautiful with all the green pickles, red beets, green beans, red tomatoes, and other colorful foods. Putting up for the winter was such a family affair. CAROLYN TOMLIN VIA EMAIL

CROCHET BOOKS Do you have any old crocheting instruction and pattern books you no longer want? Please send to: Mrs. Susan Miller 6951 Country Road 22 Fredericktown, OH 43019 PEN PALS Retired U.S. Air Force veteran and retired educator would love to send and receive letters from people of all ages. Loves to read, cook, and attempt to sew. Adoptive parent and former foster parent. Loves to write and receive long letters. Ollie Woods 9302 Davidson Road PMB 203 Moody Air Force Base, GA 31699

SHUTTERSTOCK, KUTTELVASEROVA STUCHELOVA; KIT VIATKINS

SHUTTERSTOCK. MARIA SBYTOVA; EVGENIUSD

QUILT SQUARES Looking for 3-inch or 5-inch pastelcolored quilt squares. Please send the quilt squares to: June Maxwell 410 N. 75th Ave., Pensacola, FL 32506

Share Your Thoughts We welcome letters from our readers. If you’d like to comment on an article, share your opinions, or submit a “Looking For,” send us an email (with photos, if available) to Letters@Grit.com, or send a letter to: GRIT Mail Call, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609. Electronic submissions are more likely to receive a timely response. Readers assume all risk associated with publishing a mailing address, requesting correspondence, and responding to correspondence requests in GRIT magazine. www.Grit.com

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The Best of Times

BAG OF BUTTONS Take a trip down memory lane with time-honored tales from our readers. By Constance Rutherford dress. A round sterling-silver bead lies among the others, engraved with a starburst pattern, and I thought it might’ve been the attachment for a delicately crocheted collar, fashionable in the 1920s. And an amusing button lies among the others, an ivory underwear button. Its two wide holes peer back at me like little owl eyes, peeking at me from its hiding place. After this bag of buttons was passed to me, my own granddaughters would spend time seated on the floor around the button bag, stringing necklaces of their own. And I noticed each time they visited and played with the buttons, their creations grew more attractive. “Oh, that’s not safe,” you may say. “They’re apt to put them in their mouths and swallow them.” Possibly, but I always supervised these sessions. The children soon learned the buttons weren’t nearly as tasty as the cookies Grandma baked for their visit. At times, I’ve wondered who will take my place, offering the world of buttons to their children. Or has the tinseled world of electronics stolen forever the simple, age-old button fun? I can only hope this simple pleasure can be passed to my greatgrandchildren, along with Grandma’s love and prayers.

If you have a nostalgic story you’d like to share, send an email to Letters@Grit.com, or mail a letter to 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609. We’d love to hear from you!

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: CONSTANCE RUTHERFORD; ADOBE STOCK/ДМИТРИЙ АБРАМОВ; ADOBE STOCK/HUNOR KRISTO

In a drawer of my dresser sits a drawstring cloth bag containing various odd buttons. It’s the same bag that hung in the closet of my grandmother’s sewing room in 1941, when I was 4 years old. When she made a dress or shirt, she’d place the extra buttons in this bag. And, of course, in those days, thrift required buttons be cut from garments and saved when an item was discarded. So every year, this bag of buttons was transformed by the lives around it. I remember playing with these buttons when I visited Grandma. Following her to her closet, I’d watch her take the bag from its hook on the wall. Then, at my little table, I’d scoop some buttons into a bowl with my spoon, stirring them as my imaginary soup (see the photo of me, above). In time, I progressed to stringing them into a button necklace. There are black shoe buttons in the collection that were once attached to a woman’s high-top shoe of the 1890s. In the day, these small, round buttons required a button hook, a tool to fasten and unfasten them — and I actually have a couple of old button hooks too. There’s an obsidian button trimmed in gold. Obsidian is the glass material that’s created through volcanic action. In my imagination, it could’ve been the closure of a woman’s evening

November/December 2023

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See #10 on page 62

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HERBAL GIFTS for Cold and Flu Season

Make these simple remedies for you or a loved one to help support wellness this winter. Story and photos by Kami McBride

The season

of giving aligns almost perfectly with the start of cold and flu season. But amid holiday planning, it can be easy to miss the chance to support an underthe-weather loved one with an immuneboosting get-well gift. It’s common in our culture — and all too easy — to just reach for an over-thecounter medication to deal with the pesky symptoms accompanying a cold. The meds may stop the symptoms but won’t always support deeper healing. And in the long run, they may wreak havoc on the digestive system or harm the liver, making us more susceptible to illness. I love giving the gift of health and sharing inspiration for the home apothecary and selfsufficiency. It seems to me like most people have enough “stuff,” so the winter season is the perfect time for homemade wellness gifts, empowering family and friends to use herbs to support their winter health. The following four recipes are for simple homemade gifts that can be left on a sick friend’s or family member’s porch to show you’re thinking of them. They’re all herbinfused recipes that’ll support their health naturally and can be put together with just a few steps. As the gift giver, you can learn more about the ingredients in each recipe description, make the herbal solution, and then create a label with instructions for the recipient (also included in the recipe). Beyond the gesture of care, sharing the medicine of the plants broadens and deepens our collective connection to the lineage of kitchen herbalism. This lineage is embedded in each of us: We connect with our ancestors by learning more about herbal actions, and leaving behind what didn’t work. Small acts, such as nurturing our innate immune defenses during a cold or flu, help us return to that mindset of self-sufficiency and interdependence with the natural world. Note: With all of these recipes, make sure you’re sourcing your ingredients from safe, reputable, and ethical places. Notably, pay attention to where your herbs and other plant materials (such as seaweed) are coming from, as some may have a risk of absorbing harmful contaminants based on how they’re cultivated.

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GINGER ELIXIR MIX

HERBAL MISO IN A JAR

Ginger has pungent, warming properties that may increase circulation and help break a fever. It’s also a folk remedy for nausea; some historic ginger ales were even formulated by pharmacists to help with indigestion.

You don’t have to wait until sickness sets in to benefit from this Herbal Miso. If you feel under the weather or have been exposed to viral infections, I’ve found eating lighter meals to be one of the quickest ways to free up vitality and fight off a possible virus that may be trying to set up house in your body. This “just add water” recipe is easy to prepare and digest, while delivering various nutrients and flavors.

This recipe also contains cinnamon and nutmeg, which have antimicrobial properties that can give the body an upper hand on tiny invaders that affect the immune system. Cinnamon is rich in antioxidants and can help reduce inflammation, while nutmeg is a carminative that can help ease an upset stomach. If possible, grate your own nutmeg when you make the recipe, which will enhance both the flavor and antimicrobial effects! This elixir can be taken at the first signs of illness or when a cold or flu is established to help break the fever and soothe nausea. To finish this recipe, your sick loved one must only warm some water and stir. Yield: 2 servings. 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger root (Zingiber officinale); use the smallest grater size you can find 2 teaspoons coconut oil 1/2 teaspoon powdered cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum ) 1/4 teaspoon powdered nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt ) 1.

2. 3.

Combine ginger, coconut oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small, sterilized jar. Make sure everything is totally mixed. Cover with a lid. Write down the directions (below), and affix them to the jar. Store in the refrigerator until delivered.

Miso contains protein and beneficial bacteria that nourish your digestive tract. Tahini makes this soup creamy and contributes protein, calcium, and healthy fats. Ginger, as noted in the Ginger Elixir Mix recipe (left), stimulates circulation to help break a fever and can soothe nausea. Garlic is an immune-supporting superstar with a long history of bolstering health. Its use is documented in early medical writings of Egypt, Greece, India, Rome, and more. Garlic has antimicrobial properties and seems to increase the production of white blood cells, our natural defense against viruses and bacteria. Seaweed is packed with beneficial vitamins and minerals. And shiitake mushrooms have been valued as both food and folk medicine for centuries, especially in Asian cultures, and used to remedy a wide range of ailments,

Gardening & Homesteading Learn the secrets of growing abundant plants and vegetables. Explore the fascinating natural world around us. Delve into a “hands-on” class like Herbal Gifts with Jamie Sparks.

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from colds to stomachaches. This nourishing soup can be enjoyed at the first signs of illness or when a cold or flu is already established to help support the immune system and provide the body with plenty of beneficial minerals and vitamins. Yield: 4 cups.

LABEL: GINGER ELIXIR MIX Refrigerate • Makes 2 servings. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Combine 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon Ginger Elixir Mix in a pot. Bring to a simmer, then turn off heat. Pour into a cup. Just before drinking, stir in honey to taste, if desired. Enjoy, and get well soon!

Ginger Elixir Mix is best used by: [Write 1 week out from date of assembly.]

Ginger Elixir Mix

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3 tablespoons miso paste 1 tablespoon tahini 2-inch piece finely grated fresh ginger root (Zingiber officinale) 1 minced garlic clove (Allium sativum) 1 teaspoon powdered nori or red seaweed (or your favorite edible seaweed) 1 teaspoon powdered shiitake or dried mushroom powder of choice

RESPIRATORY SUPPORT HONEY

Virtually every part of the fennel plant has been used to ease coughs around the globe. Ginger is also a popular natural remedy for cough. I’ve seen firsthand that juniper berry (technically a small cone) can help soothe a sore throat. And anyone who’s tasted horseradish knows its power to move sinus fluids and help clear congestion. Honey has been soothing sore throats and easing coughs since ancient times. Yield: about 72 servings.

2. 3.

Add miso paste, tahini, ginger, garlic, seaweed, and mushroom powder to a pint-sized, sterilized jar. Make sure to stir everything well. Cover with a lid. Write down the directions (below), and affix them to the jar. Store in the refrigerator until delivered.

LABEL: HERBAL MISO

This honey is packed with throat-soothing, cough-easing, sinus-clearing herbs and can be turned into a cup of tea by stirring a spoonful into hot water. Herbal honeys benefit from a 2-week steep and have a long shelf life, so this is a good one to make at the start of cold and flu season so it’s ready to go if you catch a runny nose or sore throat.

2. 3.

Add 2 cups warm water to half of jar’s contents. Stir everything together well, and sip. Enjoy, and get well soon!

Herbal Miso is best used by: [Write 1 month out from date of assembly.]

3. 4.

11⁄2 cups raw honey 3 tablespoons powdered fennel seed (Foeniculum vulgare) 2 teaspoons powdered ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale) 2 teaspoons powdered juniper berry (Juniperus communis) 1 teaspoon powdered horseradish root (Armoracia rusticana) 1 teaspoon powdered garlic (Allium sativum)

Pour honey into a sterilized, pint-sized jar. Put jar into a double boiler over the lowest heat. Gently warm until honey is fluid enough to easily mix herbs in. Don’t heat beyond this point, or you’ll start to degrade the antioxidants and enzymes in raw honey. Remove from double boiler. Stir powdered herbs into the slightly warm honey, mixing thoroughly. Cover with a lid, and store honey in a cabinet for at least 2 weeks to allow the herbs to steep, stirring occasionally. Write down the directions (below), affix them to the jar, and deliver.

LABEL: RESPIRATORY SUPPORT HONEY Store in dark cabinet • Makes about 72 servings. 1.

Refrigerate • Makes 4 cups. 1.

Stir a teaspoonful of Respiratory Support Honey into a cup of warm water to soothe your throat. Leave the herbs in the honey when you use it. Drinking the herbs with the honey is part of the remedy, so no need to strain them. Enjoy, and get well soon!

Honey is best used by: [Write 1 year out from date of assembly.]

THYME GARGLE The art of gargling is one of the simplest home remedies. Studies have found that gargling with saltwater helps prevent and resolve upper respiratory infections. And after 30 years of gargling — as my grandfather did, and his father before him — I can attest it significantly helps my respiratory health.

Respiratory Support Honey

My tonsils were removed when I was 5, so my throat is my weak link. The pattern in my life was that I’d get a sore throat and then get sick. I remember when I first started working with the Thyme Gargle. I couldn’t believe it at first. I thought, “Well, maybe my sore throat wasn’t as bad as it usually is.” But then, time and again, I’d start to get a sore throat, use the Thyme Gargle, and then I wouldn’t get sick. It’s been a staple remedy in my life ever since.

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Empower Yourself to Care for Your and Your Family’s Health Now that you have the knowledge to remedy your next cold, expand on it and dive further into the world of herbal wellness with The Herbal Kitchen. Author Kami McBride shares everything you need to know about 50 easy-to-find herbs and spices and presents 250 simple, yet flavorful, recipes. With McBride’s help, you’ll be prepared to confidently mix up refreshing drinks; infuse oils, vinegars, and honeys; and make herbal tinctures and cordials, salts, sprinkles, and more. Order your copy of The Herbal Kitchen today and use the promotional code NOVDEC20 to receive a 20% discount on the book. This title is available at Store.Grit.com or by calling 800-234-3368. Item #11343. Promotional offer expires on 12/12/23.

