Tabla de contenidos para September - October 2020 en Grit

■ Just over a year ago, I bought my first house—all 720 square feet of it — along with a yard that looked like it had never been turned to anything but lawn. When I first saw the yard, on an unseasonably warm January day, I knew I could transform it into a vegetable paradise ringed with roses. I had boundless ambitions, a hatchback car, and a shovel, along with childhood memories of maintaining a vast garden with my mom. I wasn’t quick enough last year to get much of anything growing, but I was determined to have a garden this year. I brought in dozens of loads of compost, topsoil, and mulch, piling them into low raised beds bordered by scrap wood I had scrounged from neighborhood driveways on…

How to Carve a Prizewinning Pumpkin ■ Pick an oddly shaped pumpkin. Everyone, it seems, seeks a perfectly formed pumpkin for a jack-o’-lantern. The better choice is actually one that’s slightly misshapen—a little long, a little wide, a little bumpy. The peculiarities will give character to your pumpkin face. ■ Plan the facial features. Before making any cuts to the pumpkin, use a water-based marker to outline your ideas for a face. Draw a line establishing the middle of the face, and draw the features on both sides to match—or not. Then, trace these lines with a permanent marker. ■ Hollow with care. How will you display your jack-o’-lantern? If you’re going to light the pumpkin, hollow it from the top; this will allow heat from a lamp or smoke…

A sweet, intoxicating scent wafts on the late-summer breeze as I make my way to the house after doing chores at the barn. It makes me pause, breathe deeply, and smile. This special aroma heralds the arrival of kudzu blossom season! Kudzu is the common name for Pueraria montana, an invasive vine with thick, tough stems and hairy leaves. It has a habit of being a little too familiar to some folks in the southern United States, where it’s classed as a noxious plant. Originally introduced to this country from Japan to curb soil erosion, kudzu has since been classified as an invasive species. Once it’s established, this nonnative green machine can easily engulf entire trees and turn picturesque hillsides into forbidding jungles. Widely planted in the Southeast during the…

Here are the parts from most tender to tough and the way I cut them: Tenderloins — Steaks or kebab medallions Backstrap — Steaks Rump — Steaks Rounds — Steaks and roasts Shoulders — Steaks (if large enough), jerky, stew meat, burger, or canned Flank — Stew meat, burger, or canned Shanks — Roasts (if large enough), stew meat, burger, or canned Neck — Roasts (if large enough), stew meat, burger, or canned Meat from between the ribs—Jerky, stew meat, burger, or canned Organs — See “Using the Gut Pile,” Page 25.…

Many hunters discard all organs while field-dressing a deer. I used to do the same, until I heard a veteran sportsman rhapsodizing about the culinary delights of fried deer heart and yellow onions. After that, I saved a heart, and my wife, Elaine, prepared it the same way. We found it tough and barely edible, with the yellow onions’ natural sharpness overwhelming the heart’s delicate flavor. Deciding to give deer heart another try, Elaine slow-cooked the organ on low for six hours with a can of cream of mushroom soup. She then sliced the meat thinly and made the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten. Over the years, we’ve become big fans of deer heart. We’ve found the key to this delicious organ is to prepare it correctly. Wild and (Guilt)…

Sometimes, the best thing to do is go out and learn on the job. Any horse, especially a young one, can quickly become bored working in a small area, so some trainers take a green horse out after only a few rides “inside.” When you take your horse outside the corral, do all you can to ensure those rides are successful. A good experience will set the stage for future training, making it easier; a bad one will make future lessons more challenging. As with earlier lessons, the horse will encounter many new things during these first few rides outdoors—a first big rock to pass by; a first hill to climb; or a first stream to cross. How you help your horse get through these experiences will determine whether it…

Preparedness runs the gamut from carrying a pocket flashlight to homesteading off the grid. It also includes awareness, which is the ability to effectively recognize when it’s time to take action based upon the situation and your plan. This makes preparedness a personalized activity. Preparation is described incorrectly so often that it may be easier to describe what preparation isn’t. Here are some common misconceptions about preparedness that are worth debunking. Misconception 1: Good plans need to be complex. Nothing could be further from the truth. The simpler the better! The more complex your plan is, the harder it is to communicate and the more likely it is to fail. Effective disaster plans focus on meeting immediate needs: surviving the event; providing shelter, food, and medical care; communication (both with…

