Anti-cat device – Update

I thought I had it all figured out, with my previous anti-cat device. And I was close. Just not there yet. It turns out that the straw keeps the cats away when it’s fresh. But as it decomposes and softens, they come back. I don’t know if they test the ground every day, or every week, but they come back. You would think they would look for greener pastures. But apparently, cats prefer anything to grass. And my yard is full of anything but grass.

Fear not! I have tweaked my technique, and arrived at the final solution. I’ve been using this method for about 6 months now, and it’s perfect.

I actively manage the crepe myrtles along the west side of our house. Meaning, I prune them pretty regularly, to keep them away from the house and away from the driveway. Nothing like getting poked in the eye when you step out of your car. Anyway, normally I would take the small branches from each session and drop them in the compost pile. When I realized my straw wasn’t doing the trick, I started dropping the branchlets between the crepe myrtles, instead.

You can see some pokey bits sticking up between the trees. Voila! No more poop. I’m so happy. This would work in a more active bed, too, you would just need to move them out of the way when planting or cleaning the bed at the end of season, then move them back in around the plants when they’re settled. There are actually devices on the market that would work the same way. But they’re small and I’m cheap. So I’ll stick with this.

With all of the compost and mulch and leaves in this bed, it doesn’t look too bad, either.

I planted four types of mint last summer, which is quickly filling in (NOT cat mint, btw). So this is the first area that I’d say is pretty much done. Time will do its thing, and I’ll keep pruning.

Here’s a picture of the glory of this bed in summer:

It’s perfect solar design, too. Leafy coverage in the baking west sun of summer. Then they lose their leaves to let the winter sun warm our little house. Couldn’t be more perfect.

Compost experiments update – 8 months

Last July, I started a couple of compost experiments. As I was using up one bin full of compost today (four heaping wheelbarrows full), I realized that these two experiments have been officially completed.

First, I spread partially-completed compost on my back garden as mulch last July. Since I put everything from our kitchen, absolutely everything organic (in the original dust-to-dust meaning of the word), into our pile, I was curious to see how quickly it would break down when finished as mulch. I was also a tad worried about the neighbor complaining about the not-perfectly-neat appearance of some of the larger bits. I’m happy to report no complaints (well, about the compost anyway) and also that the recognizable bits weathered away very quickly. I’m very happy with the rough compost as mulch concept, and did it again today.

Here is my baby grape vine, waking up from winter dormancy, with a fresh bed of compost mulch:

I spread it all in the back garden, fruit trees, elderberries, mountain laurel. I didn’t have enough for the entire garden, but most of it. Ours has to be one of the few companies that shreds and composts our old office documents. That’s privacy, folks. You can see some clumps of Starbucks coffee in there, too.

My second experiment is the one I’m really excited about. Eight months ago, I added a good bit of cotton fabric to my pile (see picture and explanation in the first post). I had almost forgotten about it, until I encountered a few scraps in the middle of the pile today. Just a few! Almost all of the fabric has broken down into small enough bits that I didn’t notice it among the other chunks. The few larger pieces that I did notice got tossed back into an active pile today for finishing. So I can confidently say that my fabric + coffee grounds recipe is a keeper. That’s good to hear because I’ll be starting work on some organic cotton canvas shopping bags for this year’s farmer’s market tomorrow (yay!).

So today was a good compost day. Now that we’ve been in the house for almost two years, we are really starting to create some materials flow. I pulled out the final bit of the fall garden and filled up one compost bin to overflowing:

The wheelbarrow is full of materials from my neighbor’s fence bed, to start the new active bin. I weeded and gathered leaves from her driveway. Ain’t I nice? She said if we move, she’s following us. Heh. Anyway, we’re still not a closed-loop system. I buy hay from the Feed and Seed to mulch veggies and to balance the greens in our compost piles. I also buy finished compost in bags (organic cotton burr compost) every time I plant a new crop. We just don’t make enough yet. I’m not sure we ever will, on this size lot. But the pace is definitely picking up. I’ll check in next spring and see if we hit a plateau.

April planting list

April is when my most favoritist veggies go in. I’m a warm-blooded girl and I must identify these heat lovers with backyards and beer in Austin. The Dallas Planting Manual says of April: “almost anything can be planted after April 15″.

There are two references I’m using, in order:
Collin County Master Gardeners
Dallas Planting Manual, The Dallas Garden Club of the Dallas Woman’s Club

I’ve put an asterisk by the ones I think I’ll be planting.

