Homestead Surprises!

I love being a homesteader!  Each day brings a new challenge.  Some are good....some are bad. 

This morning my son comes up from doing chores and said there were two important things he needed to tell me.  I asked if they were good or bad.  He replied, " One of each".  I asked for the bad news first.

He tells me that our ram Blue broke in and was with our ram Dodge.  This is not good since Blue is horned and Dodge it not.  The good part for Dodge is he is three years older and is BIGGER.  When it comes to rams, this is important.  Thankfully my two oldest sons were able to break the fight up and get Blue back into the big pasture where he belongs.  Both rams are fine and the ewes are too. 

So next I ask for the good news.  Well, it was GOOD NEWS!  We have these two guineas.  They were part of our original guinea order purchase in 2007.  We purchased 16 guineas.  When we let them loose to free range the VERY first day, they flew on top of our house.  One fell off...and forgot to fly!  Broke it's neck and died RIGHT THERE!  Can you imagine that? 

The next guinea that we lost was on my husband's birthday.  My oldest son threw a piece of PVC and according to my son, the guinea was not very smart as it did not move out of the way of the flying PVC.  It ended up with a broken leg and then on our grill by the end of the day.  YUM!  Yep, we had grilled guinea for my husband's birthday dinner and it was VERY good!

Over the years, we have lost all but two guineas.  Every morning I enjoy watching them walk across our fields to feed.  Then, one morning there was just one guinea.  This was very sad as there was one male and one female and one mate was now lost.  My heart hurt for the one that was left.  To be honest, I had hoped that maybe the mama was some where sitting on a nest.  But we all know how dumb guineas are, don't we?  But I can still hope, right?

Well, that was the good news!  Yep, mama guineas had been sitting on a nest and we now have at least 12 Keats!  We are so excited!  I know that not all will survive, but I hope that many do!   And I hope that next year, mama and daddy guinea will raise another batch of Keats to add to our homestead.  And no, we won't be eating these little guys...I'm just too excited that we were blessed with these babies!

Using Decoys in the Garden...Tomatoes

Early this summer, I was watching my tomatoes ripen. I was very excited and had my eyes on one in particular. However, just before I was ready to pick it...I went out to find it with a large hole in it, pecked by a bird! Argh! Apparently, I wasn't the only one watching the tomato ripening. I am pretty sure it was a blue jay, specifically, the blue jay that was hanging around my garden watching me lament over my tomato!

An occurrence like this puts me on the war path pretty quickly. I like birds, and had no intention of doing them harm...but I also had no intention of sharing any more tomatoes. They have plenty of other food available to eat.

So! I went to the store, walked to the party section, and chose a couple bags of small red balloons. It was time to decorate the garden! I went home, found some string, and blew the balloons up to be a little larger than tomato size. I then tied a red balloon to each tomato cage. I thought it looked pretty convincing, and was really wishing I could see the hopeful birds land on the tomato cage and start pecking away, only to be repeatedly disappointed. I didn't see any birds get tricked, but my husband walked in the garden and he thought the balloons were tomatoes at first..."Oh, Wow! Huh? Ummm...never mind..." While I didn't see any birds get disappointed, I did find several popped balloons, and for the most part, my tomatoes were left alone after that!

Organic Problems...in the Garden

Back to organic problems…this time in the garden.

I would love to plant and harvest only heirloom varieties, no hybrids, using nothing but organic fertilizer and pest control methods. Again, reality has stepped in!

My garden base is sand. Pest populations are huge, varied, and hungry. Heirloom varieties that I have tried so far tend to waste away due to disease and who knows what else.

I still tend to shun traditional pesticides and fertilizers. I hand pick bugs, spray with a soapy mixture, leave the wasp nests as they enjoy hauling away caterpillars, and use diatomaceous earth. I set out decoy fruit…I will post more about that later. I use cottonseed meal as a fertilizer, in addition to compost and manure. Some feel that because cottonseed meal comes from such a gmo and overly-treated crop that its not exactly organic, but I believe it is still better than so much of what is commercially available for fertilizer. I have also learned the benefits of mulching my crops!

I will use some hybrid plants, at least for now. And this is why. Dead plants and scant crops don’t teach all that much, but can lead to frustration. Nematodes are very bad in my garden, and while I am working to decrease their population, I want to harvest things!

I am a homesteader work-in-progress. I am not where I was, nor am I where I will be next year. I can’t afford to buy all organic vegetables, nor can I successfully raise them at this time. At any rate, I believe that anything I harvest out of my own home garden is better than anything non-organic that I buy from a store…for health, nutrition, cost, and satisfaction!

Sheep Identification

We started our flock of  Gulf Coast Sheep with just two ewes and one ram.  They were all only six months old when we brought them home and it was easy to tell them apart.  That was 2006.  Now we have three rams and 22 ewes and it is 2011.  I really thought I would never need to tag an ear or tattoo an ear as "I" would "always" know my sheep:  WRONG! 