Thyme has been shown to help regulate excessive mucus production — think excess snot or a wet cough. It also has antimicrobial properties that can support the immune system in fending off pathogens. This is a great remedy to share with a friend when they tell you they feel the beginnings of a scratch in their throat. Yield: 4 servings. 32 ounces water 3 tablespoons dried or 6 tablespoons fresh thyme (Thymus vulgaris) 1 teaspoon salt 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Heat water to boiling, and pour into a bowl over thyme. Let steep for 10 minutes, and then strain out and discard thyme. Pour liquid into a portable, sterilized jar. Add salt, and stir to dissolve. Cover with a lid. Write down the directions (right), and affix them to the jar. Store in the refrigerator until delivered.

Thyme Gargle

LABEL: THYME GARGLE Refrigerate • Makes 4 servings. 1.

Warm 1 cup of the solution as hot as possible without burning your tongue or throat. Gargle with half the warm saltwater solution (or as much as is comfortable) for 5 to 10 seconds, and spit out. Repeat several times until the 1 cup is gone. Repeat 3 times a day, and get well soon!

Gargle is best used within 3 days.

Kami McBride is an author and herbalist whose online herb courses and bestselling book, The Herbal Kitchen, has helped thousands of people learn how to use common kitchen herbs and spices in delightfully simple, new, and delicious ways. Find Kami on social media @KamiMcBride or online at www.KamiMcBride.com. Find even more delicious recipes using herbs and spices in Kami’s book, The Herbal Kitchen. Check out our Grit store offer above, and get your copy today!

www.Grit.com

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Tools of the Trade

HARVESTING HAY: YAY OR NEIGH? Find out if this seasonal chore is right for your farm and budget. Story and photos by Jeremy Chartier

■

Harvesting hay has been the lifeblood of farmers for centuries, which is why it’s become one of the most iconic farm chores, right next to milking the cows or collecting eggs. Modern-day technology has undoubtedly made baling hay less of a romanticized, fit-for-cinema event, but as a trade-off, it’s also made the process a much more manageable affair. But despite the new tractor-powered tools we have at our disposal, it still might not be economical to take on the chore of baling hay yourself. Let’s look at a few considerations to help you decide whether baling hay is for you.

Hay Isn’t Just for Horses If you have feed-intensive livestock, it may be more economical for you to bail your own hay. Buying hay from a local farmer, or, even worse, importing from another region or state, can be costprohibitive. After all, how much hay does a cow eat every year? Quite a bit, and it’s not cheap! If you plan to bale hay for bedding, consider the merits of straw as compared with hay for bedding for large animals. Straw is often used for the bedding of large livestock, but lower-quality hay can

also be used. If you’re raising poultry, hay and straw can hold onto moisture and thus can harbor bacteria in a coop, which isn’t good. For poultry, I prefer using a thick bedding of pine shavings instead, even in the nesting boxes!

Money, Money, Money Baling hay is far from an inexpensive venture. When looking at retail or wholesale hay prices, a few costs add up to that price. Despite our best efforts to replace labor hours with equipment, human labor is still a big part of the equation: time spent operating equipment, repairing equipment, driving from field to storage, and stacking hay. Just as we don’t report to work for free, the farmers and their helpers expect to be paid. Many farmers don’t have adequate acreage to harvest enough hay to meet demand, which means they’re forced to rent or lease land around them. That rent has to be figured into the cost per bale, as does the cost of the mortgage and property tax on the fields they do own. Even the best tractor for small farms eats fuel when it’s working hard, so the cost of feeding the tractor needs to be considered. Farm equipment isn’t cheap to

own, nor is it inexpensive to fix, so those costs are also factored into the price of hay. And, after all these expenses, there’s good old profit that still needs to be made!

The Right Tool for the Job Before you commit yourself and buy all the tools for baling hay on your own, do you have enough tractor power? In my experience, most hay-baling equipment requires a tractor with at least 40 horsepower. Mowing a hay field isn’t like mowing a lawn; you’ll need a mower deck designed to cut hay. Sharp blades are critical here, since dull or rough cutting edges will bog down your tractor and may give you a poor cut, leaving valuable grass behind. Be sure to get a field mower that fits the track width of your tractor (the measurement from outer tire to outer tire). Buying a smaller deck to save money will only waste time, which is expensive enough in its own right. Before you can get down to baling hay, you’ll need to let your hay dry in the field. While your cut hay dries in the field, fluff it up so you can bale it sooner. Hay tedders are a spinning rake of sorts, designed to do just that. Using hay tedders

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Tools of the Trade will allow your grass to dry better and more thoroughly. You’ll also need to rake the hay into windrows for your baler. The hay rake is a rotary implement similar to the hay tedder, but instead of fluffing the hay, the hay rake will pile it into rows for you.

The Shapes of Hay Finally, you can bale your hay! But wait, what kind of bale do you want? The standard hay bale you can toss by hand? The monster square bales you’ll need a tractor to move? A large round bale you can move with a bale spike? It all depends on how you want to move your hay, where you want to store it, and how you plan to feed it to your animals. If you’ve decided round bales or big square bales will work for you, then you’ll probably be using your tractor’s loader to pick them up. But what about standard bales? Will you pick them up and stack them on a trailer by hand, or will you use a kicker? Using a kicker at the back of your standard baler will launch your bales into the hay wagon you’re towing. This is convenient for timing your labor needs, but will also leave a big, teetering puzzle of haphazardly stacked hay bales to deal with. When the kids get out of school or your help clocks out of their 9 to 5, you’ll have jumbled trailers full of hay waiting for them.

time and schedule flexibilty to “make hay while the sun shines?” Can you find good used hay-baling equipment locally? These are all important questions to answer for yourself, but now you know which factors to take into account.

At 12 years old, Jeremy Chartier became involved with his local 4-H group,

later joined the local FFA chapter, and showed livestock until his college years. After graduating from the University of Connecticut, he joined the University of Maine’s Poultry Service Provider training program. Today, Jeremy sells started pullets to local backyard farmers, is still involved with 4-H as a poultry showmanship judge, and writes about his passion for farming.

Is It Worth It? Do you have open fields in which to bail hay? The tractor for the job? The

Consider your labor needs when baling hay. See #3 on page 62 www.Grit.com

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Your View

PHOTOS TAKEN BY THE GRIT COMMUNITY Moments from the Year

Ralph notices snowmelt in the front yard.

Michelle showcases homegrown flowers and garlic and homemade bread.

Jessica admires an expansive sunflower farm in the Kansas countryside.

Share your visual perspective! Post your photos at www.Facebook.com/GritMagazine, tag us on Instagram (@Grit1882), or email us at Letters@Grit.com. Share your best shots, and we just might select one of your photos for a future issue of the magazine.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: MICHELLE SLAUGHTER (3); JESSICA MITCHELL; RALPH RINDAHL; ZAC GRIGGS

Zac snaps a photo at the perfect time during an Oklahoma thunderstorm.

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Prepare for Winter on the

HOMESTEAD

The colder months may bring challenges, but you can meet them head-on through key points of preparation. Story and photos by Kirsten Lie-Nielsen

The snowflakes

fall sideways, shoot upward, and jet down. The wind curls around windows and doors, bringing a chill into every building. Getting to the livestock means wading through waist-high drifts, hauling water to refill buckets that have frozen over. Machines won’t start, spigots freeze up, and it’s even cold inside the house. Welcome to winters on the homestead in a seasonal climate. Homesteading has its fair share of challenges, and winter weather can be the final straw for many beginning this rural lifestyle. More than one family has had a goal of self-sufficiency in summertime, only to trade the woodstove for on-demand heat when cold weather rolls around. However, winter doesn’t have to be an ordeal to survive; it can be an opportunity for your homestead to thrive, as long as you’re prepared. Here are some tips on how to handle winter in a harsh climate so you can come out the other side ready for springtime.

Heat Your Home The first thing to prepare is your heat source. Decisions regarding heating choices should be made well before the weather gets cold. You may opt for a central heating system common in modern homes. A popular choice for homesteaders is heating with firewood. A woodstove allows a homestead to be off-grid, and firewood can be harvested and processed by the homesteader without ever needing to leave the property. However, it’ll require more planning than other heat sources. First, select a woodstove and procure some firewood. To harvest your own firewood, you’ll need access to forest land, the ability to cut down and pull trees out of the forest, the machinery to cut and buck logs, and about a year to dry green wood into burnable wood. You can also purchase your firewood already seasoned, or purchase green wood already cut and split and invest only in time spent drying it. There’s also the option to buy tree-length wood, removing the need to haul trees out of the forest. Each of these options will eliminate certain steps in the firewood-gathering process, but whichever one you choose, you must understand how much wood you’ll need to survive winter.

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The quantity of firewood you’ll need will depend on the size of your home, the type of wood you’re burning, and the size of your woodstove. A rule of thumb is to obtain 2 to 3 cords of wood (about 128 cubic feet) per 1,000 square feet of home space to stay warm throughout 12 weeks of winter. The efficiency of your stove is important, and even more important is the insulation (or lack thereof) on your home. Some homesteaders live in older farmhouses, which may have little or no insulation, so more firewood is a better plan than less.

Before winter settles in, put up hay for livestock and check winter equipment, among other tasks.

DON’T MISS IT Learn how to overwinter your bees! Leo Sharashkin, a natural beekeeper, joins us to share about what bees do in winter when the temperatures drop, and how beekeepers can prepare their swarms for success.

Episode 161, Overwintering Bees: What Do Bees Do in the Winter?

www.MotherEarthNews.com/Podcast/Overwintering-Bees 16

Make sure your buildings are structurally sound before winter sets in. In fall, inspect all buildings and repair any big issues. Particularly, you’ll want to check for cracks and other places where wind and snow can get into a building. Consider winterizing projects, such as reglazing windows and repainting the outsides of buildings, or do quicker repairs to keep snow out if major construction isn’t possible. For example, keep out chilly temperatures and bad weather by putting up plywood over holes in buildings and adding a layer of plastic inside windows. In addition to winterizing your home and buildings, winterize your farm equipment before it gets too cold outside. Properly winterized equipment ensures your tools will function through winter weather and that you’ll be able to get right back into the swing of things when spring arrives. Clean and oil machinery, check grease fittings, and be sure tires are inflated and in good condition. Bring this equipment to an easily accessible area, turn it on, and confirm it’s running well before it’s needed. If possible, store indoors any equipment that won’t be used during winter, or cover it. This will help reduce wear and rusting. You can add fuel stabilizer or drain the tanks on summer equipment, and then put it in a place where it’ll be out of the way. When it comes to choosing what equipment to have on hand for winter, consider a tractor with a bucket attachment for snow removal. This is equivalent to a plow, but with many more uses. If you have a tractor, buying a bucket attachment is a sensible

PODCAST IMAGE COURTESY OF LEO SHARASHKIN

Protect Your Property from Harsh Weather

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Podcast image courtesy of Leo Sharashkin

choice, as it can be used for snow removal as well as digging, moving, and scooping sand, dirt, manure, and other materials year-round. Winter sometimes means a few inches of snow will accumulate here and there, but it more often can mean feet piling upon feet. When that happens, snowbanks begin to encroach. So, start by knowing where you plan to put snow, and make sure the snowbanks will be away from fence lines and equipment. Give yourself more than enough space for snow piles — too much is always better than too little. Snowmobiles can also be useful, especially on a larger farm, for hauling water to far corners of the pasture and getting over snowdrifts to check on livestock or distant buildings. Consider adding one to your farm if you’re in an area that experiences lots of snowfall.

Secure Multiple Water Sources

Prepare Livestock for Winter

Don’t Forget the Little Things

Winter takes a toll on even healthy animals, so I want my livestock to be in the best physical shape before the cold starts. Long before the days get shorter, start putting up hay for winter. Second-cut hay will offer higher protein than first-cut hay and is a preferred feeding choice for many livestock if it’s available in your area. Putting up enough hay for the entire winter means peace of mind, since you can never be certain about a feed store’s hay availability through the off-season. Many annual vaccines are administered to our livestock in fall. Sheep receive annual Clostridium perfringens type D (CDT) vaccines and selenium, vitamin E (BO-SE) if they’re not pregnant. Cows receive a number of vaccines, including leptospirosis 5-way. What’s necessary for you will depend on your animals and geographical location, so make sure your livestock are up to date on all relevant injections, and consult with your local livestock veterinarian. It’s also not a bad idea to stockpile grain and minerals for your animals before winter. Road conditions could make it difficult for you to run to the feed store, and unlike in summertime, foraging isn’t an option during the harshest winter months. You can store extra grain in a secure room, or pour it into metal barrels with lids to keep rodents away.

