Homesteading the Seam

August 30, 2009

Fostering Dogs

Posted by charlene under Dogs
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annie4 I have more time than I do money. And I like to spend that time at home and with my dogs. In today’s economy, it isn’t that easy for people to follow the practice of tithing, contributing ten percent of one’s income or personal wealth to the community, a religious organization, or a charitable organization. I sure can’t—but I can give ten percent of my time by fostering a dog that needs a temporary home.

Annie, my first foster dog, is a sweet rough-coat collie. She has trusting brown eyes, a bit of pink on her nose, and nicely tipped ears. She has a few years on her and likes to sleep most of the day, but when it’s time to go out to the barn to feed the goats and chickens, she is the first dog out the door.

I fell in love with the collie breed after Bob and I adopted our first collie in 2007. Trace is around seven or eight years old. No one knows his history. He is loyal, gentle, and smart. He is also a high-maintenance dog due to his abundant coat, which needs almost daily attention, especially because we live in the Central Valley. He will bark at anything that moves, even the glint of a car traveling a half-mile away. He is sensitive. I could swear that if someone inadvertently hurts his feelings, he’ll go off and mope on his dog bed for an hour or two. It took him almost a year of living with us before he let loose his goofy side. Now he loves to try to sit in everyone’s lap.

I love dogs and could easily foster any breed, size, or age of dog. I decided to volunteer to be a collie foster home, to put my efforts toward a specific and attainable goal–with the work of many–helping an organization that’s mission is to make sure not one collie is left in an animal shelter or euthanized because it does not have a home.

To learn more about dog rescue organizations, check out these sites:

NorCal Collie Rescue

Collie Club of America

American Kennel Club Breed Rescue

ASPCA

Best Friends Animal Society

There are many, many more organizations devoted to the wellbeing of dogs and animals.

June 1, 2009

Feeding the Hounds

Posted by charlene under Baking, Dogs
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Trace I found a great recipe on the Coconut & Lime blog site by Rachel Rappaport for Homemade Dog Biscuits, which I try to make once a month to feed my three hounds. They love them. REALLY love them. They’re wholesome. And it costs a fraction of the cost of buying dog treats at the supermarket.

The ingredients are:

2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup rolled old fashioned oats
2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 eggs PLUS 1 egg, beaten

Directions: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except for the beaten egg. The dough should easily form a ball and be rather firm. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes. Re-roll scraps (just once, any more and the biscuits will be tough) and cut out the remaining biscuits. Brush the tops of each biscuit with the beaten egg. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in airtight container. Yields about 3 dozen.

I simplify the process of cutting the cookies by forgoing the cute shapes (as you can see by my photo below), and instead use a pizza wheel to slice the dough into rectangles (or whatever shape they come out–I’m working on my pizza-wheel skills). This also minimizes stiff dough. The results makes the perfect size treats to be snapped in to three different sizes for my small, medium, and large dogs. I also wind up with more like 6 dozen treat.

Dog Treats I overcook them by just a tad and allow a really long drying time so they stay extra crisp in the container.

An added frugal bonus is that I use eggs from our backyard hens, and since I weekly cook a whole chicken, and then simmer the chicken carcass and other bits and pieces into a tasty broth that I use to mix in with dog meal instead of canned food, I always have a murky chicken broth handy.

Happy Anniversary Coconut & Lime! A fantastic blog for original recipes with a let’s-just-try-it attitude. Check it out. My latest fav is adding strawberries from my garden every time I cook with asparagus, which was inspired by Coconut & Lime’s Strawberry-Asparagus salad.

April 13, 2009

The State of the Farm

Posted by charlene under Uncategorized
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My desk faces the window, and as I write, I see the barn and pasture, my goats and chickens–and yes, the rabbits, popping up from one of the many tunnels they’ve dug under the barn. I am reminded yet again just how out of control some of my projects have become. So I thought I’d give a mini update on the State of the Farm.

Rabbits: Do not adopt feral rabbits. They have a strong instinct for freedom. We kept plugging the tunnels they dug out from under the coop (which had a six-inch underground barrier), but they’d dig new ones, larger ones. We worried the barn’s foundation might become compromised. But by this point, it seemed cruel to stuff them into an above-ground hutch so we let them have their tunnels and access to the goat and chickens stalls and paddocks. They hop about the pasture, protected by electrical netting. Hawks are a worry, but the goats do a remarkable job of providing arial protection to the rabbits and chickens. They are happy bunnies. They are a joy to watch.

