Tick Bite

My father has been outside a lot lately, and it is fall-time...typical tick weather where he lives!! Well, last week he ended up getting bitten by a tick. It was on his forearm, and when my mother went to pull it off, its head remained embedded in his skin. I don't know if they noticed it then or if it was a few days later, but the tell-tale red bull's eye mark of Lyme disease showed up in a circle around the tick bite. My father was at a doctor's office the next morning, where the doctor was able to remove the rest of the tick and gave a my father a hefty dose of antibiotics. Because they caught it early, the doctor was quite confident that the disease was stopped in its tracks and my father would be fine. I am very grateful that my parents did not decide to 'wait it out and see what happens'. Lyme disease is an awful illness, and can cause so many problems...some irreversible... if allowed to run its course.

Please...watch out for ticks, try to prevent the bites, and be on the look out for that bull's eye rash!

Homestead Surprises

There are pros and cons on almost every subject with homesteading and farming.  It almost compares with...you can find anything on the internet. 

Well, today we are talking breeding:  Pros and Cons

There are several ways to manage breedings on your homestead.  You can AI your animals which means you KNOW exactly when the animal is bred.  But then there are concerns with the side effects that can cause on the mother and the off spring.  You can hand breed your animals.  Again, you KNOW the due date IF conception takes place.  The biggest challenge with this method is being sure that your timing is correct.  And then you have the "let the boys live with the girls" option.  This means that nature will take its course and as long as the animals are not sterile, you will one day have a healthy baby born.  And that is the con:  one day.  When the boy lives with the girls, you NEVER know the due date.  You have watch your girls to figure out they are bred and hope you are ready when the baby comes. 

On our homestead, we let the boys run with the girls.  This means we manage three flock of sheep with three rams.  We manage two herds of goats with two bucks.  And we manage one herd of bovine with one bull. 

We don't always keep our bucks with the does.  We do put the boys in with the does around September and they will stay together until December.  This works well and we have a good idea of when the does will freshen.

One of our rams does really well with no girls.  So with Dodge, we put the ewes in when we want them bred.  We normally have them with him for 8 weeks.  We have another ram, Blue, who goes nuts without at least three ewes.  So we keep three ewes with him year around.  And yes, they have to be the same three ewes.  We never know when these ewes are going to lamb although I do keep a close eye on them.  When their udders start to develop and they are getting 'fat', we know they are close, but it is still a surprise when the lambs are born.

Cows are a completely different story.  We have a bull that is half Jersey, a quarter Dexter and a quarter Belted Galloway.  He is a 'cute' little guy.  And he is young.  We have him with our two Jersey Heifers that are large for their breed.   

This past Tuesday, while we were at the vet, we were discussing breeding options for our Jersey cows.  My son kept saying that the cows were going to freshen any day.  But to be perfectly honest, he has been saying that for about five weeks.  I had lost hope and told the vet that point blank.  Yes, I felt sure the cows were not bred and most certainly, they were not due 'any day'.  On Thursday I went to tea with a friend.  While I was at the tea house, the cell phone rang.  It was home.  Since the boys know not to call unless it is important, I answered the phone.  "Any day" arrived!  Yep, our older Jersey cow freshened (gave birth) to a BEAUTIFUL heifer! 

I could not help but laugh.  My smart, homeschooled son, was right on target!  He knew.  And yes, I called the vet and left her a message. 

Since I was not home for this big event, I let my son name the calf.  Her name is Lilly.  Here is her picture.  It is a perfect name for a perfect little heifer!  She gets her color from her daddy!

Were we ready for Lilly?  Not 100%.  That is the bad part of homestead surprises.  I needed calcium for Laurie Belle, but not just any calcium.  Since we had lost one of our lovely Jerseys two years ago to milk fever, I did give the vet a call right away.  The vet had what we needed even though the feed store did not.  I'm blessed with an excellent vet!  Other than the calcium, we were ready.  We picked up the correct feed for Laurie Belle and Jasmine (our other Jersey that is due any day).  We had perennial peanut hay at the farm.  We had Calf Manna here too.  The boys gave Laurie Belle molasses water as an energy treat after giving birth to Lilly.  And we have now wormed Laurie Belle with Eprinox.  Yes, we do fecals and in fact, Laurie Belle's was negative, but the stress of birth and nursing normally brings worms on and since we can't drink her milk for several days due to the colostrum, it is a good time to worm her. 

We have an appointment for the vet to test both cows for diseases that can be passed on to people through the milk and we are done.  Everything has been done that needs to be done and we are well on our way of having fresh milk on the farm again for the next year.  Fresh milk from our naturally fed Jerseys.  Life is GOOD!

Mushroom Hunting With Wisdom

Mushrooms fascinate me. Their amazing array of colors, shapes and textures entice me to stop me in my tracks so I can check out the abrupt yet welcome change to the landscape .When I was younger, I used to go hunting for edible mushrooms, and ate some of them. There was a bolete that grew in Maine that was sort of ok, but had a weird funky taste/smell to it, and I have also eaten puffballs, but they never quite agreed with me. Once I had children, I stopped eating wild mushrooms because I was a little nervous and figured that if I really screwed up and ate the wrong one, my children would suffer the most. I had the books, and want to, but I was lacking one thing that I wanted and needed most of all to continue mushroom hunting. I needed someone with experience to show me what was ok to eat, and just as important, to show me which mushrooms definitely were NOT ok to eat! I was never interested in any mushrooms that alter mental perceptions...the way I look at it, reality is weird enough and hard enough to understand without throwing in intoxicated hallucinations!

My children are older now, and if I could find someone to teach me about local mushrooms, I would probably begin eating them again. I would need to brush up on my basic knowledge first however. If you are interested in learning about mushrooms, I suggest you start educating yourself first about their structures/part names, such as gill types, veils, cups, and eggs. It is also good to know which season particular mushrooms tend to appear. It is helpful to learn where different mushrooms grow. Some prefer growing in rotting wood, some like forest floors, some open lawn...and quite a few enjoy my manure pile!

