Mother Earth News June/July Issue 2023

Foraging as a Family

This past March, I moved my family from Nevada to Kansas. While this put us within walking distance of the M E N headquarters, this wasn’t our primary motivation. We moved because of rainfall and the ecosystems that thrive in it.

That magical elixir that falls from the sky is key to vegetative growth that becomes compost and builds soil. It provides for so many plants and animals — whether wild or farmed — that sustain us. I’d grown proficient in desert gardening in my 25 years living in Nevada, but everything has limits when water is scarce.

When I asked my daughter what she was most excited about, she said, “Foraging.” She specifically meant foraging for mushrooms, since those don’t grow in Nevada without a lot of effort, but she also wants to forage for berries and greens. This land of lakes and rains offers many more opportunities to gather food from Mother Nature.

While foraging in Nevada wasn’t nonexistent, it didn’t come easily. Lambsquarters grew in my garden, benefiting from the weeper lines that sustained my vegetables. Pine nuts fell from pinyon pines along mountain slopes. If we drove to areas fed by springs or snowmelt, we could sometimes find chokecherries or elderberries. In Idaho, where I grew up, we found huckleberries, grouse whortleberries, serviceberries, and sego lilies. I made pine needle and nettle teas when I went camping.

But Kansas is a different world, and though I recognize some of the flora and fauna, we have a lot to learn.

I drove my daughter to a local bookstore and bought four guides to foraging

in the Midwest before we ever set out on our first morel hunt. We knew what morels look like, but we didn’t know that they thrive beneath specific understories and that different types grow on different slopes during different seasons. And we have a lot of studying to do before we forage our first chanterelles and oyster mushrooms.

The content in M

N is timely for my family’s foraging education. In the April/May issue, Bruce Ingram discussed foraging for mushrooms. And in this issue, Jenny Underwood writes about making jellies from wild blossoms and berries (see Page 16). Though I’ve certainly heard of poison ivy, I’ve never encountered it, but Kansas offers plenty to keep me on my toes. Thank goodness Melanie Teegarden shares how to identify and forage jewelweed (see Page 21). She describes crushing it for immediate first aid, creating a poultice, and even infusing it into homemade soap to keep on hand in case jewelweed can’t be found after a poison ivy incident. If you enjoy Melanie’s article about jewelweed, watch for her upcoming guide to beginner soap-making, which we’ll publish later this year.

Do you forage in your neck of the woods? And what do you forage for? We’d love to hear about it. And if you have tips and tricks for foraging in the Midwest (and staying away from poison ivy, oak, or sumac), my family would appreciate receiving knowledge and experience from those who have done it longer than we have.

May your foraging be successful — and may poison ivy stay far away!

C

Director of Sales B L

Director of Events & Business Development A P

Director of Information Technology T S

Director of Finance & Accounting R H

Founders J  J S

M E N (ISSN -) June/July 2023, Issue No. 318.

M E N 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 800-234-3368. Outside the U.S. and Canada, call 785-274-4365; fax 785-274-4305.

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16 Wild About Wild Jelly

Forage for fruit and flowers to get unique flavors.

1

38 Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture

Vandana Shiva offers sustainable solutions for hunger, poverty, and climate change.

42 How the Electric Car Killed the Corn Industry

NATURAL SOLUTIONS

14 Firsthand Reports: Compost Enclosure

Construct a fence that can envelop your compost while bringing life and diversity to your property.

21 Jewelweed: A Gem of a Plant

Utilize this common native plant as a quick poison-ivy rescue.

60 Gone Off-Grid

Hoss Boyd and Kerena Reese answer your energy questions.

62 Hometown Hacks: SIP Root Cellar

Structurally insulated panels form an inexpensive storage space.

12 Dear Mother Reader letters of inspiration, community, and more.

24 Humane Wildlife Photography

Respect animals’ boundaries while capturing astonishing shots.

30 Skills to Inherit Property

A new program helps older folks find property heirs and teaches skills to young homesteaders.

34 Get to Know Your Neighbors, The Bats

These creatures of the night might become your new allies.

If we switch to electric vehicles, the market could drown in excess corn.

46 The Free Plant N Garden Stand

This Arizona group inspires others to share, plant, and grow.

52 Soulful Seeds: More Than a Garden

This Nevada nonprofit provides fresh food, education, and support to those who need it most.

56 Essential Elements for a Predator-Proof Coop

A safe space means less stress for you and your birds

66 Country Lore

Reader tips for troubleshooting gardens, amenities for livestock and bees, building fire pits, and more.

72 Ask Our Experts

Expert advice on pork shares, free gardening, and growing immature melons as cucumbers.

96 Photos from the Field Reader-submitted photos.

50+ WORKSHOPS

Learn a Variety of Money-Saving Skill Sets from Experienced Pros

100+ EXHIBITORS

You’ll Find Gardening Tools, Energy-Savers, Natural Body Care, Handmade Goods, You Name It!

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FUN

Free Admission for Kids 17 and Under! In-Person Demos, Food Trucks, PopUp Marketplace, Community, and ...

... LIVESTOCK!

Goats, Chickens, Cattle, & More!

Enjoy In-Person Learning to Boost Your Self-Su ciency

Roll up your sleeves and take part in hands-on learning, interac�ve presenta�ons, live entertainment, and more! t’s the perfect event for anyone interested in sustainable living, natural wellness, organic gardening, and all things D .

Explore an all-in-one resource center chock full of the tools and know-how you need to master the money-saving art of self-sufficiency. ou’ll meet e perienced instructors, authors, homesteaders, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals ready to share their e pert knowledge. t’s a great way to start your ourney to build resiliency, live o the land, and cut e penses by doing and making things yourself.

Will we see you at the FAIR?

See the next page for upcoming events near you!

Train Derailment Disasters Don’t Show Signs of Slowing Down

On Feb. 3, a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed near East Palestine, Ohio. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the train, owned by Norfolk Southern, had 38 train cars that derailed, 11 of which were carrying materials classified as carcinogens or contaminants. The NTSB investigation into the cause of the derailment is still ongoing, but evidence suggests it was at least partially due to overheat failure on a wheel bearing.

Several chemicals on board, including vinyl chloride, have been found to cause irritation and neurological symptoms in humans. On Feb. 6, officials decided to burn off the remaining vinyl chloride in five train cars to prevent a possible explosion due to rising temperatures inside one car. The reaction that occurs when burning vinyl chloride creates other harmful chemicals. Officials insist the two-day evacuation was able to mitigate the risk to residents, though locals are still concerned over the toxic plume of particulate matter traveling over parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Thousands of aquatic animals have died in the area, prompting unease about overall water quality after the disaster. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found sediment contamination as far as 6 miles from the derailment site. Farmers

in the area have voiced worries over the well-being of their livestock and continued willingness of consumers to purchase their products. Soil sampling of farms by the EPA began in early March, and officials say they have no evidence that the area’s agricultural system has been affected. Bryan Levin, public information officer for the Ohio Department of Agriculture, maintains that Ohio’s food supply is safe following the disaster.

According to an analysis by The New York Times, more than 1,000 train derailments happen every year, though human injuries and fatalities remain relatively low. In two separate incidents this year, a train carrying ethanol derailed and set fire in Minnesota on March 30, and a train in Washington derailed on March 16, reportedly spilling up to 5,000 gallons of diesel.

One of the major contributing factors to these derailments is longer and heavier trains being staffed by fewer people and smaller crews. In 2022, railworkers planned to strike for better and safer working conditions, including larger crews and shorter shifts, but the strike was ultimately blocked by the U.S. Senate. Now, however, bipartisan lawmakers have introduced the Railway Safety Act of 2023 to work toward preventing future train disasters. The bill includes measures for enhancing safety protocols for trains carrying hazardous materials, creating permanent minimum crew requirements, and improving train car inspections. If this bill is passed, it could help alleviate some of the dangers communities and railroad crews face and have warned about around freight train operations.

The burning of the vinyl chloride in some of the derailed train cars in East Palestine created a massive smoke plume.

A New Plant Contest Heats Things Up

Think you have the world’s hottest pepper? Now you have a place to submit your scorcher. Dremann’s Heat Search sprung up in 2022 to fill in the gaps when Guinness World Records increased its rules for submission in 2017. With a few simple rules and a routine lab test, Craig Dremann of Redwood City Seed Company is looking to streamline the search for the World’s Hottest Pepper. “You could find a goldmine in your backyard,” says Dremann, who’s hoping to increase economic opportunities for home growers and gardeners.

The pungency, or “hotness,” of a pepper is determined by measuring the amount of pure capsaicin contained in that pepper. These measurements are rated using the Scoville Scale. For reference, pure capsaicin measures 16 million Scoville heat units (SHU). Dremann’s hottest pepper so far is ‘Chocolate Champion,’ which measures 1,662,000 SHU.

Before submitting your sample, check the potency of your peppers with an easy, at-home hotness test, found at www.EcoSeeds.com/HotMethod.html. If you think you have a winner, dry and package your peppers according to the guidelines at www.EcoSeeds.com/Heat-Search.html. Dremann will evaluate

Native-plant seeds are essential to successful restoration projects, but they’re often hard to come by, and a recent study commissioned by the Bureau of Land Management shows just how deep the problem is. After droughts, floods, wildfires, or mudslides on public lands, the government is tasked with restoring the landscape, and that requires millions of seeds. It hasn’t been economically viable for seed producers to create the surplus of seeds needed after emergencies; if an emergency doesn’t arise, producers are left with an excess supply and no demand. It also hasn’t been practical to keep all types of native plants that may be required on hand, limiting the choices available to restoration ecologists. The study states that “millions of acres of public and private land in the United States are at risk of losing the native plant communities that are central to the integrity of ecosystems.”

Susan P. Harrison, chair of this study, suggests some options in a High Country News article that may help solve this seed-supply crisis. First, the federal government needs to plan its restoration projects and start stockpiling its own seeds, storing them in properly air-conditioned warehouses. Because of the increased risk of emergencies with

them and send submitted pepper samples to Southwest Bio-Labs in New Mexico for professional analysis. The Heat Search is ongoing and simply requires 16 dried peppers and $100 to cover lab fees. Call Dremann with questions at 650-325-7333.

climate change, governmental agencies can also guarantee producers a predetermined price and quantity for their native seeds. Reseeding with non-native species continues to contribute to biodiversity decline, she says, so agencies must prioritize native seeds.

Planting native plants is crucial to supporting healthy ecosystems.

Could your homegrown pepper bring the heat in a worldwide championship?

Saving a CenturiesOld Building Tradition

Wallowa County, with a population of less than 8,000, may not seem the likely setting for a revival of Japanese architecture. Yet this rural county in eastern Oregon is the hub for an ambitious global project to preserve kominka, a form of Japanese folk house.

Kominka were traditionally handmade farmhouses in Japan’s countryside, timber-frame structures sporting roofs made from ceramic tile or thatch. The roof design differs from more rigid Western-style frames in that the beams hang together in a net or mesh pattern, allowing some give and flex during earthquakes. This has allowed these old houses to endure. Yet now, as populations shrink in rural Japan, thousands of kominka are torn down each year, the carefully carved beams incinerated.

Concern for protecting the craftsmanship of kominka drives the Kominka Collective, a unique partnership experimenting with the disassembly and reconstruction of kominka outside of Japan. Co-Director Eric Carlson, a designer and builder, lives and works in the foothills of the Wallowa Mountains, which is how the first imported and reassembled kominka came to reside there. In fall 2022, neighbors down the road from Carlson, Kiyomi Koike and Bill Oliver, asked Kominka Collective to send over a kominka studio, and they’re looking to add a second structure in 2023.

West of the Cascades, building enthusiasts gathered in January of this year in Troutdale, Oregon, to learn about both Japanese culture and kominka history at the first-ever Kominka Festival. Collective members from both Japan and the United States were on hand to answer questions from owner-builders coming from as far away as Hawaii. Keynote speaker Alex Kerr, who lives in a renovated kominka in the Iya Valley on Japan’s Shikoku Island, spoke of the potential for saving the nearly 800,000 vacant kominka in Japan. By Kerr’s estimate, as many as 50,000 folk houses are torn down each year, making the next decade critical for their preservation.

Those who are interested in participating in kominka restoration can learn more at www.KominkaCollective.com, or via the Japan Kominka Association’s International Office at www.KominkaForum.com

Meg Wade

Seed-Saving Movements Around the World

Nestled in the bustling streets of London, a network of people dedicated to saving and sharing open-pollinated seeds is growing. The London Freedom Seed Bank began after a call to action in the early 2010s by scholar and activist Vandana Shiva (see Shiva’s story on agroecology on Page 38). Once its members realized the importance of food freedom and diversity, the FOOD from the SKY permaculture community decided to live out its values and created the London Freedom Seed Bank. All the seeds members share have been grown right in London, giving the plants unparalleled adaptation and acclimatization to their local environment. And this community is far from the only group prioritizing food sovereignty.

In the United States, Seed Savers Exchange is on a mission to protect America’s food-crop legacy and connect people through collecting and sharing heirloom plants. It also hosts an exchange program on its website for individuals to swap the heirloom seeds they’ve grown. The Indigenous Seed Keepers Network helps support Indigenousled seed sovereignty in North America by developing resources, hosting events, supporting seed rematriation, and more. And a charity in the U.K. called Garden Organic hosts the Heritage Seed Library, which aims to conserve varieties of vegetables that aren’t widely available. Members receive a variety of heritage seed packets every year to preserve and pass on history, knowledge, and resilience.

Many other local seed libraries have sprung up all over the world. A lot of programs allow members to “borrow” seeds, with the expectation the grower will bring back more at the end of the season. Saving your own seeds increases the genetic diversity in our food, expands biodiversity, and can help contribute to a more climate-resilient food supply. And with around 75% of plant genetic diversity in agriculture being lost since 1900, the need for diverse seeds is ever-growing.

To get involved, check your local area for seed libraries, organize one yourself, or arrange seed swaps in your community. Find places online to help you get started, such as at www.SeedLibraries.Weebly.com.

A reassembled kominka in Wallowa County using restored wood from Japan.

Seed diversity means a more resilient climate future.

EDITORS’ PICK

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

This October, I’ll turn 70, and I’ve been reading MOTHER EARTH NEWS since the beginning of time. When I receive each issue, I usually read it immediately, and then I pass it on to a young couple I know.

Sometimes, due to my years of experience and experimentation, and my attitude, I get impatient while reading the magazine and think, “Well, I’ve known that for years.” But there’s almost always one article per issue with information that’s new to me. Then, I think, “Okay, Boomer, you can teach an old dog new tricks.”

Thanks for the years of education and entertainment.

Frances Thompson Via Email

Deep-South Gardening Solutions

I’m a longtime reader of MOTHER EARTH NEWS, and I saw the request for ideas on Deep-South gardening (“Not Much for the Deep South,” Dear MOTHER, April/May 2023). It’s hard to cover all the gardening regions in the U.S. in a single magazine; Texas alone has four hardiness Zones and 10 ecoregions. One of the great things about gardening here is the opportunity for three distinct garden seasons: spring, fall, and winter. Notice the absence of summer. In June and July, when many U.S. gardens are really coming into production, parts of the South are unbearable for most veggies, except okra, melons, and peppers. We push spring planting dates into late winter to get produce out before the heat, and we scheme to figure how late fall veggies can go in to avoid September heat but hit that November sweet spot. This

trend is growing as we see longer and more extreme stretches of high-temperature days. I would love information on how to accommodate those challenges and limitations. The following is truly an unrefined brainstorming list of information that could be helpful:

• Fruits, nuts, and berries for the South.

• Fall and winter gardening ideas and strategies, including taking advantage of mild winters and fallow midsummers to protect and improve soil.

• Vegetable varieties for heat and humidity, including Southern heritage varieties.

• Lawn alternatives for hot, humid climates.

• Using Southern natives in landscapes and food gardens.

• Gardening safely in urban and suburban environments with histories of pollution in the air, water, or soil. A lot of Southerners,

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 80)

“I hope you hear from lots of Southern gardeners. I look forward to reading about ideas that are adaptable to my gardening situation.”

Compost Enclosure

Construct a fence that can envelope your compost while bringing life and diversity to your property.

By Laura Lavender

What if your fence was alive? As typical pressed-lumber and chain-link fences certainly aren’t beacons of life, a living fence may seem like a magical notion. What a marvelous way to incorporate yet more life and diversity into the garden! Yet, despite the concept sounding revolutionary, in truth, “living fences” can be found on many residential streets in the form of hedges.

What’s a Composting Fence?

A composting wall or fence, on the other hand, is more unconventional and adventurous than a hedge. A composting fence is essentially a solid noncompostable structure, usually two fences

with mesh walls built side by side with a pocket between them made to envelop compost. This compost-containing structure can be casual or a fancy latticed pergola-type structure. You can then fill your “hollow fence” with all kinds of compostables and allow them to decompose.

Composting fences are generally filled with “brown” compost materials, such as fall leaves, branches, and perennial clippings, but anything goes! The resulting mass of natural material creates a screen that blocks noise and provides privacy. Additionally, the compost provides living spaces for insects and birds. And as humus is generated by the compost’s microorganisms, you can insert hardy plants into it through the mesh to clothe the composting fence in green.

Why a Composting Fence?

A composting fence appealed to me as a useful way of repurposing all the tree branches and trimmings that accumulate, even in our small yard. The usual destination for piles of tree prunings in spring is a landfill or, hopefully, municipal composting program. A composting fence provides a full-circle solution, creating a use for what’s usually waste.

We built our first composting fence as a privacy wall, providing a sheltered place to sit in full sun, blocking the path of wind and the view from the sidewalk. An overgrown lilac hedge supplied the fill for the fence, as the property was bordered on two sides by a dense, towering lilac hedge. Various gardening sources claimed that the best way to revive an ancient lilac hedge

Composting walls break down yard waste while buffering noise and providing privacy.

was to cut all the old wood down to the ground. I did this, and it was effective, but this lilac-revival technique also created a dramatic pile of branches and small tree trunks, perfectly sized for filling a fence. Other items you can place in your composting fence include:

• Fall leaves

• Branches

• Tree trunks, sliced into circles, cut to the correct width to fit your fence

• Soil

• Grass clippings

• Pine cones

• Pine needles

• Rocks (for texture and color)

• Christmas tree branches

• Natural winter holiday decorations

• Old bouquets and houseplants

Additional Benefits

Along with serving as a receptacle for tree branches and fallen leaves, a composting fence offers additional benefits:

• Habitat for insects

• Extra planting space, once a spot in the fence has become humus or been filled with soil

• Shelter for birds

• Effective noise reduction

• Wind reduction

• Great privacy

• Excellent location for planting climbers that cling with aerial roots, such as climbing hydrangea

• Ideal spot for growing hardy perennials or edible plants, such as alpine strawberries, once planting space is available

I’m planning to plant alpine strawberries in my own composting wall. I already grow them in raised beds, but strawberries are an excellent plant for a vertical garden. Alpine strawberries could benefit from wall-type planting, as they’re delicate, and many creatures seem to find them delicious when they’re in more-available locations. They also tend to be hardy plants. I can’t imagine how anyone could ever have too many of these strawberries!

How to Build a Composting Fence

We built our composting fence using pressure-treated lumber for the fence posts and structure and welded-wire fencing for the mesh. We dug each fence posthole 3 feet down and set the posts in concrete. We attached two identical panels of wood and mesh to the fence poles, creating a narrow rectangular box open on the top and bottom.

After deciding on your location and measuring the distance between posts, dig 3-foot holes for each fence post. Ensure the posts are in a straight line and level. We used 10-foot posts, making the height of our fence 7 feet. We used Sonotube concrete tube forms and cement to set the posts. Because we built our fence in November (after cutting down our lilacs), we let the concrete dry for three days. In warmer weather, it will take a lot less time to set.

In our case, we used 4x4 pressure-treated posts. Initially, we planned to attach metal mesh to the outside of the posts, but we

realized we’d want a wider gap for the compost to enter. Therefore, we decided to attach 4-inch deck boards to the outside of the posts to give us the extra width for the compost’s easy insertion. We then stapled the mesh to the outside of the deck boards. The wider gap gave us the desired space to fill the fence with branches.

With the mesh attached to the outside of the boards, we used 16-foot 4-inch deck boards to run the length of the fence. These reinforced the mesh so the fence wouldn’t lose its shape after we added compost. We put one cross board at the top of the mesh, one in the middle, and one near the bottom. A gap is necessary at the bottom of the fence so the compost can exit over time.

We added a couple of boards evenly spaced above the mesh to give us a little extra height for privacy and provide more area for climbing plants. We added a decorative brace mount at the top of the fence posts and ensured there would be ample space below the brace where we could comfortably add compost.

We covered the remaining exposed mesh on the posts with pieces of 4-inch deck boards. This left the posts completely covered, securing the mesh firmly to the posts and providing better support than the staples alone. We then added another 4-inch deck board on top to encase all of our work and give it a finished look.

