Cooke to process 240 000 quarantined salmon in N B The Chronicle Herald

Cooke to process 240,000 quarantined salmon in N.B. | The Chronicle Herald

Salmon farming cages at St.Albans newfoundland

LIVERPOOL — A New Brunswick company has begun transporting thousands of fish affected by an outbreak of infectious salmon anemia from a quarantined Nova Scotia aquaculture farm to a fish plant for processing.
Cooke Aquaculture says about 240,000 fish will be transported from its farm off Coffin Island near Liverpool to a fish plant in Blacks Harbour, N.B., over the next month. The processing started last week, it said. Read More
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DIY Breakfast Cereal Müsli!

...we interrupt our series of crab apple posts to bring you a message about breakfast cereals...

There comes a time in every mans life when he begins to wonder, "what if I didnt eat cooked oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins for breakfast every day?"  As excellent a dish as cooked oatmeal is in terms of nutrition, flavor, inspiring creativity (what if I added cinnamon?), staying power, and economics, it cant compete with cold breakfast cereal in terms of preparation time.  (scoop oats, pour milk, cook for two whole minutes in the microwave?!, stir in sugar and raisins...its a good five minutes before we even get to the eating part!)

Fortunately, there is a way to combine the best parts of both oats and cold cereal.  Enter müsli (or muesli or müesli).  Raw oats are surprisingly edible, and mixing them with dried fruits, seeds, and nuts makes them even more so, without requiring the added sugar for cooked oatmeal (or granola, for that matter).  Heres how we make a weeks worth of breakfasts in the five minutes it takes to prepare a single bowl of cooked oatmeal.

Into a one-gallon jar, we add 3 cups whole rolled oats, 2 cups each of sunflower meats, raisins, sweetened shredded coconut, and chocolate chips, then another 2 cups oats.  The exact ratios arent critical, nor is the ingredient list. But make sure to leave room for the scoop!  Theres probably a strategic way to pour in the ingredients to optimize the different densities (material and bulk) for rapid and uniform mixing, but we dont know what it is.

Then we shake, rattle, and roll the jar until everything is mixed to our satisfaction, so weekday morning breakfasts are just pour-and-play.  Make sure to take out the scoop while mixing, or itll get lost in there.

Hey, that looks like a pretty good breakfast!

What do you eat for breakfast?  Whats your favorite muesli recipe?  Let us know in the comments section below!


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Rick Steves Christmas Fundraiser Brings More than 430 000 to Bread for the World

Image from OpenClipArt
1,659 

That figure represents the number of supporters of Rick Steves who answered his challenge to help raise funds for Bread for the World during the Christmas season in 2015. The travel writer matched donations dollar for dollar.  People who donated $100 received a gift from Steves: his European Christmas gift package or his Complete Collection 2000-2016 DVD Box Set (all 100 of my travel shows)."



Steves and ex-Sen. Tom Harkin at Bread 40th anniversary (2014)
In a Thank You letter to supporters, Steves said:

"Together, you contributed $218,000. And with my match, collectively, we raised over $430,000 to help power BFTWs work in explaining to Congress the needs of our nations poor, homeless, and hungry people.

 "We all want to get our fiscal house in order. And BFTW has been very effective in its advocacy work encouraging our government not to balance the budget by cutting vital services to our nations most needy." 

Thanks so much for making this a very expensive Christmas for me. Giving like this, in partnership with caring travelers like you, makes my work even more gratifying than it already is. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to all.
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THL Giveaway Win a copy of Weekend Homesteader by Anna Hess!

Since were right in the midst of the holiday season, wed like to give one of our readers the perfect gift for an aspiring homesteader: a real live paperback copy of The Weekend Homesteader by Anna Hess. We love the book to pieces, and we recently acquired a second copy. (Thanks, Anna!)  Were grateful for the duplicate, because it allows us to host the first ever Homestead Laboratory giveaway! How exciting! (You can read more of our thoughts on the book here.)

Now hopefully, yall are in a giving mood, too, because you (our readers) can help us out immensely with a very simple gesture. You see, the biggest item on the Homestead Laboratory wishlist this year is to grow the community here, and we cant do it without getting additional eyeballs on the blog.

