What is a Master Gardener? Many people assume that you must be a skilled gardener to become a Master Gardener, but the truth is that anyone can become one. Master Gardener volunteers are trained volunteers that educate the public on a variety of research based (scientifically studied) horticultural topics.
Novice gardeners, expert gardeners and everyone in between is encouraged to participate. Of course, you must have an interest in growing plants, cultivating gardens and a desire to share your knowledge with the community. Sharing your knowledge with the community is a key component to the program. Becoming a volunteer is a fabulous way to connect with other local people with common interests and a wonderful way to help others learn more about the environment.
Master Gardener programs are run through your county extension offices. Here in Minnesota, I’m a Master Gardener volunteer through Hennepin County and I became one in 2021. The process begins by filling out an application. Next, you’ll be interviewed by 2-3 extension office people, just to make sure that you have a good understanding of what the program entails and that your goals align.
Master Gardener Programs
Once you are accepted into the Master Gardener program, there are 48 hours of core courses that you will take that teach you about a wide variety of research-based topics. Our program offers weekly classes that each cover a different topic. Our core courses are taught by the University of Minnesota’s horticultural experts. Core courses cover topics such as pollinator health, plant biodiversity, clean water, creating resilient landscapes and techniques for growing vegetables.
Once you’ve completed the core courses, you’re required to volunteer for 50 hours during the first year.
Master Gardener Volunteer Activities
Volunteer activities of a Master Gardener include helping with community gardens, assisting with youth programs, offering support for schoolyard gardens, participating in environmental educational programs, partaking at question-and-answer tables at farmers markets, speaking to garden clubs and so much more.
Other volunteer activities include writing for your local paper, participating in garden tours, plant sales and other special events, growing seeds as part of the annual seed trials, installing pollinator gardens at home, plus more! One of my favorite ways to volunteer is to grow a giving garden where the fresh produce grown in my garden is donated to a local food shelf. There are many volunteer opportunities throughout the year, so it’s very simple to meet the volunteer hour requirements.
Staying Active
Each year after the initial one, you will be required to volunteer a certain number of hours as well as meet continuing education hours to keep your Master Gardener status active.
Programs vary by state and county and the information provided throughout the courses will be tailored to your region. No matter how experienced you are, you will be sure to learn more through the educational courses offered and from other participants. I can’t say enough positive things about the program and encourage anyone interested in it to explore your local offerings.
What to Know
There are class fees required to participate, as well as a background check.
There are application deadlines, so if you are interested, I encourage you to look at your county extension office website sooner rather than later.
If you want to learn more but don’t want to volunteer, there is an option to take the core courses without the commitment of volunteering (at least with our program).
This article about what is a master gardener was written for Hobby Farms magazine.Click here to subscribe.
Caterpillar identification is key in understanding whether a caterpillar is a friend or foe to your vegetable patch. Note that caterpillars have stinging hairs or other irritants, so it’s a good idea to use gloves when handling ones that you don’t recognize.
Let’s investigate four common caterpillars and what they mean to your garden.
1. Hornworms
Caterpillar identification – Hornworm Caterpillar
There are two varieties of hornworms: tomato hornworms and tobacco hornworms. These plump, light-green caterpillars can grow as thick and long as your finger which makes caterpillar identification pretty easy. Diagonal white lines vary from seven on tobacco hornworms to eight on tomato hornworms, with more of a V shape on the latter. Both have reddish dots along the body and a curved, pointy horn on the rear, which is red on tobacco hornworms and black on tomato hornworms.
As expected from their names, these caterpillars devour leaves of tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, peppers, eggplants and others in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family. However, the adult moths pollinate night-blooming flowers. The tobacco hornworm becomes the Carolina sphinx moth (Manduca sexta) and the tomato hornworm becomes the five-spotted hawk moth (Manduca quinquemaculata). Large, strong fliers, with a wingspan up to 5½ inches, their scientific names give clues to how many pairs of yellow-orange spots decorate the body (six on the sphinx moth, five on the hawk moth).
The moths resemble hummingbirds. Each has a long proboscis perfectly suited for reaching inside tubular flowers, such as morning glories, sweet potatoes, moonflowers, petunias, Datura, and four-o’-clocks. As they drink deeply of the flower’s nectar, the moths spread pollen and help these plants develop fruits. The moths themselves pose no risk to the nightshade family, other than laying their eggs on them for the larva to enjoy.
To limit their population in your garden, encourage parasitic braconid wasps. They have an insidious technique for destroying the caterpillars after they’ve used them up. The tiny, stingless wasp injects the caterpillar with its eggs and after hatching, the wasp larva chow down on the caterpillar’s innards, avoiding major organs to prolong the slow death, until they work their way out to the surface. On the hornworm’s skin, they spin tiny cocoons, pupate and emerge as adult wasps by the time the caterpillar dies.
