WITHDRAWN

640 M613c
Meyer, Scott,
The city homesteader:

05102011

ROCKFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY

Rockford, Illinois
www.rockfordpubliclibrary.org

815 965-9511
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DEMCO
Copyright © 2011 by Scott Meyer
Illustrations copyright © 2011 by Joel Holland
All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions
Printed in the United States

This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter
invented, without written permission from the publisher.

987654321
Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010925947

ISBN 978-0-7624-4085-6

Cover and interior design by Amanda Richmond

Illustrations by Joel Holland
Edited by Kristen Green Wiewora
Typography: Archer, Neutra, and Ziggurat

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 To my grandparents,
MARCEL A HANNAH MEYER,
for showing me that food, fun, and family love
can be found in cherry trees.
 CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
page 5

Chapter One:
GROWING YOUR OWN
page 9

Chapter Two:
GOING WILD FOR FOOD
page 63

Chapter Three:
SAVE IT FOR LATER
page 91

Chapter Four:
WORKING WITH ANIMALS
page 141

Chapter Five:
CARING FOR THE HOME
page 177

Appendix:
A-Z GROWING GUIDE
page 221

RESOURCES
page 253

BIBLIOGRAPHY
page 263

INDEX
page 266
 INTRODUCTION

HOSE EARLY HOMESTEADERS the country, in city neighborhoods, subur¬

must have been the bravest peo¬ ban developments, and small towns,
ple. Imagine the confidence it people are once again catching the home¬
took to walk away from civilization and steading spirit. They’re not pulling out of
move to the wilderness, where they had to civilization and moving back to the land,
provide everything for themselves. Not but they are producing their own food,
even a butcher or baker or candlestick storing it for the off-season, rediscovering
maker to rely on: just the whole family the old ways of keeping house, and raising
pitching in to reap, make, or use what they animals for a purpose, with little or even no
needed from the land. Those folks were land of their own.
both determined and resourceful. Homesteading today is a step out of the
Nowadays, our food is produced and virtual world we live in most of the time
processed, packaged and shipped, and and into an authentic experience. It’s a
often even cooked for us. We live in cli¬ way to connect with the seasons, the
mate-controlled rooms and are sur¬ weather, and the natural world outside our
rounded by stores offering us everything windows while getting your hands dirty
we need, and too much we don’t. We spend and producing something real and essen¬

our days—and more and more of our spare tial. Grow even a little of your own food

time—connecting to other people and and you begin to appreciate the hard work

gathering information remotely, even and knowledge of people who do it for a

while we live closer to each other than ever living, and you can’t help feeling rever¬

before. ence for the bounty around you. Deal with

And yet the urge for self-sufficiency is a your own kitchen and yard waste and you

powerful force in the human DNA. Across take more control of your own little corner
of the world. Be more aware of how you use many other experts, Fve gathered practi¬

your resources and you see how small cal ideas you can use right away for living

steps you take on your own can add up to a more resourcefully wherever you make

meaningful difference for the whole your home. Fve made sure you have the

planet. specifics you need to get started doing it

City homesteading is not about living along with hints on ways to get better if

without indoor plumbing and modern you already are.

appliances, but it is about knowing you Within the limited space of one book,

could if you had to—at least for a while. though, I can’t give you everything now

The world around us can seem so out of known about gardening, foraging, pre¬

control and while we can't change that, serving food, raising animals and caring
taking care of your own basic needs can for your home more self-sufficiently.

give you a strong sense of competence Whole books have been written on each of
that’s not easy to come by these days. those topics. Instead, I’ve focused in this
The pioneers took along with them a few book on strategies for doing each of those
supplies and all the know-how that had things while living in a city or suburb—not
been passed down to them from the gener¬ where you have acres of land to work. I
ations that came before them. For today’s realize that you might not be able or ready
homesteaders, it’s knowledge and experi¬ to fully commit to every aspect of the
ence that are in short supply. With this homesteading lifestyle, but I am sure that
book, you have the knowledge of count¬ even if you try only one skill, you’ll feel the
less modern homesteaders and many of great satisfaction that comes with gaining
our predecessors right in your hands. competency. I predict that soon you will
From my own experience and from that of want to try and know more.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 6

 One of the greatest rewards of trying to forums. Personally, I am thankful for the
live more resourcefully is that the learning countless homesteaders and gardeners
never ends, no matter how much you who have taken the time through the years
know, you continue to find more and bet¬ to share their knowledge and experience
ter ways to be self-sufficient. That's been with me.
one of the great rewards for me of working While we're on the subject of thanks
on this book. I have been an organic here, I also must express gratitude to a few
gardener for more than twenty years, people who helped with this book. Run¬
but I picked up some new ideas as I ning Press publisher Christopher Navratil
researched this book. And while I had a tops the list for his encouragement and
lot of familiarity with the topics in this guidance in developing the book’s idea.
book, the experts I spoke to and the refer¬ All that a writer can ask for in an editor is a
ences I consulted taught me over and over thoughtful reader with enthusiasm for the
how much I still have to learn. topic, smart ideas, and dedication to qual¬
This kind of know-how is no longer sys¬ ity. I so much appreciate that Kristen

tematically passed along from one gener¬ Green Wiewora has been all that and

ation to the next. We are all indebted to more. I can never thank Buz and Janet

those people who have kept it alive, and in Teacher enough for their friendship and

particular to the new pioneers who are support. Finally, and yet always first and

homesteading in cities, suburbs, and small foremost, I must thank my dear wife Dawn,

towns and sharing their discoveries with a whose love and understanding are the

virtual community through blogs and most precious resources I know.

INTRODUCTION I 7
\
 CHAPTER ONE:

GROWING YOUR OWN

S upermarkets today are packed with more food in a greater variety than our
grandparents ever imagined possible. You can buy every kind of vegetable and
fruit year-round, not only frozen and canned, but shipped in fresh from all over the
world. While just a few generations ago, growing food at home was a necessity for most
families, vegetable gardening had started to become the quaint hobby of a relatively few
aficionados.

And then came news reports of fresh produce tainted with toxic pesticides and poten¬
tially lethal bacteria. News about climate change prompted many to begin calculating
their carbon footprint and “food miles,” the long distances their meals traveled before
reaching their plate and the resulting environmental impact. More and more people
began to recognize that they had lost touch with where their food came from and that it
had become nothing more than fuel for their busy lives, that they were out of sync with the
seasons and nature.
Now, the generation raised on food from a bag or box is rediscovering the simple pleas¬
ure of producing some of their own food and sharing it with others. Not just people with
acres to farm and experience raising crops, but anyone with the desire and nothing more
than a small backyard, balcony, or sunny windowsill to grow a few food plants.
You can be a part of this revolution of new food producers. Wherever you live, no matter
how much room you have for a garden—or even if you have none at all—you can reap the
soul-satisfying rewards of picking the freshest, safest, most healthful food possible. You
can grow and eat homegrown food just about all year long. In this chapter I’ll take you
through the basics of raising your own food, and I’ll share strategies, techniques, and
tricks for getting the most food from whatever space you have to work with.
The Right Site sun each day, known as “full shade”, are

not well-suited to growing food.

If you have any spot that gets just a In full sun you can grow all of the most

few hours of sun each day where you can popular garden crops, including toma¬

dig into the soil, you can grow a food gar¬ toes, strawberries, peppers, peas and

den. By choosing crops that produce an beans, cucumbers, squash, melons, corn,

abundant yield and using your space effi¬ and raspberries.

ciently, you can harvest your own fresh In partial shade you won’t get a robust

vegetables, fruit, and herbs from spring to harvest of “fruiting crops,” like those I

fall in most climates. With a few low-cost listed for full sun, but you can still grow a

aids, you can even extend your growing lot of leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and

season into the cold months. spinach, as well as root crops like carrots

Before you decide on where to plant and beets and herbs such as basil and

your garden, take the time to observe it at rosemary.

different times of day and, if at all possi¬ Full shade—beneath a tree or in the
ble, over several months. The most pro¬ shadow of a tall building—means you’ll
ductive gardens get eight or more hours need to implement Plan B: container
of direct sunlight during the height of gardening.
summer—this is what master gardeners The other critical factor in choosing
and plant tags mean when they refer to where to site your garden plot is drainage,
“full sun.” If the spot you choose gets less or how much water the soil holds. You want
than eight hours of sunlight (“partial sun” to avoid spots where water stays in puddles
or “partial shade”), your choices of what to for more than a few hours after a heavy
grow will be a little more limited, but you rainstorm, because most plants drown
can still grow a lot of your own food. Plots (yes, drown for lack of air) in standing
that get fewer than four hours of direct water. But you also don’t want it to drain

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 10

away too quickly—before plants’ roots can the drainage where you want to plant your
absorb it—which is often the case where garden, try this easy test:
the soil is predominantly sandy. To assess

1. Dig a hole that’s about the size of a 4. If the water has drained away between two
one-gallon milkjug. and four hours afteryou poured itintothe

hole, you have ideal drainage (and proba¬

2. Fill the ho! e with water. bly soil that is nice loam, which is the highly

desirable balance of clay, sand, and silt).

3. Check the hole an hour later. If it’s empty,

the soil drains fast, if there’s still water in 5. If the water takes more than four hours

the hole, check it again after two more to drain, this is not an ideal spot for a

hours pass. garden.

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN 11

 You can improve the drainage of your garden the first season. A single bed or

soil if it is slow, but where water stays in two about four feet wide and eight to ten

puddles for days after a rainstorm, you will feet long is big enough to produce a

be continually combating its natural ten¬ steady supply of different vegetables and

dencies. For that reason, low-lying areas herbs from spring to fall. Many new gar¬

and other spots where rainwater collects deners are very ambitious in spring, plant

are not suitable for gardens. The ideal spot a big garden, and then become frustrated

for your garden is at the top of a slope (so or disappointed when they can’t keep up
water naturally drains away) that’s facing with it as summer arrives. So I say, start
south or west (the directions that get the modestly and add more in future seasons
most sun in summer). once you have a clearer idea of the gar¬
No matter how much space you have, I den’s demands and your capacity to care
strongly suggest you start with a small for it.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 12

 RAISED BED SOLUTION

•The perfect width. A raised bed can be

any length that fits your available space, but

make it no wider than four feet. You want to

be able to reach into its center comfortably

from any side without stepping into the

bed. Walking on your garden soil compacts

it, or squeezes all the air out of it, making it

If the soil where you want to grow hard for roots to grow.

just won't drain well, is full of clay, or oth¬

erwise is too adverse to planting, you can • Above the ground. To get all of the bene¬

solve the problem by building a raised fits of a raised bed, the top of the soil

bed. Actually, raised beds make garden¬ mound needs to be at least six inches above

ing better in almost every situation. A ground level. Higher is even better, though

raised bed is just an area where the soil is tallerthan eighteen inches is unnecessary.

mounded above ground level: you control

the quality of the soil. This lets you give • Frame the bed. Raised beds don’t have to

your plants room for the roots to spread be framed; the simplest are mounds cre¬

out. Raised beds drain water efficiently ated by digging out and piling up the soil

and the soil warms up more quickly in the from the areas around the beds. But

spring than the ground does, extending mounded beds erode in winter when roots

your growing season. And you can build aren’t holding them together, so you may

raised beds right on top of a lawn. need to rebuild them every spring.

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN 13

 The easiest way to make a raised bed, spe¬ perse moisture evenly and, if it’s at least six

cially on top of grass, is to build a basic frame. inches deep, smother grass or most anything

You can use stone, bricks, or any kind of lum¬ else growing beneath it. It’s essentially

ber, but avoid railroad ties oozing creosote or weed-free gardening.

any other kind of treated wood. Those chemi¬

cals can leach into the soil where you are •Plants in place. Raised beds help you

growing food. Even easier, look online and in break loose from the dull row-beside-row

stores for raised kits that assemble as easy as garden layout. You can plant in any pattern

kids’ toys. No law says the bed has to be rec¬ thatyou like—ornoneatall.Toplanta raised

tangular—a neighbor of mine has a circular bed most efficiently, think of the space in

raised bed (the frame is made from chicken terms of quadrants. Each has a plant at the

wire) in a small sunny spot in her front yard corners and, depending on the plants,

where she grows salad greens in spring and maybe one in the center.

fall. Make sure the bed is more or less level for

even drainage. More beds. If you have room for more than a
couple raised beds, try to leave at least three

*Fill the bed. After the frame is in place, fill it feet between them. That will give you room to

with a well-blended mix of equal partscom- bring a wheelbarrow or garden cart right to

post, peat, and topsoil. This will give your the beds. Each season, top off all the beds

plants the ideal nutrients for growth, dis¬ with more compost.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 14

High-Yield Crops Pole beans need only a small space to root

in and then pump out pints of crunchy

When you’re trying to get the most pods almost daily. The bean harvest can go
food from a limited space, you want to on for weeks in summer. The pea season
grow plants that really pump out the pro¬ isn’t as long—they’re done when summer
duce efficiently. As you’re planning your heat sets in—but they use space just as effi¬
garden, consider these options: ciently as beans and produce lots of pods
as long as the temperatures stay cool.
FOR THE
TINIEST SPACES Radishes take just 45 days from seed to

Beets are a real two-for-one because you eat ready-to-eat, so they’re through in time for
the greens on top (they’re tender enough you to plant something else in its place.
for salad and sturdy enough for sauteing) “Succession planting,” or growing multi¬
and the roots that form below ground. ple crops one after another, is one of the
most valuable strategies for producing a
Cherry tomatoes are the most productive lot of food from a small space. I’ll explain
type of tomatoes, yielding sweet little red more about succession planting in the

fruit by the thousands. next section of this chapter (page 17).

Leaf lettuce is sometimes known as “cut- ONLY FOR

and-come-again” lettuce because you LARGER SPACES
plant it once and snip the leaves as you Corn must have critical mass to get thor¬

need them. Let a few leaves remain on the ough pollination (essential for well-filled

plant when you harvest, and new ones will ears), which makes it hard to grow enough

soon replace the ones you took. Heading to produce a substantial harvest. Plus,

lettuce, by contrast, produces one head, sweet corn is widely available as a local

and then the harvest is over. crop throughout the United States, so it’s

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 15

rarely worth devoting some of your limited Pumpkins and other squash don’t just

garden space to it. If you have the irre¬ spread: they conquer. Small gardens are

sistible urge to try (I understand, I’ve suc¬ no place for ground-hogging vines like

cumbed myself), I suggest you plant one of these.

the miniature popcorn varieties that will

leave you with a fun, unique harvest to Heirloom tomatoes are delicious, unique,
enjoy when the growing season is over. and fun to grow, but most of the older vari¬
eties do not produce as much as newer
Strawberries return every year, and ones. You have to plant more heirloom
when they do, the plants slowly spread tomatoes to get the same yield, so they’re
throughout your garden space. In a few not an efficient use of your space.
seasons they colonize so much territory
that you won’t have much room for any Head lettuce, like iceberg or Bibb, give
other crop. If you love strawberries (who you just one harvest, while leaf varieties
doesn’t?) and have only a small plot to give you multiple cuttings.
garden, grow them in a pot instead of the
ground. (You’ll find a plan for a strawberry Broccoli and cabbage are in the same
pot on page 31.) category as head lettuce—one-and-done
harvests that take up too much of the
Melons—see pumpkins and squash, which growing season.
are their close cousins.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 16

Succession you want to harvest the last of the cool-
weather crops, take out the plants, and
Planting replace them with tomatoes, peppers (hot
and sweet), green beans, cucumbers, zuc¬
Your most critical challenge if you chini, and basil, all of which grow best in
want to harvest a steady supply of home¬ warm weather.
grown food is planning. Yes, planning is When the warm season winds down and
more important than digging, planting, the first frost of fall nears (you want to
watering, and even weeding. Take the know the average first frost date, too), pull
time to think through the crops that grow out those heat-lovers and plant new
well in different conditions, and your gar¬ rounds of lettuce, spinach, kale, and other
den will continue to produce food from cold-weather crops. Again, many of them,
the start of spring to the end of fall. such as carrots, benefit from a touch of
Spring starts out cool, so you want to frost. In fact, while carrots are not the
start your season with crops that thrive in most efficient use of your space in spring,
lower temperatures, including lettuce, they are a very valuable choice in the fall
spinach, and other leafy greens, peas, car¬ because you can store them in the ground
rots, radishes, beets, and if you have room, (right where they are growing) until
broccoli and cabbage. Plant them as early you’re ready to eat them—almost to the
as possible—these all tolerate (and many start of the following spring.

benefit from) a little frost. For years I struggled to grow spinach in

The average last frost date for your area the spring. By the time the garden’s soil

is a valuable bit of information. You may dried out enough for me to work in it and

find it online or you can ask your county plant the seeds, the temperature quickly

extension office (every county has one, became too warm for the spinach, turning

usually associated with your state’s land- the leaves bitter, and the plants began

grant university). After the last frost date, flowering before I harvested enough for

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 17

more than a salad or two. Then I learned aruguia, too, and it works just as well for

to plant spinach in early September—four that hardy green. Growing spinach and

or five weeks before the average first fall aruguia over winter is an easy and reward¬

frost where I live in southeastern Pennsyl¬ ing way to extend your season.

vania. The seeds come up quickly Consider including garlic in your suc¬

because the soil is still warm, and the cession plan, too, because you plant it in

plant thrives in the cool days and nights your garden in fall, it grows all winter, and

as summer turns to fall. I get a light har¬ it’s ready to be harvested the following

vest of fresh green leaves to eat before the late spring/early summer—just in time to

first hard frost comes in mid- to late Octo¬ replace it with another crop like green

ber and the plant’s growth slows. When beans that will grow fast and be ready for

that happens, I surround the plants with a harvest before the warm season is over.

thick mulch of fall leaves (shredded by my Garlic not only puts your garden to use

lawn mower) and top them with a light when it is otherwise dormant, it produces

(inch or so) cover of leaves, too. The a lot of food for you from a little space—
plants remain alive through winter—even you plant the cloves and each one yields a
when we have a heavy snowfall—but whole new head of garlic. A pound of
they’re dormant, so there’s no new growth. cloves yields about seven to ten pounds of
As soon as daytime temperatures climb fresh garlic heads. Bonus: you can snip
above 55 degrees F in spring, I clear the and eat a bit of the chivelike greens that
mulch off the top of the plants and over a grow above ground while the bulbs are
week or two gradually pull it away from forming below.
the plants. Before long, the plants are The goal of succession planting is to
growing again and I’ve got bowls-full of keep your space as productive as possible
fresh green spinach leaves to enjoy— each month of the growing season. To do
weeks before spring-planted greens are that, you want to minimize the amount of
ready. I’ve tried this technique with time each plant is in the ground until it’s

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 18

ready to harvest. Seeds take time to get Also, as you choose which varieties of each
established, grow roots, and mature crop to grow, you’ll see that some mature
enough to bear fruit or eat. So, whenever faster than others. The fastest-maturing
possible, transplant seedlings (or even varieties make the best use of the time you
larger plants) you grow yourself or buy at a have allotted in each season.
nursery instead of starting with seeds.

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 19

Vertical Growing ports specially designed for each kind of
plant. Many resourceful gardeners make

The space you have on the ground them using salvaged materials. One of the

may be limited, but you can still expand the most ingenious I’ve seen was a bed frame

area you have to garden in. Just grow up! By stood on end, twine woven from top to bot¬

setting up trellises and other structures for tom and side to side, turned into a sturdy

plants to climb up or lean against, you move pea net. Fallen tree limbs and branches

your garden into “airspace.” work and give your garden a natural look.

Tomatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, zuc¬ Even easier to work with and available

chini, and other summer squash, even small for a low cost, bamboo poles and zip ties let

cantaloupes work well in vertical gardens. you design and set up a trellis that’s perfect

When selecting varieties of these crops, read for your garden without tools or even con¬
the labels carefully and look for “vining” or struction skills. Check out “Bamboo Trel¬

“pole” types rather than “bush” types. lis” on the next page to see how to make
You can buy trellises and other plant sup¬ one for yourself.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 20

 BAMBOO TRELLIS

TRELLIS IS A FANCY-SOUNDING WORD FOR A STRUCTURE YOU SET UP TO GIVE

vining plants room to climb. You can make a simple trellis with just three bamboo
poles, zip ties (twelve inches or longer), and heavy-duty twine. Thinner, lighter poles
work well in tight spaces and with lighter vines, like cherry tomatoes and beans. Get
heavier poles for big beefsteak tomatoes, cucumbers, and summer squash. If you have
the room, you can line up several of these, anchor them to each other, and double or even
triple your vertical growing space.

