Pooper 'Possum

Okay, this is a new one on us. We have plenty of wildlife around, which means frequent sightings if not frequent evidence that we're sharing our homestead with them. We are concerned only with anything that threatens our livestock or garden and so take precautions to protect both. Dan keeps the live animal trap set most of the time, although it isn't uncommon to have the bait disappear leaving the trap otherwise untripped! Obviously, our varmints are on to us.

During evening chores not long ago, I checked the bucks' hay feeder. I was surprised to find it largely uneaten, and reached in to fluff the contents a bit. What an unpleasant surprise to put my hand into a pile of poop! Yuck! That explained why the boys hadn't eaten it. I had to throw out a good bit (to me that means spreading it out on bare soil in the pasture) and go get more.

Wellsir, for the next several nights I found the same thing when I went for evening hay check. Why in the world would any critter prefer pooping in hay instead of fertilizing the ground the way nature intended???

We surmised 'possum, and Dan put out the live animal trap. No joy. I decided to stop using the hay feeder for awhile and emptied it out. I used the hay net instead. That worked somewhat, but instead of pooping in the hay, the dern critter started pooping where the boys made their beds. Grrrr! 

I cleaned out the buck shelter and moved the boys back to their little log barn. Dan moved the live trap back there as well. The next day I found a pile of poop on top of the hay in that feeder! About the time we were conceding defeat, lo and behold, he fell for peanut butter as bait!

There's a lot going around the internet about leaving these cute little critters alone because the eat insects and ticks. Yeah, well, they also eat chickens. They maul their victims and gut them by tearing into the abdomen. We've lost a number of chickens this way.

Dan has a place for rehoming his wildlife catches, so this little guy was relocated there too. It's part of a large county park, pretty isolated, and with a stream and plenty of shrubs and ground cover. Who knows? His mom and dad may already be there - sisters, brothers, and cousins too.

Thankfully, that solved the pooping in the hay problem. Hopefully, he won't find his way back.

Pooper 'Possum © October 2019

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Off-Grid Laundry

You may recall that our winter project last year was repairing the carport. While we were working on it, we discussed what to do with the space. Once upon a time we parked our jeep there, but eventually it became more useful for things other than a car. Expanding it to store firewood was one of the upgrades, and that left us with space to spare.

Our expanded carport.

When Dan installed a rain catchment tank,

Getting rainwater catchment installed.

we decided to set up an area for laundry. On the back side of the carport, it would be convenient to the clothesline.

Clothesline behind the carport.

Once upon a time, the bricks were our old fireplace.

We've gradually been accumulating everything we need.

My washboard and plunger are circa Y2K! My detergent is
Ecos, the only greywater safe detergent I can find locally.

We hope to use water mostly come from rain catchment.

Last Sunday we got our first rain since August. Only half an inch, but it's a start toward quenching the thirsty ground and refilling our rain tanks.

Because I didn't want to dump the tub water all in one place, Dan installed a hose bib in each tub.

This way I can empty the tubs via hose to where the water is needed most.

No, I haven't used it yet! But we've finally got it set up and I've found good information on doing laundry the old fashioned way. One resource is The Laundry Manual; or, Washing Made Easy, published in 1863 by "A Professed Launderer." It's now public domain and available for free download from the U.S. Archive. It discusses how to clean various fabrics, soap making, removing stains, starching, ironing, and polishing. It also has a section on bread making!

The other resource is a series of videos from Townsends, who are 18th century living historians. This series is definitely worth a watch:

• Historical Laundry Part 2
• Evolution of the Washing Machine
• Historical Laundry Part 4

The other thing we'd like to use the carport for is an outdoor kitchen. Nothing's finalized on that yet, but we're working on it. 

Off-Grid Laundry © October 2019

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Lessons Learned from a Hot Dry Summer

I wish our seasonal weather was predictable. Climate change aside, Dan and I live at a latitude where the weather can go either way - hot or not. We've had rainy summers and dry summers. We've had cold winters and mild winters. We never know which way it's going to go, and that makes it tough for planning what to plant and when.

For the past several months I've been paying attention to what's managed to produce in spite of our hot dry summer. Our last rainfall was 0.7 inch last August. I know everything in the garden would have done better with more rain, or at least more frequent watering. Even so we still managed to get  an acceptable harvest. The survivors:

Watered the least:

• cushaw pumpkins
• Ozark razorback cowpeas
• collards
• lacinato kale
• Jerusalem artichokes

Minimal watering:

• candy roaster winter squash
• sweet potatoes
• black turtle beans

Watered the most:

• tomatoes
• pumpkins
• melons
• peppers
• rice

Cucumbers started out well, but succumbed to pickleworm. Corn, okra, and green beans were a complete fail, so they aren't included.