With the exterior sides of the posts finished, we covered the two ends of the fence with three 4-inch deck boards. We had to cut all deck boards to fit our design. Our creation is a privacy wall; however, we plan to build composting fences around our property, and for those, we’ll be creating a simpler design.

Whatever design you use, the goal is to create a fence with space to add your compost, and to bring a bit of privacy and life to your surroundings. Your fence can be as decorative or as simple as you’d like. Best wishes for your composting fence adventures!

Laura Lavender is a gardener and illustrator. Learn more and find her work at www.LauraLavender.com.

Your composting fence can serve as the destination for tree prunings, grass clippings, and more.

Wild Jelly Wild About

Try foraging for fruit and flowers to get unique flavors.

By Jenny Underwood

Many blooms and berries are more than just attractive they can also be delectable.

I particularly like to preserve common blue violet blooms, redbud tree blossoms, elderberries, and autumn olive berries. Luckily, I can forage for them near where I live. Most can be found growing wild in many parts of North America and are plentiful enough to be harvested sustainably. One of my favorite ways to preserve their beauty and flavor for winter is to make jelly.

If you, too, want to put up these vibrant wild preserves, first be certain you can properly identify them, and know which parts are edible. If in doubt, get a good identification book, or ask an experienced friend to accompany you on a foraging excursion.

Wild Violet

Viola sororia plants bloom with delicate little bluish-purple flowers in early spring and intermittently throughout summer. Though all of the 100-plus varieties of violets are edible, I find the common blue violet to be the tastiest.

Violets have long been used for medicinal purposes, both the flowers and tender, young leaves, and are considered an antioxidant, an anti-inflammatory, and a blood cleanser. So, as Hippocrates allegedly said, “Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

These low-to-the-ground perennial plants can be found growing wild along streams and in the woods, as well as in sunny locations maybe even in your lawn.

Elderflower Jelly

To harvest them, simply gather the flowers in full bloom. You’ll need to pick at least 2 cups for one batch of jelly, and you don’t need to remove the stems. Place the harvested blooms in a preheated quart or half-gallon glass jar, and add 4 cups of boiling water. Cover the jar with a lid and allow the mixture to steep for 30 minutes. Then, strain out the solids and measure the liquid. Add enough water to make 6 cups. To make violet jelly, proceed to “Basic Jelly How-To” on Page 18. The jelly will be a light pinkish-purple and have a delicate sweet taste.

You can follow these same instructions to make jelly from other blossoms, such as elderflower, dandelion, and rose petals.

Eastern Redbud

We have several Cercis canadensis trees in our backyard and make use of them each year. The blossoms have an exceptionally high concentration of vitamin C, making them a good source of this immune-boosting substance. The flowers are a beautiful pinkish-rose color and resemble pea blossoms.

Pick redbud blossoms in early spring. Since the tree tends to be shrubby, you can often stand on the ground to harvest them. Gather the flowers when in full bloom by plucking handfuls into a basket held underneath the branches, or by raking your hands down the branches.

As with preparing the liquid for violet jelly, pick at least 2 cups of redbud blossoms. Place them in a preheated quart or half-gallon glass jar, and add 4 cups of boiling water. Cover the jar with a lid and allow the mixture to steep for 30 minutes. Strain out the solids, measure the liquid, and add enough water to make 6 cups. Proceed to the instructions on Page 18. Redbud jelly is an amber color, and its flavor is sweet and fruity.

Elderberry

Sambucus canadensis is a woody, perennial bush that can grow as tall as 15 feet. Beginning in late spring, these deciduous shrubs bear fragrant white floret

clusters that later become green berries. In mid-to-late summer, the berries ripen to a deep purple. Elderberries are well-known for their immune-boosting properties.

Elderberries prefer moist soil, so look for them along waterways, where they can grow in thickets. You can also grow the shrubs in your garden. In the wild, be careful not to confuse them with toxic look-alikes, such as pokeweed.

The easiest way to harvest the dark, ripe berries is to snip the branches and place them in the freezer until frozen. Then, gently tap the branch on the edge of a bowl, allowing the berries to fall into the bowl. You can refreeze the berries or process them immediately for jelly.

To prepare the juice for jelly, use a manual or steam juicer or an Instant Pot. To use a steam juicer, add water to the bottom container and berries in the top, then follow the manufacturer’s directions. You can also make juice by adding 1 quart of berries to 1 cup of water in a stockpot. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit for 1 hour, then purée the contents and press the mixture through a jelly bag or mesh cloth. If using an Instant Pot, add 1 quart of berries and 2 cups of water, and process on the pressure setting for 10 minutes. Allow to depressurize naturally, remove the mixture, and then blend it with an immersion blender or masher. Remove all solids by straining the mixture through cheesecloth. If necessary, add water to make 51⁄2 cups. Freeze the juice for later use, or make jelly promptly by following the instructions on Page 18. Elderberry jelly is a deep-purple color and has an intense flavor.

Autumn Olive

These large deciduous shrubs can grow 20 feet tall. Considered invasive in many areas, they’re most likely not going away. Elaeagnus umbellata produces abundant

Wild Violet

Eastern Redbud

Elderberry

Autumn Olive

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food for both humans and animals. The drupes are red with tiny spots or speckles and high in vitamins. Autumn olive drupes grow in clusters and can be picked by raking your hand down the branches but watch out for thorns. Though they can be picked anytime after they turn red, the first frost makes the drupes much sweeter. We use them as a cranberry substitute.

After harvesting, remove any leaves or branches from your fruit. A few tiny stems aren’t a problem. If you don’t have time to process them immediately, the drupes will last in the refrigerator for several days or will freeze beautifully.

Prepare the juice with a steam or manual juicer or by processing in your Instant Pot. Add 1 quart of drupes and 2 cups of water, and process on the pressure setting for 10 minutes. Strain out the solids. If necessary, add water to equal 51⁄2 cups. You can refrigerate the juice for several days or freeze it. When you’re ready to make jelly, follow the instructions below. Autumn olive jelly is red and has a tart-sweet flavor reminiscent of cranberry.

Other wild plants that produce delicious jelly include dandelions, wild roses, honeysuckle, wood sorrel, elderflowers, and wild plums. (Never harvest plants where they may have been sprayed, such as along roadways and power lines.) This is a wonderful way to add food to your pantry from nature’s bounty. So, get out there and pick some wild jelly!

Basic Jelly How-To

Follow these instructions to turn your foraged juice into home-canned jelly with

a water bath canner. If you have plenty of freezer space, you can also freeze the filled jars for up to a year. I don’t recommend doubling the recipe. Processing times may vary for your elevation; see the National Center for Home Food Preservation website at https://NCHFP.UGA.edu . Yield: 8 half-pint jars or 4 pint jars.

•31⁄2 cups granulated sugar, divided

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 package pectin (1.75 ounces)

• Flower-infused liquid or berry juice, processed and measured as above

Prepare jelly jars and rings by either sterilizing them, which will shorten the processing time, or by washing them thoroughly in hot, soapy water and then rinsing well. Place jars and lids in a large stockpot, and cover with hot water to keep them hot until ready to fill.

The Joys of Jelly-Making

This comprehensive guide to the craft of making sweet preserves includes 225 recipes for jams, jellies, marmalades, syrups, pastes, and more. All of author Linda Ziedrich’s recipes are based on traditional methods. Each type of fruit has its own section with an introduction on its history, cultivars, and growing and harvesting requirements. The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves is an essential resource for gardeners, pick-ityourselfers, and farmers-market shoppers. This title is available at Store.MotherEarthNews.com or by calling 800-234-3368. Mention promo code MMEPANZ5. Item #10435.

Mix together 1⁄4 cup sugar, lemon juice, and contents of pectin package. In a 4-to6-quart stockpot, add sugar-pectin mixture to infused liquid or juice. Stir well. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add remaining sugar and return to boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Carefully remove jars and place onto a towel-covered workspace. Ladle hot jelly into jars, allowing 1⁄4 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims with a clean, dry cloth. Place lids onto jars, add canning rings, and finger-tighten.

In the bottom of a water bath canner, place a canning rack, a folded dishcloth, or a silicone mat. Add hot water to almost the height of the jars. Gently add filled jars, and pour in additional hot water to cover the jars by 2 inches. On medium-high heat, bring water to a gentle boil and place the lid on the canner. Process pre-sterilized jars for 5 minutes, or unsterilized jars for 12 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully remove jars with a lifter. Place onto folded towels on your countertop. Let sit undisturbed for at least 8 hours. Check seals, remove rings, and label. Store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

Jenny Underwood is a home-schooling mom who lives on a fifth-generation property in the Missouri Ozarks. Follow her at www.InconvenientFamily.com.

Elderberry jelly has a deep-purple color and an intense berry flavor that’s both sweet and tart.

See #19 on page 87

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Injury Repair

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Sinus Infection

Sinus Relief o ers a nasal spray that is both anti-fungal and anti-bacterial in a convenient spray bottle. Super Neti Juice o ers the same antimicrobial power with soothing, subtle peppermint. Powerful tools to combat germs.

Rash Relief

This powerful herbal lotion is designed to relieve the pain and itch of eczema. while correcting the cause and repairing the skin. A healthy and natural approach to correcting skin rash without dangerous drugs.

Jewelweed

A Gem of a Plant

By Melanie Teegarden

Jewelweed has helped me out for a long time. I can remember one particular visit from friends. Upon arrival, one of their sons was obviously itchy and uncomfortable. He’d apparently handled poison ivy while hiking earlier in the day, and redness and blisters were on his arms, hands, and face.

Fortunately, a large stand of fresh jewelweed grew at the edge of my property line alongside a stream, and shaded by mature pines. We easily pulled up several of the plentiful, shallow-rooted plants; stripped the leaves; and chopped the watery, fibrous stems into small pieces. While I stuffed my blender with fresh jewelweed and distilled

water, the patient washed with the previous year’s jewelweed soap to gently remove as much of the poison ivy’s urushiol irritant compound from his skin as possible.

After blending the chopped jewelweed with water, I strained the mixture, soaked cotton gauze in the juice, and wrapped the gauze around the boy’s hands and arms. We left the gauze in place for half an hour agonizing for a small child to endure so long without the use of his hands. But he tolerated it, and the results were amazing. By the next morning, all signs of redness and irritation were gone, along with the itching. The blisters were flattened and healing. No further application was necessary. Once again, jewelweed saved the day.

Jewels in the Shade

Impatiens capensis, commonly known as jewelweed, spotted jewelweed, or spotted touch-me-not, often grows in damp woodland borders and along riverbanks, streams, and other shaded bodies of fresh water. These same locations are preferred

If you’re in need of a quick poison-ivy rescue, this common native plant will help conquer the itch.

by poison ivy, making the presence of jewelweed even more welcome when needed.

If you plunge the slightly waxy leaves under water, the clinging beads of water sparkle like jewels in the sunlight, hence the common name. This annual plant is a self-seeder and usually grows 2 to 5 feet high. It has tender, watery stems and alternating, oval-shaped leaves with toothy margins. The elongated, capsule-like fruit bursts open at the slightest touch, earning the plant the nickname spotted touch-menot. The plant blooms from June through September in most climates, sporting orange flowers with a bell-shaped corolla and a long spur. Jewelweed can be an aggressive grower and is known as one of the few

plants that can compete with invasive garlic mustard for space. It grows plentifully enough that there’s seldom a concern with pulling up a plant or two for personal use.

Native Americans traditionally used spotted jewelweed for rashes and hives caused by other plants, such as poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, and stinging nettles. Jewelweed was also used in advance of handling those plants to prevent irritation and protect the skin. The sap has shown promise against fungal infections and has been used to treat athlete’s foot.

Some studies have associated the effectiveness of jewelweed with its freshness; that is, with the fresh plant sap. The saponins in jewelweed sap may play

Basic Jewelweed Soap Recipe

1 Assemble supplies and ingredients. Read through the following instructions before you begin making soap.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces distilled water

Gather all materials and ingredients before you begin. In addition to the equipment described in “Cold-Process Soap Specifics” (Page 23), you’ll need a soap mold with a capacity of 2 to 3 pounds. Set out the supplies on a clean, cleared countertop; this will help prevent your forgetting any steps or ingredients. A large puppy training pad will help protect the work surface from spills. Make sure you won’t be interrupted by family, friends, children, pets, or the phone for about half an hour. Don personal safety equipment chemical splash goggles and gloves and consider wearing long sleeves to protect your arms, plus an apron or old clothing. When you’ve assembled all equipment and ingredients and you’re properly outfitted in protective gear, you can activate the lye.

• 4.9 ounces lye (100% sodium hydroxide)

• 16 ounces coconut oil

• 16 ounces olive oil

• 6 ounces jewelweed slurry (recipe on Page 23)

a significant part in its success. Soap is also effective at reducing poison ivy irritation, so it stands to reason that a soap containing fresh jewelweed sap would be extra-effective at warding off plant-related rashes. To that end, I’ve included a recipe for jewelweed soap (below). I make this soap every early summer, using last year’s batch as needed in spring while I wait for the young plants to grow. I prefer this allvegetable-oil cold-process recipe, because it uses more and fresher plant material than is possible with a melt-and-pour soap base.

The first step in making jewelweed soap is to harvest fresh plants. Identifying mature jewelweed is easy just look for plants with slightly waxy leaves and the

Place a second thick plastic or stainless-steel container on the scale, and in it, weigh 4.9 ounces of sodium hydroxide. Slowly and gently pour the lye into the container with the water, and begin stirring immediately and constantly. Make sure to avoid the caustic fumes by standing at arm’s length from the container as you mix. An open window, fan, or stove exhaust will come in handy while mixing the lye solution. Continue stirring gently until the lye has completely dissolved and the mixture is clear.

Note: This recipe uses what’s known in soapmaking as a “water discount,” meaning the original amount of water added to the recipe is reduced to account for the liquid in the jewelweed slurry that’ll be added later. Extra fluids will add to the cure time of soap. Ordinarily, a soap-making calculator would call for 12 ounces of water for the same amount of lye.

2 Mix the lye and water. Place a thick but flexible plastic container or stainless-steel bowl on a digital scale and turn it on. Hit the tare button to set the scale at zero. Never include the weight of the container when weighing ingredients for soap-making. Add 6 ounces of distilled water to the container.

3 Add the base oils. Measure the coconut and olive oils individually before adding them to the large mixing bowl containing the lye solution.

First, weigh the coconut oil. Because this oil is solid at room temperature, you’ll need to melt it. This recipe uses what’s called the “heat transfer method” by transferring the correct amount of solid coconut oil to the hot lye water. Do this gently, with a spoon, and avoid

When foraging for jewelweed, look in damp shade for plants with slightly waxy leaves and distinctive cornucopia-shaped orange and yellow flowers.

Jewelweed poultice eases the discomfort caused by poison ivy and other irritants.

unique orange flowers. Search along running water, a favorite location for this plant. You can easily pull up the entire plant from the soil, or simply cut the stem at ground level. All parts of jewelweed can be used for making slurry, but the leaves contain more of the natural saponins than the stem. Be sure to cut the stem into small pieces, as it’s quite fibrous and can harm the motor of your blender.

Jewelweed Slurry Recipe

• 5 cups jewelweed leaves, fresh or frozen

• 1 to 2 cups distilled water, as needed

If you’re using jewelweed stems as well as leaves, separate them from the leaves and chop the stems into 1-inch pieces.

In a blender, or in a bowl with a stick blender, mix the leaves with 1 cup water and purée. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add more water ¼ cup at a time. Strain through a mesh strainer to remove excess plant material. Store the slurry in a refrigerator for up to 24 hours, or freeze it in ice-cube trays for emergencies.

Cold-Process Soap Specifics

If you’ve never made cold-process soap before, read the following safety procedures carefully.

Only use 100% sodium hydroxide, commonly known as “lye” or “caustic soda.” Lye is extremely caustic and can cause severe burns. Make sure lye doesn’t come into contact with your skin, and avoid breathing the fumes. Your soapmaking environment should be free of distractions. Always mix together the lye and water in a well-ventilated area away from other humans and pets. Wear goggles, gloves, and an apron over old clothing. If lye comes into contact with your clothes, remove them quickly. If it comes into contact with your skin, rinse with

splashing. The coconut oil should be completely dissolved within a few minutes of intermittent stirring. The heat transfer method has the added benefit of cooling the lye water to a workable temperature without the need to wait.

Next, measure and add the olive oil. This will help cool down the mixture even more.

4 Emulsify with an immersion blender. Place the stick blender vertically in the center of the container. Tap the head of the blender on the bottom of the bowl a few times to release any air bubbles.

With the head of the blender planted firmly on the bottom of the bowl, pulse in quick 2-second bursts until the mixture becomes lighter in color and reaches a medium trace, almost a pudding-like consistency. (“Trace” means a rope of batter streamed from the spoon or whisk into the pot will leave a trace on the surface of the batter before sinking in.) The combination of warmth and agitation from the blender will cause the fatty acid chains in the mixture to begin linking up, forming a thick batter that’ll eventually turn solid.

You’ll notice that the blender forms a suction with the bottom of the bowl while in use. Don’t fight this; keep the head fully submerged and on the bottom of the bowl while you’re mixing.

5 Add jewelweed slurry. Once the soap is well-mixed and has reached a medium trace thickness, add the 6 ounces of jewelweed slurry. Stir quickly but thoroughly to incorporate. This will loosen up the soap batter slightly and make pouring easier.

running water for at least 15 minutes, and seek medical attention if your burns are serious.

You’ll need some basic tools and equipment for cold-process soap-making. Use a nonreactive bowl for mixing the lye and water either thick, flexible plastic or stainless-steel (never any other metal, and not glass). You’ll need another large mixing bowl for combining the oil and lye-water mixture, and a nonreactive mixing spoon or stainless-steel whisk. Use an accurate digital scale to get the precise measurements needed for handmade soap. Lastly, an immersion blender (also called a “stick blender”) is great for mixing the soap batter and getting the chemical reaction (“saponification”) going.

Melanie Teegarden has operated Althaea Soaps & Herbals since 2006. She sells bath and body products at www.AlthaeaSoap.com , and teaches soap-making classes in her home community of Johnson City, Tennessee.

6 Pour into mold. Pour the soap mixture evenly into the lined mold of your choice, then gently tap the mold on the countertop to release any air pockets.

That’s it you’ve made jewelweed soap! Allow the soap to cure in the mold for 24 to 48 hours before unmolding. Your soap is safe to use as soon as 1 week after making, but for best results, allow at least 3 to 4 weeks of curing time. Use a long, sharp, non-serrated knife to cut the soap into slices approximately 1 inch thick. Cured soap should have a consistency between cheese and wax. The lather and mildness will continue to improve the longer you wait to use the soap.

The longer you cure homemade jewelweed soap, the better the lather.

Humane Wildlife Photography

ing them to continue their lives in their environments undisturbed.

There was a time when the only place you could find jaw-dropping photos of wild animals was in the work of professional photographers published in National Geographic. That’s changed with digital cameras and technology. Now, almost anyone has access to the equipment necessary for creating wildlife photography. But it takes more than just equipment to be a skilled and thoughtful wildlife photographer.

You could make the claim that there’s no better way to enjoy wild animals than by photographing them. But is this engagement mutually beneficial? It should be. Far too often, the wild animals we love to capture with our cameras end up on the losing end of a bad bargain. Unfortunately, I frequently read news about poachers targeting a rhino or an elephant after a photographer took its picture and shared it on social media.

Rare birds turn up outside their usual territories and mobs of photographers follow, often disturbing the birds into flight or stress-induced starvation. National Park visitors even risk their own lives, and the lives of animals, for the sake of a “selfie.”

We owe wild animals the respect and consideration of allow-

Life in the wild is too often short, violent, and stressful without figuring in human interaction. When we take our cameras out in the field and encounter wild animals, whether bird, bug, or beast, we’re automatically increasing their stress levels. Whether they show it or not, they’re aware of our presence, no matter how carefully we try to avoid their notice. Does that

mean we should never photograph wildlife? Absolutely not! Wildlife photography has value, in low-impact enjoyment of the outdoors, in the challenge of nailing that “trophy shot,” and in painting an accurate picture of natural history and the importance of conservation. But we must do our best not to cause harm to our subjects, either directly or indirectly.

Approach Your Subject Slowly

Rushing headlong into the field will not only drive away your targets, but it may also change their behavior in harmful and even deadly ways. Our very presence in the field puts every wild animal on alert. This state of heightened awareness can, and often does, change their behavior. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of them tracking your position instead of the position of a nearby predator. Other times, while eating, your target may decide the area got too crowded and move on even if they haven’t fed nearly enough for the day. Or, maybe your attention will make the animal stop doing whatever it was engaged in like taking food to its young.