1. Start with a loop. Take the pointy end of one hand and spread the legs with the other.

the zip tie, insert it into the square end, and (An assistant makes this easier.) You want

pull itthroughjusta little, but don’t tighten it. the legs two to three feet apart. Balance the

You’ll hear the “zip” sound as you pull it if you trellis so it stands up on its own. Dig holes

did it right. four to six inches deep for each pole, place

the poles in the holes, and then refill with the

2. Gather the poles. Stand the poles on end soil you dug out so that the poles are anch¬

and hold them in one hand, but with the bot¬ ored securely.

toms spread out to form a triangle. Slip the zip

tie loop around the bamboo poles, slide it 4. Weave a web. Starting at the top, wrap

down to just above the first ridge in the bam¬ the twine horizontally in a spiral pattern all

boo, and cinch it tight. Make sure the zip tie the way around the outside of the tripod,

stays above the pole’s ridge so it stays in place. ending at the bottom. Make a vertical piece

to finish the net by looping from top to bot¬

3.Spread the legs. Hold up the poles with tom through the horizontal netting.

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 21

5. Plant and guide. Sow seeds or set trans¬ along the ground, but once they're on the

plants around all three sides of the tripod. As twine, they will continue climbing upward

the plants start to grow, gently guide them themselves.

upward—some may start off by sprawling

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 22

Edible Rhubarb has brilliant red stems and
bright green leaves that complement the
Landscaping daffodils and tulips that come up at the
same time.
When you look around your home, Match fall-blooming chrysanthemums
do you see a bunch of flower beds and no with edible kales and cabbages, which also
space for a vegetable garden? Who says? thrive in the cool temperatures. Look for
Today food plants are showing up in even varieties of those leafy green vegetables
the finest ornamental beds. Front yards that get purple highlights when the mer¬
are no longer off limits to vegetables. cury falls.
These are just a few ideas for getting more Thyme, parsley, sage, and other herbs
produce (or any food) from the space you can provide a leafy contrast to all sorts of
have available to you. flowers.
Peppers (hot and sweet) come in a wide There are no limits to what food and
array of shapes and sizes, and they ripen flowering plants you can mix together.
to vivid red, orange, or yellow, colors that When you are considering which to plant,
match those of marigolds and zinnias in try to site those with similar water needs

late summer. The pepper plants tend to close to each other—it saves you time and

stay small—less than four feet tall—so they uses water most efficiently.

look proportional to the flowers.

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 23

 you live where the soil freezes hard, spread
Self-Savers a layer of straw or dried grass clippings
about a half-inch deep in your carrot bed.

I'll cover how to preserve your own The mulch helps keep the soil pliable

food in another chapter, but while we’re enough for you to easily pull or dig the car¬

still in the garden (or at least that’s how I rots out in cold temperatures. Other root

am imagining us), let’s discuss crops that, crops, such as beets, parsnips, and turnips,

in a sense, preserve themselves. can be handled the same way.

Dried beans. From pinto to kidney, lentils Garlic. Like a flowering bulb—it is a mem¬

to turtle beans, legumes are high in pro¬ ber of the lily family—it needs to have a

tein and deliver a lot of nutrients per calo¬ chilling period before it will grow. Plant
ries to you. They are all easy to grow in garlic in October, mulch it well (like you

most climates. They do, however, take a do carrots and the other roots crops), and
long time to mature, occupying their then leave until the following spring. Let
space in your garden for almost all of the the bulbs sit in a cool, dry place away from
growing season. But within that time they direct sunlight for a couple weeks after
not only gather in all those nutrients, they harvest to “cure,” and they’ll be ready to
also dry down and are just about ready to keep and eat as you need them through to
be stored. Of all the crops you grow, the next season.
legumes are the most likely to feed you
through the winter. Onions. Though a close relative of garlic,
onions grow during the warm months. But
\
Carrots. As I explained in the section on like garlic, if you cure onions after harvest,
“Succession Planting” on page 17, carrots they will keep for months. Be sure to look
can be stored in the ground through the for varieties that have been bred for stor¬
cold season until you want to eat them. If age, such as Yellow Globe and Corpa.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 24

Potatoes. Again, a couple weeks of curing large enough for the seeds to fall through.
following the harvest and you have home¬ Put a bucket or tub underneath to catch
grown food you can eat as you need it for the seeds as they fall. Spread them out in a
months. The more starchy types keep bet¬ single layer on a tray, and let them dry for
ter than those with a flakier texture. Sweet another couple weeks. Now they’re ready
potatoes store equally well. to store or eat.

Sunflowers. Just a pretty flower, you say? Squash. Varieties with a hard rind and dry
You don’t have to be a bird to appreciate flesh, including acorn, butternut, Hubbard,
the protein-rich seeds and the ease of stor¬ and spaghetti, as well as pumpkins, are all
ing them. After the seeds start to form, set for storage when you harvest them in
cover the head of each sunflower you want late summer or early fall.
to keep with a piece of cheesecloth or Moisture is the only serious threat to
other fabric that lets light and water get storing these self-preserving crops for
through. (Be kind: leave a few for the birds, long periods. Be sure they are completely
chipmunks, and other hungry critters.) dry before you stash them away in a spot

When the stalks start to dry and turn that is very low in humidity. And make

brown, pull the plants, cut off the stalks, sure that air can circulate around them so

and take the heads to a cool, dry, shaded that they stay dry. In the food preservation

place and remove the cloth. After a couple chapter (page 91), you can see how to set

weeks, rub the seedhead back and forth on up a root cellar in a very small space for

your hand or along a screen with openings storing vegetables over the winter.

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 25

PERENNIAL CROPS Just Herbs
PLANTS THAT COME BACK YEAR AFTER If you're not ready to make a com¬
year, even when their aboveground mitment to growing a whole garden full of

leaves and stems die during winter, are food, the simplest and most immediate

known as perennials. You are probably way to add homegrown flavor to your

familiar with some flowering perenni¬ meals is with herbs. All you need for an

als, such as irises, daylilies, and bleed¬ herb garden is a spot that gets sun four or

ing hearts. There are also a few per¬ more hours of the day and where the soil

ennial food plants, and they are very is very well drained (herbs cannot tolerate
well suited to growing in flower beds, sitting in water for even a short period of
borders alongside buildings and walls, time). And they give a lot of flavor from
and other places where you can’t or the tiniest spaces.
don’t want to dig up and plant with new Basil, cilantro, dill, fennel, and parsley
crops every year. The group of peren¬ are annuals—you plant them anew each
nial food plants includes asparagus, year, although if you don’t harvest all of
chives and some other herbs, horserad¬ your cilantro, dill, and fennel, they will
ish, raspberries, strawberries, and flower and then bear seeds, which in many
rhubarb. Plant them once, and they will areas come up on their own the following
give you a steady harvest for up to year.
twenty years after. Chives, marjoram, mint, oregano, and
thyme are perennials that survive through
the winter and continue to come iip for
years. In regions where winters are not so
frigid, rosemary and sage are also peren¬
nial. They don’t survive most winters in
my garden in Pennsylvania, but I’ve seen

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 26

shrub-size rosemary plants in northern CHOOSING
California that must have been in the A CONTAINER
same place for ten years or more. Plastic, wood, or clay pots all work fine for
growing vegetables and herbs. Go for the
biggest size you can fit on your deck or bal¬

Containers cony, but be sure you can lift it when it is full

of soil in case you need to move it. Plastic is
So you live where there is absolutely lightest in weight. Wood and clay look bet¬
no space to plant in the ground or there is ter and feel more natural, but they dry out
too much shade where you can find space. faster than plastic, so you have to be more
You can still grow plenty of food to eat vigilant about watering them.
fresh and store. You can pick up so-called self-watering
Almost every vegetable you want to containers, which have a reservoir space
grow in the ground, you can grow in a pot. where you add water and then the roots of
Okay, maybe cukes, zukes, and pumpkins the plants grow into the water and drink
are not very practical for containers, but up as they need it. This can be very con¬
most of the other popular crops, including venient if you can’t check on your con¬
tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, basil, even tainers at least every other day. If you’re
strawberries and potatoes, produce well in the forgetful type, check the reservoir of

a pot. your self-watering containers on the same

You get the best yields when these day every week. If you want to make your
crops take in eight hours or more of sun¬ own version, all you need are two contain¬

light each day. One of the benefits of ers—a larger one without drainage holes

growing in containers is that you can and a smaller one with drainage holes

move them during the growing season— that will fit inside it. The plants go in the

or during each day—to spots where they’ll smaller one and you add water to the

get all the sunlight they need. larger one. A couple handfuls of gravel in

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN I 27

the bottom of the larger pot help to keep FILL ER UP
the smaller one from sitting in standing The soil you put in your containers is

water, which can oversaturate some important and can make all the difference

plants. in your harvest. Soil you dig up outside is

Your container choices are in no way not well suited for growing vegetables in a

limited to objects sold as flowerpots. pot. If it’s predominantly clay, then it’s too

Buckets, barrels and jugs, bathtubs and dense for container plants. Sandy soil does¬
commodes—whatever your style, you can n’t provide enough nutrients for the plants.

recycle any salvaged vessel into a cool Bagged potting soil is better, but it can
and functional vegetable planter. be loaded with synthetic fertilizers (look
for the blue or green crystals) and doesn’t
hold and disperse moisture well. You can
make a much better mix yourself. Just
blend one part finished compost (home¬
made or store-bought) with one part peat
moss or coir (coconut fiber sold in nurs¬
eries). Your plants will get nutrients from
the compost, which also holds and dis¬
perses moisture steadily. The peat or coir
ensures that the mix has enough air pock¬
ets and drains well.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 28

 FOOD AND and burns them out. You are likely to get
WATER eye-popping stem and leaf growth, but no
Unless you’re using the more fruit—and maybe even less!—than you
self-watering containers, would without the fertilizer.
check the moisture in your Second, nitrates are a very common ele¬
containers every day or at ment in synthetic fertilizers. They are
least every other. Push salts that dehydrate your plants and over
your finger into the soil time change the pH of your soil. Most
until it reaches the second vegetable plants grow best in slightly
knuckle. If the soil feels damp, no water acidic soil; salts turn the soil alkaline.
needed. But if the soil is dry as far down as Third, synthetic fertilizers are made
your fingertip reaches, wet it thoroughly. from petroleum by-products, which we all
The temptation to feed your container know is not a sustainable resource.
plants with “miracle” fertilizers that prom¬ Instead, feed your container plants with

ise exceptional results is strong, I know. fish-and-seaweed fertilizer or compost tea

But give me a moment here to explain why (see page 189). These provide your plants

that isn’t the wisest choice. with nutrients in exactly the form they are

First, those synthetic fertilizers are like found in nature. You can also scratch a lit¬

steroids for plants. They stimulate dramatic, tle compost into the top inch or two of soil

unnatural growth that stresses the plants in each container.

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 29

HANGING GARDENS To try this yourself, simply cut a hole big

These days you see a lot of advertise¬ enough for a tomato stem in the bottom of

ments for kits to plant tomatoes in a hang¬ any hanging flowerpot, then thread the

ing basket and grow them down instead tomato through the hole so that the vine

of up. It’s a fun idea that many gardeners hangs down and the roots are inside the

(and maybe even more non-gardeners) pot. While holding the tomato vine in

are trying. It’s a nifty solution for growing place, fill the pot with soil, then tamp it

your own tomatoes where there is no down firmly to be sure the plant is in

space to plant in the ground. Cherry securely. You can plant short-stemmed

tomatoes and bush-type larger tomatoes herbs and flowers, such as thyme or sweet

are best for this use. alyssum, on top of the planter.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 30

 •• •••
• •'

Small
STRAWBERRY POT 1 1Vo/ec1
Space

' • ••••••••• • *
PICKING YOUR OWN FRESH STRAWBERRIES IS A GREAT WAY TO START AN EARLY
summer day. In a special planter that will fit anywhere—even on a fire escape—you can
harvest a daily supply of juicy and ripe berries for weeks. These pots are designed for
the way strawberries grow—with pockets that allow each plant its own space and excel¬
lent drainage to keep the roots from staying soggy.

Pick a perfect pot. The ideal container is at Choose the right berry. Strawberries come

least twenty-four inches tall, with a wide in two types: “June-bearers,” which produce

mouth and six to eight pockets on the sides of a lot of berries all at once (yes, typically in

the pot. Lookfora planterwith pockets that June) and “everbearers,” which give you a

have a cupped lip, which prevents soil from steady but smaller harvest of berries from

spilling out and helps hold in water. You can late spring into summer. You want an ever-

find these in garden centers and online. bearing variety, which are sometimes labeled

as “day-neutral,” so you never get so many

berries you can't keep up with the harvest.

Tri-Star and Tribute are two everbearing vari¬

eties thatworkwell ina pot.

Another option is alpine strawberries,

sometimes called/raises c/es bois, European

strawberries, or wood strawberries. They are

slightly smaller than the berries we are famil-

iarwith in North America, but very intensely

flavored. And because the plants and fruit

are smaller, they fit nicely into a pot.

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN 31

Prep the soil. In a large bucket or tub, com¬ the tube, capped end down, into the center

bine two parts sphagnum peat moss or coir of the pot. Holding the tube to keep it cen¬

(coconut fiber) with one part compost tered (or mostly), add the rest of the soil mix

(homemade or bagged). Moisten but don’t around the tube until the pot is nearly full.

soak the soil mix. Premoistening keeps the

plants from washing out of the pot when you Plant the pots. Place one plant in each of

first add water to it. When choosing soil the pockets. Gently tease the plant’s roots

mixes, avoid products that come premixed apart so they spread out into the soil and

with synthetic, time-released fertilizer or then set it in the pocket with the roots angled

water-absorbing polymers. down. Firmly pack a handful or two of soil

mix around them to make sure the roots

Insert atube. This step isn’t essential, but it have solid contact with soil. Continue filling

helps ensure that your strawberries get an all the pockets with plants, and keep adding

even amount of moisture and steady airflow, soil mix until the container is filled to within a

which make for healthier, more productive couple inches of its rim. Plant two to three

plants. Get a piece of PVC pipe that is capped plantsatthetop.

at one end, and cut it to a length that will fit

inside the pot with the uncapped end even Water well. Keep the soil in the container
with the pot’s rim. Drill one-eighth-inch holes consistently moist, especially in the first cou¬

an inch apart down, alternating sides of the ple weeks after planting. If you put the tube

pipe. Some gardeners add gravel or pebbles in the center of your pot, pour the water

to the tube to further stabilize it and disperse right into it. If not, water the pot from the top

moisture evenly, but it is not necessary. slowly to be sure it percolates through the

soil and doesn’t just run out at the bottom.

Fill withsoil. Put a few inches of damp soil You may need to water this pot every day

mix in the bottom of the pot, and then insert during hot, dry spells.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 32

Feed right. The slowly released natural produce too few berries.

nutrients in liquid fish and seaweed fertilizer

or compost tea make the healthiest diet for Store for the winter. In the fall place the pot
your strawberries. Feed them when they first in a sheltered area where it may get some

begin to flower and then once a month forthe moisture from snow or rain. In many climates

rest of the season. Be careful notto overfer¬ the strawberries will come back again in the

tilize—more is not better—or the plants will spring. If not, you can start over with new

quickly become too cramped in the pot and plants next season.

Variation: HANGING STRAWBERRY BASKETS

Suspending strawberries off the ground through the sphagnum moss. After you have

is a great way to keep slugs, snails, and sow finished, fill the basket with a mix of equal

bugs from ravaging them. Five to six straw¬ parts peatand compost. Plantthe remaining

berry plants can grow in the top of an ordi¬ plants in the top of the basket. The basket will

nary hanging basket. But if you want to make continue to produce fruit for about three

the ultimate hanging strawberry basket, years if you bring it in each winter.

gather twenty-four strawberry plants, a six- Place the strawberry pot in a sunny loca¬

teen-inch wire basket, potting soil, and some tion, and rotate it every few days so that each

sphagnum moss, coir, or a basket liner. Line plant gets enough sunlight. Continue to water

the wire basket with the damp sphagnum the plants every day. Pick the berries when

moss, coconut fiber, or basket liner. Insert they’re ripe and ready to eat, so new ones can

eighteen of the plants into the basket sides grow in their place.

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 33

Small-Space Fruit choose June-bearing varieties that pro¬
duce all of their fruit at once. Alpine

Fruit is the most ideal local food. strawberries are smaller than the more

It needs no preparation and it’s never bet¬ common types, they’re intensely flavored,

ter than when you pluck it from the tree or and they’re almost never found in super¬

vine and take a bite on the spot. Most of us markets. After the harvest is over, most

are familiar with the seasons—berries, strawberry varieties send out runners—

melons, cherries, peaches, and plums in or vines that spread along the top of the

the summer changing over to apples, soil—which set down roots and become
pears, and grapes in the fall. Many farms new plants that bear berries the following
offer you the chance to “pick your own,” if season. If you don’t have space for straw¬
you want to get a lot of fruit to preserve. berry plants to spread out like that, you
But even without the acreage to plant an can just trim off the runners and start with
orchard, you can enjoy the satisfaction of new plants you buy the next year.
eating fresh-picked homegrown fruit. You Raspberries may be the easiest garden
do need to consider, though, that aside crop you ever grow: Plant them this year,
from strawberries and melons, fruit grow¬ then pick the fruit next year and every sea¬
ing requires several years to produce a son thereafter, with no fertilizing or main¬
consistent, substantial harvest. tenance or even watering once they’re
Strawberries grow well in a garden bed established. They need to be in full sun,
or even in a container (see page 31 for how but they grow and produce well in even
to make and use a strawberry pot). If you the thinnest, least fertile soil. And rasp¬
want a steady supply of a handful of berries are a great bargain, because in the
berries that you can pick over several store they can cost you $3.99 a pound or
weeks, go with “everbearing” (also known more. Most experts recommend that you
as “day-neutral”) varieties. If you’re plan¬ buy “virus-free” stock to plant, which is a
ning to make strawberry jam or pie, sensible idea because raspberries are

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 34

prone to four widespread diseases that them in a bed or border alongside other
can dampen, or even eliminate altogether, ornamental shrubs. Blueberries are also
your yields. But if you know a gardener more demanding about growing condi¬
who has healthy raspberries, you can dig tions than other berries. They need soil
up a few fresh shoots from their patch and that stays consistently moist and has a
replant them in your garden. The only low pH (that is, acidic soil). To be sure you
care you should give raspberries regularly get to enjoy more of the berries than birds
is to cut down the canes that fruited last do, you want to spread protective netting
season—they won’t produce berries again, (found in garden centers and online) over
and cutting them to the ground will stim¬ the relatively low-growing blueberry
ulate new shoots to grow and keep your shrubs.
patch looking neat. Grapes need a sunny spot that’s at least
Blackberries and boysenberries are eight feet long—that’s all the space it
equally easy to grow—and even more of a takes to grow your own sweet and juicy
bargain, often priced at $5-99 a pound— grapes for making jelly, juice, or wine, or
but they do pose one challenge if you eating fresh off the vine. While the seed¬
have limited room. Blackberries and boy¬ less green grapes that are a staple in kids’
senberries spread aggressively after a few lunchboxes grow well only in California’s

years, and a small patch can become a climate, Concord-type grapes thrive just

massive thicket if you don’t cut them back about every place in North America. They

each year. grow on long, woody vines that require

Blueberries fit into small spaces, but you support. You can train them onto a fence,

do need room for at least two plants—one an old swing set or clothesline, or any

male, one female—to get fruit. The plants other open, sturdy structure you already

are attractive with pretty white flowers in have. Or you can set up a simple trellis.

spring and leaves that turn a vivid red in That sounds more involved than it is. All

autumn, so you might find a place for you do is get three eight-foot-tall posts

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN I 35

and place them about four feet apart. sun. Wherever you plant them, be sure

Between them, run two lengths of galva¬ that air flows freely around them—they

nized wire about three and six feet up the are prone to fungal diseases that are min¬

posts. Plant two grapevines in the middle imized when the dew is dried off them

of each section—about two feet from each early in the day and where breezes can

end—and as they grow, you will guide them keep them free of excess moisture. Of

to spread their vines along the wire. Fall is these three, peaches are the most forgiv¬

the ideal time to plant grapevines. The fol¬ ing, and you can find many varieties
lowing autumn you’ll have a few bunches selected for tolerance to a wide range of
of grapes to pick. In just a few years, the conditions.
vines will bear a heavy crop of sweet fruit. Cherries are also a stone fruit that
To keep the vines producing and prevent blooms with lovely pink flowers in spring,
them from becoming a tangled, leaf-heavy but they typically grow on trees that get to
mess, they need to be pruned each year. be forty or more feet tall. If that’s too big
You can find detailed guidelines for prun¬ for your space, you can find dwarf vari¬
ing in books and online, but basically you eties that reach only fifteen or twenty feet
want to leave last year’s new growth and tall. Smaller trees are easier to cover with
clip off anything older. netting to protect the fruit from birds,
Peaches, plums, apricots, and other which is essential if you want a substan¬
stone fruits grow on trees that are rela¬ tial harvest for yourself. Pie (or tart)
tively short—typically twenty feet tall or cherry trees tend to be more tolerant of
less. That makes them a good fit for sunny different soil and climate conditions than
spots in small yards. With their beautiful sweet cherries are. Both need full sun to
and fragrant flowers, you can also use produce a full crop of fruit for you. ^
them as an attractive alternative to an Apple trees come in dwarf sizes, too, and
ornamental tree in your front yard. Try to you have lots of varieties to choose from.
place them where they will get morning But if your space is very limited, consider

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 36

a “columnar” apple tree. It has a very ers was reason enough to walk past it as
straight trunk that reaches just eight to often as possible.
ten feet tall and short branches that stop Figs are another warm-climate fruit that
at about two to three feet wide. They pro¬ you can grow in a small space with a little
duce full-size fruit and often start bearing extra management. If left in the ground to
in their first year, but the yield typically is grow year-round, a fig tree can be as tall as
less than that of a standard or even dwarf fifty feet high. But where winters are
tree. A columnar apple tree is small frigid, you need to dig up fig trees each
enough to grow in a large (twenty gallon fall and store them inside (wrapped in
or more) container. Remember that a tree burlap) until the following spring. This
growing in a pot needs to be watered fre¬ keeps the trees from ever growing much
quently during dry spells and fertilized taller than fifteen to twenty feet tall.
periodically, because it cannot draw mois¬
ture and nutrients out of the soil like a tree
TROPICAL FRUIT FIX
planted in the ground can.
Lemon and lime trees adapt very well to One of my neighbors here in Pennsylvania

life in a pot. The dwarf varieties stay as handles three banana shrubs much the same

short as eight to ten feet tall and they can way I suggest growing fig trees—digging them

be moved inside during the winter if you up in the fall and replanting them in spring.

don't live where they can survive outside The harvest depends on the weather.- In the

all year—that is, Florida, the Gulf Coast, sweltering summer of 2010, each of the

Arizona, and southern California. In an three stems bore one large hand (about six

office building where I worked, a Meyer bunches) of ripe bananas, but when the

lemon tree in a pot set beneath a skylight weather is cooler and less humid, he gets less

not only survived year-round but or even no fruit. Still, the plant grows great

bloomed and bore fruit without ever big leaves every year and is always a topic of

going outside. The fragrance of the flow¬ conversation among passers-by.

