Fox Haven Journal

Beau October 6th, 2008

Have you ever picked up walnuts off the ground?  Real walnuts that have just fallen from a tree?  We’ve got several of these trees around the property and with all the moisture this year there are tons and tons of the nuts all over the ground.  Last week they were all on the tree still, but all of a sudden they started dropping everywhere.  Here’s one of the trees with a few still clinging to the branches.  I kept trying to catch one… doesn’t work.  I found out if you stare at them they don’t drop off the tree.  But the minute you turn your back, “Thump!” one hits the ground. 

In the past I’ve just let them lie on the ground for the squirrels and other animals to eat.  But the squirrels must have plenty of other forage because they’re not that interested this year.  And with so many on the ground it’s difficult to cut the grass as they can really be hard on lawnmower blades.  So we’ve been picking up many of them… this small trash can is only half the crop from one of the trees.  I had a contest with the boy for who could find more of them… and darn it all, he beat me.  And the yellow lab has to help too, running around grabbing them and bringing them to us, all slobbery of course.

The nuts have this heavy but soft outer husk that peels off, and then the hard shell inside encasing the walnut meat itself.  One thing I’ve read is not to save the outer husks or compost them.  Walnut trees have a chemical compound called “juglone” that the tree gives off and it inhibits growth of other plants nearby.  The husks of the nuts also contain juglone, so composting them would not be helpful to the garden next year!   

Once cracked open, the walnut meat tastes pretty good. But I’m not sure I have the patience to really shell them all.  Maybe save them for those cold winter days coming up.  One of these days we’ll plant a pecan or chestnut tree also, but I better start soon since it probably takes quite a few years to produce a large harvest. We’ll see, but for now it’s time to get outside and put up a little more firewood.  Have a great day.

• Rural Living
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Beau September 8th, 2008

After taking care of some chores last night we were looking at the pond and I thought out loud ”It looks like a good time for fishing…”  The young boy jumped at the opportunity.  The air was cool and the water calm, and the evening had that late summer peacefulness with the droning of insects in the treetops.

We found his fishing pole in the barn.  Nothing fancy, just a simple cane pole with a hook and a bobber.  He has some other colorful fishing poles with fancy reels and superheroes.  But he appreciates the straight-forward approach to pond fishing with a long cane pole.  You just find a few worms and a good spot on the bank, throw the line a few yards out in the water and sit back and relax.

After getting a few worms from the garden we headed down and picked out a likely spot.  He put the worms on the hook all by himself, and threw the line in the water.  He had just settled down on his stump when Bloop! his bobber plunged under water.  “I got one!” he yells, telling me to “Come here! Come here!”  So I watch the smile on his face as he tussles with the fish and help him to pull it in through the weeds.  

He’s not too sure about sticking his thumb in that great big maw to get the hook out, but knows the reason they call them Largemouth Bass.  We do it together talking about why the fish has such a big mouth.  He holds a tenuous thumb on the bristle-brush jaw of the fish while I help him take out the hook, and then he throws it back into the water and jumps up clapping his hands.

He catches two more after a while, getting more comfortable with the fish.  We let them go and soon we run out of worms.  “That was fun!” he says as we head back to the house.  It surely was.  He loves that cane pole, and I do too. 

• Rural Living , Stories , Family and School
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Beau September 3rd, 2008

 The week has been very hot, but now the cooler weather arrives.  Both a cold front and the remnants from hurricane Gustav are converging in Missouri, and we expect several inches or more of rain tonight and tomorrow.   We need the rain but not too much!  I was able to spread another 20 tons of gravel on the driveway behind the house.   In the spring, the rainfall washed out much of the driveway and slope leading back towards the pond and woods.  I’ve been waiting for a nice dry week to spread it, and get the giant dumptruck back there.  Just in time for the rain, but the gravel should help slow down the velocity of the water.  At least it won’t be nearly as muddy!

Here’s one of the honeybees gathering pollen from a Japanese Anemone flower.  Look at all that pollen on her leg!  They are also all over the sedum plants, but other than that I’m not sure what flowers they are visiting right now.  Goldenrod should be a major pollen source for them in the early fall, but what else?

But the bees have been very busy, and I’m sure they sense the changing daylight and the autumn season coming fast.  If they make enough honey for winter, we may get to steal a little from them this year before the cold comes.  Keep working bees!