This change in behavior can have unexpected consequences, like causing a heron to mis-strike at a sunfish, leaving the bird hungry and the stabbed fish dying for nothing, or perhaps spooking a chipmunk into panic, dashing

Story and photos by Andrew Weidman

When you’re out with your camera to capture astonishing shots of wildlife, here’s how to respect the animals’ boundaries and safety.

Don’t crowd songbirds carrying food.

Your activities should never disturb your subject’s activities.

into the waiting claws of a feral cat. Most songbirds go to great lengths to hide their nests; too much attention can cause them to abandon a nest and start another, even if the season is now too short, dooming both sets of nestlings.

Get to know your subject, both by reading about it and by paying attention to it in the field. An animal’s breaking point is the minimum distance it’ll tolerate the presence of a potential threat. Understand what its breaking point is, and how it

communicates when you’re nearing it. Think about pigeons eating birdseed in a park. From a distance, they don’t pay much attention to you, at least not that you can tell; however, they’re well-aware of you. Walk toward them slowly. Soon, you’ll notice some of them stop eating and start watching you. A few steps closer, and they’ll begin milling around and disturbing their flock mates. Get even closer, and they’ll all stop feeding and begin edging away from you. If you push within a few

feet, they’ll decide they’ve had enough and fly away at least a little farther from where they first noticed you. The distance at which they launched into flight was their breaking point. More importantly, they communicated their discomfort long before they reached their breaking point.

Park pigeons have a breaking point of about as far as a toddler can throw breadcrumbs. Some wild animals, like the belted kingfisher, have a breaking point of “I can see you.” When approaching your target, pay attention to its behavior and act accordingly. Sometimes, its communication will be subtle. Wild ducks, for example, will nonchalantly keep an eye on you while paddling for the far end of the pond. Take as much as one step in their direction, and watch them burst into flight. Others are more demonstrative. White-tailed deer, for example, will look straight at you, stamp their feet, and flag their tails, just before dashing away.

Never chase after a subject that just startled. You’ll never get the shot you want, and they’ll go into full-flight mode, probably leaving the area completely. And never deliberately spook your subject for an action shot. Want action shots? Find a good, quiet spot, settle in, and be patient. If you haven’t flushed out your subjects, they’ll most likely settle down within 10 to 20 minutes, and then go back to whatever they were doing before you arrived.

Act Aloof or Hide in a Blind

Another trick that sometimes works is studiously ignoring your subject for a while. Think about a cat stalking a mouse. What does it do? It locks on to its target, never looking away as it stalks to within pouncing distance. Take a much more observant, nonchalant path if you want to approach a skittish subject. Wander aimlessly around the subject, paying attention to everything else, all while slowly edging ever closer, always checking its behavior for breaking-point cues. If it starts getting nervous, take an interest in something in the other direction, such as a clump of grass at your feet, for a moment until it settles back down to what it was doing. If you can, get down on your belly and do some crawling around to help you get closer for some great shots of a comfortable subject.

Distance, a long lens, and patience can yield photos of nest-building birds.

Blinds are even better for improving confidence, although they have the disadvantage of being largely immobile. You’ll need to set up the blind ahead of time in a location where your subject is likely to appear later. Then, sit and wait for it to arrive. It may not, but if it does, your chance at spectacular activity shots will be worth the gamble. One photographer I follow has a floating blind he built for shooting water-level ducks and other waterfowl.

Honor the Environment

Don’t alter the landscape just for the sake of a shot. This includes trimming obstructing brush away from around a nest. The parents built that nest where they did to give their nestlings the best chance of remaining undiscovered and safe. Clearing out brush for a clear shooting lane can alert predators to the nest or cause the parents to abandon it and the nestlings altogether.

In fact, you shouldn’t intentionally approach a nest during nesting season. You can use a telephoto lens from a significant distance to get shots of the parents nest-

building or feeding young, as long as you pay attention to their behavior. If they seem reluctant to go near the nest or are clearly watching you, leave. One clue that you’re near a hidden nest is a parent carrying insects in its beak. If it had planned to eat its own catch, it would’ve done that when and where it caught it.

Always practice extreme caution with a mother and her young. With most nesting birds, the risk of harm is entirely on them. With larger animals, that risk can quickly shift to you. You should never get between a bear and her cubs, for example, or a bison and her calf. It’s just common sense to give parents and their young a wide berth.

This next point can be hard to hear: Nestlings don’t need our “help.” If you find a young bird out of its nest, it’s probably a fledgling that has left on its own; the parents are likely nearby, waiting for you to leave. If it’s younger than a fledgling, you won’t be able to help it anyway. It’s illegal in most states to handle a wild animal, especially migratory songbirds. If you insist on helping, call your state’s game commis-

sion or a licensed rehabilitator and report the situation. That’s all you can legally do.

Never deliberately try to change a subject’s behavior patterns for a shot. This includes setting up bait stations and using calls. Bait stations change an animal’s behavior in disastrous ways, causing them to stop hunting for their own food and to rely on, and even expect, humans to keep them fed. For large animals, like the bear and bison I mentioned, this can lead to the need to euthanize them for the sake of public safety. In short, never feed the wild animals. Bird feeders are a special situation, as they’re typically left up and stocked long-term, and most songbirds aren’t adversely affected by them as long as they’re kept clean and stocked. Just keep an eye out for notices of local disease outbreaks that require the dismantling of feeders for birds’ health.

Calling in a subject with a recording may seem harmless, but calls work primarily by tricking a bird into thinking a challenger is in its territory. That causes the subject to become alert, trying to find

After sitting quietly in a blind for half an hour, the author had a front-row seat for this doe feeding her fawns.

its challenger precisely when it should be protecting its nest from real threats and keeping its young fed.

Be Careful When Sharing

Finally, skip the selfies with a wild animal. If you’re getting that close anywhere but at a zoo, it may not end well for you.

Your responsibilities don’t end when you go home, either. As much as you want to share your shots, too much publicity can harm your subject. Other photographers may see your photo and swarm the location, causing the subject to flee or, worse, stop feeding. In the case of visiting wildlife, such as snowy owls, wait a bit before posting your photos, preferably until the subject has moved on. Refrain from posting specific locations, especially of nests, rare species, and species at risk for poaching. Before posting your photos on social media, study them for conspicuous landmarks that may give away their locations.

If you’re new to wildlife photography, and you’re still unsure of what’s ethically acceptable, find a more experienced mentor to help you learn. Follow these guidelines, and not only will your activity not cause harm to your subjects, but also your photography will improve. You can expect

far fewer shots of recently vacated branches and retreating tails. Your catalog of basic portrait shots will expand to include compelling action shots and shots that tell a story. Even better, your portfolio will gain greater conservation value, and over time will help more people realize the value of our wild treasures, because you’re humanely photographing wildlife.

Andrew Weidman lives and writes in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where he has photographed everything from eagles and owls to mink and muskrats. He regularly posts his wildlife photos on Facebook and his Instagram account, @Andrew_Weidman_Photography.

No matter how cautious and quiet you are, wild animals will probably still know you’re there. Sometimes, ignoring a skittish subject will put it at ease.

A rare snowy owl brought hordes of photographers to this Amish farm, along with added stress.

SKIP Skills to Inherit Property

Story and photos by Mike Haasl

I’d like you to meet a fictional young woman named Pepper. She’s 18 years old and reads M E N cover to cover. She wants to make the world a better, healthier place. She dreams of having a garden, five ducks,

and a cozy cabin in the country, and to accomplish it all herself. She just has a few problems to overcome.

Homesteads cost money, and the price of land just keeps increasing. Pepper will have to work a long time to be able to afford her own place. She sees a couple of routes to earn money for her future

property, but they aren’t great. She could get a job she’s passionate about, but positions in her areas of interest probably wouldn’t pay much. Or, she could get a higher-paying job, but she may be miserable the whole time. Both of those options might include a hefty college price tag. Regardless of the route, it’ll probably take 10 to 20 years before she can scratch up a down payment for a homestead and 30 more years to pay it off. So, if everything goes well, Pepper will be about 60 years old when she finally has her little slice of heaven paid off and can think about retirement.

Pepper also faces the hurdle of becoming a capable homesteader. Running even a simple acreage requires a lot of skills. She didn’t grow up on a farm, and nobody taught her how to garden. She can read books and watch videos of people doing these activities, but that’s a far cry from getting her own hands dirty. If she magically had a place today, she’d have to build skills by “drinking from a fire hose.” It sure

This new program helps older folks find an heir to their property, while providing valuable skills and resources to a new generation of young homesteaders.

To earn badges, participants can complete a wide variety of skills, such as building a picnic table.

would be nice to have some experience with chickens before the chicks arrive.

I’d also like you to meet a fictional older man named Otis. Otis has a 200-acre property with two houses, an orchard, a big garden, a tractor, and all the homesteading gear you can imagine. He had to give up the animals a few years ago because he couldn’t keep up with them. His kids have moved away and have no interest in living there. He wishes a grandchild or another young relative would take an interest in his lifestyle, but he doesn’t know any young people who’d be a good fit. If he wills his land to his children, they’ll just sell it to the highest bidder. After his death, Otis foresees his lovingly tended garden, orchards, and the old house he grew up in being leveled. His new house might even be bulldozed to make room to subdivide the acreage. All his decades of work will be erased. These prospects sadden Otis, but what can he do?

Is there some way to help Otis and Pepper meet?

Funny you should ask. My friend Paul Wheaton devised Skills to Inherit Property (SKIP), a free merit-badge program comprised of homesteading skills in multiple categories. Young people learn the skills on their own, accomplish various tasks, post their results online, and have their results verified by others ahead of them in the program. The online accomplishments of

young, aspiring homesteaders like Pepper are visible to people all over the world like Otis. By completing the tasks, Pepper will not only learn the skills needed to run Otis’ homestead, but she’ll also prove she has the gumption, self-discipline, and pluck to be worthy of it.

How SKIP Works

We’ve defined 1,477 skills that are organized into 22 merit badges, most of which have four levels of difficulty. The difficulty levels, from easiest to hardest, are named Sand, Straw, Wood, and Iron. The easiest level requires about five hours of experiential learning, while the hardest level will take around 1,200 hours to complete. Badge topics are numerous, including gardening, natural building, woodland care, natural medicine, textiles, tool care, metalworking, and much more.

For Pepper to earn the Sand-level Textiles badge, she’ll need to crochet or knit a hot pad, weave a basket, sew a patch, make 20 feet of twine, darn a sock, and make a pillow. By comparison, for the Iron-level Textiles badge, she’ll need to make an entire wardrobe starting from seed! This involves planting the fiber or fodder crop, harvesting the fiber, spinning yarn, weaving cloth, and sewing the clothes. She’ll also have to make a yurt, shoes, and a few other things to complete that badge.

As another example, for Pepper to earn the Sand-level Natural Building badge, she must do three tasks from a list of six. She may choose to make natural paint, install a small wood-shingled roof, and make whitewash. If she wants to earn the Ironlevel Natural Building badge, she’ll need to build an earth-sheltered log home and live in it through a winter.

The program states how tasks need to be done and how to document that you did them. However, it doesn’t teach how to do any of the skills and doesn’t cover legal issues, since they vary by location. Part of homesteading and impressing Otis is being a resourceful self-starter and learning on your own.

As Pepper earns badges, she’ll achieve bigger certifications called PEP1, PEP2, PEP3, and PEP4. For instance, to achieve PEP1, she’ll need to complete 16 Sandlevel badges. For PEP2, she must complete 14 Sand-level badges, seven Straw-level badges, and one Wood-level badge. Pepper will choose which badges she wants to earn based on her interests and abilities. (It’s a happy coincidence that Pepper’s name is so similar to the PEP certification titles.)

The SKIP program was conceived by Paul Wheaton and created online by dozens of volunteers over thousands of hours. Paul lives in Montana and loves permaculture, so the badges are focused on homesteading skills he feels are

From left: As participants complete tasks (such as felling a tree and log joinery), they can earn badges based on the skills learned and level of difficulty.

appropriate to that area. If a participant is less interested in permaculture or lives in a warmer part of the world, the SKIP framework could be used to devise badge programs for other situations, such as organic market gardening, organic farming, ranching, urban homesteading, or desert permaculture.

Although SKIP is a fairly new program, 314 people have already earned at least one badge, and two people are PEP1certified. At least 20 “Otises” have told me they’re looking for an heir. While they live predominantly in the United States, some hail from Canada, South America, and Europe. Otises don’t need to own a property; they could also gift money to homesteaders who’ve impressed them.

Some people scoff at the idea that there are older folks who’d want to give their land away. But every time I talk to a group about this program, at least one older person says they fit the bill as an Otis. The more pressing challenge is getting enough young people cranked through the skillbuilding process in time to impress the aging Otises. As of now, anyone who achieves PEP2 or higher has an excellent chance of inheriting a homestead.

The SKIP program allows folks like Otis to view the accomplishments of people like Pepper while keeping Otis’ identity private. Otis controls the situation. He chooses which aspiring homesteader he likes and then contacts them to work out details; this could include onboarding and living arrangements until the property changes hands. The SKIP program doesn’t give advice, such as estate planning, legal, financial, or matchmaking.

It’s hard to believe the SKIP program is free, but it is. While people may need to

get some tools to perform the skills, participation is free, and folks can complete the tasks from anywhere. Participants can document completed tasks by posting pictures or videos online. Paul hosts and maintains the program at www.Permies. com; website staff helps with certifications; and people further ahead in the program help certify those who follow in their path. To learn more, go to www.Permies.com/ SKIP. Or, better yet, pick up a copy of the book Paul and I wrote, SKIP: Skills to Inherit Property, from M

N (see below).

New Opportunities Ahead

Pepper now has a new path to consider. She can spend a year or two developing her skills and proving herself. She could do this during a gap year, in place of

college, during college, or alongside a normal job. If she builds enough skills, her SKIP resume will likely attract the attention of someone looking for an heir. She might be able to “skip” the rat race and go straight to a paid-off homestead and use some of her new skills to earn money on the side.

Otis now has a better option too. His decades of accomplishments won’t be paved over. He can sleep well knowing that someone will love and protect his property as much as he does.

I believe connecting Otis and Pepper this way will significantly improve both of their lives. It’ll also keep productive land in the hands of people who will care for it and help make the world a better place.

Mike Haasl promotes permaculture homesteading and wants more young people to be able to own land. He teaches, writes, and builds community in northern Wisconsin with his wife and their flock of chickens.

A Framework to Connect Industrious People with Older Landowners

SKIP: Skills to Inherit Property is a bridge to connect aspiring homesteaders with older folks looking for someone to steward their land. Developed as a skill-building framework with 22 badges for homesteading activities, such as gardening, textiles, natural building, and animal care, this free, hands-on program is as rigorous as any college course. Accomplishments are verified online as you progress through the levels, and the certification process ensures the candidates are worthy and gives them worldwide visibility. Landowners can feel relieved; they can choose from a list of qualified stewards to carry on their legacy.

This title is available at Store.MotherEarthNews.com or by calling 800-234-3368. Mention promo code MMEPANZ5. Item #11676.

SKIP participants further along in the program can certify the projects of people following in their footsteps.

The Bats Get to Know Your Neighbors,

By Linda E. Bowen

People tend to have strong feelings about bats, whether that’s love or hate. Remember the adage that you’re afraid of what you don’t know? In the case of bats, it seems not many people are aware of how bats behave or, honestly, much else about them. These creatures of the night have always carried an air of mystery about them; why else would they move around in the dark? However, after learning more about bats and their unusual ways, many people welcome being neighbors to these misunderstood creatures.

Getting to know your bat neighbors will hopefully give you an appreciation of these tiny mammals. There are over 1,400 species worldwide. Most bat species in the continental United States eat insects, but a few eat pollen and nectar. A few species of long-nosed bats, for example, are solely responsible for pollinating agaves that are well-known for producing tequila.

The most commonly encountered bat in the United States is the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Although it enjoys eating mosquitoes, its favorite treats are flying beetles and other agricultural pests. Insectivorous bats provide free pest control to farmers and backyard barbecues and don’t ask for a dime, but just to be left alone to get their fill of flying insects. The economic savings of this free pest control is estimated to be worth $23 billion per year to U.S. farmers caring for our food supply.

From Gliding to Flying: How Bats Evolved

Bats aren’t rodents that fly. In fact, bats are closer to humans and other primates than any other species. This diverse group of mammals belongs to the order Chiroptera (meaning “hand-wing”) and has been around for at least 50 million

years, so bats have had a long time to adapt and evolve.

As it turns out, it was likely the bats’ intelligence that caused them to become voracious nighttime hunters. Bats probably began as terrestrial animals that found competition for food on the ground too difficult, so they moved up into the trees to hunt in a less crowded environment. They also began to hunt at night, since most other terrestrial, insect-eating animals would hunt or forage during the day. The evolution of flight may have started through gliding (similar to the way flying squirrels evolved from simple ambulation to gliding), which later developed into powered flight. Bats are the only flying mammals in the world. An amazing feat in itself!

While birds evolved to have hollow bones to lighten the load for flight, bats evolved with solid bones. Unlike birds, bats have almost no muscle tissue in their legs. Since the weight of muscle made bats too heavy to achieve flight, skinny legs won out! As a result, it can be difficult for a bat on the ground to launch itself into flight, especially for those bats without experience.

An interesting anatomical feature of bats is their ability to rotate their legs 180 degrees. When a bat lands on a surface, its toes face forward to aid in climbing. When the bat reaches its roosting spot, it’ll turn upside down, with its head facing downward and its feet skyward. At this point, its legs are rotated 180 degrees in the hip socket, so its toes now point in the direction of the sky to be able to cling to the surface.

Echo, Echo, Echolocation

Many published pictures of bats show them in mid-flight with wings outstretched and mouths open wide. This is often interpreted as aggressive, because many species will bare their teeth to scare off a human or another animal in their

You have nothing to fear from these creatures of the night. In fact, they just might become your new allies.

space. This isn’t the case with bats. Their open mouths are a sign of activity! Most North American bats echolocate to find their food and to navigate while flying. While a bat is flying, it’s multitasking: It’s echolocating, catching food, and then eating that food before continuing echolocating to search for its next morsel.

The open mouth of a bat during echolocation allows for the echoes to be directed toward its prey. After bouncing off the target, the echo returns to the bat’s ears and is interpreted by its brain to let the bat know where and how far the object is, including whether the bat has come across an immovable object, such as a tree or building.

Bats can determine when a moving object isn’t a desired food, based on size and movement. These echolocations are above the frequency humans can normally hear. Echolocation isn’t specific to bats, though, as other species, such as toothed whales and dolphins, use it to communicate. This is an oversimplification of how echolocation works, but it’s all taking place in nanoseconds as the bat is zigzagging in the night sky.

Now, you might think a bat would be capturing insects with its mouth and teeth, but that’s not usually the case. Instead, the ambidextrous bat not only uses both wings, but also its tail membrane to corral insects out of the air and push them toward its mouth.

The tail and tail membrane (called the “uropatagium”) curve toward the front of the bat’s body, so the bat can easily curl each toward its mouth to aid in feeding. If the insect is rather large, the bat may use its tail to push the insect farther into the mouth. Many insectivorous bats can easily eat 3,000 to 4,000 insects per night, with some consuming almost 50% of their body weight.

Tall tales of bats getting entangled in people’s hair perpetuate the misinformation that’s plagued bats for centuries.

infected animal’s saliva or tissue from the nervous system (for example, the brain and spinal cord). Droppings from any animal should be treated with caution, but not from the fear of contracting rabies. Abundant droppings from birds, rodents, bats, and other animals, especially when dried, may become aerosolized and inhaled, and can cause illnesses, such as histoplasmosis. When cleaning up any dried animal excrement, wear masks or other respiratory protection to prevent these diseases.

Bats aren’t interested in people’s hair, but that’s not to say one might not have flown close to a human while trying to snag that annoying mosquito buzzing around. The accuracy bats have in hitting their target is amazing, and they can hit it spot-on within the width of a human hair.

Understanding Rabies Transmission

Quite often, people are concerned about living near bats, since they’ve heard that being in the vicinity of bat droppings can cause someone to contract rabies. In fact, a person can only contract rabies if their broken skin or mucous membranes come into contact with an

Any mammal can contract rabies and pass it to another mammal. Rabies vector species, such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, test positive more often for rabies than other mammals. Every state tracks by species how many animals were submitted for testing and how many tested positive. Depending on your state’s location, different species may have a higher positivity rate and thus be considered the reservoir species for that area. For example, in Georgia, the submitted animal that tests positive for rabies most often is the raccoon, but in Minnesota, it’s the skunk; in Ohio, it’s the bat; and outside the United States, it’s the dog.

Safely Removing Bats

Having a bat in your living space can be scary, but following some simple guidelines can help. First, to contain the bat, find a small box and poke a few holes no

Bats are the only flying mammals in the world.

