Trapping Techniques To Keep A Pesky Varmint Away

Trapping Techniques To Keep A Pesky Varmint Away was originally seen on http://ift.tt/1Qfw8v0

There’s nothing more frustrating than waking up one morning to see your homegrown, carefully tended garden has been torn apart by a pesky varmint.

Trapping Techniques To Trap A Pesky Varmint

If you’ve tried every method under the sun to repel, exclude, or scare away a garden pest that just won’t seem to leave, consider the method of live trapping, which has started to become very popular over the years for lots of farmers and gardeners both. There are two types of trapping you might practice: trap and release, and lethal trapping. You might consider both options and choose the one that you think will most effectively get rid of the varmint, or varmints, who have been tampering with your garden.

A couple of factors should go into your thought process. Keep in mind that live trapping is best suited for a single pest, as opposed to larger groups or populations of varmints that might be invading your area. Here are some tips for the first option of pest removal:

Lethal Trapping:

• Alter your garden or habitat to make sure that the animal cannot fully escape if it somehow frees itself of the trap; this can be done by putting up wire or wooden fencing.
• Try your hardest not to make the trap obviously known to the intruder. To ensure that your trap is not discovered by the varmint, wear gloves to protect leaving traces of your scent.
• Know your predator. Understand the size and sturdiness of the type of animal that is intruding, and build a trap accordingly that matches the weight and size of the predator.
• Make sure that the trap is anchored to the ground so the animal cannot roll over in the trap and escape.
• Place plywood under the trap to ensure that the intruder does not scratch the garden or piece of land after he has been caught.
• Lure the animal to the trap, multiple times if necessary. To do this, start by leading a small trail of “treats” for the predator (these can be scraps of human food). Do not make the trail too obviously planted; the predators are smart and they might recognize that they are being tricked. Next, bait the trap but DO NOT set it just yet. You want to establish trust between the trap and the animal by showing that it has nothing to fear. This will get the intruder used to engaging with the trap and seeing it in a non-threatening way.
• For lethal trapping, make sure that you check the trap at least once a day and bury or empty the remains as soon as possible, to avoid any decomposition or smells lingering that might attract future or different predators.
• Disinfect the trap thoroughly with bleach after each catch. Rabies can be transmitted by saliva, and simply touching saliva residue can cause transmission of the disease – you don’t have to be bitten!

Lethal trapping is just one option that will depend upon the size of your predator, how frequently it is visiting your garden, and what kind of damage it is inflicting.

For smaller predators, such as squirrels, gophers, opossums, and skunks, you might consider trapping and releasing. Before you choose this option, however, remember that if not done properly, trapping and releasing can actually be a crueler method than lethal trapping, if the animal remains too long and is injured upon release. And as always, check with your state game officer to make sure that trapping and release is legal in your area; in some places, it is not. Read on for some helpful tips that will ensure your trapping and releasing is safe to both the predator, and your garden.

Non-Lethal Trapping:

• Use caution when releasing all animals, especially the larger ones such as raccoons and skunks. The safest approach is tying a thick rope to the trap door. You’ll want to run the rope through an open window in your vehicle and park close enough to where you can use leverage to pull and open the trap door, but far enough away to avoid an angry predator.
• For nut-eating animals like chipmunks and squirrels, use traps made of metal. These creatures have sharp teeth and can easily chew through wooden traps.
• Predators like gophers and moles tend to be most active in the spring, and you should plan your traps according to this fertile season. For these predators, you will need to place the trap in a tunnel and disguise it well with soil. If you’re not having any luck within 2 or 3 days catching the intruder, try moving the trap and trying again (of course, handle with gloves to avoid leaving your scent.)
• Larger-sized varmints, such as raccoons and opossums, need to have their bait placed at the far back of the trap so it closes properly; otherwise, the animal could easily back out of the trap after feeding on the bait. Make sure these traps are strongly anchored, as the predator in question is larger in size. Take care when releasing these animals!
• For a skunk, cover your trap with a tarp or a dark piece of fabric, as skunks like to explore dark areas. This cover will also protect you if the skunk happens to spray once getting trapped.
• Woodchucks are another common predator, and a trap will need to be placed right at the sight of their burrow as soon as you spot them nesting. Woodchucks should only be trapped in the summer – trapping in the spring, like you might do for other predators, could endanger a burrow full of young and end up orphaning the babies.