I can assure you that as your flock grows, you will NOT be able to tell one young white ewe lamb from another; especially when you have 10 to 15 running and jumping around!  So, what to do....that really is the question.

Tattoos work if you can actually read them later.  Ear tags work if they don't get torn out.  And collars work if you don't have a horned ram.  So what do we use?  All three methods.

We let the first letter denote the year the animal was born.  To keep this straight, we just use the ADGA letter.  This is well documented and easy to find.  For 2011 it is the letter B.  So for any lambs born in 2011, the first letter of their identification is B.

Next comes the ram.  We have three rams:  Dodge, Blue and Joseph.  Dodge is denoted as 1, Blue as 2 and Joseph as 3.  So if a lamb is born in 2011 and Blue is the sire, then the identification starts with B2.

We have a record of our ewes in a special book.  Our first ewe on the place was Sunshine and so her letter is A.  So if we have a lamb born to Sunshine in 2011 and the sire was Blue, then the lambs identification is B2A.

The last variable that must be answered is what happens if there are twins or triplets born.  Since I don't like to do very many letters if we don't have too, if a single is born, then we just stop with the three letter designations.  However, if there is more than one, then we add a fourth letter.  1 is for the first born, 2 is for the second born, 3 is for the third born and so on. 

I like to tattoo this information in the ear of the baby that will not have a tag in it.  In other words, tattoo the ear that will not carry the tag.  This will help you retrieve the information in the future.  If we are tagging the lamb with this information, then we write this on the back of the tag and on the front of the tag we write the lamb's name.  The tag will either go in the ear or on a collar. 

Please remember, if you have horned sheep, do not use collars as they can strangle each other!  And remember to always identify your sheep because over time, you will lose track of who is who!

Organic Problems...at the Grocery Store

I don't know about you, but I have an ideal in my mind. This ideal involves only growing or purchasing organically raised food of the heirloom sort. No pesticides, no artificial fertilizer, no chemicals, no hybrids.

There is one thing that stands in the way of this ideal for me...and that is a thing called reality. I can't just afford to buy everything organic. I do buy some things that are organic, but if it comes down to paying the power bill or buying all organic vegetables and grass fed meat and cage free eggs...you know what I have to choose.

But...my eating habits have changed drastically in the past 15 years. I think an interesting gauge of the change is that while I like using coupons...my grocery habits have changed to a point where seldom do the things I buy have a coupon available.

My chiropractor said a long time ago that the further away a food is processed from its original state of growth, the fewer benefits it will have when it is consumed. Makes sense.

Our changes happened one at a time. First, we fired Little Debby and Hostess, then Lipton and Campbell. We now eat all butter...no margarine. I make most of our own jam, we have goats for milk and chickens for eggs and honey bees. We now grind whole grains for flour. There have been a lot of other changes as well, but they were gradual, and realistic. It kept the changes stress-free, and manageable. I still can't buy all organic, but we are much healthier than we were! And while it may not be the ideal that I still picture in my head...if I really think about it...what we live is ideal for us at this time. More on this in a future post...

The Joys of Dog Ownership

I love my dogs. They provide companionship, joy, and moments of awe. They truly do have a mind of their own, and amazing talents! Dogs are a lot less judgmental than people, much more forgiving.

I have three inside dogs. One excels at learning tricks, and she is the jogging partner of my husband. Another, my doberman, has taken it upon herself to prevent Godzilla from ever taking over the world by killing every lizard she sees. She does not eat them, but leaves them to rot on the ground. My third dog finds this disturbing, and will bury, with his nose, every dead lizard he finds. He also kills and eats any bug he finds or is called upon to dispatch. They all have their place, and I love each one for their own special personalities and abilities.

However...only one of them...the Doberman...has ever typed and the posted a blog! Which is the post directly beneath this blog. I was trying to type and she came over and bopped the keyboard with her nose. And that was what she had to say...

/

Gate Etiquette and Wisdom

Shut the gate behind you if it was closed when you went through it.

Leave the gate open if it was open when you went through it.

That is, unless you have authority over the gate and have a specific reason for deviating from the norm, or are someone else and were told to do otherwise. Then please don't forget the new instructions. This goes for walk-through and drive-through gates!

Whew. If family members and visitors would remember these very simple guidelines, then I suspect there would be fewer tense moments on a homestead! When my children were younger and would not shut gates behind them, I bought combination locks and installed them, and only my husband and I knew the combinations. The thought that 'Oh, I will close it when I come back through.' is lazy and dangerous, whether it is a child or an adult of any age. I understand that mistakes can happen, but lazy is a choice, and a foolish gamble. Having goats running down the road with a Great Pyrenees is not a good thing on so many levels! Its also illegal.

