Tabla de contenidos para May/June 2021 en Grit

Community has been on my mind lately. After I mentioned my failure to find a reliable source of saffron, several of you reached out to share information about nurseries you’ve bought it from, and your own experiences growing it. There’s been the same outpouring of advice and support about my upcoming foray into keeping chickens. (Check out “Mail Call” on Page 12 for some excellent advice to new chicken owners.) It’s a lucky editor who gets to be part of the Grit community and share in the knowledge you’ve all collected over the years. Those of you who’ve been around for the last few issues know that I’m a townie. Since moving to my house, I can — and have — tossed bags of okra over the fence to my…

Most projects on our rural property require hauling something from one point to another. Trailers are invaluable in my day-to-day work, whether I’m hauling cut logs out of the woodlot, or moving equipment, implements, or gravel. Trailers come in many sizes, styles, and price ranges. Some have been built for a specific type of hauling, while others can handle a variety of payloads and applications. Finding the right trailer to fit your needs — and your price range — requires considering your current and future trailering needs, and the type of work you’ll be using the trailer for. Here are descriptions of the most common trailer types. Utility Trailers A catch-all workhorse for rural landowners, the utility trailer comes in many different lengths and widths, with drive-on ramps, multiple loading…

Potatoes are one of the most popular crops globally. Americans eat an average of 110 pounds of potatoes per person per year — almost one potato per day. Potatoes are packed full of nutrition, including fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins. Plus, they’re a versatile vegetable, able to complement a variety of meals. Here are some delicious recipes for enjoying this beloved food. BUTTERMILK MASHED POTATOES Everyone loves mashed potatoes, and these will be no exception. This creamy blend of buttery mashed potatoes whipped up with Monterey Jack cheese and sour cream makes a perfect side dish for any meal. Yield: 6 servings. About 2 pounds (or 6 medium-sized) potatoes, peeled or unpeeled1⁄3 cup buttermilk1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese1⁄3 cup sour cream1 tablespoon butter1⁄2 teaspoon salt Pepper, to tasteFresh chopped parsley,…

For me, a recent summertime excursion to find chanterelles soon became a revelation. Every spring, I search for yellow and black morels and relish consuming them in a variety of dishes. But the members of the New River Valley Mushroom Club, my hosts for that June day, began our outing by expressing the same enthusiasm for finding — and especially consuming — summer chanterelles as I feel about morels. Had I been making a mistake by not continuing my mushroom foraging after morel season ended? As the day’s events — and that night’s meal — unfolded, the answer to that question became a resounding yes. Our first discovery was a concentration of black trumpets (Craterellus fallax), found in an oak and beech grove in the Virginia highlands. These mushrooms thrive…

A Vegetable to Pickle Your Fancy Nothing can compare with the crisp crunch of a fresh-picked cucumber or the spicy taste of homemade pickles. Cucumbers are an easy crop to grow, though they can take up a lot of space. If your garden is small, try a compact cultivar, such as ‘Spacemaster’ or ‘Salad Bush,’ or train the vines of standard cultivars to climb a trellis or wire fence. Any good garden soil will support cucumbers as long as it’s well-draining. Because cucumbers require good drainage, seeds are often planted in hills or on mounded rows. To construct a hill, mark a circle 1 to 2 feet wide. Spade in compost or bagged manure to a depth of 12 to 18 inches, and then mix in a cup of 10-10-10…

We write to you the good old-fashioned way, firmly believing that the world of electricity and electronics is having its last heyday. We really appreciate the encouragement we feel from GRIT to keep up the good work of small farming! We hope you find some benefit from our tips and the historical (and true!) advice below. Our favorite pet hen, Henny Penny, is a black bantam (Cochin-like). She’s in with the layers, because layers make lousy pets as a rule. She doesn't lay hardly an egg, but she does help keep the layers calm and petlike with her fine example. This advice is excerpted from Farming for Boys by Edmund Morris, which was published in 1868. "Others no doubt do better with their poultry in cold weather than myself. But…