I don't think mushrooms need to be feared, unless that fear is synonymous with respect. Very few mushrooms are toxic enough to kill, but they definitely are out there. I have some death caps that grow fifty feet from my house, and I would die if I ate them, no question about it! Its all about education. I have wood stain in my garage and soy sauce in my refrigerator...and though they look very similar, I have been taught since I was a child which one was poisonous, and which one goes well on rice. I know the difference from their smell, location, and containers. Learning about mushrooms is much the same process. I will leave you with a saying that was passed onto me by another person who also was wanting to learn about eating wild mushrooms-

There are old mushroom hunters,

there are bold mushroom hunters,

But there are no old, bold mushroom hunters!

Free Antivirus Software for the Homesteader, or Whoever

Ok! Did you know that there are OVER one million viruses that can infect Microsoft Windows if a computer is left unprotected? Computer viruses can enter a computer in many different ways...while a person is visiting web sites, downloading games (and photos, ebooks, word documents, powerpoints, plugins, and updates) or ringtones or smiley faces or what-have-you, or in unsolicited email (spam) or in an e-mail from your favorite aunt who happens to have an infected computer! Viruses can damage a computer right away, or sit quietly for a while and activate later. They can also simply sit and record key strokes as you type, sending personal information and passwords to the writer of the virus. Viruses can also tell you that your computer is infected and you have to download a certain program to fix it! And the download is actually...a doozy of a virus. The list goes on and on, and prevention is the best key!

I have consulted with with my panel of computer experts (ok...it was only my teenage son) and these are the top three free online antivirus programs that he recommends. He asked me how many he could recommend before it was too many, and coming from him, that statement scared me. It was probably a big number, and that would be A LOT of typing! So...I decided to limit him to three.

#1 Avast This is the one he has loaded on my computer, and I haven't gotten any viruses, so...it works!

#2 Comodo Antivirus 5

#3 Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Ok...just click on the blue highlighted word and it will bring you to that antivirus website where you can download the software. ( You do realize it was my son who managed to do the spiffy blue word hot link thing...I would have just cut and pasted the URL) With all of these sites, there are downloadable anti-virus software that you can pay for, but if you want the free version, click on that instead. The one that costs money is better, but the free version will give you pretty good protection. Now...things can change as time marches on, and I am saying that this info is current as of today, October 28, 2011.

Viruses on the Homestead Computer...Avoidable!!

If you are reading this post, you probably have a computer. You probably use it for quite a few things, maybe communication, research, entertainment, business, or maybe school work. So...do you take care of your computer? If you have a vehicle, you know that certain things must be done periodically, or the car will either run inefficiently, or may stop running altogether. Oil must be changed, radiator fluid checked, tire condition monitored...or bad things can happen. If you are unable to do these things yourself, then you bring it to someone who is able. But...you wouldn't just let it run until it stops. Would you? And then ask someone to fix it? Let's hope not!

I write this post for my son, a young man who is very talented and self- educated when it comes to computers. Therefore, people of all ages come to him for computer help. Usually, by the time they ask him for help, their computer has stopped working altogether due to viruses, or neglect on the owner's part to install important upgrades. The cost of these two simple maintenance steps comes to...well...its free, actually. Upgrades are free. And, there is very good antivirus software available online...for free. I have some running on my computer now, installed by you-know-who. I will give you a hint...I am computer illiterate, so it was probably my son.

My son is currently working on yet another school friend's computer that got infected by some nasty viruses. Over 250 of them at last count, actually, each one designed by some low-life who has nothing better to do than digitally destroy, sneak, bully, and steal information, if possible. It is going to cost money to fix the computer, as the viruses have damaged the running programs beyond repair. They will simply have to be purchased and replaced.

If your computer is not protected with anti-virus software, or if it is not up to date on necessary downloads, then you are taking foolish risks. Like other homesteading support skills, it takes a little time to learn how to install these things, but in the long run it is so worth your time! Because like I said...these programs are free. But fixing infected computers is expensive. Tomorrow I will post about some of the better antivirus software that is currently available online!

New Uses for Extra Glass Peanut Butter Jars

The peanut butter we buy comes in glass jars, and we tend to go through a lot of peanut butter. Therefore, we have an abundance of glass jars with metal lids that we use for storage, be it dried herbs, marbles, pasta, etc. We also use them for leftovers in the fridge, and for freezing milk, colostrum, or raw squid. Not kidding about the squid…every February we go squidding, and the peanut butter jars are the perfect size for storing a meal’s worth of squid for our family. Honestly…best squid I’ve ever had!

Anyway, there are a couple other great uses for the jars which I will pass onto you!

First off, they make a great dog treat! Our dogs have never broken the glass, and lick just about every peanut butter particle out of the jar, happily. If you have crazy dogs who might break the jars, then I wouldn't try doing this. But, for our dogs, getting a peanut butter jar in a crate is great entertainment! Its a lot easier to clean out a little bit of dog spit from a jar than peanut butter residue! I read in a ‘Dear Abby’ article that automatic dishwashers get hot enough to kill all germs…and that some folks even put their cat litter boxes in there to wash them. Dear Abby said it was ok. I say that’s GROSS!!! Nuh-uh, no-way am I going to do that! But…a washed and bleached peanut butter jar that had a little bit of dog spit in it does not scandalize me. I am a HOMESTEADER.

The other neat thing we do with our extra peanut butter jars is to make cheap, highly effective roach traps with them. We have palmetto bugs here…a.k.a. American roaches. They prefer to live outside, but will occasionally come inside. So, we set up traps in a few closets here and there. This is also effective in sheds. Simply take a jar and a little bit of petroleum jelly, and make a ½ inch stripe of the jelly about one inch down from the top, along the inside the rim. This makes a barrier that the roaches can pass going in, but can’t climb it to try to go out. Then put in a piece of old candy or dog kibble, and place the open jar upright wherever roaches tend to congregate. I imagine this would also work well for German cockroaches, but have never tried it myself as we don’t have them. When we get a couple bugs in there, we carry it out to the chicken coop. It does not take long for the chickens to learn that a human carrying a peanut butter means treat-time!

