Categories
Animals

Yummy Acorns

Martok goat
Photo by Sue Weaver
Waiting for my turn to eat yummy acorns!

It’s autumn in the Ozarks, and autumn is my favorite time of year. Autumn is when acorns are ripe! Uzzi and I love acorns and so do the other goats, the sheep, the horses and steers, and especially Carlotta, our razorback pig. Acorns are yummy! But it isn’t good to eat a lot of acorns at a time.

A lot of kinds of oaks grow in the Ozarks. Our favorite acorns are from the big White Oak by Mom’s writing cabin. They fall on her deck and on the ground, and then we get to eat them!

But Uzzi and I don’t get out to eat acorns until the other goats have been picking them up all day. Mom lets all of the sheep and goats into the yard to eat nuts that fell overnight. That way, each of us gets only a handful of nuts. Too many acorns are toxic, and they make you sick! That’s because oak leaves and acorns contain tannic acid. In large amounts, tannic acid causes gastroenteritis (inflammation of the gut and atomic diarrhea) and maybe even kidney damage. You can tell if your goats, sheep, cattle or horses have oak poisoning because of the symptoms: lack of appetite, depression, constipation, diarrhea (which may contain blood), bloody urine, colic and laminitis. So, do like Mom and limit your animals’ time under the oak trees so they don’t get sick.

There is an exception, though: pigs. Drat Carlotta, she can eat all the yummy acorns she wants! Pigs don’t get oak poisoning. In fact, in olden days people fattened their pigs on acorns. In some places, they still do, like in Spain, where a special breed called Black Iberian pigs is raised running loose in oak forests and fattened on acorns for a month or so before slaughter. Their gourmet ham is called jamón ibérico. The best kind is jamón ibérico de bellota (Iberian ham of acorns). Imported, it costs almost $100 a pound!

Mom eats acorns and you can too You can buy a 50-page book published by the California Oak Foundation about California acorns and how to cook them. The recipes work for other kinds of acorns, too.

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Categories
News

Armyworms Infest Texas Crop

Armyworm
Courtesy USDA/ Barry Fitzgerald
Armyworms attack crops in Texas more intensely during the warm, rainy season, but they will subside once temperatures drop.

Intense armyworm infestations have continued to consume pastures and hay meadows in eastern and central Texas throughout the fall, an annual problem facing farmers in the region.

“I don’t think they’re worse [than in previous years], but it’s probably more intense (sudden) onset,” says Allen Knutson, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service entomologist.

Substantial rains, like those much of Texas has experienced throughout the season from hurricanes and tropical storms, often trigger armyworm outbreaks, he says. The perception that armyworms are worse this year is probably because recent years’ dry weather seemed to inhibit their reproduction.

“There was a long period of time when it was dry and there was no armyworm activity. Then all of sudden, here they are in large numbers,” he says.

Knutson said no one really knows why armyworms burst forth in large numbers when it rains following a dry period. But the theory is that armyworm eggs and small larvae survive when humidity is high and plant growth is lush.

“We know that the (armyworm) moths are moving up from South Texas all summer long and no doubt laying eggs, but the eggs and small larvae just don’t survive when it’s hot and dry,” he says.

Now that conditions are ripe for their survival, armyworms will be active until the first cold weather comes in, Knutson says. They will take up residence along the Gulf Coast for winter, then fly to northern states for spring.

“It’ll take a freeze to actually kill them because they’re not cold-tolerant, but certainly cooler weather will slow their development,” he said. “We still are weeks and weeks away from that, so there’s lots of time for armyworms to do damage. It’s too early to hope that weather is going to slow down the infestations.”

Armyworms are not only damaging existing pastures, they’re also delaying planting wheat for grazing and small grains for winter pastures, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent reports.

Armyworms can strip a field of newly emerged small grains overnight, Knutson says.