Goats: I love my goats and hope to eventually breed Lilly and have more Nigerian Dwarf Goats and a supply of milk. In hindsight, though, I would not have let Lilly and Lou sit in my lap when they were babies. They still want me to hold them. If I bend down, they jump on my back. If I sit, they try to climb onto my head. I used to enjoy sitting in a lawn chair inside the paddock, my feet propped on an overturned tub, drinking a glass of wine at dusk. I can no longer do that.

Mushrooms: I harvested about two mushrooms off my logs. I think the failure of this project has more to do with our arid climate and the fact that I wasn’t dilligent with my misting. I have abandoned this idea, but found Pistol River Mushrooms, where I buy dried mushrooms at wholesale prices. I now have bags of wild mushrooms and Shiitakes on hand. A particularly good buy is their bulk pieces. And an added bonus–I use the water I hydrate mushroom with to water plants, which are thriving!

Vermiculture: I found it difficult to keep the worms hydrated in the summer. They also couldn’t handle all the composting material we generate. They’ve made some nice compost, but not nearly as much as I thought. I’m going to keep at this project. I think a larger bin and more worms, started earlier in the season, might do the trick.

So to wrap-up, this is what I’ve learned so far on my quest to live a simpler life, where the land I live on matters: 1) Simpler is not necessarily easier or less time consuming; 2) The land and its animals have a strong will of their own; 3) Even haphazard efforts achieve results; and 4) The state of the farm will always be in flux.

I have never been more content.

January 15, 2009

Breadtopia

Posted by charlene under Baking | Tags: Baking |
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breadsliced Each month, we spend a lot of money on artesian breads, moist and chewy dog treats, and those expensive bags of organic crackers or chips that after opening, offer barely a mouthful inside. So, for the past week I’ve been baking my own home versions of these staples. The dog treats and crackers will need further refining, but thanks to Breadtopia and their No Knead Bread (NKB) video, I pulled off great bread on my first try. I’d heard about NKB, but thought I needed an expensive Dutch oven, preferably the Le Creuset brand. Not the case. After reading more about the process on Breadtopia, I realized an unglazed clay Romertoph chicken roaster that I’d found in a thrift store, maybe 12 years ago and never used, would work.

Another plus from this site is their pizza video. I made a few pizzas this week from the recipe. Very easy. No reason to buy store-bought pizza. I still prefer American Flatbread, but it isn’t cheap. I’ll work on modifying the recipe in that direction.

I’ve been offline for a long time–getting a lot of writing done. In the future, I hope to find a comfortable balance between writing and living the simple life (baking NKB, although quite simple, is about a 20 hour non-active process and requires planning ahead if you want bread). Onward!

July 4, 2008

Growing Mushrooms

Posted by charlene under Mushrooms | Tags: Gardening, Mushrooms |
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I love sautéed mushrooms and garlic in olive oil, but purchasing mushrooms at the supermarket–except your buttons or creminis–is expensive, often close to 20 bucks a pound. The tiny box of organic brown oysters (below) cost $4.99. So I investigated growing my own and found Gourmet and Mushroom Products. I ordered the Shiitake and the Sonoma Brown Oysters kits. The instruction were easy, and I was able to start mushroom farming within 10 minutes (photo of two started mushroom logs below). I should have a flush of Oysters within 2-21 days. Two or three flushes are possible, equalling a pound of mushrooms, well worth the $16.95 if it works. The Shitake’s take a bit longer, but after the initial 7-12 day prep stage, Shiitake’s are expected to erupt through the log surface within 5-14 days. My favorite mushroom is the White Trumpet, although there are so many more I have yet to try–check out this great list of mushrooms. I also want to add into my diet the Maitake mushroom for its healing powers. If all goes well with my initial venture into mushroom farming, I’ll try to find out if I can grow these as well.

June 29, 2008

The Kids are Coming!