CCMG
beans, snap bush*, yellow bush, pinto
beans, snap pole, lima bush, lima pole (thru 20 Apr.)
cantaloupe*
corn, sweet*
cucumber*
eggplant transplants*
okra* (5 Apr. – 1 Jun.)
peas, southern
pepper seeds and transplants*
pumpkins* (I’m on the fence; see squash.)
radish
scarlet runner beans*
squash* (I’m still on the fence. Last year was such a disaster! But Jan’s hoping for flores de calabaza, so probably.)
sweet potato slips* (15 Apr. – 15 May)
tomatoes* (thru 15 Apr.)
watermelon*

DPM
doesn’t differ from CCMG

Don’t forget your basil and other warm season herbs. You’ll need them for pizza sauce.

Garden update:

Since I’m writing this list in March, not much has changed since I posted the March planting list, as far as harvesting. However, the fruit trees in the backyard orchard have almost all broken bud: pears, plums, peach, Texas persimmons, the pomegranate in front. The apple and Japanese persimmon are maybe a day away. The blueberry bush is blooming away. We didn’t get any blueberries last year, so I’m crossing my fingers.

All of my early spring planting (basically, the February planting list) is done, so the few days of soaking rain we just got has been most welcome. I planted our potatoes into Potato Bins in the backyard. This is my first year to try this method. Last year’s potato harvest was less than stellar. And since we don’t want to put planting beds in the backyard with the doggette, these seemed like a good solution. I’ll keep you posted.

Other things I planted: chives for Jan’s cheddar chive bread (it takes an entire chive plant for one batch), onions for storage, onions for green onions, more strawberries, spinach, peas, broccoli transplants, leeks, carrots, broccoli raab (which we fell in love with last fall). I think that’s it!

I make butter

OK, yes, I made butter. It just sounds better to say “I make butter”, like I’m accomplished at yet another task. And after I made goat cheese, I went on to make it many more times, so let’s hope this sticks, too.

For months, we’ve been getting raw goat milk from our friendly, (sort of) neighborhood organic rancher. Hence the goat cheese. Now we’ve lucked upon a source for raw cow milk, too! (Sorry, can’t share. But if/when I can, I will.) This is all very funny, for a family that has for years avoided most milk products like the plague. Both Jan and I have different problems with milk, physically. But I’m here to tell you that the raw milk isn’t affecting us the way that store-bought milk does. It’s hard to say what all is involved in our normal difficulty with milk, because in addition to being raw, the milk we’re using now also comes from healthy, grass-fed animals. No hormones and antibiotics. No need to super-heat the milk to neutralize the nasty bacteria and strain out the pus. Oh yes. That’s store-bought milk for you. Even most organic cattle heards are fed corn and kept in nasty, crowded conditions; and of course the milk is pasteurized and homogenized.

But what I have on my hands is the good stuff. The cream rises to the top of the cow milk, begging to be siphoned off and used to make butter (goat milk is naturally homogenized, btw). So I did. Despite Jan’s desire to buy a churn, I knew I could do the job with a mason jar.  So I took my turkey baster, siphoned off about 2 cups of cream, and got to shaking.

Butter-making, like so many household food and gardening adventures, is an act of faith. You have to believe that this will eventually work. Otherwise, you would feel like a total ass walking around the house in circles shaking, shaking, shaking your jar. I’m here to cheer you on.

First, you’ll see the cream start to foam:

Then, the curds will start to form, in little, pale yellow clumps:

I shook it for just a bit longer, until it looked like mostly clumps with just a bit of buttermilk. Then strain out the clumps, and keep that buttermilk!

Take the back of a big spoon and press the butter against the sides of a bowl. You’re trying to squeeze out as much of the buttermilk as possible. Fold and press. Add a little cold water. Fold and press. Add a little cold water. Fold and press. Until the water runs clear. Then we mixed in a little salt.

Voila! Butter:

Now, if your family is anything like mine, a hunk of butter this size is about enough for one round of toast. That’s the rub. It’s divine, but fleeting. The only way I can imagine making enough butter to get us through a week is if we could buy straight-up cream, without the milk. Which is possible, since many of the milk-buyers out there want skimmed milk. I can’t fathom that. But it’s true.