Some wheat producers delayed sowing because of reports of armyworms infesting farms in the north, especially in Oklahoma, says Heath Lusty, a Texas AgriLife Extension agent for Jack County, northwest of Fort Worth.

According to Knutson, there’s really no way for farmers to avoid the seasonal infestation of the armyworm.

“Currently, the best management practice is to closely monitor fields to detect infestations early, so control can be taken before significant damage occurs.”

In addition to early planted wheat, armyworms target Bermuda grass, rye and other forage grasses. Haygrazer and other forage sorghums could also be infested by armyworms if they are succulent and grow rapidly, says Knutson. 

Categories
Urban Farming

Film Investigates Vanishing Bees

Beehive

Courtesy Vanishing of the Bees

The Vanishing of the Bees documentary explores the possible causes of colony collapse disorder worldwide.

It’s no secret that the world’s Honey bees are in a dire situation. A sudden, mysterious decline in the bee population, known as colony collapse disorder, has thrust these buzzing beauties into the media spotlight.

So when directors George Langworthy and Maryam Henein decided to join forces for a film project, Honey bees seemed to be the most fitting subject. Both directors had heard the news about the disappearing bees and were attracted to the mystery of CCD.

As a result, they released Vanishing of the Bees, a documentary that aims to unveil truths about bees, honey and the modern agricultural landscape that’s ill-suited for keeping them in production.

“If you like to eat, this movie should appeal to you, because we are on the verge of a crisis as the bees continue to disappear,” Henein says. “We are constantly being poisoned. So it’s time to get back to our roots and find out where our food comes from.”

The documentary, narrated by actress Ellen Page, intertwines the environmental and cultural importance of Honey bees to our society. Henein and Langworthy follow the work of both commercial and holistic beekeepers, who have witnessed devastating and mysterious Honey bee losses.

According to the film, the worst case of CCD reported resulted in the death of 40,000 hives and the disappearance of more than 2 billion bees. The true mystery behind CCD is where exactly the bees have vanished to—beekeepers don’t find an adequate number of dead bees to coincide with their losses.

“Bees are an indicator of environmental quality. If the bees are dying, something’s wrong,” says David Mendes, a Florida beekeeper featured in the documentary, who becomes quite emotional over the bees’ plight.

The film speculates a number of CCD causes. It alludes to the idea that systemic pesticides may be to blame, though that idea contradicts recently released research saying CCD may be related to a combination of a virus and a fungus in hives. 

“As far as George and I are concerned, [the new research] is kind of sad, because people think there’s a cure now,” Henein says in light of the research she’s done for the film. She says a lot of contention has arisen on the pesticide versus virus debate, but sticks to the notion that pesticides could be hurting both humans and bees.

“These poisons are affecting us, and we don’t know how they are affecting us synergistically,” she says.

In an effort to “cross-pollinate”—that is, spread their message while helping other organizations—Henein and Langworthy launched a community engagement campaign called Bee the Change. Through this campaign, the film is available for screening to raise money for beekeeping associations, gardening clubs, women’s alliances and other nonprofit organizations as well as home-based groups. The film’s website has information on film applications and pricing.

“Tell people about the film,” urges Henein. “Education and awareness is the No. 1 step in affecting change.”

In addition to educating themselves, Henein says people can take other steps to help protect Honey bees, including eating organic produce, shopping at local farmers’ markets and planting pesticide-free gardens.

Categories
Urban Farming

Broccoli Snails

Broccoli and snail

Photo by Rick Gush

I can’t identify these snails, but they’re eating holes into part of my broccoli plants.

The good news in the garden is that my broccoli plants are all growing like crazy. I finally found space to get all 100 plants in the ground, and aside from a few stormy days, it’s been warm and sunny so the plants are really jumping. Some of the largest are 2 feet tall with 2-inch-thick stalks. There are no flowers yet, but it’ll only be a matter of time. We should certainly have a lot of broccoli to eat this winter.