You have invested a lot of time and care in your gardens, and they deserve to be protected so they can thrive and bloom beautifully to their fullest potential! These tips will ensure that you will choose the correct option for the varmint that is spoiling your land, and will make certain that they will not be back for another unwelcome visit!

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Why The Native Americans Didn’t Die After Snake Bites

Why The Native Americans Didn’t Die After Snake Bites was first published to http://ift.tt/1nr27gs

Artist: Martin Grelle

Once as a child, I was running through a field grown over with tall grass, with a beautiful blue sky above me, when I stopped dead in my tracks upon seeing a rattlesnake. It was coiled and, yes, was threatening me with its tail.

My entire body tensed and in one quick moment I sprinted in the other direction. I don’t think I’ve ever run faster! My grandfather, who is from the Rosebud Sioux tribe, calmed me down quickly. He had grown up in the Black Hills area in South Dakota where there are an abundance of rattlesnakes and where treating snake bites is a weekly occurrence. Snakes aren’t the only thing to be wary of in the Black Hills. Dog bites, buffalo attacks, and mountain lion ambushes all were things to take into consideration. Let’s take a look at some things the Native Americans used to help recover from some incidents.

If Bitten By A Snake Or Animal …

So, what happened if you were bitten by a snake or an animal? First, don’t panic! There are several things that you can do to prevent swelling and pain. Native Americans have been using the plantain leaves for centuries to help reduce swelling and as an anti-toxin. According to Dr. Christopher’s Herbal Legacy website, the plantain was used for a variety of illnesses and was a key remedy to cure the rattlesnake bite. Native Americans also used them for battle bruises and for drawing out any type of snake venom. The Gwen’s Nest health website says “Plantain has been used since ancient times for snake bites, mad dog bites, and a variety of internal diseases. … Plantain herb can be used internally and externally for many different conditions. Basically, anything dealing with a toxin or venom … I have personally used it to remedy poison ivy/rashes, mosquito bites in children who have allergies to them, and bee stings.”

Learn How To Make Powerful Herbal Medicines, Right in Your Kitchen!

Image source: Pixabay.com

The plantain leaves can be chewed up and applied to a wound to help swelling. Another option would be black cohosh, which has several different applications. The Southeast Wise Women website explains that “Black cohosh has been in Native American medicine for centuries and was also used by European settlers. Native Americans worked with black cohosh to treat snake bite and as a ceremonial herb to bring visions.”

While there are several other remedies that work OK on their own, a combination of a few of them make a serious fighting power against snake bites and animal wounds. Caroline Thompson at Livestrong found that “The Menominees Indians used witch hazel to reduce swelling and inflammation. They boiled the leaves and rubbed the liquid on the area that needed treatment. In a 1994 study at the department of physiology and pharmacology at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, researchers concluded that witch hazel does indeed contain anti-inflammatory substances.” While all of these can help you in the case of a snake or an animal wound, if you are ever bitten in the neck or near a major artery, find professional help. Still, if you’re planning a trip where there may be a higher chance of an animal or snake bite, bring some of the previously mentioned herbs with you and enjoy the trip!

While I would still run away if I came across a snake in a field, I at least now know of some ways to help myself in the event of a snake or animal wound.

*This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or cure any particular health condition. Please first consult with a qualified health professional.

References:

Brown, Gwen. “Plantain Herb: The Anti-toxin | Gwen’s Nest.” Gwens Nest. 21 May 2010. Web. 22 May 2016. <http://ift.tt/2quBgBl;

Thompson, Caroline. “Native American Herbal Remedies.” Livestrong.com. 20 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 May 2016

Shraddhananda. “Black Cohosh.” Black Cohosh. Southeast Wise Women: Honoring Women and the Earth, 14 Nov. 2011. Web. 22 May 2016

“Snakebite.” Snakebite. Dr. Christophers Herbal Legacy. Web. 22 May 2016. <http://ift.tt/2r09jEX;

This Article Was Originally Posted On offthegridnews.com Read the Original Article here

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How Native Americans Cured Snake Bites Without Modern Medicine

How Native Americans Cured Snake Bites Without Modern Medicine is available on http://ift.tt/1Qfw8v0

Artist: Martin Grelle

Once as a child, I was running through a field grown over with tall grass, with a beautiful blue sky above me, when I stopped dead in my tracks upon seeing a rattlesnake. It was coiled and, yes, was threatening me with its tail.