To support these natural predators, braconid wasps need nectar and pollen, and plants with tiny flowers fit them well. Examples include buckwheat, fennel, angelica, dill, goldenrod, yarrow, lovage, boneset, cilantro and Queen Anne’s lace.
2. Cabbage Looper
Caterpillar Identification – Cabbage Looper
Turn over a cabbage or broccoli leaf in mid-summer, and you’re likely to find a little worm, perfectly matched in color to the underside of the leaf. Upon closer inspection, a thin white line runs the length of each side. This tiny inchworm-like critter has prolegs and hindlegs and no legs in between, so it moves in a looping motion.
Caterpillar identification is crucial as the Cabbage Looper is commonly confused with other cabbage-eating caterpillars that metamorphose into white butterflies, the looper becomes the ni moth (Trichoplusia ni), also well-camouflaged. The mottled brown moth with about a 1-inch wingspan resembles a knobby dead leaf or tree bark. The ni moth belongs to Noctuidae, the largest moth family that includes other agricultural pests, cutworms and armyworms.
The looper eats most varieties of brassicas (aka cruciferous or cole crops), such as collards, kale, radish, turnip, broccoli and cauliflower. However, their taste isn’t limited to the cabbage family—they’ll eat the leaves of nearly every vegetable available in your garden. In nature, specialists have less chance of survival; as generalists, loopers are annoyingly successful.
To protect your crops, you have to outsmart the looper’s schedule. Row covers provide a physical barrier and extend the growing season by adding a layer of weather protection. Try planting early maturing varieties to beat the munching looper’s lifecycle. Diversify your garden and experiment with multiple varieties of brassicas to see which are more looper-resistant. Understanding the soil ecology at the base of the host plants will also help control pests, as the pupae are formed in the soil and crawl up to the leaves.
As with the hornworm, you can let another insect do the dirty work of extermination. Create habitat for parasitic wasps and tachinids, flies that not only feed on cabbage loopers but also destroy stinkbugs, gypsy moth larvae and Japanese beetles. In short, plant more flowers to support beneficial insects.
3. Monarch
Caterpillar Identification – Monarch Caterpillar (Caterpillar with White, Black and Yellow Lines)
Caterpillar identification is probably easiest and most recognizable for the Monarch: black-, yellow- and white-striped, with black antennae on the head and a body that stretches up to 2 inches long. Monarch caterpillars munch on milkweed—and lots of it!—not only for food but also for future protection. The milky sap from the leaves stays in their system even after metamorphosis and makes the adult butterfly taste offensive to predators. Birds will actually avoid them once they’ve learned their lesson.
The adult monarch butterfly is one of the most recognizable butterflies, keeping the same color scheme as the larva, with a stained-glass appearance to its pumpkin-orange wings, black veins and margins adorned with white spots.
Monarchs are the only butterflies that truly migrate, moving thousands of miles north to feed, depositing eggs along the way. In some cases, their offspring complete the journey for them. Returning south across the span of the United States, millions of monarchs head to Mexico to spend the winter huddled on massive pines and eucalyptus trees.
In recent years, a dramatic decrease in monarch populations has caused concerned groups to rally for their rescue. In addition to deep cultural ties to the Dia de Muertos traditions in Mexico, the monarch has recently become a symbol of pollinator conservation and appreciation for migration.
Because Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed, they pose no threat to your garden. In fact, gardeners across the country go to great lengths to attract them. Historically, farms that let milkweed grow up along fences or between rows were a reliable nursery for caterpillars. The practices of using pesticides and fence-to-fence planting of monocrops are among the top reasons for the monarch’s decline.
Attractive flowers of blooming milkweed provide much-needed nectar for the migrating butterflies. Several varieties are available, producing colorful bouquets of rosy pink, lavender and orange. Other edible and medicinal herbs that attract butterflies include bee balm, catmint, Echinacea, comfrey and dandelion. In exchange for the sweetness, the butterflies provide pollination services for the plants.
A great list of butterfly host plants can be found on Monarch Watch, a source of information and supplies for all things monarch. Create a Monarch Waystation by planting the right amount and variety of host plants, which will attract other great pollinators and predatory insects. You can register your waystation and be included in a growing database of butterfly bed-and-breakfasts.
4. Cecropia
Caterpillar Identification – Cecropia Caterpillar
Caterpillar identification is fun with the Cecropia since it looks like a punked-out circus clown. It’s about as long and thick as your finger, neon green with multi-colored spiked knobs. Surprisingly, the spikes aren’t harmful to the touch. Many go through different stages, known as instars, so you may see the same caterpillar at a wide range of lengths as they molt and leave behind their old skin.
You might also be surprised to know that this hearty caterpillar poses no threat to your vegetables. If you have fruit trees, watch for them on apple and cherry leaves. They also go for maple and birch leaves. Despite their tough appearance, they have enough predators that they don’t normally become a pest.