So, heres the deal: take a few seconds to share your favorite Homestead Laboratory post on your favorite social media platform, then copy the link to your shared post and enter it into the widget below to earn an entry into the giveaway.  Next Monday, well randomly select a winner and drop the book in the mail, hopefully getting it to you by the end of next week (for United States addresses, anyway).

Thanks in advance for helping spread the word about THL.  Ok, ready, go!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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What are the benefits of aquaponics

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AQUAPONICS?

 
Reduced water use
Reduced chemical use
Reduces pesticide use when set up in a greenhouse
Reduces erosion by eliminating the need to plough the soil
Reduced running costs compared to a conventional horticultural farm



Aquaponics, ækw??p?n?ks, pisciponics

Stops backbreaking work of digging the soil and weeding for the home gardener
Can produce fish and plants for the family / grower all year round, using a greenhouse
Compared to conventional Hydroponic growers, Aquaponics does not need to use chemical nutrients for the plants, as the fish waste provides these nutrients to the plants. This eliminates the pollution of waterways, which is usually used to dispose of the eliminated chemical water.
Compared to conventional Aquaculture growers, an Aquaponics system does not have a build-up of wastes in the system that causes the water to become toxic due to the nitrites. Aquaponics utilises this waste, with the bacteria in the grow beds converting the nitrites into nitrates, which the plants then consume as their main nutrient source.
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Bernalillo County Commission to Host Food Summit on November 16

The Bernalillo County Commission is hosting the  Cultivating Bernalillo County Food Summit on Monday, November 16, at  Hotel Albuquerque, 800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW (map), 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Anyone working with food (farming, processing, selling, redirecting, etc.) is invited to the event, which offers the ability to network with many people involved in the food industry.

Matt Rembe, executive director of Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm, and Celina Aldaz-Grife of Celinas Biscochitos are featured speakers.

Organizers are  encouraging everyone to register online by Saturday, November 14. Registration is $10 and includes breakfast and lunch (and organizers need a count), Please register by  Saturday, November 14.  For more information, contact Shawn Perry-Turner by e-mail (spturner@bernco.gov) or call (505) 468-7817
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Northern Aqua Farms Book Store

Find fish farming books, manuals and other useful reference information

picture of fishing harbor in newfoundland canada


Sometimes finding what you are looking for on the internet can get to be time consuming or even a bit frustrating at times. I have experienced the same feelings when searching for good reference books and I often thought that it would be nice to be able to easily narrow down my effort and get more relative results, would help.

I few years ago I put together a book review showcase on Aquaculture and Aquaponics, that a lot of people liked, visited and used  frequently. Due to personal time reasons and other work commitments I didnt have time to update it very often. Good news, its now back and hopefully improved! Take a Peek at our Bookstore.

The new book store pages are still in conjunction with Amazon.com. I feel that it is a good resource to help make you search for aquaculture and aquaponics books that are the most relative to the subjects, easier to find, browse and review.

Press This Link To Visit the Northern Aqua Farms Aquaculture Book Store


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Northern Aqua Farms

NorthernAquaFarms.Com is a source for informative content and resources concerning Aquaculture, Aqua Farming, the environment, fish and seafood. We feature general information pages, fresh daily news items, special industry articles, a book store, a resource directory and other resources.

The goal of this website is to provide useful online resources to industry visitors and the general public. Many of our visitors are interested in cottage industry farm initiatives, urban agriculture, family run farms and/or practical integration of Aquaculture with other agriculture activities. Other readers have a general interest in the industry or seek information concerning fish farming, seafood products and related topics. Whatever your reason for visiting we hope that you find this website helpful.


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Speeding Up The Cycling Process

Speeding Up The Cycling Process

When cycling aquaponics systems, the process can be speeded up by adding bacteria to the system, rather than waiting for it to show up on it’s own. Heating the water to the optimum temperature will speed things up further.
Aquaponics, ækw??p?n?ks, pisciponics
Aquaponics, ækw??p?n?ks, pisciponics

Bacteria can be obtained from the following sources:
  • Media from an existing aquaponics system
  • Filter media from an established, disease-free aquarium or pond
  • Squeezings from a filter sponge, from an established, disease-free aquarium or pond
  • Gravel from an established, disease-free aquarium
  • Commercial bacteria product eg. Cycle – the jury is still out on the effectiveness of these products

