Monthly Archives: March 2012

by | March 31, 2012

Homesteading: What Is It?

"The Covered Wagon of the Great Western M...

"The Covered Wagon of the Great Western Migration. 1886 in Loup Valley, Nebr." A family poses with the wagon in which they live and travel daily during their pursuit of a homestead. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So what is homesteading?  Without looking up the formal definition, I feel that homesteading incorporates many aspects.  These include self-sufficiency, food production, preparedness, self-reliance, knowledge…

From Wikipedia: Broadly defined, homesteading is a lifestyle of simple self-sufficiency.  The term may apply to anyone who follows the back-to-the-land movement by adopting a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle.

It seems to me that people who are defined as homesteaders tend to have some common traits.

Self-Sufficient:  The first is the desire to live as self-sufficient as possible.  Notice I did not state that they are independent, for in my experience homesteaders tend to have a very intricate network of similar minded friends and family.

Nutrition:  The second trend is that they place an importance on nutrition.  It seems that one of the main reasons that people begin down the path of homesteading is to provide healthy food for their families.

Environmentally Friendly:  A third trait may be that of environmental awareness.  Do not confuse this with being a tree-hugger or avid environmentalist, just simply that homesteaders tend to respect their land.  At least the homesteaders that I have dealt with have a focus on taking care of their land by composting, cultivation, seed saving, and other friendly practices.

Family Focused:  Homesteaders tend to have a tight knit family.  Many forgo the modern day trends of television and the like to keep life simply and unconstrained.  Also the lack of cable also provides a chane to save money.  Many tight knit homesteaders homeschool their children.  We also give our children “real chores” like feeding the animals.  This goes above and beyond the common city chores of cleaning your room and doing the dishes.  Animals are reliant upon us to take care of them.  Lack of responsibility and provision results in lack of production and ultimately death (If care is extremely poor).

Organic:  Some tend to be organically focused.  This is may simply tie in to the nutrition thing as stated above.  The concern about the overuse of chemical agents and insecticides tend to be a common theme that I have noted.

Conservation:  A lot of homesteaders end up as conservationists, perhaps unintentionally.  By this I mean that homesteaders will save seeds, preserving may heirloom and non hybrid types of vegetables.  Also the focus on dual purpose cattle in some instances also furthers the preservation of heritage breeds (something we like!)

Disaster Preparedness:  Homesteaders will tend to be preppers.  This means that they are prepared for potential disasters on some level or another.  This may be from canning, quilting, storage, seed saving, as well as many other facets involved in homesteading.

Connected:  As I stated above, homesteaders tend to be connected to one another.  There are networks that are established, as no one person or family can go it alone for every vital need.  Blogs like this also function within that network.  We have a network locally of about 6 families, which extends very loosely to perhaps dozens of acquaintances of one form or another.

Amish couple in a horse-drawn buggy in rural H...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Amish:  This is just a funny, though the Amish are practically homesteaders by tradition.  They may, in fact, be the ultimate homesteaders.  I say it is a funny, as many of us joke and get teased about being Amish.  It is a joke made with the utmost of respect.

Learners:  It seems to me that those I have associated with are constantly wanting to learn.  Whether it be skills or simply practical knowledge, I note the extreme desire to learn and the craving of knowledge.

Christian?  This may be controversial, but I think that many a homesteader tends to have a deep faith in God.  So whether that be Christian or not, I do not know, but it sure seems to me that God is a thread that runs deep within many homesteaders.  We like to live a little outside of the trends of society.

To sum it up, Homesteading is an intricate plan to:

  1. provide for your family,
  2. prepare for the future,
  3. conserve the land that has been granted,
  4. preserve genetic of both animals and plants,
  5. live off the land, share knowledge and wisdom,
  6. and to raise a family that is focused on family and thrive.

Please share your thoughts below and perhaps even your definition of homesteading.

(I will note the website below as an inspiration for this posting, though I did not follow it to a tee.)

http://www.christianhomesteaders.org/

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by | March 28, 2012

Red Poll Cattle (The perfect breed)

 

Why choose the Red Poll as a breed?

Red Poll cattle are a dual purpose breed.  They are noted for easy calving and great mothering ability.  A study done in the late 1980′s showed that the Red Poll breed performed the best in 200 day calf weight per live birth.  This can be attributed to the ease of calving and the survivability of the calves.  It is also a reflection on the fact that Red Poll mothers are very efficient at producing milk, supplying their calves with plenty of nutrition.