Gates are very useful, highly effective tools on a farm, yet they are very often taken for granted. Going through a gate requires a degree of responsibility that should not be taken lightly. Everything living thing on the other side of the fence is in the hands of the person who opens and closes the gate. That alone should be enough to make a person more aware and careful when passing through.

Is it Jam, Jelly, Butter, Conserve, Marmalade or Preserves?????

I often hear jam called jelly and jelly called jam.  So here is how you can tell the difference quickly.  Jelly is jelled juice...that's it!  You take juice from fruit and add pectin so it is 'jelly'.  The jam is the juice plus the pulp and sometimes the skin of the fruit with added pectin. 

A butter is made by cooking fruit pulp and sugar to a THICK consistency without pectin.  Spices are normally added to enhance the flavor.

Conserves are similar to jams but must have more than one fruit in the mix.  And technically, they should contain a nut or raisin.

Marmalades are soft, transparent jellies with peel evenly distributed throughout.  This is almost always a citrus fruit that will be made into a marmalade.

Preserves have whole fruit or large pieces of fruit in it.  The fruit should be clear, shiny, tender and plump.  Around our neck of the woods, pears are often preserved.  A syrup is added around the fruit to enhance flavor.  And my grandma always added a touch of red food coloring to her pears so she would have pretty pink pears.  They were the BEST!

Painting Your Bee Boxes

I think when most people picture beehives, they envision stacks of tidy white-painted boxes. This is the standard, but not a necessity!

It is not necessary to paint your supers, a.k.a. bee boxes. However, it does increase their useful life, as it cuts down on rot. Use any exterior paint. Interior paint will blister and not last very long. You can use oil or latex, but we prefer to use exterior latex because it dries faster and generally has less fumes.

You don't have to stick with white. If you only have a few boxes, you can customize them to your liking. A friend of mine painted her bee hives to be quite pretty and colorful. A seasoned bee keeper that I know buys off-colored exterior paint sold at a discount. His hives are also quite colorful, but he really doesn't care...he jut wants the wood protected. White, pretty, or mismatched as mismatched can be... I don't think the bees have much of a preference!

When you paint your bee boxes, only paint the outside...not the inside. My husband did want to add that when you paint your wooden covers, to extend the paint line an inch or two inside the cover to help protect against blowing rain. And...he always does two coats. Some folks prefer the metal covered tops, and those don't need to be painted.

Theoretically, the painting of bee boxes happens in a heated indoor shed in the winter months. This is the best way, and leaves the rest of the year to leisurely tend your bees. Reality has a funny way of stepping in to this thought process though, and I am sure we are not the only beekeepers who have ever been painting in spring and hoping bugs don't land in the paint...

The Bee Brush

Ok...bee hygiene is very important, and that is why you need a bee brush! Its very important to brush each honeybee at least once a week, so they don't become matted. Braiding their hair helps, especially the queen. I am so kidding about all of that, except for the part where you need a bee brush!

A bee brush is a short-handled flat brush about 14 inches long, and resembles the brushes sold for sweeping snow off a car's window. A bee brush usually has a wooden handle and yellow bristles, and is a fairly inexpensive investment. They are a simple tool, but invaluable...don't try to use a substitute. Leave the snow brush in the car!

The purpose of one of these brushes is to gently move a crowd of honeybees off a frame or lid, or other piece of equipment. When removing honey frames for extraction, the bees must be brushed off...the fewer left hanging around for the extraction process, the better! It is important to use a flicking motion... flick the bees off, rather than rolling them with the brush bristles. A rolled bee is usually pretty indignant, indignant bees are in a mood to sting, and their attitude is contagious! So...flick, don't roll. And...flick them back into the hive, if possible. The sooner they can get back to work, the better...for both you and the hive.

My Thoughts on Weeds

Weeds...or wild plants...can tell you things about your soil...pH, nutrient content, general moisture conditions, mineral deficiencies, and more. Many of them are edible, have an interesting history, and a good amount make beautiful flowers. There are a lot of great books out there to help you identify various plants, along with their history, useful traits, and other tidbits of information. I enjoy weeds, and try to learn about a new wild plant every year. I will choose one or two in the yard, and watch them grow through their stages throughout the season. At some point I will look them up to see about identification and learn more about them. If I get stumped, I will ask someone else who I think might know. It hasn't happened to me yet where I absolutely couldn't find any information on a plant, but I suppose if I ever got really stumped I could bring one to a local plant nursery or an Extension Office.

If you ever decide to make a study of a weed in your yard, it is a good policy to tell all family members where it is and to leave the plant alone. Otherwise, a well meaning person will someday notice the healthy weed specimen, take offence to its existence, and then rip it out of the ground. You later will walk by and go to look at your plant...only to find it has vacated its former location. A quick scan of the surrounding area will find it wilted on the ground, not too far away. At least this is what happened to me this morning. And I never even knew its name...