    The best temperature range for cycling aquaponics systems is between 86-95°F (30-35°C). This is the optimal range for the nitrifying bacteria. You can use a suitably rated aquarium heater, or multiple heaters, to raise the temperature during cycling. You will need to monitor the temperature, and the easiest way is to use a floating pond thermometer. Once cycling is complete allow the temperature to drop to the right level, then do a water change as mentioned previously.
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    Electrify Africa Act Wins Approval in Congress and a Group of Students at UNM Helped

    Photo montage from ONE
    The Electrify Africa Act  is now law. The initiative directs the President to establish a multiyear strategy to assist countries in sub-Saharan Africa implement national power strategies and develop an appropriate mix of power solutions, including renewable energy, to provide access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable power in order to reduce poverty and drive economic growth.

    There are many people to thank for helping to make this happen. Over four years, ONE members worked tirelessly to turn an idea into a law.

    Sherif Aboubakr and Jielin Pan staff ONE table at UNM?
    With petitions, letters, tweets, and in-person meetings, ONE members continued to raise their voice in support of this bill. This included a group of students at the University of New Mexico, who set up a table at an international fair on campus in 2014 to gather signatures to be sent to Congress.

    Members of Congress played a key role as well. Many worked across party lines, and across Chambers, to build a strong bipartisan bill built on private sector partnerships. Electrify Africa would not be the law it is today without their hard work and support.

    Take a minute to send a note of thanks to Congress. 
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    Artists of Artstreet to Showcase Works During February

    Images (left to right, top to bottom) Joe Goss, Tony & Julianna Pelletier, Sarah Sadler, R.L. Vallier, Brennan Diem
    On Friday, February 5, the Harwood Art Center will open a gallery featuring works from the artists of ArtStreet through an exhibit entitled Recycled Heart. The annual showing brings the injustice of poverty and homelessness together while capturing the diverse, distinct, and highly individual response of the ArtStreet Artists to community chosen themes. The public is invited to the gallery opening, which will take place at 6:00-8:00 pm. 

    The works will be on display on February 5-25 at the Harwood Center, 7th St. and Mountain Rd. NW (map), Monday-Thursday, 9:00 am- 5:00 pm, and 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on Fridays.  

    ArtStreet, celebrating its 20 years of service, is a project of Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless. The space gives artists – homeless and housed –– a common forum to share their experiences, coming together to make art and organize public exhibits like this. One component of the ArtStreet program is a community based open art studio.
    "ArtStreet artists channel the potential within themselves and within discarded objects to create something new. They quickly learn to see media in a fresh way, enabling them to transform raw materials into works of art."   -from Recycled Heart post card
    The exhibit is made possible in part with funding from the City of Albuquerque, City of Albuquerque Urban Enhancement Trust Fund, New Mexico Arts (a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs), the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Harwood Art Center of Escuela del Sol Montessori. 
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    Katie Made Hummus! And its pretty good!

    Guess what!  Katies learning to be a magician.  Her first trick involved dried chickpeas!  Now we have a tasty dip for all our veggies!  Check it out:

    She started with some regular ol dried chickpeas.

    Then soaked them overnight in the crockpot. The next day, she turned the crockpot on and cooked them for another 12 hours or so until they looked like this.  She saved some of the liquid to alter the consistency of the hummus if necessary.

    Then she added about two cups to the food processor thing, along with three cloves of garlic.  One clove she crunched in the garlic press, then she realized that it was going to get chopped up in the food processor anyway, so using a hard-to-clean tool was silly.

    Then she chopped up everything in the food processor until it looked like this, adding a couple tablespoons of chickpea water to get the consistency she wanted.

    Then she added the rest of the ingredients: salt (~1 teaspoon), pepper (~0.5 teaspoon), hot sauce (4 squirts), and olive oil (3-4 tablespoons).  Not pictured: lemon juice (2-3 tablespoons).  Go easy on the lemon juice at first, because it can easily overpower everything and make the hummus not taste right.

    Then she added about a third of a cup of sunflower flour.  Last time she ground up the sunflower seeds with a mortar and pestle.  This time she used a coffee grinder.  Most recipes call for tahini (sesame seed paste) since the hummus is actually short for hummus bi tahina, or chickpeas with tahini in Arabic.  We had sunflower seeds and not sesame seeds, so consider this hummus bi abed-i-shems.