Finally, consider your creature comforts for a good winter. Invest in a good pair of ski goggles for snow-clearing and doing

Water can often be the biggest winter challenge. Therefore, have a backup plan in case anything goes wrong with your primary water source. For example, on our property, we have a drilled well but also access to an old farm spring, which we’ve used a few times during winter when plumbing issues have made the well water temporarily unavailable. Many times, water buckets and troughs for livestock can freeze. You can thaw water buckets using electric heaters, but this does present a fire risk. In an old barn full of hay, we avoid water heaters entirely. Instead, we use rubber buckets, which are easy to break ice out of. Wrap insulation around buckets to delay freezing, or use a small pump in larger water troughs to keep the liquid moving and prevent freezing.

chores in harsh winter winds. Make sure you own several pairs of boot cleats for navigating icy days. And stock up on socks, long underwear, and insulated clothing. The saying goes, “There’s no bad weather, just bad clothes,” and it’s true. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with winter on the homestead, but with some planning and preparation, it can be an enjoyable season. You might even find some time to relax and enjoy sitting next to your crackling woodstove! Kirsten Lie-Nielsen is a writer from Liberty, Maine. She’s the author of The Modern Homesteader’s Guide to Keeping Geese and So You Want to Be a Modern Homesteader, and she currently crafts journalism pieces and essays about the homesteading lifestyle. Follow Kirsten and her husband’s adventures restoring a 200-year-old farm and raising Nigerian Dwarf goats and Babydoll sheep at www.HostileValleyLiving.com and on Instagram @HostileValleyLiving.

See #8 on page 62 www.Grit.com

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REBUFF THE RUST When the rust must go from your cast-iron cookware, you can defeat it with this DIY electrolysis tank. By Ashley L. Jones

Adobe Stock/flukesamed

Water

and electricity don’t mix, except in the case of electrolysis. People who collect and restore old cast-iron cookware use electrolysis tanks (E-tanks) to remove rust and even seasoning. Creating and using a homemade E-tank is relatively safe if done properly. But before we dive into the details, let’s take a look at what electrolysis is and how it works.

Explaining Electrolysis Electrolysis has many uses. In the case of rust removal, it involves an electrical charge that travels from one piece of metal to another through an electrolyte solution (a liquid containing charged ions that make it capable of conducting an electrical current). This effects a chemical change in the metal pieces, damaging a sacrificial piece (called the “sacrificial anode”) while

repairing the other item in the tank (your grandmother’s cast-iron skillet). In electrochemical terms, electrolysis decomposes chemical compounds. Some resultant atoms are liberated as hydrogen and oxygen, while others are deposited as a solid on the electrodes (black sodium carbonate and rust). As for the rust on your pan, it either detaches from the surface of the cast iron or is converted into a deposit

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Build Your Own E-Tank Here’s a list of supplies and materials you’ll need to build a homemade E-tank to reduce the rust on your cast-iron cookware. Heavy-duty plastic container, such as a 20-gallon garbage can, large enough to suspend the cast-iron pan with a little room around the edge for placing the anodes. You could also use a 55-gallon plastic barrel with the top cut out of the rim, but not all E-tanks need to be large. The smaller the E-tank, the more efficient it’ll be. Just make

sure it’s big enough to hold your largest piece of cast iron and the anodes. Sacrificial anodes made of regular steel, also known as “carbon steel” (not stainless steel). Good sources include old rebar and plain steel sheeting. Zip ties to mount the anodes to the tank. Wire to connect the anodes, rated for at least double the load the charger is rated for. Instead of wire, you can use a few sets of cheap jumper cables and make a series of short jumpers from them. Washing soda, aka sodium carbonate (not baking soda, which is sodium bicarbonate). This will be used to create the electrolyte solution that carries the current. Bare steel wire, such as rebar tie wire, for hanging your pan(s) inside the E-tank. Piece of 2x4 lumber, or a piece of rebar, from which to hang the cast iron. Water to submerge the cast iron.

Manual car battery charger, between 2 and 10 amps. An automatic charger won’t work, because the safety feature will cause it to shut down automatically. Steel-wool pad or a steel-wire brush for cleaning the cast iron following electrolysis. Rubber gloves to protect your hands while removing cookware from the tank. Identify a safe location with adequate ventilation for your E-tank, because it’ll produce hydrogen in small amounts. Hydrogen is highly flammable, so don’t put the tank next to your cooking grill or burn barrel. You may also need to dump the tank at some point, so if you’re using a large container that’s difficult to move, place it in an area where it can be tipped to dump when you want to refresh the water. (The water isn’t toxic, because you’re using plain steel anodes.) Finally, this project

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Orphaned Iron; Page 20, illustration: Kelli Heil

that can be easily removed. Electrolysis is, technically, a rust reduction method, not rust removal, because it reduces hard, red rust to soft, black rust that you can then remove. Because electrolysis doesn’t cause scarring or pitting on the pan, it’s the preferred method of nearly all collectors and restorers of cast iron.

Orphaned Iron; Page 20, illustration: Kelli Heil

will produce a small electrical charge, so exercise caution during use. Refer to the illustration on the opposite page to assemble your E-tank. Begin by drilling holes at the top of the container. Use zip ties to loosely mount the anodes to the tank, and then attach the anodes together using wire. A single wire should be wrapped around each anode until all anodes are connected. If you’re using copper wire, make sure it doesn’t come into contact with the water, because it can further corrode the iron. Now you’re ready to begin the electrolysis process. First, add washing soda to the empty tank and then pour in water. Use 1⁄2 cup washing soda for every 10 gallons water. Stir until the washing soda has dissolved. Wrap one end of the steel wire around the 2x4 and the other end around the handle of your cast-iron cookware. Rest

the 2x4 across the top of the tank, allowing the pan to hang in the water. Be sure the cookware doesn’t come into contact with the anodes. Attach the negative (black) lead to the rebar tie wire attached to the cast iron. Don’t hook these up backward! If you attach the positive (red) lead to your cast iron, it’ll cause it to rust and dissolve. An easy way to remember this is the phrase “Red will rust.” Attach the positive (red) lead to the sacrificial anodes. Turn on the battery charger and set the voltage and current to the lowest setting. The cast iron should start to bubble in the water. Check on the pan periodically by first turning off the power supply and then lifting the cast iron out of the tank by the 2x4. The process is complete when all the reddish-brown rust is gone or has turned black. This can take from an hour to a

Common Smoke Points Here are smoke points for oils and fats frequently used in cooking (listed in Fahrenheit). Butter.............................................350 degrees Canola oil (expeller-pressed).........400 degrees Coconut oil.....................................350 degrees Extra-virgin olive oil.......................320 degrees Ghee...............................................485 degrees Grapeseed oil.................................420 degrees Lard................................................370 degrees Palm kernel oil...............................450 degrees Peanut oil (refined)........................450 degrees Safflower oil (semi-refined)...........320 degrees Sesame oil......................................410 degrees Sesame oil (unrefined)...................350 degrees Sunflower oil (semi-refined)...........450 degrees Vegetable shortening.....................360 degrees

A homemade electrolysis tank can be fashioned from a 55-gallon plastic barrel. The cast-iron cookware is suspended from the bottom of a board across the barrel’s top.

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day, depending on the amount of rust, the size and position of the anodes, and the amperage of your power supply. Place the cast-iron vessel in a sink and clean off any remaining residue with steel wool or a steel-wire brush. If you have trouble removing the black residue, you may need to put the pan back in the tank for a while. The electrolyte solution will turn black after repeated use, but you can continue to use it indefinitely. Simply add water to replace any that’s evaporated. When you want to refresh the solution, you can dump it onto the grass. For this reason, you should never use stainless-steel anodes in an E-tank (see “Safe Sacrificial Anodes,” opposite page). Be sure to clean the anodes periodically, because dirty anodes are inefficient at removing rust.

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Adobe Stock/Olek

Cast-iron cookware can be seasoned after electrolysis with specially made products or common cooking oils and fats.

After you’ve removed the rust, give your pan a final scrub on all surfaces with a steel scrubbing pad. Add some mild dish detergent and continue scrubbing until clean. Rinse thoroughly with cold water and dry. If the towels become noticeably dirty, scrub the pan again with soap. After your cast iron is clean and toweldried, place it in a warm oven (between 200 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes to dry thoroughly. Then, you’re ready to re-season the pan. A lot of information exists online about the best oils and temperatures to use when seasoning. To determine which method is best for you, it helps to understand the science. During the seasoning process, oil is applied to the cast iron and then heated. The heat causes the oil to polymerize, meaning hundreds of molecules link together through chemical bonds. These polymers become trapped within the pitted surface of the pan and become partly bonded to the pan itself, creating the nonstick layer that we call seasoning. The level of heat required for proper seasoning is a hot topic in the collector community. One camp insists the oil must be heated past the smoke point, while another argues that the oil should never be heated past the smoke point. The issue is

From top: BuzzyWaxx; Adobe Stock/Sharky Photography

Final Cleanup and Seasoning

Safe Sacrificial Anodes Some collectors use stainless steel for the sacrificial anodes in their E-tanks, claiming that stainless doesn’t corrode like regular steel and therefore requires less cleanup. In fact, stainless steel does corrode, just at a slower rate — and the resulting electrolysis water will contain carcinogenic compounds, because of the chromium used in creating stainless steel. I recommend using plain steel anodes in a DIY E-tank. If you use stainless steel, the chromium (0) will corrode and oxidize during electrolysis right along with the steel, turning it into chromium (III) and then chromium (VI), known as “hexavalent chromium” or “chromium 6.” “Hex-chrome,” as it’s commonly called, is a known carcinogen that must be legally disposed of as a hazardous waste. Can a little homemade E-tank actually produce hex-chrome? I contacted Sam Rosolina, who holds a doctorate in analytical chemistry from the University of Tennessee and has researched trace-level environmental toxins. He says, “Chromium (VI) is carcinogenic, but chromium (III) is an essential trace element for humans. The amount of chromium (VI) produced compared to chromium (III) is really dependent on the setup. If you can control the voltage in your E-tank, you may be able to keep it below the voltage required to produce chromium (VI). In general, it’s really unlikely that a home setup will produce chromium (VI) in a high enough amount to be a serious human health or environmental threat, but I say it’s safest to just use a plain steel anode or a graphite carbon anode.”

say the process gives their pans a deep, dark color — and they’re right. But this is carbonization, not polymerization. Sam Rosolina, a scientist whose background is in analytical chemistry, puts it this way: “Polymerization is when the polymer is initially formed (and carbon chains stick to the iron and line up together to form a natural plastic); carbonization is essentially burning it after it’s all lined up and organized so that it’s harder and more resistant to acidity, for example.” Carbonization is attractive but not necessary for everyday cooking. Rosolina makes an educated guess based on his combined experiences in the lab and in the kitchen: “I think once [a pan] is polymerized, continued cooking will help the carbonization process over time; it may just not be as efficient. It probably means that re-seasoning will need to happen more often compared to [pans heated] past the smoke point during the seasoning process.”

Rosolina has a practical approach regarding carcinogenic fumes. “Anytime something burns, smoke is produced, which is inherently carcinogenic. However, with a good hood vent, it shouldn’t be a problem. Remember that grilling and smoking foods is also inherently carcinogenic, so it’s worth adding that context and weighing those risks. As long as you’re not directly breathing in the smoke for long periods of time, the health risk is low.”

Ashley L. Jones is a teacher and collector of cast iron cookware who’s authored two books on restoring and cooking with cast iron. This excerpt is taken from Skilletheads (Red Lightning Books).

Adobe Stock/Olek

From top: BuzzyWaxx; Adobe Stock/Sharky Photography

Bottom line: Use regular — not stainless — steel for the sacrificial anodes in your homemade E-tank.

safety: The smoke point is the temperature at which the oil begins to decompose and emit carcinogenic fumes. Folks like me who want to avoid breathing in these fumes will take care to season their pans below the smoke point. (Some common smoke points from my book Modern Cast Iron are listed in the “Common Smoke Points” chart on Page 21.) Lovers of cast iron who insist the seasoning process works best when pans are heated beyond the oil’s smoke point

Electrolysis reduces hard, red rust to soft, black rust that can be removed with steel wool or a wire brush.

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Holiday

GOAT BUTTER MINTS Make these simple, tasty treats for the whole family — if you don’t eat them all first! By Marissa Ames

MARISSA AMES

Like many

candies, butter mints seemed to be one of those mystical treats sold only in cellophane packaging. Then, I visited my dad in Salmon, Idaho. For several years, an Amish market had operated at the edge of town, and it had become so popular among Salmonites that it expanded each year. Dad requested that I stop at the Amish store and pick up some butter mints for him. I purchased a few bags for him and one bag for me. They were divine! So, on the way out of town after the visit, I

stopped and purchased more mints for my trip. I’ve learned to make many foods based on what I found at that store. Products sold at Amish markets prove that we can also make them at home, without sophisticated high-end machinery. Plus, they always taste far better than if they’d been mass-produced in factories. Butter mints are easier than I even imagined. They’re just butter, sugar, flavoring, and a little salt. Maybe some color, but only if you want.

Last year, I tried my hand at goat milk butter mints. I had just churned butter, so it was already soft enough for the recipe. The mints came together perfectly with crème de menthe flavoring oil. I posted a photo on my Instagram page and got immediate requests for the recipe. Some friends asked to taste the mints, but I had to decline. We’d eaten them all. Whether you churn butter or purchase butter from the store, I hope you enjoy this incredibly simple and customizable recipe. These mints make the perfect gifts — if you don’t eat them all first.

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1. 2. 3.