Some Thoughts on Feeding Honeybees

When we harvest our honey, we always leave some honey so the bees will have enough to last them until there is a nectar flow again. Its a guess as to how much is the right amount, and sometimes we guess incorrectly. To determine if they are running low on honey, we simply lift up the hive partway from the back to see how much it weighs. Its important to do this after you have left the honey, that way you know what it weighs full of honey for the bees…and when it gets dangerously empty. Honeybees with no food die quickly!

We feed our bees sugar water when they are low on honey. The ratio 1 part sugar to 1 part warm water, and thoroughly mix this until all the sugar is dissolved. This is the normal feeding rate when there isn’t any nectar available, and isn’t in the immediate future. However, if you are feeding bees in spring right before there is going to be a major flower bloom and a bunch of nectar for them to forage, then the mixture gets less concentrated, to 1 part sugar to 2 parts water. This gets the bees thinking that there is a nectar flow happening, and stimulates the queen to start laying eggs, giving you a slight jump on the season with a more highly populated hive!

We do not use corn syrup. Many people do, but we have gotten very good results with the sugar mixes and plan to stick with those.

To feed the bees, there are several different feeding systems. One of the easiest is a wooden or metal piece that you can buy that holds a mason jar. You will need to lightly puncture the metal lid using an eight penny nail or equivalent, with 15-20 holes to let the syrup flow out. This type of feeder goes directly in front of the hive opening so the bees can get the sugar water without leaving the hive. This is good for cold weather and small operations, plus it cuts down on the possibility of wasps and other honeybees raiding the food source that is intended for a specific hive. There are also in-hive feeders that you can buy. Sometimes during the summer if we need to feed several hives, we simply fill a clean plastic chicken waterer with the sugar/water mixture, and put marbles in the drinking part so the bees have something to land on and stand on when they feed and so fewer accidental drowning happen. We put this off the ground near the hives...if the bees are hungry, they quickly find it.

If you take care of your bees, they will take care of you!

Honeybee 'Scents'...Some of their Likes and Dislikes

Honeybees can be very picky about some things...especially the way things smell. Seeing as how they have a tendency to be happy around aromas they like, but sting with a vengeance when scents they don't like are present, it is best to pay attention to these things!

First of all, they like the smell of anise, bee balm, lemon balm, and lemon grass. These have an attracting, calming affect on them, and have been used for centuries when working with bees to lure them or to get them to settle in a new hive. The lemon aromas mimic the scent of the queen bee pheromone.

Bananas...honeybees hate bananas! Don't eat a banana before working your bees, as it aggravates them. This is because again, it mimics a pheromone. This time, however, it mimics the alarm pheromone, and alarmed bees are no fun to play with!

Wool...do not wear wool when working with bees. It really ticks them off! I know a beekeeper who once wore wool socks when he was working his bees and they stung the daylights out of his ankles. No matter how much the material is washed after it leaves the sheep, the bees know it came from an animal and will think that the animal is attacking their hive, and react accordingly.

Sweat...bees don't like the presence of sweat, either. A drop of sweat falling into the hive will tick them off, but really...who can blame them? Many beekeepers wear a sweatband to prevent this from happening. With all the protective equipment added to the fact that it is usually a warm day when working the bees, the presence of sweat is kind of unavoidable...but it is manageable.

Perfume...not a good idea. Not necessarily because the bees hate it, but because it attracts them as they try to find out where the flower is. This is generally not a pleasant experience for the large human flower.

Here's to using good 'scents' while working your honeybees!

Dressing for Honeybees!

When preparing to go and 'work the bees', it is important to be wearing properly protective clothing. Its no fun getting stung, and its mostly preventable. However, it is not necessary to go out an buy an expensive bee suit to achieve a protected state!

Bees do not like dark colors, so stick with white or very light clothing. Long sleeve, slightly loose t-shirts are good. Jeans are also fine, though black is not a good color choice. Boots and sneakers work great...sandals, not so much. It is best to tuck your pant legs into your socks to prevent any bee from accidentally crawling up your leg. While the ensuing dance is amusing to watch, it is no fun to perform! Light colored used military flight suits can be purchased online, at thrift stores or military surplus stores. We just bought one for $15 which my son uses and and really likes. The wrists have velcro, and it has lots of pockets.

You will need gloves. You can buy a good pair from a honeybee equipment company for around $20. These have elastic at the opening, which is a good thing. The leather is also thin enough to where you can still work the frames and use your tool efficiently. You can use regular leather gloves, too, but make sure they aren't black and you can secure the wrists some how so the bees don't crawl inside.

A bee veil is also something you will need. You can buy a veil/hat combo, or just the veil and wear a baseball cap, fishing hat, or something underneath the veil.