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 37

Going into COLD FRAME
Simply a box with a transparent, hinged lid
Overtime that rests on the ground, a cold frame is a
kind of “hot box” used to start seedlings

If you are eager to get growing in before it is warm enough to move them to

spring, determined to keep your garden pro¬ your garden. You can also use a cold frame

ducing in fall, or just want to get more of that to get early and late harvests of cold-

homegrown food to last all year long, you tolerant crops like lettuce and other salad
can extend your gardening season, no mat¬ greens. Making one is as simple as attach¬
ter what the climate is where you live. The ing a salvaged window sash to a box made
techniques you can use to achieve this goal with four planks. Use a hinge to attach the
range from simple to serious. Let’s start with window so you can open the box on sunny
the most basic and work up to the most days—direct sunlight through the glass can
involved. make it so hot inside that it will roast your
plants—and close it when the temperature
WINDOWSILL drops again at night. If you want to go all
In a south-facing window, basil, chives, pars¬ high-tech, you can buy hinges designed to
ley, dill, and rosemary get enough light in pop open the lid when the inside tempera¬
winter to stay alive and grow enough for you ture reaches a preset point. Here’s a simple
to snip sprigs steadily. plan you can use to build your own cold
frame.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 38

1. Pick up an old window, from the curb, a .
4 Nail or screw the frame pieces together
barn sale, or a salvage yard. Or call a win¬ into a box.

dow contractor and ask if you can have or

barter for one of the old windows he .

5 Set the window over the box. Attach the
replaces. Get the biggest one you can find. window to the back side of the box with

hinges and wood screws. You can add a

.
2 Measure the window’s height and width. simple hook-and-eye latch in the front, if

you want.

.
3 Mark your measurements on a sheet of ply¬
wood, then cut it into four pieces matching 6. To make it easy to prop open the window

those sizes in length. The pieces should be on hot days, use a single screw to attach a

at least eighteen inches wide, but if you small piece of scrap wood to each side of

have the tools and the skills to cut the side the box. You should be able to swivel

pieces on an angle, you can make the cold these up to hold the window open.

frame as low as six inches in the front and

eighteen inches in back. Angling the cold .

7 Set your cold frame in a sunny location,
frame maximizes the amount of direct light facing south if possible.

the plants inside are exposed to when the

sun is low on the horizon.

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN 39

ROW TUNNEL GREENHOUSES
Another way to extend your salad harvest I’m not here to tell you about glass con¬

into the colder months is to create a pro¬ servatories or large-scale food production

tected environment for them right in the plants. Today, you can find greenhouses

garden with knee-high metal arches set as small as a bookshelf or that can fit into

up in a row and then wrapped in plastic your window. Add grow lights to supple¬

such as polyethylene, which lets in light ment the short days in winter, and for a
and air but helps insulate the plants. I’m modest investment, you can harvest just

no fan of plastic in a garden, but the mate¬ about any vegetable you want in any
rial used for row tunnels is very durable, season.
so you can use it from year to year, and
these tunnels can give you a month or
more of additional growing time on either
end of the season.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 40

 . Small
: Space •
NO-SPACE POTATO BARREL \ Project
'
W
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HOMEGROWN POTATO AND A STORE-BOUGHT ONE
can literally be measured in the moisture lost as the spud makes it way across the coun¬
try. Freshly dug potatoes are juicy—almost as much as an apple!—and have a meltingly
soft texture. You don’t need a potato farm in Idaho to discover this for yourself. You can
grow a crop of potatoes in any sunny spot that’s big enough for an ordinary trash can.

Start in spring. Potatoes take all season to they are mostly about being more attractive—not

fully mature, so begin this project around your functionally better—than one you make at home

average last frost date (which you can find out out of a whiskey barrel or a common trash can. If

from your county extension agent). your container has been used before, be sure to

scrub it out well to get rid of fungi that might cause

Select the spuds. They grow from chunks of your potatoes to rot before you harvest them.

last year’s crop—chunks with an “eye,” or root¬

let, are referred to as “seed potatoes.” Each Drill for drainage. If the barrel doesn't

“eye” produces a cluster of new tubers. You already have holes in it where excess water

can find countless potato varieties in nurseries can drain out quickly, drill a few in the bottom

and online, and you can use any one you want, and in the sides close to the bottom. Quarter-

but small to medium-size ones work best in a to half-inch holes are big enough.

barrel. Be sure to get certified disease-free

seed potatoes, because they can suffer from Give it a Set the barrel in a sunny spot and

nasty problems like scab. get it up on blocks or bricks so it sits a few

inches above the ground and air can circulate

Pick a barrel. Plain or fancy, it’s your call. Gar¬ around it.

dening catalogs and Web sites offer barrels

specifically designed for growing potatoes. But Add the soil mix. Make up a soil mix by blend-

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 41

ing three parts of compost with two parts of Keep the moisture constant. Remember to

peat moss. Fill the bottom of your barrel six keep the soil damp but not wet. Feed the

inches deep with the mix. Dampen the mix. plants with liquid fish and seaweed fertilizer

(available at nurseries and home centers)

Plant your spuds. Place the seed potatoes a weekly or biweekly until you see little white or

coupleinchesapartinthesoil mix. Keepthemix yellow flowers on the vines, which indicate that

moist but never soggy (which can cause the pota¬ the new potatoes have begun forming.

toes to rot).

Dig for buried treasure. At the end of the

Cover after sprouting. In a week or so the growing season, the vines turn yellow and die

seed potatoes will have sprouts about six to back. The potatoes are fully grown. Carefully

eight inches tall. Add more soil mix to cover tip the barrel over, and sift through the soil for

them up to their bottom leaves. Again, keep the potatoes. Brush the dirt off them (don't

the mix moist, but not soggy. Repeat the wash them until you’re ready to cook them),

process of allowing the sprouts to grow, adding and store them in a cool, dry place away from

more soil to cover the sprouts and moistening direct sunlight.

the soil until the barrel is filled to the top.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 42

 OPEN SPACES

WHEN YOU REALLY HAVE NO PLACE TO GROW, OUTSIDE OR IN, YOU DON’T HAVE TO
give up altogether on the idea of growing your own food. Try one or more of these
options.

Community Gardens. More than 4,000 empty www.craigslist.org or www.yardshare.org) and

lots, parks, playgrounds, and other spaces in the strike a deal. You plant and care for a garden in

United States have been transformed into their yard and share the harvest with them.

community gardens, where people in the Good old-fashioned barter. Just be sure to

neighborhood can sign up for plots. Check in clearly define the expectations for both par¬

with the American Community Gardening ties upfront.

Association (at www.communitygarden.org) to

find one nearyou or get information on starting Guerrilla Gardening. Abandoned lots,

your own. median strips, and lots of other little pockets of

potential growing space are just begging for

Yard-Sharing. You have the enthusiasm to someone to come along and plant them. If

grow your own food, but no space in which to other people see you caring for a forgotten

do it. They have room to plant, but no time or space in your neighborhood, you might even

interest in the process. You connect online (at inspire a revolution.

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN 43

Going Indoors
Little or no outdoor space for gar¬
dening can’t prevent you from growing
some of your own food. Living in a cold
climate with a short growing season is no
obstacle either: you can produce food
indoors. You don’t need a fancy green¬
house or expensive grow lights to do it.
All year long you can grow fresh salad hanging them, like living curtains, in their
greens and herbs inside your home using windows. From a standard four-by-six-
a simple setup you can make with mostly foot window, they’re harvesting a fresh
recycled materials. You can also raise a salad every week.
steady supply of super-nutritious bean You can find many different designs for
and greens sprouts in your kitchen. With window farms and simple kits for build¬
an easy plan on page 48, you can harvest ing one at The Windowfarms Project
your own gourmet Belgian endive. Your (www.windowfarms.org), a community
answer is to focus not on what you can’t where users are sharing their experiences
grow, but on what you can. and improvements. In the most basic
setup, the plants grow in recycled 1.5-liter
WINDOW FARMING bottles filled with a liquid nutrient solu¬
Innovative amateurs have developed a tion (no soil) that is pumped to them from
resourceful and fun way to grow vegeta¬ a gallon-size bottle below them. The plant
bles indoors year-round. They’re setting bottles are attached to a rod or dowel
up simple hydroponic growing systems using zip ties and set on a windowsill. In
using recycled bottles, air pumps from the winter months, fluorescent lights sup¬
aquariums and plastic tubing, and they’re plement the shorter daylight hours.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 44

 Salad greens and herbs are the easiest won’t be flushing toxins into the waste
crops to grow in a window farm, and proba¬ stream. You don’t want to go to the trouble
bly the most worthwhile, too, since you can of growing your own food only to steep it
cut some to eat and leave the plants to pro¬ in a soup of ammonium nitrate (the sci¬
duce more. Most any short-stature crop ence class name for the main ingredient
works well, too. Vining crops like peas and in most synthetic fertilizers). Go for plant
cherry tomatoes need more manage¬ food made with fish and kelp instead.
ment—specifically twine or other sturdy Your window farm may smell a bit like a
support—but they make a fun addition to a marsh, but it won’t remind you of the lab
window farm. at a pharmaceutical company.
I’ll always believe that the healthiest
food grows in soil rather than the unnatu¬ ABOUT SPROUTING
ral environment of water laced with nutri¬ Even if you live in a basement apartment,
ents—the conditions of a hydroponic where no daylight ever comes in and the
setup. But I must admit that the freshness only soil is on the carpet (my brother lived
you gain from growing food in your home in a cave like that once, and the only thing
probably makes up for the diminished that grew there was mold), you can raise a
nutrient content of food grown hydropon- crop of homegrown sprouts to add to
ically. And I know a window farm will start sandwiches, salads, and stir-fries. You
conversations about fresh, local food and don’t need artificial grow lights or any

self-sufficiency that more than compen¬ other special equipment. And sprouting

sates for the unnatural arrangement of is so easy, kids can do it—which they often

hydroponics. Let me urge you, though, to do at school or with the Scouts. Sprouts

always use organic fertilizers rather than come from seeds of many different plants,

synthetic ones. You might not get the eye¬ and they’re very healthful because the

popping growth that comes from steroid¬ nutrients in the plant are concentrated.

like chemical fertilizers, but you also Best of all, you don’t even need much

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 45

patience—sprouts are ready about a week START THE SEEDS
or so after you start them. Sprouting happens when seeds get
enough moisture to open or soften their

SELECT SEEDS hard exterior and the plant “embryo”

Every vegetable and grain seed produces inside begins to unfurl. Your job, then, is

a sprout you can eat. They’re all equally simple: keep the seeds moist until the

easy to grow, but their tastes and textures sprout emerges and begins to grow. A very

vary a bit. The most popular are alfalfa basic way to do that: place a handful of

and mung bean, but you can grow tasty seeds on a damp paper towel, fold it in half

sprouts from broccoli, lentil, radish, dill, and then quarters, slip it into a resealable
buckwheat, and sesame seeds, and many plastic bag, and keep it in your refrigerator.
others. Sample a few to find out which you Check it daily and moisten the paper towel
like best. if it starts to dry out. After about a week
You can find seeds specifically chosen you’ll have sprouts ready to eat.
for sprouting from dedicated suppliers The paper towel method is easy, but you
online or catalogs, but regular gardening can’t grow a lot of sprouts that way. For a
seeds work, too. Be sure, though, to get steady and more substantial harvest,
organic or at least “untreated” seeds for grow them in a jar. Again, you can buy a
sprouting. Many commercial seeds are specially designed sprouting jar online or
coated with fungicides and other toxic via mail order, but an ordinary canning jar
chemicals that you definitely don’t want or a very thoroughly cleaned mayonnaise
to handle when you’re sprouting. jar works well, too.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 46

 Put a couple tablespoons of seeds into a moisture to slowly evaporate. Secure the
quart-size jar. You can use more of larger lid to the jar with a rubber band. After soak¬
seeds, but be careful not to grow too many ing, remove any seeds that are floating—
seeds in one container or they will become they’re duds—and pour out the water. Rinse
a mildewy mess. Soak the seeds overnight the seeds in fresh water, and then drain it
(or about ten to twelve hours) in room-tem¬ all away. Be thorough about draining,
perature water. Cover the jar with cheese¬ because you don’t want the seeds or little
cloth, nylon mesh, or screening. This type sprouts sitting in water.
of lid lets air circulate in the jar and allows

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 47

RINSE, REPEAT, RINSE, REPEAT HARVEST AND STORAGE
Keep the jar in a cool place—not the As you’re rinsing the sprouts, the seeds’

fridge, but the coolest room temperature original hulls begin to float free. Remove

spot in your home—and away from sun¬ them, and when they’re mostly gone—

light. Three times a day, at least twice if about eight to ten days after you start the

that’s all you can manage, rinse the seeds seeds—the sprouts are ready to harvest.

and drain the water. (Be even more You can eat them right away. If you don’t,

resourceful by catching the rinse water in you can store them for a few days in a plas¬

a bucket or watering can and using it for tic bag in your refrigerator. By the time

watering garden or house plants.) The you’ve finished them, your next fresh batch
goal of the rinsing is to keep the seeds should be just about ready.

damp but not soggy. That’s why thorough

draining is critical. ALL-SEASON ENDIVE
Witloof chicory isn’t exactly a popular or
LIGHT OR NOT even familiar vegetable in North Amer¬
Most seeds start to open after four to six ica. It has a leafy green with a texture like
days of constant moisture, and you can curly kale and a slightly bitter taste. At
almost watch the sprouts growing hourly. times when coffee has been scarce, its
If you keep them away from direct light, root has been ground and brewed into an
they’ll stay mostly white and have a rela¬ acceptable substitute. In northern Europe
tively bland flavor. Put the jar where it it’s prized as Belgian endive, tangy shoots
gets sunlight (or even fluorescent light, if served raw or in cooked dishes. To mod¬
you are sprouting in your office cubicle), ern homesteaders, it is most valuable as a
and the sprouts develop chlorophyll and a food that you can grow and harvest inside
stronger taste. Try sprouting both ways, through the winter.
and you’ll know which flavor you prefer. Start by planting witloof chicory seeds
in spring, after the last frost. Chicory

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 48

grows like any other salad green in your tant because light turns them bitter.
garden. You can harvest a few of the early, When the chicons are four to five inches
tender leaves, but as the days grow longer, long, clip them from the root, clean them,
they taste bitterer. Just leave the plants to and get ready to enjoy them. Eat them in
continue growing through the summer salad, fill them with hummus or soft
and into fall, making sure you water cheese for a healthy, crunchy alternative
deeply during extended dry spells so that to crackers, braise them, steam them, or,
it develops a long, deep root. like my grandmother did, bake them au
After a few frosts, but before the ground gratin.
freezes hard for winter, dig up the long tap Keep the roots moist and in the dark,
roots (which look like a white carrot) and and they'll continue producing chicons
cut the tops off to an inch or two long. Fill until you're ready to start the outdoor
large nursery pots or buckets with peat, growing season again.

coir (coconut husk), or coarse sand, and

moisten the medium well. Replant the
roots into the pots.
Put the buckets in a cool (60 to 65°F),
dark spot, like a basement or closet, and
keep the medium damp by sprinkling it
once a week or so. Cover the buckets with
a paper or plastic bag to prevent light
2 .
from reaching the roots. In about three to
five weeks—depending on the tempera¬
ture where you have stored them—tight¬
leaved pale yellow to white, cylindrical
buds, known as “chicons,” form above the
root. Keeping them in the dark is impor¬

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 49

Organic Answers tems near and far from the farms, such as
the dramatic decline in honeybee popula¬
tions documented in recent years and

Unless the food you buy in the gro¬ “dead zones” in the Gulf of Mexico. Many

cery store has a “USDA Certified Organic” agricultural chemicals are made with petro¬

label, it has been produced with a regime leum. For my perspective, then, industrial

of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, agriculture is not healthy or sustainable,

petroleum-based fertilizers, and posthar¬ and needs to be replaced by methods that
vest treatments. Processed food that protect the well-being of farmers, the soil
includes soy or corn as ingredients—check they depend on to grow their own crops
labels and you’ll see nearly all have one or each year, and all the living things that
both of these—contain genetically modi¬ interact with the plants.
fied organisms (known as GMOs), crops You may already know a lot about what’s
whose DNA has been altered to allow wrong with industrial agriculture, and that
farmers to use more weed-killing chemi¬ may be why you’re interested in home¬
cals without harming the plants. steading. I’ve raised these issues here not
This approach to producing food is best to frighten you about the food supply or to
described, I think, as “industrial agricul¬ urge you to buy organic food (which I do
ture,” although it is more commonly known strongly recommend), but rather to help
as “conventional” (as opposed to organic) you think about how you are caring for
farming. Agricultural chemicals have been your own food garden, whether it’s in the
linked in the most credible scientific ground or containers, outside or in.
research to an increased risk of cancer and All of the information and advice I’ve
reproductive ailments among people given you so far meets the definition of
exposed to them. There is also a growing “organic.” I was the editor of the pioneer¬
body of evidence that industrial agriculture ing Organic Gardening magazine for
is causing significant damage to ecosys¬ seven years (and on the staff for more

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 50

than twenty years), and I’ve seen in my that are at the mercy of swarms of bugs?
own garden and countless others I’ve vis¬ Definitely not. The strategies I’m sharing
ited that organic methods work very well. with you in this section have been tried
If you’re like most homesteaders today, and tested by farmers and gardeners for
you probably want to feed your family the decades (centuries in some cases) and
freshest, healthiest food possible, and you have proved effective over the long term.
care about the environment, too. So you Organic methods not only match (and
start with the desire to garden organically. even surpass) the yields you get from
The real test of your conviction begins using chemicals, they also cost you less.
when you are ready to fertilize your plants The organic approach depends mostly on
and again when bugs, weeds, and diseases stuff you find around your home, which
show up. You may be tempted then by surely will appeal to resourceful home¬
promises of miraculous growth for your steaders. The organic approach, as you
plants and the annihilation of all prob¬ will see, is really just sensible gardening
lems with simple easy-to-apply formulas practices.
that are “degradable” or “harmless to
the environment.” I hope you’ll take a RIGHT SITE
moment to realize that no matter what the Plants growing in the conditions that suit

manufacturers say, garden chemicals at them best are much less prone to stress

least undermine the purity of the food and other problems and are better able to

you’re growing and at worst pose a health withstand and outgrow any problems that

hazard to you, your family and pets, and do arise. For most food crops, a very sunny

every other living thing; plus, they are not location with loose fertile soil is ideal. If

necessary. you try to grow food in a shady or soggy

Does choosing to forgo the chemicals area, your yields will be lower and the

and use organic methods mean you have plants are likely to be targeted by pests

to settle for small yields from weak plants and diseases. All the miracle products

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 51

available cannot help solve the problems six weeks throughout the growing season,

of plants growing where they are not well- spread a half-inch layer of compost on top

adapted. If you don’t have a sunny, well- of the soil around your plants, scratch it in

drained site to grow a garden, plant in a little, and the microbes that live and feed

containers and move them to where the on compost will nourish the plants for

sun is. you.