Cream the butter in a stand mixer or by hand until soft and fluffy. Add the salt and flavoring and mix thoroughly. Add the powdered sugar, the cream, and the food coloring if desired, then

keep mixing until everything comes together into a soft dough. Without allowing the dough to dry out, separate it into balls about the size of a large egg. Roll each ball out on a baking mat or cabinet well-coated in powdered sugar until it becomes a “rope” about 1⁄2-inch thick. If the dough is too sticky, just sprinkle more sugar onto the rolling surface. Cut the ropes into individual pieces. I find that it’s easiest to lay all the ropes side by side and then use a pizza cutter to slice through all the ropes at once.

Pour a liberal amount of powdered sugar into a large bowl. Using a spatula or silicon scraper, lift the mints and drop them into the bowl. Gently toss until all sides are coated in sugar. Pour mints in a single layer onto a baking sheet or shallow pan. Place in a protected, room-temperature location for 2 days, tossing about once a day to expose more surfaces to the air. Store in an airtight container — if you don’t eat them immediately. This recipe makes about a quart of mint candies.

SHUTTERSTOCK/ELENGLUSH

⁄2 cup butter, softened Pinch of salt 1 ⁄4 teaspoon flavoring oil or 1 teaspoon flavoring extract 4 cups powdered sugar plus 1⁄2 to 1 cup for rolling 1 tablespoon heavy cream 1 to 5 drops gel food coloring, optional 1

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L E A R N I N G

W I T H

S E E D S :

Engaging Young Minds

Facilitate a love of the natural world with one of its smallest components: plant seeds. Story and photos by Leah Smith

I’ve always

thought seeds can uniquely capture the interest of children. Seeds start as one thing and become another — in short, they transform. As a child, I wasn’t fascinated with pea seeds when I planted rows by hand. But certain seeds always enticed me to handle and examine them and to daydream of what they’d ultimately produce. The following plants have intriguing seeds, create harvestable products, or fill important ecosystem roles. Add the anatomical features I’ve highlighted, and these plants and their seeds are well-suited for providing children’s first lessons in botany.

Cornflower Also known as “bachelor’s button,” cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus) are beautiful whether fresh-cut or dried. They also attract native pollinators in abundance. The seeds of this annual have a striking appearance, like the heads of little paint brushes, and they’re quite easy to gather, even for children. Alternatively, they’ll readily self-seed. Cornflowers have “actinomorphic” blossoms. This means the flowers have radial symmetry, or many planes of symmetry: Draw a line through its center at various angles, and you’ll have mirror images on each side. This is a trait common to the Asteraceae family, of which cornflower is a member. It’s easy to

spot that cornflowers are also “epigynous,” meaning their floral components originate at or near the upper end of the flower ovaries. The seeds of this flower develop underneath the petals.

Poppy Poppies have it all. Vibrant petals; volumes of pollen for honeybees and native pollinators; and pronounced, harvestable seed heads. These colorful flowers can be perennials, such as the Icelandic poppy (Papaver nudicaule), or readily self-seeding annuals, such as the common poppy (P. rhoeas) and the breadseed poppy (P. somniferum). Though the seeds aren’t necessarily visually compelling, few garden tasks can equal the allure of gathering them from the flower head — it’s like emptying out a saltshaker! Plus, the seeds of P. somniferum are edible. In contrast to the epigynous cornflower, the poppy is “hypogynous.” Its seeds are in a capsule situated above the attachment point of the flower petals. Notice that the “epi-”(“above”) and “hypo-” (“below”) are a reference to the petals in relation to the ovary — they’re attached either above the ovary (epigynous) or below the ovary (hypogynous).

Calendula Calendula (Calendula officinalis) can be picked for fresh or dried bouquets, or the flowers can be de-stemmed for dried floral accents. The autumnally colored fresh petals are also edible. It’s considered very easy to grow, as it will tolerate most soils, and it can flower all season in proper conditions.

The blossoms of cornflowers are actinomorphic.

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From bottom left, clockwise: Calendula seeds, a blooming poppy, dry beans, and two-toned nigella seedpods.

Dry Bean

Calendula leaves are simple, which means they have undivided blades. Interestingly, petals are modified leaves; they’re typically colorful to attract pollinators. The petals of a flower head are collectively referred to as the “corolla.” Sepals are modified leaves that attach directly below the petals, and they’re usually green and less impressive. The collective noun for the sepals is “calyx.” The corolla and calyx together form the “perianth” of the flower. The seed of calendula is cool: It resembles a curved claw or tiny, thorny bone. But what you’re looking at isn’t a seed but an “achene” — a dry, one-seeded fruit that doesn’t open to release the seed inside. Specifically, achene of the Asteraceae family are called “cypsela.”

It’s easy to see why just about any dry bean is child-friendly. They’re big and can be quite colorful, and you can eat the end product! As members of the Fabaceae family, or the “bean family,” beans have “zygomorphic” flowers. This means the flowers are bilaterally symmetrical; in other words, there’s only one way to draw a line through the center of the flower to produce mirror images. This is largely due to the singular appearance of their petals, which are so distinct they have special names. The upper petals are called the “standard,” or “banner,” of the flower, while the lower ones are called the “keel.” In many cases with Fabaceae flowers, the sepals are fused together at their bases, forming what’s called a “calyx tube.”

Nigella When you apply friction to the seeds of the nigella (Nigella sativa), they’ll emit a fascinating aroma. How neat is that! To me, the smell seems to be similar to grape. Like poppy seeds, they, too, can head straight to the kitchen (popular in Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, and Polish cuisines), and they’re also found in a showy seed capsule. Sometimes, the petals aren’t the most colorful and noticeable feature of a flower; the sepals are. This is the case with nigella,

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which has relatively smaller petals and large, colorful, petal-like sepals. At other times, petals and sepals may be quite similar or there may be no petals at all, only colorful sepals. In all cases, the word “tepal” can be used to refer to the modified leaves of the perianth.

Tennessee Dancing Gourd What could be better than raising a toy in the garden? Whether fresh or dried, the harvested ‘Tennessee Dancing Gourd’ (Cucurbita pepo var. ovifera) spins like a top with a snap of the fingers on its neck. The plants are so easy to grow, vining prolifically and picturesquely with gourds at frequent and regular intervals. The flowers of Tennessee Dancing Gourds are “sympetalous,” a trait found in the squash family. “Sympetalous” means a flower’s petals are attached at the edges, forming a tube.

Cosmos Loved by pollinators and songbirds, and with sweet, often pink petals, here’s another member of the Asteraceae Family. Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) is excellent for fresh-cut bouquets, and it’s a favorite in both gardens and for landscaping, with its swaying flower heads and feathery (or “bipinnate”) leaves composed of many small leaflets. Some plants have “bracts” (modified leaves), which are easy to spot when cosmos are still in bud. Located near buds and flowers and often functioning to protect them, bracts are (anatomically) quite distinct from the flower itself. Occasionally, bracts may be especially large and colorful and much showier than the flower itself (as is the case with the poinsettia).

Pumpkin Who doesn’t want to raise their own pumpkin? Not to mention that pampering

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Left to right, clockwise: Tennessee Dancing Gourds, a blooming cosmos, pumpkin seeds, and a sunflower.

plants with watering and fertility applications can yield extra-special results! As with the Tennessee Dancing Gourd, which is in the same plant family, pumpkins (Cucurbita maxima) have sympetalous flowers. They also have “palmately lobed” leaves. “Lobed” means the leaf margin follows a pattern of projections and indentations, and “palmate” describes the pattern of lobing as originating from a common point. Think of maple leaves!

Sunflower Perhaps the quintessential flower for children, sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) can now be found in a variety of forms: red or pale yellow petals, “fuzzy” centers,

and much more. However, if you avoid pollenless and excessively hybridized varieties, you’ll have a flower favored by pollinators and visited by songbirds once its seeds mature. The matured flower head of the sunflower can also be collected if there are chickens to feed, who’ll peck seeds from the flower head themselves. I saved the biggest surprise for last: The sunflower is not a single flower but many flowers or florets together in an “inflorescence,” or flower head. The flowers in the center of the sunflower are called “disk flowers,” while those around the perimeter (with the petals) are called “ray flowers.” Now, let’s plant some seeds of curiosity and knowledge!

Leah Smith is a freelance writer and home and market gardener. She works on her family’s farm in mid-Michigan called Nodding Thistle (Certified Organic from 1984 to 2009, principally by Organic Growers of Michigan). A graduate of Michigan State University, she can be reached at NoddingThistle@Gmail.com.

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Thrifty Tanning for Beginners Reduce waste and make the most of your hunt by learning how to preserve hides.

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By Fala Burnette

Tanning

animal hides has been a long-standing practice in human history. But it’s no longer as common to learn and practice this skill. These days, you’ll most often find tanned hides as specialties sold through online marketplaces and inperson craft shows. Tanneries will often sell finished hides, such as sheep or cattle hides, which can then be made into a plethora of products. However, a great sense of accomplishment can be found in going through the entire process step by step and putting the hard work into taking a skin from harvest to finished product.

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Making the Most of the Animal Tanning can be economical and can also offer a source of alternate income. If you’re already harvesting an animal, take this opportunity to be a responsible individual and put every part to good use. The rabbit farmer could save the pelts and create a beautiful blanket, or the hunter could practice and eventually tan their very own deer hide. Even for the survivalist who wishes to know about

ways to aid in emergencies, learning to break down the different parts of an animal and tan hides can help yield supplies for clothing, shelter, and so on. Tanning isn’t just for the hunter or homesteader. In the hide- and fur-tanning community, you’ll come upon vegetarians and vegans who tan hides to help reduce waste from already harvested animals. While they’re not taking the life of the animal themselves, they’re giving a new purpose to a byproduct. If they sell their finished product, the individual can then use the revenue to help support animal-friendly charities, rescues, and related causes. They may also take the opportunity to think about the animal and wish it peace.

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Getting Your Bearings This day and age has given us a variety of methods for learning how to tan hides. What kind of learner are you? Are you able to read and follow along, or are you a visual or hands-on type of learner? Some people can follow instructions that are in a guide, such See #17 on page 62 www.Grit.com

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may be able to learn what went wrong. Many factors play a part in the finished product, including your methods of sourcing, cleaning, tanning, and preserving the hides. Join a community or forum. If you’re not a fan of social media or online communities, ask around and find someone within your community whom you can learn alongside and compare notes with. Research your local regulations. Know the legalities for possession of hides and selling your finished product. This is especially important when handling game-animal hides. In the United States, chronic wasting disease (CWD) has infected our deer, moose, and elk populations, and thus, there may be restrictions on keeping or handling cervid hides. Also, look into regulations

on fur-bearers, such as beaver, mink, raccoon, fox, coyote, bear, and bobcat, to determine when the animals can be harvested and which may be off-limits entirely. Hunting certain animals or preserving their hides may also be off-limits to non-Indigenous people. In some cases, a tag must be present with the pelt, and in cases with deer hides, you may be required to have information on hand about the origin of the hide if you received the hide for tanning from another person. Exercise caution when tanning a hide with brains from deer or other cervids. The brain of a cervid infected with CWD has the highest concentrations of these dangerous prions, and, as such, poses a risk to humans and other mammals. Always test the carcass for CWD before brain-tanning.

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Adobe Stock/Jacqueline

as The Ultimate Guide to Skinning and Tanning by Monte Burch, which features helpful photographs and diagrams. Others may require a more visual approach or hands-on training with a mentor. In that case, you could use a source such as Matt Richards, the author of Deerskins into Buckskins and member of the group Traditional Tanners, which offers online Zoom courses alongside occasional in-person training. For those wishing to learn on their own with videos, try searching a video-sharing website, such as YouTube. Now that you’ve got a source to learn from, here are some further considerations. Keep a journal. Take notes not only on your process and successes, but also on the times you don’t succeed. By examining a “failure” in detail, you

Adobe Stock/giedriius

Make the most of your hunt by learning to preserve your catches. Stay informed on your local regulations on which game animal hides you’re allowed to possess.

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Obtain your tools. You may need a skinning knife for cutting; a fleshing knife for removing meat and fat; protective equipment, such as aprons and gloves; salt for preservation and tanning; and supplies to make a stretching beam. If you’re harvesting the animal yourself, you’ll need tools for processing the animal so you can remove the hide from the carcass and potentially keep the meat as well. If you’re sourcing your hide from an outside source, such as a processor, the hide will most likely already be removed from the animal. In that case, tools for skinning can still be valuable but perhaps unnecessary. Plan your workspace. Think about where you can set up and flesh the hide, wash your tools, wash the hide, tan it, and so forth. If you’re pressed for time, consider where you’d be able to either store a frozen hide or have it laid out

and salted. Ensure your workplace, your hide, and your tools are all out of reach of children, pets, and wildlife, for their safety and your own.

Start Small Tanning is an in-depth learning process that can be quite messy and also somewhat discouraging if you’ve never done anything like it before. Again, taking notes can be valuable in understanding what’s happened along the way. Start with small and easy, and work with only one hide at a time. I began by watching others and then tanning my first hide, which was a squirrel’s pelt. The squirrel’s pelt was small and fragile, as were those of wild rabbits. I tried to jump into cleaning and tanning the fur of a raccoon and was quickly overwhelmed by the amount of greasy fat and meat left on the hide

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Cut a small portion of your green hide, trimming away places with rough and jagged edges or a lot of staining. Prepare yourself for not only the smell of this process, but also for the time commitment. The fleshing process, which is important to ensuring a proper tan, may take the beginner over an hour, depending upon the hide’s appearance. Using a fresh hide is important, because you’ll be fighting against bacteria as time goes on. Carefully read and follow instructions for your chosen tanning method as written. In your journal, record the details of what method you’re using for your tan and how long the tanning process takes you. If possible, take photographs along the way. Remember that learning is just that, and we often can’t have success without first working hard and troubleshooting.