Left: A big brown bat demonstrates a wing curl. Right: A silver-haired bat curls its tail. Bats use both of these actions to catch insects.

larger than a pencil for airflow. Put a soft cloth without loops, such as a T-shirt, into the box. There’s no need to drape the cloth so the bat can hang onto it. Never handle a bat without heavy gloves. Put the box over the bat, and slide a magazine or piece of cardboard under the animal from the area around the head and moving toward the tail. Then, carefully scoop up the bat and invert the box. Close the flaps and seal with tape to prevent its escape, and place the box in a cool place to keep the bat calm.

When selecting a cloth, don’t use towels or cloths with loops on them for any rescued animal. These are dangerous for animals who can get nails or teeth caught in them. As the animal moves and twists, a single thread can trap a toe, foot, leg, or even neck.

If you find a hairless bat pup, provide supplemental heat in addition to the previous steps. Hairless bat pups can’t thermoregulate and will succumb to hypothermia otherwise. Hot tap water in a reusable water bottle will suffice for a few hours. Wrap the soft cloth around the warm bottle, and place the pup on it. Close the box and keep in a warm area.

Contact a wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible for further instructions.

Bat Conservation International (www.BatCon.org) has detailed advice on handling bats and bat colonies in your living space. You can also contact a wildlife rehabilitator for advice on bat observations and encounters. Most state agencies keep online listings of licensed wildlife rehabilitators.

Won’t You Be Their Neighbor?

Bats around the world are facing extinctions at record numbers from disease, wind turbine collisions, and habitat loss. They play a key role in keeping insect populations in check, but they’re dying at historic levels because of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by the Pseudogymnoascus destructans fungus. According to estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey, over 6 million bats have been killed by WNS since the disease was detected in North America in 2006. WNS has been found in 38 states and eight Canadian provinces and it continues to spread, contributing to the possible extinction of several species. It’s considered the worst tragedy to befall bats to date.

Let’s offer them protection in whatever ways we can. The easiest way is to install a bat house. Bat houses are primarily used to provide a safe, warm environment in summer for bats to have their pups. Bats don’t use these houses for hibernation in colder climates, but having bat houses around may help keep them out of your attic. You must place the houses carefully, and you can refer to Bat Conservation International for how to build, place, or purchase a bat house.

A holistic, integrative pest-management program can include inviting bats to become your neighbors. Let’s accept these “hand-wing” creatures of the night as an integral part of our community. We need their help, and they need ours.

Linda E. Bowen has been a licensed wildlife rehabilitator specializing in bats for 20 years in her home state of Connecticut. She’s also licensed to rehabilitate migratory birds. She has published work on bats and a children’s book, Tabitha’s Tale. Visit her website: www.Bats101.info

Bats provide $23 billion in pest control to U.S. farmers.

Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture

be eradicated until we make an adequate quantity of a variety of food sustainably available to the target population.

By Vandana Shiva

The industrial agriculture model has been promoted with the justification that it’s the only answer to food security. However, globally, billions of people face food insecurity. Further, because of industrial agriculture, 3 billion people suffer from chronic diseases.

Pesticide-free organic farming has thus emerged as a health imperative, and it contributes to nutrition, food, and health security. Over 30 years, Indian NGO Navdanya’s research has shown that we can produce more nutrition per acre through biodiversity, which in turn regenerates soil and promotes health.

Health Per Acre

Organic biodiversity-based mixed cropping is the foundation of health per acre, a system of farming that increases the nutrition produced per acre of farmland. The health-per-acre system promotes growing and consuming a wide variety of traditional local foods that inherently contain the entire profile of nutrients required by the human body. Organic mixed-cropping methods maximize the nutrition produced per acre and thus help avoid inflation of food items and the huge costs of transportation and storage.

This approach focuses more on the root causes of undernutrition rather than on the treatment alone. Undernutrition can’t

Focusing on the nutrition produced per acre provides insight into the impact the organic mixed-cropping method can have on health. Until now, we’ve focused primarily on the yield per acre, which assumes that maximizing the yield of specific food items will solve undernutrition. However, a few food commodities produced in large quantities isn’t an answer to malnutrition. Most agricultural commodities go to biofuel and animal feed. The fraction used as food can’t ensure the diversity of nutrients needed for health. To ensure proper nutrition, we need dietary diversification, and to ensure dietary diversification, we need to diversify our farmlands.

When used as a measure of effectiveness, the yield per acre of monoculture agriculture appears to favor conventional monocropping. However, when we change the metric to nutrition produced per acre and

Environmental activist and food sovereignty advocate Vandana Shiva presents sustainable solutions for hunger, poverty, and climate change.

compare these two systems, strikingly different results emerge. Diversity produces more nutrition and health per acre. Monocultures produce more commodities that harm health, both through nutritional deficiency and through the presence of toxins.

Organic biodiversity-based mixed cropping is sustainable, time-tested, intelligent, cost-effective, and an ecological solution to the problem of malnutrition. The evidence is clear: More biodiversity equals higher nutrition per acre. The low productivity of industrial agriculture is hidden through reductionism: Industrial growing isn’t typically compared with agroecological growing. Instead, modern plant-breeding concepts, like high-yielding varieties (HYVs), reduce farming systems to individual crops and parts of crops. Crop components of one system are then measured against components of another. Since the Green Revolution strategy has been aimed at increasing the output of a single component —at the cost of decreasing other components and increasing external inputs this partial comparison is biased to make the new varieties “high-yielding,” even when, at the systems level, they may not be.

Traditional farming systems are based on mixed and rotational cropping systems of cereals, pulses, and oilseeds with diverse varieties of each crop while the Green Revolution package is based on genetically uniform monocultures. No realistic assessments are ever made of the yield of the diverse crop outputs in the mixed and rotational systems. Usually, the yield of a single crop, like wheat or maize, is singled out and compared with yields of new varieties. Even if the yields of all the crops were included, it’s difficult to convert a measure of pulse into an equivalent measure of wheat, for example, because in the diet and in the ecosystem, they have distinctive functions.

The protein value of pulses and the calorie value of cereals are both essential for a balanced diet, but in different ways, and one can’t replace the other. Similarly, the nitrogen-fixing capacity of pulses is an invisible ecological contribution to the yield of associated cereals.

The complex and diverse cropping systems based on native varieties are therefore not easy to compare with the simplified monocultures of HYV seeds.

productivity allow a higher measurement of partial yields, they exclude the measurement of the ecological destruction that affects future yields.

Toward a Biodiversity-Based Productivity Framework

According to the dominant paradigm of production, diversity goes against productivity, which creates an imperative for uniformity and monocultures. This has generated the paradoxical situation in which modern plant improvement has been based on the destruction of the biodiversity it uses as raw material. In agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and animal husbandry, production is being incessantly pushed in the direction of diversity destruction. Production based on uniformity thus becomes the primary threat to biodiversity conservation and to sustainability, in both its natural resource and its socioeconomic dimensions.

Not until diversity is made the logic of production can diversity be conserved. If production continues to be based on the logic of uniformity and homogenization, uniformity will continue to displace diversity. There’s no inevitability that production should act against diversity. Uniformity becomes inevitable only in a context of control and profitability.

Such a comparison has to involve entire systems and can’t be reduced to a comparison of a fragment of the farm system.

In traditional farming systems, production has also involved maintaining the conditions of productivity.

The measurement of yields and productivity in the Green Revolution paradigm is divorced from seeing how the processes of increasing output affect the conditions that sustain agricultural production. While these reductionist categories of yield and

Plant improvement in agriculture has been based on the “enhancement” of the yield of the desired product at the expense of unwanted plant parts. But which parts of a farming system will be treated as “unwanted” depends on what class and what gender one belongs to. What’s unwanted for agribusiness may be wanted by the poor, and, by squeezing out those aspects of biodiversity, agricultural “development” fosters poverty and ecological decline.

Overall productivity and sustainability is much higher in mixed systems of farming and forestry that produce diverse outputs.

Vandana Shiva founded Navdanya, a seed and biodiversity conservation movement with farm headquarters near the Himalayan foothills.

Productivity of monocultures is low in the context of diverse outputs and needs. These high partial yields don’t translate into high total (including diverse) yields. Productivity is therefore different depending on whether it’s measured in a framework of diversity or uniformity.

In the context of climate change, the relevant metric is climate resilience. The socalled HYVs are low-yielding in droughts, floods, and cyclones and are vulnerable to total crop failure. Their yield falls to zero.

Traditional varieties bred for salt resistance, flood resistance, and drought resistance have climate resilience. Diverse native varieties are often as high-yielding or more so than industrially bred varieties.

Navdanya, a national seed and biodiversity conservation program and organic agriculture movement in India, has assessed comparative yields of native and Green Revolution varieties in farmers’ fields. Green Revolution varieties aren’t higher-yielding under the conditions of low capital availability and fragile ecosystems. Farmers’ varieties aren’t intrinsically low-yielding, and industrial varieties aren’t intrinsically high-yielding. Industrial methods also replace internal inputs pro-

vided by biodiversity with hazardous agrichemicals. Productivity in traditional practices has always been high if we remember they require few external inputs.

Thinking of the soil as an empty container; of plants as machines that run on chemical fertilizers as fuel; of pests as “enemies” to be exterminated; of food as matter to stuff ourselves with; and of our bodies as machines that need fixing externally when they break down, is at the root of the multiple crises of agriculture, food,

and health that we face. The destruction of the Earth and her diversity, along with the destruction of diverse cultures and rich knowledge systems by the mechanical mind, has left the Earth and humanity impoverished and more ignorant.

We need to make a paradigm shift from the violence of mechanistic reductionism inherent to industrial agriculture, industrial food, and industrial medicine to the biodiversity-centered, ecological, and nutritionally sensitive paradigms of agriculture, food, nutrition, and health.

Vandana Shiva is a physicist, ecologist, and advocate of biodiversity conservation and farmers’ rights. Her work around food sovereignty, traditional agriculture, and women’s rights has fundamentally shifted how the world views these issues. This excerpt is from her book Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture (Synergetic Press), available below.

Work with Nature to Regenerate the Planet

A synthesis of more than three decades of interdisciplinary research and practice, Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture: Sustainable Solutions for Hunger, Poverty, and Climate Change provides evidence-based solutions to some of the world’s most pressing crises in global ecology, agriculture, and public health. By providing an analysis of the multiple planetary dilemmas we face due to chemical and industrial agriculture, including land degradation, water depletion, biodiversity erosion, climate change, agricultural crises, and health crises, you’ll learn practical and evidence-based solutions to help combat these dilemmas. With a focus on ecological agriculture, this one-of-a-kind text demonstrates how you can work with nature to regenerate the planet, the rural economy, and your health. This title is available at Store.MotherEarthNews.com or by calling 800-234-3368. Mention promo code MMEPANZ5. Item #11736.

Biodiversity-based organic farming focuses on increasing the nutrition per acre, versus just the yield.

Growing and consuming a variety of local foods can cover the full profile of nutrients humans require.

How the Electric Car Killed the Corn Industry

Scientists have sounded the alarm about serious problems impacting agriculture, including more frequent and severe floods and droughts, rising input costs, and dwindling water resources. Through conversations with a few of these scientists, along with executives and investors in the AgTech and sustainable-food sectors, I’ll aim to illuminate innovation happening across the food-supply chain.

By Robert Turner

Iam a farmer with a black-andblue thumb and a science writer who’s terrible at math. I embrace a science-based understanding of climate, but sometimes I still pray for rain. And over the coming months, I’ll share in this new column some of the most pressing challenges facing how we feed ourselves and our communities, along with the most promising solutions I’ve come across for ensuring a food-secure future.

If you find yourself suspicious that technological solutions are the answer, know that I hear you. The organic agriculture movement of the 1960s was, in part, a reaction to the industrialized model for farming that was beginning to take over at the time and the chemical hazards it brought with it. Those early pioneers continue to point me toward a better path one without fossil-fuelderived fertilizers (which have risen in cost 200% since 2020), without pesticides harmful to bees and soil health, and without rampant food waste.

If we all switch to driving electric vehicles, the market could drown in excess corn. Tobacco farmers offer solutions. Robert Turner unpacks agriculture’s most intractable problems in a new column for Mother Earth News.

In other words, don’t expect to hear me pushing for self-driving robot tractors with built-in espresso machines (which are currently at work in California vineyards, by the way), but rather stories of growers deploying new greenhouse technologies and advanced microbial inoculants that are showing promise for improving soil health in their fields today.

Which brings me to one pressing matter and the subject of today’s story: as we navigate a future dominated by electric vehicles, what to do with all that corn!

Amber Waves of Grain

Electric vehicles (EVs) could drive corn farmers out of business and wreak havoc in the heartland. That prediction might surprise you, but consider this: Forty percent of the corn crop in the United States currently goes into our gas tanks, driven by a federal mandate requiring that gasoline must contain 10% ethanol.

Meanwhile, General Motors announced recently that it will most likely sell only EVs by 2035. Other car manufacturers have made similar predictions, foreshadowing a significant drop in demand for corn as a gasoline input and a potential undermining of the Corn Belt economy.

To get a sense for the scale of this potential disruption, you must drive through corn country, as I recently did on a thousand-mile trip crossing the Midwest. The cornfields here span east to west from Pittsburgh to Grand Island, Nebraska, and reach north from Minneapolis down to south of St. Louis. At 250,000 square miles, corn covers an area nearly one-anda-half times the size of California, or more than two-and-a-half times the size of all the Great Lakes combined.

That level of output has historically supported many jobs. Today, more than 300,000 corn farmers produce about 1 ton of corn annually for every person living in the United States. This is despite the average person eating only about 5 pounds each year (mostly sweet corn varieties). Aside from serving as a feedstock for ethanol, 36% of the corn crop goes into livestock feed, and a sizable proportion infuses processed foods and sweeteners, including high-fructose corn syrup.

The EV transition will only underscore a problem that has existed for many decades: We’re growing way too much corn, and we’ve avoided lapsing into a lopsided supply-demand imbalance by leaning into ways to use it all up. Government subsidies to farmers have soared in recent years to nearly 40% of net farm income in 2020 only compounding these issues, while begging the question, should we continue to rev the corn engine with taxpayer subsidies as it begins to fail?

No one can be certain what will happen to these corn farmers when EVs finally take over in a few short decades, but few industries could smoothly handle a 40% drop in demand without a transition plan.

What Tobacco Farmers Can Teach Us

Farmers are a resilient bunch. Growers in western North Carolina, where I live and farm in a region formerly known as the “Burley Belt,” have experienced market disruption before, when, spurred by a sharp drop in demand for tobacco during the mid-1990s, the number of tobacco farms declined by 97% between 1997 and 2012. The impact closed a 70-year chapter in the story of our region as a dominant tobacco producer.

But while the risk of market collapse is entirely inherent in any local economy dependent on a single cash crop, its wholesale devastation wasn’t inevitable.

Anticipating the impact the loss of tobacco could have on the region, a group of farmers and community stakeholders met in 1995 to look for solutions to the challenges facing those tobacco farmers. What came out of these conversations was the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), a campaign to promote alternatives to growing tobacco that focused on building consumer demand for regionally grown farm products by connecting people directly to food. The passionate ASAP champions convinced farmers to grow fruits and vegetables while at the same time lobbying local restaurants and grocers to purchase their products. From 2002 to 2012, the former burley-dependent counties saw a 98% increase in the number of farms growing vegetables, melons, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. By 2000, the group had opened a downtown farmers market.

The result of these actions is a story rewritten. Agriculture shifted from monocropping tobacco to growing a diversity of crops, along with grass-fed beef and free-range chicken eggs. Much of that food is now grown using organic and regenerative practices that improve soil health and biodiversity.

The largest city in western North Carolina, Asheville, now promotes itself as a “foodtopia,” drawing tourists from around the country, who descend on downtown restaurants to sample the area’s cuisine. Local food adds significantly to

North Carolina’s “Burley Belt” tobacco acreage declined by 95% in 15 years. ROBERT TURNER; PAGE 22: ADOBE STOCK/CRISTI

the local economy and underpins a workforce that has expanded to become much larger than farmers alone.

A High-Tech, Low-Waste Future

While the size and scale of the transition needed in the Midwestern Corn Belt is significantly greater than the shift we went through in North Carolina including the need for new markets, equipment and technologies, labor, cold food storage, and transportation and distribution networks I believe that, with intention, we can discover and scale solutions.

New tools and technologies that growers and scientists are testing today will help farms in the Midwest once again feed Chicago, St. Louis, and Minneapolis (and the towns in between and beyond). Solutions that build soil health while sequestering carbon are among these, including using multi-species cover crops, better crop rotations, smarter inputs monitoring, and no-till planting methods.

Takin’ It to the Streets

Join us on the “MOTHER EARTH NEWS and Friends” podcast for a conversation with policy expert Andrea MarpilleroColomina about the holistic systems needed to support green transportation, and the community space of our streets. Listen at www.MotherEarthNews.com/ Podcast/Green-Transit.

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA), or indoor greenhouse and vertical growing solutions, can help produce food year-round for local consumption and reduce our dependence on food from far-away places. News or even old methods might allow us to better target pests and disease and deliver the nutrients plants need more efficiently with less environmental damage to streams and waterways from fertilizer and chemical runoff.

Precision agriculture using satellites, drones, and high-tech sensors in the field will give farmers the data they need to make smarter field-management decisions. Imagine farm-optimization solutions that reduce inputs and costs, labor,

and waste, while improving yields all from an app on your phone! New foodpreservation and waste-reduction technologies can greatly increase shelf life. Better tracking, real-time data, and distribution systems can ensure food gets from the farm gate to the consumer’s plate quickly (and that any food donated to food banks arrives while it’s still fresh).

Disruption, like the fall of tobacco or the demise of the gas-powered engine, can bring positive change. After decades of monocropping, building soil health will be our first step as we walk through an era of agricultural (and cultural) change.

As I explore the scientific advances that might unlock avenues for solving some of the greatest troubles looming out there, from climate change to superbugs, I invite you to tap into your curiosity and walk with me. Until then, I’ll be sitting on the porch at my little mountain farm, watching cows on the green, distant hillsides, and writing about them; the solutions, not the cows. Well, maybe about the cows too.

Robert Turner is a farmer and science writer residing in western North Carolina. He serves on the board for Organic Growers School and is the author of Lewis Mumford and the Food Fighters: A Food Revolution in America.

The author diversified his Arden, North Carolina, farm by introducing cattle and vegetables.

Will precision technologies make satellites, drones, and sensors ubiquitous on modern farms?

ROBERT TURNER (2)

The Free Plant N Garden Stand A Community Initiative

things grow. The neighbors’ knowledge of plant science, however, was limited. They were elementary students.

The emerald-colored hutch on the edge of Rebecca Tims’ front yard in Tucson, Arizona, is a welcome respite for the eyes. But it was more than the bold color that caught

the attention of two curious passing neighbors. To them, it was a cabinet of wonder. Pots of various sizes and colors, garden books, plant starts in small pots, and a drawer full of seeds filled their view. They asked about the display, and Tims explained the joy of watching

Tims sensed the excitement in these budding botanists. She gave each child a pot, soil, and tomato and green pepper plant starts. She offered guidance about when to transplant them and how much shade and water they’d need.

This interaction happened because of an online community with a dedicated physical presence, which has bloomed

In Arizona, a new online community is inspiring thousands to share, plant, and grow.

Story and photos by Elizabeth Bellizzi

in yards like Tims’ across Arizona.

Aptly named Sprouting Shamrock Stand, Tims’ hutch is part of the Free Plant N Garden Stand (FPNGS) Facebook community. Members volunteer to host a stand on their property. The stands are a place for people to donate and obtain free seeds, cuttings, and plants. The group aims to grow gardening culture by connecting people who enjoy growing plants. The FPNGS Facebook page announces a community-building, youcan-do-it, all-are-welcome mission: “Get outside, grow your own food, and help others do the same. If you don’t know how, ask us.”

Tims joined the group in 2021. Her backyard garden is brimming in color from zucchini and raspberries to heirloom tomatoes and peppers and beyond. The Sprouting Shamrock Stand often contains seeds, starts, and harvests from her garden.

“We have a lot of kids in the neighborhood, a lot of retirees in the area,” said Tims. She established her stand to bring her community together. “Some new families just recently moved in. I thought it would be fun and exciting to get people interested in [FPNGS]. Being able to grow your own food and share that, and share that knowledge, I think, is what makes [the FPNGS group] so successful.”

Helping gardeners of all levels learn and share their skills is one of the benefits of the group. Most of the group’s administrators gardened and hosted seed and plant exchanges together for years. “It’s about our love of gardening. And we want to share it with our neighbors. That’s really where it started,” said DePhane Weaver, an FPNGS founding member, along with Anne Till, Silvia Messmer, and Deb Gain-Braley. Together, the longtime garden friends launched the FPNGS page in October

2020. What began with double-digit membership now has over 20,000 members and 150 stands.

“You don’t have to have anything [to offer] to take something, and there’s no requirement for garden expertise to be a stand host. Some stand hosts do it because they want to be involved in their community,” said Weaver.