FEED THE SOIL BUILT-IN RESISTANCE

Plants have evolved to extract the specific Just as some people are inherently better
nutrients they need from the soil and take able to ward off diseases than others, so

them up through their roots in the exact are some plants. By observing which
amounts they need. Further, plants have a plants in each crop don’t fall prey to
symbiotic relationship with the billions of viruses, wilts, and other ailments, breed¬
microbes in the soil that make nutrients ers have been able to select for and
available to them and protect their health. develop hybrids with innate disease
Fascinating recent research has even resistance. You can tell which have it
determined that plants’ roots “farm” the when you buy seeds and plants because
particular microbes they need by sending they are labeled with initials, such as TMV
out a hormonal signal. So, rather than (tobacco mosaic virus) or F (fusarium
force-feed premixed nutrients to your wilt), representing the diseases they
plants, you want to nurture the soil’s resist. If in previous seasons your area has
microbe population. You do that by regu¬ been hit by plant diseases—you can con¬
larly adding organic matter, especially firm this with other local growers or your
compost, to the soil. (Look for directions county’s extension agent—resistant vari¬
on how to make or get compost on page eties are the best protection for you.
178.) Mix compost into your garden soil or
potting mix before planting. Every four to

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 52

DIG DIVERSITY GRASPING THE
Farmers grow fields with row after row of FOOD CHAIN
the same crop because that organization The surest, safest way for you to protect
lets them plant and harvest efficiently your garden from pests is to take advan¬
with machines. Trouble is, row layout also tage of the food chain. Birds, toads, and
makes it easy for pests to find their snakes prey on bugs. Make your garden
favorite food and invite their cohorts for hospitable to them with shallow dishes of
the feast. Your garden doesn’t have to be water for them to sip and places to perch
laid out like a farm—and shouldn’t be. or find shelter, and they’ll hang around
When you plant, mix and match your munching on pests. Plant flowers around
vegetables and herbs in any pattern you your garden, especially tiny blossoms

like, or none at all. This keeps the bugs such as sweet alyssum or yarrow, to lure in

confused and slows the spread of plant the bugs that eat bugs that eat plants.

diseases, many of which live in the soil Ladybug larvae, for instance, look like

and can be transmitted quickly from plant tiny orange alligators, and their favorite

to plant. food is aphids, tiny flying insects that

suck sap from plants. Ladybugs come for
the nectar in the flowers and lay their eggs
around your garden—when the larvae
hatch, they dine on thousands of aphids.
Many others of these “beneficial insects”
are commonly attracted to gardens, from
the familiar praying mantis and green
lacewing to a wide array of different little
wasps and flies that parasitize pests.

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 53

OBSERVE, IDENTIFY, HAND OR HOSE
AND THEN REACT I always wait a couple days after I notice a
pest infestation to do anything. First, I

So here’s a not-very-bold prediction: Your want to see if the plant is really suffering

garden will have bugs in it. Hundreds, from the attack or continues to grow nor¬

even thousands of them. And I under¬ mally. Second, I want to give my natural

stand that when you see bugs, you may be allies—the birds, reptiles, and beneficial

distressed and wonder if all the work insects—a chance to resolve the problem

you’ve put into growing your food crop before I act.

will be destroyed. But take a deep breath If the problem persists and I have to act,

and watch. You’ll see that most insects do I try to think like a physician who assesses

not damage plants, and even when the all the contributing factors and starts with

buggers do chew leaves, the plants are the least invasive treatment. If the patient

often able to continue growing and pro¬ is suffering from stress—too little or too

ducing anyway. much water, for instance, or temperatures

If you do notice pests infesting your too high or too low—then no pest treat¬
crop, take note of exactly which plants ment will solve the problem. Pests are
they are damaging, where on the plant drawn to stressed-out plants, just as
they are at work, and what type of damage overly stressed people are more likely to
they are doing. Most insects are special¬ get sick. You need to address the cause of
ists, so gathering this kind of information the problem before you can solve the pest
helps you to get a positive identification problem.
of it. When you are certain exactly what When a healthy plant is attacked, hand¬
's^
pest you are trying to control, you can picking the bugs is a low-impact (and
pick a treatment that works against them. sometimes very gratifying) place to start.
I’ll tell you about a few simple, effective, Drop the pests in a bucket or can filled with
and non-toxic options you can use. warm water and a tablespoon or so of liq-

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 54

uid dishwashing soap. Don’t like the idea of keep moths and other pests from landing
touching insects with your bare hands? I on and laying eggs in your crops. (Reemay
know a few gardeners who handpick bugs is the most widely known brand of row
and slugs with chopsticks, which probably cover and is found in many nurseries and
causes their neighbors to wonder just what online.) Spread the row cover on top of the
they’re doing with the bugs! plants, and you keep the pests out. You may
Tiny, flightless bugs like aphids can be be able to substitute ordinary white cotton
squirted off plants with just a direct sheets, but the investment in the specially
stream of water. They can’t climb back designed row cover is worth the expense, I
up—they hatched on the plant from eggs think, because it works so well and you can
laid by their winged parents, who don’t use it season after season.

eat plants. Check the undersides of leaves

for egg clusters (usually a gelatinous or
stringy mass), and squirt or scrape them

off, too.

ERECTING BARRIERS
You can keep pests off your plants in the
first place with physical obstacles. Cut¬
worms, for instance, can mow down a row of
newly sprouted seedlings almost over¬
night. Make a little collar for each little
plant out of cardboard or the order cards HOUSEHOLD HELPERS
that fall out of magazines and catalogs, and When all else fails and the time comes to

the cutworms can’t get to the stems. Row hit the pests hard, you don’t need to go

cover is a fabric made from very light fibers nuclear and blast them with toxic chemi¬

that let air, light, and water through but cals. Two tablespoons of liquid dishwash-

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 55

ing soap and a teaspoon of vegetable oil with the ground and fill it up with beer

used for cooking mixed well into a quart (the dregs from your bottles work great),

of water makes a spray that washes a pro¬ and check in the morning to see all the

tective coating off soft-bodied insects slugs attracted by the yeast who have

such as thrips, which they cannot survive. drowned in it.

Add a tablespoon of ordinary baking soda A spray made from pureed hot peppers

to the soap, oil, and water solution to and garlic with a teaspoon of oil in water

make an antifungal spray for cucumbers, drives off beetles, caterpillars, and other

squash, and other plants. leaf-chewing pests.

To control slugs, a troublesome pest of Before using any homemade pest control

lettuce, strawberries, and other crops grow¬ spray on your plants, test it on a few leaves

ing in cool, damp conditions, sprinkle salt first to be sure it won’t hurt the plant. Wait

on their slimy backs and watch them a few hours after the trial before you spray

shrivel up. Or set a plastic tub (like mar¬ your whole crop. Remember to reapply

garine comes in) in the soil so it is level sprays after a rainstorm.

Deer can also be deterred with a hot
pepper spray—at least for a while. Other
tactics that may keep deer at bay: bars of
strong-smelling soap hung around the
garden, the scent of a dog or even your
scent (if you know what I mean—spread it
discreetly) in the garden, lights, or sounds
triggered by a motion detector, and
\
whirligigs and anything else that moves
unexpectedly. In some areas deer are so
prevalent and accustomed to eating from

home gardens that the only sure defense

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 56

is a tall wire fence. Eight feet tall is ideal Saving Seeds
and, if possible, angled sway from the out¬
side so that the deer may not be able to A simple act of self-sufficiency,
land clearly if they attempt to jump. practiced by farmers for generations, sav¬
A fence that’s just four feet high but that ing seeds from this season’s crop to plant
goes a couple feet underground keeps next year is worth more than just the
groundhogs (aka woodchucks), rabbits, money you save on buying seeds. You cre¬
and other critters out of your garden. Plant¬ ate strains of your favorite vegetable vari¬
ing a trap crop is a less costly approach eties that are uniquely adapted to your
that often works for all of these pest ani¬ specific conditions. You might even help
mals. A trap crop is simply a bed full of preserve biodiversity. Best of all, saving
inexpensive greens that you plant close to seeds requires no special equipment, and
the edge of the woodland where the ani¬ it’s easy and fun.
mals live. They get the food they’re after in I won’t go too far into genetics or plant

a place that feels safer to them and leave reproduction here, but I do need to

your garden alone. explain a little to help you succeed with

Whichever pest-control strategies you saving seeds. For most of the popular gar¬

choose, always keep in mind that you are den vegetables, you can find open-polli¬

not a farmer, and while you are growing nated and hybrid varieties. “Open-
food to provide for your family, your liveli¬ pollinated” means that the seed comes

hood does not depend on the crop. So it is from a plant that was pollinated from any

just not worth it to use dangerous chemi¬ other of its species nearby. Hybrids are

cals to protect your garden. Better to let created when plant breeders intentionally

your garden be decimated—which it won’t transfer the pollen of one plant to another

be if you consistently build your soil with with the goal of introducing desirable

compost and other organic matter. traits to them. (Please don’t confuse this
with genetic engineering, which involves

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 57

the transfer of DNA in the laboratory from If other gardeners like those traits and

one organism to another. Hybridizing has want the strains you’ve created, you can

been practiced for centuries and is known swap your extras for other seeds you want.

to be safe.) Seeds from open-pollinated The Seed Savers Exchange (www.seed-

varieties grow into plants with exactly the savers.org) in Decorah, Iowa, was estab¬

same attributes as the plants they came lished in the 1970s to support and facilitate

from. That’s why you want to save open- seed-swapping. You now can find many

pollinated seeds. You can save and replant online forums where gardeners are swap¬

the seeds from hybrids, but they may be ping seeds, but through the Seed Savers

sterile, and if not they are very likely to pro¬ Exchange you will be joining the commu¬
duce plants that are not just like their “par¬ nity of gardeners and farmers who have
ents.” You can tell the difference when kept alive some of the heirloom vegetables
you’re buying seeds to start with—look for prized today. That’s no exaggeration. The
“OP” or “Fl hybrid” on the seed packet or Brandywine tomato consistently wins taste
in the catalog description. tests every year. Thirty years ago it was no
After you’ve planted your open-polli¬ longer for sale from commercial seed com¬
nated seeds and the plants begin to mature, panies, but seed savers kept growing and
take note about which have the traits you saving it; today you can easily buy it again.
like most. Consider the flavor, texture, and Industrial-scale farmers want tomatoes and
color of the edible parts, as well as the other vegetables that are uniform in size
plants’ size, productivity, and resistance to and shape (so they can be easily picked by a
problems. If you keep and replant the seeds machine) and able to withstand shipping to
from your best plants each year, you market. As a gardener, you can choose to
become like a plant breeder—selecting for grow varieties because they taste great, no
the most desirable traits and encouraging matter what they look like. Saving seeds
them until your whole crop has those same gives you access to the best varieties and
attributes. keeps them available for others like you.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 58

EASIEST SEEDS
FOR SAVING SEEDS VS. PLANTS
If you look inside a packet of seeds for peas
and beans, you’ll notice that the seeds look BEST GROWN FROM SEEDS:
a lot like peas and beans. So all you have to Beans Dill
do to save seeds from those crops is to Beets Peas
leave them on the vine until they are fully Carrots Radishes
mature and have begun to dry. When the Corn Spinach
growing season is over, you then pluck the
peas and beans from the their pods, put BEST GROWN FROM
them in a paper bag in a cool, dry place, STARTED PLANTS:
and leave them to continue drying for a
Basil Peppers
couple weeks. When one of the seeds shat¬
Broccoli Squash
ters from a hammer blow (indicating it’s
Chives Strawberries
thoroughly dry), put the rest in a jar or
Cucumbers Tomatoes
envelope, mark it clearly with the variety
Melons
and the year, and store them where you’ll
remember them next season. Many people YOUR CHOICE:
use an old recipe card box for their saved Lettuceand othersaladgreens
seeds, which can help with organizing
them when you have a lot. (When you’ve
saved your seeds and are ready to plant,
read the Appendix on page 221 for infor¬
mation on growing fruits, vegetables, and

herbs of all kinds.)

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN 59

 Pepper seeds are clustered around the the plants’ lives to a natural conclusion.

top, where the stem meets the flesh. When Pull off the cobs, peel back the husk, and

the pepper plant dies at the end of the sea¬ air-dry them until the kernels are hard,

son (this may not happen in warm cli¬ maybe three weeks or so. Scrape the seeds

mates), gather the pods you left to mature. from the cob, then store them for the winter

Over a dish, rub the seeds loose with your in jars or envelopes. One caution about

finger and set them away from direct light saving corn seeds: they cross-pollinate so

for a week to dry. If you grew hot peppers, easily between varieties that if you grow

you probably have enough seeds to use more than one variety (or had a different

some to make your own pizza seasoning one growing in sight of yours), the seeds

(see page 97). Store the rest for replanting. will be hybrids by default and may yield

You might have noticed while you were unappealing results the following year.

planting that corn’s kernels are its seeds. Experienced seed savers carefully sepa¬

To get kernels ready for storage, leave the rate different varieties of corn and other

ears on the stalk until the husks turn brown crops, like squashes, that are prone to

and frost or diminishing daylight brings cross-pollinating.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 60

SLOW SEEDS MESSY SEEDS
Lettuce (and other salad greens) and dill The seeds in tomatoes, cucumbers, and
produce their seeds long after you’re fin¬ squash are wet when you harvest them, so
ished eating them. Greens typically start you need to treat them differently. Let a
to taste bitter and grow long, tough leaves few of the fruits mature to the point where
as daylight hours increase and the tem¬ they are about to—or maybe already
perature rises. A few weeks later a long have—fallen off the vines. Lightly mash
stalk shoots up and tiny white or yellow the fruit open, then put it in a bucket with a
flowers open up. Dill’s top fronds form a few cups of warm water (enough to cover
spidery blossom with little yellowish flow¬ the pulp and then one more). For the next
ers. After pollination the seeds are formed three or four days, stir the mixture each
in the flowers. Cut the flowers when the day. You’ll see mold growing on top. Seeds
plant dies—but don’t wait too long; birds that won’t grow float in the mold, while the
love these tiny seeds—and put them in viable seeds sink to the bottom. When you
paper bags to dry for a couple weeks. see that happen, pour off the mold (yuck, I
Holding each flower over a dish, rub with know), gather the good seeds, and rinse

your hands to loosen the seeds. If they’re them off. Leave them to dry for a few days

not all fully dry, let them sit in the open air on paper plates, and they’re ready for you
for a day or two before you store them. to store them.
If you can, you want to plant all the
seeds you saved the following season, or
trade all of your extras, because seeds’
germination rates decline—to varying
degrees—in storage. But if you do happen
to forget some, test them before you toss
them. Here’s how you can test seeds’ via¬
bility: Put a few in a damp paper towel, roll

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING YOUR OWN | 61

them up inside of a resealable plastic bag, refrigerator. If they ve sprouted in a week,
and keep them moist for a week in the they’re still ready for planting.

WELL-AGED SEEDS
HHIIIlHiiimu i«««imi m »■«**» «■»««*■« ....

Though seeds don't come with an exact expiration date, they do lose their via¬
bility over time. With each season, fewer of them will germinate. But before
you toss away old seeds, consider this: In 2005 scientists planted a date palm
seed discovered in excavations at Herod the Great’s palace in Israel. The
seed, estimated using carbon-dating to be 2,000 years old, germinated and
produced a tree. I once spoke to a gardener who found a stash of tomato seeds
that had been in his grandfather’s barn for 80 years. The gardener planted the
seed and 80% of them sprouted and grew into healthy, vigorous tomato
plants. Now those were some true heirloom tomatoes!

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 62

 CHAPTER TWO:

GOING WILD FOR FOOD

F oraging for food is for contestants on reality shows and desperate people
who are really lost in the wilderness, right? Well, if you are a modern home¬
steader looking for ways to add more fresh, locally sourced food to your diet, you
can find a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and fungi with unique, delicious fla¬
vors just waiting for you to gather them up. In many instances, foraged foods are even
more nutritious than the cultivated and processed items you buy at the store. But all that
aside, gathering food from the wild is a fun way to see how almost miraculously Nature
works, even in places where it appears to be overwhelmed by manmade habitat.
You don’t have to live near the prairie or the forest to be close to edible wild food. You’ll
find it around old houses, in vacant city lots, even in your own backyard. In fact, I’ll bet
there’s something uncultivated that you can eat within a five-minute walk from your
front door—you just never noticed.
 TLJ
CAUTION
BEFORE WE GET INTO THE SPECIFICS, I HAVE TO GIVE YOU A FEW CRITICAL
words of caution. Most important: Before you eat any wild food, be sure you have

absolutely, positively identified it. Many common edible wild foods have poisonous (or

at least unpalatable) look-alikes. Check a credible guidebook (see the “Resources” sec¬

tion on page 000 for suggestions), or ask an experienced forager to confirm your iden¬

tification. Don’t trust common name identification; rather, rely on the scientific names.

Very different plants can be known by the same colloquial name, but each plant and fun¬

gus has its own unique genus and species designation.

Also, don’t eat anything that could possibly have been treated with insecticides, her¬

bicides, or fungicides. Wild plants are not normally treated with these chemicals, but if

they come from an area with cultivated plants, they may have been sprayed as part of a

treatment program for a lawn or other domestic space. If you have doubts about

whether a plant has been sprayed or not, pass on eating it.

So with those cautions in mind, you are ready to step outside and into the world of wild

food. I believe you’ll be surprised by all the options you have and how accessible they

are to you, wherever you live.

Vegetables
The greens that we eat every day—
or at least should eat every day—are in
many cases simply cultivated cousins of
wild plants that grow by themselves.
Many of them come up in early spring,
though some thrive in the hot tempera¬
tures of summer when the lettuce, Dandelions. The most common lawn
spinach, and other salad greens in your weed, the scourge of suburbanites who
garden wilt or go to seed. In nearly every meticulously tend their swaths of turf, is a
case, the newest, smallest leaves are the tasty salad ingredient that is gathered
tenderest and the best-tasting. (This is each spring by cooks in France, Italy, and
actually true of most cultivated vegeta¬ other areas around the Mediterranean. If
bles, too—as they get larger, they become you don’t find dandelions near you but
chewier, drier, or pulpier and develop bit¬ still want some, you can come by and pick
ter or harsh flavors. “Pick young and them out of my lawn. Seriously, you can
often” is a good rule of thumb for most buy seeds to plant from suppliers that

food plants.) The list of wild vegetables specialize in Italian varieties or unusual

you can eat is very long; here I will intro¬ greens. Dandelions come up as the days
duce you to those most frequently found begin to warm in early spring, so you can

in cities and suburbs. harvest them before the first greens of the
season are ready to be harvested from
your garden. When the leaves are small,
they look and taste very much like arugula,
but cost a lot less than the $2.99 or more
per pound that you pay for gourmet

CHAPTER TWO: GOING WILD FOR FOOD | 65

greens in the supermarket. Like arugula, well as spring. Seed companies offer

they have a lightly bitter flavor that mache, if you can’t find it and want to

becomes more pronounced as the days grow your own. Harvest just the leaves

grow warmer. Dandelions are best eaten when they are three to four inches tall, or

fresh and raw, blended with other sweeter pull the whole plant and then cut off the

greens such as Bibb lettuce. You can also root. Either way, pick it before it starts to

braise them with garlic in olive oil as you flower as the days get warmer. Leave a few

would spinach or kale. The flowers and to flower and produce seed, and you’ll have

stems are the raw ingredients for dande¬ more to enjoy next season.

lion wine.