    Taste testing is an integral part of this process.  First she tasted the isolated hummus using a model vegetable.

    Then she tested with a real vegetable.  It passed both tests.

    Then she put it in a jar and set it in the fridge.  Shes not sure how long it keeps because weve always outcompeted the bacteria for it!


    The Recipe:
    2 cups cooked chickpeas
    3 cloves garlic
    0.5 teaspoon pepper
    1 teaspoon salt
    4 squirts hot sauce
    2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
    3-4 tablespoons olive oil
    1/3 cup ground sunflower meats
    1 finger for testing
    1 vegetable stick for testing

    Soak overnight, then cook chickpeas, reserving water.  In food processor, puree chickpeas and garlic, then blend in remaining ingredients except finger and vegetable stick.  Use finger to test flavor and consistency, adjust as necessary by adding water or more chickpeas.  When hummus passes finger test, use vegetable stick for further testing.  When flavor is satisfactory on both accounts, transfer hummus to canning jar and store in fridge.


    Do you make your own hummus?  Whats your recipe?  Let us know in the comments section below!

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    Thinking of Starting your Own Business

    Aquaculture does offer good potential for financial returns, it can be a rewarding business and one you can be be proud of. Like any other idea, your business size and scope has to suit you and your resources, to have the best chance for success. Always do your homework first and plan your business, then work your plan.

    Aqua Farming can be undertaken on a full time or part time basis. Many successful individual farmers started farming fish on a part time basis and gradually developed full time commercial scale farms after gaining experience and developing resources. Starting a hobby aqua farm is a great way to gain experience and to determine if aquaculture is indeed a business/career choice you wish to make.

    Small scale aquaculture requires considerable less investment than a full commercial operation diminishing your financial risks during the development and learning stages. Unless you have good training, farm management experience and strong cash reserves, look closely at starting small and testing the waters first.

    The above is an exert from series of articles offering guidelines for evaluating Aquaculture as a buiness. The full articles can be found here.
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    Rev Scott Anderson to Keynote New Mexico Conference of Churches event on Oct 24

    My ecumenical vocation began when I helped organize a CROP walk as a high school junior. That experience gave me a larger vision of the church beyond our denominational tribalism. Jesus’ prayer for his disciples ‘that all may be one’ (John 17:11) defines ecumenism as both gift and task.   -Rev. Scott D. Anderson
    Rev. Scott  Anderson, executive director of the Wisconsin Conference of Churches since 2003, will be the keynote speaker at day-long event sponsored the New Mexico Conference of Churches. The event will be held at St. Johns United Methodist Church,  2626 Arizona NE (map), Albuquerque, on Saturday, Oct. 24, 9:00-3:00 p.m.

    Rev. Andersons work in Wisconsin is focused on strengthening the public policy witness of the Council and initiating a new area of ministry focused on equipping congregations to engage the mission field that is now at their doorstep. See his full biography

    His talk in Albuquerque is part of the NMMCs Congregational Vitality Series. In addition to a keynote address by Rev. Anderson, the program will feature large group presentations and small group discussions about the practical "nuts and bolts" in our community.  The cost is $35 (includes lunch)

    And Rev. Anderson will be on hand Friday for an NMCC fundraiser and open house. He will  discuss the Wisconsin Council of Churches project with Parker Palmer, “Season of Civility.”  This event will take place at the New Mexico Conference of Churches office, 1019 2nd St. NW (map). The cost  is $50.00

    Click on this link to purchase your tickets online for either the Friday fundraiser or Saturdays event or both.
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    Salmon Farming Here To Stay

    Report:

    KINGSTON, R.I., March 9 (UPI) -- U.S. residents are eating four times as much salmon as they were 20 years ago, most of it imported farmed salmon.
    Researchers at the University of Rhode Island found that the value of wild salmon caught in the United States and Canada dropped from $800 million to $300 million between 1980 and 2004, the Providence Journal reported. In 1980, only 2 percent of the salmon sold globally was farmed, which grew to 65 percent in 2004.

    "The Great Salmon Run: Competition Between Wild and Farmed Salmon" by Cathy A. Roheim and James Anderson of URI and Gunnar Knapp of the University of Alaska concludes that wild salmon cannot supply the market farmed salmon has created.