Recognizing that growing plants can be daunting, Messmer said, “You can just start with a couple of pots on your patio and work your way up. You can learn from your successes and failures. And, really, we all started somewhere.”

Getting Started

As with any venture related to plants and gardening, hosting a stand takes work. The FPNGS group established a six-step process to help new hosts move from idea to engaging horticulture site.

Location is an essential element of business success. This crucial factor extends to plant and garden stands as well. The stand should be situated where visitors can easily share their items, such as near the street or sidewalk.

From bed frames to pallets to cabinets, stand creativity has no limit. However, shade and stability must be considered, given the potential damage from weather. Waterproof and windproof containers should be used for seeds and seed packets.

While stands are unique in many ways, signage is the common element. Hosts need to state that the plants and garden items are free. They should also post the rules of etiquette for the stands. For example, don’t block driveways, share more than you take, and never ring a host’s doorbell. Many hosts post their appreciation: “Thank you for supporting the stands. This is what keeps them open.”

Once the host has selected a location and constructed the stand, they inform the FFPNGS group administrators that the stand is ready for visitors. A number is assigned to the stand, and its address is included on the statewide list of stands and added to the group’s Google map. The final step is to announce the stand to the Facebook group.

Stand hosts often start with nothing but labeled bins and containers. A resource shared among the group are the free local seed libraries through public libraries. Another option, the nonprofit Community Seed Network, has an online map of seed-saving programs in each state.

New stand owners often find free garden items to populate their stands through the local newspaper and online markets such as the neighborhood network Nextdoor. Aside from plants and seeds, a list of items appropriate for the stands such as paper egg cartons, ziplock bags, labels, and coffee grounds is on the FPNGS page.

To maintain the stands during extreme heat or cold, donations of non-plant items garden art and books, watering cans, and garden pots are encouraged.

The Graybill Garden Trading Post in Arizona.

“We don’t let things go to the landfill,” said Weaver. “We recycle items and even repurpose old magazines [to make seed packets].”

Even unique salvaged donations with the potential for a new life in permaculture won’t move off a stand shelf without a marketing nudge. Stand hosts are encouraged to post photos of what’s available on their stand. Some create video reels with music to showcase their offerings, while others hold periodic giveaways to encourage members to visit their stands.

Marketing isn’t limited to stand hosts. Members help promote the stands they visit with a photographic “I was here” posted for the community from both members who take an item and those who leave things. These posts give the stand hosts more donations and reminds the group what’s available at a particular stand.

Community Begins Online

The appreciation of hosts translates to support from the FPNGS community.

Nature is sometimes an unwelcome visitor the stands. “We’ve had a couple of calamities where people’s stands were wiped out,” Messmer said. “Next thing you know, people are bringing all kinds of donations, and the next day, their stand is full again. We help each other out that way.”

To assist hosts who travel or become ill, FPNGS established stand co-hosts.

FPNGS members are ready to step up when needed because of a simple concept: They’re more than names on a screen. They’re members of a group that values their participation. A weekly post recognizes members by name.

This inviting atmosphere is evident in the responses from new members. One recent post reads, “I picked up my first goodies from this stand today! #55 in Tucson. I took a handful of the spring onions, a tiny little adorable cactus plant, and a few sprigs of oregano. I’m brand new to the area and love this idea! Can’t wait to start my own soon and give back.”

Making It Personal

While the online community is robust, FPNGS puts equal effort into building in-person relationships. It accomplishes this through two core activities: stand tours and plant and seed exchanges.

Stands offer a variety of gardening supplies, seeds, and cuttings.

The frequent tours allow stand hosts to connect in person and share best practices. Tours are also a chance for members to meet hosts. The tours are usually scheduled for about two hours on weekends. Visitors spend 20 minutes at each stand and then drive to the following nearby location. It may conclude with a potluck at the home of the last host on the tour.

Toward the end of the growing season, FPNGS members have another opportunity to meet. Seed and plant exchanges are held in fall and early winter. Bags of all shapes and sizes are labeled and placed on a table of donations at a member’s home. Attendees are asked to bring a food item to share. FPNGS collects and distributes open-pollinated seeds and plants and heirloom seeds. It doesn’t accept or distribute patented seeds or varieties protected under the Plant Variety Protection Act. The FPNGS online

disclosure notes that seeds “available through us are a combination of commercially available seeds and those donated by the community and shared freely with interested growers.”

Organized Management

Early on, the Free Plant N Garden Stand group committed to a narrow focus: Stand development and operation. There’s a balance between being welcoming and concentrating on its intent. FPNGS is transparent with its commu-

nity, and rules are posted for online and offline communication for all members.

The group’s success is also attributed to grassroots marketing. Since its inception, Weaver has communicated with members of Arizona gardening groups on Facebook to expand the group’s reach. Her outreach efforts are no longer limited to the Grand Canyon state. Plant stand groups in Texas, Maryland, and Oregon are also part of the FPNGS family.

Weaver also posts in countries with similar year-round gardening weather, such as Australia and Africa. “I joined [Facebook] garden groups in those countries and told them about FPNGS. I invited them to our page so they could see how it was run. They’re maybe not using the exact words, but I know that people are [establishing free plant stands] in other states or other countries, or they’re hearing about it and starting

See #18 on page 87

it, but how do people know that they’re there?” said Weaver. Thus, she likened the FPNGS Google map to bibliophiles who use the Little Free Library map to find free library locations across the globe when they travel.

Dispersing the Mission

The growth of the FPNGS group is akin to the dispersal of seeds in the wind. The group’s dedication to garden culture is spreading across the country. Ultimately, the hope is to reach worldwide to serve as a support mechanism for those who want to host stands. In December 2021, FPNGS became a nonprofit organization to meet these larger aims. FPNGS is a 501(c)(3) registered program fund through Legacy Global, which helps support those embarking on the charitable missions of their choice.

One of the FPNGS focuses is “to encourage permaculture and wildlife sustainably through information and tools for community and environmental

development” and to connect “neighborhoods and communities through a shared love of colorful growth. We use charitable gifts to support these local gardeners, farmers, neighbors, and companies solely to maintain the [stand] locations, replenish donations, and motivate sharing.”

Last fall, FPNGS launched a new initiative: A traveling stand. The idea is to expand community interest in FPNGS. A member who hosts the traveling stand must take on the responsibility of managing it for one month. Weaver summarized the new initiative in a Facebook post: “If you have been thinking about starting a stand, this is your chance to see how you will enjoy it, the time it takes to manage (social media posts, keeping it tidy, etc.), along with how your neighbors will respond and see what a positive impact it makes in your neighborhood.”

Ecological educator David Holmgren echoes Weaver’s belief in a community’s influence on the natural world. In his book Permaculture: Principles

& Pathways Beyond Sustainability , he writes, “Almost everyone active in the permaculture movement would agree that stronger development of co-operative relationships between people, families, and communities outside the large institutional structures is the perfect complement to personal and household self-reliance.”

For Gain-Braley, the ecological benefit of a stand begins with the humble seed. “We tell people to take [what’s on the stands] and plant it. And when you’ve got seeds or starts from that plant, put them out on any stand. That way, we get more people to plant things. If we could just get more gardens growing instead of concrete and rocks everywhere, everything that holds the heat, we’re all better off.”

Soulful Seeds More Than a Garden

Story by Britney Bowman

In 2017, Earstin Whitten and his wife, Dee, took note of a neglected community garden on the hospital campus of Saint Mary’s Health Network in Reno, Nevada. They approached the hospital administrators and began restoring the health of the land shortly

thereafter. Thus, Soulful Seeds was born. By 2018, Earstin and Dee had recruited a board of directors, developed a producedistribution network to serve two of the highest-need census tracts (defined geographic regions used in census-taking) in the county, and built a network of community volunteers to help maintain the garden. Quickly, the two learned of a large plot of land the county wanted to

use to support the residents of the Our Place Campus, a facility that provides transitional housing to unhoused women, their children, and pet companions. It took two years to work through the layers of government before Soulful Seeds could secure a sublease to manage the land, but it was successful, and the grassroots project has been developing ever since.

Today, supported by eight board members, one staff member, and more than 250 community volunteers, Soulful Seeds is thriving and growing on the Our Place Campus. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Brooke O’Byrne, executive director of Soulful Seeds, to learn more. Here’s what she had to share.

This nonprofit has put down roots in its Nevada community to provide fresh food, education, and support to those who need it most.

Photos by Parker Peterson

Gardens established by Soulful Seeds on the Our Place Campus.

Britney: What was the mission of Soulful Seeds when it began, and how has that evolved or stayed the same over the years?

Brooke: From the start, we’ve provided healthy, sustainable, fresh food for our most vulnerable community members. Soulful Seeds was founded on the belief that food distribution won’t resolve food insecurity. We’ve carried out our mission with a vision of sustainability. Knowing that food security is tied to income and that healthy food access is connected to where you live, we’ve built our gardens in the middle of communities with the greatest needs and designed our programs to address multiple dynamics of food insecurity. We teach people to grow food and preserve and prepare the harvest, we provide basic health and wellness education, and we use our gardens to offer workforcedevelopment opportunities that expand employment skills.

The most exciting evolution of our mission is the development of our garden on the Our Place Campus, because we can host all of these services in a hyper-local setting. Most families residing on campus can see the 3-acre garden from their back door, which is really exciting, because this view transforms their living environment. In addition to the obvious benefits of producing food, the garden plays a role in improving physical and mental well-being, offers access to a safe outdoor space, and provides an

inclusive environment for people from across the greater community to work together in the garden as peers.

I understand that your latest garden project is still a work in progress. What will the Our Place Campus garden look like when it’s complete?

It’ll be a busy place. We have 3 urban acres to work with. When everything is finished, we’ll have 32 raised garden

the garden will host daily activities for the 350-plus neighbors on campus.

What more can you share with me about the Our Place Campus and the community it serves?

The Our Place Campus is truly one of a kind. Washoe County designed the housing-first campus to address the housing crisis in northern Nevada. The campus is managed by the county and operated by several independent agencies representing shelter services, mental health, substance-usedisorder treatment, child care, medical assistance, case management, and now gardening. Each agency works within its area of expertise to ensure families have shelter and all the wraparound supports to help them get back on their feet.

Many Our Place Campus residents belong to groups traditionally marginalized by mainstream society. Of the 2021 residents who received services from the campus, 59% had a physical or cognitive disability, 91% had a behavioral health disorder, 29% belonged to a minority racial or ethnic population, and 28% were chronically homeless.

beds, six wheelchair-accessible beds, a 1-acre crop field, three large hoop houses, an orchard, an apiary, and a small training facility where we’ll host cooking and nutrition classes. We anticipate completing construction by the end of 2024, and when it’s finished,

What I really like to highlight for people is that, yes, developing a garden on campus provides immediate food access and supports the nutritional needs of residents. But what’s more significant is that many of these people are on some sort of healing journey. Whether it’s for a behavioral health diagnosis or recovering

Soulful Seeds offers food-access, education, and workforce-development programs to distribute food and teach gardening skills.

Founders Earstin and Dee Whitten created a network of gardens to deliver fresh produce to those in high-need areas.

from the trauma of being unhoused and needing to ask for assistance, everybody is on a journey, and the garden becomes this neutral space where they can connect with the community in a different and healing way.

When you think about people who are moving through housing shelters or maybe have one of the diagnoses mentioned previously, they’re usually marginalized in the community. When they come into the garden, they’re working alongside other community volunteers, Master Gardeners, people from the university, etc. They work alongside them peer-to-peer. It becomes a safe space for people to reconnect with the community and be included outdoors, which is something you don’t often see made available for these populations.

Can you tell me about your volunteers and the roles they play in the success of Soulful Seeds?

Our volunteers play a critical role they make everything happen. In 2022, we had over 250 volunteers working in the garden or on one of our committees. Volunteers come from the Our Place Campus and from a nextdoor residential treatment facility called CrossRoads. We also cast a broader net and invite people from the general community. In each of these settings, volunteering is truly voluntary. Nobody is told to come and work; it’s solely their choice. Most of our volunteers don’t have a set schedule, but they all come regularly once or twice a month.

I share these numbers to show that virtually everything we do is generated by volunteers. Our gardens are overseen by a garden manager, which is important, because many community gardens fail because of being unmanaged. But aside from that, we really don’t have

staff. Everything that happens here, from weeding to watering to even a lot of the construction, is volunteer work.

Once the garden is complete, our volunteers will have more assigned responsibilities as in, someone will be responsible for certain aspects of watering or weeding or maintaining certain sections of the garden. But for now, everyone pitches in where it’s needed.

Can you tell me more about your programs?

We offer three types of programs: food access, education, and workforce development.

Our food-access program is designed to serve Our Place residents. We distribute overflow to pantry partners. On days we harvest produce, we immediately distribute it. We don’t store anything; it goes directly to the campus, and any surplus will go to one of two community pantries with limited access to fresh produce. These pantries serve two of the lowest-income

census tracts and prioritize services to homebound seniors and veterans.

Our education programs focus on gardening education, food preparation and preservation, and wellness. One of the neatest features of these education programs is that we center them around the current needs and circumstances of the neighbors in the community. A good example comes from back in 2020, when we were hosting a cooking class and learned that many of the participants were living in places, such as motels, where they didn’t have access to a kitchen. We prioritize providing everyone with the resources they need to do the cooking that we’re teaching. So, that year, we gave away 150 Instant Pots and provided education around using them so people had the means to cook their fresh produce with nothing more than an outlet.

Our workforce-development programming is currently less structured. We’re focusing on teaching and practicing soft

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Most of what Soulful Seeds does relies on many passionate volunteers more than 250 of them.

P.S. Soulful Seeds Is Hiring!

Soulful Seeds will begin hiring for the 2024 season in late summer of 2023. Interested applicants are encouraged to watch the website this fall for more information. Folks can also subscribe to the newsletter via the website (www.SoulfulSeedsNevada.org) to receive the latest information.

skills (such as time management, teamwork, and problem-solving) in the garden setting. After construction, we’ll shift gears to add more structured workforcedevelopment opportunities linked to garden products that’ll contribute to the sustainability of our nonprofit operations.

Most excitingly, this year, we’ll begin developing a community advisory committee that’s providing a neighborhood voice to program development. The committee consists of neighbors and residents who inform us of what they’d like to grow and what kinds of education they’d like to receive. That way, it’s not us stepping into their neighborhood and telling them what they need it’s neighbors shaping their garden and education space to represent their own unique cultures and histories.

Where can readers find and support Soulful Seeds?

We’re most active on our website (www. SoulfulSeedsNevada.org) and social media (@SoulfulSeedsNV). We also welcome email contact (Hello@Soulful-Seeds.com) and respond to all the outreach we receive personally. We’re happy to speak with anyone who’s interested in replicating what we’re doing or getting involved in any way. We’re always looking for corporate sponsors and accept donations via our website’s donation portal.

Britney Bowman is a writer, artist, and pollinator advocate in Black Mountain, North Carolina. She’s passionate about empowering women, queer individuals, and other minorities in STEM fields. You can follow her journey on Instagram (@Mrs.Bs.Bees).

Predator-Proof Coop Essential Elements for a

A safe space for your flock means less stress on your birds and more peace of mind for you.

Story and photos by Stacy Benjamin

If you’re a chicken owner, you likely know that predators can pose a major threat to your flock. Until you see something try to make a meal out of one of your birds, though, you may not realize just how vulnerable your feathered friends can be.

Chickens are at risk for all manner of predator attacks — from both aerial and ground-based threats — which is why providing them a safe and secure home is essential. We prioritized safety when building our back-deck coop and attached run for our bantams, knowing that they’re small birds and especially vulnerable to predators. And I’m sure glad we did, because we’ve seen all kinds of unwanted

Incubating Clean Eggs

Incubating clean eggs is important, but what if you’re faced with a soiled egg that you really want to incubate? If it’s lightly soiled, wiping it with a cloth might do the trick, but if the egg is very dirty, you’ll need to wash it. Use a damp cloth with water slightly warmer than the egg, which will allow the egg contents to expand and prevent bacteria from penetrating the pores. Cooler water will cause the egg contents to contract, drawing bacteria inside. Avoid soaking eggs, and allow them to dry completely before placing them in the incubator.

creatures here, including raccoons, weasels, coyotes, and bobcats all of them in broad daylight, and all of them closer to the coop than I care to think about.

Design Elements

First and foremost, when constructing or repairing your coop, use sturdy building material that’ll fasten securely with no gaps. Small predators, such as weasels, can slip through the tiniest of spaces. It’s okay to use repurposed material to save on costs or to give your coop a personalized look, but if the boards don’t fit tightly together, you’ll need to patch or cover any gaps that are 1 inch or larger.

Flooring: Rotten boards or gaps in your coop floor will provide a potential entryway for predators and pesky rodents. To avoid this, we used cement backer board as the flooring for our back-deck coop. We expanded our coop several years ago and replaced the wooden flooring with the cement backer board, and I’ve been delighted with its performance. It’s a longlasting material that’s easy to clean, and it’s rodent-proof. We built an earlier version of this coop on top of the existing wood deck boards and, over time, I noticed feed was falling through the cracks onto the ground below, attracting rodents. I also noticed that the spaces between the deck boards trapped dirt, debris, and poop, and it was hard to get the floor clean.

Another downside to wood floors is that they can rot if they’re in contact with the ground or exposed to moisture. And we all know that droppings equal lots of moisture in the coop.

Hardware cloth: Our preferred coop design for both our bantam coop and

Cement backer board is an easy-to-clean, long-lasting option for a coop floor.

the coop for our large-breed chickens is to build a secure connecting run that’s screened entirely with ½-inch hardware cloth. This design allows us to leave a small door open from the coop into the run so the chickens have 24-hour access to both parts. I like this design, because the chickens have a way to entertain themselves in the mornings, and I don’t have to open the coop door to let them into the run.

Allowing chickens constant access to an attached run means the run truly needs to be secure. In addition to using hardware cloth to form the walls of the run, you’ll also need to keep predators from digging underneath. There are two ways to do this: First, you can line the bottom of the run with hardware cloth and cover it with your preferred material, such as gravel, sand, or wood chips. The second option is to extend the run’s perimeter wall to form a skirt along the ground that reaches at least a foot out from the walls. Then, cover the hardware cloth on the ground with your choice of material.

Hardware cloth is more expensive and harder to work with than chicken wire, but it’s necessary for a secure coop and run. Raccoons can easily rip or reach through chicken wire.

Doors and locks: Coop doors, windows , and any features that open to the outside, such as nest boxes, should be secured with a complex latch or locking mechanism. Raccoons can easily open simple sliding or swing-type latches that require only one finger to operate. You’ll want to use a type of lock that requires opposable thumbs. We use carabiners on all of our doors, and we use snap hooks to secure the hinged roofs of our exterior nest boxes. None of our coops has windows that open, but they have ventilation openings under the roof lines, all covered with hardware cloth.

Interior space: Keeping your chickens safe also means having an option to separate flock members if necessary. Our

scratch.

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run has an isolation area on one side that we use to separate broody hens and little ones until they’re ready to join the others. We used hardware cloth to build a divider between the isolation area and the rest of the run that allows all the birds to see each other, which is helpful when integrating new members into the flock. The isolation area can also be used to give a bossy chicken a time out or house a bird away from the flock to treat an injury.

Location: Lastly, consider placing your coop close to your home if possible. When I hear a rooster crowing in the middle of the night, I can’t help but wonder what may be prowling around outside. Our bantam coop is right up against our house, which means I can check on the chickens by just looking out the kitchen window. Having the coop so close can make for some loud early mornings, but for the most part, I enjoy hearing the sounds, and I appreciate the peace of mind that comes from the proximity. It wouldn’t be as practical to build a large-flock coop so close to our own house, but your circumstances may allow it.

Don’t underestimate the creativity of hungry predators; they’ll work hard to infiltrate a henhouse.

Hardware cloth is sturdier than chicken wire, making it ideal for predator-proofing a coop and run.

And although no flock is ever 100% safe from predator attacks, if you take the time to secure your coop and run, you’ll greatly reduce the chances of losing chickens.

Stacy lives on 5R Farm in Oregon with her husband, chickens, and Narragansett turkeys. She’s an avid gardener and soap-maker. Find her on Instagram @5rfarmoregon and @5rfarmsoap, and on her website, www.5RFarm.com

An isolation area in your run will allow you to safely separate birds when necessary.

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Take the hassle out of backyard chicken processing. Plucking a chicken by hand can take as long as 30 minutes.

Yardbird has revolutionized this painstaking and messy process. With the Yardbird Chicken Plucker, you can fully defeather two birds in 15 seconds or less!

Gone Off-Grid with Hoss Boyd and Kerena Reese

O-Grid, Grid-Tied, and Battery Backup Systems

Welcome to the first in a series of articles answering reader questions on how to cut the utility company cord. Hoss Boyd is founder, president, and CEO of TeraVolt Energy. Kerena Reese is an independent energy engineer. They’re recognized solar and energy-storage experts. Learn more about TeraVolt Energy at www. TVNRG.com.

