Barncast 37 — The sound of a spinning wheel

That’s some squash – but then, I’d heard that everything’s bigger in the States ! :0)
India

Brewing beer is easy! Let’s see Misty in a dirndl!

On yarn, time and quality.

Misty, I agree with you wholeheartedly. My wife knits, sews, does ceramics, feeds the hungry, heals the sick, and of course votes Democratic, and she agrees, too. Taking the time to add twists strengthens the yarn, makes it lie flat, and gives it a better hand (a technical term in textiles). Extra twists are what give all cotton fabrics a no-iron quality, too. The clothes of iceman Oetzi, found in the border region of Austria and Italy, were knitted out of well-twisted yarn and they survived 4500 years!

To my way of thinking, it is better to spend more time/money on a good quality product that you are going to enjoy better and for a longer time than spend cheaply. For example, a good pair of shoes might cost $100, but they will be comfortable and last 5 years or more, while $30 shoes will last a year and make your feet hurt. Which is actually more economical? So, kudos to you on your approach to spinning!

Thanks for the poll and request for comments on the fowl harvesting. Maybe you can have it as the last segment of the show so that those who don’t want to hear about it can rest assured that they aren’t missing anything but “You can’t handle the truth!” (apologies to Jack Nicholson).

Cheers!

wow – that recipe sure looks good!
India
PS – I didn’t put the soups up because my dear husdand, who is a computer scientist and therefore hugely geeky and pedantic, was murmuring loudly about publishing rights and unhappy companies. If anyone would like my version of the squash and the parsnip soups, , drop a comment on my blog
http://twelfthknit.blogspot.com

Hold the phone. You can grow peanuts. People do it here in Milwaukee, even more north than you are.

You need some well drained, easy to dig soil. Pretty much plant and forget. The peanuts stay close to the plant, and don’t go very deep. Dig ‘em up in the fall, then let the pigs find the ones you missed.

I’ll send you some “seeds” if you like. They are really just raw peanuts, grown here in Milwaukee. This time of year you can sometimes find them in the stores, since that’s what you need for peanut brittle. Now and then I see little packages of 3 or 4 marketed as peanut seeds for a couple of bucks. No sale :)

I tried using them for sprouts. They were just ok. Mung beans are way better.

I listen to your podcast the following Saturday, so this is so last week.

Hmm. I wonder what peanut honey tastes like…..

Best,
Tom

Oh, and I forgot to ask– I’m going to be in and around Indianapolis for the next few weeks for work. Any recommendations for good places to go while I’m there (knitting shops, farmer’s markets, etc?)

Some thoughts on grazing, grass and worms.

It sounds a bit like you might be overgrazing your grass. The more the animals crop it down the longer it takes to grow back and the bigger the loss of nutrients.
Sheep and cows are also very selective grazers. They will leave behind what they don’t like to eat. So if they eat a field down too low you will only be left with the junk they don’t want to eat which can then thrive and take over. No worries, but something to pay attention to–don’t let the animals crop things down too low. Group the animals a bit closer, ie take your 6 week pasture and turn it into a 10 or 12 week pasture by grazing the animals in less space for less time. By the end of a complete rotation much of the graze in the first paddock will have come back–especially during the spring.

The fertilizer load should be fine–don’t resort to anything by barnyard manure you already have–cow pies from the barn, pig muck, etc. Spread it out in the spring after the thaw. Anything else will only lead to run-off. You can probably do without the fertilizer if you head out in the snow during the spring and throw clover seed around. You can also feed the clover seed to the animals in their ration and they will pass the seeds around in their manure and you will have a self-correcting field.

As for overseeding. Save your money. Find a source of old, local hay. Spread it over your fields. The seeds in it will be local species which will thrive and be just what the animals eat anyway. This is sort of what happens too when you feed the livestock. If you feed them in a different area each time then what they don’t eat has the chance to grow and thive as you move the animals around. It won’t happen overnight, but it should take off and you will have a better, easier to manage field mix than anything you can buy. It is also part of keeping polyculture and biodiversity alive on your farm.

As far as worms–food grade diotomaceous earth. Feed it to all you animals–dosages are online. It isn’t a magic kill all bullet, but it will take care of 90% of the worms in the beasts and on the ground. You can give it to them alone, or mix it in their feed. You can use it to help keep bugs down in the feed. I mix it in with the kelp meal and salt I suppliment the cattle with. It really helps keep tapeworm down in the dogs as well. And you can’t beat the price–$20 for 50#. What is a regular dose of wormer cost? Way more.

Keep up the great shows. All the best,

Neal

Although I have knit a little bit with singles in the past (commercial, not my own), I can think of just one great use for them: felting! They felt really nice and solide really easily.