So, there you have it! Two new great uses for glass peanut butter jars!

Hive Beetles in Honeybee Hives

Hive beetles are nasty little creatures whose only redeeming quality, as far as I am concerned, is the fact that they have basically the same shape as a lady bug. That's it. Well, that and they don't bite or sting people.

Hive beetles are a solid blackish-gray color, about 2/3 the size of a lady bug. They like to hang out in bee hives, at least here in my southeastern neck of the United States. A good strong bee population will keep them in check, driving them into the corners, nooks, and crannies of the hive. In a weakened hive, however, hive beetles will lay eggs in the comb and wreak absolute havoc with their maggot-looking larvae, turning the honey comb into a useless, sludgy mess. Its gross. To kill the larvae, we put the ruined comb in the freezer for several days.

There are several ways to combat them. We prefer to use non-toxic methods, and that is what I will discuss here.

There are several traps on the market available from bee supply companies. We have had good luck using a large plastic tray trap that slides into the bottom of the hive. It must be filled with either non-toxic oil or lime. It has a plastic screen on top whose mesh is large enough to let in hive beetles, but not honey bees. There are other traps that fit in between the comb, which take advantage of the fact that the hive beetles like tight spaces away from the bees, and dark places. Some of the traps use pheromones or other attractants, and some don't. We are currently using 'Beetle Blaster' traps, which are the kind which fit between the comb...we just started using them, so we have no input as to how well they work. We switched to them because in order to use the tray traps, we must reconfigure the bottom of the hives to accommodate the tray and that can be a nuisance.

Another VERY inexpensive trap that works pretty well is homemade. Simply find a corrugated plastic sign... the political sort that tend to sprout up much to soon before elections work very well. Cut the sign into 4 inch square pieces, and place them on top of the frames on the top bee super, just below the lid. Put one per hive. When working your bees, carry a small bucket of soapy water. When you open the hive, grab the trap carefully and then tap the residents of the trap into the soapy water. If the political sign was for Republicans, tap them out using your right hand. If the sign was for Democrats, then use your left hand. If it was for an independent party, then do it however you please! :)

We try to squish the hive beetles that we see while we work in the hives. I have also heard it is important that if you have fruit trees, especially pear, to keep the fallen fruit picked up, as rotting fruit on the ground will attract them and give them another place to breed.

Monitor your hives, and if you see more than ten hive beetles when you are working, it is time to begin treatment...before you have a hive beetle crisis on your hands!

Third Allergy Appointment

Well, technically this appointment may not exactly count as the third allergy appointment because it was for my husband! But, it is with the same allergist, and we found out some more information that I will pass on to you.

First off, the allergist asked about digestion issues and heartburn, as both can be the results of allergies! It was interesting to learn that something eaten can also result in sinus problems...running nose, post nasal drip, itchy red eyes, etc. From something a person eats! Hmm.

The scratch tests and the intradermal injection tests are to check for allergic reactions to inhaled allergens. The blood tests are to test for food allergies. While one can receive immunity through serum shots to inhaled allergens, there are no shots for food allergies. Food that a person is allergic to must simply be avoided. We asked the nurse practionioner why food allergies can't be treated with serum injections the same way as inhaled allergies and she gave a roundabout explanation that basically said "I have no real idea why." Well, ok. I can live with that answer, I guess.

And bummer...my husband is allergic to dogs and cats! Guess I will make a bigger point of keeping the doberman OFF his pillow! :)

A Land Flowing With Milk and Honey

Truly, I live in a land flowing with milk and honey. We may run out of a lot of other things, but goat milk and honey...especially honey...are things we have in abundance. Usually we have eggs too, but right now the older hens are molting and the younger hens are up-and-coming, so egg production is a little under what it normally is. I guess my point is...homesteading is a wonderful thing! The more you put into it, the more you get out of it...and have abundance to share, both for products and experience. If you want to homestead...do it. I don't care if its a pot of snowpeas on the window sill and reading a how-to book...stepping in the right direction brings you to where you want to be!

Bottling Honey on the Homestead

I write about this topic because this is how we spent the WHOLE day today ...bottling honey. I am grateful for a lot of honey, but it will be a little while before I want to eat any of the stuff! We bottled into glass jars and plastic bottles, very big and and medium and very little containers.

The optimum place to bottle honey is a honey house, which is a small outbuilding designed for working only on bee related projects. It is a clean place, and bee-proof. If bees or yellow jackets can get in, they will, and try to steal the honey! Of course, sometimes bees get carried in on equipment, and some bee folks have little one-way escape hatches installed on the ceilings so that these bees can escape.

That is all well and good, but at this time we do not have a honey house. So, we used the next best thing...our kitchen. This is great in some ways, and not so great in others. It is convenient for storage of items and close proximity to a sink, but it would seem that one drop of spilled honey can be spread to cover 100 square feet of floor, counters, chairs, and door knobs with STICKY. The clean up from bottling honey in the house can be quite an undertaking in itself! However...you don't ever want to simply bottle honey outdoors as it will attract a cloud of honeybees and yellow jackets!

When bottling honey, make sure it is not cold...it won't flow very well. The warmer the honey, the faster it flows, but applying heat is not usually necessary. Just room temperature is fine, unless you live at or near one of the poles.

You can bottle your honey into any non-reactive jar or food grade bucket that is air-tight. Canning jars with two-piece lids are great, but don't try to use the white freezer lids that fit on the jars, as they tend to leak.

All containers must be very clean. We fill to within 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the top, and tighten the lid. No further treatment is needed. Raw honey keeps just fine at room temperature in clean, air-tight jars for a LONG time. Sometimes it may crystallize, and what to do when that happens is covered in another blog post. The honey is still fine.