Corn salad. Another early spring weed

you can eat, corn salad is also known as Lamb’s quarters. You may not know it by

lamb’s lettuce or, to the hippest foodies, name, but if you’ve tended a garden or

mache. It grows in a little rosette, or head, lawn, you’ve seen lamb’s quarters. It is

and its spoon-shaped leaves are mild, also known as white goosefoot (or just

even sweet, and they have more iron than goosefoot) or pigweed. In India the plant

spinach. Corn salad is also a good veg¬ is cultivated and eaten like spinach. You

etable source of omega-3 fatty acids. It can harvest the leaves and the very tender

can be found in some areas in autumn as young shoots that come up in early spring,

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 66

and steam or braise them like you do with Wild mustard comes up in early spring
other greens. Just be aware that it is even and flowers as soon as the days start get¬
higher in oxalic acid than spinach, which ting long. The leaves have a peppery fla¬
for some people disrupts their absorption vor that spices up braised greens and
of calcium. After lamb’s quarters flowers, it stir-fries. The seeds come after the flow¬
also produces thousands of tiny, protein- ers. You can grind them up and mix them
rich seeds you can dry and eat. (A close rel¬ with vinegar to make your own mustard
ative, quinoa, is grown for its seeds, which for hot dogs and sandwiches.

are eaten as a grain.)

Chick-weed. Where grass is sparse in

Mustard. A member of the brassica fam¬ lawns and in bare spots in gardens, chick-

ily, which includes broccoli, cabbage, and weed moves in during spring, fall, and

radishes, mustard greens are the tough even winter in many areas, growing close

kinds of plants that flourish in abandoned to the ground in an ever-expanding mat

lots, along railroad tracks, and other of thin stems and small leaves. This is a

places where people once disturbed the very common plant, but be absolutely

natural plants but are now neglected. sure to get a positive identification on it.

CHAPTER TWO: GOING WILD FOR FOOD | 67

Poisonous spotted spurge and inedible perennial plant found in sunny open spaces

knotweed also grow close to the ground like meadows and grassy fields. It survives

and look similar to chickweed. year-round in much of North America, but

Chickens do love chickweed and it’s it’s at its best early in spring when the leaves

nutritious for them, so you can gather it for are small and tender. Crush those leaves

your hens even if you don’t want to eat it and you get a strong scent of cucumbers.

yourself. The stems and the leaves are both You can eat the leaves raw in salads or use

edible. Raw, they taste a bit like corn silk- them as an herb to flavor dressings and

fine if it comes along with the juicy sweet dips. Salad burnet is a trendy cocktail ingre¬

flavor of fresh corn, but maybe not enticing dient in the hippest bars.

otherwise. Cooked chickweed will remind

you of spinach, but with a little hint of
lemon. Steam or braise it for no longer than
five minutes, or you’ll have nothing left to
eat of the slim stems and leaves.

Purslane. When summer heats up, purs¬

lane shows up in gardens, pathways, even
sidewalk cracks. It is a succulent, which
means its thick red stems and rounded,
fleshy leaves retain water. Those stems and

Salad burnet. An herb cultivated in coun¬ leaves have a tangy flavor and they hold up

tries around the Mediterranean and Asia, well to cooking in omelets and quiches, or

salad burnet is a tall, very drought-tolerant sauteed with a bit of oil, lemon juice, and

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 68

fresh herbs. In Mexico, purslane is known Wild garlic and onions. Look at lawns
as verdolagas, and the leaves are boiled after the first few warm days in spring,
and served in a warm tortilla. You also can before the grass starts growing, and you’ll
eat it raw in a salad or pickle the stems. see the tall, thin leaves of wild garlic and
onions. The most immediately noticeable
difference between them: Wild garlic has
round, hollow leaves; wild onion leaves
are flat. But they differ very little from the
chives and scallions you buy in the gro¬
cery store. You can just use the leaves to
add flavor to soups and stews, or dig up
the bulbs to cook as you would shallots.

Orach. Also known as saltbush, orach

looks like a taller type of lamb’s quarters.
It grows up to three feet tall in sandy, salty
soil, which is why you’ll find it near
beaches, marshes, and other coastal areas.
In late spring and early summer, pick the
young leaves—they can reach up to five
inches long, but you want them half that
size. Their naturally salty flavor makes Ramps. Another wild member of the

them a good companion with other onion family, ramps (or wild leeks) have

greens in salads and cooked dishes. wider leaves and small, spicy bulbs. They
grow in damp, sandy soil, frequently near
streams and creeks. They come up in late

CHAPTER TWO: GOING WILD FOR FOOD | 69

winter and early spring—when towns in keep them whiter in color and more tender.

West Virginia and other states hold festi¬ Cardoon soup is a traditional start to

vals to celebrate the crop—and typically Easter dinner in some regions of Italy. It’s

last for just a few weeks. When ramps first also an ingredient in Cocido madrileno, a

come up is the best time to eat the small one-pot meal that’s one of Spain’s national

tender leaves, chopped and added to any dishes. Cardoon stems—you can eat the

dish that calls for chives. You can eat the flower buds, but there isn’t much to them—

bulbs into early summer, when heat turns taste similar to artichokes and can be

them bitter. Add them to fried potatoes, steamed, braised, cooked into broth, or bat¬

saute them with bacon, pickle, or grill them. tered and fried.

Cardoon

Cardoon. Artichokes are a cultivated Fiddleheads. In early spring, ostrich ferns

cousin to the tall prickly thistle that is a poke new shoots up through the ground

pest to farmers and gardeners nearly that are coiled and wrapped in a papery

everywhere in North America. Another rel¬ sheath. When the shoots, or fiddleheads,

ative, cardoon is gathered for its stems (the are a couple inches tall, you can cut them

part of the artichoke we eat are the flowers) off, peel away the wrapper, rin^e them

in late spring and early summer. Many who clean, and enjoy their unique mushroomy

collect cardoon (or, as it’s known among but still vegetal flavor. You can saute them

Italians, cardoni) find it growing in early with onions and garlic and serve over

spring and mound soil around the stems to pasta or in an omelet, or steam them for

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 70

about 20 minutes, then top with melted sions, and highways, you’ll find a surpris¬
butter. They’re also great in a creamy soup ing variety of fresh, local fruit, free for the
or risotto. picking. But I can’t say this enough: Be
absolutely sure you know what you are
picking. Always try a small amount of any
foraged food and wait to see if you have a
Wild Fruit reaction to consuming it before you eat a
basket full of it.
Picking wild berries sounds like
something from a novel set in nineteenth- Raspberries, black raspberries, and black¬
century America, doesn’t it? But even berries. These brambles—the group of
while development has “paved paradise berries that grow on long, arching canes
and put up a parking lot,” berry bushes with thorns—can certainly be planted and
still hold on in the nooks and crannies of cultivated in your backyard. As satisfying
empty lots, playgrounds, backyards, and as that is, it’s no match for the simple joy
many other places where you may not of discovering a patch and filling a pail
have noticed them. (You can thank a bird with wild berries. All three of these are
for spreading the seeds wherever they found in damp, partially shaded environ¬
land. Think about that next time you curse ments. Black raspberries (which can cost

because your car is splattered with purple $5 or more a pint at the grocery store or

bird droppings.) Wild and just uncared- farmer’s market) are actually the most

for fruit trees are ripe for picking in many common, but also the smallest and most

cities and towns, where they were planted fragile. You are more likely to find black¬

years ago and have long since been for¬ berries in a state park than in town. They

gotten or ignored. If you look beyond the can grow canes up to six feet tall, and the

surface in most developed areas, at the berries are typically as big as your thumb.

edges of parking lots, housing subdivi¬ When fully ripe and at their peak of sweet-

CHAPTER TWO: GOING WILD FOR FOOD | 71

ness, all of these berries just fall off the becomes a bully that outcompetes native

cane and drop into your palm when you species, threatening biodiversity. All of

tickle them a little with your fingers. which means that you shouldn’t plant
them, but there’s no reason not to gather
and eat them where they are already grow¬
ing. They’re a little blander and a little
more tart than raspberries—they’re better
combined with other fruits in pies and

jams than eaten all alone.

Wineberries. At first glance, you might

think wineberries are raspberries. The
plants and the fruit look very similar. But
raspberries are deep red when they’re at
their ripest; wineberries are more fire- Salmonberries, thimbleberries, and cloud¬

truck red. I see wineberries growing every berries. In the Pacific Northwest, Alaska,

summer in the wooded edge of my back¬ and Canada, you can gather a few rare,

yard, and also around the retention basin tasty relatives of raspberries. They’re all

where I walk the dog, in the strip of land most commonly found in undeveloped

between two housing developments, and areas, like the many national parks and
\
in the unmowed area behind the strip mall. other protected lands in the region.

Wineberry is considered, in many states, Salmonberries are pale yellow to deep

an “invasive” plant, which means that it orange when they’re ripe, and they grow on

adapts so well to most conditions that it canes up to six feet tall. Thimbleberries

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 72

 Blueberries and huckleberries. If you hap¬
pen to find blueberries growing untended
in a city or town, they were almost certainly
planted by someone who since left them
behind. The best places to look for them
are around old homes, nurseries, and other
abandoned buildings, especially in low-
lying damp areas. Because blueberries and
look like small raspberries, though they're huckleberries look so much alike, people
a little brighter red, but you can recognize sometimes use the names interchange¬
them because the canes don’t have thorns. ably, though they are two distinct plants.
Cloudberries, which look like golden They can both be colored from dusky blue
blackberries, grow closer to the ground. to nearly black, and they ripen in late sum¬

They’re all varying degrees of sweet, with mer. The most noticeable difference
a hint of tartness, and all very fragile when between them is the seeds. Blueberries
ripe, which is why they are not valued for have many, but they’re small; huckleber¬
commercial production but perfect for ries have ten or fewer, but they’re larger

enterprising foragers. and crunchier. Both of them make deli¬

cious pie filling or jam, or add a sweet and
juicy accent to pancakes and muffins.
One heads-up to remember when pick¬
ing wild blueberries and huckleberries in
a forest: they are a favorite food of bears.
Be alert, especially early in the morning
and in the late afternoon, for the sounds
and signs of bears in the area, and back off
the berries if you see or hear them.

CHAPTER TWO: GOING WILD FOR FOOD | 73

 Mulberries Elderberries

Mulberries. Native to China, white mul¬ Elderberries. A North American native—

berry trees were introduced to North though they’re found on nearly every

America in the colonial days to nurture other continent, too—elderberries grow

silkworms. Red mulberries were already on shrubs that can reach thirteen feet tall.

growing in the wild. Today, you’ll find both They favor moist conditions and in devel¬

of them—along with another non-native to oped areas show up in the thickets around

this continent, black mulberries—growing streambeds and retention basins. Their

in city parks, in suburban yards, and along lacy, white flowers open in late spring to

streets in nearly every climate. The berries early summer. The flowers make a light,

hang in clusters from the tree and ripen in fragrant tea, are used to make syrup or

late spring and early summer. They’re liqueur, and often are included in herbal

sweet with a slight hint of acid and are very remedies. There’s even a soft drink popu¬

high in a few unique antioxidant nutrients. lar in Europe made from elder flowers,

If you find more than you can eat right called Fanta Shokata. The dark blue-

away, mulberries, like other berries, dry almost black berries ripen from midsum-

very readily into tasty little pellets of flavor mer to fall. The easiest way to harvest

you can add to granola or trail mix. Mul¬ them is to pick the whole clusters (rather

berry wine might not replace your favorite than berry by berry), place them in the

merlot, but it has its fans. freezer when you get home, and an hour

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 74

later the berries will fall right off the
branch. They taste bitter when eaten raw,
but drying them seems to moderate that.
Cooking brings out the best flavor, which
is why elderberries make such popular
jelly and pie filling. They’re most in
demand, though, for making wine or
brandy. By the way, Sambucus is the plant’s
genus name, but the Italian liqueur called Juneberries. Shadbush, also known as

Sambuca is flavored with star anise, not Juneberry, is a very adaptable shrub that
elderberry. grows in a wide variety of conditions
In some regions you might find red throughout North America. Birds flock to
elderberries. They are quite bitter and the fruit and then spread the seeds far and
may be toxic to you, so pass on them. Also, wide to almost any untended area you
elderberry bushes have no thorns. The find, and the shrubs are so attractive year-
shrub and fruit of Hercules Club look sim¬ round and maintenance-free that many
ilar to elderberries, but the branches have landscapers today use them in their plant¬

short spines and the berries are poison¬ ings around office parks, condominium
ous. Check for thorns before you pick complexes, and housing developments.

elderberries. The different common names by which

these shrubs are known tell you about
their timing. They bloom with clusters of
white flowers in early spring—before
nearly every other tree and shrub—at
about the same time shad begin their
annual spawning run up rivers and
streams in the Northeast. The berries

CHAPTER TWO: GOING WILD FOR FOOD | 75

ripen in June. When fully ripe, they look a white flowers in late spring, and bear little

lot like blueberries. But they taste more red berries that look just like Thanksgiv¬

like pears, which seems weird until you ing cranberries in late summer. And they

know that the plant is in the apple family. have a slightly sour taste, which some say

You can eat the berries fresh right off the sweetens if you pick them after the frost.

branch or use them in muffins or cob¬ Of course, by then it’s likely birds will

blers. Like apples, the berries are natu¬ have eaten them. You won’t want to eat a

rally high in pectin, so they cook readily lot of them fresh off the shrub—besides

into a thick pie filling. the sour taste, they have a large seed
inside. But you can use them in any recipe
that calls for cranberries, like sauces and

stuffing.

Highbush cranberries. Not actually related

to the cranberries we eat on Thanksgiv¬

ing (which are in the same family as blue¬
berries), highbush cranberries have also Salal. The name sounds more like a dish

become a popular ornamental plant for on the menu at a Middle Eastern restau-

city parks and corporate campuses. They rant than a shrub native to the western

don’t need a bog, but they do grow best in United States. But salal is a relative of azal¬

partly shady, moist areas. The shrubs get eas and rhododendrons most often found

to be about four feet tall, bloom with little growing in woodlands and other untended

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 76

areas. Its leathery leaves are commonly jelly (they’re naturally high in pectin). In
used to give heft to flower arrangements. early fall they ripen to deep red and
Salal berries are the same color as blueber¬ become sweeter, and excellent for pies. In
ries, but they are oblong rather than round places where winter is mild, the fruit that
and seedy. They ripen in midsummer. remains on the shrub will turn into sun-
Their flavor is lightly tart and blends well dried raisins.
with grapes in preserves and other berries
in pies and cobblers. Grapes. I’m willing to bet you won’t have

to look far from your home to find wild

Gooseberries and currants. Just a couple grapes, no matter where you live. With the
generations back these closely related dozens of different varieties that have
plants were a fixture in every backyard. evolved, grapes are found growing wild in
But while few people plant them (or any nearly every climate. Among the many
other fruit) in their yards anymore, goose¬ varieties, fox grapes and muscadine
berries and currants have long since grapes are considered the best tasting. In
escaped cultivation and now grow wild coastal areas, sea grapes (a different plant
just about everywhere in North America, family from true grapes) thrive in sandy
including coastal areas. Look for them soil and windy conditions. I’ve seen
around old homes and fields. You won’t grapevines climbing the concrete wall of
find it easy to tell gooseberries and cur¬ a semidemolished building, on poles at
rants from each other—there are many railroad sidings, and in a stand of the only

diverse varieties of each—but they both three tall trees left near a playground. The

bear lots of small, grapelike fruit on fruit is more like Concord grapes than the

shrubs that are two to five feet tall. The “table grapes” you get at the supermarket.

fruit have a pleasant tart flavor when That is, they are dark blue or purple when

they’re green—in mid- to late summer. fully ripe, they have a few seeds inside,

Many people use the green berries for and the flavor is a balance of tart and

CHAPTER TWO: GOING WILD FOR FOOD | 77

sweet. They ripen from late summer to up in the supermarket—it’s more likely to

early fall. You can use wild grapes in all be varying shades of red and green, per¬

the same ways as domesticated ones: for haps with dry brown russet patches—but

jelly juice and wine, or eating fresh—if you they’ll taste like a summer full of sunshine

don't mind spitting seeds. and rainstorms.

Crabapples. Dazzling, ruffly pink flowers Plums. If you know plums as baseball¬

that open at the height of spring have sized, dark purple skinned fruit with yel¬

made crabapples a favorite small tree of low or red flesh—that is, the fruit sold in

many landscapers. Remember where you supermarkets in summer—you might not

see them in bloom—around office build¬ recognize the dozens of other varieties

ings, malls, and homes—and come back in that grow in just about every region of

late summer to gather the tart little fruits North America. Wild plums tend to be

when they're ruby red. They're tart when smaller—some closer to the size of a large

raw, but cooking changes their flavor to cherry or grape—and come in a wide

acidy sweet. Pickled with spices like cloves range of skin colors, including cherry red,

and cinnamon, they make a classic condi¬ pale green, and sunny yellow. When fully

ment to serve alongside cranberry sauce ripe (in mid- to late summer), they are

and whole grain mustard. Crabapples are sweet, but with the hint of must like you

the easiest member of the large apple fam¬ taste when you bite into wild grapes.
ily to find in the wild, but it’s not the only Many plum trees were planted for their

one that you might run across growing ornamental qualities—the trees top out at
untended. If you live close to land that used about 25 feet tall, and they bloom in a
to be a farm, chances are the remnants of flurry of white petals in spring around
an apple orchard are somewhere nearby. homes and along streets in town centers
The fruit won’t look like the polished bril¬ in the East and Midwest. Chances are,
liance of the giant Red Delicious stacked you’ve passed by untended plums in your

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 78

area and just never noticed. One very egg) green berries that turn to yellow and,
common variety, the sand plum, grows when dead-ripe, drop off the vine. They’re
wild in the southern United States from popular with all kinds of wildlife, so you’ll
Texas and Oklahoma east. As you might have to be timely if you want to gather
guess from the name, they favor sandy them. Maypops taste like other passion
soil and tend to grow into thickets in fruit—hints of melon, pineapple, guava—
coastal areas. You can make any wild though they are very seedy. Some people
plums into a sweet and potent liqueur by go to the trouble of deseeding maypop,
soaking them in vodka, or you can use but the seeds are not harmful for you to
them to make wine, jelly, or pie. eat. Just pop them in your mouth fresh,
add them to a smoothie, or reduce them to
a sweet syrup.