Posted by charlene under goats
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Yesterday went goat hunting with Megs and Maer. I found Lilly and Lou and wanted to load them in the back seat of the station wagon and take them home, but under pressure from the previously mentioned decided to return after I’d secured proper lodging for my new Nigerian Dwarf Goats. Below are photos of Lilly and Lou (7 weeks), their mom, and a very colorful sibling the goat breeder didn’t want to sell. More later…

June 14, 2008

VermiComposting with Rabbits

Posted by charlene under rabbits, vermicomposting
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I first read about vermicomposting after reading Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-scale Permaculture, a fantastic book by Toby Hemenway, full of wonderful illustration of living in harmony with our garden. The drawing of a rabbit hutch full of bunnies and a worm bin below that captured all the rabbit dropping and turned them into rich compost, seemingly without effort, was compelling. After imagining this scenario in my own backyard for well over a year, I finally adopted two English Spot rabbits from the Yolo SPCA, a mother and daughter named Bonnie Whey and Honey Bunny. I didn’t have the hutch yet, but Bob had collected off the Web a few rabbit hutch construction plans, which didn’t look that difficult to build. He had the tools and building material and was already working on a prototype.

When I was closing the adoption deal with the SPCA, I learned that rabbits do not like living aloft in hutches and prefer the ground where they can dig tunnels. This was especially true for my English Spots, who had been abandoned in a barn and were semi-feral. I also learned rabbits could die when the temperature hit over ninety degrees, and if frightened, could drop dead. This didn’t bode well for an outdoor rabbit habitat in Yolo County where ninety degrees is sometimes referred to as a cool spell. Also, I live by a levee, and fox and coyote are part of our native fauna.

But I really wanted these bunnies, and I thought once I got them home I’d figure out what to do next. The first night they went in the chicken coop, which is fairly large with a nice dirt floor. Over the next few days they got out numerous times, digging escape tunnels below the six inches of chicken wire embedded into the floor. Bob and I spent hours chasing around the barn, herding them back in. By then, I knew these rabbits would never be happy in an elevated hutch, so we secured the coop perimeter with straw bales and rocks. They now seem content, having built elaborate tunnels under the bales, and they have yet to escape.

So, I decided I needed to change the master plan and hand-transport the rabbit dropping from the coop into the worm bin.

I ordered my worms from Blue Belly Farm, which has great instructions for making a worm bin on their site. I built the worm bin using a 15 gallon plastic tub that costs about six bucks at WalMart and modified the plans for the smaller size (visual progress below). I have not yet added in the rabbit droppings, as I await the worms to settle in.

June 20 update. Week two.

A couple of thoughts: I wish I’d used the 30 gallon tub. I don’t feel there’s enough room to add all our vegetable scraps. I also need to add more dirt. I plan to use peat moss. We had a couple of really hot windy days and the bin dried out quickly. I keep a mister by the bin and mist daily, but I’ve needed to dump a cup or two of water in each day to keep worms moist and happy. Butternut squash plants are growing in the bin, and this morning I transplanted a few seedlings to the garden to see if they’ll grow. What a wonderful cycle: eat, feed worms and soil, grow plants, harvest and eat… (Note: seedlings didn’t survive 24 hours. Possibly the heat. 105 degrees. Possibly seeds germinated in a dark worm bin, aren’t acclimated to light…

June 6, 2008

The Journey Begins

Posted by charlene under insects
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The Mighty Buffalo Gnat

It’s always the small things that will get you. In Yolo County, between mid-May and mid-June, the mighty gnat–sometimes called the no-se-um–appears. It’s a tiny thing, barely visible, unless a cloud of them lands on you in a feeding frenzy. Even one bite will set you back, especially if you’re allergic to the saliva they inject into you. The area they bite will then swell up by one-or two-inches, sometimes blowing up the whole limb they bite, and it can itch and ooze for up to a month. In the 20-plus years of living here, I have learned a bit about this creature, this Leptoconops torrens. I know not to get too excited in the Spring about planting or sitting outside and enjoying the beautiful California weather, especially at dawn or dusk or when I’m sweaty, until we’ve had at least two or three 100 degree days, which finally kills them. But I always forget and think wearing boots, sweatpants, a jacket, and hat will protect me. I think deep-woods bug spray will help. Then I always wind up with 80-or-so bites over the season. Once, my foot swelled so bad, I couldn’t slip my toes into sandals.

So, this is my excuse for not moving more swiftly into my Blog journey of reconnecting with the earth. I need just a few more 100 degree days, which I’m sure will arrive sooner than later. In the meantime, I’d like to share with you my magic formula for easing the pain the mighty gnat causes: wash the area in a lice killing shampoo, such as RID; leave the formula on before rinsing for the recommended 10 minutes (I never wash it off); then seal the area off with nail polish. If you’re fussy about your appearance, choose clear polish. For maximum results, apply the formula within a few minutes of bite.