I am sure sure I am missing some facts about bottling honey, but I am tired and dinner is just about ready. I will add more as it comes to mind. And no...there isn't any honey involved with this meal!! :)

Rattlesnakes Around Honeybee Hives

There is a man in our town who runs a small honeybee supply shop. He has been raising honeybees almost since Noah got off the ark...and he has a lot of knowledge on the subject that he happily shares with his customers!

One thing he told us was to look out for rattlesnakes hanging out at the base of the bee hives. Now, seeing as how we live in an area with plenty of Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes and pygmy rattlers, this information seemed a little redundant. We are always on the lookout for venomous snakes! But...the next thing he mentioned made me think twice and be even more careful to look for snakes around the hives.

He said that snakes eat protein, and that didn't always mean birds and mammals. If they were hungry, they would not hesitate to eat bugs, even dead ones. So, hanging out at the bottom of a hive would be ideal for a snake, as the honeybees are always hauling out dead bees and insect intruders and dropping their little carcasses on the ground...easy protein fixins for a hungry snake! Plus, its nice and dry under the hive.

So...if you live in an area with venomous snakes, take the extra couple seconds when working your bees to glance under the hive and just make sure there isn't an unexpected resident lurking there!

Varroa Mites on Honeybees

Varroa mites on honeybees are fairly common, and while they can be reduced using pesticides, there are also several effective natural ways to try to control these pests. They look like little reddish bugs crawling on the bees, and one of the tell-tale signs are the finding of honeybees crawling on the ground with rumpled wings.

One of the easiest ways to control the mites was passed onto us by our bee inspector. Far from being an intrusive office-type bureaucrat, he has made our mandatory yearly bee inspections a time of teaching and learning. He enjoys getting the children in on these sessions, and loves to pop a drone bee in his mouth and then stick his tongue out at the kids! He also taught my husband how to trim bee wings, and talks about the newest ways to manage bee hives, etc. And...he taught us a simple non-toxic way to treat varroa mites on our honey bees. Get powdered sugar. Sprinkle your bees liberally. That's it! The bees clean themselves off, and in the process, many mites are picked of as well. Some people use a flour sifter to do this. We use an empty plastic parmesian cheese container with the sprinkle top. Works very well! Just make sure you sprinkle the bees as the last thing you do in your hive, as they don't appreciate the process...it ticks them off. The little white ghost bees are kind of cute to watch, though! Work your way through the boxes and frames to get the majority of bees treated. If you have a mite problem, do it every time you are working the bees.

Another way to kill varroa mites is to take advantage of their tendency to lay their eggs in drone comb, which has a larger circumference. Some folks purchase comb foundation that is specifically made to drone size. When the bees have it filled with drone larvae and capped, that frame is removed and destroyed.

An acquaintance of mine has an older type of honey bee that is smaller than today's average honey bee, and so naturally has smaller comb circumference. This means fewer mites.

Also, some folks are moving toward Russian honeybees, which seem to clean themselves better and remove the mites in the process.

Last but not least, there are also plastic trays that can be filled with non-toxic oil or lime, and then slid into the bottom of the hive. These have a screen on top so that the bees can't come in contact with the contents, but any mite that falls down into the tray is destroyed. These trays are also good for controlling hive beetles, but that is a topic for another day!

Don't Have a Cow!! :)

Years ago, my parents raised steers for beef…just enough for the family, not commercially or for profit. The animals were well cared for, and given top quality food, hay, and pasture. The first few years, for butchering and processing, he brought them to a guy who ran a butcher shop and sold meat. I was not under the impression that the man had a habit of processing beef for small-time farmers, but for some reason, he made an exception for my dad. My dad would drop off the animals, and then pick up the packaged meat when the processing was completed. The meat was good, and my dad was very impressed with his home-grown beef. However, my father had a friend who worked as a commercial butcher in a processing plant. When my dad showed him the meat, his friend’s reaction was always sort of tepid…he was just not impressed with the quality. Then, one year, my father changed his plans about where he was going to get his beef processed. He had already told the first man he was going to bring his beef animals to him, so he had to tell them he had made other plans. He pulled up to the business, and walked in the store to tell them. On his way in, he could see an older cow grazing by itself in the usually vacant pasture they had beside the business. When he told the business owner of his change in plans, the man began chewing my father out “Oh, how can you just change your plans like that? That is just not right! You told me you were going to have your animals processed with me like you always have done, and I was planning on it!”

My father was very perplexed by the man’s behavior, as the butcher never made that much money from my father’s business dealings. Still, my father opted to have his animals brought to another place that year, despite the other butcher’s protests.

Well, when my father got the beef back that year from his new butcher, the quality in beef was an amazing improvement over past years. This time when my father showed the finished beef to his butcher friend, the man told him that the beef was of outstanding quality! This further perplexed my father, as he had done nothing different in raising the animals from year to year. So, his butcher friend told him that he believed the other place had not been giving my father the meat from his own animals, but switching it for inferior quality and keeping my father’s beef. Which would explain precisely why my father’s first butcher had a cow, literally, when my father was there. That was the animal he planned to switch for my father’s steer, and now he was stuck with the inferior animal!

I appreciate my local meat processing plants, and trust them to do their job fairly and honestly. They have good reputations…and this can be important for someone new to the whole home-raised meat world! If you don't know your meat, at least know your butcher. If you don't know your butcher, then one of your friends should!

Second Allergy Appointment

Well, yesterday I got the skin scrape tests and intradermal tests done to determine what makes me have an allergic reaction. What fun! First I had to be off my antihistamines for 72 hours, to make sure I reacted to the tests. Some folks forget and take antihistamines anyway, and then they can't be tested as the results will be innaccurate.

For the skin scrape tests, the tech numbered 60 spots on my back in tidy little rows with a magic marker. Then using little individual plastic scraper thingies that were dipped in various allergen solutions, he made a little scrape at each number. Now my husband went through this process a few years ago, and it didn't bother him much. For me, it felt like the tech was slicing my back with a razor blade. 60 TIMES! Maybe its because I am a not big person, at all. At any rate, after 60 both the tech and I breathed a sigh of relief. Only. I didn't really react to any of the scrapes, except the control scrape which he said everyone reacts to.

