Refreshing Cucumber Salad
When the cucumbers begin to ripen in my garden, I can’t wait to a make cucumber salad. We often have it for lunch with slices of freshly baked bread, although I might also serve it as a side dish for...
My Recipe Format
The recipe format I use follows a sensible system I learned several decades ago that makes much more sense to me. Instructions are given in a column on the left, with ingredients listed, in their order of use, in a column on the right.
Goats Got A2 Milk
When the first Nubian dairy goats arrived on our farm more than three decades ago, I knew goat milk tastes much like cow milk, only it’s easier to digest. The usual explanation for the easier digestibility is the smaller fat...
Hard Squash, Eggs, and Fresh Fryers
Before this country loses its sense entirely, it ought to be mandatory for every school kid to spend at least one summer working on a farm.
Lying Around in a Hammock
“You ought to get rid of those animals,” said a visiting city relative, who claims to aspire to own a farm some day. He was bothered that I go to the barn every morning and every evening to check on...
Testing Garden Seeds for Germination Rate
If you have garden seeds and wonder about their germination rate, you can find out by doing a sprout test. The same process may be used to presprout seeds that need a head start.
Why Save Garden Seeds — Gusto Bell Peppers
Seed companies come and seed companies go. The garden seeds you like best therefore may not be available next time you’re ready to purchase. That’s what happened to me with Gusto bell peppers. For the past several years I have...
Ultimate Recycling
Many people define recycling as sorting things into labeled bins and then carting them off to the recycle center. My definition, like that of most country folks, is to keep using things until there’s nothing left to recycle.
View from My Window
The view from my window is ever changing. I don’t mean just the seasonal changes that ice up our little backyard pond, then lace it with daffodils, then overwhelm the banks with grass that needs mowing. The changes I refer...
How I Got Into Raising Chickens
Before chicken keeping became a craze, and the oddball is now the person who doesn’t have chickens, people often asked me how I got into raising chickens. The major influence was my maternal grandmother, who kept a flock of Rhode...