    Full story Science Daily

    Its an important point thats reached when harvesting the wild cannot satisfy the demands of the population. History demostrates that dewindling capture quanities of all wild animals and harvests of wild foods were the main deriving forces that created the need for all types of agriculture.
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    We Heart Strata

    This post will be our twelfth monthly strata recipe, which means were wrapping up our regular series on strata.  (Although such a versatile dish will certainly make a new appearance on the blog from time to time!)  As a fitting exit, we wanted to express our undying love for this quirky bread casserole the best way we know how: by making a heart strata.

    Were adapting one of our favorite non-strata casseroles--cheesy potato, venison, and chard--into strata form.  (Hint: its easy--just add layers of bread!)  Lets get to it!

    The layers this time are bread, cubed lean beef heart meat (thanks Grandma!), cubed (blue and red) potatoes, chopped swiss chard, and colby cheese.  In reality, almost any meat and leafy green (other than lettuce) will do, but the unique firmness of heart is a big plus.  We havent tried fresh leafy greens, but frozen and/or blanched seems to work just fine.  We precooked the taters in the microwave a bit, but in hindsight, that was probably unnecessary.  We cooked the heart in a crockpot until it was tender, then cubed it up.  Katie says, "Jake, you forgot to add the cheese layer before taking this picture!" Jake says, "What? Oh, um, good job Katie!  You passed the noticing test!"
    Add a second layer, then pour over the top a well-beaten mixture of six eggs, three cups milk, a teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and onion powder, and two teaspoons each of garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried basil.

    Cover it up and let the whole thing soak in the fridge for several hours.

    Bake it at 350 °F for 50-60 minutes until middle is lightly set and cheese on top is golden brown.

    Salsa and sour cream (or plain yogurt) are pretty good condiments, but what it really wants is the tangy heat from a few squirts of vinegar-based hot sauce!  Mmmmmm......

    The recipe:
    Enough bread for 2-3 layers in a 9" x 13" pan
    2 lb heart meat slow-cooked and cubed
    3-4 cups cubed potatoes
    2-3 cups cooked swiss chard or spinach
    3-4 cups shredded cheese (we used colby)

    3 cups milk
    6 eggs
    1 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and onion powder,
    2 teaspoons each garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried basil

    Layer bread, meat, potatoes, chard, and cheese in a 9" x 13" pan until pan is full (usually two layers each, unless your pan is exceptionally short or tall).  Beat together milk, eggs, and spices, pour over the layers, cover, and soak in fridge for several hours or overnight.  Bake at 350 °F for 50-60 min, until cooked through and toasty brown on top.  Hit with a little hot sauce and enjoy a dish more savory than the herb of that name.


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    Spring Chickens 2014 Final Stats

    We finally had a chance to compile the final numbers on our spring batch of chickens, so we wanted to put the numbers out there in case anyone besides us would find this kind of stuff useful.  Be forewarned: this is a data-heavy post!

    Heres the pretext: we got 27 chickens from McMurray Hatchery on May 5.  The box of fluff that arrived in the mail contained 10 Cornish Cross Roasters (the slightly slower-growing version of the Cornish Cross), 9 Pioneers, and 8 Eggers.  For the Eggers, we ordered a Red Star, a Rhode Island Red, a New Hampshire Red, a Columbian Wyandotte, a Black Star, and an Easter Egger; two free rare breed "mystery chicks" came along as stowaways, which weve now figured out are a Silver Leghorn rooster and probably another Easter Egger. 

    We had to cull one of the Pioneers at eight weeks, so we were left with 18 meat chickens.  We found a new source of organic feed, which, combined with the better conversion ratio of the Roasters, brought our cost of production down quite a bit from where it was in the fall.  We didnt keep the meaters and the eggers separate, so we had to make some assumptions about how much of feed they consumed.  After about three weeks, the Eggers made up about 15% of the total chicken weight, so we assumed they were eating 15% of the food. In reality, they probably ate less than that. But with that assumption, the final price came out to $4.93/lb, or $2.12/lb (30%) less than in the fall.  Considering how excited Katie gets about a 30% off coupon at Kohls, this chicken should make her positively ecstatic!  Heres the breakdown:


    For what its worth, changing the assumption of feed consumption from 85% to 95% increases the price to $5.35/lb, so still quite a bit better than our fall batch.  Comparing to the fall, we also benefited from cheaper chicks ($2.38/each vs. $3.77/ea) and warmer temps (less electricity for the heat lamp).  Had we been lucky enough to be able to process the chickens in our own backyard, hatch them from our own eggs, and realize that hardware stores also sell grit, but in 50 lb bags (aka, construction sand), we could have cut our costs to a best-case scenario of $3.71/lb.  We had both the Roasters and Pioneers on pasture (in a tractor) for multiple weeks at a time and increased the ratio of kitchen scraps (and bathroom spiders) in their diet toward the end, but clearly the main cost driver is the feed.  Well be embarking on a mission shortly to decrease the feed costs by growing much of our own protein, so stay tuned!

    The other interesting thing about raising multiple types of birds side-by-side is a final weight and growth-rate comparison.  The Cornish Cross is far and away the fastest growing breed, but we were curious...how much heavier are they than other meat breeds? And just how fast do they grow?  We butchered at about 10.5 weeks, and the roasters ranged from 7.7 to >11 lbs (the top bird maxed out the scale).  The Pioneers were between 4 and 5.7 lbs, which was less than the Rangers we had in the fall (despite McMurrays claim that the Pioneers grow faster and get larger.  Maybe next time well grow the Pioneers and Rangers side-by-side and see what happens).  But for the Cornish Cross, apparently you have to butcher them before 11 weeks or they start to gobble.


    From the graph above, its clear the growth curves were pretty linear for both breeds, meaning that they would have probably gotten a little bigger if we waited even longer.  But its also interesting to compare these two breeds to the Eggers, just for fun.  The Eggers grew, on average, 17 grams per day. That number is skewed a little by one of the Easter Eggers, which hung tough with the Pioneers, the hefty girl.  Even now, shes the only one who cant fully fly up to the roost!  The Pioneers were almost twice that growth rate, at 33 grams per day, on average.  And the Roasters were nearly twice that again!  Holy smokes!


    One other thing we wanted to mention was the health of the Roasters.  They are like the standard Cornish Cross in that they are thoroughly disgusting birds, apparently living solely to eat and poop.  Theyre dirty and poopy, but they grow fast.  So fast, in fact, that the high growth rate can cause problems if they get too old, or at high elevations (we live at about 5,600 feet, which counts as "high").  We took a chance on the fact that McMurray recommends against the standard Cornish Cross at elevations about 5,000 feet, but had no such warning for the slightly slower-growing Cornish Cross Roasters.  We had multiple days over 90 °F toward the later weeks, and lost nary a bird.  Keeping them outside nearly the whole time certainly helped, but were happy to report that our batch did fine up to 10.5 weeks in high elevations and high temperatures.

    So, there you have it! A breakdown of our spring 2014 chicken experience.  How do our chickens compare to yours?  Any questions you have that we didnt address in the post?  Let us know in the comments section below!

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    Homestead Happiness and Progress February Week 4

    Winter returned with a vengeance this week, dumping two 8+" storms on us, and never really stopping in between.  Its sunny today, but were supposed to get another couple inches overnight and tomorrow.

    As a result, the homestead looks like this, and most of our time was spent getting to and from work.  However...

    On Friday, a large round of robins descended upon our boxelder tree, probably to discuss why they were in such a hurry to head north.  Theres at least two dozen of them there, and probably more hiding behind the snowy branches.

    Look at em all in there!

    It sure doesnt look like spring, but theyre here!  A tell-tale sign that the actual spring is not far behind, which is good enough for this week.

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    Homestead Happiness June Week 4

    Lots of developments on fruits, vegetables, and wildflowers this week made us happy.

    The creeping bellflower, which is kindly filling in our less-maintained areas with purple June/July flowers, is in full bloom.

    Its an invasive species, but other than being an aggressive spreader and difficult to eradicate, its not as bad as some invasives.  For example, this patch s a hotspot for bee activity.

    The squirrels won round two also, picking 90% of our strawberries while they were still green, even with the quick and dirty strawberry cage in place.  So either the woven wire fencing has too large of holes, or were battling mice instead of squirrels.  (Or were battling jedi squirrels that can pick the strawberries using The Force...we know they exist.)  We made our quick and dirty strawberry cage slightly less quick but even more dirty by covering it with 1/2" hardware cloth.

