July - August 2019

Grit

Rural American Know-How

Grit2 min read
Little Shop Of Disorder
I first got to know my father’s shop when I was driving a 1964 Dodge Dart I’d bought at auction from a little old lady who only drove it to church on Sundays. Darts ran on super-efficient slant-six engines, with the cylinders set at an angle. Althoug
Grit5 min read
Dirt Is Our Friend
I was inspired to write after reading “Dirty Beginnings” (Our View) in the May/June 2019 issue. Like editor Rebecca Martin, I grew up on a farm. I played on a plywood floor as a baby. When I was 6 months old, Dad decided I needed a dog. So, my first
Grit2 min readAstronomy & Space Sciences
WIT & WISDOM
Summer dusk ignites flashes of fireflies, a display that’s fascinated mankind for ages. The nearly 2,000 species of fireflies worldwide inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The firefly, or lightning bug, is actually a beetle from the family Lam
Grit4 min read
Still Cutting The Mustard
The year was 1903, and 23-year-old J. Wesley Raye, or J.W. Raye for short, had recently returned from the Spanish-American War to the small town of Eastport, Maine. The thriving town of 5,000 people was bustling, with 27 working sardine factories and
Grit5 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Overcooked And Underloved Jam
I’m asked over and over: “How do I fix my overcooked jam?” It’s frustrating. You spend time, money, and energy to lovingly make a batch of beautiful jam. You have visions of tucking jars of it into Christmas presents or serving it on top of homemade
Grit1 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Salvaging Overcooked Jam
If the jam tastes scorched, then it’s a lost cause. However, if the jam is just too thick, you may be able to repair the batch. The following technique usually doesn’t work for me, but it’s successful often enough that I still attempt it. Spoon the o
Grit7 min readBotany
Cultivating Chestnuts And Harvesting Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts and chestnuts are beautifully complementary: Chestnuts produce a carbohydrate-rich nut, while hazels are high in fat and protein. Chestnuts are full-sized trees, while hazels are modest shrubs. There are cultivars of each that are adapted t
Grit7 min readNature
How to Handle a Home POULTRY BUSINESS
Chickens can turn a profit just like any other farm animal. My family raised ordinary chickens for several years for the usual reasons: fresh eggs and meat. That all changed when my children started showing chickens in the 4-H Club. We began to acqui
Grit7 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Perfectly Piquant Pickles
The current renaissance in food preservation has brought some long overdue awareness to the craft of vinegar pickling. Modern canning companies are popping up all across the globe and creating fresh, quirky, and inspired takes on the traditional pick
Grit5 min readConstruction
Weld a Wall-Mount HAY FEEDER
Welding can conjure up some dramatic imagery, such as workers clad in leather and dark face shields, producing a shower of sparks from red-hot metal. To those not immersed in the industry, dealing with flames and electric arcs that produce temperatur
Grit7 min readNature
Insect Invaders
The concept of alien invaders has fascinated us for decades. Movies such as The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Thing, and Predator all have a common theme: Alien invaders aren’t a good thing. Alien invaders are real, and here on our planet, but they
Grit7 min read
HOMEMADE SODA Get Fizzy With It
Before the modern soda craze, which has caused all manner of health problems and sugar addictions, people made their own refreshing, fermented drinks at home. Most early recipes refer to these drinks as “beer” or “ale,” and the entire family drank th
Grit7 min read
OUTDOOR HAY Storage Solutions
If you feed hay to your livestock, you know how expensive it can be to keep your animals well-fed on quality forage. Whether you purchase the hay or bale it yourself, making the most of your investment requires proper storage to ensure both quality a
Grit7 min read
SHARP SHOOTING FOR Traditional Archers
If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably watched arrows arc silently through thin air in amazement. You’ve waited in anticipation to see if they hit the mark. When a shot flies true, the thrill of the bull’s-eye is tangible even to the observe
Grit6 min read
BreedingMeat Rabbits
Rabbits have a well-earned reputation for, well, breeding like rabbits, except when you want them to. According to conventional wisdom, all you need to do is throw a buck and a doe together, and you’ll be swimming in rabbits in a few weeks. But often
Grit8 min read
GRIT Recommended Products for wiser Living
Get ready for the healthiest soil your garden has ever seen! Biochar, slow-roasted organic matter inoculated with compost, creates the perfect habitat for soil-enriching microorganisms. In Gardening with Biochar, longtime garden writer Jeff Cox provi

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