And with the buttermilk, Ella and I make pancakes:

I took a picture of these particular buttermilk pancakes because this was a monumental step in Ella’s cooking career. She not only helped me mix the batter. She poured, evaluated, and flipped the pancakes, then took them off the griddle onto the plate. Without major injuries. I’m so proud. Soon, I’ll have two cooks in the house, and I can relax. If only I could get them to respond to a little bell.

Raw milk in Texas – help!

If you value choice in the foods you eat, we need your help. This information came to me recently from a friend (I’ll decline to say who). Please, please take a minute to share your thoughts and feelings with the Texas Department of State Health Services. The initial comment period mentioned has passed, but this is only round one, so let them know how you feel! (Emphasis mine.)

The Texas Department of State Health Services is working on new rules governing milk and dairy products in Texas.  It is important that everyone who cares about having access to raw milk and farmstead cheeses, or about food freedoms in general, speak up during this process!

For several years, raw milk farmers in Texas have struggled with the restriction that raw milk may be sold directly to the consumer “only at the point of production, i.e. at the farm.”  The draft rules would make it even harder, by requiring that the farmer “offer for sale and distribute raw milk directly to the final consumer only at the point of production, i.e. at the farm.”  This new provision would prevent people from picking up their milk through carpools, agent arrangements, etc.  The draft rules also require raw milk farmers to turn over a list of their customers to the government, and prevent people from even possessing raw milk that is not labeled and graded outside of their home.
The draft rules also create extensive permitting and regulatory burdens on family farms making farmstead cheeses.  Currently, small-scale cheesemakers are required to have a single food manufacturing permit, but the draft rule would require two permits, each with higher fees, and expensive infrastructure and equipment.

The draft rules are available at http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/milk/draft.shtm

TAKE ACTION
The deadline for submitting comments on the draft rule is March 6, 2009.  Please note that the agency plans to formally propose rules in April, so this is just Round One!! This is a chance to speak up relatively early in the process, which is the best time to make real changes.

Send your comments via email to Gene.Wright@dshs.state.tx.us  or by regular mail to Gene Wright, Manager, Milk and Dairy Group, Texas Department of State Health Services, P.O. Box 149347 MC 1987, Austin, Texas 78714-9347.

A sample letter is at the end of this alert.
**Please take a few moments to personalize the letter, in particular the opening paragraph and the explanations for why you want the suggested changes. We do not want the agency to dismiss the comments as simply “form letters.”  Put the letter in your own words!  This sample is intended to make it easier for you to comment, not to limit what you write.**

For more information, go to www.FarmAndRanchFreedom.org or call 512-243-9404.

HELPFUL HINTS:
1)  Save a copy of your comments!  This is an informal comment period, and we may need to submit the same comments again in the formal comment period.
2) Be very clear and tell them exactly what you want (e.g.: “I urge the agency to amend the regulations to allow Grade A raw milk producers to sell and distribute raw milk to consumers both on and off the farm.)
3) Briefly explain your reasons. Things like you want access to raw milk for your family, you don’t have the time to drive out to the farm each week, you want to be able to put your milk in your own container to take it to work for lunch … etc. The comments can be short, don’t worry about going into detail.
4) Do not discuss what any farmer is currently doing, or how you get your milk. It’s helpful to use personal stories to illustrate the benefits of raw milk, but stay focused on the effect of your raw milk consumption, not how you get that milk.
5) Be polite and friendly. Don’t attack the agency’s policies or personnel.

SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Mr. Wright:
Thank you for seeking comments on the agency’s draft rules.  I am an educated consumer, and I spend a lot of time and effort to find high-quality food for my family.  I am very concerned about provisions in the draft rules that would limit my access to raw milk and artisan cheeses.
I urge the agency to make the following changes to the proposed rules:
1)  Section 217.22 should be changed to allow the sale of raw milk directly to any consumer (not just the “final consumer”).  Moreover, the sale and distribution of raw milk should not be limited to the point of production, but allow sales at the farm, farmers markets, farm stands, consumers’ residences, private delivery locations, and through agents specifically designated by the consumer.
As a consumer, I want increased access to raw milk, not reduced access.  Limiting the sale and distribution of raw milk to the final consumer at the point of production means that each individual who wants to buy raw milk must personally drive out to the farm to buy it, which costs both time and money.  What health or safety reason can there be for this requirement?  All it does is make it harder for consumers like me to get access to a product we want.  It wastes gasoline and money, at a time when we are trying to conserve both.

