Today we have a guest post by Marg D., long time friend and admin at the OFF forums, Marg and her husband designed, created and tested the Easy Hand Milker in response to their own needs and are now making this innovative and much needed tool available to other home hobby farmers that face the same issues they do. The Need In the spring of 2011 I finally realized a dream, we got a milk cow! With the help of my son and husband, we were milking her by hand. Since this was our first milk cow, ... [ Read More ]
Long Term Food Storage Methods
Today we have many options for long term food storage, as long as all of our appliances are operating properly. There are several techniques used to preserve fresh foods for extended periods of time under normal conditions, including freezing, canning, dehydrating, and freeze-drying. Freezing Archaeologists have found evidence that man started freezing meats thousands of years ago. At first, freezing was only possible during winter months in temperate climates. Before electricity became ... [ Read More ]
Why Chickens Quit Laying
When chickens quit laying, it can be frustrating to families and farmers counting on the eggs for food and income. There are a number of different factors that influence laying hens and can disrupt their production or even cause it to cease for a period of time. These variables include: Shorter day length Molting Broodiness Age Nutritional deficiencies Stress As the days shorten in the summer and fall, egg production typically drops off accordingly. Hens respond to the ... [ Read More ]
Turkey the Old-Fashioned Way
There are many delicious ways to prepare and serve turkey. It might be deep-fried, brined, poached, grilled...to mention just a few methods of preparation. This article, however, will focus strictly on tips and techniques for preparing perfect turkey the old-fashioned way - oven roasted. ... [ Read More ]
5 Wonderful Ways to Enjoy Fresh Fall Apples
At this time of year fresh, new-picked apples are at their scrumptious peak. We enjoy simply biting into a fall apple, with the sweet tart juices and the crispy texture that are only to be found in a fruit not long off the tree. However, in autumn apples come in such affordable abundance that we look for ways to use them in our cooking throughout the day. Here's my menu for a day of apples: from breakfast muffins, to lunch salads, to mid-afternoon snack bars and evening supper (not to mention ... [ Read More ]