So, onto the intradermal allergy tests! For this, he marked 14 numbers on my inner arm between my elbow and wrist, and at each site he injected a mixture of allergens between my layers of skin, making a little bubble, or blister-looking pocket. The needle going in did not hurt except the sites near my elbow crease...those were sensitive. Other than that, I didn't feel the needle going in. I did, however, feel when he injected the liquid...that stung, but only for a few seconds. This process bothered me less than the skin scrapes, for discomfort. Now these allergen injections...I did react to! I looked like a rabid woodpecker had attacked my arm...the injection sites became red and swollen, like little stings. What the allergists are looking for are the swelling reactions, and they did not have to look very hard to find them. I am allergic to numerous grass and tree pollens, dust mites, roaches, ash...everything they tested me EXCEPT dogs and cats. I was happy about that!

Last night, there was no sensitivity on my back...its like the scrape tests were never done, not a mark to be found or felt. My arm still would be an interesting read for anyone familiar with Braille.

This week, I have to go get the CT scan done of my left sinus, and blood drawn to test me for food allergies. I am not expecting them to find any food allergies, but I am expecting them to find something interesting in my sinus, like a persistent infection, or maybe even the remains of the broccoli and cheese I accidentally inhaled when I was 12 and my brother made me laugh during supper. My mother didn't serve broccoli and cheese for a LONG time after that. So, anyway...I will keep you posted as I continue to have allergy appointments!

The RIGHT Way to Remove Honeybees from a Super

Ok...I covered the wrong way to get honeybees out of a super, so now I will cover the better way we get the bees...and honey...out of the bee hive.

First, unless you are one of those folks that bees just don't sting for some reason, I suggest suiting up in your protective gear, veil and gloves at the bare minimum! Even if you aren't using a leaf blower, sometimes the bees can get a little edgy when taking their honey. Don't forget the smoker, and your bee brush!

Second, whichever size honey super you are planning to remove, have an empty one with you. We always have it on a sideless wagon, but a wheel barrow will work just fine. You will need it, because you are about to make the empty super quite heavy!

Third, smoke your bees, and using your hive tool, remove one honey frame from the full super. Using your bee brush, gently brush the bees back into the super you just took the frame from. Do not roll the bees, but rather use a flicking motion. A rolled bee is a ticked off bee, and ticked off attitudes among bees are rapidly contagious! Once the frame is just about bee-free, place it in your waiting empty bee super. Do this for all frames in your full box, smoking them as necessary. Do not leave the empty box on the hive...either remove it or put empty frames back in it. Honeybees can do strange things with wax in an empty box!

Ok...this process works pretty well for the small homestead. Other folks use bee excluders, that have a one way door of sorts which allows the bees go out of the super, but not back in. One of the beekeepers I know uses a product called 'Bee-go' to remove the bees from the desired super. Bee-go has an unpleasant scent to the bees, and causes them to vacate the premises. The beekeeper says that Bee-go smells like human vomit, so I can hardly blame the bees! There are other products on the market that work like this, but do not have such an objectionable odor to humans...the bees, however, still think its disgusting.

4-H...is it for today's youth?

I did not grow up as a 4-Her. I was a girlscout instead who lived in town. I dreamed of owning a horse and I worked HARD selling girlscout cookies so I could be scholarshipped to horse camp each year. Yes, I literally sold THOUSANDS of cookies each year to go to camp!

As time passed and I grew up, I had great hope of being a girlscout leader of my daugher's troup. But I never had that daughter and instead, was blessed with all boys and we live in the country. It seemed like we should consider 4-H and I'm glad that we did!

I have met many great families through 4-H over the last several years...many families with the same goals and values. Even though 4-H has blessed our family and many others, it seems that so many children would rather watch TV or play video games than 'learn by doing'. I guess in this life of convenience we have so much done for us, the children must wonder 'why' they need to learn how to do certain skills. The number of families that particiate in 4-H has dwindled over the years to only a fraction of what it was 40 years ago. It is to the point that funding is questionable and fought for each fiscal year. In Georgia, there is not even an extension agent in each county. I'm not sure how to change this trend, but I sure would like to see it changed. 4-H has blessed my family with leadership skills that they would not have recieved elsewhere as well as the opportunity to start their own business. If you have forgotten about the benefits of 4-H, give your local extension office a call and check into the program. If you have children ages 5 - 18, you will be glad you did!

How NOT to Remove Honeybees from a Super

Excitement in a new venture is a good thing...it helps a newbie to take their dumb mistakes in stride. As time goes by and excitement wanes, it is replaced with wisdom and satisfaction. And, the dumb mistakes become funny stories to share!

When we first got honeybees, we were excited. And, when it came time to harvest our first super of honey...we were VERY excited! The moment we had been waiting for! Except. The super we had our eyes on had several thousand honeybees living there, who were not really keen on sharing their honey. We had taken the super off the hive and had it in the yard...but how to remove the honeybees without hurting them? The WRONG answer was the gas powered leaf blower, but it was the answer we came up with, none the less. Can you imagine? Yes? Too bad we didn't! I have to say, it WAS effective at removing the bees from the honey frames in the super. But...where did the bees end up? In an unbelievably huge and angry cloud that encompassed our sizable yard, dive bombing anything that moved...and they stayed there for the rest of the day.

We never did that again...or at least, not that way! Next post I will tell you how we now remove the honeybees from the honey supers we are harvesting, as well as some of the other ways that other folks harvest their honey.

Versatile Tortillas!!! Arriba!!

These are SO SIMPLE and quick to make, better tasting and better for you than what you can buy at the store! I can't even tell you the last time I bought tortillas!