The bad news is that the broccoli plants in one of the garden areas are infested with tiny snails. I haven’t been able to identify these little monsters yet, but they are chewing a lot of holes in the lower leaves of the plants. Our garden is organic, so I don’t use metaldehyde on the garden snails. Instead, I use snail pellets made from iron sulphate, and they usually work pretty well.

But this time, the snail pellets don’t seem to be working. I’m not too worried, because the affected plants do have a whole lot of upper leaves that are unaffected so far. But the holey leaves still bother me. The little snails don’t seem to be land crawlers like the bigger types, so I’m not surprised that the first pellets, which I placed on the soil surface, had little effect. Next, I tried wetting the foliage and then scattering the pellets directly onto the foliage. Hmm, not much better.

I have, of course, tried salt borders, copper border strips and plates of beer, none of which worked particularly well. Those strategies are also sort of a pain because I have so many little plots. When I lived in the States and had a larger one-plot garden, I had great luck when I built a copper border around the whole garden. There were plenty of snails in the landscaping right next to the garden, but I guess the snails did not enjoy crawling across the copper strips to get into the vegetable patch.

These days, I’m hand-picking all the little buggers I can find, but I’m obviously missing a lot, as the holey leaves keep getting holier. At this point, only 20 of my 100 plants are affected, but I’m hoping that the cold weather comes soon, as this always seems to be the most effective snail deterrent. In the meanwhile, I suppose I should trot around to some of the old-time vegetable gardeners around here to see if any of them can give me useful advice on the subject. 

My original concern with the broccoli was that they’d have problems with cabbage worms.  I’ve sprayed the plants several times with Bacillus thuringensis, but it doesn’t seem to be as effective as a preventative, and I think it only works when there are already worms present on the plants. I think the rains wash it off as well, so I’m prepared to spray again after almost every rainfall. My trigger finger should get quite a workout this winter.

Read more of Rick’s Favorite Crops »

Categories
Crops & Gardening

Soooo Many Chores!

Garden plant
Photo by Jessica Walliser
I love fall, but during this time of year, my garden presents me with many chores.

Fall has definitely arrived. The leaves are dropping like flies and there’s a bit of nip in the air. I love this time of year. Not for the pending winter, for sure, but for the finality of the growing season. It’s a good time to take stock of garden successes and get ready for a rest. 

Still, it also brings soooo many chores. Last weekend, I started to rip out the veggie garden and get it in order. The cuke and squash vines have been composted along with the pepper plants. The crazy out-of-hand borage plant was uprooted and the herb garden trimmed and tamed. I can’t say I loved the “Amish” thyme I put in this spring (to me, it is no different then regular thyme—I didn’t taste any difference) but I’ll wait ’til spring to decide if I want to keep it. I pulled out the basil before it got frosted for the first time ever. No more pesto, please! A few plants went a long way this summer. 

This weekend, I plan to tackle the tomato plants, pulling them up, harvesting the remaining green fruits and pulling up the hardwood stakes. I should also harvest the last few cabbage heads and tuck them into the fridge while I’m at it. I’ll leave the beets and carrots in until Thanksgiving or maybe even beyond. Last year’s beets and turnips lasted well into the winter. A nice December treat, for sure!

I have managed to tackle the perennial-garden chores. It looks much better. The containers, too, will have to be deconstructed soon. But that’s for another day— like I said, sooooo many chores!

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Categories
Homesteading

Masked Visitors

Raccoon
Photo by Cherie Langlois
A masked visitor peeked in our window this morning.

The morning’s peace and quiet is shattered by my (suspected) Coonhound-mix Pippin howl-barking and lunging at the living room window. He acts as though an ax-wielding murderer lurks on the front porch, but thanks to past experience I already have a good idea who’s come to call.  Sure enough, looking out I find a masked face peering up at me. Not a human intruder, but a curious young raccoon checking to see if I’ve fed my feral cats, with his two shyer siblings peeking out from the nearby rhododendron bush. 