Experience will help you develop and retain the process through study and repetition. Tanning isn’t just for the farmer or the hunter, but also for those who want to help make a difference in reducing unnecessary waste.

Fala Burnette is a crafter and homesteader alongside her husband at their little farm, Wolf Branch Homestead. She enjoys creating unique items from repurposed material, tanning, crafting with local processor waste, and woodworking with the help of their bandsaw mill. She also enjoys using positive-reinforcement training to build partnerships with their farm friends, including dogs, cats, ducks, chickens, and goats.

Keeping a detailed journal of your tanning methods will help you learn from the process and will improve the end result. Finished hides have many practical applications.

Shutterstock/Nor Gal

that was difficult to remove. Moose or cattle hide would’ve been much too large and quite a lot of effort, and if I’d had a problem along the way, I might have felt my efforts were a waste. Start with a hide you don’t have an attachment to, so you can gain experience and properly tan the hides you want to preserve, such as one from a first deer harvest or one from a beautifully colored cattle. A happy medium for learning about tanning is to start with a single small deer hide, sourced from a friend or processor if you’re able. Try working with a freshly removed hide (also called a “green” hide, though the color shouldn’t appear green) without too many holes or an excess of blood, meat, and fat on it.

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Forestry Basics for the Backyard Woodlot

f t m s b a a

o b t a s T l s w

a g v d t r f C a p

Understand measurement tools and sampling techniques to maintain healthy woods.

m a A s b a p “ t f t t

By Andy Wilcox

of home-scale forest management, you might imagine using a chainsaw to gather your own firewood and lumber, or perhaps creating a process to monitor for and clear out invasives and diseased trees. Yet, managing a backyard woodlot can also yield myriad additional products, including boughs for seasonal decor; poles for all types of buildings; syrup; and plenty of foraged mushrooms, fiddleheads, berries, and cones. Thoughtful management can increase species diversity and lead to a more resilient forest better able to withstand disturbances from insects, wind, or wildfire. Even if the primary use for your forest is recreation, you might want to build walking

Collaborate with Professionals To manage a woodlot successfully requires a forest owner to either hire a professional for everything, DIY it all, or blend the two approaches — my favored choice! I think of this method as similar to animal husbandry: Some tasks you can handle, while others are best left to a veterinarian. Even when you can’t identify a problem, noting a change that doesn’t look right can allow for early action to research a solution. Engaged landowners understand what’s happening on their land and use that knowledge to make decisions that are right for them. Hiring a forester is nearly always recommended if you plan to sell timber — and the amount you pay them

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When you think

trails or open access to hunting, stream fishing, or forest bathing. Given all the benefits forests provide, you likely have forestry goals, even if you haven’t formally stated them. But owning and managing forestland can be intimidating. Worries about “doing it wrong” or just plain wondering where to start can lead the would-be woodlot manager to procrastinate. Learning basic forestry principles and tools will make the endeavor a lot less daunting. A landowner familiar with their forest will make sound decisions and be more likely to achieve their goals. Let’s look at some basic ideas and simple tools — including some you can make yourself — to get you going.

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m y m i a d c

for their service can be more than returned through the increased revenue from a wellmanaged sale — but be prepared for a short supply of foresters in some areas. They may be less willing to take on smaller jobs, such as compiling a simple inventory, without also setting up a harvest. Start by obtaining a working knowledge of your forest and its conditions. The steps below will show you how to gather data to provide a general inventory, rather than a full timber “cruise,” of which species, sizes, and densities comprise your woodlot. This baseline assessment is within most landowners’ capabilities — and can provide significant cost savings for times when working with a professional is essential.

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What to Measure Trees are plants, but unlike your peppers and tomatoes, the trees in your forest will grow and mature over decades, changing the value and density of your woodlot. A poor decision can have repercussions for more than 100 years! Quantitative information, routinely updated, will give you the basis for making sound management choices. Cataloging your species composition, basal area, and tree diameters is an excellent place to start. Species composition. Oak, aspen, maple, fir, spruce, gum, birch, beech, ash, and more: What species do you have? A group of trees growing together that share characteristics similar enough to be managed as a unit is called a “stand,” and while very few natural stands are predominantly one species (known as “pure stands”), trees of a feather often stick together. Certain species can usually be found growing near one another, because they all like the same moisture level, soil type, or amount of sunlight. You may notice that your forest is mostly maple, basswood, white ash, and yellow birch. Or that beech-fir is a common mix near you. Species composition will inform your management decisions. Upland and lowland forests can feature entirely different species, so if you have both, consider them separately. Basal area (BA). Foresters measure many parameters, and basal area is among

the most commonly utilized. It’s what many foresters I know measure first when they’re out in the woods. So, what is it? BA is the area, in square feet per acre, of the tree stems if measured 41⁄2 feet off the ground. Another way to think about this is as the total area of all the stumps of all the trees in 1 acre if you cut them off at breast height. In this way, BA is a measure of forest density. The basal area can help a forester determine if a stand is adequately stocked (with a well-stocked stand considered to maximize the space for healthy competition) and provide some guidance for marking timber (indicating trees to be removed or harvested). Obtaining BA is a quick measurement after you’re familiar with it. Diameter at breast height (DBH). Trees are often described using their diameter and species; for example, a 14inch white oak. For standing trees, DBH is measured at 41⁄2 feet above the ground and taken at this height to account for stump flare for that species.

How to Measure In addition to determining what data to gather in your woodlot, you’ll decide how to gather it. Foresters use two primary methods: sample plots and a 100% tally (counting every tree). Sampling is the usual method, because counting and measuring every tree in an 80-acre forest — or even an 8-acre forest — would be time-consuming, prohibitively expensive, and (usually) statistically unnecessary. Instead, you can take sample plots to estimate actual values. Fixed-radius plots. As it sounds, for fixed-radius plots, a radius of a given value is used to describe a circle, and every tree within that circle is counted, measured for diameter, and tallied. The results are then mathematically expanded to the entire stand. For example, a 1⁄10-acre plot has a radius of about 37 feet. (Save yourself the math and ask the web for the radius of any plot you know the acreage of.) A 1⁄10-acre plot with seven “count” trees — those you’ll document in your tally — would be extrapolated to represent 70 trees per acre.

See #16 on page 62

Variable-radius plots. The most commonly used plot technique for timber cruising in many regions of the United States, variable-radius sampling involves counting trees as “in” or “out” using a prism or a cruising stick (more on those later), and tallying the results. “In” trees are then measured for diameter (DBH) and sometimes for the number of pulp sticks or sawlogs within the tree. As a term, “variable radius” alludes to the use of the prism or cruising stick. To be a “count” tree, a small tree must be pretty close to the plot center. A large tree can be farther away from center and still be tallied. As such, there is no set radius. The process sounds difficult, but a prism or cruising stick makes it easy. 100% tally. High-value or relatively small stands are sometimes cruised with a 100% tally. A complete tally in a small stand may be fun for the DIY landowner. However, the numbers quickly work against you as stand size increases: A hardwood stand with a 12-inch average DBH and a BA of 120 (which isn’t

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A 100% tally here would be too much work!

uncommon) will have about 150 trees on each acre. A 100% tally on a 10acre stand would mean measuring and tallying 1,500 trees! Given this, some landowners will 100% tally only trees of a given high-value species, such as walnut. Accuracy. Of course, any sample is only an estimate of the actual stand’s value. Forests aren’t homogenous across their entire area, so a plot taken in one spot could have entirely different results from a plot taken in another portion of the woods. We counter this discrepancy by taking multiple plots and averaging them together. The level of accuracy you desire from your survey can determine the number of plots you take. If you’re merely curious about what timber might be out there, a plot every 21⁄2 acres is sufficient. I recommend making decisions about harvesting or thinning using higherfidelity data; about one plot per acre will usually give satisfactory results.

A prism and D-tape, or a good cruising stick, and a pad of paper are all you’ll need to start inventorying your forest, assuming you can identify the tree species in your woodlot (and if you can’t yet, carry a reliable tree-identification book with you and refer to it often). The prism is one of the most common forestry tools, and simple to get the hang of. It’s used in variable-radius plots to measure BA. Prism manufacturers grind them to specific angles, which give them a “factor”: 5, 10, 20, 30, and so on. If you aren’t sure which prism to buy, go with a 10, which is commonly used in the eastern U.S. When using a prism, think of yourself as the moon and the prism as the Earth — you rotate around the prism, while the prism stays at the plot center to determine which trees to include in the plot count. Sight trees by looking through the prism with one eye (keep the other closed), which will cause the portion of the tree seen through the prism to separate from the rest of the trunk. You’ll count the tree, or not, depending on whether the portion is wholly displaced from the trunk or still overlaps. An overlapping trunk is an “in,” or “count,” tree. One where the trunk slice is separated from the bole (the main trunk of the tree) is an “out” tree and isn’t counted. Keep track with a

Left: This tree is “in” and would be tallied. The portion of the trunk viewed through the prism (at 41⁄2 feet above ground level) overlaps the main view. Right: Using a prism to measure basal area, this tree is “out,” because the portion of the tree viewed through the prism is completely displaced.

simple dot-tally form. At a minimum, I like to record species and DBH of each count tree. Cruising sticks are my favorite forestry tool, and you can make your own. Cruising sticks replace the prism for variable-radius plots. You can find videos and articles online showing how to make a cruising stick (https://youtu.be/ kQ_CosNrQPs), but the general idea is to create a stick that’s calibrated on one side to provide DBH and on the other side to provide tree height at a standard distance from the base, usually one chain (66 feet). Attach a piece of metal calibrated to use as an angle gauge for measuring BA. To use a cruising stick, stand at the plot center and rotate like a rotisserie chicken, pointing the stick out at eye level. The tree is counted when its trunk is larger than the metal gauge. (Unlike when using a prism, you’ll stay at the plot center while the stick rotates around you.) A diameter tape (“D-tape”) does the math for you. You’ll need one if you don’t have a cruising stick. Typically made of metal and resembling a flexible tape measure, D-tapes are calibrated using pi to directly read diameter measurements. Wrap the tape around a tree, keeping it level and 41⁄2 feet above the ground. The tape will then give you the DBH . While a good D-tape isn’t prohibitively expensive, you can easily make your own for casual use. Because diameter equals circumference (what the tape is starting with, given it wraps around a tree’s trunk) divided by pi, we can take any flexible tape or rope and mark it off in 3.14-inch intervals. Label these intervals 1, 2, 3, and so on, to read off as DBH in inches. Whether using a prism or a cruising stick, home woodlot owners will find it easier to take plots with a partner. The first person uses the prism or cruising stick to identify and count trees, and the second person measures the DBH. It makes sense for either of you to record. There’s little need to measure down to 1⁄10 of an inch for cruising. In fact, most forestry cruises are completed using 1-inch-diameter or 2-inch-diameter classes.

Pages 38 and 39: Andy Wilcox

Tools of the Trade

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D E S I G N E D. E N G I N E E R E D. R E M A R K A B L E VA LU E .

Left: Hold the cruising stick up to your cheekbone just below your dominant eye. Count a tree when its trunk is larger than the metal gauge (looking 41⁄2 feet above the ground). Right: From farther away, the same tree is “out” (the metal gauge is larger than the tree’s trunk).

Baby, Let’s Cruise Record your data in the field, whether using a high-tech tablet or pad and paper. In my experience, while nice apps are available, a dot-tally sheet works fine. Calculate BA for variable-radius plots by summing all the count trees and multiplying by your prism or cruising stick “factor.” Divide by the number of plots taken to get an average BA. If you took fixed-radius plots, you have some math to do, which is easier with a spreadsheet. Find examples online. Here’s a variable-radius example, where we’ll use this standard equation:

PAGES 38 AND 39: ANDY WILCOX

BA =

(

Count Trees # of Plots

(

you start taking an interest in quantifying your woodlot, you’ll have a new way to connect to your land and be able to make sound forestry decisions.

Andy Wilcox is a freelance writer, flower farmer, and Master Gardener with a passion for soil health, small producers, forestry, and horticulture. He and his partner run Stone’s Throw Flowers, providing cut-flower arrangements to retail and wholesale customers. He’s also a forester and an active member of the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Wisconsin.

* Prism Factor

Let’s assume you took 17 plots using a prism with a BA factor of 10 and counted a total of 161 “in” trees. Plugging these values into the equation, you get BA = (161 ÷ 17) × 10. Running the numbers yields BA = 94.7 — and then you round to 95, because BA is reported as whole numbers, never decimals. You can average tree diameters by species to indicate the general size of trees in your forest. For instance, you might find that the average DBH of white oak in your back 40 is 11 inches. Empowered by a host of hand-collected data, cruising your own timber stand opens up all sorts of management opportunities. You’ll understand how much to thin for timber production, how much you can sustainably cut for firewood, where to create wildlife openings, and more. After

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D-tapes read out in diameter on one side and length on the other. Wrap the tape around the tree at 41⁄2 feet above ground level and read the diameter from the zero, not the end of the tape. This tree is just over 16 inches DBH.