Whole Wheat Tortillas

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2/3 cup warm water

Mix flour, salt and baking powder. Cut/mix in EVOO until...well...I mix with my pastry cutter for about 30 seconds or less. Works fine! Then add 1/2 cup warm water and mix until dough can be gathered in a ball, adding more water sparingly if needed. Let dough rest 10-15 minutes.

I never make less than three batches at a time, so by the time I mix up the last one, the first is ready to be rolled! Divide into 6-8 pieces and shape into balls...for smaller tortillas, make more balls.Warm up your ungreased skillet(s) at this time. Cast iron is far and away my favorite for this! Roll out each ball on lightly floured surface until more-or-less round and as thick as...a tortilla. Cook in ungreased skillet over medium -high heat about a minute on each side, or until lightly browned. I stack them on top of each other on a plate until they are all done, then serve them warm...they are nice and flexible.

I love the versatility of homemade tortillas, and how quick they are to make! About 30 minutes for 3 batches, from start to finish. I have never experimented with adding herbs to the mix, but I think it may be on the agenda someday! Also...at the end of the meal if there are any left, then they are for dessert as well. We simply drizzle them with honey and then sprinkle them with cinnamon. Tortillas also make great grilled cheese sandwiches! Some folks even cut the raw dough into strips and cook them in soup for noodles.

And...something new my son tried last week, and it works WONDERFULLY! He used tortilla dough in place of pizza dough!! He just mixed up a few batches of tortilla dough, rolled it directly onto the pizza pans, and proceeded to make pizza! It was really good, and so simple!

A Tribute to My Friend

There is a lady I have been friends with for years...since I was six years old! She is the one who taught me how to spin, and helped arrange for 'Santa' to bring me my first spinning wheel (I was in my thirties so I knew it wasn't really Santa). She is also responsible for getting me into goats, and gave me my Saanens. She has enriched my garden with herbs, vegetables, and flowers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for sharing her time, resources, and knowledge with me through the years! Thanks Mrs. A!!

The following are some tips she sent to me when she read my blog posts recently...

I've found the best way to hardboil fresh eggs is to steam them. I got this tip from my homestead site. Just put them into a steamer basket and steam them for 20-25 mins., empty the water and give the pan a good shake to crack the shells, then fill the pan with cold water. I keep changing the water until the eggs have cooled enough to handle. The shells slip right off; even from eggs fresh from the barn!

And the tip about soaping the bottom of a pot to make it easier to clean? It works very well on your stove top too when you plan to spend a day canning. Just smear dish washing liquid (I suppose any soap would do) all over the stove top and all those nasty splatters and spills will wipe right up at the end of the day.

Well I took a loaf of bread out of the oven a little while ago. I hope it's cooled off enough that I can bag it and go to bed.

Ok...the last part wasn't a tip, but was cool, so I included it! Thank God for people who pass on their homestead knowledge and encouragement to the next generation! Doesn't she know she has made me want to make some oatmeal bread now?!? And, just for the record, she makes the BEST pumpkin bread!!!!

Hormone Warning

There are several reasons why a homesteader may be called on to medicate their livestock with hormones. Sometimes when something goes really wrong in an animals reproductive cycle, a hormone shot can 'reset' the problem. If it is desirable to bring all the females in the herd in season at the same time for breeding to a specific male or artificial insemination, then certain hormones can be administered that can cause this to happen. Or...if there was an accidental breeding that was absolutely not wanted, some hormones can be administered to end the pregnancy. Medicating with hormones has its place on the homestead, but please listen to this warning.

Wear gloves. Wear latex gloves or an equivalent, and be very careful where the hormones and their packaging end up! Hormones will go right through human skin and be absorbed into the bloodstream...and are potent. A little goes a long way. For women, they can monkey the hormonal balance for fertility, alter moods, or even cause abortions. Hormones give very specific instructions to whatever body they enter...male or female. Be careful with them!!

I can't remember where I read it or who I heard it from, but when I do, I will give proper credit! A large animal vet's assistant was down in the dumps, and was telling her boss that something was seriously wrong...she felt like she was losing her mind. She would start crying for no reason, and felt out of control. The vet asked her.."Have you been wearing gloves when handling the horse estrogen?"

She said 'No! And what does that have to do with me losing my mind?"

The vet said..."Everything. You have flooded your body with estrogen by handling it without gloves. Start wearing gloves and in a little while, you will be ok."

Wow!!!

First Allergy Appointment

Well...yesterday I had my first appointment with the allergist. It was mostly information gathering. Family history of allergies and illness, my own history of all medications, infections, surgeries. I have an appointment for a CT scan of my left nasal sinus cavity, as it has given me trouble for years, manifesting itself as a intensely sensitive tooth. I also have to get my blood drawn this week to check for food sensitivities, and I think they will be testing some vitamin levels, my thyroid, and I can't remember what else. And then, next Monday, I go back to the doctor's office for the skin scratch tests. They will scratch my skin with various allergens to see how sensitive I am to each one. For that I must be off my allergy medication for 72 hours prior to the test. Seeing as how I live daily on Allegra, this will be a challenge!

I am impressed with this allergy office, as they realize that allergies can manifest themselves in many different ways, and wreak havoc with any body system. They realize that ALL body systems are connected, and they do not simply want to medicate me, but to find out what is causing the symptoms in the first place. They also realize the importance of supplements...specifically B-12, Vitamin D, and omega 3. I will keep you posted as I continue with my new venture going to the allergy doctor!

An LGD Reminder

We had a small incident happen here at the farm this weekend, and I am concerned that it may turn into a major nuisance. I would like to state...neither my husband or I were home when this happened. One of my children needed to bring the goats to the vets for health certificates for an upcoming show. He brought ALL the goats in the pasture, and decided to put our LGD, a great Pyrenees, in with the bucks for company. Well, that was not the dog's normal place, and he was not bonded to the bucks...and immediately got out of the pen. My other son went out and stayed in the pasture with him for over an hour, and the dog was happy. However, my son needed to go in the house, which left the Pyrenees, Augustus, by himself. He promptly did something he hadn't done since he was a little puppy...he dug out of the pasture. He was looking for either his goats or his people. The pack instinct is strong, and he was miserable by himself. My son who was home found the dog on an adjacent lot, and locked him in the milk room, which he promptly trashed. When he got home, my son who took all the goats to the vet was informed that the dog will NEVER be left with less than two of 'his' goats for company.