If you find them and want to help them out, you can protect them as they spin their cocoon of leaves and provide a safe place to spend the winter, metamorphosing into an impressively huge moth. The cecropia is North America’s largest moth, with a wingspan up to 6 inches. These moths sport furry, russet bodies and wings that fool predators with four white crescent shapes that resemble eyespots. The adult has no working mouth parts, so its only mission is to mate. Eat, have sex, and die—that’s the life!
All gardens need animals. Besides bringing interest and fun, they create fertilizer, aerate soil, disperse seeds, regulate growth, decompose waste and pollinate flowers. Keep in mind that caterpillars are animals, too, and they do their part, as immature life forms and as adults, to maintain balance in the predator-prey dance that happens while we think we’re the ones gardening.
This article about caterpillar identification was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.
A large snapping turtle looks up from the murky waters of a Virginia marsh. By Gary Riegel
Snapping turtles are one of a backyard duck’s most feared and deadly predators, living in ponds, streams, and other bodies of water and preying on ducklings and adult ducks. Discover everything you need to know about snapping turtles, including their habitat and hunting behaviors, to help protect your ducks from these underwater killers.
What Are Snapping Turtles?
The snapping turtle group consists of three species: the Common Snapping Turtle, the Alligator Snapping Turtle, and the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle.
The Common Snapping Turtle is not only the most common but also the most aggressive. These slow-moving reptiles are omnivores (meaning they eat plants and meat), feast on ducklings, and inflict severe damage on adult ducks. Snappers are dangerous for waterfowl and can also be aggressive to other livestock, pets, and even humans.
Snapping Turtle Identity
Snapping turtles are easily recognized by their large size, long tails, and scowling faces. Their color varies from tan to black, although most snappers have a dark-colored carapace (the upper shell). The shell is often rough looking instead of the smooth carapace other turtle species sport. Young snappers’ shells usually display three ridges on the lower back that disappear as the turtle matures.
The snapping turtle’s long tail, which often exceeds the length of the carapace, is another way to easily distinguish this species from harmless turtles.
Snappers are large turtles measuring eight to fourteen inches long and weighing between ten and forty-five pounds.
The final way to recognize these reptiles is by their large head, neck, and hooked jaw, which gives the turtle the appearance of frowning.
Habitat
The snapping turtle can often be found swimming in the dark, murky waters just below the surface of a pond. As aquatic reptiles, snappers spend nearly their entire life in the water.
One of the most interesting things about snapping turtles is that they aren’t picky about the water they live in. It can be found in almost any permanent or semi-permanent body of water, including creeks, marshes, bogs, ponds, lakes, streams, and even your inground pool!
Diet
The snapping turtle is an omnivore, consuming both plants and meat. One-third of their diet is comprised of aquatic plants, including water lilies, duckweed, algae, and pondweed. The other two-thirds consists of meat, including insects, spiders, frogs, invertebrates, ducks (ducklings and adults), birds, fish, carrion, and small turtles.
Hunting Behaviors
Snapping turtles hunt beneath the water just below the surface of ponds, streams, and other waterways. As ducks swim through the waters, their dangling feet and legs make them an easy target for snapping turtles to grab.
While ducklings are at the most risk of being killed by a snapper, it is not uncommon for adult ducks to lose feet and legs from a turtle attack. While it is less common, snapping turtles can also kill and eat an adult duck.
Although snapping turtles are more likely to attack ducks on the water, they can also attack on land, especially if they feel threatened.
Is My Pond Safe?
The tricky thing about snapping turtles is that just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t residing in a pond or the nearby marsh. These reptiles rarely leave their calling cards, so many duck owners do not realize they have taken up residence until their flock has been attacked.
Snapping turtles are also known for traveling up to ten miles to find a new territory to lay eggs and raise their young.
Protecting Your Duck Flock
Protecting ducks from a snapping turtle attack is easy if you keep them off ponds and out of marshes, creeks, and streams.
While ducks need water to stay clean and parasite-free, many duck owners prefer to offer kiddie pools or stock tanks for a safer swimming alternative. (When raising ducklings, always provide the young with a kiddie pool to ensure the safety of the ducklings from a predator attack.)
Pond Safety
If you still desire to provide your flock with a pond, there are some safety tips you can employ to keep your flock safe.
Before allowing ducks out on the pond, always ensure that the pond and the surrounding area are free of snapping turtles.
Keep the perimeter around the pond trimmed to prevent turtle hiding spots. This will make them easier to spot.
Install ¾ inch fencing around the pond’s perimeter to keep baby and adult snapping turtles from accessing the pond and your flock. The fencing should stand two feet high to prevent turtles from attempting to scale the fence.
While the fencing size may seem extreme for adult snappers, baby snapping turtles are only one inch wide and can fit through small gaps. Check fencing frequently for weak spots or holes.
If a snapping turtle is spotted, remove ducks from the area immediately. Snapping turtles can live up to thirty years, so chances are they won’t be moving on anytime soon.
Check with your local fish and wildlife officials before eradicating snapping turtles from your property.