I hustle Pippin into another room, grab my camera, and enthusiastically snap pics. Raccoons are most active in the early evening and at night, so I’ve never had an opportunity to photograph them by day before. Eventually realizing they won’t get a free handout from me, the trio fans out across our marshy front yard to dabble in the grass and buttercups with their sensitive, dexterous front paws. Intermittently, they shove something into their mouths—a slug or another pesty delicacy, I assume.  

Raccoons
Photo by Cherie Langlois
Our raccoon visitor’s siblings kept watch from a safe distance.

Raccoons are regular visitors here, both to my delight and utter frustration, depending on the circumstances. As a former zookeeper who cared for raccoons and other native mammals, I have a soft spot for these highly intelligent, curious and adaptable creatures. Not only are they fascinating to watch, but they’re super cute. However, they can also be super nuisances when they come around at night to taunt our dogs or rip into the chicken coop to dine on our birds, as they did during one frigid, food-scarce week last winter. 

Despite this, we prefer to strive for a peaceful coexistence rather than wage war against an animal simply going about the difficult business of survival. For instance, reinforcing the coop with plywood has helped prevent more break-ins and putting out small amounts of food for my feral cats when the coons aren’t around helps keep them from becoming dangerously tame and obnoxiously dependent on this food source.

Here are some facts about these masked bandits:

  • Raccoons are omnivorous, eating pretty much anything that’s edible, including aquatic animals, insects, slugs, mice, eggs, grains, seeds and fruits.
  • In turn, they’re preyed upon by coyotes, cougars, bobcats, dogs and hunters.
  • Raccoons commonly live in wooded areas near a source of water, but they’ve adapted to living in suburbs and cities, too. They’ll make dens in hollow trees, rock crevices, crawl spaces, attics and chimneys.
  • Protective mother raccoons usually give birth to two or three kits in the spring. The young generally stay with their mother through the winter.
  • Wild raccoons only live about two or three years (captive coons, about 13 years).

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife provides some great information about coexisting with raccoons, including how to deter them from raiding garages and nesting in attics.

~Cherie

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Categories
Urban Farming

A Lesson, a Ritual, Gifts

Canned fruit

Photo by Judith Hausman

I canned my foraged “parking lot” pears in rum with plums and ground cherries.

It’s a rainy, rainy day, and a rain we sorely need here in the Hudson Valley. Despite the rain, I had to go get the quince today, or else I’d have been too late for them.

About three years ago, I discovered the little orchard that my friend’s dad had planted and since have been given permission to raid it for quince every fall. The bumpy, beautiful fruit is rock-hard and wormy but with patience and trimming, I make deep-rose membrillo (quince paste), the traditional Hispanic accompaniment to cheese. I’ve managed a knock-out quince tarte Tatin, too, by first gently cooking the fruits in butter and red wine.

Anyway, rain or not, it was time. It’s my own private tradition to honor the bounty that these neglected trees still produce in good faith, even if no one cares for them or eats their lovely fruit.

Except there were no quince.

Instead, I got another humbling lesson in seasonality. Some years, there are quince, and some years in the cycle of the trees, it’s so dry the quince don’t make it. The small orchard, bounded with stone walls and a suburban elementary school, was quiet, breezy and wet, but the trees had no fruit at all.

I still got to perform my ritual, though. The orchard also contains two kinds of apple trees, and I was able to pick about a half-bushel of the matte, tan, web-skinned variety. Even with judicious trimming, there will be enough of the dry, tart flesh to make smooth, brown apple butter without sugar. And I gathered several branches of elderberry clusters from young bushes growing under the trees. They make a great combination with apples. Rather than humble pie, I’ll spread humble apple-elderberry butter on my toast and give it for gifts along with a wooden spreader and a batch of homemade muffins. Next year, there will (probably) be quince again.