Ok...I know in the movies sometimes they have folks working bees without any of this equipment. Or, you have heard about your great uncle who worked bees in just his overalls and never got stung, or read about someone who could do this. Well...they exist, and they can do it. But, they are the Mozarts and Beethovens of the bee world. I am not, and chances are, you aren't either...so unless you WANT to get stung, I suggest you wear protective clothing when working your bees!

Thai Five Star Cucumbers

I tried a new kind of cucumber this summer, one that can handle...or rather, thrive...in hot weather months. Traditional cucumbers tend to peter out for me when the temperatures really rise, so I wanted to try something different, as I like cucumbers! So, I bought some Thai Five Star Cucumber seeds. I planted two or three seeds in partial shade, directly in the ground. At first, I was disappointed because all I got was a sprawling vine with lots of flowers but no cucumbers. This vine really likes to travel much further than the traditional ones I have grown in the past! The vine has begun to produce now, in a big way. Last week I got a couple cucumbers, and saw a couple more on the way. Yesterday when I went out, I had SEVEN that were ready to pick! Wow!

The cucumbers are seedy, but because I have been picking them fairly early the seeds are small and not objectionable. They are not quite as sweet as as others I have planted, but they have a very good flavor. The cucumbers are very light green with white when very young, with the white turning to yellow as they get older. They are oblong and quite fat, and mine are about 7 inches long at their longest. Pickle worms have completely left them alone, at least so far.

Next time when I plant them, I will give them a little more room to roam, as they are sprawling and climbing on everything easily within a ten foot radius of where I planted them, and that is with me steering their end vines back into the vine mass and off my walkway. They are also getting quite friendly with my asparagus patch!

Brooders and Incubation

I have incubated eggs with an incubator, then put the chicks in a homemade brooder. It worked ok, but NOTHING works better than a chicken as an incubator and brooder! Now, there are differences in the breeds. The finer boned, flightly breeds like Leghorns as a rule do not ever become broody. The dual purpose egg/meat birds many times do well. The best brooders in the chicken world are Japanese Silkies, at least in my experience. Those hens will hatch out just about anything, with the limiting factor being their size. I always had Silkie bantams, but even they would and did hatch out pheasants and turkeys!

I have never had a big poultry operation going on here, and found it easiest to write the date an egg was laid with a pencil on the eggs I was saving up to hatch. That way, I could use the freshest eggs to incubate, though they should be viable for up to 10 days or so if they weren't kept too hot or too cold.

A mother chicken ( or guinea, turkey, etc.) will find a spot to lay her eggs, and then let the eggs accumulate while she goes about her other business until she is happy with the amount that are in the clutch. Then she begins to set on them. This way, they all hatch at once. I think owls are one of the only birds that begin incubation when they lay their first egg, and the result is a nest of owlets of different ages. Works well for the owls, who have partners to help them...not so much for a bird who basically on her own when it comes to raising the children! Other bird species may have the different hatching dates as well, but I am only aware of owls.

I always found it fascinating when I held a fertile egg in my hand. I would think that today, it could be a fried egg or omelet. Or, add proper heat and moisture for 21 days, and it could be a little chick running around, eating and drinking. God is AMAZING!

Write it on the Calendar NOW!!

Write it down. Write it down when it happens. Because...later when you need it, you will have forgotten what happened and won't have it available to look up!

Write down when the eggs started to incubate.

Write down when the doe/cow/ewe came in heat, and when she comes in heat again later, so you will know how long her cycle is and can plan accordingly.

Write down when she is bred, and to whom.

Write down when you worm your animals, what you used and how much.

Write down if you have to treat them for something…what the problem was, what you used to treat it with, dosage, and duration.

Write it down because you think you will remember what happened later, but you won’t. Write it down now, because if you put it off, you probably won’t write it down. And you won’t remember later when you are trying to remember. How do I know this? Because I have forgotten to write stuff down, and I would love to save you the trouble and aggravation I have had!

The calendar is the best place to write things down, because they usually hang in an easy to reach spot, and the info is easy to retrieve later when you want it. Keep it simple!

Rabbit Trails and Squirrels in a Tree

Ever had a conversation with someone and the topic veered away from the original discussion...and someone said "We went off chasing a rabbit trail." Well, if so, that is a good thing! It means that you ended up right where you began. Wild rabbits, when they run away from something, do not simply run willy-nilly away from something chasing them...they run in a big circle, back to where they originally started from. Well...that is, unless what was chasing them actually caught them. Something to keep in mind when hunting rabbits, watching rabbits, or watching your dog suddenly take off chasing one when you really wish he hadn't. The rabbit will come back around, just wait where you are.

And squirrels! If you are watching a squirrel in a tree, and it disappears around the other side to hide from your field of vision, you can take a rock or chunk of wood and throw it on the ground on the other side of the tree. Most times, the squirrel will immediately run back around the tree to your side.

Simple Dessert!

Ok...here is a simple, sort of homemade dessert roll bread thingy. We don't even really have a name for them, but there are never leftovers! I know they aren't particularly good for the body, but they are a great way to end dinner, every now and again!

