Indholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2019 i Hobby Farms

My two major issues with Midwestern summers are the humidity and the bugs. I can live with the humidity up to a point. The bugs, however, are another matter. Living in the semi-desert suburbia of Southern California for nearly 15 years, I got spoiled with incredible weather (extremely low humidity) and no fly or mosquito problems (mostly). After moving back to Indiana, where I grew up, the most difficult seasonal transition — aside from winter, of course — has been dealing with those pesky pests. Our big mistake was purchasing a home near a pond. The first year was brutal, as someone almost always had several new whelps to scratch each day. Last summer, we reduced bug bites with some strategically placed citronella plants and by diligently guarding against standing…

If you own a compact tractor, you have many ways to loosen the dirt and prepare your land for a garden, lawn seed or wildflower plots. Tilling the soil is essential for numerous reasons including aeration, breaking up blocky soil to increase soil-to-seed contact and weed control. But which tillage tools are best for you? I’ve tested them all and here is my rundown on how each tool works and the scenario in which it works best. FIELD CULTIVATOR A field cultivator (pictured opposite page) is a versatile tool that often has spring steel tines and replaceable and referable tips. The ability to reverse the tips on the straight-shanked cultivator tips extends the life of the tips. When one end begins to wear out, just flip the tip and use…

Tire maintenance equipment is inexpensive and takes up very little room. Here are the basics: TIRE GAUGE This is a must. While the dial type is more accurate than the sliding stick, either will give you an idea of how your tire is doing. Consider keeping one with each vehicle, plus one in your toolbox. VALVE-REMOVING TOOL This is handy for replacing faulty valves and for deflating a tire. You might never need a spare valve, but it is good insurance. EXTRA VALVE CAPS Sure, you can get by without them, but they keep mud and debris out of the valve stem, which can make it difficult to inflate a tire. I became a believer in valve caps when a twig got caught in the valve stem of a log…

Before you cut that first blade of grass this spring, make sure your garden tractor is up for the season’s task. You can’t do too much preventative maintenance on your garden tractor or lawn tractor. The old adage that says an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is sage advice on many fronts including maintaining your garden tractor. Preventative maintenance is not only easy but also necessary. Here are a few crucial tasks to complete before you take your garden tractor out for its first lap. WASH Every good maintenance regimen starts with a good washing. While it’s always a good idea to wash your equipment before you put it away for the winter, a fresh and thorough washing at the beginning of the season is a…

“I’m stuck!” rang a voice from across the soggy gumbo of our backyard, which was also the de facto middle pasture for our little hog operation. I turned my face into pelting drops and made out the silhouette of my mother, mid-60s and rain-drenched, waving in my direction. “Help!” I took a step forward and felt my right foot slide straight out of my sunken rubber boot. Then, knocked off balance by an unsuccessful campaign to move toward her, I plunged the sock-clad foot deep into the frigid mud. We were finishing out eight Berkshire pigs when autumn fell on our central Kentucky farm. After harvesting the last of the cold weather crops from the 10,000-square-foot garden, ground strewn with leaves and stems and stalks, I constructed a hoop-style hog…

Periodic servicing recommendations are most often based on operating hours, such as changing oil every 100 hours or more; however, these are guidelines and should be treated as such. If you expect to hit the recommended hours for periodic servicing, set up a tractor maintenance planner with monthly reminders. Check and note the tractor’s operating hours on the first day of each month. Compare this to a checklist of work to be done, and schedule service appropriately. If annual service is sufficient, spread it across the calendar year or set aside a day in the fall to do everything. Follow these five steps with guidance from the tractor owner’s manual recommendations: 1. CHANGE & EVALUATE TRACTOR OIL Warm up the engine and run hydraulics briefly to encourage drainage. Let the…

INGREDIENTS • 3 pounds collard greens, washed and torn • 6 cups water • 3 tablespoons olive oil • 1 onion, diced • 8 cloves garlic, chopped • 1 bell pepper, diced • 3 tablespoons lemon juice • 1 tablespoon salt • 1 tablespoon ground turmeric • 1 tablespoon paprika • 1 tablespoon ground allspice • 6 tablespoons fresh ginger root, minced PREPARATION Bring to a boil chopped collard greens in 6 cups of water and then reduce heat to low. Cover for 20 minutes until collards are tender. Heat olive oil and onions over medium heat until brown. Stir in garlic, cooked collards and their liquid. Simmer uncovered for about 10 to 15 minutes until liquid is almost evaporated. Add green pepper slices, lemon juice and remaining spices. Cook…

INGREDIENTS • 3 pounds collard greens, washed and torn • 2 to 3 ham hocks • 5 cups water • 1 bell pepper, diced • 2 teaspoons salt • 1 teaspoon black pepper • 1 onion, diced • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced PREPARATION Cook ham hocks in water in slow cooker on high for 3 hours or until tender. Sauté collard greens, onions, peppers, garlic, vinegar and seasonings. Add wilted vegetables to slow cooker. (They need to be wilted first to fit into the slow cooker). Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Serve with cornbread.…

How much you know about your customers, their needs and their perceptions of you can make — or break — your operation. Just ask Stan Miklis, a sole proprietor in Dallas, Texas. Operating Caliper Farm to Market since 1974, Miklis has conducted customer surveys and acted on his findings for decades. “I’ve always tried to know who my customers are,” Miklis says. “You have to find out what people need before you can possibly meet those needs.” To that end, he combines informal and formal market research methods. Casually interacting with customers is among the easiest, most common ways vendors learn what’s working and what’s not. But, Miklis cautions: “The cliché question, ‘May I help you?’ doesn’t work.” Instead, he says, you should ask: “What were you looking for today…

Every farmer raising animals for food should be well-versed in the concept of withdrawal times, the time between when a medication or vaccine is given and when that animal can be slaughtered or milked for consumption to avoid drug residues. Before administering any vaccine (or medication) to any animal intended for food, always check the label for the withdrawal time. Additionally, keep in mind that some vaccines aren’t approved for use in lactating animals; this information will also be visible on product labels.…

Also known as the king stropharia and garden giant, the wine cap mushroom is a favorite of no-till gardeners. The spawn is generally spread in the springtime over mulched garden areas or around mulched shrubs and trees, then harvested throughout the later summer months. Notably, growing mushrooms in gardens has been said to increase yields, and thus allows the fungi to work not only as companion plants but also intercrops, as well. The wine cap’s elegant, maroon cap and veil make it relatively easy to identify when it starts to fruit — a very important quality for the beginning mushroom grower — and its flavor renders it an excellent market addition. Expect several flushes throughout the warmer months. — Jesse Frost. Read about eight other easy-to-grow mushrooms, including almond portobellos,…

INGREDIENTS • 1 medium onion, diced • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1 tablespoon butter • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped • 1 pound collard greens, washed and torn • 3 cups vegetable stock • 2 tomatoes, chopped PREPARATION In large pot, sauté onion in oil and butter over medium heat until softened. Add red pepper flakes and garlic, cooking for an additional minute Add collard greens, cook another minute. Add vegetable stock and simmer for 40 minutes until greens are tender. Serve with chopped tomatoes.…