What’s the difference between grid-tied, off-grid, and battery backup solar photovoltaic systems?

Lee New Braunfels, Texas

I hear from a lot of people who are concerned about the reliability of electric service when severe weather strikes their area. This is a good question to get folks thinking about how (or if) they want to be energy-independent. Costs are involved whether you’re energy-independent or getting your electricity from a power company.

Grid-tied is just another way of saying a property is plugged into the local power company’s line and is also using solar energy to offset the electric bill, but is still dependent on the company's service. A grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) solar system is a good way to reduce your electric bill, but with the added fees and taxes, you probably won’t get the bill down to zero. (This will depend on your utility company and how it accounts for your excess solar production.) You’re also at the mercy of electric rates that are rising faster than grandma’s biscuits. If you want to truly be free of those monthly bills, you must go off-grid, meaning you’re cutting the cord with the power company. Despite some struggle in the beginning, going off-grid has its rewards, and could mean the difference between surviving long-term power outages or waking up with no heat, water, or lights.

A middle-of-the-road alternative is the system that’s grid-tied with battery backup. (Note that off-grid also requires batteries.) More expensive than grid-tied systems, this option still costs less than the totally off-grid approach. Depending on the size of the backup system, it could carry you through a shortterm blackout and reduce your bill when the grid is up.

Hoss Boyd

The short answer to Lee’s question is that grid-tied means you get your electricity from utility company power lines; off-grid means your electricity comes totally from your own equipment (including batteries); and battery backup is a grid-tied system with batteries that supply electricity to your property when the grid goes down.

A grid-tied system will provide energy from the solar array only during peak sunlight hours (usually from 4 to 6 hours a day, depending on your location). The rest of the electricity will still come from the grid. This includes nighttime loads and electricity used on cloudy days. An off-grid system has no access to the grid at all, so energy use is limited to what the system can produce and store. Battery backup adds a lot of flexibility to both off-grid and grid-tied systems, offering self-reliance at night, on days without sun, and in events of grid failure.

Send Us Your Power-Full Questions

Hoss and Kerena will answer queries on energy subjects in upcoming issues. Email them at Letters@MotherEarthNews.com with “Gone Off-Grid” in the subject line.

Another safeguard for off-grid systems is tying in a generator. When the battery bank is depleted and neither solar energy nor grid power is being produced, you can switch on a generator to charge the batteries and keep the system operational.

Kerena Reese

Battery backup will keep your off-grid or grid-tied home powered up when the grid goes down.

WARNING: This product can cause gum disease and tooth loss.

SIP Root Cellar

Story and photos by Mike Johnson

In 2018, we expanded and remodeled our house in Montana. After deciding on a floor plan and arranging contractors and materials, we started the remodel in late March. We wanted to do as much of the work ourselves as we could, not only to save money, but also for the sense of fulfillment.

We decided to use structurally insulated panels (SIP) for the house remodel, as that’s what the original house was built with. While demolishing the old living room, I found that the shed-style roof was constructed with 10-inch-thick SIPs. Throwing the panels out seemed like a waste of good material, and we didn’t want to add that much plastic foam to our local landfill. So, we kept all the SIPs that were large enough to use. We wound up with three 12-by-8-foot panels and one 12-by-6-foot panel. I covered them up and then set them aside until I could find some way to repurpose them.

This past spring, I decided to build a root cellar something my wife has been asking for since we purchased the property in 2010. The land we live on is mostly level, so I couldn’t dig a traditional root cellar into the side of a hill. Instead, I chose to use the leftover SIPs to build one.

Side Walls, Back Wall, and Roof

Using my Kubota tractor with a 1-foot bucket, I dug a 14-by-10-foot-wide hole. As I got to about 55 inches deep, just shy of the 5-foot depth I wanted, I hit groundwater. I then had no choice but to backfill the hole to about 42 inches and compact it with a sand and gravel mix. This left about 4 feet of cellar aboveground, which was more than I wanted, but we made the best of it.

After leveling the hole, I placed 10-foot pressuretreated 4x4s across it at 30-inch intervals. The SIPs sit on top of these boards. I squared the 4x4s to the dimensions needed, leveled them, and then staked them in place using concrete form stakes. After that, I backfilled around them to help prevent any movement.

I had to do some work on the SIPs to make them fit my needs. I squared the ends using a borrowed foam cutter, and I lined each 12-foot side that would be sitting on the ground with pressure-treated 2x10s. I used untreated Douglas fir 2x10s to line the rest of the perimeters.

I’d visited a shrimp farm here in Montana prior to our cellar project, and the gentleman who raises the shrimp used SIPs in the construction of his tank room. He

Left over from construction projects, structurally insulated panels (SIPs) form an inexpensive and effective storage space.

Canned goods stay well-organized on shelves in the author’s cellar.

painted the entire inside of the room with Flex Seal to protect against humidity (he keeps his tanks at about 78 degrees Fahrenheit), so I thought I’d do the same thing to waterproof my SIPs. I put two coats of Flex Seal on both of the side panels. Flex Seal is thick, so we kept it warm in the house overnight to make applying it easier.

After applying the Flex Seal and allowing it to cure, it was time to put the panels in place. Because of their size and weight, my tractor would just barely lift them, so we resorted to rolling them on spare fence posts to move them around. We rolled the first side panel over to the hole and slid it down inside using 4x4s. Then, we muscled the panel upright and, using pinch bars, moved it into place on the far side of the hole, with the Flex Seal side facing out.

Next, we positioned the back panel. For the back, I cut the 12-by-6-foot SIP to 8 by 6 feet, because I wanted the inside finished dimension of the root cellar to be 10 by 8 feet. Then, using the piece of SIP I’d cut off, I made a piece 6 feet, 14 inches long and spliced it to the 8-by-6-foot panel to create a back wall that’s 7 feet, 2 inches tall. Then, I coated that wall in Flex Seal.

Once the back wall was ready, we slid it down into the hole using the same method as the side wall. Using 12-inch SIP screws salvaged from the demolition, I joined the two panels of the back wall to the inside of the side wall. I used expanding foam sealer between the walls to help waterproof the structure. We installed the second side wall in the same fashion as the first. Then, we moved the three walls into place and squared them using the 4x4s as a guide.

For the roof, we used the third 12-by-8-foot SIP. I wrapped the perimeter of that panel with Douglas fir 2x10s and applied Flex Seal. The roof is supported on one end by the back panel, which is why we made the back shorter than the sides. The roof sits on top of the back panel, making it level with the top of the side walls. To support the roof in the middle, I cut three 4-by-4-inch holes in the side panels at the proper height and spacing, and then ran 4x4s through the holes to create supports for the roof to rest on. I also screwed an 8-foot-long 2x6 underneath each of the 4x4s for added stability. I used Liquid Nails on the back of the 2x6s.

To place the roof, I leaned 4x4s against one of the side panels and then used my tractor to slide the roof up the 4x4s. After it got too high, we muscled it up the rest of the way by hand. I left the side panels loose at the top to allow the roof to drop into place. Then, I added expanding foam to seal the joints, and I tightened all the previously placed 12inch screws in the side walls. I added more screws around the roof.

Vents and Door

Using a 43⁄8-inch hole saw, I drilled a hole in the back panel and a hole in a side panel for vents. The back hole is 4 inches from the floor, and the hole in the side wall is 4 inches from the ceiling. I used 4-inch green sewer pipe for the vent system, because it’s almost half the price of water

To start the project, the author dug a 10-by-14-foot hole.

The author used fence posts and 4x4s to help move and position heavy SIPs.

Both side panels and the back panel in place.

pipe, and the fittings are cheaper. I installed the elbows and pipe and then attached them to the SIPs using plumbers tape and screws. I glued everything but the top elbow, and I left the vertical pipes full-length until I can get dirt mounded back over the root cellar. Once that’s done, I’ll cut them to the proper length.

I framed the front wall and door opening conventionally using 2x10s. I wanted a steel-insulated door. I looked at two local resourcing centers but couldn’t find one. As I was leaving the second one, I spotted a walk-in cooler door that was the exact size I needed. I paid $125 for it, as opposed to the $300-plus I would’ve paid for a new pre-hung steel door.

I sheeted the outside front wall of the root cellar and applied Flex Seal before installing the door. I insulated the front wall using leftover fiberglass batting from our house build. Then, I sheeted the inside. The inside and outside sheeting are 5⁄8-inch oriented strand board (OSB) leftover from the build. I used four OSB sheets total. The front wall also supports the roof panel.

Paint, Floor, and Final Touches

I wanted to paint the inside of the root cellar to brighten it up and make cleaning easier. Not thinking about how the panels had been outside for two years, I painted over the bare OSB without priming them first. Shortly after, I saw a water stain bleed through both coats of paint. To fix this, I covered the interior with oil-based Kilz. It worked like a charm. Then, I caulked all the joints and applied expanding foam around the 4x4 roof supports. I then painted the interior with exterior-grade paint.

For the flooring, I used 12-foot-long 2x6s that I cut to 10 feet, 3 inches long. Before installing the boards, I gave each one two coats of linseed oil. I also stapled some landscape cloth to the inside perimeter of the root cellar before screwing the flooring down. I spaced the flooring boards about 1⁄2 inch apart to allow for air movement.

I mixed and poured 17 bags of ready-mix concrete to create a pad outside the cellar entrance to support the stairs. I also stacked native rock around the perimeter of the pad. I’ll use mortar and build the perimeter up to keep the backfilled dirt in place. I built a temporary set of stairs so we could access the inside of the cellar to install shelving. We’ll pour permanent steps later.

Next, I built a “doghouse” over the cellar entrance as a temporary cover. This will tie in with the future garage we’re planning to build, which will attach to the house. Once it’s all connected, we won’t have to go out in the snow or rain for canned goods. It’ll also help regulate the temperature in the cellar. As added protection, I wrapped the entire cellar with 6-mil plastic sheeting.

Finally, I used dirt to backfill around the sides of the cellar. My tractor won’t reach high enough for the roof, so I’ll have to use a shovel for that part.

After installing shelving in the root cellar, we moved in all of our canned goods. It’s sure nice to have it organized.

Clockwise from top left: The front wall framed with 2x10s; the concrete pad outside the cellar entrance with temporary stairs; the finished cellar with dirt backfilled around the sides.

Growing a Garden Maiden

Technically, the “garden maiden” I created from reclaimed material isn’t a topiary, since she grows over an armature I built. She isn’t pruned into a specific form from the usual evergreen shrubs, such as cypress, juniper, and box honeysuckle. Instead, she’s studded with hundreds of clippings snipped from drought-tolerant succulents.

I used a metal tomato cage as the base. Turned upside down, the cage’s structure was the perfect form for a bell-shaped skirt. The cage’s pointed ends that are usually shoved into the ground extended upward and became the main part of her body from her waist to her shoulders. I then pieced together scraps of chicken wire and wrapped the wire around her upper body.

I wired two plastic orange juice containers (89 ounces each) onto the top ends of the tomato cage, faced upward so the curved handles could form her rounded shoulders. Luckily, I live in a town where people dump truckloads of chipped bark in vacant lots. I filled her body cavity with this bark for added stability.

I free-formed the garden maiden’s head from scraps of wire. Its shape is long and blocky because I wanted an oddball base for her wild hair. At the local dollar store, I bought a foot-long oval tray and a hand mirror. I broke the mirror with a hammer and glued pieces of it to the tray to make her face. Her eyes are two pieces of green sea glass.

To cover the structure, I used succulent cuttings dropped off by friends and neighbors: jade plant (Crassula ovata), fire stick (Euphorbia tirucalli ), blue chalksticks (Senecio serpens), donkey’s tail (Sedum morganianum), and more. I also added clippings from succulents I glimpsed on roadsides and in vacant lots.

My only real expense was a 1-pound bale of sphagnum moss I ordered online. I broke apart the bale, soaked the pieces in water, and used a screwdriver to work them into the wire’s 1-inch-square openings. Because the moss holds moisture, I only have to spray the sculpture with water every week or two.

My homemade garden maiden continues to thrive, and she recently celebrated her first birthday.

Sherry Shahan Morro Bay, California

Ace Up His Sleeve

I found a way to save water and prohibit weed growth around my garden plants. I recycled 4- and 6-inch vinyl and composite post sleeve covers by cutting them into 4½-to-5-inch-long sections. When planting time rolled around, I loosened the garden soil enough to sink sections of sleeve about 2 inches deep, and then planted the vegetables inside.

When I watered the plants throughout summer, I used much less water, whether by garden hose or watering can.

For established plants, I’ve been using post sleeves that were cracked or cut and

could be easily flexed and placed around the plant.

Jack Dimpsey Hummelstown, Pennsylvania

Good Gardening Questions

I’ve gardened for 75 years and am a Master Gardener. Here are my answers to the gardening questions I’m most frequently asked.

“Why didn’t my seeds germinate?” I’ve had good success by soaking seeds overnight in black tea before planting. In this way, I’ve had 100% germination with 10-year-old luffa seeds, and 40% germination of 14-year-old tomato seeds.

If you get seeds by mail order, be aware that rural mailboxes can become solar ovens. When the temperature outdoors is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the interior of your mailbox can be 100 degrees. I place a plastic bag inside my mailbox and leave instructions for the postal carrier on the front of the box to toss the seeds inside the bag and hang the bag on the outside.

“My tomatoes are dying. Is it because of mosaic virus?” You should always avoid smoking or using tobacco products around tomato plants, and wash your hands after smoking and before touching the plants. Tobacco can carry tomato mosaic virus, and your hands can transfer it to your tomatoes. I’ve had luck removing the dead leaves at the base of the plant and by filling a watering can with water and adding 1 cup milk. I sprinkle the tomato leaves with this mixture, repeating every 3 to 4 days.

Ramona Lahaie Ferryville, Wisconsin

Hooked on Upcycling

After the stretchy band of a bungee cord wears out, the metal hook with its spiral end is often still good. I discovered how to make use of the hook in my garden. The most difficult part of this project was removing the bungee cord from the hook’s spiral.

I was concerned about the weight of my pumpkins and squash pulling down their

Living Large

Up to Scratch

Livestock brushes, also known as “scratchers,” are a great way to keep cows, hogs, goats, and more happy and healthy. Though buying a cattle brush can be expensive, you can make a simple homemade scratcher for smaller livestock with an old stiff broom. Just remove the handle and then screw or nail the back of the brush head to a post, fence, or beam. If you don’t have old brooms at hand, you can buy replacement brushes for push brooms quite cheaply. Attach the brushes vertically for the maximum scratching area. For larger livestock, such as cattle, you can make a big scratcher from an old rotary sweeper brush.

If you have different sizes of livestock, you can add scratchers at several different heights so everyone can take part in the fun. Be sure to screw the scratchers to something sturdy, because even small livestock can destroy anything.

Sam Feldman Central Bridge, New York

vines from the fence they were growing on. So, I used pieces of bird netting to make slings for the fruit and connected the slings to the fence with the hooks’ spirals. It worked great. The hooks are very strong, so whatever you use to make a sling is sure to hold.

Tena Brown Dobbins, California

Using Her Noodle

Nothing smells better than sun-dried towels, sheets, and clothes right off the line. We’ve never owned a dryer. In summer, we dry outside; in winter, we dry in the basement or near the woodstove.

As a new gardener, I needed a reliable fertilizer source. So, I decided to get a rabbit. And then I read that a rabbit needs a companion, so I decided to get two rabbits actually, two of the biggest rabbits on Earth. My rationale for choosing Flemish Giants was more rabbit meant more droppings for my garden, and more rabbit meant less fragility. (I’d read of toddlers accidentally dropping bunnies and injuring them beyond remedy. Surely my daughter wouldn’t dare with colossal Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus.)

When Plato and Aristotle came to live in the garden of my little rented house, I wrote a line into the family budget: “$10 per month, rabbit food.” But in general, it doesn’t cost this much to keep them.

I let them out of their hutch on summer nights to frolic in the lettuce. Their size more like small dogs than rabbits stunned neighbors passing by, but soon the vegetables and flowers grew so high no one could even spot Plato and Aristotle in the beds. More rabbit, more garden.

Chelsea Boes Arden, North Carolina

Sometimes, we don’t want a crease in whatever we’re drying, so my wife came up with the idea of putting a pool noodle over the clothesline for a creaseless dry.

Dan Brown Okanogan, Washington

'Bee' Happy

All bees need food, water, and shelter to survive. But solitary native bees, unlike social honeybees, nest in holes, tunnels, or tubes. Online retailers offer a variety of houses for native bees, but since most are constructed from questionable materials, I decided to make my own.

Country Lore

A Better Fire Pit

Who doesn’t enjoy toasting marshmallows over an open flame, or relaxing in the glow of a fire under the stars? Old metal tractor-tire rims have long been a DIY favorite for building backyard fire pits. I made one by burying half the rim and placing bricks around the upper half. Although it looked great, fires didn’t burn as well as I knew they should. My conclusion was that not enough air was getting into the pit.

At first, I thought of running pipes under the tire rim, but I realized they’d become blocked with ash over time. I had an old metal rain downspout on hand and decided the curve at the end would be perfect for funneling air over the rim and down into the pit. I used a reciprocating saw to cut two slits in the tire rim, and then I pounded the metal level with a sledgehammer to create a support for the downspout. Finally, I wired metal screens over each end to keep wasps from building their nests inside.

I placed two of these air ducts on the windward side of the tire-rim fire pit. What a difference it made! If the air is totally calm, I find I can effectively blow air into the duct with a hair-dryer fan, but that’s usually not necessary.

Mary Martin Rexburg, Idaho

Harkening back to my Brownie days, I washed and dried a small coffee can and cut a drain hole in the bottom. I filled the can with paper straws and hung the can 3 feet from the ground on a flowering shrub.

I keep my local bees happy by planting a variety of native plants to provide flowers from early spring to late autumn, and I replace the paper straws frequently.

Margaret Nava Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Bouncing Baby Cukes

I had an old baby safety gate lying around unused. Instead of stopping babies from falling down steps, that gate is now in my garden with cucumbers growing up it.

Craig Grodman

Lehigh Acres, Florida

Drainage Advantage

The main problem with my new raised planter is that the drain holes get plugged up, even with the bed so far off the ground. I solved the problem by drilling four rows of six 1-inch-diameter holes in lines across the bottom of the wooden bed. Then, to

keep the soil from filling the holes, I cut lengths of plastic drywall corners and screwed them loosely over the holes. The drywall corners have zillions of holes that help with drainage but keep the planter’s holes from getting plugged.

If you try this yourself, don’t screw down the drywall corners too tightly. Also, I slid the handles of plastic forks and spoons under the drywall corners to keep them off the

Drywall corners help with drainage in this bed.

Country Lore

Can You Dig It?

I keep my hens from digging holes in unwanted places by turning greenhouse cellpack trays upside down and letting soil filter down through the holes. I can walk on the trays after they’re filled with dirt, the hens can’t budge them, and they last for years.

Mary Martin Rexburg, Idaho

bottom of the bed. I cover the planter when it rains so I can control how much water the dwarf fig tree I planted inside receives.

Lewis Brackett San Diego, California

Roof Rescue

Tall Douglas fir trees south of our house, along with the long wet season here in the Pacific Northwest, create a perfect habitat for thick moss to grow. I’d been putting off

Luffa Ladder

removing that moss for years. My procrastination was spurred on by the thought of climbing onto the roof at age 71, or by paying an exorbitant amount for someone else do it, if they’d even come to the house at all.

Then, I decided to try using a garden hoe to pull off the moss while standing on my orchard ladder. I’ve used the three-legged ladder for years, so I trust it and feel comfortable setting the legs. I cut a 13-footlong pole from the property and taped it

I’ve been growing luffas in southeastern Michigan for many years. For a trellis to support the vines, I asked people for their old wooden ladders and promised them a luffa if I was able to harvest any. I got plenty of old ladders that way.

I constructed the trellis by spacing out the ladders in my garden, driving stakes into the ground beside each ladder leg, and screwing the ladder legs to the stakes. Between the tops of the ladders, I placed long 2-inch-wide strips of wood. Then, I strung lengths of twine back and forth between the top strips of wood, and also up and down and between the rungs of each ladder, making sure the strings were tight enough to support the weight of the gourdladen vines when they grew high enough. As you can see by the photo, my ladder trellis worked well. I’ve been an organic gardener for 50 years, teach gardening classes, and have developed a no-till method that many people have successfully used.

Deanna White Ypsilanti, Michigan

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Maximizing the Mat

This year, I found an additional use for my countertop vegetable-drying mat. After I wash my greens and shake off the water, I lay them on the mat, roll it up, bind it with rubber bands, and put it in the refrigerator. This keeps the greens cold, fresh, and ready to eat for up to a few days!