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Build a

BASIC SURVIVAL SHELTER Construct a simple but effective sanctuary to keep you warm during a wilderness emergency. By Jason Knight

ALDERLEAF WILDERNESS COLLEGE (7)

The first task

you tackle in a survival situation should be building a shelter, because it’ll offer protection from hypothermia — one of the primary threats in a wilderness emergency. A well-built shelter will provide a good night’s rest and create a hub for your camp, helping you stay in place while waiting for search-and-rescue teams.

Additionally, building a shelter allows you to remain warm, sleep well, and avoid getting sick, so you’ll have the energy to tackle wild-food-gathering activities. No matter how warm the weather is during the day, or how practiced you are in survival basics, you should first and foremost take the time to appropriately address your shelter before you do anything else.

Forms of Heat Loss The key to wilderness survival is creating a shelter that will reduce all types of heat loss. When our bodies are warmer than the surrounding environment, we lose heat through radiation. A good shelter will reduce this form of heat loss through insulation. You can achieve this by piling

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lots of dry leaves, grasses, and other debris inside the shelter, and by using lots of debris as part of the roof. Heat loss through conduction occurs when heat transfers from one solid to another. When you sit or lie on the ground, heat transfers from your body into the colder ground. To reduce this form of heat loss, you’ll need to create a thermal break from the ground by piling up a mattress of debris into an insulating layer. Convection is when heat is lost or gained by airflow. A good survival shelter offers protection from the wind. You can accomplish this by building in a naturally protected location; by creating a thick layer of debris the wind can’t penetrate; or by adding a layer of wind-resistant material to your shelter’s exterior, such as slabs of bark or a layer of mud. We all lose heat through respiration, because the air we breathe in is typically cooler than our body temperature, while the air we breathe out has been warmed by our lungs. A survival shelter can reduce this form of heat loss through a mostly sealed interior space. In a debris shelter, ensure the doorway is mostly sealed. By reducing the amount of air coming in and out of a shelter, your own body heat and respiration will help warm the interior and reduce heat loss, while still allowing fresh air to enter. Body heat is lost quickly through evaporation when your skin gets wet. In survival situations, avoid sweating or wearing wet clothes next to your skin. To ensure dry clothing while building a survival shelter, work at a pace that’s below the sweating threshold, and shed layers when you get warm.

How to Build a Debris Hut Survival Shelter

From top: Testing the ridgepole’s load-bearing capacity; laying a debris mattress; setting the ribbing sticks.

Because of its widespread usefulness, a debris hut is one of the most practical and versatile survival shelters you can learn to build. Effective in almost any climate, it’s suited to one or two people and can be warmed by body heat alone. This shelter performs like a large sleeping bag, so keep the interior just large enough to fit your

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body. Its layers of debris will trap air and insulate you from the elements. Here’s a step-by-step outline on how to build one. Step 1: Location. Search for a shelter location in or nearby a spot with an abundance of debris (such as dead leaves, grass, moss, and ferns), plenty of sticks of different sizes, and some potential ridgepoles. Your location should also be clear of hazards, such as large cottonwood, alder, and beech trees, which are known to drop large limbs (called “widow makers”); be away from the nests of ants and wasps; and be at a distance from creeks,

Essential Wilderness Survival Interested in learning more about survival shelters and other key components of surviving in the wilderness? Authored by trusted survival expert Jason Knight, The Essential Skills of Wilderness Survival will show you the most effective means of staying safe and comfortable in any outdoor challenge. Learn about survival shelters, waterpurification techniques, fire-making skills, wild survival foods, and much more through clear, concise instructions and color photos. The Essential Skills of Wilderness Survival provides accessible knowledge for people of all skill levels who wish to increase their confidence in survival situations. You’ll discover skills that could save your life and the lives of those around you, so you can fully enjoy the freedom of exploring the backcountry without worry. Order your copy today and use promotional code NOVDEC20 at checkout to receive a 20% discount on the book. This title is available at Store.Grit. com or by calling 866-803-7096. Item #12056. Promotional offer expires on Dec. 18, 2023.

riverbanks, and low points in the landscape where water can rise or pool during rainstorms. To prevent drafts from entering the shelter, take note of the prevailing wind direction and plan ahead for the shelter’s doorway to be located on the opposite side. After you’ve found an ideal spot, start looking for a sturdy ridgepole. Step 2: Ridgepole. Find a strong, straight tree limb to use as a ridgepole — the supporting spine along which the rest of the shelter will be built. The ridgepole should be about 8 feet long. It can be made from a downed log or branch, standing dead tree, or even a live tree you’ve cut down. The ridgepole should be strong enough to support your entire body weight, so test it by hanging from it or by carefully standing on the pole while it’s leaning against something at an angle. If it passes the safety test, place the pole so one end is raised onto a nearby stump, a fork in a tree, or other similarly supportive natural feature. Position the pole’s highest end at about waist height, and the other end slanting down to and resting on the ground. Adjust the length of the ridgepole and the placement of its bottom end until your body can fit underneath without much extra space. Test this by crawling underneath the pole. It should touch the ground just past your feet, with enough clearance that the tops of your shoes don’t project above the pole. If needed, prop up the bottom end with a stone or piece of wood to create space for your feet. As you lie beneath the ridgepole, mark the ground with sticks about 6 inches out from both sides of your body. This is where the ribbing sticks placed in Step 4 will touch the ground. Although debris huts are supposed to be snug, they shouldn’t be so cramped you can’t straighten your legs or turn over. Step 3: Mattress. Create a debris mattress to insulate your body from the ground by piling up at least 1 foot of debris (dead leaves, mosses, ferns, soft evergreen branches, and so on) within the footprint of the shelter. Dry, fluffy material is preferable. If conditions are wet during the construction process, try kindling a small

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From top: Laying latticework on top of the ribbing; piling up debris; closing the finished shelter with a doorway plug.

fire outside the shelter for drying debris. Pile the debris around the fire and turn it over periodically so the heat from the fire can dry out the material, and then stuff it inside the shelter. Dry debris will increase your comfort and help you get a better night’s sleep. Step 4: Ribbing. Add ribbing sticks to the ridgepole spine. Gather several large armfuls of sticks of various lengths. The sticks should be a minimum of two finger widths thick, and strong enough to support the weight of the debris you’ll be placing over them. Ribbing sticks need to span the distance between the ridgepole and the ground, but not extend past the ridgepole. Set them along the ridgepole as close to each other as possible to prevent debris from falling through later on. Place the ribbing sticks on the ridgepole at about a 45-degree angle. Any steeper, and the exterior debris will likely slide off; any shallower, and water will probably penetrate. The top ends of the rib sticks shouldn’t project more than 2 or 3 inches past the ridgepole, because this can channel water into the shelter during heavy rain. Remember to leave a space for a door. Step 5: Doorway. Leave a small gap without ribs at the highest end of your shelter, near where your head will rest when you’re inside. The doorway should be just big enough for your shoulders to fit through. Keeping it small will reduce heat loss and make it easier to plug the door when you crawl in for the night. Step 6: Latticework. Gather several armloads of long, thin, feathery branches. Place these latticework sticks on top of the ribbing in different directions (not woven into it). The shelter will look like it’s covered with a web of sticks. This latticework will hold in place the debris you apply in Step 7. Place several overlapping layers of latticework on the shelter to minimize the chance of debris falling through. Cover all the ribbing, including above and alongside the doorway. Step 7: Debris. Pile a tremendous amount of debris on top of the latticework. This vital step will take up the most time and effort in shelter construction. The most

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e d g l y

o l m

Troubleshooting Tips Does the shelter leak when it rains? It may not be insulated well enough. Add more debris and observe the changes. If the problem persists, examine the ribs. If they’re not set at a 45-degree angle, it might be worth your time to carefully remove all the debris and adjust the rib angles. You may find some of them are too short or too long and you’ll have to collect more. Any that project more than a few inches beyond the edge of the ridgepole must be shortened, or they’ll become channels for water to run down into the interior. Is the shelter cold inside? An obvious cause is insufficient debris on the exterior. But if the debris is at least 3 feet thick, consider other possibilities. Perhaps the shelter is too large, and therefore warm air isn’t being kept close to your body. You can fix this by rebuilding the shelter at a smaller scale, or by stuffing extra debris inside. You can also minimize heat loss via conduction by ensuring your body is well-insulated from the cold ground with a thick debris mattress. If you skimp on debris inside, even 3 feet of debris on the outside likely won’t keep you warm. Lying on wet debris will also make you cold, so choose only the driest and fluffiest materials you can find. If that’s not possible, try drying out some or all of it by a fire.

efficient way is to collect large amounts of debris each time you need it. You can use a garbage bag, jacket, or tarp to help gather large amounts. Improvise with whatever you have at hand. Gather many armloads of any kind of fluffy material available, including leaf litter, small conifer boughs, ferns, mosses, pine needles, and even grasses.

Then, poke your head inside the shelter to note where light is penetrating, and add material to those spots. Continue checking and adding more material until no light penetrates. Aim for 3 feet of depth on all sides of the shelter. A good way to test the debris depth is to gently work your fingers into the material and move them down and in until you can feel the ribbing sticks. Is the debris layer all the way to your armpit? If not, keep adding more! The more debris you add, the warmer your shelter will be. Next, pack the inside of the shelter with dry debris, on top of the debris mattress, all the way to the ceiling. To keep you warm, this inner debris layer needs to contact your body on all sides (except your face). Any large airspaces inside the shelter will become cold spots if they’re not filled with debris. Step 8: Doorway plug. You must have some means of plugging up the doorway after you’ve crawled inside the hut. One way is to fill a bag or extra jacket with debris. If the doorway is small enough, you can use a backpack. If neither of those options is possible, gather a large pile of debris and pull it into the doorway as you crawl inside the shelter. Enter a debris hut feet first, being careful not to disturb the debris walls, and plug up the doorway as you crawl in.

Give It a Dry Run I encourage students at my wilderness school to practice their survival skills by making a test debris shelter. Many subtle skills can be learned only through practice. Try sleeping in your test shelter for a few nights, and then make adjustments until you feel it’s in optimal shape. Experiment with different kinds of insulating materials for both the interior and exterior of the hut. Sleep in the shelter during a variety of weather conditions, including rain and snow. Always be cautious when practicing survival skills. Tell people you’re sleeping in a debris shelter so they’ll know where you are and when you expect to return. Bring along a backup sleeping bag or wool

blanket in case you get too cold during the night. If you start to shiver or feel extremely uncomfortable, get out of the shelter and warm yourself with jumping jacks or by jogging in place. Then, climb back into the shelter with your backup sleeping bag. As with all survival skills, shelter building requires practice in the field to build your confidence and proficiency. Invite your friends and enjoy building practice shelters together. Many hands make light work, and differing viewpoints can produce useful observations that could come in handy during a real survival situation. Plus, it can be lots of fun!

Jason Knight is director and co-founder of Alderleaf Wilderness College (www. WildernessCollege.com) in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. He’s a seasoned wildlife biologist and wilderness educator. This is an excerpt from his book, The Essential Skills of Wilderness Survival, available on Page 43.

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Raising Miniature

Zebu Cattle

K M h C o s Z m a i h l

Though small in size, these unique cattle are big in heart. By Kenny Coogan Photos by Stephen Schwanebeck

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Sarah Green,

of Kracken Crossings Farm, started raising Miniature Zebu cattle in 2020 on her small homestead just north of Tampa, Florida. Currently, she has a herd of six cows and one bull but is expecting two more calves soon. The critically endangered Miniature Zebu are naturally small and not a manmade breed. Good stock are under 42 inches at the back, with most between 36 and 38 inches. Zebus are an excellent addition to homesteaders who are short on space and live in hot, dry regions. “I chose this breed because I have limited pasture space,” Green explains. “Because they’re smaller than other breeds, they eat less, so they don’t graze my pasture down.” Green has all of her Miniature Zebus on 5 acres. She’ll rotate them if they overgraze, which hasn’t been a problem with her current Miniature Zebu herd and their friends. “They can live with anybody. They’re not aggressive, and they don’t get bullied,” Green says. “It would depend more on the individual herd, but I have a full-sized Brangus cross with them, and then my pigs run around out here. My horses and donkeys visit too, and they all coexist peacefully.” Green chose to raise Miniature Zebu cattle because they can be milked and used for meat. While they don’t produce a lot of milk — about a gallon per milking — it’s enough for daily use on a small homestead. The pronounced hump between the shoulders isn’t just for show. “You can actually eat it,” Green says. “It’s a Zebu hump roast; there’s muscle and fat in there. It’s interesting. People that eat them say that’s the highlight of the Zebu. Not the rump roast, the hump roast!” Green also chose to add Miniature Zebus to her homestead because of their gentle, friendly disposition. As she gives me a tour of Kracken Crossings Farm, the herd happily approaches us. “They’re friendly. Some cows can be a little shyer, but these cows are very social and love to hang out with people. And they’re very cute. Look at those ears. He’s going to love on you,” Green says as her

polled bull comes in for a pat. She adds, “He’s just a big boy.” By “big,” she means “small.” He stands at around 34 inches, while females can grow up to 38 inches. Green also likes that Miniature Zebu cattle are naturally heat- and disease-resistant. “Their breed originated in India, so they’re very heat-tolerant. They’re perfect for Florida weather, which is why there are so many Zebu breeders out here. The cattle don’t like the cold or the rain.”