My entire body tensed and in one quick moment I sprinted in the other direction. I don’t think I’ve ever run faster! My grandfather, who is from the Rosebud Sioux tribe, calmed me down quickly. He had grown up in the Black Hills area in South Dakota where there are an abundance of rattlesnakes and where treating snake bites is a weekly occurrence. Snakes aren’t the only thing to be wary of in the Black Hills. Dog bites, buffalo attacks, and mountain lion ambushes all were things to take into consideration. Let’s take a look at some things the Native Americans used to help recover from some incidents.

If Bitten By A Snake Or Animal …

So, what happened if you were bitten by a snake or an animal? First, don’t panic! There are several things that you can do to prevent swelling and pain. Native Americans have been using the plantain leaves for centuries to help reduce swelling and as an anti-toxin. According to Dr. Christopher’s Herbal Legacy website, the plantain was used for a variety of illnesses and was a key remedy to cure the rattlesnake bite. Native Americans also used them for battle bruises and for drawing out any type of snake venom. The Gwen’s Nest health website says “Plantain has been used since ancient times for snake bites, mad dog bites, and a variety of internal diseases. … Plantain herb can be used internally and externally for many different conditions. Basically, anything dealing with a toxin or venom … I have personally used it to remedy poison ivy/rashes, mosquito bites in children who have allergies to them, and bee stings.”

Learn How To Make Powerful Herbal Medicines, Right in Your Kitchen!

Image source: Pixabay.com

The plantain leaves can be chewed up and applied to a wound to help swelling. Another option would be black cohosh, which has several different applications. The Southeast Wise Women website explains that “Black cohosh has been in Native American medicine for centuries and was also used by European settlers. Native Americans worked with black cohosh to treat snake bite and as a ceremonial herb to bring visions.”

While there are several other remedies that work OK on their own, a combination of a few of them make a serious fighting power against snake bites and animal wounds. Caroline Thompson at Livestrong found that “The Menominees Indians used witch hazel to reduce swelling and inflammation. They boiled the leaves and rubbed the liquid on the area that needed treatment. In a 1994 study at the department of physiology and pharmacology at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, researchers concluded that witch hazel does indeed contain anti-inflammatory substances.” While all of these can help you in the case of a snake or an animal wound, if you are ever bitten in the neck or near a major artery, find professional help. Still, if you’re planning a trip where there may be a higher chance of an animal or snake bite, bring some of the previously mentioned herbs with you and enjoy the trip!

While I would still run away if I came across a snake in a field, I at least now know of some ways to help myself in the event of a snake or animal wound.

*This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or cure any particular health condition. Please first consult with a qualified health professional.

References:

Brown, Gwen. “Plantain Herb: The Anti-toxin | Gwen’s Nest.” Gwens Nest. 21 May 2010. Web. 22 May 2016. <http://ift.tt/2quBgBl;

Thompson, Caroline. “Native American Herbal Remedies.” Livestrong.com. 20 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 May 2016

Shraddhananda. “Black Cohosh.” Black Cohosh. Southeast Wise Women: Honoring Women and the Earth, 14 Nov. 2011. Web. 22 May 2016

“Snakebite.” Snakebite. Dr. Christophers Herbal Legacy. Web. 22 May 2016. <http://ift.tt/2r09jEX;

This Article Was Originally Posted On offthegridnews.com Read the Original Article here

Original Post Here: How Native Americans Cured Snake Bites Without Modern Medicine

12 Best Tips for Keeping Your House Cool without AC

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12 Best Tips for Keeping Your House Cool With or Without AC

Summertime may bring many wonderful things but the extreme heat is not one of them. For many using air conditioning is not affordable nor available. Here are some tips for keeping your house cool in the summer heat, with or without AC. We use these techniques in steamy South Carolina to reduce our air conditioning bill.

Note: See the post “Heat Stroke – Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention” for more tips on staying safe in high temperatures.

