Tabla de contenidos para November/December 2023 en Grit

“Each man is good in His sight. It is not necessary for eagles to be crows.”– Tatanka Iyotake (Sitting Bull) ■ This quote by Tatanka Iyotake has always resonated with me. Not only because he was a great leader in my culture, but also because it rings so true. People needn’t waste time trying to be something they’re not. What’s the point? Each life is different, and what the eagle eats, the crow cannot. No person should compare their journey with that of another; their journeys are different intentionally. My personal journey has led me down many roads and through many forests. Literally. I grew up traveling much of the southern United States. For nearly a decade now, I’ve called the Piney Woods of East Texas home — it’s where…

While I love the idea of putting a cooked-from-scratch meal on our table every day, I’m too familiar with seasonal busyness to think that’s always possible. Fellow homesteaders will understand why meals in a jar are such a win-win dinner solution. You can use downtime (such as the winter season) to prepare many meals that just need heating and eating in advance. An added benefit is that they’re shelf-stable and don’t take up freezer room. TOOLS AND MATERIALS Pressure canner (not a water bath canner)Rack for cannerGlass canningjars Canning lidsCanning ringsJar lifterNonmetallic utensil for removing bubbles GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS • Carefully read the manual for your pressure canner. • You can reuse rings and jars, but don’t reuse lids. • Wash jars, rings, lids, and jar lifter with hot, soapy water,…

Gardening never stops at my house. When the temperatures drop, the ground freezes, and the winds outside begin to howl, I plant my salad garden under the grow lights in my basement winter garden area. I harvest salad greens all winter, and when it’s time to begin seeds for plants for the coming year, that, too, happens in the basement gardening area. My gardens are a combination of raised beds; self-watering buckets; and open land for squash, melons, and pumpkins. Unfortunately, because of family responsibilities, I had to let the garden go back to being wild. This is the year for reclamation and fence mending. The rock-lined beds are still there, but much cleanup is needed. The seed catalogs are always special gifts that start around Thanksgiving time. I consider…

■ Harvesting hay has been the lifeblood of farmers for centuries, which is why it’s become one of the most iconic farm chores, right next to milking the cows or collecting eggs. Modern-day technology has undoubtedly made baling hay less of a romanticized, fit-for-cinema event, but as a trade-off, it’s also made the process a much more manageable affair. But despite the new tractor-powered tools we have at our disposal, it still might not be economical to take on the chore of baling hay yourself. Let’s look at a few considerations to help you decide whether baling hay is for you. Hay Isn’t Just for Horses If you have feed-intensive livestock, it may be more economical for you to bail your own hay. Buying hay from a local farmer, or,…

Water and electricity don’t mix, except in the case of electrolysis. People who collect and restore old cast-iron cookware use electrolysis tanks (E-tanks) to remove rust and even seasoning. Creating and using a homemade E-tank is relatively safe if done properly. But before we dive into the details, let’s take a look at what electrolysis is and how it works. Explaining Electrolysis Electrolysis has many uses. In the case of rust removal, it involves an electrical charge that travels from one piece of metal to another through an electrolyte solution (a liquid containing charged ions that make it capable of conducting an electrical current). This effects a chemical change in the metal pieces, damaging a sacrificial piece (called the “sacrificial anode”) while repairing the other item in the tank (your…

In a drawer of my dresser sits a drawstring cloth bag containing various odd buttons. It’s the same bag that hung in the closet of my grandmother’s sewing room in 1941, when I was 4 years old. When she made a dress or shirt, she’d place the extra buttons in this bag. And, of course, in those days, thrift required buttons be cut from garments and saved when an item was discarded. So every year, this bag of buttons was transformed by the lives around it. I remember playing with these buttons when I visited Grandma. Following her to her closet, I’d watch her take the bag from its hook on the wall. Then, at my little table, I’d scoop some buttons into a bowl with my spoon, stirring them…

Like many candies, butter mints seemed to be one of those mystical treats sold only in cellophane packaging. Then, I visited my dad in Salmon, Idaho. For several years, an Amish market had operated at the edge of town, and it had become so popular among Salmonites that it expanded each year. Dad requested that I stop at the Amish store and pick up some butter mints for him. I purchased a few bags for him and one bag for me. They were divine! So, on the way out of town after the visit, I stopped and purchased more mints for my trip. I’ve learned to make many foods based on what I found at that store. Products sold at Amish markets prove that we can also make them at…

When you think of home-scale forest management, you might imagine using a chainsaw to gather your own firewood and lumber, or perhaps creating a process to monitor for and clear out invasives and diseased trees. Yet, managing a backyard woodlot can also yield myriad additional products, including boughs for seasonal decor; poles for all types of buildings; syrup; and plenty of foraged mushrooms, fiddleheads, berries, and cones. Thoughtful management can increase species diversity and lead to a more resilient forest better able to withstand disturbances from insects, wind, or wildfire. Even if the primary use for your forest is recreation, you might want to build walking trails or open access to hunting, stream fishing, or forest bathing. Given all the benefits forests provide, you likely have forestry goals, even if…