Deanna White Ypsilanti, Michigan

to the handle of the hoe, and I climbed to the fourth step from the top of the ladder. By pushing the pole uphill, with the hoe held in an upside-down position (that is, business edge facing up), I could reach the peak of the roof. Then, it was simple to rotate the pole so the hoe blade faced down, and I could use the combined weight of the hoe and pole to scrape the moss down to the gutter.

It took awhile, but it worked great and saved a bundle of money in the process. I was firmly supported on the sturdy ladder. Two important tips: Take your time setting

For the Birds and the Bees

the ladder properly, and slow and steady wins the race.

Keith Keyser Friday Harbor, Washington

We Pay for Top Tips

Do you have handy home, farm, or garden advice? We’ll pay you $25 for each tip we publish, plus another $25 if we use your photos. So, send your niftiest tips to us at Letters@MotherEarthNews.com.

When planning my garden, I always include a variety of sunflowers. They’re available in different heights and beautiful colors. They’re beneficial to bees, and having more bees will definitely help improve your garden! I like to plant sunflowers around the perimeter of my plots. They add vibrant colors for curb appeal. And if you plant enough of them, sunflowers can also be used as a tasty snack or as an addition to your recipes.

You can fill your wild bird feeder with these treats, and if you have a flock of chickens, you can feed the seeds to them. My hens love to peck at sunflower heads!

Patti Capalongo Ithaca, New York

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Buying a Pork Share

I’m looking into buying a pig share. Where should I start?

Start at a farmers market, talking to farmers who sell meat. Chances are if they sell cuts of meat, they’ll also sell half- and whole pigs if you order in advance. (Because only a limited number of slaughterhouses handle meat from small-scale farmers, the farmers must reserve slaughtering and butchering time well in advance.) For the half-pig I reserved last August, the only slaughter dates still available were at the end of December. That allowed me plenty of time to organize my freezer.

Choosing a Farmer, and Whole-Pig Prices

I chose a farmer based first on trust, and then on price, breed, the pig’s diet, and whether I could fill out my own cut sheet.

The price for my half-pig in Vermont, where prices tend to be high was $6 per pound hanging weight, the weight after the carcass has been cleaned of the inedible parts: skin, blood, guts. What you actually get is about 75% of that weight, depending mainly on whether you ask for all the cuts. In my recent purchase of a Tamworth-Berkshire half-pig that was slaughtered at 24 weeks and weighed about 250 pounds, the hanging weight for half was 100 pounds. I paid $600 and received about 75 pounds of meat, which included the leaf lard, back fat, half-head, neck bones and trotters, and all the chops and roasts on the bone.

As a result, I actually paid $8 per pound, or $1 to $3 less per pound than I would’ve paid at the farmers market (depending on the cut), but at least four times more than I would’ve paid for supermarket pork (again, depending on the cut). That I paid more per pound than I would’ve at the supermarket is fine by me, because supermarket pork is loaded with antibiotics, is potentially contaminated with all sorts of bacteria and other toxic substances, and was miserably raised on concrete and inside steel grates. By contrast, my pig was raised on pasture and forest forage, improving not degrading the land. Its diet was supplemented with milk (efficiently using leftovers from a nearby artisan butter-maker) and non-GMO grain. Plus, pasture-raised pork contains higher levels of vitamins D and E and healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

How to Fill Out a Cut Sheet for Whole-Pig Orders

You can have your farmer or the butcher make choices about the cuts of meat you’ll get, or you can fill out a cut sheet. To understand a cut sheet, you must first understand that an animal is divided into “primals,” a term that refers to the largest subsections of the animal.

There are four pork primals: shoulder, loin, belly (side), and leg (ham). A cut sheet will go through each primal and let you decide which roasts you want and the size of the roasts. Or, you can choose chops from that same cut generally, roasts and chops are an either-or choice. You can ask for certain cuts to be ground or just specify having all the scraps ground. The ground meat can be turned into fresh sausage, usually a choice of sweet or hot Italian or breakfast sausage. You can specify which cuts you want smoked. You can ask for lard, the tail, the heart, the liver, the tongue, and the head.

Here’s what I got:

• Half-head

•21⁄2 pounds neck bones (for stew)

• 2 (3-pound) Boston butt roasts (great for barbecue)

• 2 (3-to-4-pound) shoulder roasts (also great for barbecue)

• 1-pound tenderloin

• 11 (1⁄2-pound) pork chops cut 1 inch thick

• 2 small racks of ribs

• 4 (1-pound) country-style ribs

• 6 (3⁄4-to-1-pound) sirloin pork chops cut 1 inch thick

• 8 (1-pound) slabs fresh pork belly (I like to cure my own bacon and braise this cut)

• 2 split hams, smoked (4 to 5 pounds each)

• 2 ham hocks, smoked (great addition to beans and bean soups)

• 4 trotters (I got 2 extra; also a great addition to beans)

• 3 (1-pound) packages leaf lard (to render for cooking and baking)

• 2 (11⁄2-pound) back fat (to cure for salt pork)

• 4 (1-pound) packages ground pork

All of this meat, 75 pounds, mostly fit onto two shelves of a standard upright freezer. I organized the smaller packages in jumbo zip-top bags to make it easier to retrieve the cuts I want to cook. I’ll render the lard for baking and cooking and cure the back fat to make salt pork.

You’ll make some mistakes the first time you fill out a cut sheet. For example, I would’ve liked more ground pork and should’ve asked for the sirloin chops to be ground. You can avoid some mistakes by downloading the most detailed cut sheets you can find online. Sometimes, a different cut sheet will point out different choices you can make.

Bottom line: I have a freezer full of succulent, milk-fed pork, and I’m enjoying every morsel of it.

Andrea Chesman

Pork purchased from the farmers market comes from happier, healthier pigs.

Free Gardening

I’m a beginning gardener, and I’m anxious about the upfront costs. What are some ways I can save money on getting my garden started?

If you’re creative, flexible, and water-wise, you can grow food for almost no money. Here are some of the things I’ve found free of charge in the past year, with the approximate prices if purchased new, and my sources.

Water can be a big expense in gardening, especially if you’re supplied by city water. However, water can also be “found.” We have a small bucket in the kitchen sink that collects hand-washing water, water from rinsing produce, and water left over in drinking glasses. We have a 5-gallon bucket in the shower that catches water as the shower warms up (over a gallon per shower). And we have almost 1,000 gallons of rainwater storage in various containers, ranging from 55-gallon drums from the salvage yard up to a 350gallon container from Craigslist. We use all this water on fruit trees, raspberry canes, landscape bushes, squash, cucumbers, peas, and beans. This water goes directly into the soil; we don’t use it on leafy greens.

In addition, we run the greywater from the washing machine out to the fruit trees. (This is legal in my state and county.) It runs into a gravel bed adjacent to the trees and provides all the water the trees get in summer. Our summer temperatures reach up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and average in the upper 80s. We remain in the lowest tier for our urban water bill even though we’re 100% self-sufficient for vegetables in summer and 75% self-sufficient in winter.

I grow only the seeds I can get free. I like the adventure of this, never knowing what I’ll get. I volunteer at a community garden, and the volunteers receive some seeds. Once you work with other gardeners, a whole network of trading opens up to you. Neighbors are usually eager to trade if they garden too. A nearby town has a seed bank where all the seeds are grown on the property, saved, and then given out to the community. These seeds are special to me, because they’re fresh, free, and proven to grow well where I live. They’re also open-pollinated, so I can save seeds from them myself. My Buy Nothing group includes other gardeners, and I’ve asked for, and received, rhubarb crowns and compost tum-

blers. I’ve also given away countless seedlings through this group.

In addition to saving money with free gardening, growing your own food has environmental and social impacts. Food that’s not shipped long distances saves the burning of fossil fuels in transportation. Gardening is a social activity, and when we join with our friends and neighbors, we all become more self-sufficient and resilient, with a network to help us through the hard times and to celebrate the good times. So, next time you hear people saying growing a food garden doesn’t make financial sense, I hope you’ll remember some of my experience.

Karen Dawson

Grow Cucumber-Melons

I was recently given some seeds for cucumber-melons; will the resulting fruit resemble cucumbers?

When I say the word “cucumber,” perhaps your imagination conjures up a cylindrical, dark-green, juicy, thick-skinned fruit that can be a bit bitter. Or, maybe you envision a long English or a thin-skinned Persian cucumber. But what if you could envision and experience something wonderfully distinct? That’s what your seeds have in store.

While today’s standard cucumbers are the species Cucumis sativus, which originated in India, the Western world once defined cucumbers as a type of muskmelon (Cucumis melo). Originating from Africa, these

cucumber-melons are picked in their tenderyet-crisp immature state, like zucchini, and then eaten as gourmet cucumbers. (“Cucamelons,” on the other hand, are Mexican sour gherkins, a different genus and species from cucumbers and muskmelons.)

The most recognizable cucumber-melon today is a snake melon. Often referred to as “Armenian cucumbers” by Americans, these slender muskmelons are often considered a specialty cucumber variety. While many think of snake melons as pale, some varieties are dark, striped, or splotched. Admirers of this type of cucumber prize its flesh for being bitter-free and gentle on the stomach. Though they can be grown in a variety of climates, similar to other muskmelons, they perform best in hot, dry conditions.

But not all cucumber-melons are long. A shorter type of muskmelon that’s picked like a zucchini and eaten as a cucumber is the ‘Carosello.’ These cucumbers bear a resemblance to zucchini so striking that they’ve perplexed even seasoned gardeners. Like zucchini, the first flush of fruit sets in clusters around the crown of the plant. The fruit itself shares many of the same color and shape variations admired in zucchini. The fruit’s color can be light, dark, striped, splotched, or checkered, while the shape can be round, oval, or almond-shaped with smooth or scalloped edges. To top off the resemblance, if the fruit isn’t regularly harvested, it’ll quickly size up. In addition to the benefits growers admire in snake melons, ‘Carosello’ often exhibits a tender-yet-crisp texture and a rich flavor not generally associated with cucumbers.

Despite the past popularity of snake melons and ‘Carosello’ cucumbers, demand began to diminish with the introduction of Indian cucumbers into Europe in the 7th century. Perhaps people changed their tastes to favor a cucumber with a slightly bitter rind, or perhaps the climate changed so wet, cool conditions favored Cucumis sativus. More likely, the thick rind and firm flesh of the Cucumis sativus made it more favorable for storage and transport. In any case, cucumbers aren’t quite what they once were.

This knowledge provides a slightly broader perspective on what defines a cucumber. Perhaps you could call a cucumber a fruit from a vine that’s juicy and crisp. So plant those seeds and enjoy the delicious results.

Jay Tracy

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SUBPOD IN-GARDEN COMPOST SYSTEM

ESSENTIALS BUNDLE

This versatile compost system and worm farm sits below soil level. Submerged in your garden bed, it keeps your compost where you need it most and provides functional outdoor seating. Naturally insulated, fully pest-proof and completely odorless, you can keep your compost healthy in just 5 minutes a week! Plus, the included Worm Blankets will keep your worms comfortable in all types of weather. Just soak in water, ring them out and pop them on top of your compost. Made from the same plant as burlap, jute felt is naturally biodegradable and free from pollutants.

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BEST SELLER

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A great way to start a diverse mushroom garden, this pack of 500 shiitake mushroom plugs also makes an excellent gift for a beginning mushroom farmer or gardener! Shiitakes are one of the easiest and most prolific, forgiving mushrooms to grow on logs for all skill levels. Because each mushroom kit is freshly packed to order, please allow five days to ship your order. Only available for shipment to continental United States addresses

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15-PACK OF 9-INCH PLANT MARKERS: TERRA COTTA, BLACK, DARK GREEN, WHITE, WHITE STONE

Feel great about your garden and reduce your carbon footprint with these biodegradable plant markers. Made to last in every kind of weather, these plant markers will be marking your garden plants for years to come! Each pack comes with 15 plant markers.

DIY MUSHROOM CULTIVATION

DIY Mushroom Cultivation is the ideal guide for getting started in the fascinating and delicious world of fungiculture. With fullcolor photos and step-by-step instructions, this book will prove an invaluable resource for everything from setting up a home growing space to harvesting, processing, and using mushrooms in cooking. Also available as an e-book!

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LION'S MANE MUSHROOM FRUITING KIT

A mushroom that tastes like crabmeat!

THE ORGANIC MANUAL, 5TH EDITION

The organic method is the most efficient, most cost effective, and most fun of any approach. It also produces the best trees, shrubs, flowers, fruits, and vegetables that you’ll ever grow. In this updated edition of The Organic Manual, author Howard Garrett explains bed preparation, planting, pest control, and compost making. It also covers natural living advice so you can organically grow the best garden possible.

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Hericium fruit have spines, not gills, and can be found fruiting on various hardwood trees. Nearly identical in appearance and flavor to other Lion's Manes, this slight species variation differs in that this species forms a perfect singular ball of spines. Because each mushroom kit is freshly packed to order, please allow ten business days to ship your order. This item is available year-round, and for shipment to USA addresses only.

#8650 $30.00 Member: $28.99

MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE

Christopher Hobbs, a mycologist and herbalist at the forefront of contemporary research into the medicinal powers of mushrooms, profiles the most powerful medicinal mushrooms and explains the nutritional and medicinal compounds in each one. Detailed instructions cover selecting, storing, and preparing each variety for use. Whether you are growing or foraging your own mushrooms or sourcing them from a local provider, this essential handbook will guide you in making health-boosting medicine.

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MUSHROOM

FABRIC PLANTER VEGGIES KIT

The Fabric Planter Veggie Kit is perfect for all those fresh vegetable seeds ready to be planted right at home! These growing containers are made from 100% recycled water bottles with fabric that’s BPA free and UV resistant. Recommended for above ground growing, these planters can be used season after season and will keep your plants healthy by letting excess water drain and allowing roots to breathe and grow. Included: two Brown 15 Gallon with Handles (17”w x 15”h) & two Brown 25 Gallon with Handles (21”w x 16 ½”h) #10442 $31.99 Member: $29.99

BEST SELLER

THE COMPLETE DEHYDRATOR SET

This exclusive set includes the highly touted The Beginner’s Guide to Dehydrating Food and the versatile 4-Tray Food Dehydrator. The comprehensive guide provides instructions and techniques for drying all of the most popular fruits, vegetables, meat, and herbs as well as guidelines for specialty items like meat jerky, fruit leather, and even baby food. The 4-tray dehydrator features a 500-watt base-mounted heater and a quiet fan, ensuring constant airflow for consistent, even drying without having to rotate trays.

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THE ALL NEW BALL BOOK OF CANNING & PRESERVING

Organized by technique, The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving covers water bath and pressure canning, pickling, fermenting, freezing, dehydrating, and smoking. Straightforward instructions and step-by-step photos ensure success for beginners, while practiced home canners will find more advanced methods and inspiring ingredient twists.

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Real Food & Cooking

APPLE & POTATO PEELER

Take the work out of preparing apples and potatoes for your favorite recipes. With this Apple & Potato Peeler, you can quickly peel, slice, and core an apple in one easy motion. Made with cast aluminum and a stainless steel blade, you can put this in the dishwasher after every use for easy clean-up.

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THE APPLE COOKBOOK, 3RD EDITION

From sweet to savory and from breakfast to bedtime, apples take center stage in this fun volume. With recipes ranging from traditional apple pies and crisps to unexpected surprises like Ground Lamb Kebabs with Apple Mint Raita, The Apple Cookbook includes 125 recipes for dishes that you can enjoy with all of your friends.

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BEST SELLER

THE COMPLETE ROOT CELLAR BOOK

This book takes a fresh look at the art, science and romance of building and stocking a root cellar. There are detailed, illustrated construction guides for making four different kinds of root cellars that are functional and attractive. These include never-before-seen models for apartment and condo dwellers and home owners without a basement. The Complete Root Cellar Book provides technical information on using photovoltaics (solar cells) and other energy technologies to enhance a root cellar's performance and ecological sustainability

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TOMATO PRESS & SAUCE MAKER

This tomato press separates seeds and skins from soft fruits and vegetables. This strainer is your best friend for home canning and making pasta. Use it to make apple sauce, tomato purees, fresh juices, salsa, baby food, jam, and more! Please allow two weeks for delivery. Available for shipment to continental U.S. addresses only #9468 $64.99 Member: $59.99

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BUTCHERING, SMOKING, CURING, SAUSAGE, AND JERKY MAKING

Absolutely everything you need to know about how to dress and preserve meat is right here. From slaughtering, to processing, to preserving in ways like smoking, salting, and making jerky, author Philip Hasheider teaches it all in stepby-step instructions and illustrations. Learn how to properly secure the animal and safely and humanely transform the meat into future meals for your family. Along the way, you’ll become an expert on different cuts of meat and all the right ways to process them into different products, like sausages and jerky.

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TRIPLE-BLADE CABBAGE CUTTER

This item’s innovative triple-blade design delivers smooth cutting action and great results. Featuring stainless steel blades, a fingertip-saving wood pusher and comfortable finger holds, it’s perfect for slicing whole heads of cabbage in just minutes or making mountains of potato chips. It works great for slicing hard fruits such as apples too!

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EASY BREAD

Award-winning cookbook author Judith Fertig shares her expertise with a simplified, step-by-step technique and clear, detailed recipes easy enough for even beginning bread bakers. Start with a simple French loaf or pizza dough and quickly advance to filled breads, bagels and flaky buttery croissants. Prepare delicious bread toppings and fillings, like artisan butter, cinnamon sugar and caramelized onions, ready for whenever a craving for sweet or savory strikes

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DIY

NATURAL BIRDHOUSES: 25 SIMPLE PROJECTS

Encourage wildlife into your garden with these unique, handcrafted homes for birds, bats, and bugs. Find out how to make them, where to position them for different species, and how to provide food, nesting materials, and shelter for your wild neighbors. In Natural Birdhouses, you’ll find instructions for making birdhouses, feeders, bat houses, and pollinator houses using materials you can find locally for free.

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INSTALL YOUR OWN SOLAR PANELS

AGROECOLOGY & REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

A synthesis of more than three decades of interdisciplinary research and practice, Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture provides evidence-based solutions to some of the world’s most pressing crises in global ecology, agriculture, and public health. Featuring the work of Navdanya, this work serves as a guidebook for agriculture scientists, policymakers, environmentalists and every individual who cares about their health as well as the vitality of the planet.

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Prepper

EATING ON THE RUN: SURVIVAL FORAGING

Eating on the Run will equip you with a working knowledge of dozens of readily harvested plants, grasses, nuts, and berries that require the least, if any, preparation. You will learn how to distinguish safe plants from toxic varieties, which parts of the plants are edible and when, and where abundant supplies are likely to be in each season. Plus, the author shares delicious ways to enjoy the plants when on the move.

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Herbal Health

SEIZE THE DAY ESSENTIAL OIL KIT WITH LAVENDER MIST

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This essential oils package includes organic lavender mist, organic lavender cream, and a customformulated, unscented lip balm.

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Through detailed directions and step-by-step photos, veteran solar installer Joseph Burdick and seasoned builder Philip Schmidt teach you how to determine the size, placement, and type of installation you’ll need. This comprehensive DIY guide covers everything from assembling rooftop racking or building a ground-mount structure to setting up the electrical connections and making a battery bank for off-grid systems.

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HOME WORKSHOP BLACKSMITHING FOR BEGINNERS

Home Workshop Blacksmithing for Beginners provides thorough and detailed overviews of various tools, techniques, and projects for aspiring blacksmiths. Inside this illustrated linear guide you will find groundwork technique tutorials required to work hot steel; step-by-step projects; detailed guidance on the hearth, safety, tools, clothes, and much more. The ultimate resource for anyone interested in gaining fundamental metalworking skills, this is a must-have book to equip you with the understanding and knowledge you need to succeed!

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SURVIVE IN STYLE

Originally written for the prepper community, Survive in Style’s popularity has spread far and beyond due to the wealth of applicable information it provides. Whether you are looking to be prepared for a future natural disaster or are simply wanting to be more self-sufficient, each chapter provides you with actionable steps to achieve your goal. Topics covered range from food storage to building temporary toilets, and generating your own energy to producing your own food plus so much more!

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ALL-NATURAL SELF-CARE ESSENTIAL OIL KIT

Adopt a more natural self-care routine with this exclusive kit! Featuring lavender essential oil, an organic lavender cream, and unscented lip balm, this kit has you well covered. The lavender essential oil can be utilized in a variety of ways, including in your diffuser or your next relaxing bath. The organic lavender cream is an excellent way to moisturize, soothe, and refresh your skin in a healthy, natural way. And the custom-formulated lip balm is a great alternative to other products that are loaded with harsh chemicals and other unsavory ingredients.