• Rural Living , Beekeeping
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Beau August 28th, 2008

The past few days have started a fun-filled week of outdoor activities, fresh air and just good ‘ole fashioned country living.   Which translated means getting a lot of work done and not writing on the blog nearly enough.  But it seems many of the trees have been shedding branches this summer, so it’s been round-up time for the big burn pile.  Next time we get a good day or two of rain, we’ll think of burning some brush.  Catching up with the grass and garden is also part of the mix, and we’re seeing what may be the last of the hot summer days this week.

But what is it about a beautiful sunset that fires the imagination?  Cutting the grass in the evening the other day I watched the sky turn to dusky orange, pink and purple.  For a brief moment the pond and the sky are almost one, glowing with color. 

Which reminds me of the colors of elderberry jam and grape jelly.  Those Concord grapes from a few days ago?  I decided to mess up the kitchen and they’ve already been converted to delicious, gooey jelly.  Beautiful purple and very grape tasting, with a little tart flavor to go with the sweet.   Here’s a bowl of concord grape juice after cooking only 3 pounds of those grapes down for about 20 minutes.  It’s so neat to have something from the yard turn into something you can use in the future.

But even better is the Elderberry jam, at least I think so.  From the middle to late August, the elderberry plants are full of fruit, with heads or corymbs of purple-black berries.  It’s a strange little berry that doesn’t taste very good by itself.  Some folks believe the berries are toxic if not cooked first.  Never made it before, but after learning about elderberries I thought it would be a neat experiment.  I combined the elderberries with a little of the Concord grapes and the flavor is wonderful.   I’m no expert with jam or jelly, but it seemed to turn out pretty well. 

 Where did I get the elderberries?  Some were found on our property, but even more from driving the countryside and spotting a bush here and there.  Today I even spied a few full heads of berries off a main road (one used for this picture!), and I had to park quite a ways down and walk back.  I just couldn’t let them be wasted… so there I was, feeling guilty walking past several country houses, standing in a roadside ditch cutting off heads of elderberries. 

I know the folks driving by wondered what in the heck I was doing. And yes, these are little berries, not much larger than BB’s.  How do you get them off?  It takes time with a fork or nimble fingers (which will turn purple in a short while).  One of the easiest ways is to freeze the whole bag full of the heads of elderberries.  Then bring them out and the berries pop off much easier, as well as much more “bug free”!  But although tedious, the end result is worth it.

There are many types of elderberry around the world, and a few that are too toxic to eat.  Even our local Sambuca nigra can be toxic if one eats the leaves or stems, and some say the raw elderberries are toxic as well.  As I said, the berries don’t taste very good fresh, but when made into jam or jelly it becomes very special. 

So I cooked 2+ pounds of elderberries down for about 20-30 minutes, and then combined them with pressed Concord grape juice from about a pound of grapes.   Of course both the elderberries and grapes went through a food mill after cooking them down in order to remove the seeds and skin, resulting in the juicy, pulpy mix above ready to make jam or jelly.  Some recipes use cheesecloth or something to strain the cooked berries to a clear juice, but I love the pulpy mix in the jam or jelly, so the food mill helps retain a thicker mix.
 

  And look how much jelly that same juice has made!?  I’m amazed what you can do with a few pounds of grapes.  Homegrown and homemade from the garden in less than a week.  Not sure I can see doing this very often however, as it’s a messy business.  But the family enjoyed eating the grape jelly after helping to pick, stem and make it.And it’s Oh so good!  Just a little tart and yummy sweet combined, awesome for toast or biscuits. 

The grape jelly set beautifully within in a few minutes, but my first time at making it meant that the elderberry jam is a little thin still and hasn’t set quite yet.  And I even made it twice to try and get it to set!  Think it needed more sugar, but I was trying to keep the sugar content as low as possible.  No matter, as we’ll use it for syrup or a health tonic.  Some believe elderberry juice can help ward off cold or flu and serves as an immune booster.  

There is a product I like called Sambucol which is an Israeli-developed elderberry syrup that has been shown to have anti-viral effects for flu.  It’s not cheap, and who knows if it really works. But they make a good argument for the health effects, and maybe those old-timers knew something we didn’t about elderberry syrup and wine?  Elderberry was also revered as a magical plant in 17th century Britain and Europe.  They say that fairies live and play around elderberry plants and that on the Isle of Man every house has an elderberry nearby to ward off evil spirits.   Around here those fairies must dance a lot to avoid getting run over by cars with all the elderberry plants on the roadside! ;)  But most of the literature involves the medicinal aspects, and apparently a host of folks use the early summer flowers as a tonic or for herbal teas.  