Unfortunately, even with the goats back in the pasture, the dog started digging out again yesterday. Hopefully he will just try that one area to dig out of, and we can prevent him from escaping there...but not if he realizes he can dig out anywhere. Then, we have to run an electric wire along the bottom of the fence.

We ask the dog to watch the goats...and its not fair to take them all away and not expect him to react in a big way. His bonding to them is what makes him protect them.

Fresh Eggs ...Part Two

Fresh eggs don’t peel easily, and there is a reason for this. When an egg is laid, it has a high moisture content. An egg’s shell is porous, and as the days go by, the water content in the egg reduces as evaporation occurs. When this happens, the mass of the egg shrinks, causing the egg to pull away slightly from the shell. So…a fresh boiled egg generally acts like it is glued to its shell when you try to peel it, while an egg that is boiled at a week old or older will peel much easier.

Knowing this does not make a fresh egg any easier to peel, unless you have an Aunt Mimi, or have a friend with an Aunt Mimi. I fall into the latter category, and will pass on most of what my friend’s aunt told us one Easter when we were discussing the peeling of fresh eggs. I say most of, because forgive me Ms. Mimi…I think what I am about to pass on is why your method works, and will refrain from typing out the rest because I think it is irrelevant. I also confess that I can’t remember the other stuff you said! But…anyway. Instructions. Get a pin, and put a small hole in the large side of the egg. This is where the air sac is. Try not to puncture the membrane when you put the hole in the shell, so the egg white does not leak out. Put your eggs in the pan with water to cover, and add a splash of vinegar in case some of the egg white does leak, as this will keep the leakage to a minimum. Boil as normal, cool…and then peel!

Fresh Eggs...Part One

I have chickens, and I really enjoy having fresh eggs. There IS a difference in the flavor…fresh eggs have a much better flavor! You can tell an egg is fresh when you crack it into a pan. With a fresh egg, the yolk will sit nice and tight on top of the egg white (well…the clear part…the egg is not cooked yet. But…albumin does not sound like something yummy to eat for breakfast, does it?)

There is one little problem with fresh eggs, however. They do not peel well for boiled eggs. There are a couple ways around this, and seeing as how I am ‘Northerner’, you know that my suggestions are pretty easy!

If the shape of the egg does not matter, simply poach the eggs. Boil your water, then add vinegar or lemon juice…this will help keep the egg white ( yummy albumin, heh-heh!) more or less in one mass. Do NOT salt the water for poached eggs! Salting the water has the opposite effect of acid, and will cause the egg white to mix with the water. This is great for egg drop soup…not so great for poached eggs, though. Once the eggs are done cooking, simply drain, cool them and chop. They work wonderfully for egg salad, potato salad…or any recipe that calls for chopped boiled eggs, because the shape of the egg doesn’t matter. Not having to peel the eggs saves time and effort, and I really like that!! The other tip I will post either tomorrow or Monday…that depends on Mrs. Townson’s blogging schedule!

Using a Dremel Tool for Dog Toenails

It is no secret that unless a dog is active enough to wear down its toenails naturally, the toenails must be trimmed. Overly-long toe nails will negatively affect how a dog walks, and is uncomfortable for the dog. The quick also grows too long, making effective nail trimming very difficult.

Traditional nail cutters are a good, effective way to keep nails short, but my dog trainer showed me an even better way...using a Dremel tool with a small tube-type sand paper accessory. I get the coarsest grit, and it does a great job! My dog trainer trims her dog's toenails once a week...I do my dogs about once every two weeks.

Using a Dremel tool has several advantages over traditional methods. It leaves the nail smooth, so if the dog should jump up on someone, the person does not get scratched...this advantage is also beneficial for not scratching other dogs during playtime, or causing skin damage when the dog scratches itself, especially in its ears.

Another advantage is that the sand paper on the Dremel tool tends to heat up, and in an overly-long nail this will help the quick to recede naturally as time goes on.

There are some cautions to pay attention to when using a Dremel tool to trim dog toenails. First of all...introduce the dog to the process slowly, and with praise and rewards so they associate the tool with good things. The vibrating will scare some dogs, and the fear must be worked through.

Also...it is best to use eye protection when trimming...I had a friend who was trimming her Rottweiller's nails without eye protection and a tiny piece of toenail landed in her eye, resulting in a bad eye infection. My dog trainer always wears a light breathing mask, as breathing the dust from the toenails bothers her lungs.

I have slipped with the dremel tool and accidentally sanded my leg, and another time I sanded my hand. My skin did not stand up well to the sand paper, so thank God for band-aids!

And...if you have long hair, keep it out of the way! Once I was trimming my dog's toenails, and somehow my hair ended up in the process. Very quickly, it wrapped up around the rotating tool, jamming it. I found myself with what I was afraid was going to be a semi-permanent hair accessory stuck to my head, and my kids laughing hysterically at mom's new hair-do...the 'Dremel Do'.

All in all, I prefer the results of Dremel tool for doing dog toenails. It provides a nice smooth finish, and is better at keeping the quick back. Also, the process goes faily quickly...as long as you keep your hair out of the way!

Power Line Story

Here is a quick story about the electricity that emanates from the big power lines...this story is also from my dad!

In the back of my parent's property there is a river, and some major power lines are there as well. A snowmobile association asked my parents for permission to build a bridge across the river, and have half of it be on their property, and the other half on power line property. My parents said ok, and last year a large bridge was built...big enough to drive a loaded dump truck on. This was no small bridge! They used a large crane when they put the metal support I-beams across the river. The crane was tall, but still 30 feet from the over head power lines. One of the bridge workers grasped the crane's metal cable that was holding the I-beam, and got a nasty jolt of electricity through his arm and shoulder! In my father's words, "It almost threw him on his butt!"