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ELDERBERRY IMMUNE KIT

Create your own elderberry tincture at home! This kit contains herbs, supplies and instructions to teach you how to make a tincture that combines the powerful immune-boosting benefits of elderberries and echinacea. Ingredients are elderberries, Echinacea leaf, Echinacea root, Nettle leaf, Alfalfa leaf and Peppermint leaf. Yields 30 fl. oz. #11587 $25.00

10-FRAME BASIC BEEKEEPING STARTER KIT, PAINTED

Do you want to try beekeeping on a budget? This 10-Frame Basic Beekeeping Starter Kit is perfect for you! The fully assembled kit includes a hive body, 10 frames, gloves, a veil, a smoker, and more. Please allow two weeks for delivery. Available for shipment to continental U.S. addresses only

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BEEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

With this absolute beginner’s guide, learn how to set up your backyard hives, select and raise bees, and harvest honey, with the bonus of bringing pollinators to your yard and garden. Author and trusted voice in the beekeeping community, Kim Flottum, has prepared this book with the most up-to-date, organic beekeeping information, and simplified the approach so all levels of beekeepers can succeed. With this highly visual guide and Flottum’s guidance, you will be ready to take the first step in your beekeeping journey.

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THE TINY BUT MIGHT FARM

In The Tiny But Mighty Farm, author Jill Ragan of YouTube’s Whispering Willow Farm teaches you how to turn a typical suburban backyard into a productive mini-farm. Learn how to grow food and, if you want, sell part of your harvest for a profit. From discovering what kind of mini farmer you want to be to selecting the best high-yielding varieties and planning out and preparing your growing spaces, it’s all covered in these pages.

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Homesteading

COMPLETE CROCK WATER SYSTEM

Encourage better hydration for your family by making pure, healthy water convenient. The Complete Crock Water System turns water from wells, streams, rain, and more into ready-todrink water! This crock’s ceramic filter removes 99.999 percent of bacteria, so you’ll always have access to clean water. Please allow two weeks for delivery. Available for shipment to continental U.S. addresses only.

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REPLACEMENT FILTERS: SINGLE; 2-PACK; 3-PACK

Use this replacement filter in your Complete Crock Water System for turning water from wells, streams, rain, and more into ready-to-drink water! The ceramic filter is filled with pharmaceutical-grade carbon and other special adsorbents to eliminate fluoride, lead, arsenic, and much more! Please allow two weeks for delivery. Available for shipment to

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THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO SELF-SUFFICIENT LIVING

Grow your vegetables and herbs indoors in containers or a garden, raise chickens or goats, build a beehive, make your non-toxic cleaning sprays, and more! Full of sweet illustrations and gorgeous photographs, step-by-step instructions for essential skills such as building a chicken coop are mingled with country lore and old-fashioned tips and tricks. The perfect gift for anyone interested in a more self-sufficient, greener country lifestyle.

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THE SEVEN-STEP HOMESTEAD

The Seven-Step Homestead takes readers through the homestead process, beginning with establishing one or two raised beds of the easiest vegetables to grow and gradually building up to the addition of fruit trees and berry bushes on hugelkulture mounds, a coop full of chickens, and a winter's worth of storage crops. Step-by-step photos from the author's own homestead, accompanied by her hard-earned advice and instruction, make this a one-of-a-kind guide for anyone who aspires to grow more of their own food.

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Butter and Beyond

In a Pickling Pickle

In the December 2022/January 2023 issue, on Page 85, there’s a pickled beets recipe (“Sweet Pickled Beets,” Dear MOTHER). Unfortunately, the author gives no idea of the quantity of beets to use. Can you please obtain this information for me?

Jessica Wilson Via email

In most canning recipes, the quantities are very exact, but when it comes to pickling, the amount of vegetables doesn’t matter nearly as much, as long as you have enough liquid to adequately cover all the vegetables in the jar. When pickling beets, you may choose to leave them whole, quarter them, or slice them, all of which will change how many beets you need for this much liquid. (Just make sure that no matter how you slice them, they’re sized similarly so they cook evenly.) In general, though, most pickled beet recipes, which use a quart of liquid, indicate about 10 pounds of beets. We hope this helps. Happy pickling! MOTHER

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12)

including many who deal with food-supply challenges, live in the vicinity of plastic plants and refineries. Along the coast, overpumping causes subsidence and contaminates groundwater with a backflow of salt water from the Gulf. This impacts even the more northern reaches of aquifers that run underground to the coast. Articles on this topic could include precautions and solutions, such as testing or bioremediation.

• Insect and disease management without toxic chemicals. Fire ants inhabit all parts of the South. Leafcutter ants can defoliate a large shrub in a few days.

• Year-round opportunities and strategies for cover cropping.

• How climate change may affect Southern gardens, especially in Zone-transition areas, and strategies for dealing with those changes. How do shifting Zones impact long-lived crops, such as fruit trees, nut trees, and timber?

• Using microclimates to grow veggies, such as winter row covers and high shade for greens.

• A practical deep-dive into mycorrhizae in the garden, including their importance and how to cultivate them.

• The role and protection of pollinators beyond European honeybees.

I hope you hear from lots of Southern gardeners. I look forward to reading about ideas that are adaptable to my gardening situation.

Denise Miller Southeast Texas

Pleased with Pretzels

Thank you for the excellent recipe for soft pretzels in the December 2022/January 2023 issue (“Knot Your Ordinary Pretzels”). The pretzels are amazingly easy and delicious. I’ve

shared the recipe with so many friends and family. My young granddaughters enjoy making them, and it’s so easy to store or freeze a batch. I make a few each day or so.

Elaine Koehler Via email

New Restrictions on Livestock Antibiotics

A new rule is coming into effect on June 11, 2023, from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that will change how livestock antibiotics and other livestock medicines, like Ivermectin, are sold. These items have previously been available at farm supply stores for legal livestock use.

The FDA has now brought government bloat and bureaucracy to new heights, supposedly in the name of judicious use. Not only is this reason a farce, but it also creates a severe and unnecessary burden to

Heirloom Grapevine

I’m writing to tell you about our family grapevine. We moved Grandpa Milton’s grapevine to our property approximately 20 years ago. My husband and our son moved it with a backhoe. They dug very deep to make sure they didn’t break off any roots. We planted it near our garden at our house. We watered it faithfully and put straw around it for mulch and to keep it moist. The grapevine transplanted successfully!

The grapevine is a ‘Concord,’ with beautiful deep-purple grapes that have a strong grape flavor. Each year, our grandkids like to pick them while they’re still green and unripe. They bite into them, suck the sour grape juice out, and then spit out the skin and seeds. It’s fun to watch the funny faces they make from the sour taste!

We make grape jelly every year from this grapevine. Our project next spring is to expand it so we have a larger vine.

agricultural producers of all sizes. This government oversight has been imposed on us without forethought to actual implementation.

Here’s an example: The county I live in is so rural that we don’t even have a Walmart. Our county seat (population 574) is fortunate to have our only full-sized grocery store. We have a farm supply store that, until now, sold these medications. Last I checked for veterinary services, we had one part-time vet who specialized in horses.

How will we access these medications now? There aren’t enough veterinarians in rural America to see all the animals and write all the prescriptions now necessary to acquire these medications. I believe it is unduly burdensome to be compelled to travel (with animals especially) to access veterinary services for simple medications that producers of all sizes need from time to time and have already been administering for many years. The new rule was implemented without changing laws or voting. It’s being imposed on us without any clear way to appeal such nonsense.

As a result of this change, I started looking for nongovernmental activism groups

Happy Chrysalis

I maintain a butterfly habit in Rice, Virginia. For five years, I raised monarch caterpillars. One summer, I was rewarded by this seemingly happy monarch chrysalis.

Maureen Green

that protect the rights of people to farm. I was looking for charitable organizations that help legally pave the way to ensure those of us in rural America can still produce food for ourselves and for others as a business. There’s a shocking lack of these groups, in my opinion. As editor of this publication, do you know of a national group that seeks to ensure that private individuals can continue to exercise our rights to farm or homestead on any scale?

Mushroom Misidentification

In the April/May 2023 issue, the mushroom article (“Dead Tree Delicacies”) identifies a lion’s mane mushroom in a photo on Page 50. I believe it’s a bear’s head tooth mushroom. While also edible, there are distinct differences between the two.

Denise Cross Via email

Thank you for the correction, Denise! One notable difference is that bear’s head tooth mushrooms have branched fruiting bodies, while lion’s mane resemble round pompoms. — MOTHER

Bear’s Head Tooth

Lion’s Mane

I invite you to educate yourself on the state of these rights, and please consider writing or calling your senators and members of congress to register your opinion about issues such as these.

Jennifer Olsen

Via email

Jennifer, thank you so much for your letter! While GFI #263 — which places antibiotics under veterinarian oversight — has been implemented to address the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance in humans, we understand the frustration this causes for livestock owners. Many of our editors own livestock and share your frustrations. We even reached out to the FDA to get direct information on GFI #263 so we could share that information with the farmers who need these products. (Read “GFI 263: FDA Limits Antibiotics in Livestock” on our sister site www.Grit.com for more information.)

Luckily enough, until I moved recently, I had a livestock veterinarian within 10 miles of me. They were available through most of my livestock emergencies, but were too busy to take them all. As you pointed out, many farmers and livestock owners don’t have access to nearby vets.

Other governmental oversight that inhibits how individuals farm includes cottage food laws, raw milk laws, and water use laws. For instance, since I was on an unmetered domestic well (in Nevada), I couldn’t sell anything I raised; I could only use it for my family’s nutrition. That included my honey, eggs, meat, and garden produce — and my goat milk and cheese, which fall under additional state and federal laws. In 2021, I spoke to Nevada’s Secretary of the Interior on this dynamic, advocating for gardeners who want to sell extra produce and eggs to pay their utility bills.

Regarding nongovernmental organizations that protect the right to farm, here are some we’ve interviewed:

• Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund

(www.FarmToConsumer.org) offers annual memberships, which provide benefits of attorney consultation, sample contractual documents, information on current state legislation and local ordinances, and a potential for legal representation.

Membership tiers include farmer, homesteader, consumer, and club prices.

• Institute for Justice (www.IJ.org) is a probono law firm that fights for individuals’ rights, including the rights to sell cottage food within their specific states. Working with a small group of producers, the Institute helped introduce a bill that changed Kentucky’s laws so anyone can sell cottage food there. (Before 2018, only farmers could, and only if they grew the ingredients.)

• National Young Farmers Coalition (www. YoungFarmers.org) advocates for farming as a public service, working in partnership with social justice movements. This organization works hard for those populations that have historically been excluded from farming and those who struggle to get a foothold in the industry, many of whom haven’t inherited land the way others have. Though there aren’t chapters in all states, the National Young Farmers Coalition encourages people to join and start one of their own.

I would like to encourage other MOTHER EARTH NEWS readers to chime in regarding additional organizations that have helped the cause.

Thank you for your letter and for your hard work in protecting our rights to grow food! —

Marissa Ames, Editorial Director

Write to Us!

Started in 1970 to raise awareness of environmental concerns and to provide information and support for a simpler lifestyle, MOTHER EARTH NEWS has made it this far because of continuous interest from you, the readers. Your dedication to living more sustainable lives has kept this magazine afloat through five decades and an increasingly digital world, and we’d love to hear from you. Send photos of your farm, your garden, and any projects you’ve undertaken over the past five decades to Letters@ MotherEarthNews.com. Or, mail a letter to Dear MOTHER, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609. Please send your full name, address, and phone number. We may edit for clarity and length.

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The Miracle of Hemp in a Pill?

Americans are rejoicing about a brand-new technology that gets the goods on the health bene ts of hemp.

A next generation hemp technology is now available across the nation and can be purchased without a prescription.

And the best part, it comes with a new delivery system that’s 450% more absorbable than oil.

So you can say good-bye to pills, oils and creams.

Canna LS contains pure “full spectrum hemp,” which works to relieve joint discomfort, restore sharp memory, and support a healthy normal in ammatory response, to name a few. And since it has no THC, it heals without the “high.”

Exciting new scienti c research shows that hemp contains special molecules called cannabinoids which bind to receptor sites in the brain and body. When taken orally, hemp activates these receptors.

Why This New Technology Is Better Than Hemp

Unfortunately, most hemp found on the market can’t deliver a fraction of these results. “The problem is, most hemp formulas come in oil form,” according to Chief Technologist Mi Hwa Kim of The Green Gardener. “Oil doesn’t breach the cell membrane, which is where the real healing happens. Our body is 80% water, our cells 90%. And you know what they say about oil and water — they don’t mix.”

This is why Canna LS contains a unique “water soluble” system. The technology

is shown to improve absorption in the cells by 450%, quickly boosting the body’s cannabinoid levels.

“The other problem is that most of these formulas only contain a single compound extract,” says Ms. Kim. “Hemp’s full spectrum of cannabinoids are shown to work synergistically. In short, they work better together. It’s called the “entourage effect.” Most miss out on the full effects because they are missing some of the best rejuvenating com-pounds within the hemp plant. This is why we’ve made Canna LS with “full spectrum” hemp.” “Finally, most hemp formulas are made on foreign farms with pesticides, or grown using non-organic seeds and processes. We’ve grown the hemp in Canna LS at a 100% organic American farm, under strict agricultural guidelines. It’s grown without pesticides or GMOs. And it’s grown to contain no THC.”

How It Works

The key to hemp’s health bene ts is the Endocannabinoid System, a network of receptors in the cells. The system is there to maintain homeostasis (balance). In response to toxins in our body, it releases cannabinoids to set things back to their natural state.

“It’s really an amazing God-given system that’s been completely over-looked,” says Ms. Kim. “Our bodies are practically designed to work with the compounds in hemp, which is why we needed a technology like Canna LS that unleashes its full potential.”

Over time, with aging, the endocannabinoid system

eventually burns out. Fewer cannabinoids are released, so the body’s levels deplete. The result is, all sorts of symptoms of aging like age-related memory loss, blurry vision, joint dis-comfort, and much more.

“This is why there’s almost nothing hemp can’t do and no health concern it can’t address,” says Mi Hwa. “The trouble is, most hemp formulas are just not absorbable enough for the cell, so they fail to activate the endocannabinoid system. This is why they don’t deliver anything close to the full range of potential results.”

Fortunately, Canna LS is clinically shown to enter the cell membrane 450% more powerfully. This is how it boosts cannabinoid levels fast, helping to relieve joint discomfort… re-store foggy memory… and support healthy blood sugar. And what most people really love is that the “pearl” gel is easier to take than taking a pill or oil.

Not Yet Sold In Stores

Full-spectrum hemp, like Canna LS, is available nationwide. However, several major pharmaceutical companies are currently testing hemp in clinical settings, which means it may require a prescription in the future. It’s advised to get Canna LS while you can.

Taking All The Risk Off Consumers

A large percentage of men and women using Canna LS experience truly amazing results. That’s why it’s now being sold with a guarantee that goes way beyond the industry standard. “We can only make this guarantee because we are

100% certain our customers will be satis ed,” says Ms. Kim. We want to take full risk off consumers. So in addition to offering substantial dis-counts for rst-time customers, we also make them a huge promise that ensures they don’t have to risk a cent.”

Here’s how it works: Take Canna LS exactly as directed, and you must be thrilled with the results! Otherwise, simply return the bottles and any unused portion with-in 90 days of purchase.

Where To Find Canna LS

To secure the hot, new Canna LS formula, buyers should contact the Sears Health Hotline at 1-877-703-4819 TODAY. “It’s not available in retail stores yet,” says Dr. Sears. “The Hotline allows us to ship directly to the customer.” Dr. Sears feels so strongly about Canna LS, all orders are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee. “Just send me back the bottle and any unused product within 90 days from purchase date, and I’ll send you all your money back.”

Call NOW at 1-877-7034819 to secure your supply of Canna LS. Use Promo Code MECA523 when you call. Lines are frequently busy, but all calls will be answered!

New hemp technology is 450% better for discomfort relief than regular hemp oil

Biblical Bush Relieves Joint Discomfort in as Little as 5 Days

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 54 million Americans are suffering from joint discomfort.

This epidemic rise in aching joints has led to a search for alternative treatments—as many sufferers want relief without the harmful side effects of conventional “solutions.”

Leading the way from nature’s pharmacy is the new “King of Oils” that pioneering Florida MD and anti-aging specialist Dr. Al Sears calls “the most signi cant breakthrough I’ve ever found for easing joint discomfort.”

Biblical scholars treasured this “holy oil.” Ancient healers valued it more than gold for its medicinal properties. Marco Polo prized it as he blazed the Silk Road. And Ayurvedic practitioners, to this day, rely on it for healing and detoxi cation.

Yet what really caught Dr. Sears’ attention is how modern medical ndings now prove this “King of Oils” can powerfully…

Deactivate 400 Agony-Causing Genes

If you want genuine, long-lasting relief for joint discomfort, you must address in ammation. Too much in ammation will wreak havoc on joints, break down cartilage and cause unending discomfort. This is why so many natural joint relief solutions try to stop one of the main in ammatory genes called COX-2.

But the truth is, there are hundreds of agony-causing genes like COX-2, 5-LOX, iNOS, TNK, Interleukin 1,6,8 and many more—and stopping just one of them won’t give you all the relief you need.

Doctors and scientists now con rm the “King of Oils”—Indian Frankincense—deactivates not one but 400 agony-causing genes. It does so by shutting down the in ammation command center called Nuclear Factor Kappa Beta.

NK-Kappa B is like a switch that can turn 400 inammatory genes “on” or “off.” A study in Journal of Food Lipids reports that Indian Frankincense powerfully deactivates NF-Kappa B. This journal adds that Indian Frankincense is “so powerful it shuts down the pathway triggering aching joints.”

Relief That’s 10 Times Faster… and in Just 5 Days

Many joint sufferers prefer natural solutions but say they work too slowly. Take the best-seller glucosamine. Good as it is, the National Institutes of Health reports that glucosamine takes as long as eight weeks to work.

Yet in a study published in the International Journal of Medical Sciences, 60 patients with stiff knees

took 100 mg of Indian Frankincense or a placebo daily for 30 days. Remarkably, Indian Frankincense “signi cantly improved joint function and relieved discomfort in as early as ve days.” That’s relief that is 10 times faster than glucosamine.

78% Better Relief Than the Most Popular Joint Solution

In another study, people suffering from discomfort took a formula containing Indian Frankincense and another natural substance or a popular man-made joint solution every day for 12 weeks.

The results? Stunning! At the end of the study, 64% of those taking the Indian Frankincense formula saw their joint discomfort go from moderate or severe to mild or no discomfort. Only 28% of those taking the placebo got the relief they wanted. So Indian Frankincense delivered relief at a 78% better clip than the popular man-made formula.

In addition, in a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study, patients suffering from knee discomfort took Indian Frankincense or a placebo daily for eight weeks. Then the groups switched and got the opposite intervention. Every one of the patients taking Indian Frankincense got relief. That’s a 100% success rate—numbers unseen by typical solutions.

In addition, BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) reports that Indian Frankincense is safe for joint relief — so safe and natural you can take it every day.

Because of clinically proven results like this, Dr. Sears has made Indian Frankincense the centerpiece of a new natural joint relief formula called Mobilify Great Results for Knees, Hips, Shoulders and Joints

Joni D. says, “Mobilify really helps with soreness,

stiffness and mild temporary pain. The day after taking it, I was completely back to normal—so fast.” Shirley M. adds, “Two weeks after taking Mobilify, I had no knee discomfort and could go up and down the staircase.” Larry M. says, “After a week and a half of taking Mobilify, the discomfort, stiffness and minor aches went away… it’s almost like being reborn.” And avid golfer Dennis H. says, “I can attest to Mobilify easing discomfort to enable me to pursue my gol ng days. De nitely one pill that works for me out of the many I have tried.”

How to Get Mobilify

Right now, the only way to get this powerful, unique formula that clobbers creaking joints in as little as ve days without clobbering you is with Dr. Sears’ breakthrough Mobilify formula. It is not available in stores.

To secure your bottle of this breakthrough natural joint discomfort reliever, buyers should call with Sears Health Hotline at 1-800-330-4206. “The Hotline allows us to ship the product directly to customers.”

Dr. Sears believes in this product so much, he offers a 100% money-back guarantee on ever order. “Just send me back the bottle and any unused product within 90 days, and I’ll send you your money back,” said Dr. Sears.

The Hotline will be taking orders for the next 48 hours. After that, the phone number may be shut down to allow them to restock. Call 1-800-330-4206 to secure your limited supply of Mobilify. If you are not able to get through due to extremely high call volume, please try again! Call NOW to qualify for this limited time offer provided at a signi cant discount. To take advantage of this exclusive offer use Promo Code: MEMB523 when you call.

Legendary “special herb” gives new life to old joints without clobbering you. So safe you can take it every day without worry.

The active ingredient in Mobilify soothes aching joints in as little as 5 days

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Left: A whimsical fire hydrant and a row of sunflowers bring pops of color to Canyon Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Above: A passion flower grows in a large planter on a back patio in Bradley, Illinois.

The Mitten Shadow (cast by West Mitten Butte onto East Mitten Butte) in Monument Valley, Arizona, is a phenomenon that occurs in March and September.