I don’t know much about all of that or the health aspects, but the jam sure has a unique flavor and if it’s even remotely healthy that’s good enough for me.  As with the grapes, I need to find a wine-making mentor…  and that will be whole ‘nother matter!  Have a great Labor Day weekend.

• Rural Living , Gardening , Family and School
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Beau August 20th, 2008

It’s been a week for catching up, as the price paid for being away.  Not a bad trade really, especially with the beautiful weather we’ve been having. And the young boy is now a second grader, just starting this week.  He’s back in school and his Mom is back in the classroom too.  Hard to believe he’s growing up so fast though, but he really likes school.  I wonder how long that will last?!  We had a blast canoeing last weekend.  A gravel bar and a rope swing provided lots of fun in the afternoon.

But it’s time again for homework!  So far the days have been busy with grass cutting, an overgrown garden and too many weeds. I must have picked about 5 pounds of tomatoes, a sackful of cucumbers and a couple pounds of green beans.  I hope the tomatoes and beans keep coming, but the cucumbers are just too much!  It’s time again for pickles though, so that’s another something for the list.   What else can I do with cucumbers to keep them longer? 

I’m not sure how it feels where  you live, but fall is in the air around here.  The light just seems different, and the walnut tree leaves are turning yellow and falling to the ground.  Not to mention the morning temperatures are in the high 50’s and low 60’s.  That’s very unusual for August in Missouri, and we may get through a whole summer without hitting 100 degrees F.    My kind of weather.

It also means it’s wood-cutting time again too.  I cut up and hand-split several oak trees over the past couple of years, after which my forearms were destroyed for several months.  This year there are 3 trees on the ground and those 3-4 more that I need to cut down.  So I’m contemplating buying a wood splitter.  I don’t like the idea of having another engine to maintain, but if we’re going to cut up trees and burn wood, that will be a big help.  We’ll see… for now, we can enjoy the last weeks of summer. 

• Rural Living , Family and School
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Beau August 16th, 2008

While wandering the property this week I found a fungus bonanza in an area where the grass has not been cut under the trees for many weeks.   There were probably five or six varieties in a small area.  The fungus is fascinating to look at, but I have to wonder if they are also a sign of a greater problem with the landscape and trees?  

Oak tree decline is a problem in Missouri and other states, and it may affect us locally as well. Over the past few years we’ve lost 3-4 large oak trees, most likely stressed due to drought conditions during the same timeframe.  Once stressed, the trees are more susceptible to insect and fungus damage.    It’s hard to see a 70 or 100 year old tree die.  But I’ve planted other native trees in the landscape as well, and with a little luck they’ll achieve a similar stature one day.

Some of the tree decay and loss occurs naturally of course, but hopefully it won’t happen on a large scale over a short timeframe.   I see a few other trees that we may lose in the next year as well.  Although we’ve got a lot of trees on our small acreage, if we lost 3-4 each year, it wouldn’t be too long before our landscape changed dramatically. 

 I’m not sure what type of fungi this is, but there were a half-dozen scattered around looking like brown turtles!

Among the different types of plain looking fungi in the area, this red topped mushroom stood out.

For now I’ll need to cut down several of the large trees that have died.  Sometimes  it’s good to leave a dead tree or two as a snag host for woodpeckers, insects and other wildlife.  But a few of the trees are in areas where people walk and play, and can be quite hazardous when the large branches let go.  And if I cut the dead tree down within the year, we’ll have a good supply of firewood to help keep energy costs down.   Every little bit helps. 

Editors note:  I wrote this a few days ago, to post in absentia while we are canoeing down some lovely stretch of Missouri river this week.  See you in a couple days!

• Rural Living , Landscapes , Trees
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Beau August 14th, 2008

It was finally time for the job I’ve been avoiding all summer.  Damn.  Or dam I should say.  The pond’s dam. Well  the particular form of the word depends on what I’m doing at the time!   Although the pond is only about one and half acres, it’s built on a long, sloping hollow and is fairly deep.  Which means the dam is fairly large and steep for a pond this size.  And with a small pond or lake it’s important to keep the dam relatively clear of brush and trees if possible, to help maintain its integrity over time.   The last couple of years I cut it twice during the year, but I think one time is fine this year (’cause I don’t want to do it again!).  August is a good time since it’s usually a little drier, and after clearing the taller weeds and brush the grass will have time to grow back during fall.

So out came the brush cutting machine and a few muscles I forgot I had.  I was surprised there were a half-dozen small oak and black cherry trees starting to grow just from this year alone.  I’ve learned the hard way to let the machine do the work, going side-to-side only near the top and then mostly up and down at angles. If it wasn’t so steep I would use the tractor, but I can’t think of a better way to do it.