While the snapping turtle is a natural predator of ducks, you can prevent your flock from falling prey with knowledge and careful planning.
Rooster crowing is the culprit of most rooster-keeping complaints and tops the cons on a chicken-keeping pros and cons list. Round-the-clock crowing serves as the primary reason why so many municipalities do not permit the keeping of a rooster. Even in rural and agricultural zones, residents often file noise complaints against chicken farmers whose roosters are simply behaving the way roosters do.
Sometimes, however, a healthy rooster doesn’t crow at all. A bird that previously greeted the sun, the wind, his hens and any insect that crawled or flew by with a hearty cock-a-doodle-do now cock-a-doodle-doesn’t.
Wondering why your boy went silent or perhaps has yet to crow? Here are four reasons why.
1. Injury
When our Lavender Orpington, Claude, was injured early this year, he immediately fell silent. It took two weeks of intense rehabilitative work with him, focusing on reteaching him to walk, before I realized he wasn’t making a peep.
I thoroughly examined his neck. Then I watched him eat to make sure he had not injured his throat or vocal cords, something that our local veterinarian confirmed.
Claude’s noisemaker was perfectly fine. He simply was behaving instinctively, staying silent in order to not draw the notice of a predator. An injured rooster cannot hold his own against a swooping hawk or a stealthy fox, nor can he properly protect his hens.
When a rooster doesn’t crow, a rooster believes himself to be more or less invisible and off a predator’s radar.
2. Illness
Roosters that have fallen ill also tend not to crow. But not because they are avoiding predation.
When a sick rooster doesn’t crow, his silence is twofold. First, the energy expended in energetically crowing all day long has been reallocated to battling the bacteria or virus invading his system.
Second, by staying silent while sick, the ailing rooster avoids drawing the attention of the other roosters in his flock, who would happily turn on one of their own if it means reorganizing the pecking order to their advantage.
Even high-rank hens, especially older girls set in their ways, may peck at the poor roo. So mum’s the word for him while he recovers.
3. Bullying
In flocks where the alpha male—and, on occasion, his deputies—is especially dominant or aggressive, a lower-ranked rooster may be the butt of continual bullying and harassment. After repeated “lessons” from the flock boss (and quite possibly his cohorts), the picked-on rooster may simply fall silent out of self-preservation.
When our Lavender Orpington rooster, Ginger Bean, overthrew his father, Claude, last year, we temporarily moved Claude in with his brother Thomas and his flock. Thomas treated Claude very well … as long as Claude didn’t make a sound. The moment Claude made the slightest noise, Thomas would tear across the run and peck Claude on the head.
It took a long week of pecking for Claude to learn to keep quiet to save his own skin.
4. Age
Sometimes when rooster crowing isn’t happening, it’s simply because he just has not yet reached that level of maturity. Juvenile cockerels typically crow for the first time between 8 to 10 weeks of age—sometimes sooner, sometimes later.
More often than not, those first crows will be infrequent and will not bear any resemblance to an adult crow.
Our little nine-week-old, Margarine, let out his first crow just last week. He sounded like a small child’s party horn, and he scared himself, his siblings and his mama hen. He has crowed a few times since then, but he won’t attain true adult crow-versations for another couple of months.
Chicken predator identification is important so chicken keepers know what has attacked their flock and how to prevent it from happening again by protecting your flock from common predators.
On a personal note…Tara and her young son, Beckett, had started the morning like any other: a short stroll in their backyard to the coop where their four hens lived. As they drew closer, however, Tara sensed something wrong. She told Beckett to wait, then approached the henhouse slowly—only to see a quartet of bodies slumped on the ground, motionless. Quickly, she took a confused Beckett back to the house and, once he was occupied, returned to investigate.
“It was like something made a hole in their chests and sucked the insides out. What did that to my chickens?” she asked me.
I get this question far too often. I hate to hear how birds, sometimes entire flocks, get decimated by nocturnal and diurnal predators. It’s happened to our flocks a handful of times over the years, enough so that I can look at a victim and identify the predator, whether raccoon, dog, weasel, fox, coyote or other.
If you find your flock has been attacked, here is a reference guide to chicken predator identification so that you can take proper precautions in the future.
Missing Heads
If you find your chicken with its head missing, chances are the attacker is a raccoon or a bird of prey, such as a hawk. Birds of prey will swoop down and scare chickens, who sometimes jump up in fear and get their heads caught in the netting or mesh that covers their run. A hawk or other bird of prey will then grab the head with its powerful talons and rip it off. Raccoons will also rip the heads off chickens through fencing, often reaching through at ground level to grab a chicken and pull its head off, leaving its body on the other side of the fence.
Missing Legs and Wings
A chicken whose mortal injury was the loss of a limb, such as a leg or a wing, was the victim of a raccoon. In this case, the raccoon reached through the fencing and caught hold of your bird’s limb instead of its head.