The power in power lines is not contained strictly in the wires. Those lines are high voltage, and the aura of electricity around them must be respected.

Rats!

My father was telling a story last night about rats, which he says are the smartest animals in the world. He always has said that if you have chickens, you will have rats. Well, this was a story of when he had chickens!

A guy at work had told him that rats hate pink fiberglass insulation, because it made them itch. My father decided to give the theory a try, got some insulation, ripped off the paper, and stuffed a prominent rat hole in the coop with a bunch of the stuff, ramming down and packing the hole. It was evening, and he went in to watch t.v. He went back out during a commercial to see what was going on, and the rats had un-stuffed the hole, and made a tidy pile of the insulation off to the side. So much for the insulation theory! My dad then went and got a trap, and set it right outside the hole. Next commercial break, he went out and he had already caught a rat! He re-set the trap, went back in the house...and the next commercial break he went out to check again. And he had ANOTHER rat! He was pleased. He re-set the trap, and next commercial break...he had trapped another rat. He thought he had a nice little scheme going, and the rats were going to just keep going in the trap. However...next time he went out, a different sight met his eyes. The surviving rats had, in 15 minutes, completely buried the unset trap with chicken litter, and re-stuffed the rat hole with every bit of insulation, and did not use the hole again. This all happened within an hour! Rats.

Herbed Baked Yogurt Spread

This is SO easy, but SO good! All you need is plain Greek yogurt, salt, garlic powder, and some herbs. Fill a small glass custard cup about 2/3 full of plain Greek yogurt. Then, mix in about 1/4 tsp garlic powder, a few shakes of salt, and 1/2 tsp of herbs of your choice...oregano, rosemary, basil, thyme...up to you! Bake at 350 about 20 minutes or so. It will not stick to the custard dish, and will unmold nicely on a small plate. This spread is wonderful hot or cold on bread and crackers!

The Benefits of Goat Shows

For my son and several friends, dairy goat show season is here! It is fall and fairs are in full swing. I don't personally choose to show, but I do believe that dairy goat shows have helped to improve some aspects of the dairy goat breeds, though Nubians aren't any any quieter or brighter! :)

When showing, body type, condition, age, and conformation all contribute to the overall score of the animal. However, being dairy, the biggest part of the score is the udder, which is what all the rest of the body is supporting. Udders and 'milky' lines have come a long way, with production amount and length of lactation improving through the years. This is a benefit to a homestead, as it is easier on the body of a doe to lactate several years in a row than to have to give birth every year to freshen. One of my Saanens lactated for four years, and only stopped because I dried her off, wanting a doe kid out of her. Let's hope she is pregnant! Her niece, a Saanen Nubian cross, has been lactating steadily for over three years now.

So...some folks enjoy the hoopla surrounding the shows...the stress, excitement, hope for winning premiums and titles on members of the herd to increase value. Its just not for me, but I do realize there is a benefit of the shows that I and anyone else who owns well-bred dairy goats have reaped...increased performance for the homesteader!

Grilling with your good pots....

My husband loves to grill.  I love to eat food that has been grilled.  However, one thing that I hate is when my husband uses my good stainless steel pots on his grill.  We have a side burner where you can cook beans or boil corn or whatever else you would like to cook.  And it is very nice during the hot summers to cook only on the grill without heating up the house.  But the BLACK soot marks on my pots are almost impossible to get off!

No, we don't have a dedicated set of pans for the grill.  That would take up precious storage space and it is hard to justify the expense when we only use the grill a couple of times each month. 

So yesterday Mr. B was going to grill some hot dogs and cook some baked beans.  I was not interested in spending fifteen minutes 'trying' to get the black marks off and I shared that with my husband.  My second oldest son said that he had read that if you rub the outside of the pot very well with soap, then the pot would be easy to clean.  So we decided to give  it a go.

Mr. B rubbed the outside of the pot very well with some of my homemade soap.  All of the way up the sides of the pot and the bottom of the pot.  Then he cooked our beans.  After lunch, he set out to clean the pot.  Yep!  Our son was right!  The pot cleaned right up with NO stress or major scrubbing! 

Wow!  I was really surprised and very thankful that I have a son that likes to read!

Happy Grilling!

Pumpkin Meanderings

Ok...it is October. Good bye (mostly) ice cream and watermelon...bring on the pumpkin pie! A versatile food, pumpkin pie is! Of course it is tops for dessert, but also great for lunch and breakfast, with a little protein added on the side.

Homemade is best, heavy on the cinnamon and ginger, and hold the nutmeg and cloves, thanks! Seeing as how I am usually the cook, I get to make it how I like it. No one complains! I also use whole goat milk right out of the fridge instead of evaporated milk, and it works fine, though I reduce the amount a little. But...today is not about a recipe! Its about canned pumpkin, and pumpkin meanderings.

Only...I heard that canned pumpkin it is not actually what we normally think of as pumpkin, but more along the lines of butternut squash. I am thinking that companies must use Amish neck pumpkin of some sort. Basically, Amish neck pumpkins are gargantuan butternut squashes! And they taste wonderfully. I have grown Amish neck pumpkins before, but they require a LOT of room, so I went back to butternuts, which don't require near the space in the garden but are still quite prolific. The Amish neck pumpkins absolutely took things over in a scary way, while the butternuts simply gently meander.

Now...there was a canned pumpkin shortage a couple years ago, but I hope no one went without a homemade pumpkin pie if that is what you were wanting. You don't need to buy canned pumpkin...simply buy a butternut, bake as I instructed in a post not too long ago, and then proceed with your normal pie recipe. Regular large orange pumpkins tend to be stringy, so I avoid them if a butternut is available!

Happy October...may you always get real whipped cream on all your desserts, and not a splat of cool whip!