History of the Red Poll Breed

The Red Poll is a dual purpose breed developed in England.  The breed was developed in the early 1800s as a cross between the Norfolk and Suffolk breeds.  As the name implies, Red Poll are Red and color and do not have horns.  They were imported to North America in the 1880s.  Red Poll cattle have been traditionally utilized for milk production, at one time being a popular cow for this purpose.  However, they were not quite able to keep up with the Holstein in terms of volume of milk produced.  Some Red Poll lines have been bred for the purpose of being grass fed.  The breed is highly beneficial when it comes to hybrid vigor, a condition that results when two purebred of different breeds are crossbred to one another.  This resulting vigor often capitalizes on the best traits of each specific breed.

Red Poll cattle are a fine boned breed, which means that they tend to carry a little less weight than some other breeds.  This also makes them very good at feed conversion, which is one reason why they have been selected as a grass fed breed.

Uses of Red Poll Cattle:

1)  Beef production.  As noted above, Red Poll have an excellent history of production, excelling at best weight at 200 days per live birth.

2)  Milk Production.  While not producing the total amount of a Holstein, the Red Poll breed is very capable of producing milk.  They are good for a pasture based operation.  (This may be an example of a niche market)

3)  Hybrid Vigor.  Due to their positive traits, they are an excellent choice for crossing to other breeds such as Angus, or Holstein.

4)  Show Cattle.  Red Poll are not the most common cow in the world (otherwise they would not be on ALBC’s threatened list), but they can produce excellent show cattle.  They have placed well at world shows in the past.  Red Poll also have their own show circuit.

5)  Homesteading:  Red Poll are a dual purpose breed, so fitting them into a homesteading lifestyle allows the homesteader to gain both milk production and beef production (through the rearing of young).

Heritage Breed Farms

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by | March 27, 2012

Red Poll Pictures

Red Poll Pictures taken at Heritage Breeds Farm

I have found it rather difficult to find nice Red Poll pictures.  I thought that since we have some cattle, that I would start taking more and more Red Poll pictures.  Hopefully you will enjoy them as much as we do.  We will have pictures of Red Poll Calves at some point, once they are born.

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 Two of our Red Poll ladies looking back at us as they stand in the field.

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All three Red Poll heifers looking back at us from a distance.  The girls are still rather skittish, but they are slowly coming around.

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 The three Red Poll Heifers bunched up together.  They tend to stick close together as they figure out their surroundings.

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On the big hill in the back of the pasture as the ladies walks and graze.

These are just a few Red Poll pictures that we have taken to date.  We hope to have more Red Poll pictures in the future. We selected Red Poll cattle for their favorable traits, including the fact that they tend to be docile.  They are polled (hornless) cattle.  Perhaps that is obvious from the name, but we did not want to deal with horns or dehorning around here.  They are a dual purpose breed that is very good at foraging on pasture and grass.  We hope that you enjoy our blog and the Red Poll Pictures.  There are many other articles on our site about the great things that Red Poll cattle bring to the table (Pun intended).  Please share any Red Poll pictures that you have with us, they truly are a beautiful breed.

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by | March 24, 2012

Elite Eight

Organic cultivation of mixed vegetables on an ...

Organic cultivation of mixed vegetables on an organic farm in Capay, California. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here is another list that honors the NCAA college basketball tournament known as March Madness.

As the teams are down to the Elite Eight, I decided to come up with an Elite Eight list to complement our Sweet Sixteen list of Vegetables.

So what would be a good list of Eight Things?  How about the Elite Eight Reasons to go Organic, GMO free and all natural with farming/ homesteading?  So here goes:

  1. Organic farming and gardening is better for the environment in many ways.  The first is that there is a focus on conservation.  I am not a naturalist nor a “tree hugger,” but rather I believe that God gave us a great planet, which we need to protect and respect.  Organic and natural farming tends to placeconservation in the forefront.  Compost is recycling at its basis.
  2.  Organically grown foods contain fewer harmful chemicals than conventionally grown foods. In a conventional system, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and glyphosate (Round Up) are sprayed to increase production in various ways. These chemicals can be taken up by the plants and then eaten by the consumer resulting in toxin buildup within the body.
  3. I would make a case that growing thing organically actually gains in yield over time. This is due to the better soil structure and the better ecosystem. By continuously amending the soil with organic matter, the earthworms and other organisms flourish. This can make to yield as good or better than a conventional system. The health of the soil leads to good health within the plants leading to reduced disease and fewer pest problems in the long run. Healthy plants, like healthy people,
    are better suited to fight off disease and pests.
  4.  I will again cite Dr. Don Huber in regard to some research that is ongoing about potential problems with the use of Genetically Modified Corn, soybeans and now alfalfa.