Wounds Near the Vent; Entrails Pulled Out
If your chicken is alive, with bite marks and lacerations around her vent, or if your bird is deceased, with intestines pulled out through her vent, the predator in question belongs to the weasel family. Weasels, minks, ferrets, badgers and martens wrap themselves around their prey’s body and attack the vent area. Members of the weasel family will also bite a bird at the base of the skull to kill it before feeding. (Here’s a video of how to identify predators with a simple scent station.)
This gruesome carnage signifies a common poultry predator, the raccoon. This type of predation pattern often occurs when a raccoon has gotten into a coop at night. It will typically feed on one or two chickens in this manner, then depart, leaving the remains behind.
Missing Birds
If one of your birds seems to have simply disappeared, or if there is nothing but a scattering of feathers in the coop, run or yard, the probable culprit is a fox. Foxes tend to kill or severely injure their prey, then carry them back to their dens, often to feed their kits. Coyotes and bobcats are also known to carry off their prey, as are hawks, owls and other birds of prey.
Missing Chicks
If you are missing one or more chicks, you might have a rat or opossum problem. Both predators grab infant poultry off an unguarded nest and carry them away. Rat snakes also prey on chicks, eating them whole. Another carnivore that targets chicks is the domestic cat, which tends to carry chicks off to play with this lively new toy elsewhere.
Missing or Damaged Eggs
A number of predators prey on poultry eggs. Snakes swallow eggs whole. Rats carry eggs away a short distance, then eat them. A skunk punches a hole into an egg, then sticks its muzzle in to lick out the contents. Raccoons and opossums tend to crush eggs to eat them, leaving behind a mess of mashed shell and oozing interiors. Blue jays and crows are known to occasionally prey on poultry eggs.
Bird Found Dead, No Sign of Injury
If you’ve found one or more of your birds dead with no apparent sign of foul play, your problem might be a dog. Descended from wolves, dogs still have a strong instinct to hunt and might harass and frighten your birds. In their panic to escape, your birds might pile up in a corner, one on top of the other, resulting in the suffocation and death of those on the bottom. A dog might also target a free-ranging bird, playing with it until the bird finally stops moving.
Bird Found Dead With Various Injuries
If the injuries that killed your hen don’t fit any of these patterns, among the predators stalking your flock might be an opossum or a feral cat. Both attack grown birds in a random fashion, doing whatever it takes to bring the prey down. We caught an opossum in the act of tearing the beak off our Araucana cockerel, Eduardo. The opossum did not survive that encounter, and poor Eduardo had to be euthanized. One of our Orpington hens, Mariel, encountered a feral cat in the woods. Fortunately, I found and rescued her, treated the horrible lacerations to her sides and belly, and—three years later—Mariel is still with us.
My friend Tara is still heartbroken about her hens, whom she had raised from baby chicks she purchased several years ago. This incident won’t stop her from raising chickens again, though. She already plans to try again next spring—as long as she and her husband have fully secured their coop and run from further attacks by raccoons and other predators.
This article about chicken predator identification was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.
A strawberry and rhubarb shrub recipe is a winning combo and a great way to use up some of your rhubarb and fresh strawberries as they ripen. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Yield: 3 to 4 cups finished shrub
Ingredients
2 total cups rhubarb and strawberries, chopped (fresh or frozen). Discard green leaves of the rhubarb, as they are poisonous, and hull the berries.
2 cups white granulated sugar
Days later: 2 cups organic apple cider vinegar (or other drinking vinegar of choice)
Directions
Wash strawberries and rhubarb, removing any bruised or damaged parts. Prep rhubarb and strawberries, and add them to a clean quart jar. Pour in sugar. Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean dampened towel to remove any sugar or fruit juice, apply the canning jar lid, and tightly screw on the ring.
Shake the jar vigorously to mix the strawberries, rhubarb and sugar together.
Store the jar at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Allow the mixture to macerate over a couple days until a thick syrup is made. A few times per day, shake the mixture to speed up the process (or you can use a clean spoon to stir well).
After two to three days, once the sugar has dissolved and a syrup is made, use a fine mesh strainer to strain out the solids, reserving the syrup in a measuring cup. Use the back of a spoon to push out any excess syrup. Once strained, measure the amount of syrup that was collected and add that same amount of vinegar to the syrup (it will be 1.5 to 2 cups of vinegar), stir well to mix.
Store your strawberry rhubarb shrub in a clean, airtight jar and refrigerate. Enjoy within a few months for best flavor.
To Serve
Mix about one shot glass of the shrub mixture with water or carbonated water. Serve over ice. Shrubs also make delicious and unique cocktail mixers.
Side Notes
You can also use brown sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup or other sugar alternative in place of white granulated sugar.
This method of shrub-making can be applied to any fruits-and-herb combinations.
Don’t toss the strained-out fruit solids! They are delicious mixed into plain yogurt or oatmeal, or blended into a smoothie.