Maypop. Tropical passion fruit has a cold-

hardy cousin that thrives along the edges

of fields, roadside ditches, and other open Haws. The hawthorn is a small tree with

sunny areas in the southern United prickly spines on the branches. Those

States. In early spring it sports bright pur¬ spines made it a popular choice for

ple flowers on vines wrapped around hedgerows planted to keep wildlife out of

shrubs and small trees. By early summer or livestock inside a property. Now you’ll

the vines are hung with rather large see hawthorns in thickets and other

(almost the size of an average chicken untamed areas, especially where old

CHAPTER TWO: GOING WILD FOR FOOD 79

homesteads used to be. The fruit, called Persimmons. You may know Japanese (or

haws, are about the size and shape of an Asian) persimmons as a specialty fruit

olive, ripen to dark red, are pulpy, and have found in grocery stores only during cer¬

one to five seeds. The haws are bitter when tain times of the year. They are tennis-ball

young, but after a few hard frosts, they size, bright orange, and, until soft and

sweeten into an applelike flavor. You can ripe, very astringent. The native Ameri¬

use them in mixed fruit preserves and can persimmon grows wild throughout

sauces for meats. the East and South, in semi-open areas

where the medium-size trees can get sun.
The fruit is smaller than the Asian type—
an inch or so in diameter, on average.
American persimmons are also very sour
before they ripen (typically after the first
frost), but when they reach that point
where they are falling off the tree, they are
as sweet as any fruit you’ll eat this side of
Pawpaw. In woodlands throughout most of grapes. If you want to gather some before

North America, pawpaw trees bear the the squirrels, chipmunks, and other
largest edible fruit native to this continent. wildlife take them all, you can harvest

Pawpaws can weigh up to a pound each them before they fall off the tree and let
and look similar to mangoes. When ripe, them finish softening in your fruit bowl
the fruit is soft and thin-skinned, maturing inside. You can eat American persim¬
from green to yellow as they ripen. The fla¬ mons raw or make them into a traditional
vor calls to mind bananas and mangoes. pudding.
You almost have to eat them fresh off the
trees, as they are so fragile they are hard to
keep for any length of time.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 80

 typically start to ripen around the middle
of August and continue into early Sep¬
tember. Don’t rush this. When you are
picking them, keep an eye out for
stinkbugs, which frequent chokecherry
bushes—you don’t want to let one of them
sneak into your bucket and inadvertently
bite into one of them. The ripe fruit makes
Chokecherries. For the Native Americans delicious jelly and a thick, sweet syrup
who lived on the northern Plains, you can pour on pancakes or desserts. Or
chokecherries were an important staple preserve them as the natives did—dried to
food that was very abundant and easy to a sweet chewiness—and then add them to
gather. Today, they thrive where people your cereal, muffin batter, or granola.
have disturbed the land. Look for them
around neglected fields and fencerows,
along roadsides and clearings, culverts
and wetlands. Chokecherries, which are
in the same family as domesticated cher¬
ries, plums, and peaches, grow on thin¬
stemmed shrubs that reach up to twenty
feet tall. The fruit looks very similar to
black cherries you buy in the store, but
chokecherries can be quite astringent, Prickly pear. A wide variety of cactus

especially when they’re picked too soon. species flourish in the deserts in the

You want to leave them on the bush until Southwest, but one cactus grows wild in

they lose their red color and have all dry areas throughout the United States.

turned dark purple, almost black. They Though there are several species, they are

CHAPTER TWO: GOING WILD FOR FOOD | 81

all low-growing and have familiar-looking Nuts
fleshy pads and sharp spines. They flower
at different times of the season, depend¬ Every autumn, trees of many differ¬
ing on the species and climate, with ent types drop pounds and pounds of

bright yellow, red, or purple flowers, healthy, protein-rich food at your feet.

which turn into bumpy grape-size fruit Acorns, chestnuts, black walnuts, and

that ripens to dark pink or red. They have other kinds of nuts fall from trees onto

clusters of tiny barbed spines on their streets, sidewalks, and walking paths, and

outer skin, so you need to handle them any that are not quickly gathered up by

with gloves and slice open and peel away squirrels and chipmunks are likely to be

the skin before you eat the fruit. Prickly swept up and into the trash. You can beat

pears, sometimes sold in stores as “tuna” them to it and take home a supply of fresh

(as they’re known in Mexico), are full of food you can snack on or use to make

juice that reminds some people of sugar- meals and desserts.

free bubblegum and others of water¬

melon. You can use it to flavor candy, Acorns. You don’t have to be a squirrel to

sauces, salad dressing, cake frosting, or appreciate acorns. They are, like other

cocktails. Many people, especially of nuts, high in protein, but they’re lower in
Mexican heritage, also eat the pads as a fat than many others. And you won’t have
fried or steamed vegetable, called nopali- to look far for them. Oak trees are every¬
tos. where in North America—city parks and
country fields, backyards and forests. In a
single fall season, a small oak tree can
drop twenty-five pounds or more of
acorns; big old oaks produce as much as a
thousand pounds of them. You want to
look for white (rather than red) varieties

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 82

of oak. Bitter-tasting tannins are in every would any other nut. Or you can use a
acorn, but those from white oaks tend to mortar and pestle or hand-powered food
have the least. You can pick up acorns that mill to turn them into meal or flour for
have already fallen, or you can bring the baking bread or pancakes.
acorns to you by spreading a tarp or sheet
under the tree and shaking the limbs until
the nuts fall. When you’ve gathered up
your haul, crack the shells and pile up all
the kernels that are yellowish (not black
and dusty, a sign of insect damage).
Native Americans set baskets of shelled
acorns in clean fast-flowing streams,
which would leach out the tannins in a Chestnuts. American chestnut trees used

couple of days. If you don’t have a stream to be almost as abundant as oaks—that’s a

handy or want to speed up the process, pretty big almost, but four billion (no
boil the kernels for about fifteen minutes, exaggeration) American chestnut trees in
dump the brown tannic water, and boil forests and around old homes died in the
them again in fresh water. Keep up the early 1900s from chestnut blight, a dis¬
boiling and dumping until the water no ease accidentally imported from Asia.
longer turns brown. (And if you have trou¬ Today there are a few isolated stands of
ble removing the kernels from their shells, American chestnut trees left while
you can leave the acorns in their shells the research and breeding efforts continue to

first time you boil them.) After you’ve try to reestablish them. In the meantime,

boiled away the tannins, you can roast the blight-resistant Chinese chestnut trees

acorns in your oven at its lowest setting have been planted in their place and are

(about 175°F) for twenty minutes to make thriving along streets, and in parks and

them crunchy and ready to eat like you woodlands. Like acorns, chestnuts drop

CHAPTER TWO: GOING WILD FOR FOOD | 83

from trees in the fall and are easy to bianco, is made with pureed chestnuts

gather, if you beat the squirrels and other and whipped cream.

wildlife to them. Chestnuts are also high

in bitter tannins—not as much as acorns,
but still too much for most people’s taste.
Prepare to remove the chestnuts’ shells by
slicing an “X” into the flat side. After you
boil or roast them for about fifteen min¬
utes to quell the tannic acid, peel back the
shell while the chestnuts are still warm.
(There’s no need for the repeat boiling Black walnuts. You could pay $10 per

with chestnuts.) Want to roast them over pound or more for the most prized of wal¬

an open fire, as the familiar Christmas nuts, or you could be lucky enough to

song rhapsodizes? Puncture the nuts’ know where a black walnut tree is grow¬

shells to release steam as they cook, and ing untended, near a neglected field or

put them in a metal basket or grate over homestead. If you do, most likely it was

white-hot coals. (You can also buy a chest¬ planted generations back because its

nut roaster for your fireplace.) wood was highly valued for its beauty and

You can eat chestnuts fresh roasted or strength. In early fall, when the black wal¬

add them to a traditional stuffing recipe. nut tree’s leaves turn golden yellow, so do
You can puree boiled or cooked kernels the husks of the tennis-ball-size nuts. If
and use them in cooked dishes in place of you press on the spongy husk with your
potatoes or pasta—chestnuts are very thumb and it makes an indentation, the
high in starch—or as a thickener in soup nuts are ripe. At that stage, though, most
and stew. In many countries, chestnuts of them are still on the tree, where squir¬
are a popular ingredient in desserts. For rels have an easier time getting to them
instance, the classic Italian cake, Monte- than you do. If you can, get at them with a

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 84

ladder. If not, you’ll have wait until after a MAST YEAR
frost or two for them to drop to the
ground. Check often and pick them up as THOUGH TREES LOOK TO BE STANDING

soon as possible to prevent them from rot¬ still, minding their own business, they are

ting or becoming infested with worms. engaged in complex and mysterious commu¬

Husking black walnuts is a messy job- nication with the rest of their ecosystem.

wear old clothes and gardening gloves Oaks, chestnuts, pine, spruce, and other nut¬

because the husks leave behind very stub¬ bearing trees produce an extra-heavy crop

born brown stains on anything they one year, and then for the next few years yield

touch. You can smash the husks open with a smaller amount. And they do it in sync with

a hammer or stomp them with your feet. one another (all the oaks have a big year

Rinse the shelled nuts you find inside— together) in an unpredictable pattern.

but don’t soak them—then spread them Scientists have tested lots of theories about

out on an old window screen or tray in a the cause for a season of extra abundance,

cool, well-ventilated place where rodents known as a “mast year.” Weather, predator

won’t get to them and let them dry for a populations, and survival strategy all have

couple weeks. Crack open one of the been explored and may be factors, but as of

shells, and check to see that the kernel yet nobody has proposed a complete, irre¬

inside snaps crisply. When it does, the futable explanation.

walnuts are ready for storage in a cloth Understanding the mast year cycle is

bag or a basket (protected from critters) important to you as a forager. You want to be

in a well-ventilated place. Get them out aware of when the ground is deep in chest¬

when you’re ready to make chocolate chip nuts, acorns, or other nuts so that you can col¬

cookies, cakes, breads—or eat right out of lect as much as possible when they are

your hand. abundant and then be prepared for a smaller

harvest for the next couple seasons.

CHAPTER TWO: GOING WILD FOR FOOD | 85

 Caution: Don’t put the black walnut Fun with Fungi
husks in your compost pile. All parts of
this tree contain juglone, a naturally I’ve already given you at the start of
occurring compound that can keep this chapter the critical warnings about

garden plants from growing properly. If collecting wild foods cautiously, taking

you have the space to plant your own care to positively identify your harvest

black walnut, be sure to site it far from before you eat it. I’m bringing up the warn¬

your garden. ings again before we delve into mush¬

room-hunting because it is so important
that you heed them. Mushrooms are not
more toxic than plants, and the woods are
not full of lethal fungi looking as innocent
as a pizza topping. The fact is, only a dozen
or fewer of the mushrooms found in North
America will cause you serious harm
(such as death or illness). And with a little

Hickory and other nuts. Just as you can experience and a trustworthy guidebook,

find untended fruit trees in overlooked you’ll have no trouble recognizing them.

places in cities and towns, you may also But the vast majority of mushrooms found

come across hickory trees and even in the wild don’t taste good. So you want to

domesticated nuts like hazelnuts and focus your time and energy only on the

pecans planted where they’ve been long good ones.

forgotten. You are most likely to find hick¬ Go first with an experienced mushroom
\
ories. The nuts taste similar to pecans and hunter, if you can find one. Many metro¬

are harvested, husked, cured, and stored politan areas have mushroom-hunting

just as you would black walnuts. clubs whose members can be a great
source of information and guidance. Before

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 86

you go alone, if you must, take the time to you found the mushroom on a fallen log or
learn what the most prevalent edible mush¬ standing tree makes a difference.
rooms look like and where they’re found. You can find a wide variety of mush¬
You don’t want to waste your time and rooms to pick, many unique to the region
effort gathering up every fungi you see. where you live. I’ll get you started by
The best place to look for mushrooms telling you a bit about five of the most
varies depending on the type, but the common.
most likely locations for many kinds are
around fallen logs and dead standing
trees and in the leaf litter found at the base
of living trees. When you find one, cut the
whole fruit (yes, scientifically speaking, it
is a fruit of the underground fungus),
including both cap and stem. If you find
mushrooms that look weathered or with¬
ered, pass on them. Put the clean, healthy- Morels. Among the most popular wild

looking mushrooms in paper or wax mushrooms, morels pop up in groups

bags—not plastic, which traps humidity from spring to early summer in the litter
that spoils their flavor and texture. Make a beneath hardwood trees. The brown caps
note on the bag or on a piece of paper are patterned with clearly defined pits
about exactly where you found them. This and ridges, and the bottom edge of the
isn’t just bookkeeping: when you look at cap is always attached directly to the
your guidebook, it will tell you where and stem. They can be as large as a foot tall,
how the mushrooms you’re trying to iden¬ though ones shorter than six inches are

tify grow. You want to be sure you have an tenderer than the big ones. Enjoy them

exact match between the guidebook sauteed briefly in butter. If you’re lucky

description and your notes, and whether enough to find more than you can eat

CHAPTER TWO: GOING WILD FOR FOOD I 87

right away, they dry and keep very well
(see page 92 for more about drying). Boletes

Boletes. You may find any of the more

than 200 different species of boletes com¬

Chanterelles. From summer into fall, look mon in North America. They have

for these bright orange or yellow, trumpet¬ rounded tops with thick stems and can be

shaped mushrooms in loose groups at the up to ten inches tall and ten inches across

foot of hardwood trees. Some people say the cap. The tops of the caps are usually

that fresh chanterelles have a fruity fra¬ brown or reddish-brown, and the pores

grance. Their texture can be chewy, but it underneath can be whitish, yellow, brown,

softens nicely when cooked for a long time orange, or red. Ditch any that are orange

at a low temperature, which makes them or red—they may be mildly poisonous and

well-suited to eating in soups and stews. definitely don’t taste good. Eat only the
caps and be sure to cook them first.
Boletes come up in summer and fall, often
near pine trees.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 88

 Hen-of-the-woods. A big ruffled fungus

that can look like a chicken, hen-of-the-

woods forms on stumps and fallen logs,
often in the same spot year after year.
They can be very big—up to 100 pounds—
but you want to eat only the freshest
growth because it is the most tender part.
Cook it slowly for a long time to get the
Oyster mushrooms. The trunks of living best flavor and texture.
trees and fallen logs host oyster mush¬
rooms, which grow in clusters clinging to
the bark. They’re white or tan and reach
up to eight inches across. Oyster mush¬
rooms show up after wet weather almost
all year long, but especially in late fall. Lit¬
tle black beetles sometimes infest oyster
mushrooms, so soak them in salt water
before you cook them to get rid of the

bugs.

CHAPTER TWO: GOING WILD FOR FOOD | 89

 CHAPTER THREE:

SAVE IT FOR LATER

P eople on the move need food that travels. So early hunters and gatherers started

figuring out ways to keep food they couldn’t eat right away from spoiling. Today
wherever you go you can always find food—anytime, day or night, in convenience
stores, pharmacies, and mega-centers. But much of the food is loaded with an alphabet
soup of preservatives to give it years of shelf-life, though they may shorten ours.
So you’re not a nomad (except for those months when you couch-surfed after college)
or living on the frontier where there are no stores. Why, then, would you want to pre¬
serve food yourself? Number one, because it’s the only way to eat and serve homegrown
and local food all year long, no matter what climate you live in. You will always be able to
eat food that is healthy, real, and free of artificial preservatives. Putting up your own
food, as the old-timers used to say, is fun to do and leaves you with that great feeling you
get from being prepared for anything.
Storing fresh food can be very simple and, for many foods, almost labor-free. The basic
techniques of dehydrating, freezing, and cellaring require no special equipment. In this
chapter I will share with you the know-how you need to get started. Canning is more
exacting and time-consuming, but once you understand the principles, you will be on
your way to the very satisfying sight of your pantry full of gleaming jars of fruits and
vegetables. Even if you don’t have a pantry or much storage space at all, you can pre¬
serve food and, with the suggestions I’ve come up with and your own ingenuity, find

room to keep it.

 BEST FOR DRYING Though food dehydrates gradually on

its own, you want to manage the process

Apples Meat to get the best results. Air-drying is sim¬

Grapes Onions ple, but unless you live in a very hot, low-

Herbs Tomatoes humidity climate, it's feasible for only a

Hot peppers few foods. For most of the juicier fruits

and vegetables, a dedicated food dehy¬
drator or your kitchen’s oven are more
effective at drying them out evenly.
Dehydrating No matter what food you plan to dehy¬
drate, if you are harvesting it from your

The easiest and least space-inten¬ garden, pick it early in the day you are

sive way to preserve food, dehydration going to preserve it—after the dew has

just kind of happens. The results can be dried off but before the sun has heated it

fun (as in “fruit leather”), chic (sundried up. Slightly underripe produce is better

tomatoes), practical (jerky), and handy than overripe, because food past its prime

(herbs). Dehydration is just what it may already have microbes growing on it

sounds like: drying the fluids out of the that may cause it to rot in storage. For the

food. This has a significant impact same reason, don’t preserve food that is

because fruits and vegetables range from bruised or has even a little mold growing

8o to 95% water volume. Dehydration on it. Rinse the food thoroughly to remove

helps the food last longer because bacte¬ any soil or insects, and then drain it as

ria grow in the water and then cause the well as you can—you want th^ drying

food to spoil. If you have limited storage process to remove the moisture inside

space, dehydrated food is convenient without water outside to slow the dehy¬

because it keeps at room temperature and dration or become a host to mold.

takes up little room. Any way you plan to dehydrate the

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 92

food—using dry air, a dehydrator, or an and cause heavy metals to get into your
oven—air circulation is critical to even, food. Stick to food-grade metal racks.
thorough drying. Placing the food on a When putting food on racks to dry,
rack during the process allows air to flow spread it out and don’t let the pieces touch
around it. You can buy dehydration trays each other. You want to be sure there is
or make your own with ordinary oven plenty of room around each piece so that
racks or the grid-type used by bakers to air can circulate. Turn it every few hours
let cakes cool. Wrap the racks with so that all sides dry evenly. After the food
cheesecloth or synthetic mesh netting, is dehydrated, store it in tightly sealed jars
stretched tightly and held fast with or resealable bags. Keep the containers in
clothespins or the metal binder clips a cool, dry place that’s sheltered from
found in office supply stores. Many do-it- direct sunlight. Dehydrated food typically
yourselfers use galvanized window keeps for six months to one year. You can
screening for drying food. Avoid using reconstitute dried food by soaking it in
screens because they have been treated room-temperature water for a half hour.
with zinc and cadmium, and acidic (such Use it in any recipe that calls for a frozen

as tomatoes) foods may react with them or canned ingredient.

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 93

AIR-DRYING before it’s finished drying. Direct sunlight

The most critical factors for drying fruits cooks the surface of the food and hardens

and vegetables are temperature, circula¬ the outer skin, trapping moisture inside.

tion, and humidity. To air-dry effectively, The best spot to air-dry food is away from

you need two to three days of daytime direct sunlight but with steady airflow—a

temperatures in the low nineties and covered porch or balcony is ideal. One unex¬

humidity less than 80%, with nighttime pected place that can work for air-drying is

temperatures remaining in the seventies. your car. On a sunny summer day, the inside

If the temperatures are expected to drop of your car can be ten or more degrees

lower overnight, bring the trays inside warmer than outside. It can get hot and dry

and put them back out the next morning. enough to dehydrate even tomatoes in a

The hot, dry conditions are critical- single day. Leave all the windows cracked to

because when the temperature is too low allow fresh air to circulate. Be extra careful

at the start of dehydration, destructive not to let the juices that leak as the food

microbes survive and spoil the food dries drip onto your seats or floor mats.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 94

That’s sure to hurt the car’s resale value! HERBS
Wherever you put the trays, cover them with Air-drying works so well for herbs that you
cheesecloth or a very thin fabric that allows can even air-dry them inside your home.
air and moisture to pass through while It’s the best way to retain their colors and
keeping bugs and debris off the food. essential oils—the source of their flavor
Air-drying works best for herbs and a and fragrance. Rosemary, thyme, oregano,
few unique vegetables—most other food dill, parsley, and lavender top the list of eas¬
won’t yield appetizing or even safe iest herbs to air-dry. (Basil is much better
results. (In fact, most “sun-dried toma¬ preserved in pesto than dehydrated.)
toes” you find at supermarkets are dehy¬ When harvesting your homegrown herbs,
drated in factory-scale ovens.) Starting on cut the branches before the plants flower—
page 99 I’ll cover how to dehydrate lots of the flavor and aroma diminish as they
other foods using an electric food dryer or mature. You want branches that are six to

your oven. But first I’ll explain what you eight inches long. Whether you get herbs

can air-dry and how. from your garden or the farmer’s market, you
start out with bunches, but when they’ve
dried you’re left with the small amounts you
need to add authentic flavor to any dish.
The best way to dry herbs is slightly differ¬
ent than with fruits and vegetables. You put
them in paper lunch bags instead of on trays
while they’re drying. The steps are simple.

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 95

1. Label each bag with the name of the herb 3. After two weeks open a couple of the
you will put in it. Poke a few small holes about bags and touch the leaves. If they are crispy

two-thirds of the way up on both sides of and crumble easily between your fingers,

each bag. Grab four to six herb stems in a they are sufficiently dry. (If they’re not, retie

bundle and place the bag over the herbs. the bags closed and check again weekly until

Gather the ends of the bag around the stems they are.)

and tie it closed with twine.

.
4 When you’re ready to use the dried herbs,

2. Hang the bagged herb bundle upside you get the strongest and freshest flavor if

down in a well-ventilated room with low you store them whole and crumble the

humidity. You can use just about any room in leaves as you use them. Dried herbs have

your house-closets and attics work well concentrated flavors, so you don t need as

because you have rods or beams where you much as you do with fresh. In recipes that call

can hangthe bags. Belowground basements for fresh herbs, use one-quarter to one-third

tend to be damper than other rooms, so of the amount of dried herbs for the same

they’re not ideal for drying herbs. taste. Your dehydrated herbs will last for

about a year before the essential oil—and the

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 96

PEPPERS pepper flakes you can sprinkle on pizza
Chiles, especially the small, fiery ones, and other foods you’d like to spice up.
air-dry quickly on late summer days when The traditional method of preserving
they’re ripe. After they’ve dried, you can and storing chile peppers is to weave
keep the peppers whole and add them, as them into a ristra, or strand, that hangs in
I do, to homemade chili in the winter. You your kitchen. Well-crafted ristras are dec¬
also can grind them up in a food proces¬ orative and make efficient use of your
sor (or even a coffee grinder) to make hot space for storing food.