Wind and solar are two of the most accessible sources of renewable energy. Large farms of wind turbines and solar arrays can provide power for multiple sources, but there are also smaller home units available that generate power for a single property. Unless your goal is purely environmental, however, the economics of your situation will determine whether it makes sense for you to invest in a renewable energy system. Will the money you save by generating your own power cover the initial costs? This will depend on a number of factors, but perhaps most importantly on the energy source itself: wind or sunlight. Both of these are elements of the weather, and they’re impacted by other weather factors and situations. Homeowners wishing to install solar or wind systems need to…

Farming is good for my soul. I love so much about it. I grew up on a farm, and can’t imagine a nonfarming life. Yet, farming can break my heart. Raising livestock can be equally rewarding and devastating. Loss is inevitable, despite our best efforts. I started raising goats in 2014 because our new property was overrun with brush and poison ivy. I fell in love with these quirky creatures, and three goats turned into 30. I now raise unregistered crosses, registered Kinders, and registered Miniature LaManchas. In March 2018, a mixed-breed first freshener doe presented with dystocia. Vet intervention was required. Two kids were delivered dead, but one was alive and well, much to the vet’s surprise. The doe was sore and stressed but recovered well. I started the…

■ There’s simply no place like a homestead for a growing youngster. It’s a giant classroom, where kids learn about responsibility and hard work. They also learn real-world skills, such as earth stewardship, how to care for living creatures, and the ins and outs of growing their own nutritious food. Kids delight in the little, everyday moments on the farm. While picking fresh berries, running in sunshine, and caring for resident animals, however, we want to ensure that little ones are safety-aware. Kids don’t always have the best judgment about how to handle new things. Fortunately, they’re usually willing to learn. General Farm Safety First off, you must actively work at making your homestead safer. Some things may be out of your control, but you can develop an eye for…

Two days of rain kept me from some much-needed mowing, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to work on a couple of projects in my shop. When I turned on the lights, though, my eyes drifted to a dark spot on the ceiling; the dreaded first sign of a leaky roof. The roof on my shop was covered with asphalt shingles that were more than 20 years old. I’d been thinking about replacing the sorry-looking ones for the last two years, but I’d put it off as a project that would take a lot of time and money. After spotting the early signs of damage caused by a leaking roof, I wished I’d replaced it earlier. With a pit in my stomach, I removed a blemished section…

In “How to Field-Process a Deer” (September/October 2019), I described how to field-dress, skin, and debone a deer in the field. Once the meat is home, it’s time to process and package it for both the freezer and the table. If this is your first time processing a deer, don’t feel intimidated. Preparing venison at home isn’t difficult. It doesn’t require knowing the names of every muscle and cut, or buying a bunch of expensive supplies and equipment. Instead, it involves learning the basics of how and where to cut, and a modest investment in supplies. As with many other DIY activities, you can start with a small amount of equipment and add as your operation expands. The basic equipment costs about the same as processing a couple of deer…

Whether you nurture a suburban backyard garden, two potted tomato plants, or acres of produce, this year you may depend on your harvest not only for fresh vegetables, but also for variety. The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our food supply, from processing plant closures to distribution interruptions. Luckily, those of us who grow and preserve our own fruits and vegetables are prepared. We turn berries and peaches into jars of jam, and freeze peas and corn for future use. We turn tomatoes into sauce, and fill the root cellar with carrots and squash. And let’s not forget turning piles of cucumbers, zucchini, and asparagus into tangy pickles. But we tend to practice dehydration—one of the oldest methods of food preservation—the least. Which is a shame, because dehydrating fruits and vegetables…

The honey harvest is an exciting—and sticky — time for beekeepers. As we anticipate that first bite of homemade biscuit drenched with unbelievably sweet honey, we know it’s well worth the work it takes to get to that point. Yet, golden honey isn’t the only valuable product produced by industrious little bees. Intoxicatingly fragrant beeswax—begging to be turned into candles, lip balms, and more—awaits the frugal beekeeper. Fortunately, only a bit of time is needed to harvest this invaluable wax. The tricky part, though, is finding an easy, simple, and inexpensive method to separate the wax from the honey in a manner that allows the beekeeper to retain the highest proportion of both. Fortunately, you can build an uncapping tank that’ll do the job for a fraction of what you’d…