It takes a few hours and a few bottles of water, but looks so much better when finished.  I’ll go back to that center area with a weed cutter. The ground was a little softer and I didn’t want to tear up the surface soil.   But this should keep the dam in good shape for another year.  Who’s that standing at the top?  Come winter he’ll be sledding down in the snow.

Feels good to be finished with it for another year, and now we’re heading out this weekend to go on a short canoeing trip.  An end-of-summer hurrah! before school starts next week.  Hard to believe it’s already time for the kids to go back.  Pretty soon we’ll be busy into the fall and so much more, but right now there’s a trout looking for a pan somewhere and I’m going to do my best to find him!

• Rural Living , Landscapes
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Beau July 23rd, 2008

In many places it’s a rite of passage for kids to go fishing in the summer.   With a nearby pond, fishing can be a simple pleasure on a summer evening.  It doesn’t have to be the normally complex undertaking with boats, tackle boxes and all kinds of other stuff.  Instead, we found a long cane pole, a hook, a bobber and dug up a few worms.   

The boy worked at putting the worm on the hook, but it was kind of small so I tried to help.  Of course I didn’t have my glasses with me so I wasn’t much help, and he did it on his own.  Then with wriggling worm he threw the line and bobber into the water, sitting on a stump to wait.   After a few minutes… “Bloop!” the bobber was pulled under…  “I got one!” he yells excitedly, as he pulls a big bluegill out of the water.  And then again a little later, “I got another one!” this time pulling a bass out of the water.

The yellow lab was entranced by these flopping critters the boy pulled out,  We threw the fish back and the dog tried to jump in the water after them!    Now that would be a trick… retrieving fish.   I think somewhere in the history of the Labrador Retriever they used to be fishing dogs, swimming out to bring back fish that had fallen out of nets.   But on this night he was just a companion, watching the boy’s excitement and wonder at catching fish.

• Rural Living , Labrador Retriever
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Beau July 21st, 2008

It seems that if you plant sunflowers, there will be a few volunteers over the years.  This one is growing toward the front of the house, brought there by friendly birds after last year’s plants in the garden. 

It’s kind of neat that one of the ways seeds are propagated in nature is due to birds.  The birds eat the fruit and as the seeds pass through their digestive tract, they are deposited in many different places.  Which is kind of amazing really.   Except for cedar trees.  Eastern Red Cedar that is.  It’s a pretty, evergreen tree that produces very strong (and nice smelling) wood.  But they are ubiquitous!  Too big of a word to simply say we have too many around, and they get their start with the help of birds usually while perched along a fence. 

At least around here that’s why you see so many cedar trees along the fence lines.  Down the road a bit I saw someone who cleared out their fence line of all the brush and barb wire, removing all but some nicely spaced and trimmed cedars.  That looks very nice I will admit.  One day perhaps we’ll do the same.  For now the barb wire, old fence posts and tangly growth is just going to stay for a while.

Speaking of growing things, our tomatoes are finally turning red.  The little cherry tomatoes have been producing for a while, but the larger ones are now ripening.  We planted several different varieties as an informal experiment to see which ones do well here.  With the cooler, wet season early on, it seemed like they were going to stay green, but now they are coming on much better.   

If they produce much more we’re going to make sauce, stewed tomatoes, frozen tomatoes… whatever works. Met someone last week though who is growing 104 tomato plants… in their yard.  They are taking the ripe tomatoes to farmer’s markets in the back of a truck.  That must be a lot of picking!

• Rural Living , Gardening
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Beau July 17th, 2008

I’ve been watching for thistle plants this summer too. They always come each year, whether by seeds floating through the air or by birds I don’t know.  But these are the gigantic five foot tall versions with big purple flowers on the top, if you let them get that far.  They’re kind of pretty, but if they become established you’ll have a mass of thorny vegetation that doesn’t do much good for anybody.  It can ruin a good hayfield, so I walk around digging them out when I see them.   I kept walking past a few small ones last month making a mental note to come back (which I promptly forgot about) and finally remembered to go dig them out this week.  They had not flowered yet, but were four feet tall already. 

The picture by the shovel shows their size, but look at the thorns on these dudes below!  They’re so sharp they go right through leather gloves. 

I was also driving by a field a half mile away and noticed a whole crop of these things near the shoulder of the road.  The man that lived there passed away last year, and the property is for sale.  If I get around to it, maybe I’ll stop by and try dig those thistles out.  Need to add that to my list…

• Passing Thoughts , Rural Living
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