#1 – Dehumidify

If you live in an area with dry heat your body perspires, your sweat evaporates, and you cool off – just the way nature intended. If you live in an area with lots of humidity (which I do) you sweat and it doesn't evaporate. Instead it soaks your clothes leaving you feeling hot, wet, sticky, and miserable.

To feel cooler in high humidity:

• Wear loose cotton or other natural fabric that breathes
• Choose breathable bedding such as cotton or bamboo
• Use a dehumidifier

A dehumidifier helps remove excess moisture from the air, which leaves you feeling cooler even in hot temperatures. You can find dehumidifiers at most big box stores, Craigslist, classifieds, and online. Get a small dehumidifer on Amazon.

#2 – Unplug

Everything you plug into a socket produces heat. Unplug all unnecessary appliances or electronics when not in use. Even those little red glowing lights that stare at you in the middle of the night indicating the item is turned off drain energy and produce heat. Turning something off is not enough – unplug.

#3 – Use Natural Light and High Efficiency Lighting

Take advantage of daylighting or use energy efficient light bulbs, such as LEDs, in your high use areas. A traditional 1oo watt light bulb can increase the heat by 11 degrees per hour in a small room.

Some utilities offer rebates on LED lightbulbs, making them more affordable. You can view a list of LED rebates by region and bulbs that qualify for rebates at LED Light Bulb Rebates | ENERGY STAR LED Rebates.

#4 – Don't Cook or Cook Outdoors

During the summer months, try to pre-plan meals so that you don't need to use the oven during the day. Either cook on the grill, in a microwave, or in a crock pot. If you have to use the oven, try to cook your meal before noon or after the heat of the day. I would suggest around 4 pm.

Editor's note: GNOWFGLINS has an e-course on outdoor cooking options include using portable appliances outdoors, propane camp stove cooking/canning, charcoal grill, solar oven, open fire cooking, smoking, and more. If you sign up through links on my site, I receive an affiliate payment at no extra cost to you. You'll love Wardee's easy to follow instructions.

#5 – Close your blinds from late morning until early evening

“Let the Sun Shine In” is a cute song for children, but not helpful for keeping your home cool. Close your blinds from late morning until early evening. This simple act can keep a room 10-15 degrees cooler.

You can purchase blackout shades, use window tint film on your windows (easy to install), or good blinds. If covering your windows during the day makes it too dark, you can lower the top of your shades 6″ from the top of the window to let light in but not the heat.

#6 – Use Ceiling Fans – The Right Way

Did you know there is a right way and a wrong way to use your ceiling fan?

The base of your ceiling has a small switch that changes the direction of the air flow. During the summer months your ceiling fan should blow forward in a counter-clockwise direction, forcing air down and making you feel cooler. During the winter months your ceiling fan should blow in a clockwise direction circulating the air through the room without blowing directly on you.

#7 – Shade the outside of your windows

A completely dark house during the summer with all of the shades closed makes me depressed and drives me crazy. My husband, (aka energy police who I swear has some vampire blood running through him) would paint our windows green polka-dots if it saved on our electricity, so we made a compromise. I found this very affordable and stylish shade that we installed on the outside of our house over our windows that still lets the light through, but blocks the heat. You can click on this link to see the one we bought. You can also put up an umbrella outside your window to block the afternoon sun and pretend you're at the beach!

This cool triangle shade keeps our dinning room cooler without blocking all of the natural light.

#8 – Vent the Hot Air Out

Use stove top vents, bathroom and laundry room vents to dump hot, humid air from cooking and showering outside.

Being frugal and trying to save on your electric bill isn't just about your wallet. With every watt you save you are reducing your environmental impact.

#9 – Cool Only One Room or Get a Personal Cooling Fan

Close off rooms that are not in use, and focus your cooling efforts only where you need them. Cold air fans and personal fans targeting a small area use a lot less energy than cooling an entire home. This portable handheld fan comes with a rechargeable battery to provide cooling in your home or on the go.

#10 – Plant Shade

This takes some time to establish and a little bit of planning but will provide you win-win results. A tree in full bloom can block over 70% of solar radiation from entering your home. Sun-loving, shade providing plants, trees and shrubs in front of windows that receive the afternoon sun to cool down your house and add beautiful landscaping to your yard.

Keep any trees/plants in pots that need to be brought in during winter months or that have an aggressive root system.

