We’d had Nigerians for three years when I purchased Muse, my first LaMancha, a yearling in milk. At six months fresh, she dried up, which was disappointing, but I was eagerly looking forward to her kidding the next spring. We never saw her come into heat until December, even though we had two wethers with our does to help detect heat cycles. Because I didn’t own a … [Read more...]
Crafting Drinks from Nature
Pascal Baudar is an author, wild food researcher, brewer, and traditional food preservation instructor in California. His 2018 book, The Wildcrafting Brewer: Creating Unique Drinks and Boozy Concoctions from Nature's Ingredients, is a really interesting read about brewing and fermenting flavorful beverages (not just beers!) using local ingredients you can find in your backyard, … [Read more...]
Foraging for Fruit in your Everyday Life
Foraging for fruit is not going to save the world, but it's an act that can help make us better people. It enriches lives, gets us out of doors, and ignites our curiosity. It connects us with subtle shifts in the seasons and brings us closer to the people and animals who share wild and settled spaces with us... - Sara Bir, author of The Fruit Forager's Companion Simply … [Read more...]
Indian Goat and Sweet Potatoes
Although you can use goat meat in place of beef or pork in your usual recipes, I don't really like to do that. When I eat chili, for example, I expect it to taste like pork. If it tastes like goat, I just don't like it. I greatly prefer recipes that come from parts of the world where people eat goat regularly. And it makes sense that they would have figured out which spices and … [Read more...]
Bulk cooking and freezing meals
Aren't we always looking for ways to simplify life and cut back on weeknight stress? I'm convinced after reading Fix, Freeze, Feast: Stock your Freezer with Ready-to-Cook Meals, 2nd Edition, that bulk cooking and freezing meals is a great way to maximize time and still have nutritious, tasty meals. But bulk cooking is certainly not a new concept, particularly for … [Read more...]
Johne’s Disease in Goats
The possibility of bringing Johne’s onto your farm is one reason you should not buy goats from the sale barn. Although Johne’s is rare in goats, it also infects cattle and sheep, which means that a goat that was healthy when it arrived at the sale barn could pick up the disease while there. Although Johne’s is just one of many diseases that an animal could pick up at a sale … [Read more...]
Feeding Goats for Fertility
“Flushing” is the practice of feeding does more than usual for a month prior to breeding with the idea that it will increase their fertility. This is a very old practice, and the idea behind it is a good one. Of course, you want your doe to be in top condition prior to breeding. She is more likely to get pregnant and stay pregnant. However, for most people, flushing … [Read more...]
Rabbits and the Home Garden
Below is an excerpt from Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits, 5th Edition © Bob Bennett. Used with permission from Storey Publishing. Rabbits can help your garden grow, and your garden can do the same for your rabbits. The manure is great for growing most anything, and some garden produce can help you feed your rabbits. Rabbit manure contains higher proportions of nitrogen … [Read more...]
Respiratory Conditions in Goats
When a goat has a runny nose or cough, people often assume it has a respiratory infection or lungworms. But those symptoms could be caused by something as simple as dust from hay or living on a gravel road. Ammonia buildup in a barn, as well as smoke or exhaust from machinery, can also cause coughing and runny noses. Treating respiratory issues caused by environmental … [Read more...]
Summer Management of Honey Bees
Below is an excerpt from Storey’s Guide to Keeping Honey Bees, 2nd Edition © Malcolm T. Sanford and Richard E. Bonney. Used with permission from Storey Publishing. Summer Management The peak bloom for many nectar plants is early summer in the northern United States. When this happens, it’s time to see whether all the bees’ and your hard work getting populations up to their … [Read more...]