Rhubarb cake is top of mind in spring as it’s abundant in our gardens and easily found at the farmer’s markets.
Rhubarb is great because it can be used in a variety of different ways. Enjoy it fresh with a little dab of sugar, turn it into jam, bake it into a pie or create a delicious sauce with it, make a rhubarb shrub, plus so many more delicious culinary options.
Fresh Rhubarb is growing in the garden. Photo by manuta
While paging through my vintage church/school/other group cookbooks from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, I found a large variety of rhubarb recipes. I treasure the old cookbooks because the recipes contained in them are a collection of tried-and-true favorites from members of the various groups – the member’s family favorites.
Here is a great rhubarb cake recipe from one of the cookbooks, published 48 years ago.
Rhubarb Cake
Cake Ingredients
1.5 cups brown sugar
½ cup shortening
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 cups rhubarb, finely chopped
Topping Ingredients
1.5 cup white granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon powder
½ cup nuts of your choice, finely chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Mix all of the cake ingredients together and pour batter into an 8×8” oven safe baking pan. Mix together all topping ingredients and evenly disperse it over the batter. Bake one hour.
Rhubarb cake recipe submitted by, Irene Keller. Shared form the 1976 copy of Dodge Center St. John Baptist DeLaSalle Catholic Women’s Cookbook. Iowa.
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Here is a second recipe for rhubarb cake that I found in another 1970s cookbook…
Rhubarb Cake
Cake Batter Ingredients
1.5 cups brown sugar
½ cup butter (recipe originally calls for oleo)
1 egg
2 cups white all purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
½ cup buttermilk
1.5 cups rhubarb, chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Topping Ingredients
½ cup white granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon powder
1 cup coconut flakes
1 tbsp. butter, room temperature
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Beat brown sugar, room-temperature butter and egg together well. Sift flour, salt and baking soda into the mixture. Add buttermilk, rhubarb and vanilla and mix together well.
Combine the topping ingredients; mix together the sugar, cinnamon, coconut and butter. Sprinkle the topping over the cake before baking.
Bake for 40 minutes.
This rhubarb cake recipe was submitted by Mrs. Roman Rezac and Mrs. Harry Tuma. Shared from the 75 Years of Good Cooking cookbook, compiled by the Rosary Society Immaculate Conception Parish in Lonsdale, MN.
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Here is a bonus recipe for Rhubarb Meringue Pie, an alternative to rhubarb cake…
Rhubarb Meringue Pie
Ingredients
Pie crust (raw, either premade or freshly made with recipe of choice)
Filling Ingredients
1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. white all-purpose flour
1.5 cups rhubarb, finely chopped
A pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Meringue Ingredients
2 egg whites, set aside for the meringue after initial baking
6 tbsp. white granulated sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Mix together the sugar, flour and salt. Beat eggs slightly. Mix in the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, and salt mixture) to the eggs. Then mix in the rhubarb and vanilla extract.
Pour mixture in an unbaked pie shell and bake for 8 minutes at 375°F, then reduce the temperature to 325°F for 25 minutes, or until the center is set.
To make the meringue, beat the egg whites until stiff. Beat in the sugar. Once stiff, cover the entire pie with the meringue and bake 8 minutes longer, or until golden.
This rhubarb pie recipe was submitted by Loucille Howalt. Recipe shared from the Grandma Wore an Apron cookbook, compiled by members and friends of the Crippled Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.
This rhubarb cake recipe article was written for Hobby Farms magazine online. Click here to subscribe.
Goat treats are an essential part of our herd’s diet; however, as delicious as treats may be, they can also be harmful. Learn what healthy treat options will help goats live healthier lives and what treats to avoid in this exclusive guide.
Nutrient-Rich Treats
Goats love a variety of fruits, vegetables, and plants, so it’s relatively easy to find some healthy goat treats. While these treats may not contain the high levels of minerals found in hay or goat feed, they are a safe and fun treat to feed in moderation.
Apples
Apples are a delicious and fun treat to feed your goats. This sweet and tasty fruit is a good source of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. The minerals found in apples aid in many body functions, including milk production, feed-to-milk efficiency, and overall improved herd health.
Wash apples before feeding to ensure they are free of pesticides and insecticides. Always core apples and cut them into slices to avoid choking.
Feeding Directions: Feed no more than one apple per goat daily.
Carrots are among the healthiest goat treats to feed your herd. This vegetable powerhouse is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients goats need to stay healthy and keep their immune system in tip-top condition.
Carrots are high in vitamins A, C, E, and K and calcium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. They are also a good source of fiber, which helps feed and generate the growth of good bacteria in the colon.
Feeding Directions: Cut carrots into bite-size pieces to avoid choking. Like all goat treats, carrots should not exceed ten percent of a goat’s diet.
Dandelions
Like many fresh greens, dandelions are an excellent choice for goat treats. This hardy weed is one of the first plants to pop up in the spring and is considered antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer. Dandelions also help improve digestion, boost the immune system, and cleanse the blood.