1. All you need to make a ristra is a few dozen and tie it about three inches above the first.

or more ripe red chiles and twine. You don't Continue until you have six or seven clusters

want to use green (unripe) chiles because of peppers. Break the string and start again.

they are not fully mature and shrivel up Start tying the same way and continue until

before they’re dry. Pick bright red pods and you have used all of the chiles. You can tie a

set them in a cool, shaded, well-ventilated loop in the loose end of the twine or knot a

area for a few days to start drying first. short, thin wooden dowel at the end to keep

the clusters from slipping off.

.
2 When the stems have started to turn from
green to brown, take three of them and wrap .
4 Starting with two of the strings, weave a

twine twice around the stems. Pull the string long piece of twine through each of the clus¬

up between two of the peppers, and pull ters. As you weave, turn the clusters to face in

tight.Tiethestringintoa half hitch and loop it alternate directions so that the strand hangs

around all three stems; pull the string tight. balanced when you are done.

.
3 Make another cluster of three chile pods 5. H angthe ristra outside where the peppers

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 97

continue air-drying—as always, in a spot out diately remove any pods that start to look

of direct sun, where air circulates freely. If moldy so they don’t spoil others.

you have no placeto putitoutside,you can

hang it inside, but be sure to put a few sheets 6. As you’re ready to use the peppers, snip
of newspaper underneath it, because as the them off the strand from the bottom. I've

peppers are drying, they drip red juice that kept a ristra for a couple of years, but the

stains. Dependingonyourclimate,the pep¬ peppers seem to lose their punch after a

pers will be thoroughly dry in two to four yearorso.

weeks. Duringthe process and after, imme¬

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 98

 Though garlic and onions don’t dehy¬ ONIONS
drate fully like peppers do this way, you Though onions are moister than peppers,
can store them in a similar fashion by you can air-dry them—just not whole. Yel¬
weaving them into braids. You need the low and white “storage” varieties such as
aboveground leaves that grow atop Copra and Yellow Globe start off drier than
onions or garlic to do this, so you’ll need other types of onions. Whichever kind you
to grow them yourself or get them from a use, first slice them into pieces about a
farmer who’s left the leaves on. quarter-inch thick. They air-dry quickly
Start by letting the bulbs “cure” for a cou¬ into flakes you can add to any dish calling
ple weeks, so they become less juicy and for a bit of onion flavor. Or grind them into
the leaves change from yellow to brown. onion powder for sprinkling into soups,
After brushing (not washing!) off any dirt tomato sauce, or other food.
left on the bulbs, wrap the leaves of three
bulbs over and under each other into a tight HEAT DRYING
weave. When you have six or seven clusters, You can dry a lot of other foods in a dedi¬
wrap twine between and around the woven cated food dehydrator or an oven (even a
leaves to tie them together and form a braid toaster oven), a process I’ll call heat dry¬

that’s a foot to a foot and half long. ing. Tomatoes come out great from a

If you want to show off your handiwork dehydrator, and you can also dry zucchini

by hanging your allium (botanist’s word for and peas this way. Even better, fruit such
onions, garlic, and the like) braid or ristra as apples and pears, berries and grapes,

around your kitchen, put it in a place away apricots, plums, and peaches all heat-dry

from the cooking area-even occasional into tasty, chewy snacks you can eat alone

exposure to steam will cause them to rot. or in a mix with nuts and other good stuff.

But remember they’re not just decor—eat You also can make your own fruit leather

and enjoy them throughout the year. with heat drying, too.

You can find lots of models of dehydra-

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 99

USING PASSIVE SOLAR POWER TO DEHYDRATE FOOD IS ENERGY-EFFICIENT AND

lets you dry tomatoes and fruit for which air-drying typically isn’t fast enough. You can make this sim¬

ple solar food dehydrator with stuff you have around the house or that’s easy to scrounge up. It’s better

to try drying on a sunny day, in warm but not scalding temperatures, rather than in the dead of winter.

1. Get a long, shallow cardboard box like a 3. Paint the inside of the top black, or line it

men's shirt box orgiftbox.Thelidwillbethe with a black plastic bag.

solar panel, and the food will go inside the

bottom half of the box. 4. Cover the top with clear plastic. This sec¬

tion captures heat from the sun, which will be

2. Cut four air holes in each of the narrow reflected back on the food.

ends of the box’s top piece—the holes should

be aboutthe size of a bottlecap. 5. Cut matching holes in one end of the bot¬

tom piece of the box.

6. PI ace the two boxes so that one set of

holes on the top lines up with the holes on the

bottom. Then, using scrap cardboard and

masking tape, form an air duct that guides the

air flow from the lid (the solar collector side)

into the bottom section, where thefood is.

\

7.Setthe drying box (the bottom) on a stool

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 100

or stand and lean the solar box (the top) thin fabric on top of the drying box.Put the

against the stool at the most effective angle food you want to dehydrate on the cloth or

to catch the sun’s rays. screen. If the sunlight is steady all day, the

food should be ready for storage by sun¬

8. Spread a piece of cheesecloth or other down.

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 101

tors with a variety of features, but almost have drawbacks that make them less than

all of them have stackable trays, a small ideal for drying food. Unless they have a

warming device, and a fan. Different types convection setting, they have no fan to cir¬

of trays (or inserts) are very helpful if you culate the heated air. That slows the

want to make fruit leather or jerky. The process down, which means you may

most efficient models have the heating need to leave your oven on for a whole

element and the fan at the back rather day, which you’ll probably notice on your

than the bottom of the dehydrator, but utility bill. Ovens can handle only a cou¬

those units tend to be smaller. A genera¬ ple of trays at a time—a toaster oven even

tion or two back, food dehydrators were as fewer—in contrast to the stacked-type

common for wedding gifts as fondue pots dehydrator that can have six or more trays

were. You may be able to pick one up drying at the same time. Your microwave

that’s been barely used at a yard sale or isn't a good alternative—even at the low¬

flea market. est setting the food will cook. You can use

Standard and toaster ovens can work as an oven to dry food, but if you get serious

food dehydrators, too. You need to set about it, a dedicated food dehydrator is a

them at their lowest temperature so the worthwhile investment.

food doesn’t cook before it’s dry. Ovens

DRYING SAFELY

Caution: You cannot break up the heat-drying process into multiple sessions. Once yc^u start

dehydrating, don’t let the food cool down until it is fully dry. Mold, bacteria, and other spoilers

grow on partially dried food.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 102

1. Blanching before you preserve food kills an internal thermostat, but you have to pay

the microbes that cause rot. (See “Blanche du attention to this yourself if you are using an

Vegetable”on page ll9fordetailson howto ordinary oven or an older dehydrator.

do this.) Dehydrated tomatoes last longer if

you blanch them first. For the same reason 4. Throughoutthe process, rotate the trays

and results, treat fresh fruit with an antioxi¬ in your dehydrator or oven every four hours

dant such as ascorbic acid instead of blanch¬ or so to be sure they are all drying evenly. At

ing before you dry it (see page 105). that time, flip the slices of food so they dry

equally on both sides.

.
2 Wh en drying tomatoes or larger fruits,
slice them into pieces about a half-inch thick 5. With heat drying, fruits and vegetables

(definitely no thicker), so they can dry evenly fully dehydrate in four to twelve hours,

and completely. Remove cores, seeds, and depending on the type of food. No matter

any other inedible parts before drying. how long the dehydration process is taking,

resist the temptation to speed itup byturn-

.
3 When your fruit or vegetables are ready to ing the temperature higher. If you do, the

be dehydrated, spread them out on the trays— food develops a scorched flavor or may even

remember to leave room around each item for burn up. Check on the food you’re drying

heat and air to circulate—and set the tempera¬ every couple hours and, if it is shriveling

ture at 140°F. After two to three hours away, take it out of the dryer or oven.

(depending on how juicy the food was to start),

the food will have “sweated” out much of the 6. After four h ours, press or squeeze the

moisture.Theflesh will have begun to pucker fruits and vegetables to see if moisture

and the sides to curl up. Reduce the tempera¬ beads up on the skin. If so, continue drying.

ture to l20°F;thegradual drying will continue When you don’t see water beads anymore

without causing the food to shrivel up or cook. and the food feels dry to your touch, it’s

Well-designed new dehydrators adjust the done and ready for long-term storage.

temperature at this stage automatically with

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER I 103

FRUIT LEATHER or you can order extra a tray designed for

The chewy blend of corn syrup, thicken¬ making fruit leather. You can also make

ers, and artificial flavors that’s sold in fruit leather in your oven. You can make

stores as “fruit snacks” is a pale compari¬ fruit leather from apples and pears,

son to real fruit leathers. Making your peaches and apricots, cherries and all

own with real fruit is easy if you have a kinds of berries, or a combination of all of

food dehydrator. Most models come with them.

1. Wash, destem, core, and/or pit four to five 2 Puree the fruit with a cup or so of un¬

pounds of fruit. If necessary, cut it up into sweetened applesauce. The fruit is naturally

pieces that will fit into a blender or food sweet, butyou can add honey, maple syrup,

processor.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 104

or ordinary sugar, if you want. Two and half Drying fruit leather takes six to twelve

cups of puree makes a sheet of dried fruit hours, depending on the fruit and how much

about the size of a bakingtray. fluid is in the puree. The leather is ready when

it is solid and stretches a bit when you pull on it.

.
3 Preheat your dehydrator or get your oven
to 140°F. Coat the tray ora bakingsheet very 5. While it is still a bit warm, roll it up or cut it

lightly with a nonstick spray or oil, then pour into strips. Wrap in wax paper and store in

the puree onto it. Tilt the tray a bit in each air-tight plastic bags or containers. Fruit

direction to spread the puree evenly. Putthe leather can stay in a cool, dry place like your

tray in the oven or dehydrator. When using pantry for a week or two. For longer storage,

an oven, leave the oven door open slightly to keep in your refrigerator or freezer.

allow moisture to escape.

ARRESTING OXIDATION

WHEN APPLES, PEACHES, PEARS, APRICOTS, OR OTHER LIGHT-COLORED FRUITS

are cut and exposed to the air, their flesh starts turning brown almost right away. This is caused by

oxidation, and if you don’t stop it, the fruit will look, smell, and taste less appealing when you pre¬

serve it.

A simple solution you can make yourself with ascorbic acid, which you can find in most drug¬

stores, stops the oxidation process. To treat five quarts of fruit, mix one to two teaspoons of ascor¬

bic acid in a cup of water. Sprinkle the solution onto cut fruit and stir lightly so that all of the pieces

are well coated. Drain off any excess before you dry or freeze these fresh fruits.

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER I 105

JERKY JOY urally low in fat. If you go with beef, use cuts

If you or someone you know hunts, or if like sirloin, tenderloin, and top round, and

you just like to have a little animal protein pass on tougher or fattier flank steak or

handy for camping trips, late nights at the brisket. Figure that four pounds of fresh

office, or unexpected dinner guests, dry¬ meat becomes one pound of dried jerky.

ing meat for jerky is simple to do and Cleanliness is next to healthfulness when

gives you a chance to be a little creative. you are working with meat. Before you start,

Fats are the first thing to spoil, so start with thoroughly clean your hands, utensils, and

the leanest meats. Venison, elk, and other the work surface. Use a food dehydrator

game meats work well because they are nat¬ rather than your oven for making jerky.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 106

1. With a sharp knife, trim off the meat any Cover the trays with foil so the drippings

visible sections of fat and any cartilage or don’t dry on the trays.

membrane attached to it. Cut the meat into

thin strips—about six inches long and a quar¬ .

4 Preheat the oven or set the dehydrator to
ter-inch thick. Cut across the grain of the 120°F. Put the rack in the middle of the oven.
meat for the best drying surface. Hint: Raw Leave the door slightly ajar, if you can, so

meat generally is easier to cut when it’s hard¬ moisture can escape faster.

ened—though still pliable—from beingslightly

frozen. 5. Thejerky isfully dehydrated and ready to

eat or store when it bends slightly and then

.
2 M arinate the meat before you dry it to breaks. Depending on the type of meat and

infuse it with flavors that you like. Go Asian the size of the strips, the jerky dries in about

or Southwest, classic American or your own twelve hours in a dehydrator or twenty-four

invention. Whichevertasteyou choose, use hours in the oven.

abouta half-cupof marinadeforeach pound

of meat. Coat each strip well with the mari¬ 3. Let the jerky cool thoroughly. Check it

nade, put them in a glass or ceramic con¬ again to be sure it bends and then breaks.

tainer, cover it, and leave in your refrigerator

forat leasteight hours. .

7 Jerky exists to last longerthan fresh meat,
but it still slowly deteriorates if you don’t

.
3 After the strips of meat have marinated, store it sensibly. Keep it for a week at room

spread them out on a tray in a single layer temperature in a resealable plastic bag or

with as much space around each as possible. glass jar. T o store it for longer periods, refrig¬

Meat, especially after it’s been marinated, erate it. In the freezer it keeps for about

drips a lot in the early stages of dehydrating. a year.

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 107

SMOKED FISH Your ordinary backyard grill is designed

You know how fast fresh seafood spoils- to cook food with heat from the coals or

like the old Benjamin Franklin saying flames. Smokers look a lot like grills, but

goes, visitors and fish start to stink after they keep the food away from direct heat so

three days. I don’t know what to do about that smoke can saturate the food. Many

the guests, but you can preserve fish and models have a pan of water set between the

enjoy it for months after by soaking it in food and the heat, moderating the temper¬

salt water and exposing it to smoke from a ature and increasing the volume of smoke.

fire. The process adds flavor to the fish, Whichever model you get, be sure it has a

too. Whether you catch your own or buy tight-fitting lid and is sealed well all

fresh fish you want to preserve, all you around. Prices for a smoker range from

need is a smoker (similar to a small back¬ $300 for a very a basic model to $3,000 for a

yard grill) and wood to burn, and you can full-featured, top-of-the-line model. You

use the preservation method people have may be able to find a functioning used

depended upon for thousands of years. smoker at a garage sale or flea market for

Many people already own smokers for less than a hundred bucks.

beef, pork, or chicken: it’s a great way to Hardwoods like oak or hickory burn

make meat extra tender and flavorful, but slower and more evenly than softwoods

it won’t preserve the meat as it does fish. such as pine or spruce: stick with hard¬

This technique works with any kind of woods for your smoker. You can impart

fish, but the fattier the fish, the better it will subtle flavor to the fish by using aromatic

absorb smoke and the longer it will last. wood, such apple, cherry, cedar, or

Trout and salmon are two popular choices, mesquite. If you don’t have access to sea¬

though sturgeon and sablefish work well, soned (well-dried) wood, you can use

too. If you catch the fish yourself, pack bagged charcoal in a smoker.

them in ice right away and clean them just You can smoke fish in a matter of hours

before you’re ready to smoke them. at a relatively high temperature, but the

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 108

fish would need to be consumed within a time at a lower temperature is the secret.
few days. That’s “hot” smoking. To pre¬ “Cold-smoked” fish keeps in the refriger¬
serve fish for longer, a longer cooking ator for a few months.

1. Prepare the fish: rinse it thoroughly in .

3 Putthe fish in a large flat plastic, ceramic,
clean water and, if it’s whole, remove the or glass dish and pour in the brine. Each

head, tail, backbone, and guts. You can piece of fish should be fully submerged in

remove the skin now, if you want, but it the brine. Cover, and store the dish in the

comes off much more easily after smoking. refrigerator while the fish soaks. The fish

Cut the fish into large equal-size pieces for should soak in the brine for about an hour

brining—brining times are based on weight and fifteen minutes per pound—that’s not

per piece, and each piece should brine total weight, but the weight of each piece. So

evenly. One-pound portions are about right. if you have four one-pound pieces, they

should soak in brine for an hour and fifteen

.
2 M ix the brine: in a large bowl, mix three minutes. If you have one four-pound piece,

and a half cups of salt (noniodized, like you leave it in the brine for five hours. If you

kosher or sea salt) in a gallon of water. Mix have removed the skin from the fish, brine

well until all of the salt has dissolved. You can for only aboutan hour per pound.

substitute red wine for some of the water, if

you like the flavor in your fish. Add season¬ .

4 When the brining is finished, you don’t

ings such as peppercorns, garlic cloves, or have to rinse the fish—it’s your choice—but if

dill sprigs to the brine. Many experienced left unwashed, the smoked fish will have a

smokers also add a bit of brown sugar to the saltier flavor when it’s done. Whether you

brine: up to half the amount of salt used. Salt rinse or not, the fish needs to dry well after

and the sugar draw moisture out of the fish brining and before smoking: place the fish

as it soaks up their flavor. You need a gallon skin-side down on smoker racks, and put the

of brine for every four pounds offish. racks in a cool spot out of direct sun and with

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER I 109

steady airflow. If you don’t have a spot with pletely cooking the fish. An inch-thick piece

good circulation, set up a small electric fan to of fish (about half a pound in weight) takes

blow around (though not at) the fish to pro¬ about six hours to finish hot smoking. (Extend

vide a breeze while keeping insects away from the smoking time for thicker pieces of fish.)

the fish. Be sure they’re out of the reach of You’ll know when it’s finished when the fish is

any household pets. After two to three hours golden in color and flaky when pressed with

of drying, you’ll see a shiny glaze form on the a fork.

fish. The glaze, called the “pellicle,” helps seal

moisture inside the fish, so it stays tender and .

6 For cold-smoking, and to truly preserve
flaky through the smoking process, and it fish, smoke it continuously in the smoker at a

absorbs the smokyflavor. You’ll knowthe pel¬ lower temperature for five days. The fish is

licle has formed when the fish’s flesh feels prepared the same way as you do with hot

slightly tacky when you touch it. smoking, but do not raise the temperature

after the first two hours (ideally it should be

S.There are two cooking methods: cold and maintained at 8o°F). Keep the smoker going

hot smoking. Hot smoking is actually more of day and night for five days: if you're burning

a cooking process than it is a preservation hardwood logs, check on the fire about three

technique, though hot-smoked fish keeps in times a day. The fish is done when it is very

the refrigerator for a few days after. Prepar¬ brown on the outside and the flesh is notice¬

ing the fish this way keeps it moister than if ably dry, firm, and sliceable. The fish will last,

you grill it. To hot-smoke fish, you want the refrigerated, for several months.

smoker no warmerthan 90°F forthe first two

hours, helping to complete the pellicle .

7 Let the smoked fish cool completely on its
before you increase the temperature. After rack before eating it or storing it in a sealed

a couple of hours at 90°F, stoke the smoker container in your refrigerator or freezer.

up to l80°F, but no higher or you risk com¬

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 110

Freezing foods with a very high water content.
After you harvest the food you want to
freeze from your garden or bring it home
BEST FOR FREEZING from the farmer's market, rinse it well to
wash away any dirt or tiny bugs that came
Asparagus Broccoli
along for the ride. Even more important,
Beans Pesto
be sure that the food is completely dry
Berries Sweet peppers
before you put it in the freezer. Any water
clinging to the food forms ice in the
freezer and can spoil the texture when you
The quickest and coolest way to are ready to eat it.
preserve food (as in least hot, which is no Plastic freezer bags are the most space-
trifle after a long day in the sun) is to efficient containers for storing frozen
freeze it. A storage or chest freezer makes food. To protect the food from freezer
it easy to keep a lot of food for months, but “burn/’ which leaves behind unpleasant
even if you have just the freezer attached flavors, be sure the bags have no holes,
to your refrigerator, you can store a few of that you press all the air out after you put
your favorite fruits and vegetables to the food in, and that the seal is tight. Label
enjoy when their growing season is over. the bags clearly with both the name of the

As you can tell from a stroll down the item inside and the date you freeze it. If
frozen food aisle at the supermarket, a vari¬ the food is dry when frozen and the bags

ety of fruits and vegetables keep well in cold are well sealed, you can enjoy it for up to a

storage. Soft, leafy greens such as lettuce year later. Defrosting the food before you

and spinach don't stand up well to freezing, eat it often leaves it soggy. Better to start

nor do cucumbers, watermelon, and other cooking with it while it’s still frozen.