    Weve got an especially delicious-looking strawberry that no squirrel could possibly resist as a test probe.  If it gets picked, our problem is definitely mice.

    It looks like we might actually get some raspberries in year two.  Only a handful, but hey!  You gotta start somewhere.

    We were thinking we would get skunked on apples, plums, and sour cherries this year since there were only a few flowers on the plums (none on the apples and cherries) and we couldnt find fruit on anything.  But behold!  There are a few plums we had missed.  Were going to have four of them come September.  Quadruplets would normally be very exciting, but its a good thing we made so much jam last year!

    Similarly, the Nanking cherries seem to have survived the winter ok and will be ripening soon.  Our likely-bird-planted versions compete with other shrubs and weeds in the shady areas of our yard, so we dont usually get enough of these to do anything with but make a light snack.  But theyre really good, so maybe we should do some plant propagation experiments to give them a chance to reach their full permaculture potential.

    Finally, the corn is definitely going to be "knee high by the fourth of July" since its already thigh-high now!  Were currently devising squirrel-deterring plans for when the ears start to ripen.


    What made your homestead happy this week?


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    The Need for Aquaculture

    Aquaculture is probably the fastest growing food producing sector in the world. During the past three decades, aquaculture has expanded, diversified, intensified and made technological advances. The potential of this industry to enhance local food security, alleviate poverty and improve rural livelihoods has been well recognized

    The present level of aquaculture production was driven out of necessity. Just as Agriculture became imperative to the existence of mankind, so now has Aquaculture become the only sustainable method of producing high quality seafood. One needs only to review commercial fishery statistics to see that the worlds demand for fish and seafood has exceeded the levels that hunting and gathering wild fisheries can support. Recent data suggests that aquaculture now accounts for over 50% of the entire worldwide seafood supply. It is estimated that at least an additional 40 million tonnes of aquatic food will be required by 2030 to maintain the current per capita consumption.

    Read more at this page
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    Merry Christmas from The Homestead Laboratory!

    Wishing you an awesome holiday season with lots of fun, craziness, and extra eggnog!

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    Thanksgiving

    If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. Meister Eckhart


    “God wants nothing of you but the gift of a peaceful heart.”  Meister Eckhart


    God of all kindness, everything that exists comes from you. You renew our joy in your creation, and give us a heart attentive to those we meet. And then we can better show your luminous presence for every human being.
    -Taizé community  




    Three of the 13 Gratitutudes
    (Joyce Rupp, OSM)

    •  To find ways to reach out and help the disenfranchised, while also preserving their dignity and self-worth. 
    • To be as loving and caring as possible, in a culture that consistently challenges these virtues. 
    • To remember to say or send “thank you” for whatever comes as a gift from another.





    Gratitude abides in a larger universe. So, no matter how it presents itself, punctuate this moment with spacious thanksgiving!... We are, after all, thanks - givers! Giving thanks is our truest calling — to reflect back, with shining eyes, all the goodness we perceive.   An excerpt from "Pause, Breathe and Be Grateful",  a spiritual exercise in Still in the Storm (JustFaith Ministries)


     
    Notice the enoughness of your life in any way that you can. Allow feelings of scarcity to move away in favor of a sense of sufficiency – appreciating what is yours to appreciate... Grateful Living is a direct pathway to the qualities of mind and heart which lend themselves to simplicity and sustainable motivation. Simple living comes when we trade our acquisitive tendencies for inquisitive and appreciative tendencies. Then, the experience of enough-ness, which brings peace and equanimity to our lives and relationships, will spill over into abundance.   excerpts from "Appreciating Sufficency" (via Gratefulness.org)

    Donate to Lydia Pendleys RESULTS Virtual Thanksgiving Feast

    "At this meal, there will be no place settings, no formal attire, and no cleanup. Actually, there will be no turkey either. At this time of plenty for many Americans, I am asking you to join us in remembering children in the U.S. and around the world who don’t know where their next meal is coming from....RESULTS volunteers defend SNAP (food stamp) and child nutrition funding for in the U.S. and advocate for global child nutrition programs in Congress. In this season of plenty, please help me and other volunteers fight hunger by visiting my personal fundraising page and help me support the work that RESULTS does today so that others may feast tomorrow."
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