Heat Tolerant Plants that Help Provide Shade:

• Sunflowers
• Corn
• Banana Plants
• Palms
• Cannas
• Dwarf Fig tree
• Lemon Grass
• Crape Myrtle Tree
• Mimosa tree

Editor's note: In cooler areas of the country, just about any deciduous plant will do.

#11 – Cool Your Roof, Cool Your Home

Cool the top of your house, that is. Have you ever gone out in the sun in a black t-shirt? Or thought about why DIY solar heaters are painted black? Because they absorb heat. So why are all shingles black?

Most shingles are black because they are made out of tar. Cool Roofs are ones that reflect sunlight. They stay cool and reduce the amount of heat transferred to the home. According to the CRRC (Cool Roof Rating Council) if you do not have air conditioning, Cool Roofs can drastically reduce a home's internal temperature. If you do have air conditioning, adding a cool roof can save the you up to 15% off your cooling bill.

So how do you get a cool roof? One of the most affordable ways is to paint your roof with a light colored paint specifically for roofs. Almost every type of roofing can be painted, even shingles, but before you start slinging a paint brush make sure you check with your roofing manufacture to see if painting it voids your warranty.

#12 – Invest in Better Doors, Windows and Insulation

While you're checking out the roof, consider more energy efficient options for windows, doors and insulation. Better insulation and tighter seals will help you keep your home cooler in summer and warmer in winter with less energy.

More Posts On Sustainable Living

• Solar Electric Basics
• What's the Best Solar Cooker?
• Solar Emergency Gear – Lights, Power, Radios, and Ovens

This post is by Amber Bradshaw of My Homestead Life. Amber is a environmentalist, garden and outdoor enthusiast. She is a wife, mother of three and owns a contracting business with her husband. Amber strives to get back into nature with a more sustainable and self-reliant lifestyle that fits a busy schedule and a tight budget.

She lives on the east coast with her family on a little over 1/4 acre and encourages others to do big things with small spaces.

When not out in the garden you can find her sharing her latest homestead tips at My Homestead Life, on Facebook, or on Pinterest.
Originally published in 2014, updated in 2017.

The post 12 Best Tips for Keeping Your House Cool without AC appeared first on Common Sense Homesteading.

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Efficient Butchering: 3 Tips from a Lifelong Hunter

The following post Efficient Butchering: 3 Tips from a Lifelong Hunter Read more on: http://ift.tt/1nr27gs

Butchering your own kill is the only way to make sure that you get the most “bang for your buck.” But how do you make sure that you’re doing it right?

I have been butchering my own kills since I was a teenager. When I worked at a bar and grill at the age of 15, I was expected to butcher a whole side of beef for all the meat we could render. Now that I am an avid hunter, I always look to get the most out of every kill. I butcher so much meat that my four year old son watches me and runs around saying “we have the meats”. It is a point of pride that we butcher our own meat.

That being said, there are some simple tricks that can help anybody make the most of their kill. In my family, we have a philosophy of respect when we kill an animal. We feel that we must honor the animal by benefiting from every part of that animal. It is the same philosophy that our Cherokee ancestors had. Therefore, it is very important that we know what we are doing during the butchering process.

Efficient Butchering Tips

Anatomy

Part of being efficient in butchering is knowing the anatomy of mammals. You need to understand that muscles come in groups. You need to know the internal organs that are common in any mammal. This knowledge will give you a feel for how you need to handle any mammal.

The first step in butchering any mammal is to gut the carcass. This means you will open up the belly and pull out the internal organs. It is important that you do this carefully, because a spilled intestine or stomach can ruin your meat. A knife with a gut hook is a good idea for this process. Most people start between the legs and open up the belly up past the sternum. This opens up all kinds of opportunities for more meat.

From the internal organs, you can eat the liver, kidneys, and heart. The liver and kidneys are a bit of an acquired taste, but the heart is pure delicacy. My son and wife wait every year for me to bring home deer heart from my hunting ventures. You can also cut below the jaw to remove the tongue for a tasty meal.

Quartering

Once an animal has been gutted and skinned, it brings around the task of quartering the animal. This is a big area where hunters waste meat. The most important point of focus for quartering an animal is to cut close to the bone. This requires a flexible knife that can work around the joints and tissues of the animal. It is also important that you bring home parts like the ribs that can be used for several dishes. Every piece of meat must be used. We even use the hides when possible.