Breed and Breeding Zebus can be any color. While their dominant color is gray, calves usually start out brown, and then lighten up. The horns of the bulls can grow quite large, so Green removes them to keep the herd, her family, and the bull safe from injury. The cows have smaller horns, so Green keeps those. Zebus display a range of colors, from light gray to dark brown. Breeding age can vary. Females can be ready as soon as 2 years old (up to 6 years), while bulls can In addition to pasture, she always be ready at 18 months, though generally, makes hay available for them. She also Zebus aren’t fully mature until 3 years old. occasionally supplements with grain, which Green prefers to have cows that are they usually only eat when they’re late in larger than bulls because it reduces calving gestation or having trouble nursing. She problems. Miniature Zebus carry female says none of her cows have had trouble with calves for about 283 days, and male calves those aspects of reproduction, so they’re not for 4 to 5 days longer. Because the male really into the grain. calves are a bit bigger at birth, it’s useful to Butchering depends on size. At 3 years have a larger cow to begin with. old, her bull is 250 pounds, and her cows In Green’s experience, calves can stay are about 350 pounds. with their mothers 4 to 6 months. At 4 to While Green doesn’t use her Mini 5 months, Green weans them, halter trains Zebus as meat animals, she’s currently them, and sends them off to a new home. more focused on showing them, since there’s a large show circuit. For those interested in obtaining stock or showing, Mini Zebu Husbandry two organizations can help: the International Green notes that Miniature Zebu cattle Miniature Zebu Association and the are “easy keepers.” “I only deworm them American Miniature Zebu Association. based off fecal egg counts. I have a good Green’s herd is registered with both relationship with our veterinarians, so organizations. I’ve only had to do them twice in three “The International Miniature Zebu years. And a lot of large cattle owners will Association has an online herd book that do it quarterly or twice a year, depending on lets you search for animals for sale or the breed.”

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When not socializing, this Zebu grazes the day away.

More Information Kracken Crossings Farm www.Facebook.com/KrackenCrossingsFarm American Mini Zebu Association www.AMZAOnline.org International Miniature Zebu Association www.IMZA.name

breeding. There’s also a Member Directory with phone numbers, emails, farm names, and websites so you can connect with other breeders,” Green says. To be registered with the International Miniature Zebu Association, you must have three generations of lineage recorded, whereas the American Miniature Zebu Association only requires one generation of lineage. “There are open shows which take anyone with registered Zebu traits,” Green says. “The things they look for are a straight body for the bulls, with masculine structures such as a big, wide head and straight quarters.” She says that when they stand up, they can’t be cow hocked — judges want to see the ideal straight specimen. Beyond showmanship, Green says Miniature Zebus are easy to manage. “My kids are quite young. I have a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. My kids can come out and handle them, which, to me, is part of the reason why I got them as well. They’re less intimidating to be around.”

Green’s farm is in a rural-suburban hybrid neighborhood. She has signs around the pasture educating the public on the Miniature Zebu cattle breed. “I posted [the signs] mostly for the name, because people would come over and call them zebras all the time. People find them very interesting and will visit them on their golf carts.” And she says the social breed gives neighbors a warm welcome. “All my cows will go running to the fence when they see a golf cart pull up.”

Kenny Coogan earned a master’s degree in global sustainability and has published over 400 articles on pets, livestock, and gardening. He lives on a 1-acre homestead with chickens and ducks, managing a permaculture-style landscape. He also runs a carnivorous plant nursery in Tampa, Florida. Listen to Coogan co-host the “Mother Earth News and Friends” podcast by visiting www.MotherEarthNews.com/Podcast.

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Comfort Foods lids and rings. Don’t add too many spices or spices that tend to become bitter (such as sage) before canning; you can always add those when you’re reheating meals. Before adding the lids, wipe the rims with a vinegardampened cloth to remove grease. Place the hot lids on top, and finger-tighten the rings. Then, put jars on the rack inside the hot canner with the vent port off, tighten down the lid, and turn the heat to high. Allow steam to escape from the port for 10 minutes before you replace the weighted gauge. Wait for the canner to come to the recommended pressure before you start timing and pressurizing. Read the manual for your pressure canner. It’ll give you the pressure and time requirements based on your canner and altitude. If you’re new to pressure canning, check out the resources on Page 52 to help you get started for canning effectively and safely before jumping into these recipes.

HOMEMADE MEALS IN A JAR During your downtime, put up plenty of meals to get you through those hustling days on the farm. By Jenny Underwood

■

While I love the idea of putting a cooked-from-scratch meal on our table every day, I’m too familiar with seasonal busyness to think that’s always possible. Fellow homesteaders will understand why meals in a jar are such a win-win dinner solution. You can use downtime (such as the winter season) to prepare many meals that just need heating and eating in advance. An added benefit is that they’re shelf-stable and don’t take up freezer room.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS Pressure canner (not a water bath canner) Rack for canner Glass canning jars Canning lids Canning rings Jar lifter Nonmetallic utensil for removing bubbles

FROM TOP: ADOBE STOCK/LOST_IN_THE_MIDWEST; JENNY UNDERWOOD

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS • • •

•

Carefully read the manual for your pressure canner. You can reuse rings and jars, but don’t reuse lids. Wash jars, rings, lids, and jar lifter with hot, soapy water, and then rinse them. Check all jars for damage. Discard any jars with chips or cracks.

•

Keep jars hot (you’ll be adding hot ingredients and won’t want the jars to break under thermal shock). Add the amount of water indicated by your pressure canner instructions to the canner. You should have 2 to 3 inches of water in the canner. Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to minimize any water spotting on the jars. After pressure canning, remove the jars (which will still be hot) and place them on a towel to finish cooling. This can take from 12 to 24 hours. Once at room temperature, remove the rings, finger-test the seals to make sure they’re tight, and eat anything that hasn’t sealed immediately. The rest can be stored in a dark, cool place for up to a year.

With each canning recipe, keep a few things in mind. When filling your jars, fill them evenly with solids, and add liquid to the required headspace. (Headspace is the distance between the surface of the food and the underside of the lid.) Don’t mash or purée foods that’ll be canned. Gently place the food in jars. Add very hot liquid (boiling or having just been boiled) after your solids. Broth or hot water will work. Remove bubbles from the jar with your utensil before topping with

HAMBURGER AND POTATO SOUP This hearty meal is inexpensive and perfect for a cold day, especially served with hot cornbread or biscuits. Yield: 4 quarts, or 8 pints. 1 pound ground beef 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced 2 stalks celery, washed and diced 1 tablespoon olive oil 8 ounces tomato sauce 1 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 2 teaspoons onion powder Salt Hot water or broth

Hamburger and Potato Soup

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Comfort Foods

In a heavy pan, such as a cast-iron skillet, lightly brown and drain ground beef over medium heat. Remove from heat when done. In another pan, lightly stir-fry vegetables in oil. Add tomato sauce, meat, spices, and enough water to cover vegetables. Simmer for 5 minutes. Divide solids evenly between jars. Add liquid to bring to 1 inch headspace. If needed, add boiled water to jars for extra liquid. Add 1⁄2 teaspoon salt to each quart, or 1⁄4 teaspoon to each pint. Remove bubbles. Pressure can for 90 minutes at 11 pounds of pressure for quarts, or 75 minutes for pints. To serve, pour contents into a saucepan, and heat until bubbly over medium-high heat. Alternatively, blend the contents and then heat. Add cream cheese or shredded cheese, and serve with crackers, cornbread, or hot biscuits.

16-BEAN CHILI

2. 3.

Heat this up on a woodstove or over a fire, and dinner will be easy and filling. Yield: about 4 quarts, or 8 pints. 1-pound package 16-bean soup mix 1 pound ground beef, turkey, pork, or venison 1 package or 1 to 2 tablespoons chili seasoning or taco seasoning 8-ounce can tomato sauce Hot water or broth Salt

Resources for Canning Use these resources as a starting point for food preservation and pressure canning. • “Basics of pressure canning foods”: www.CANR.MSU.edu/news/basics_of_ pressure_canning_foods • National Center for Home Food Preservation: https://NCHFP.UGA.edu • “Selecting, Preparing, and Canning Meat”: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/strips_ cubes_chunks.html • “When a Jar Becomes Unsealed”: www.Extension. PSU.edu/When-A-Jar-Becomes-Unsealed

Soak beans in one of two ways. Cover beans with water overnight, then drain. Or, do a quick soak by covering beans with water and bringing to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then turn off stove. With lid on, let sit for 1 hour, then drain. Boil beans for 5 minutes in a large pot. Drain water. Cook meat over medium heat in a heavy pan until no longer pink. Drain, and then crumble meat. Combine beans with meat, seasoning, tomato sauce, and hot liquid. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 5 minutes. Alternatively, if you use ground chicken, you can use chicken broth instead of water. Divide solids evenly between jars to 1 inch headspace. Add 1⁄2 teaspoon salt to each quart, or 1/4 teaspoon salt to each pint. Remove bubbles. Process at 11 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes for quarts, or 75 minutes for pints. When ready to eat, heat contents in a large saucepan. Add toppings, such as sour cream, cream cheese, shredded cheese, and diced green onions. Serve over baked potatoes, or pour into a pie shell and bake for a chili pie. Eat with crunchy tortilla chips or hearty cornbread.

Fill hot jars evenly with solids, then add enough broth to leave 1 inch headspace. Add 1⁄2 teaspoon salt to each quart, or 1⁄4 teaspoon per pint. Remove bubbles. Pressure can at 11 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes for quarts, or 75 minutes for pints. To serve, strain out broth and combine with 1 tablespoon flour. Stir until smooth to make gravy. Place a pie crust in a pie pan, pour in jar contents (add as many jars as needed), and add gravy. Cover with another pie crust and bake at 375 F for 45 minutes, or until golden. Alternatively, place in a pan and top with biscuits and bake at 450 F for 20 minutes, or until browned.

ROASTED SQUASH AND BACON SOUP Creamy, healthy, and satisfying, this soup will fill you up and stay with you! Yield: about 4 quarts, or 8 pints. 4 quarts winter squash (cushaw, Hubbard, butternut, etc.), peeled and cubed 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder Pepper, to taste 1 pound bacon, fried crisp Hot chicken broth Salt

T w Y

4 1 S P 1 B H

CHICKEN POT PIE IN A JAR The ultimate comfort food, this pot pie is creamy and a great one-pot meal. Yield: about 4 quarts, or 8 pints.

2 pounds chicken breast, cubed 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced 1 large onion, diced Peas, green beans, or corn, optional Hot water or chicken broth Pepper, to taste Salt 1.

In a large stockpot, lightly stir-fry chicken until partially done. Add vegetables and enough broth to cover everything. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add pepper, to taste.

Chicken Pot Pie in a Jar

Jenny Underwood

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2. 3.

Lightly coat squash in olive oil with onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and roast at 425 F for 5 to 10 minutes. Squash won’t be completely done. Crumble up bacon, and gently mix with squash (don’t mash). Gently place mixture into hot jars. Don’t press down. Fill jars full of solids to 1 inch headspace. Add hot chicken broth to 1 inch headspace and add 1⁄2 teaspoon salt to each quart, or 1⁄4 teaspoon salt to each pint. Remove air bubbles. Process at 11 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes for quarts, or 75 minutes for pints. To serve, pour contents into a large saucepan and purée with an immersion blender. Heat and add shredded cheese, cream cheese, or sour cream, and garnish with diced green onions. Serve hot with biscuits or cornbread.

CANNED BARBECUE CHICKEN This meal works great for quick lunches, whether served hot or cold. Yield: 2 quarts, or 4 pints. 4 pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs 1 teaspoon onion powder Salt Pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon olive oil Barbecue sauce of choice Hot chicken broth 1.