This nutritious plant contains vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K. It is also a good source of calcium, folate, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.
Feeding Directions: Both leaves and blooms are edible. Offer dandelions as a special treat throughout the growing season, or allow goats to eat their fill while in pasture. Dandelions are an excellent treat for weaned baby goats.
Herbs
Goats like fresh greens, so what better way to offer your herd some healthy goat treats than herbs from your garden? From basil, chervil, dill, fennel, oregano, parsley, sage, and thyme, herbs keep a goat’s digestive system running smoothly. They also help to prevent certain types of cancer and are a natural anti-inflammatory.
Herbs contain many vitamins and minerals, boosting the herd’s digestive tract and immune system.
Feeding Directions: Offer fresh herbs free choice daily to keep your herd healthy and thriving. When feeding dried herbs, follow the general rule of ⅛ teaspoon of dried herb per ten pounds of body weight.
Do not feed sage to lactating does, as it is known to reduce lactation.
Other Fruits and Vegetables
Other safe fruits and vegetables include blueberries, celery, grapes, lettuce, strawberries, squash, and seeded watermelon.
Feeding Directions: Cut fruit and vegetables into bite-size pieces to avoid choking. Vegetables and fruit should not exceed ten percent of a goat’s diet.
Treats to Avoid
Even though goats have a reputation for eating everything, some plants and foods are toxic to goats. Always ensure treats and plants are nontoxic before feeding to your herd.
Oak Tree Leaves
Goats enjoy munching on tree leaves; however, not all are safe for consumption. Green oak leaves from black, red, and yellow oaks contain high tannins. The high tannin levels result in kidney and liver damage when consumed in high quantities.
Be sure to keep your herd’s water source free of oak leaves. The tannins in oak leaves may also leach into the water, damaging the organs and leading to death.
Decorative Plants
Many decorative plants, such as perennials, annuals, and ornamental trees and bushes, are toxic to goats. However, just because they are considered toxic doesn’t mean you must remove them from the yard. Planting ornamental and decorative plants out of a goat’s reach will keep your herd safe and your lawn beautiful.
Toxic Weeds
Many weeds are toxic to goats, including Bur Dock, Cocklebur, Crowfoot Goatweed, Horse Nettle, Ivy, Jimsonweed, Johnson Grass, Lambs Quarter, Lily of the Valley, Milkweed, Mountain Laurel, Mustard, Philodendron, Poison Hemlock, Red Root, and Rhododendron.
Contact your local extension office for a complete list of toxic plants.
Too Many Goat Treats
Even though they may not be toxic, one of the worst mistakes goat owners can make is overfeeding their herd treats (even healthy treats). Overfeeding treats causes many problems, including goats becoming obese, milk production slowing or ceasing entirely, and an imbalanced diet.
Knowing what treats are safe and which ones to avoid will help goats live healthier lives. So, next time you head to the goat barn, grab some nutritious goat treats for a delicious and fun bonding experience with your favorite goat.
Replacing spark plugs on a small tractor. Photo by J. Keeler Johnson
Knowing how to replace spark plugs on a tractor, ATV, or UTV is a useful skill for any farmer to have. While spark plugs don’t require the regular maintenance schedule of other engine components, from time to time replacing spark plugs is a quick solution to engine troubles.
Fortunately, replacing spark plugs is a relatively straightforward task you can handle yourself, provided you have the right tools.
How spark plugs work
While spark plugs designs can vary, the basic principle is always the same. At the bottom of a spark plug are two electrodes (a central electrode and a side or ground electrode) with a narrow gap between them. During operation of the engine, a spark passes between the two electrodes, causing the fuel and air mixture inside the combustion chamber to ignite. This creates gas pressure that pushes on a piston, and the movement of the piston is converted into the rotational energy of the engine.
There’s a spark plug for each piston in a gasoline engine. Diesel engines don’t have spark plugs since they ignite fuel with compression rather than sparks.
When to replace spark plugs
Spark plugs can go for years without needing attention. But if you’re having trouble starting an engine (even though the tractor battery is strong), or if an engine runs rough once it gets going, the spark plugs may be to blame. Replacing the spark plugs can restore the engine to proper working order and also improve fuel efficiency.
Choosing the right spark plugs
Some small gasoline engines might have only a single piston and spark plug. Larger ones have several. And unsurprisingly, spark plugs come in different sizes. The diameter and the distance between the electrodes are two important considerations.
The material from which the tips of the electrodes are made (copper, platinum, or iridium) can impact performance and longevity. Copper spark plugs have been around for ages, but platinum and iridium spark plugs last longer and may be necessary for high-performance engines. This is especially true of double platinum and double iridium spark plugs, which are designed with platinum or iridium on both electrodes rather than only the central one.
Fortunately, an average farmer doesn’t need to know the nuances of spark plug designs. Simply consult the instruction manual of your machine for a recommendation on the number and type of spark plugs you need.