When shopping, grab some good soft rolls from the bakery. White, wheat, potato, what have you. Hmm. I have never actually measured ANY of the ingredients, so everything will be 'about'. Per six rolls, take about 1/4 cup softened butter and mix with about 1/3 cup brown sugar. Add about 1/2 tsp cinnamon if you are in the mood for cinnamon. Put rolls in a cake pan ( I always use glass) and smear the butter mixture liberally on top of the rolls. Add about a handful of chopped pecan on top, if you like them. Preheat oven to 350 and when you sit down to eat dinner, put the rolls in the oven for about 15 minutes, then turn off the oven. The butter mix melts and makes a caramel on the bottom of the pan. Eat the rolls hot for dessert! Enjoy!

Update...Yellow Jackets and Smoke

Yesterday my husband went out with all his bee protective gear on to go battle another yellow jacket nest. This time, he did not bring his smoker with him, as he did not think it made that much of a difference the last few times he used it. Well...he will be using the smoker from now on when killing yellow jacket nests!! He said that when he dug his shovel into the ground, his arms and face were covered with angry, stinging yellow jackets in no time!! He only got actually stung once as they could not get through the cloth, but being so up and personal with angry hornets was unnerving and a bit of a nuisance. The other nests that he did smoke did not react with so much enthusiasm.

One theory as to why the smoke works to calm yellow jackets and honey bees is that they instinctively believe there is a forest fire, and so have their minds and attention focused on preparing for something other than the intruding human. Another theory is that the smoke interrupts their ability to communicate with each other, so they can't team attack an intruder. With honey bees, they buzz much louder when you smoke them, but maybe they are only yelling "What did you say???!?!?" to each other...

Drying Herbs

Ok...I am not an expert in this subject, and I am just going to say here what works for me when I dry herbs. Like many of the things I do...if its not fast and effective, chances are I will not stick with the program! So...here is what I do to dry herbs. Not including drying time, this should only take you a few minutes!

#1 Select the herb you want to dry for future use. If possible, make sure it is not right after it has rained, as this diminishes the oils and flavor.

#2 Anytime after the dew is dry, cut a good handful of the herbs, making sure to shake all the dirt or sand off them, if they are low to the ground.

#3 Bring them inside, and place them one layer thick on...anything handy that you wont need for a week or so. A plate, paper bag, etc.

#4 Put it up on top of the fridge or cupboard. Forget about it for about a week, or until they are brittle. I have left them up there for a month when I totally forgot they were up there. They didn't go anywhere, and were fine! If you leave them too long, they will lose their flavor, though.

#5 With clean hands, roll the herbs in your hands to break them into small pieces, discarding the stems. I do this over a paper plate or something flexible to I can just curl it into a taco shape to scoot the herbs into their next home, which will be...

#6 ...an airtight container. Vital! I had a friend who did steps 1-6 but didn't know about the airtight container. I asked to use some of her oregano that she had processed and it had no flavor whatsoever...but she had kept it in a jar with no lid. We both learned from it.

Inexpensive Test Tubes

Just a quick note and tip for you folks out there who need test tubes for fecals! When I order my 3 mm syringes from Jeffers, they each come in a protective plastic tube container. These can be saved to use for running fecal tests...very cheap and effective! The bottom isn't flat, but there are several easy ways to get them to stand upright.

#1 is to get an egg carton and cut holes in the surface that the tubes will fit snugly into to keep them upright.

#2 I confess I haven't actually tried this method, but see no reason why it wouldn't work. The tube comes with a flat cap. Get a glue gun and glue the cap to the bottom of the tube, creating a base. You could also fill the cap with modelling clay, floor leveler, Playdough model magic, or some similar substance...and then press the tube into it to hold securely.

Other places to look for test tubes would be yard sales and thrift stores, looking for children's chemistry sets. Also...if you anyone who smokes cigars, some of the more expensive ones some in a glass tube that will work nicely for a test tube.

Sprouting Tomato Update

In a post a few days ago, I wrote about putting my tomato cuttings in water for them to sprout roots. When I checked on them, however, I found that many of the stems had thoroughly rotted down to the waterline...squishy, brown, and stinky. Clearly, this wasn't working very well. SO...I got some potting soil and put it in a plastic bag. I drenched the potting soil, and put it to the side while I doctored the tomato cuttings. I took the cuttings and removed all the rotten parts from the stems. Next, I put the stems down the side of the plastic bag, between the potting soil and the plastic. I then flipped the bag over, so the potting soil was on and around the tomato stems. I waited several days and checked. This time, while a few of the plants had shriveled...a few of the tomato plants had vigorous root growth! Yay! I need to get them in a regular pot, but it has been storming all day so I haven't been able to get things together. It kind of looks like there may be a break in the weather, and I am done with this blog...so I am going to see if I can get those planted NOW!