Jenny Underwood

Slice chicken breast or thighs into strips, about 3 inches long by 1 inch wide. Mix together onion powder, salt (to taste), and pepper, and lightly coat chicken in seasonings. Sauté with olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Pack chicken into jars, allowing 11⁄4 inches headspace. Add 4 tablespoons barbecue sauce to each quart, or 2 tablespoons to each pint. Add hot chicken broth, allowing 11⁄4 inches headspace. Add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar, or 1⁄2 teaspoon salt to each

Delicious Recipes for Storing Year-Round Gifts and Meals Once you’ve made these delicious meals in a jar, continue on your culinary journey with Renee Pottle and her book, Mixes in a Jar. A culmination of Pottle’s years-long search for the perfect convenience food, Mixes in a Jar is a collection of 106 of the most satisfying mix recipes. Inside, you’ll find the perfect spice blend for a pot of award-winning chili or a delicious minestrone; recipes for meals as diverse as Mulligatawny Soup and Creamy Ravioletti Salad; breakfast favorites, such as Buckwheat Pancakes; breads for every meal, including Mulled Wine Muffins; and desserts for every sweet tooth. Order your copy today, and use promotional code NOVDEC20 at checkout to receive a 20% discount on the book. This title is available at Store.Grit.com or by calling 866-803-7096. Item #11145. Promotional offer expires on 12/18/23.

pint jar. Remove bubbles and process at 11 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes for quarts, or 75 minutes for pints. To serve hot, pour contents into a saucepan, shred meat, and heat until bubbly. Add more barbecue sauce if desired. Serve on rolls with homemade potato chips. To serve cold, drain liquid and shred meat. Add more sauce if desired, and serve on a salad, bread, or baked potato.

Jenny Underwood is a home-schooling mama to four lively blessings. She makes her home in the rural foothills of the Ozark Mountains with her husband of 20 years. You can find her reading a good book, drinking coffee, and gardening on their small fifthgeneration homestead. She blogs at www.InconvenientFamily.com.

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Restrict and Remove

Rodents on the Farm Rats and mice can be destructive. Here’s how to deal with an infestation and ward off future ones. By Kristina Seleshanko

Adobe Stock/Carlos Aranguiz

Rodents

are everywhere — even if you don’t see any sign of them. If we put out livestock or pet food and water, feed the wildlife, or even keep a compost pile, we’re installing neon signs to welcome rats and mice onto our homesteads. The good news is that you can minimize the risk of attracting rodents, and you have multiple ways to get rid of them if they’re already a problem on your property. Rodents can wreak havoc, whether you’re homesteading in the country, the suburbs, or the city. Rats and mice are most problematic in three domains: pet and livestock productivity and health, human health, and property condition and safety. Rats, particularly, are apt to kill small livestock, including poultry chicks, rabbit kits, and adult quail. Rats can also torment small livestock by chewing on limbs and ears. Not only can this lead to suffering, infection, and death for your livestock, but also the stress of merely having rats around can cause your livestock to stop reproducing or laying eggs. Both rats and mice can also spread serious diseases to both animals and humans. These diseases include hantavirus, viral hemorrhagic fevers, salmonellosis, Lassa fever, rat-bite fever, MRSA, and many others. (Some people dismiss these diseases as not a big deal, but after seeing my father-in-law nearly die from leptospirosis due to exposure to mouse droppings, I urge everyone to take this risk seriously.) Finally, rodents can cause a great deal of damage to your property, including contaminating food with their feces. That food — sometimes worth hundreds of dollars — must then be thrown away. Worse, it isn’t unusual for rodents to chew electrical wires, which not only can cause thousands of dollars’ worth of damage but may also lead to electrical fires that put your animals and your family at risk.

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The First Line of Defense The best course of action is prevention. Focus on not attracting rodents to your property in the first place. The best way to do that is to contain all possible sources of food. Always store animal feed in metal bins with secure lids, since rats can chew through plastic bins. Never keep feed in its original bag without also putting it inside a large metal garbage can, or something similar, to protect it from rodents. Whenever possible, give your animals only what they’ll eat during the day. Feed them in the morning, since rodents tend to be more active in the evening. If you accidentally spill any feed, sweep it up right away. If it isn’t salvageable for your livestock, throw it away in a metal trash bin with a secure lid. Human food attracts rodents too, so keep your trash securely stored in a metal can with a snug-fitting lid. Additionally, any food-storage areas should be free from openings that allow rodents in. Adult rats need only a 12-millimeter horizontal gap to enter, while young rats need just 8 millimeters. Mice can squeeze through holes as thin as a dime. Plug those holes properly, remembering that rodents don’t mind gnawing through cardboard, fabric, plastic, foam, and thin aluminum. They won’t, however, chew through concrete, bricks, sheet metal, or steel wool. Since rodents aren’t picky about what they eat, it also helps to avoid feeding the wildlife. If you leave wild bird food or deer bait out, for example, you may as well be putting out food for rats and mice. If you have open compost piles, keep the compost hot until it’s completely done

decomposing. Cool compost piles with still-edible contents are a favorite hangout for rodents. Another option is to use wellsealed, thick-plastic compost bins to keep rodents out. Rodents also need places to hide, so remove any junk piles and instead store your stuff inside rodent-resistant buildings. They also love tall grass and weeds, so keep things mowed and weed-whacked, especially around buildings or anywhere livestock or pet food may be.

Do You Have an Infestation? Since homesteads naturally tend to have livestock food and water that attract rodents, keep your eyes peeled for any sign of an infestation. Usually, the first thing people notice is droppings, which are pointed at one end and may contain hair. Typically, you won’t see any rats or mice unless your infestation is large; rodents prefer to be active during the night, but if there’s a lot of competition for food, they’ll venture out during the day. Other signs of rodent infestation include nests made of dried material, such as hay, grass, or shredded paper; greasy or dirty trails on floors or walls; gnawed items, such as wood shelves or plastic containers; paths in taller grass or weeds; scratch marks; and foul smells. How can you tell whether rats or mice are the problem? Adult rats leave behind larger tooth marks, and their droppings are about 1/2 inch long, twice the size of mouse droppings.

Working with Nature Many modern homesteaders want to work with nature, even when it comes to dealing with rodent infestations.

Adobe Stock/torook

Securely store any dry food in metal containers to help prevent an infestation.

Fortunately, there are a few ways to combat rodents with this mindset. Natural sprays — such as sprays made with peppermint, lemon balm, eucalyptus or citronella oils; vinegar; and other herbs from the kitchen — may prevent rodents from building nests nearby, but they won’t be enough to keep rodents away from a good supply of food or water. One solution is to get some good hunting cats. While cats are effective against mice and bushy-tailed woodrats, they’ll rarely kill brown sewer rats. Feed your felines: Hungry, weak, or sick cats aren’t good hunters. Besides, good hunting cats don’t care if their tummies are full; they’ll still hunt and kill rodents if the opportunity arises. If you have more than one cat, they’ll typically break up your property into different hunting zones. Cats vary in the amount of territory they claim, but if you have too many cats, they may spend more time fighting over territory than hunting. Another option against rats is a rat dog, or “ratter.” These canines (usually terriers) are trained to kill any rats they smell or see. I’ve looked at successful hunts posted on rat dog websites and talked to a few homesteaders who have hired rat dogs, and I’ve found that many for-hire dogs work around 3 to 4 hours, with a single dog possibly killing up to 100 rats during that time. If you can hire a pack of rat dogs and their owner uses a smoker to drive the pests from their hiding places, hundreds of rats may be killed during that same time frame. If you decide to hire a rat dog or choose to buy and train one yourself, lock up your poultry when the dog is active. Ratters tend to enjoy hunting and killing chickens and other poultry too. Rat terriers can generally cohabit with cats just fine. However, even if you have a successful canine rat hunt, rats may still be left behind. That’s when you need to consider traps if you haven’t implemented them already. To many people, snap traps baited with peanut butter seem most humane because they usually kill the rodent instantly. Another possibility is the use of zappers, which are small boxes that trap rodents and then electrocute them. Putting these zappers in the middle of rodent

November/December 2023

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GRIT STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP paths may prove most effective when food supplies are abundant and it’s difficult to entice rodents to eat bait. Once in a while, however, these traps can short, becoming a fire hazard.

Adobe Stock/torook

Rodenticides If you’re thinking about using poisons against rodents, understand that there are several types, and some are more dangerous than others. This is only an introduction to rodenticides. (For a more in-depth overview of the different types of rodenticides and their effects on pets, see “Rodenticide Poisoning in Pets” in the October/ November 2023 issue of our sister magazine Mother Earth News. — Grit Editors) First-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (the earliest developed rodenticides), such as warfarin, take several doses to kill rodents, and some rodent populations have developed resistance to them. Because multiple doses are required, wildlife or domestic animals are at risk of eating a rodent and receiving a dose of the poison themselves. However, newer rodenticides, such as cholecalciferol, brodifacoum, difenacoum, difethialone, bromadiolone, and zinc phosphide, can be extremely dangerous, either because they have no antidote or are directly poisonous to humans, wildlife, livestock, and pets. Carefully consider the impacts of using rodenticides on your land, both short-term and long-term. If you proceed with using rodenticides, you may want to hire a professional exterminator. One rodenticide is considered relatively safe: corn gluten and salt. This all-natural mixture works by swelling inside the rodent’s stomach and dehydrating them, leading to death in 3 to 4 days. While the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals notes that this mixture causes only gastrointestinal upset in dogs and cats, these pets can develop intestinal blockage and dehydration if they consume enough of the mixture. Consider a few other factors before choosing a rodenticide. One is flavor; even brands that use the same poison use different things to flavor it — and some

rodents do seem to learn to avoid certain scents and tastes. (Or perhaps they just find some flavors more irresistible than others.) In addition, think about the time of year. When lots of wild food are available, rats and mice are less likely to eat poison. If you use a rodenticide, take precautions to prevent it from doing unintended harm. First, store it securely in a locked cabinet, out of the reach of children and pets. Never store poisons anywhere near food, including pet and livestock food. When using bait, never leave it in the open; use bait stations, which are enclosed plastic boxes with holes just big enough for rodents to enter and eat the poison. Make sure cats and other small critters can’t get in and eat the poison.

Safety First If you have any reason to believe one of your animals has been poisoned by rodenticide, take it to a veterinarian immediately. Treatment depends upon an accurate understanding of what poison the animal has ingested, so bring the packaging (or a photo of the packaging) the poison came in. Treatment can take as long as several weeks or even months. However, some rodenticides have no treatment. If you suspect a human has directly consumed a rodenticide or may have a secondary poisoning after touching a dead rodent, contact emergency services immediately and bring the poison’s packaging with you. To help reduce any risk of secondary poisoning, check for dead rodents at least once a day. Dispose of any carcasses by picking them up with gloved hands and putting them in a trash bag. Tie off the top of the bag and put it in a secure trash can. Then, disinfect the area. For more detailed instructions, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.CDC.gov) and search “clean up after rodents.”

Kristina Seleshanko is the author of 28 books, including the bestselling The Ultimate Dandelion Cookbook. She blogs about homesteading at www.Proverbs31Homestead.com.

(Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685; Published in NOV/DEC 2023 GRIT) 1. Title of Publication: GRIT. 2. Publication No. 930-620. 3. Date of Filing: September 30, 2023. 4. Frequency of Issue: Bimonthly. 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 6. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $24.95. 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, Shawnee, KS 66609-1265. 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, Shawnee, KS 666091265. 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Address of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Publisher – Bill Uhler; Ogden Publications, Inc., 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609-1265; Editor – Marissa Ames; Ogden Publications, Inc., 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 666091265; Managing Editor – Karmin Garrison; Ogden Publications, Inc., 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609-1265. 10. Owner: Ogden Publications, Inc., 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609-1265. 11. N/A. 12. N/A. 13: Publication Title: GRIT. 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Nov/Dec 2022-Sept/Oct 2023.

15. Average No. of Copies of Each Issue During the Preceding 12 Months A. Total No. of Copies (Net press run): 89,559; B. Paid and/or Requested Circulation; 1. Paid/Requested OutsideCounty Mail Subscriptions: 84,410; 2. Paid In-County Subscriptions: 0; 3. Sales Through Dealers, Carriers, Street Vendors and Counter Sales: 0; 4. Other Classes Mailed Through USPS: 0; C. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 84,410; D. Free Distribution by Mail (Samples, complimentary and other free): 1. OutsideCounty: 294; 2. In-County: 0; 3. Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS: 0; E. Free Distribution Outside the Mail: 0; F. Total Free Distribution: 294; G. Total Distribution: 84,704; H. Copies not Distributed: 4,855; I. Total: 89,559; J. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 99.65%. Actual No. of Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date A. Total No. of Copies (Net press run): 84,196; B. Paid and/or Requested Circulation; 1. Paid/Requested OutsideCounty Mail Subscriptions: 78,001; 2. Paid In-County Subscriptions: 0; 3. Sales Through Dealers, Carriers, Street Vendors and Counter Sales: 0; 4. Other Classes Mailed Through USPS: 0; C. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 78,001; D. Free Distribution by Mail (Samples, complimentary and other free): 1. Outside-County: 317; 2. In-County: 0; 3. Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS: 0; E. Free Distribution Outside the Mail: 0; F. Total Free Distribution: 317; G. Total Distribution: 78,318; H. Copies not Distributed: 5,878; I. Total: 84,196; J. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 99.60%. I certify that the statements made by me above are complete and correct. Bill Uhler, Publisher

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ucks are quickly gaining on chickens as popular animals for the backyard homestead or small farm. They are friendly, productive, good at eating pests, remarkably healthy, and easier to raise than chickens in many ways. Plus, they are exceptionally adorable! This accessible introductory guide features original photography tracking the growth and care of a small flock of backyard ducks and addresses everything the beginner duck keeper needs to know to be successful, including breed selection, housing, feeding, health care, understanding behavior, and egg and meat production.

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