How to replace spark plugs
The exact steps required to replace spark plugs may vary depending on your engine. Consulting the instruction manual for specifics is a wise idea, but the basics are as follows:
Do not replace spark plugs when the engine is hot; let the machine sit until the engine is fully cooled. Once you’re ready to begin, unhook the battery for safety.
Locate the spark plugs and remove either the spark plugs wires or the ignition coils, depending on whether your engine has spark plug wires or the “coil on plug” (COP) design. Be careful not to damage them, and keep track of which wire/coil goes to which spark plug.
Clean around each spark plug so debris won’t fall into the combustion chamber when you remove the plug. Then, using a socket wrench of the correct size, unscrew and remove each spark plug.
Before installing new spark plugs, you may need to confirm that the spacing between the electrodes—the “gap”—is correct. There are tools available to check the gap and adjust the spacing of the electrodes if needed. A wire feeler gauge or wire gap gauge is what you’re after.
After confirming the gap is correct, carefully thread the spark plugs into place and tighten with a torque wrench to the required torque, which will likely be detailed in your machine’s instruction manual. Once the spark plugs are in place, reinstall the spark plug wires or ignition coils, and don’t forget to hook up the battery.
Congratulations! Now you know how to replace spark plugs on tractors, ATVs, UTVs, and other gas-powered farm machines. And the process is much the same for gas-powered cars, so even a bit of automotive maintenance is now within your reach.
This article about how to replace spark plugs was written for Hobby Farms magazine online. Click here to subscribe.
Changing the oil filter on a garden tractor. Courtesy Daniel Johnson
Tractor filters come in numerous types, shapes, and sizes. You’ll find them across many of the tractor’s most important components, working behind the scenes to filter debris from the air and fluids that feed the tractor’s hard-working engine and related systems.
Regularly maintaining and replacing tractor filters is an important step to maximize your tractor’s performance and lifespan including your tractor battery. If it’s not already, make sure to add this to your tractor maintenance checklist. Not every tractor will have every type of filter, but let’s run through some of the most common filters and highlight the important jobs they serve:
Air filter
The air filter plays a huge role protecting an engine from damage and allowing it to perform at its best. Both gasoline and diesel engines require air to operate, and the air filter blocks dust, dirt, and other contaminants from entering (and damaging) the engine.
Since the air filter is responsible for catching all that grime, it must be regularly cleaned and/or replaced. Let an air filter get too dirty, and engine performance will start to suffer. Signs include reduced fuel efficiency and black smoke in your exhaust.
Filters are typically made from paper, foam, or synthetic materials. Your tractor may have multiple air filter components; consult your tractor’s instruction manual for guidance on cleaning and replacing the air filter(s).
Cabin filter
If your tractor has a cab, you may have a cabin filter that needs replacing. Cabin filters have nothing to do with engine performance; instead, they cleanse the air in your cabin so you can breathe easy.
Tractor cabins fall into four categories based on the level of protection they offer the operator. For farmers out plowing fields or baling hay, a Category 2 cabin that protects against dust might be all you need. But if you’ll be spraying pesticides, applying fertilizers, etc., you may need a Category 3 cabin (which protects against aerosols) or a Category 4 cabin (which blocks vapors too).
The category of cabin you need will obviously impact the type of cabin filter(s) you use. Consult your instruction manual for guidance on how and when to tackle filter replacing.
Fuel filter
Without fuel, an engine won’t run. And without a working fuel filter to cleanse the fuel, the engine won’t run for very long. Fuel contaminants—such as dirt and other small particles—can damage engine components if not filtered out.
As with any filter, the fuel filter must be regularly replaced; over time it will gradually clog, reducing fuel flow to the engine and stressing the fuel pump. Your machine’s manual will advise on how and when to change the fuel filter.
Oil filter
Oil is critical to maintaining the performance and well-being of an engine. Without oil providing lubrication, moving engine parts would quickly wear out. Oil also serves to dissipate heat generated by the engine.
To do its job properly, engine oil must be free of contaminants. Since oil inevitably picks up impurities as it circulates through the engine, the oil filter serves to cleanse the oil.
The oil filter should be changed on a regular schedule. Consult your machine’s instruction manual; you’ll likely find guidance on how often to change the filter. If you’re changing the oil anyway, replacing an oil filter can be a straightforward extra step that doesn’t take much time.
Other filters: hydraulic, DEF, etc.
Depending on your tractor, there may be other filters to replace. Hydraulic filter(s) for the hydraulics. On diesel tractors, a DEF filter for the diesel exhaust fluid. Perhaps a coolant filter if your tractor has a liquid-cooled engine. In each case the filter is serving to remove contaminants from a liquid to protect engine components and keep your tractor running in tip-top shape. Don’t overlook any of these tractor filters, and replace them as recommended by the instruction manual.
This guide to tractor filters was written for Hobby Farms magazine online. Click here to subscribe.