    Predatory Polistes wasp looking for bollworms ...

    Predatory Polistes wasp looking for bollworms or other caterpillars on a cotton plant (Photo credit: Wikipedia)n insecticide is utilized.

  5.  The reduction of chemicals that are relied upon for insect and pest control will allow natural processes to take hold. For most every pest that invades a garden or crop, there is at least one predator. These predators can be killed along with the pest when an insecticide is applied.  If natural cycles are allowed to run their course, predators will find area that their prey are thriving in.  A lot of prey, will ultimately lead to a lot of predators, which will reduce the population of the pest.
  6. Though this point may be disputed, I believe that naturally grown foods contain more nutrients. I also believe that these nutrients are much easier for our bodies to utilize. This means that even a naturally grown vegetable or crop that is lower in nutrients will actually provide more usable nutrients, thus making it more nutritious for the body.
  7. I would love to do a study on this one: Animals will eat naturally grown crops with more vigor. This means less stress to the animal and perhaps greater yields. Perhaps one day I will be able to do a study in this subject. The study would have to control just about every other variable other than the feed in order to be valid.
  8. Finally, there is simply a self-satisfaction that goes along with producing your own food naturally.
    Growth of organic farmland since the year 2000...

    Growth of organic farmland since the year 2000 Development of organically managed land by world regions since 2000 Data: www.organic-world.net

    Something that I found very interesting is the chart above.  This chart shows that North America is not growing as much in Organic farmland, yet the world is.  We often look to other countries for many other things, why not look at others as the lead for this trend.  We need to figure this out, before it is too late.

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Filed under Composting, Farming, GMO, Organic, Self-Sufficiency, Soil, Uncategorized, You Are What You Eat

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by | March 23, 2012

A Solid Investment

A friend of ours gave me this thought about a year ago.  My apologies to him if he reads this and I mess it up.

Who isn’t looking for a solid investment?

Investment professionals recommend certain investments for various strategies.  They recommend that you invest in something that is practical, will provide security, will appreciate in value and is affordable in the here and now.

So what is the perfect investment?  Consider the canning lid.

  1. It is practical:  Canning is a great way to preserve foods and provide for your family.  I feel that there is simply a ton of value to providing your home grown food for your family.  We of course believe in organic, naturally grown food.  We are learning about the importance of avoiding chemicals and glyphosate.  (the active ingredient in Round-up, which is spray on GMO crops)
  2. It provides security:  Putting up your own food provides in a time of crisis.  Should there ever be a disruption in the food supply, we will have some put up to feed ourselves and those who may end up here in the even of a major crisis.
  3. They have barter value.  If there is a major problem in the world or United States, canning lids would have a tremendous trade value.  It is because they provide security by allowing the preservation of foods.  This means that they will have a lot of value.  Remember that if there would be a major problem, things would have value in ways that we don’t currently comprehend.  A few seeds may be worth the same as a car or truck.  Food,  being a basic necessity, would likely have the highest value of all.  The truck would likely only have value to somebody who has fuel.
  4. Canning lids are very affordable.  Many can be purchased online for a relatively low value.  In the event of inflation, the cost of those lids will only go up.  The value of the preserved food is likely to go up as an even faster rate.

I paraphrased the discussion, but this is what I recall.  Not being a survivalist site, I will say that the canning lid provides the most value simply in the here and now.  Trying to eliminate as many preservatives and chemicals is relatively hard to accomplish.  It is also difficult to afford, but growing your own food allows for both of those issues to be circumvented.  Planting your own seeds allows for control over what chemicals are placed on the vegetables or fruit.  It is also very affordable to grow.

Until Next Time!

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by | March 23, 2012

A walk to the Creek

This great weather afforded us a chance to walk ba k through the pasture to enjoy the land that God has blessed us with.  We started out along the new fence and entered the upper pasture through one or the small corner gates that we had installed in the Fall.  We ventured down to the creek for a relaxing walk. It dis not take long for my ADD to kick in.

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We first started exploring the creek bed, which just got regraded last year by the neighbor.  As we walked, we started to pick up the trash and glass that we found along the way.  We also noticed that the neighbor covered up the bathtub that somebody disposed of near the creek.