As Pleasant as a Buck in Rut

We have two buck goats here on our property. One is a Nubian, and one is a Saanen. And this past week, they have entered the phase called 'rut'. Basically their hormones are revved for the coming breeding season. They are ready to breed anything that comes into their pen, and many may fight anything they think is getting in the way of that objective. In a way, this is good, as it will insure a productive kidding time about half a year from now. However...this also means that whoever goes into the buck pen needs to be watchful, in case the buck decides they are either something to breed or fight! Keep an eye on the animal...do not turn your back. Even a buck that is normally predictable can become unpredictable during rut.

Three other changes changes happen during rut are generally unpleasant to humans, but the does think it turns the buck into Mr. Macho-man.

The first is that their scent glands on their head and legs really rev up, and the bucks become walking musk factories. The smell can be quite strong, and getting even a little on you or your clothes turns YOU into a musk source...only the does will love you! And...just in case you get used to the smell, you still must assume that if you have touched a buck in rut, or anything they have touched,,,,that you will have it on you, whether you smell it or not! Get a shower and change all your clothes before going out in public if you don't want to risk getting funny looks from other people!

The second is that the Bucks begin urinating on their face, beard, and front legs. I am at a loss as to why they do this, but you should to watch their legs for urine scald. This is when the hair falls off and the skin gets crusty-gross. Some folks use Desitin baby rash ointment, or petroleum jelly to soothe the problem. Another thing is that with their beard saturated with urine, it makes their water bucket nasty in no time...and some bucks will refuse to drink the water in this condition. Kind of a double standard, I think, but they need that water! So...we change their water daily, and we also cut off their beard to minimize this problem.

The third thing they do is get very vocal, calling to the girls and making all kind of whoops and blubbing. Between the smell and the calling, every doe in the neighborhood will be as close to the buck pen as they can when they are in heat!

Oh...and another thing...most bucks will drop weight during rut. They don't eat as well and they are stressed. Its important that they are in prime condition going into rut, as it takes a lot out of the guys!

Hive Tool

A hive tool is an invaluable tool, and there is no substitute! They are kind of a combination scraper/screwdriver, but thinner than a screwdriver, and not as broad as a scraper. They are usually around $4 each, and built perfectly for separating and lifting frames as you work your hive, scraping propolis, or removing errant pieces of comb. Do not be tempted to just use a screwdriver...they are too thick. They will work just fine until you break part of a frame with one, and then suddenly you see the knowledge of using the proper tool for beekeeping. Bring your hive tool with you whenever you work the bees.

My husband came up with an ingenious way to keep his hive tool handy on his bee suit, without trying to fumble getting it in or out of a pocket. That can be a challenge while wearing a beesuit with veil and gloves. What he did was get a strong magnet and slipped it in his pocket. Then all he has to do is touch the hive tool to the magnet outside the cloth. Very handy!

Tomato Hornworms

Destructive buggers! They start out little, but don’t stay that way long. Fat and juicy with voracious appetites, these guys can put a hurting on your tomato plants in a short amount of time. The best way I have found to control them is to inspect your tomato plants regularly for damage. If you see holes in the leaves, or leaves missing altogether…start searching for a caterpillar in the area of damage. Or…start looking for fresh green poop pellets…the black ones are old, and the caterpillar will have moved out of that plant area. When you find fresh green ones, look directly above the poop. The caterpillars are hard to see, even the big ones. Their shade of green, spots, and white stripes make them blend in amazingly with the plant. Don’t give up! Keep looking until you find it. Then pull it off the plant…they won’t like that and will hang on…and then either step on the bugger, or carry it to the chicken coop. No guilt. The moth that they later turn into is ugly brown, and will be happy to lay many eggs on tomato plants…and sometimes potato plants as well.

Taco Ring Recipe

I recently learned how to make a fast and easy dinner.  It might not be the healthiest because it does use store bought crescent rolls, however the rest is just fine and if you have time:  make your own crescent rolls!

Ingredients:

2 cans of crescent rolls
1 pound of ground beef, lean
southwestern spice or taco seasoning
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 375.  Get out your favorite stone, one that will hold a nice sized circle of food.  Get out your favorite skillet and brown the meat.  Drain the meat of the fat and then throw in some southwestern seasoning or a taco mix.  If using a taco mix, you should add in a tablespoon or so of water.  Place this in a bowl and add in your cheese and mix well.

Now take your crescent rolls and open one package.  Unroll them one at a time and place in a circle with the larger part towards the center.  Make the opening of the circle about six to eight inches and continue to lay down the rolls over lapping.  Remember that you have two cans, so the first can should only make 1/2 the circle.  Now finish the circle with the second can of crescent rolls.