We had more collected rainwater this year and everything was well mulched, so that helped. But towards the end we ran out and I was left to observe how long things survived on their own.

I can't predict next summer, but what observations have I made that can help me in years to come?  One is where things are planted. I rotate plantings, and usually try to take into account companions and foes when planning the next rotation. But this past summer made me think it would be easier if the things that needed the most water could be planted in the same section of the garden. That would make it quicker and easier to move the hose and drip pipe.

The terrain of my garden is another factor. It's on a gentle slope. The beds at the top of the garden always dry out more quickly than those at the bottom. The swale beds help there, so I need to continue making more, focusing on the top of the garden first.

Another observation is that while the raised beds in the hoop house dried out first, I was able to keep my potted plants near the back door watered. I found the pots easy to water with cooled cooking water or the water we catch in a bucket while waiting for hot water for washing dishes. Or dirty goat or duck water. That's got me thinking I should experiment more with container gardening. I've never done especially well with potted plants, but my success this past summer has been hopeful. Plus I've had some excellent inspiration from two Australian bloggers, Chris at Gully Grove, and Tania at Out Back (scroll down to see her large container garden.)

Our summer heat finally came to an end last week. The garden has been so dry that I haven't attempted to put anything in the ground yet. Rain is in the forecast for soon, so hopefully I'll be able to get on with the fall garden then.

Lessons Learned from a Hot Dry Summer © Oct 2019

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Back Porch Progress

So this is pretty much where we left off last time.

After Dan installed a solar attic fan for ventilation on the back porch, he insulated that bit of wall and covered it with a piece of paneling. Then he then trimmed out the window.

Kinda hard to get a good photo with the dryer in the middle of the room.

While the dryer was moved, I did a deep cleaning in it's spot and then painted.

You can see that we added a battery and charge controller to the fan so it can be run after the sun goes down.

I chose this particular charger because it was
economical and has a programmable timer.

Then, because these windows get the late afternoon summer sun, I wanted to try some of those thermal heat blocking curtains. Has anyone tried them? Do you think they help?

Hopefully, these will help keep some of
the afternoon heat out in summertime.

Now we're ready to move the freezer. It will go on the right-hand wall where the shelf units used to be. 

Back Porch Progress © October 2019

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Candy Roaster: A Keeper of a Winter Squash

October means first frost is right around the corner. We may get it this month or next, but either way it's time to get ready for it. One important job is getting in the last of the summer garden. First on my harvest list was the winter squash.

Part of my winter squash harvest. North Georgia
Candy Roasters in front and a Cushaw in back.

I've grown cushaws for a number of years, but this was my first year to try the Candy Roasters. I only had a couple of plants and I thought they did quite well considering how hot and dry our summer was. They weigh about five pounds each and have an interesting striped skin.

The flesh is a pale orange and thick. The skin is thin and easy to pare.

Diameter is about 4 inches across with a compact seed cavity .

Any vegetable with "candy" in the name is appealing, so I was anxious for a taste test. We tried them oven roasted first.

Burger with garden tomato, oven roasted candy roasters, and a big
slice of Orange Glo watermelon (another 1st and another keeper!)

I tossed bite-sized chunks of squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper and baked for about 30 minutes at 425°F (220°C). Excellent! One squash gave us a couple of meals of roasted squash as a side dish and two pies.

Better than pumpkin! I'm definitely going to plant these again next year.

How about you? Did you grow anything new and interesting this year?

Candy Roaster: A Keeper of a Winter Squash © Oct 2019

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Discouraging Things

I've been working on chapter twelve of my upcoming book, 5 Acres & A Dream The Sequel. Chapter twelve is entitled, "Discouraging Things," and discusses the difficulties we've dealt with, especially since 5 Acres & A Dream The Book was published. In trying to organize my thoughts for this chapter, I'm seeing several categories of discouraging things.

One division is things over which we have no control, such as weather, and things over which we think we have control, such as planning and execution. Another problem category for Dan and me has been outcomes that don't meet our own expectations. Lack of knowledge, skills, resources, and of course money are all things that are common sources of discouragement. I know these are things every homesteader can relate to, and I'll be telling a few stories of my own in that chapter.

As a compulsive encourager, I think this is an important topic. Why? Because discouragement can lead to frustration, and frustration can lead to burn-out. Somehow Dan and I have managed to avoid that, but it's caused others to give up. But here's the thing - I think the lifestyle changes homesteaders make have a significant positive impact on the world: environmentally, socially, and spiritually. That's why it's extremely important not to give up. So If I were to ask you

What discouraging things have you faced
in your journey toward self-reliance?

How would you answer? I'll be interested in your comments.

Discouraging Things © October 2019

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com