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So now that a bit of cleanup was accomplished, we stopped to inspect our dam from last Fall.  For the most part it was intact.  We proceeded to cross the creek and I began to study the pasture.  I noticed that there is quite a bit of clover, which is supposed to make a good forage.  I took a few samples so that I can try to identify the three types that I found.  I am rather certain that some of it is red clover.  The other two types must be another type native to our part of the Midwest.

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I will try later on to post my finding s on the clovers.  I think they are red clover, white clover, and ladino clover.

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by | March 23, 2012

Spring cleanup

(Written Friday 3/23/2012)

Spring cleaning is in full swing around our farm.  Today we cut up more of the fence posts that we pulled last year in preparation for the new fence.  We cut the locust posts into 12 to 15 inch sections that will fit nicely into our woodburner next year.  We cut down to the portion of the fence that was underneath the ground. We figured it would add more creosote to the chimney if we burnt the portion that had all or the dirt and water damage. The three foot sections that were underground stacked very nicely for a bonfire. Hopefully that will be happening soon, complete with s’mores.
We mowed the grass yesterday. Can you believe that we are mowing four weeks earlier than normal? We also finished preparing the garden soil and purchased a few more seeds. At the curren

seed saving

seed saving (Photo credit: kt.ries)

t seed prices, we can definitely see that value to seed saving. We bought grass seed, radishes, green beans, and peas for a total of $22.00. Had we saved our own, that coat would have been closer to $8 for the grass seed and gas additive for the chainsaw.
We took the mowers in to the service shop today to keep them in good working condition.
So that covers the prep work. The rest of the day was spent cleaning indoors and out. We moved metal t posts to the barn, moved some old telephone pole pieces, and cleaned up inside the barn a bit. With the top of the barn cleaned out, the kids now have an additional play area.

Finally, we began trimming and pruning the fruit trees. I was surprised to see the multitude of bees busy at work pollinating the peach tree, which is already in bloom. I usually start pruning the apple trees by removing all of the water sprouts, which are those small branches that go straight up. I also trim out any diseased wood and branches that cross over others. These branches that cross over will cause damage to the bark as they rub against one another. I di fear that we may be too late to apply dormant spray. I need to look more into home remedies/ organic ways to manage fruit trees. It seems like the conventional guys are always out spraying their crops. Ours have been organic for the past 10 years, but we have never gotten fruit. It is probably because organic and natural in this case means neglected. Hopefully this will change this summer. We have already begun looking for recipes for homemade natural dormant oil sprays. It seems most are based with mineral oil.

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by | March 22, 2012

Sweet Sixteen Garden Crops

Sweet Sixteen of Garden Crops

In celebration of the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA basketball tournament, we decided to post a sweet sixteen list. We will not include Herbs, fruit trees, brambles, or grapes)

We will list our top sixteen crops for the garden.  Counting down from 16 to number 1:

16) Onions

15) Chives (I guess this may be technically an herb)
14) Zucchini  (This would probably be higher on the list, but that we keep getting vine borers, which shortens the crop season)

13) Pumpkins (we grow at the base of our corn to deter raccoon, who do not like to travel through the vines.)

12) Basil (New to our favorite last year)

11) Carrots (Again would be higher, but we have had a hard time getting them to grow right for some reason)
10) Cucumbers

9) Radishes (Love that they grow so quickly and can be used for row markers that can be eaten)

8) Peppers (We grow Cheyennes, bells, and some jalapeno)
7) Spinach (Can be grown in cold weather, not good in heat)

6) Tomatoes (We grow a lot of salsa tomatoes.  We love Romas.  We are experimenting with some of the Amish Heirloom varieties)

5) Peas (May be #1 were it not for all of the work involved shelling them)

4) Lettuce (Wilted lettuce is like nothing else.  I will have to put the recipe up at some point)3) Green Beans
2)  Sweet Corn (Nothing beats sweet corn fresh from the garden.  We use “Incredible”)
1)  Asparagus (Beats out sweet corn because it is a perennial)

July's Tomato Haul

Sweet Corn
Sweet Corn (Photo credit: baysmom3)
Young sweet corn

Young sweet corn (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cucumber Growing

Cucumber Growing (Photo credit: Celladoor)

Basil

Basil (Photo credit: finn)

Second Course: Asparagus with Morels

Asparagus (Photo credit: ulterior epicure)

 

 

 

 

 

Things we would like to try this year:

Brussels Sprouts

Garlic (Fall crop)

Kale

Claytonia

Arugula

A new Asparagus patch (we got this one with the house.)

Well, That is it for now.  More to follow……

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