2)  Section 217.17(g), which requires a producer to provide a list of his or her customers to the government, should be deleted.
I value my privacy, and object to the government being provided with information on my purchases simply because I may choose to buy raw dairy products.   If the milk is contaminated, then the agency can issue a public notice to that effect, just as it does with any contaminated food product.

3)   The last sentence in Section 217.13 — “It shall be unlawful for any person, elsewhere than in a private home, to have in their possession any adulterated, misbranded, or ungraded milk” — should be deleted.
This provision could be interpreted to mean that an individual who pours milk into an unlabeled jar to take to work or a park would be acting illegally.  Possession of ungraded and unlabeled raw dairy should not be illegal, regardless of the location.

4)  Section 217.67 should be amended to clarify that a small-scale cheese-maker does not need a separate room for each stage of cheesemaking, as long as there are clean and sanitary areas for each stage.  The section should also allow for the use of any method of pasteurization that has been proven effective, rather than requiring equipment that costs several thousands of dollars.  Sections 217.61, 217.63, and 217.81 should be changed to keep the current fee schedule (based on gross sales) and allow for a single permit, rather than charging flat fees and requiring small-scale cheesemakers to hold two separate permits (dairy farm permit and a dairy product manufacturing permit).
The draft rule would be very expensive for people making farmestead cheeses on a small scale.  So long as the cheese is made in a sanitary, safe fashion, the agency should not require expensive equipment and infrastructure.  And someone who sells $5,000 worth of cheeses a year should not be subject to the same fees as a large company selling millions of dollars of products.

I appreciate the difficulty the agency faces in regulating the wide range of dairy products made in Texas.  But food safety does not mean regulating small farmers out of business, and the agency should not create unfair marketing barriers to products such as raw milk and farmstead cheeses.  I urge you to make the changes listed above before publishing the proposed rules.

Sincerely,
Name
Address
City, State Zip
Email

Feed and Seed love

It takes so long for me to settle into a place after we move. You’ll find me hanging pictures on our one year anniversary in a new house, shocked (yet again) by the passage of time. Being that we move every couple of years (what did I calculate, 6 places in 10 years?), you’d think I’d be better at this by now.

Even harder than unpacking is settling into a community. The ebb and flow of habits and personalities in a new community is subtle, and newcomers have few access points. But here we are in McKinney, four years running (less than two in this house, though – sigh), and I’m starting to get it. I think.

As an old timer now (ahem), I have some advice that I’m going to foist upon you. Advice is too mild. I’m going to insist. If you are in McKinney, and have any interest in gardening, particularly vegetable gardening, get yourself to the Collin County Feed and Seed. 113 S. Chestnut St., just off Louisiana, southeast corner of downtown (972-542-5011).

Don’t waste your time at Calloway’s. And as much as I love Shades of Green, there’s no need to go all the way to Frisco. And I will personally beat you if you choose Home Depot, Lowes, or Walmart for your amendments and transplants. The Feed and Seed has compost to improve your soil, hay to mulch and add to your compost pile, seeds, timely and inexpensive fruit and vegetable transplants, a penny gum machine (a penny!), peeps and bunnies, strapping teenagers to haul your heavy load to the car, and more local gardening knowledge than you can shake a stick at. If you have any questions about what you should be doing in the garden this month, get over there and ask. Don’t be intimidated by your lack of overalls and your spiffy shoes. They’ll talk to you even though your fingernails are clean. And they’ll even be nice to you, to boot.

It is institutions like the Collin County Feed and Seed that make this old county seat a comfortable place to live. Not another antique store. Not expensive steak dinners in schmancy hotels. It’s the people who have been here their whole lives and can fill you in on the subtle comings and goings, if you’ll listen.

So go there first. Then if they don’t have what you need, (and you have established that’s not because you’re looking for tomato transplants after Easter) you have my permission to look elsewhere. You can find tools and landscape plants, annuals and some amendments at Calloway’s. You can find all kinds of wonderful seeds and lovely adapted plants and trees (including fruit trees) at Shades of Green. (Just don’t ask a cranky guy in a hat to help you choose a fruit tree that does well here. Trust me. You might get banished to Home Depot. All of their plants do well here.) And if you have a whole day to blow on gardening bliss, make a field trip to North Haven, in Dallas. (Links are in the lefthand sidebar.)

But the Feed and Seed is the beating heart of veggie gardening in McKinney. And it’s up to you to support them.