Butchering

As you cut meat away from the bone, you have to be practical. When dealing with ribs, it is often smarter to cut the meat away from the bone versus freezing the ribs with the bones. When cutting up the shoulders, it is smart to use a saw to cut through bone versus cutting the meat away from the bone. Your goal is to trim every ounce of meat away from bone that you can, but bone-in roasts are fine too.

Conclusion

In the end, your priority must be to use every piece of the animal. Using these tips (and with a little practice), you should be able to make the most of your kill. Hopefully we have encouraged you to be efficient in your butchering so this tradition can continue.

Up Next: Beginner’s Guide To Having an Outdoor Herb Garden | Survival Gardening

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Making Your Own Homemade Condiments Recipes

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There are far too many unnecessary ingredients on prepackaged foods today. Some of the ingredients on the list are sometimes so long that they use abbreviations or acronyms because they won’t fit on the label.

Making Your Own Homemade Condiments Recipes

There’s a saying I’ve heard “If you can’t pronounce it with ease you shouldn’t eat it” I find that’s a good motto to live by. This all leads me to want to share with you some of the very basic condiments found in many refrigerators across the world.

Mayonnaise – Yellow Mustard – Spicy Brown Mustard – Ketchup – Sriracha

Before I proceed I’d just like to add that these condiments stored well in glass containers rather than plastic and it’s better for the planet!

Ketchup

This recipe makes enough to fill a 12-ounce bottle or 1 ½ cups.

• 6 ounces Tomato Paste
• ½ Cup Raw Honey OR Light Corn Syrup
• ½ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar Or Distilled Vinegar
• ¼ Cup Distilled Water
• 1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar
• ¼ Teaspoon Onion Powder
• ⅛ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

How To:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a medium sized saucepan over low-medium heat. Whisk until all of the ingredients are blended together and the sauce is smooth.
2. Bring the ketchup to a low boil. – Reduce the heat. – Simmer for 20- 25 minutes. Be sure you continue to stir the ketchup so that it doesn’t scorch, trust me, it isn’t very pleasant.
3. Remove from heat. – Allow it to cool before bottling it.- Refrigerate or store in your root cellar.

Mayonnaise

• 1 Large Egg
• ½ Teaspoon of Dry Mustard or a little less
• ½ Teaspoon of Sea Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1 Cup Safflower or Sunflower Oil

How To:

* All ingredients should be at room temperature.*

1. The whole egg, especially the yolk, and the mustard powder helps emulsify the mayonnaise to help keep it from breaking or separating. This recipe yields about 1 ¼ cups.
2. Add your egg, powdered mustard, and lemon juice into a blender and blend on low for 1 minute. While the mixture is blending, very slowly add ½ cup of the oil.
3. Shut the blender off and scrape the sides of it to be sure all of the ingredients mix well and turn it back on low for about another minute. While the mayonnaise is blending go ahead and add the remaining ½ cup of oil into the mix.

Once your concoction looks like mayo it’s ready to be used and stored in a glass jar. Some people like to add different seasonings and spices to their mixture, I fancy regular mayo.

Spicy Brown Mustard

This recipe yields ¾ of a cup of mustard.

• ¼ Cup Distilled Vinegar
• ⅓ Cup Brown Mustard Seeds ( Must be brown)
• 1 Tablespoon of Light Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Distilled Water
• ¼ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt

How To:

1. Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder powder your brown mustard seeds as good as you can. Some people prefer to have some whole seed but I like mine a bit smoother. If your mortar is large enough you can mix all of the ingredients together directly into it, otherwise just use a bowl.
2. Once the mixture is blended well store it in a glass jar and refrigerate or store in the coolest part of the root cellar for 24-hours. This will allow the mustard time to set and thicken. Don’t worry if the mustard looks super runny initially, it WILL thicken up. After it’s thickened it’s ready to be used.

I have found recipes that call for spices such as ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice being added to the mustard. I have yet to try it that way but it sure sounds yummy!

Yellow Mustard

This recipe makes about a ¼ cup of mustard.