When you think of nightshades, you likely think of potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. But tomatillos and ground cherries are part of the same plant group, and they yield delicious, healthy fruit that’s perfect for cooking, baking, and preserving. And did you know that there are many ornamental nightshades? Let’s look at a few interesting nightshades — some edible and some ornamental — that may deserve a place in your garden. Browallia speciosa Commonly known as “bush violet” or “amethyst flower,” Browallia speciosa is a shade-loving annual (to Zone 10) with white, blue, or purple star-shaped flowers that last from midsummer through early autumn. B. speciosa (see photo, above) has dark-green foliage and a tidy mounding habit, reaching a height of 1 to 2 feet, with a spread of 6…

The sun beat down out of the bright-blue summer sky as I crouched by rustling wheat. While I harvested, the rhythmic clipping of my shears combined with the soft, almost musical swishing of wheat straw. The airy touch of the awns brushed against my face. Recalling this scene reminds me of the biblical story of Ruth gleaning the barley harvest in Israel so long ago. I was in my family’s Alabama garden on that summer day, working in a plot of wheat that neatly took in a parcel of one of our large garden beds — a space about 100 feet long by 4 feet wide. That’s a 400-square-foot plot, or roughly a hundredth of an acre. One-hundredth of an acre of wheat? At this point, you may be thinking…

We all want a healthy garden — a garden that provides food for our table, adds beauty to our landscape, and contributes to the native ecosystem. Garden health can be determined in various ways, including the size and color of plants; the quantity and quality of fruits, vegetables, and herbs; and the presence of frogs and toads. Frogs and toads are indicator species of the health of an ecosystem, because they’re among the first to be affected by changes in the environment. If you have healthy frogs and toads, you have clean water and air. Frogs and toads absorb water through their skin, which makes them especially vulnerable to environmental pollutants, including detergents, fertilizers, and weed and pest killers. On land, adult frogs and toads use their lungs to breathe,…

STAMP EXCHANGE I’m looking for stamp collectors who might be willing to exchange stamps with me. I only collect canceled U.S. stamps, and I’m missing several from 2019 and 2020. Nancy S. Bach 517 Frankfort Ave. NE Orange City, IA 51041 PEN PALS I’m a recently retired U.S. Air Force veteran. I enjoy gardening, animals, canning, cooking, crafting, sustainability, languages, travel, Korean dramas, and anime. I’m originally from rural Mississippi. Sarah Rucker 1452 Wrens Hwy Thomson, GA 30824 BANANA CHIFFON CAKE RECIPE I lost a recipe sent to me for Banana Chiffon Cake, and I would appreciate any recipe for it. Sharon McClatchey 4467 W. 90th St. N. Porter, OK 74454 SHOP VICE PARTS I’m looking for a replacement spindle and spindle nut for a 1930s vintage Columbian 2041⁄2 combination…

The nutrient needs of plants change during their growth cycle. Germination, vegetative growth, reproduction, and senescence each requires its own unique array of minerals to support the metabolic processes taking place in the plant during that growth phase. Thus, each growth phase is a unique opportunity to significantly affect overall plant health. Learn what minerals are needed during these key development phases and the amendments available that’ll provide them. Procuring Good Seeds Before focusing on how to optimize plant performance in the various stages of growth, first consider the impact of seed quality on growth. All seeds aren’t the same: Some batches of seed are of better quality than others; some are open-pollinated types that’ll reproduce true to type; some are hybrids; some are genetically modified. Selecting and saving good…

When you want to cook a chicken whole, consider “spatchcocking.” This technique removes the spine from the bird so it can lie flat and roast more evenly. To spatchcock a chicken, place the bird breast-down on a cutting board. Turn the bird so the tail faces you, and pick up the neck. Keep your knife at about a 45-degree angle relative to the spine, and begin cutting down either side of the backbone. If your knife is parallel to the spine, you’ll find this harder. The easier alternative to making this cut with a knife is to use some good bone-crunching poultry shears. With these, you can cut straight down either side of the spine. (With this approach, you’ll cut through the pelvis.) When finished with this cut or shear,…