■ Chicken is one of those versatile foods that delivers comfort in a multitude of ways. Hungry for Italian or Tex-Mex? How about Chinese? No problem; chicken fits the bill. Chicken is economical and readily available, and it cooks quickly and with ease. It’s good for any occasion, be it a birthday lunch or a holiday party. It pairs well with just about anything, and can be dressed up or down and still taste just as good. Whether you’re looking for a quick weeknight meal, an impressive dish to serve guests, or a winning tailgate appetizer, chicken’s got you covered. So, next time you’re wondering what to whip up, try one of these recipes that’ll showcase chicken in a delicious way. ‘BEST EVER’ HONEY BARBECUE DRUMSTICKS These savory drumsticks will…

Like other mammals, deer begin life with baby teeth, or milk teeth. Adult teeth replace the baby teeth at a predictable rate. To age a deer, use the teeth on one side of the jaw, called “premolars” and “molars,” as a reference. (Ignore the front teeth.) Depending on the deer’s age, there will be 4 to 6 teeth on one side of the jaw. (See photo below.) Deer are born in late spring to early summer. They’re about 6 months old during their first winter hunting season. At 6 months old, a deer has fewer than six teeth on one side of its jaw; the third tooth from the front has three cusps, or peaks. A 1½-year-old deer has six teeth; the third tooth from the front is still a…

The silverskin that runs along the backstrap is the longest strip of natural sinew on a deer and can be used as thread for stitching. To harvest the sinew, don’t cut through this silverskin when cutting the backstrap steaks, but fillet each steak from this connective tissue. Hang the sinew in a low-humidity environment, and allow it to dry completely. To use for sewing, peel the strands from the sheath, and then soak them in water or wet them with saliva. Once wet, the sinew will be flexible and ready for stitching.…

For those of us lucky enough to live in the Great Lakes region, enjoying locally harvested wild rice is one of the benefits of living here. We take an even greater enjoyment in harvesting this annual plant using traditional methods, navigating a canoe through beds of wild rice and dislodging the grains into a boat with wooden flails. Working as a father-son team allows us to switch roles, sharing both the work and the bounty. Here’s our primer on harvesting and processing wild rice for anyone who can paddle a canoe and swing a wooden stick. The Good Berry The Ojibwe people called the wild rice plant manoomin. “Good berry” is one translation for this word, but there are many others among various tribes, attesting to the importance of this…

■ Everyone’s familiar with pears: They’re aromatic and sweet, and they melt in your mouth with each slurping bite. They’re so familiar that their signature shape is, well, pear-shaped; technically, the shape’s name is “pyriform,” which is Latin for “pear-shaped.” When people picture pears, they may think of European pears. However, there’s another sister in the family: the Asian pear (Pyrus pyrifolia). In Latin, that means “pear-leafed pear.” (Sometimes botanists have a gift for the obvious.) Asian pears have several other common names, including “apple pears,” “sand pears,” “Korean pears,” “Japanese pears,” and “nashi.” Unlike their European sisters, Asian pears are round and crunchy, but they’re just as juicy and flavorful. They have surprisingly large fruit, often as big as—if not bigger than—a ripe grapefruit. A few cultivars have flesh…

Keeping a herd of goats for a small home dairy of your own is an especially rewarding farm project. It’s a fine feeling to watch a well-kept dairy goat, slick from spring grass, following you toward the milking shed. And knowing that your family is healthy and strong, flourishing on her rich milk, is a gift that’s nearly impossible to value. This dairy lifestyle has many satisfying rhythms, and we’d like to think we can avoid any problems or injuries among our herds. Life can get rough out here, though. I’ve found that it pays to be prepared with a stash of thoughtfully selected first-aid items on the homestead, especially when dealing with dairy animals. I’d like to share some of what I’ve learned about treating injuries and minor sicknesses…