• 4 Tablespoons Dry Mustard Powder
• 3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• ¼ Cup Distilled Water
• ½ Teaspoon Flour or enough to thicken
• ¼ & ½ Teaspoons of Sea Salt
• ⅛ Teaspoon Turmeric
• Healthy pinch of Garlic Powder
• Pinch of Paprika for Color & Flavor

How To:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil. – Reduce heat. – Simmer for 5 – 10 minutes. Be sure to stir the mustard often to avoid scorching.
2. Remove from heat and let it rest uncovered for about 2 minutes. Cover with a lid and allow it to chill before storing in a glass jar and refrigerating.

Sriracha

This may not be in the homes of as many people who have the above-listed condiments but it is good stuff. If you like hot sauce that produces more flavor than heat and it’s a little thicker more like ketchup then check this out. There’s a little more work for this recipe but it’s worth it, in my opinion. This recipe makes about 24 servings, a little less if you like it as much as I do.

• 1 Pound Red Jalapeno Peppers ( Green jalapeno peppers are picked early while the red are more mature)
• ½ Pound Red Serrano Peppers
• 4 Large Cloves of Garlic
• 3 Tablespoons of Brown Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
• ⅓ Cup of Water
• ½ Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar or Distilled Vinegar

How To:

First Cooking Phase:

1. Remove the stems from the peppers and peel the garlic.
2. Chop peppers, keeping the seeds and membrane.
3. Place in a blender along with the garlic, brown sugar, water, and salt. The vinegar will not be needed for a while.
4. Blend the ingredients until smooth. Once you have your puree pour it into a glass jar and cover it with plastic wrap. Store this in a dark cool place for 3 – 5 days and be sure to stir it daily.

Note: You’ll notice the sauce will start to bubble and that’s exactly what we want, this means it is fermenting as it should.

Follow-up Cooking Phase:

1. Every time you unwrap the sriracha to stir be sure to place a fresh plastic wrap cover on it. When your mixture is good and bubbly it’s time to toss it back into the blender and this time we’re going to add the vinegar. Blend until it’s smooth.
2. Strain through a mesh strainer into a saucepan. Try to get as much of the pulp through as you can. Whatever is left can be placed in your compost or you could always put the leftovers onto a baking tray and dry them out and use it similarly as you would red crushed peppers.
3. Bring the sauce to a boil stirring often. – Reduce the heat. – Cook down for 5 – 10 minutes or until the sauce has reached your desired thickness.
4. Remove from the heat, allow it to cool to room temperature. Store in a glass jar and refrigerate.

One thing you should know is the Sriracha will thicken after it’s cooled so be sure to keep that in mind.

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Everything You’ve Wanted To Know About Mulching (But Didn’t Want To Ask)

The following article Everything You’ve Wanted To Know About Mulching (But Didn’t Want To Ask) was originally published to http://ift.tt/1nr27gs

Image source: City of Brevard

The question came during a car ride to the annual co-op tree sale, when my farm apprentice asked one of our passengers, a seasoned self-described permaculturist, for a definition of what she did.

After a few halting starts describing site-planning and sustainability and organic and natural, she said, “Basically it just means I mulch a lot.”

We all laughed, but the truth is that mulch is a really big deal. So much so that I consider it to be every gardener’s secret weapon. It is simple, often inexpensive or even free, easy to use, and effective — yet many people are not aware of the wonders of mulch.

It may be easier to define mulch than permaculture, but it, too, is a practice which is wildly diverse and highly personalized. It can be made of virtually any material, used in multiple ways for myriad purposes, and infinitely customized.

What is mulch, exactly? An Internet search of the word yields plenty of opportunities to purchase it but not much in the way of actual definition. In two words, mulch is “ground cover.”

Why Mulch?

The reasons I use mulch are mostly about utility and efficiency. Covering the ground around my garden vegetables, perennials such as rhubarb and blueberries, and fruit trees accomplishes many desirable outcomes for me as a homesteader. It discourages weed growth, helps retain water, defines walking paths, improves soil health, and discourages my cat and other animals from eliminating and digging. It also makes it easier to mow and trim around vegetation.

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Other reasons to use mulch are more focused on aesthetics. A manicured layer of ground cover around flower beds, bordering everything from household structures to fences to walls to ornamental trees and shrubs to pools, is generally considered attractive.

