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Sparing Use of Wood Ash in Garden Can Be Beneficial Because wood ash has a fine particle size, it reacts rapidly and blends completely into the soil. Although small amounts of nutrients are applied with wood ash, the main effect is that of a liming agent. Sparing Use of Wood Ash in Garden Can Be Beneficial Art of quilting had practical start The patchwork quilting tradition has been passed down from mother to daughter or through quilting groups, such as the Pomona Christian Church’s Ladies Aid, over the years and features a top decorative layer, batting and a backing. Hitting the trail - Chuck wagons and gold panning Gold panning was at its height during the two gold rushes of the 1800s. In 1849, the California Gold Rush occurred. Individuals headed to California in hopes of finding a fortune. “Gold panning is used in prospecting, or searching for gold, in easy-to-access rivers and creeks,” said Jim Wenzel. Advice given for making homemade soap, deodorant “They used to render out their own lard for soap. They would make it at pig butchering time out in the yard with big kettles,” said Rosina Foster of Willow Springs, who created the Naturally Yours homemade beauty product line and assists her sons with their Two Frogs on a Log product line. Homemade deodorants Herbs, essential oils and other natural ingredients have been used for centuries to address odor issues. Below are some simple recipes for homemade deodorant. Most of the natural ingredients listed can be purchased or ordered through your local health goods stores. Several options to cook without modern stove David and Debra Davis of West Plains live on the original homestead of Debra’s grandparents and have built an outdoor fire brick oven, using fire bricks, cement and native rocks. Debra, who used to own a bakery in downtown West Plains, wanted to build the oven to bake bread. ‘Rocket’ heater updated version of earth oven ‘Rocket’ heater updated version of earth oven Wood cookstove provides plenty of cooking room “Using a wood stove takes practice, even cooking on top,” said Conni Rabun of Hartshorn. “Cookies for 10 minutes at a time – that’s not such a big deal, but bread for 30 minutes – there’s some art to it." How to build a mud oven To build the oven, you will need water, subsoil dirt (amount will depend on clay content), sharp sand to mix with mud, sand that holds its form for the oven form, straw if doing an insulating layer, wood for the door, newspapers and firebricks and standard bricks for floor, as well as bricks, wood, concrete or urbanite for foundation. Tips given for building an old-time outhouse Materials for an outhouse include wood for the walls, roof, partial floor, bench and door; a heavy spring for the door; railroad ties for the foundation and metal for the roof. These materials can be found at your local lumber and hardware stores. Hog butchering once was a neighborhood affair Anne Summers, 91, Willow Springs, recalls how her family butchered hogs. Butchering time took place in late fall or early winter and typically required several hands. “We had to wait until cool weather. You couldn’t butcher until late in the fall,” Summers explained. “Neighbors would get together to butcher.” Hog butchering once was a neighborhood affair Hog butchering once was a neighborhood affair Web site offers curing methods, tips Dry curing involves applying the cure mix directly on the meat. It is used in curing hams and bacons, as well as smaller cuts of meat. After applying the dry cure to the meat, place the meat in a plastic food storage bag and tie end with a twist tie. For larger cuts of meat and poultry, use large-size food storage bags, available in most grocery stores. Tips offered for butchering chickens Gloria and Darlene Wallace of Mountain View grew up on a family farm and learned to butcher chickens at a young age. They are currently passing that skill along to their children. They have altered the butchering process to make it simple for those who don’t mind chicken meat without the skin. Food storage methods as diverse as the crops you raise Kenny Wallace of Mountain View shared how his family stored crops underground in the winter. “Wait until it’s consistently cold before you make storage mounds,” said Wallace. “Dig a hole in the ground deep enough to cover what you’re storing.” Butter churning takes time, patience, but worth the effort “You have sweet cream butter, which is fresh, and then there is a tart, acidic butter, which occurs when you leave it in the milk,” explained Betty Sons of Birch Tree. “It acidifies, so you don’t have the sweetness.” Family thrives by ‘homesteading’ on their farm The makeup of a family farm can vary, depending upon the type of animals raised. The basic elements include a garden for vegetables and fruits and animals for meat, milk and eggs. Tips for drying foods, using product for meals Tips for drying foods, using product for meals Canning popular way to make most of summer’s bounty “Probably one of the driving forces today is not the economics of it, but the quality of the product. Most people feel its superior to what you buy and you know exactly where it’s come from,” said University of Missouri Extension Specialist Brenda Bell. Two popular canning methods described Learn the basic steps of the boiling water method and pressure cooker method of canning your favorite fruits and vegetables. Readers share favorite recipes Our readers shared some of their favorite canning recipes with us, like Sassafras Jelly and more. Subsistence gardening - Longtime gardeners offer advice Earline Granier of Birch Tree and Marguerite Wehmer of Willow Springs are long-time subsistence gardeners. Wehmer’s parents moved onto the property where she currently lives in 1937, purchasing it in 1941. Marguerite and her husband, Bob, bought it from her parents in 1954. Seeds from heirloom plants can be saved, used again “Heirloom seeds are seeds that are passed down from generation to generation and preserved by home gardeners,” said Jere Gettle of Baker Creek Heirloom Feed Co. “They are open-pollinated, which means they will come back the same every year.” Generation to Generation - Making sauerkraut one way to preserve summer cabbage Born somewhere around 1910, Aunt Alice and Uncle Chester obviously lived through the Great Depression and learned how to do many things for themselves and food preservation certainly was a necessary skill. Her method of making sauerkraut goes by taste, which is hard to quantify on paper. I’ve included here tips from my mother, passed on from Aunt Alice, as well as some instructions from the Ball canning book.