Carefully place the meat on the thick part of the crescent rolls...all the way around.  Now flip the tip of the crescent roll up and over to the center.  Put in the over and bake from 20 to 25 minutes...or until golden brown.  You can brush the top with egg white before cooking if you would like.

Serve with sour cream, tomatoes, onions, black olives and any other taco topping that you like!

Enjoy!

Is There a Spider in the House?

When I was a child living at my parent's house, we noticed a little phenomenon that involved spiders coming into the house. I don't mind spiders too much, so its not that big of a deal when I see them in various rooms inside, as long as they aren't of the sort that can do harm to any of the normal residents of the home. The interesting part was that when we started trying to find out why they were in the house in the first place, we noticed that inevitably it would rain not too long after an influx of spiders. Hmm.

I think we all need to pay attention when any critter suddenly starts doing something they don't normally do. They do everything for a reason, and they have a perspective on things that we don't. I think by not paying attention, we rob ourselves of opportunities. It could be as something as simple as foreseeing a weather change...or it could be something on a much larger scale.

Garden Prioritizing

I worked in the garden some yesterday…it was very hot outside, but I accomplished a few things! I had finally made up my mind to cut down the wild blueberry bush that grew in there. I kept it for a couple years, from the time we expanded the garden fence and it was included in the claimed territory. I kind of liked having it there, but as my garden matured, I realized the wild plant was taking up a considerable amount of space and sun that my domestic plants needed. We have numerous wild blueberry bushes growing outside the garden, so its not like the one in the garden was a rarity. Another problem with having that bush in my garden was that birds liked to nest in it. While I love wild birds, this further hindered my gardening as I did not want to disturb the nursery. Again, there are numerous other bushes for them to use as nesting sites! So…I got out my handy hedge trimmers, and began to cut it down. The term ‘it’ is inaccurate, as there are actually about ten little trunks growing that all worked together to form one clump. I got about 1/3 of it down, and fed the bushes to some very happy goats! I need to finish cutting it down, dig out the stumps, and then I think I will be planting cabbage and broccoli in that location.

My garden is the place for specialized plants to grow in a protected spot. The space comes at a premium, so for every foot of square space, I have to make sure it is being used the best I am able. Its about prioritizing!

Tomato and Rosemary-Starts and Cuttings

I am experimenting with tomato plants. The tomato plants in my garden are about spent, so I have taken cuttings from them and have them sitting in some water to root. The cuttings were from four to eight inches tall, and were at a point where growth was possible…not just a large leaf, but including the part where new growth generates. I also trimmed off all flowers, so the cuttings could put all their energy into growing roots. I need to check them today, and if roots are present, then I am going to plant them in some very damp potting soil for at least a week in order for them to be established before I set them out in the garden. We shall see what happens!

I am doing a similar experiment with one of my very old Rosemary plants whose flavor I really enjoy, but the plant is beyond woody and about on its last leg. I filled three plant pots with dirt, placed them beside the Rosemary plant and bent three sort-of healthy branches over into the dirt, burying the stems but leaving the leafy tips above the soil. I weighted the stems down with a rock, and kept the soil damp. I need to check for roots again soon…last I checked, nothing was sprouting in any of the pots. Time will tell. I bought another Rosemary plant earlier this year and it is growing well, but I prefer the flavor of the older plant. I hope at least one of the tips will sprout roots!

Yellowjackets

We have been having a year for yellow jackets around here! We have found 5 nests so far, and killed three of them. They aren't very easy to spot, so I believe each find has been a blessing because it was found by actually seeing the the yellow jackets going in and out of the their hole in the ground...not by accidentally stepping on their nest entrance! To kill them, my husband suits up in his honeybee suit with veil and gloves, gets a shovel, and a can of wasp spray. Note to self: we are out of wasp spray and I need to get some more!

First, he smokes them with his honeybee smoker to calm them down a little before he does anything else. Then he starts digging with his shovel to find the actual nest, as the tunnel may be several feet long. Right about when the shovel is 1/2 inch in the ground, the smoke effect is OVER, and they come boiling out of the ground, mad as hornets! My husband said it is a little eerie, because unlike honeybees which make a pronounced buzzing, yellow jackets are silent when they fly. He digs up the nest and destroys it, and sprays the immediate area down with poison. We would prefer not to use the poison, but find it more desirable than having the potential for being severely stung! Even with his suit, my husband still gets a few stings when he destroys a yellow jacket nest. I have read that a clear glass bowl can be placed on the ground over the entrance of a nest and they can't find their way out, eventually starving the nest. We have tried it several times, and it did not work for us. They just dug a new opening to the nest.

Always use caution when dealing with yellow jackets! This is the way we deal with them, but we aren't really recommending this to anyone else, as someone may try our method and not use common sense in the process. I have not until now mentioned that my husband also wears heavy leather boots while he kills a yellow jacket nest, but hopefully nobody with the brain capacity of an aphid was assuming he was doing this in his bare feet! Right...?