Other mulching uses include covering steep banks and other areas which can be challenging to mow and where erosion control is a factor.

Image source: Pixabay.com

There is a great deal of overlap among reasons for mulching. Although my reasons are primarily practical-minded, I enjoy the pleasing visual quality of the neat appearance. Likewise, I expect that homeowners whose objectives center upon visual appeal are glad for the added bonuses of weed control, reduced water usage and facilitating trim work.

What to Use?

Hang on to your hat — here comes the best part! You can use just about anything for mulch. Grass clippings, weeds, leaves, cardboard, newspaper, wood scraps, rubber, plastic, and more are all great for mulching (although rubber and plastic won’t decompose). Sourcing possibilities are also widely varied. You can get mulch from farm and garden retailers, landscapers, recycle facilities, or your own backyard. You can pay a lot of money or you can find many options for free.

When most people envision mulch, they think of coarsely ground-up bits of bark and other wood products, purchased by the cubic yard. It can be natural colored or dyed in shades of red or black.

I use a lot of other substances for mulch. I use three-foot-wide strips of used carpet as a semi-permanent border and weed barrier around the edge of my in-ground garden. They can be moved out of the way for rototilling and neatened up every season. The carpet kills the lawn grass beneath it, allowing me to easily expand the size of my garden every year, but is permeable enough to allow air and water through it. One of my favorite things about my carpet border is that it is soft enough to allow portable electric fencing to be installed over the top of it, keeping out animals by either electrifying the fence or using it as a simple physical barrier, and removed during the off-season.

Between rows of vegetables, my go-to is simple newspaper and lawn grass clippings. I lay a complete cover of newspaper, add a thick — six inches or more — layer of fresh lawn grass, and water it well to keep it in place until it forms itself into a mat that will resist being blown away. This method is generally sufficient to avoid most weeds for the entire season and can be turned into the soil in fall.

I use layers of industrial cardboard, which I get from my local recycle center, under my raised beds. This helps keep weeds out and water in; it is not foolproof, but it makes a difference.

Between rows of highbush blueberries, I use purchased landscape fabric. It is expensive stuff and took a period of years to get it all installed, but it impacts lawn care effort. Landscape fabric lasts many years, is air- and water-permeable for the health of plant roots, and has a tidy appearance.

I use round rubber mulch mats around the base of some of my young trees. These are thick flexible mats, two to three feet across, that lay on the ground around a tree much like a Christmas tree skirt. These, too, can be costly, but last a long time and are very versatile and time-saving.

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Other materials I use incidentally or have tried in the past include empty plastic grain bags for weed blockage underneath decorative or bark mulch or crushed stone or sand in areas where soil aeration doesn’t matter and I do not want anything to grow.

Sometimes mulching happens in tiny steps. When I harvest rhubarb, for example, I cut the leaves and lay them on the soil around the base of the plants, and sometimes pile other plant discards or pulled weeds over top of existing mulch to help weight it down.

Are There Any Downsides to Mulching?

One major caution in this kind of creative thinking is this: remember that crucial life exists below the surface. Bear in mind that plant roots need air, water and nutrients, as do beneficial organisms in the soil itself. Use impermeable materials with wisdom and forethought.

Also, consider the presence of chemicals. While it is possible to acquire free pieces of leftover carpet from flooring installers, I generally avoid new flooring and instead opt for that which has had the opportunity to adequately off-gas that it will not add anything undesirable to the soil or air.

Another possible disadvantage of mulch is that it can provide appealing habitat for wildlife. Snakes, mice, voles, rats, and insects might be glad to make their homes in, under, and around a layer of insulated and camouflaged mulch.

When and How?

Getting mulch applied early is key. It is much harder to eliminate weeds once they have appeared than it is to prevent them in the first place.

Volume is also important. A thin layer of grass or newspaper will be of little use and could result in more frustration than anything else. Pile it on thick and cover the area thoroughly.

Any effort made in mulching will pay for itself many times over. In the end, mulch might be easier to use than it is to define, but any gardener who uses it will be glad they did — having fewer weeds, healthier soil and an attractive yard is always beneficial.

What types of mulch do you use? What advice would you add? Share your tips in the section below:

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Source Here: Everything You’ve Wanted To Know About Mulching (But Didn’t Want To Ask)