In contrast to these trees, the parking lot pear tree I pilfer yearly has been drooping with small, green-yellow pears. They can be hard and a little wormy, but I had the patience to let them ripen to sweeter softness on the tree a little longer this year. I have already put up two jars of quartered pears in brandy, star anise and ginger and three more jars of sliced pears, layered with prune plums and ground cherries, in rum, cinnamon and sage leaves. I’m going to try a batch with vanilla bean and rosemary, too.

I filled clean jars with the cut fruit and the seasonings, sprinkled each layer generously with sugar, carefully poured in the booze, and then closed the jars. This has got to be the easiest way there is to capture the local fruit harvest and, boy, oh boy, will those jars make impressive gifts.

I may package the pears with a pear candle or a funky, vintage serving spoon. The rumtopf (rum-soaked fruit) partners well with a small lemon pound cake or lemon shortbread cookies and a few tiny aperitif glasses. Of course, good vanilla ice cream is the reliable and luxurious default accompaniment for any “drunken” fruit, not just my favorites: the foraged bagsful from forgotten trees.

Read more of The Hungry Locavore »

Categories
Equipment

Choosing a Vise

Choosing a vise, like buying any tool, requires thinking about how you will use it before you go looking, much less buying. The more work you plan on doing, the heavier duty and the higher quality vise you need. That said, even sporadic use can be hard on a vise. If you buy a lower-priced unit, don’t expect it to last if you start straightening shafts or bending steel rod or posts.

Frequency of use (or personal patience index) may determine if you want a quick-release feature. Since I was a boy, the turning of the handle on a vise has had its own charm, so having a quick release wasn’t a concern of mine.

Jaw width and depth are features where bigger really is better. Swivel is also key, allowing one job to rest on the workbench while the next rests on the floor.

Replaceable jaw faces are a given. If you stumble across one that isn’t replaceable, think twice before buying. A hard jaw on soft metal turns repair into replacement. Replace the metal jaw with wood or high-density poly, and it’s much safer for delicate work.

Most vises available today are imported, and quality varies tremendously. There are a few really high-quality, high-end vises still made in the U.S. If you have the time or inclination to hit farm sales or going-out-of business sales for metal shops or car repair shops, look for a firm, smooth-closing action, clamping (if swivel) and replaceable face. And look for the words “Made in the USA.” A well-made, used vise is likely to be much better than that new vise I have sitting on my workbench and likely will last much longer.

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Categories
News

Online Livestock-handling Course

Farmer and cattle
The Animal Care Training website offers online courses so farmers and auction personnel can hone their livestock handling skills.

Proper livestock handling and animal care is a major concern for livestock producers and auction personnel. A partnership between Livestock Marketing Association and the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University now allows livestock handlers to fine-tune their handling skills.

The two organizations collaborated to produce the Animal Care Training website, which offers training videos, testing and certification in specific areas of livestock handling.

“With some 35 million cattle and calves and 11 million sheep and swine going through America’s livestock auction markets annually, we feel that the markets are doing a tremendous job, but continuous training is vital for the safety of the livestock we care for and our employees,” says Kristen Parman, LMA’s vice president for membership services.

The training packages on the website include topics such as low-stress animal handling, handling injured or disabled animals, properly moving non-ambulatory animals, safe and responsible euthanasia, and safely working with gates. A section is also geared toward business owners and managers, addressing the need for a coordinated animal-handling or risk-management programs.

The full site, including all training modules, is available in English and Spanish. With no time limits, the training can be completed and made to fit around a hectic work schedule.

Dan Thomson, DVM, director of the BCI and Jones Professor of Production Medicine, says the result of the LMA/BCI partnership is “a novel training platform” for livestock market personnel.

“[LMA members] have understood the importance of animal well-being for a long time, because nobody cares more about the animals than the people who work with them day to day,” he says.

The training available on the website, he adds, provides livestock handlers with easily accessible information to learn the latest best-management practices for animal health and well-being.

According to Parman, the two organizations will continue to collaborate and create online training modules to address key issues facing the livestock industry.