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER I 111

 put them in the bag keeps them from turn¬
ing into one big clump. With this
approach, you can pull out as much as you
want to add to batter for pancakes or
muffins, or to prepare for pie filling.
Sweet peppers are almost as easy to
store in the freezer. Cut them into strips,
then freeze them on a tray, just as
described for berries—in a single layer,
not touching. When they’re frozen solid,
combine them all in a freezer bag. They
won’t come out of the freezer as crisp and
juicy as they are when you eat them on a
salad in summer, but they’ll be perfect for

Berries, especially blueberries and rasp¬ using on pizzas, in stir-fries, or sauteed

berries, could not be easier to get ready with onions for omelets, sandwiches, and

for freezer storage. Remove any stems or burritos. You can freeze chile (hot) pep¬

leaves that you picked along with berries, pers this way, too, but they keep so well

rinse lightly, and let the berries dry on a when they’re dried that you don’t need to

paper towel. When the berries are fully use freezer space for them.

dry, spread them out in a single layer on a Asparagus, broccoli, beans, cauliflower,

baking sheet or other tray. Don’t crowd and peas (with and without edible pods)

them so that they are touching—do sev¬ take a few extra steps before you freeze

eral batches, if necessary. Put the tray in >. them, but they all keep well in cold stor¬

your freezer for at least twelve hours, then age. Clean them well and prep them as if
take it out and pour the frozen berries into you were going to eat them right away.
a freezer bag. Freezing them before you That is, remove leaves, stems, pods, or

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 112

other inedible parts, then cut them into enough for one meal or serving in a bag.
bite-size pieces. Then you want to blanch Tomatoes, whole or cut into chunks,
them according to the directions on page store in the freezer without blanching.
119. After the vegetables are blanched and Frozen tomatoes are best used in soups,
completely dry again, spread the pieces stews, sauces, and the like because freez¬
onto baking sheets or other trays and put ing breaks their texture down completely
them in the freezer overnight. Put only and they become mushy. Also, the skins
enough for one meal or serving in each can get tough in storage, so loosen them
bag. by running hot water over the tomatoes
Sweet corn is one of the most beloved and then peeling back the skin before
flavors of summer, so many people want freezing. No need to freeze tomatoes on
to preserve it in the freezer. I’ve tried a lot trays, but do pack them into single-serv¬
of frozen corn on the cob, and it never has ing bags so you can take out only what
the same crisp squirt-when-you-bite-into- you need when you are ready to use
a-kernel texture when it’s fresh off the them—there’s no way to separate them at
stalk. You can freeze corn right on the that time. Even better, cook the tomatoes
cob—some people just stick the ears in into a sauce or paste and then freeze that.

freezer bags with the husk still on. But the Herbs do not freeze well whole, but you

corn gets mushy—because the cob retains can preserve the flavor of fresh basil by

water—and the ears clearly take up a lot of making it into pesto and then pouring it

freezer space. So I think you’re better off into an empty ice cube tray. Once solid,

freezing just the kernels and waiting until you can pop the pesto cubes out of the

next summer for another chance to tray and store them in plastic bags in your

munch your way back and forth on a fresh freezer until you’re ready to eat them with

ear. To freeze sweet corn, blanch it while pasta or other dishes.

still on the cob, then scrape off the kernels

into your storage bags. Again, put just

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER I 113

Canning market. Canning Across America is an
organization dedicated to teaching
about and encouraging food preserva¬
BEST FOR CANNING tion with an information-filled Web site
that lists events, recipes, and resources.
Applesauce Tomatoes
(Check it out at www.canningacross
Fruit jams/jellies Tomatosauce
america.com.)
Peaches
You might attribute this resurgent
interest in canning to fears about Biphe¬

If your grandmother or great¬ nol A, a component of a resin used to coat

grandmother canned fruits and vegeta¬ the inside of aluminum and tin food cans

bles, she probably did it out of necessity. that may leach into the food. BPA is

For most people, it was the only way to linked with developmental and repro¬

have produce to eat all year long. The ductive disorders and cancers. But I

technology of industrial food canning think that today’s canners enjoy the expe¬

has progressed so that today’s canned rience of doing it for themselves, and

vegetables are much more appealing they get genuine satisfaction from open¬

than the mushy peas and carrots out of ing ajar of food they put up themselves

the tin that I grew up with in the 1960s. and remembering the effort they made to

No one living in North America in the preserve it.

twenty-first century needs to depend on But before you start canning, you need
food they’ve canned themselves. And yet, to be aware that drying and freezing food
canning is enjoying an unexpected are very forgiving processes. You need to
revival, with canning classes and even follow basic guidelines, but there’s plenty
canning parties attracting crowds of peo¬ of room for interpretation. It’s cooking at
ple who want to put up the food they’ve its most basic—once you have the steps
grown, picked, or bought at the farmer’s down, you can vary the formula a bit to

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 114

your taste and experience. Canning, how¬ sauce, jams, and jellies. Boiling water can¬
ever, is more like baking because you ning is not safe for low-acid foods, as most
work with a formula that you must follow vegetables (except tomatoes) are,
or you risk ending up with useless results. because the botulism bacteria may sur¬
And when you make a mistake with can¬ vive without the addition of pressure to
ning, you can get you and your family the heat. Don’t try processing canning
very sick. jars in an oven, microwave, or dishwasher
That risk is why the U.S. Department of (yes, it gets hot in there!). You can’t safely
Agriculture has studied and published manage the conditions to the exact speci¬
specific instructions for canning each fications.
type of fruit or vegetable. You must With a pressure canner, you can pack
adhere to them strictly. You can get this raw food into the jars. But “raw-packing”
information from your cooperative exten¬ can leave air trapped in and around the
sion agent or from the National Center for food, which may cause it to discolor after
Home Food Preservation (at www.uga. a few months of storage. Hot-packing, in
edu/nchfp). I'll introduce you to the which you simmer the food in boiling
basics of canning here, but you still need water for two to five minutes (depending
to get key details from the USDA and on the food and the size of the pieces)
other tested canning recipes. before pouring it into the jars, is more reli¬
The safest way to can your own food is able. Cooking helps remove air from the
with a pressure canner, a large pot with a food and, at the same time, softens it so

tight-fighting lid that uses high heat and you can fit more into each jar. Just as
pressure to kill botulism, mold, yeasts, important, the precooked food will look

and other undesirable organisms in food. and taste better when you open the jar. For

Boiling-water canners generally cost less your first couple attempts at canning, I

and work faster, but they’re safely used suggest you stick with hot-packing—it’s

only for already cooked foods, like tomato much less risky.

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER I 115

 Headspace is critical, too. I’m not talk¬ I’m all for reusing and recycling, but

ing about what your stoner neighbor empty mayonnaise and peanut butter jars

needs when he’s having a bummer of a won’t work for canning. You need jars with a

day. No, this is about how much room you mouth designed to create a tight seal with a

leave when filling canning jars with food. canning lid. These “mason” jars cost about

Without enough headspace, the food will seventy-five cents to a dollar each and come

be forced out of the jar when you seal it, in a variety of sizes. You may find used

which is more than just a mess in the can- mason jars at yard sales or flea markets. If

ner. Food that winds up outside on the they have no cracks or chips, you can use

jar’s rim or around the lid can harbor them. Wide-mouth jars are easiest to fill.

mold, which can break a seal and cause Canning jars are closed with two-piece

the canned food to spoil. Too much head- tops—a flat metal lid shaped like a disk

space leaves air inside the jar that can also (rimmed with a rubber gasket called a

cause it to go bad. “flange”) that covers the jar opening, and

Most vegetables and fruits—either in a screw-on band that holds the lid in place.

pint or quart jars—need about a half-inch Never reuse the flat metal lids once

of headspace, but don’t assume that is they’ve been processed in water once, but

always true. Headspace requirements you can reuse the screw-on bands, as long

change with the density, shape, and cook¬ as they fit tightly and aren’t rusty.

ing characteristics of individual foods.

The USDA has developed and dissemi¬
nated headspace guidelines for each kind
of food so you get this exactly right. Fol¬
low headspace the USDA’s directions v
exactly and be sure to measure the space
carefully—too much headspace can make
it more difficult to seal jars.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 116

CANNING STEPS pickling solution (for pickles), or sweet
Clean and sterilize. Thoroughly wash the syrup or white grape juice (for fruit). The
bands, lids, and jars in hot, soapy water— food expands during the canning process,
either by hand or in the dishwasher. Then which is why you need the headspace, or
sterilize the lids by boiling them in water room between the contents and the top of
for ten minutes. Remove the pan from the the jar. With a small silicone spatula, push
heat but leave the tops in hot water until down on the produce in each jar to sub¬
you’re ready to use them. merge it under the liquid; then run the spat¬
ula along the inside of the jar to eliminate air
Pick and prepare. Use your youngest, bubbles. A chopstick also works well to find
most tender fruits and vegetables for can¬ air bubbles. Next, use a damp paper towel to
ning. It’s especially critical when you are clean off the jar rims. Close each jar with a
canning to skip those that are overripe or lid and a metal band, and screw the bands
blemished. Harvest just before you’re on fingertip tight; don’t force them any

ready to can to keep the produce from los¬ tighter than they go with a moderate twist.

ing nutrients. Wash each item well and

cut them into serving-size pieces, if nec¬
essary. Contact with bowls, cookware, or
utensils made of aluminum, copper, iron,
or chipped enamel may cause the food to
discolor once it is canned, so avoid those
materials during your preparation.
Load the canner. Put filled, capped jars

Fill and cap. With a large spoon or ladle, into a canning rack and then lower the

put the produce into jars. (A canning fun¬ rack into the canner by its handles, or use

nel comes in handy here but is not cru¬ ajar lifter to insert individual jars into a

cial.) Then fill the jars with boiling water, rack that’s already in place in the pot.

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 117

Position the jars in the canner so that they high altitude. When processing is fin¬

are not touching. ished, remove the pot from the heat and
let the pressure drop before opening the

canner and removing the jars.

Cool and check. Use jar lifters to gently

remove the jars from the canner and place

them an inch apart on a wooden board to
cool. While they cool, the lid gaskets
become firmly sealed to the jars. After
twenty-four hours, check the lids to be

sure they are airtight. Press down with

Heat thoroughly. If you’re using a pres¬ your finger on each metal lid. It should

sure canner, follow the manufacturer’s not go down or spring back up. Double¬

directions, which will vary depending on check the seals by tapping each lid with a

the type of canner and the altitude. Gen¬ teaspoon, and listen for a high-pitched

erally, fill the pressure canner with two ping, not a thud. The ping indicates the

inches of hot water, add the jars, put the seal is tight. Put any unsealed jar in your

lid on the pot, and achieve the directed refrigerator, and eat the contents in the

pressure before you start tracking pro¬ next few days. Wipe off any food on the

cessing time. Once you can maintain the outside of the sealed jars, and label them

correct pressure without adjusting the with the contents and the date you sealed

heat, you can follow the recommended them. Sealed jars can be stored without

processing time for the recipe. If the pres¬ the metal bands. ^

sure drops, stop timing and adjust, then

resume timing. Be sure to look up any pro¬ Safe storage. You have every reason to be

cessing adjustments you may need for a proud of your home-canned jars, so I

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 118

understand why you want to display them kept in a cool, dark, dry place. If you don’t
around your kitchen. Put a few of them have room in your pantry or in a base¬
where they will be seen. But jars are best ment, see “Hidden Storage” on page 121.

BLANCH DU VEGETABLE

WHEN YOU LEARN ABOUT PRESERVING FOOD, YOU HEAR A LOT ABOUT BLANCHING.

You need to realize that as soon as you pick a fruit, vegetable, or herb off the plant, enzymes are acti¬

vated that cause the color, flavor, texture and nutrient levels to start changing. You can deactivate

the enzymes with heat: a super-quick boiling or steaming process called blanching. If you try to

freeze or can most foods without blanching them, they're very likely to turn into a mushy, unap¬

pealing mess when you are ready to eat them.

Blanching sounds like a complicated, advanced cooking technique, but it really isn’t. Here’s what

you need to know.

1. Fill a large pot half-full with water, and stir .

3 Cut one dry quart of vegetables into bite-
in a quarter-teaspoon of citric acid for each size pieces. You can put them in a wire bas¬

quart of water. (Citric acid acts as an anti¬ ket that fits fully into the pot or put them in a

darkening and antimicrobial agent.) Bring cheesecloth or other mesh bag that you

thewatertoa boil. twist-tie closed.

.
2 In the meantime, fill another pot with ice .
4 Submerge the vegetables in boiling water

water, and have a bowl of ice cubes handy so so that all the vegetables are covered with

thatyou can keep the water cold. water. Start timing as soon as the vegetables

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 119

go into the water. (The water should return blanching at all. But when you overblanch,

to boiling within a minute—if not, you are the food starts to lose its color, flavor, and

using too much vegetable for the amount of nutrients.

water.) You can get exact timing for how long

each vegetable you are blanching needs to .

5 As soon as the produce has completed its

be in the boiling water from the USDA’s blanching time in the boiling water, take it

National Center for Home Food Preserva¬ out of the boilingwaterand plunge itintothe

tion. Follow the timing instructions for the ice water to stop the cooking. Leave it in the

particular food exactly. No rounding up or ice water for the same length of time it was in

down, or your food may be prone to spoiling. the boiling water.

Blanching times generally range from three

to five minutes, but underblanching stimu¬ 6. D rain thoroughly. Be sure the produce is
lates the enzymes that cause spoilage and completely dry before you freeze or can it.

may be worse for the vegetables than no

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 120

 HIDDEN STORAGE

APARTMENT DWELLERS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS LIVING IN DORMS KNOW THAT

if you can’t find space, you make it. No matter what kind of home you live in, you can find places to

store food you’ve preserved yourself.

Bookshelves. What’s holding your complete kets of potatoes, apples, and other produce that

Funk & Wagnalls or your collection of origi¬ keeps without refrigeration. Cover the baskets

nal Nancy Drew mysteries in place? A few or boxes with old sheets or burlap to keep pests

gleaming jars of canned vegetables or jam out. A heated (or at least well-insulated) garage

would sure look nicer than an old bookend. is a handy place to store baskets of food, too,

Under your bed. Lots of people store but not if temperatures drop below freezing.

sweaters or extra bed linens in plastic boxes Attics are dark and should be dry, but they’re

underneath their beds. Jars fit there, too. If rarely cool, so don’t store food there.

you don’t have enough clearance beneath the Storage lockers. If you live in an apartment
bed, you can raise it with lifters you get where building with storage lockers, make some space

you shop for bedding and other housewares. there for preserved food. Your locker may be full,

Closets. Cool, dark, and dry. Out of the way, but look around to see if others are not using all

but accessible. A shelf at the top of your of their space, and ask if they might consider

closet or an unused spot in the back is an sharing it with you in exchange for good food.

ideal place to stash canned or dried food. Staircases. The space beneath a flight of

Behind doors. Closets also have doors, stairs diminishes as the steps descend, so

often with plenty of clearance behind them to that area is rarely used for anything. But it is a

add a rack that can hold several rows of jars or good place to look for room to store pre¬

containers full of dried food. served food. Even if the space is behind dry

Basements and garages. Conditions in a wall, opening it up and installing a door is a

basement are just about ideal for storing bas¬ basic job.

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 121

Pickling REFRIGERATOR
PICKLES
BEST FOR PICKLING These are the quickest and easiest pick¬
les you can make. Start with a “pickling"
Beets Okra
variety of cucumber—salad varieties have
Cabbage Peppers
a large seed cavity and a lot of moisture, so
Cucumbers Watermelon rind
they don't stay as crisp. Cut them into
spears or coins—your choice.

Vinegar is also known as acetic You don't need mason-type canning jars

acid, and as you’ll see in many sections of for refrigerator pickles—almost any jar is

this book, it is helpful in a variety of ways acceptable. Just be sure they are thor¬

for homesteaders. Right here, I’ll explain oughly clean. (Run them through the

how you can use it to preserve food. hottest cycle in your dishwasher, or wash

Pickles are simply food that’s preserved them with liquid dish soap and the hottest

in a solution made from vinegar, salt, and water you can stand.)

spices. Cucumbers are the classic pickled You can buy seasoning mix for refrigera¬

food—and an essential accessory to a tor pickles at the grocery store, but if you

well-made hamburger—but lots of other want to make your own from scratch, here's

food you grow yourself can be pickled. a simple recipe published by the Missouri

You can preserve peppers and tomatoes, extension service.

beets and cabbage, watermelon rinds and

okra, even eggs this way.
\

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 122

Yields 6 pint-size jars 1. In a large saucepan, bring the vinegar to a

simmer as you add other ingredients.

l1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
V2 cup fresh dill, packed
.
2 When the salt and sugar have dissolved
2 cups thinly sliced onions
and the mix is simmering steadily, pack the
1V2 cups granulated sugar
cucumbers into clean jars, then pour the hot
V2 teaspoon canning or kosher salt
vinegar mix over them to about a quarter-
V2 teaspoon mustard seeds
inch from the top. Some people report that
V2 teaspoon celery seeds
adding a few grape leaves to the bottom of
V2 teaspoon ground turmeric
the jar helps the pickles stay crisper. I’m not
6 cups sliced cucumbers,
thin to medium-thick slices convinced, but it can’t hurt.

.
3 Let the pickles and brine cool on the
counter, uncovered, for a couple of hours, until

the jars are cool to the touch. Screw the lids on

and store them in the refrigerator. Allow them

to cure, or soak up the flavor, in the refrigerator

for a week, and then they’re ready to eat.

They’ll keep for up to two months refrigerated.

.
4 If you want to keep “fresh-pack” (unfer¬
mented) pickles like these outside the refrig¬

erator, you can process and seal the jars in a

boiling water or pressure canner. In that

case, you need to use standard canningjars

to ensure a tight, safe seal (see page 117 for

basic water bath canning instructions).

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 123

 FERMENTED 1. Start with firm, warty picklingcucumbers.

PICKLES You can slice them into spears after you wash

them well, but the classic pickle from the bar¬

The classic , full-flavored sour dills

and bread-and-butter pickles you get at a
rel is whole and you slice it as you eat it.

deli or with a burger are easy to make. All .

2 In a large saucepan, heat two quarts of

you do is soak cucumbers in a brine solu¬ water and the vinegar, then gradually add

tion made with water, salt, vinegar; sugar, the salt and stir until it has dissolved. Turn off

and seasonings. As they ferment in the the heat. The kind of salt you use is impor¬

brine, a protective coating of naturally tant. Pickling or canning salt is made without

occurring lactic acid forms on the cucum¬ the anticaking ingredient that standard table

bers' skins, slowly changing them from salt has, which can make your brine cloudy

bright green to olive green and preserving and can alter the color of your pickles. Also,

the pickles' crisp texture. To make your for best results use white wine or cider vine-

own dill pickles with real fresh-from-the- garthat is 5% acetic acid (sometimes labeled

barrel flavor, follow these basic steps. as “50grain”).

Yields 2 gallons .
3 You need a container in which to store the
pickles while they ferment. Wooden barrels
8 pounds pickling cucumbers
are classic, but if you can’t get one or don’t
l cup white wine or cider vinegar
have room for one, you can buy a ceramic
l cup canning or pickling salt
crock designed for pickling or pick up a food-
1 bunch fresh dill
grade plastic container with a^lid (many
4 to 6 cloves garlic
restaurants and corporate cafeterias discard

them every day). You need one gallon of con¬

tainer space for each five pounds of fresh

cucumbers, so forthis batch be sure to havea

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 124

container that holds at least two gallons. 6. As the cucumbers ferment, a thin layer of
whitish mold or scum forms on top of the

.
4 Put the cucumbers in the container. Add a brine. (Yes, I know—yuck.) Check the con¬

couple handfuls of fresh dill and the garlic to tainer a few times a week and skim off the

the cucumbers. Pour the brine (salt, water, mold. But if the pickles themselves become

and vinegar solution) over the cucumbers soft and slimy, or if you catch a whiff of a rot¬

until they’re all covered or floating. The ting scent, something has gone wrong and

cucumbers need to stay completely sub¬ you should dump the cucumbers and start

merged in the brine while they are ferment¬ over. Not enough salt in the brine is often the

ing. Because they float, you need to keep reason the cucumbers start to rot before

them belowthe brine’s surface. Ifyou’re not they’re pickled.

using a pickling crock that’s designed for this,

set a plate that’s slightly smaller than the .

7 Pickling is a great lesson in patience. You
container’s opening on top of the brine and can sample the pickles throughout the

weigh it down an inch or two with a few cans process, but they typically reach their best

or rocks, if the container’s lid doesn’t fit on, flavor after four to six weeks of fermenta¬

drape a large bath towel over it to keep tion. You’ll know the pickles are ready when

insects and dirt from getting in while the they snap crisply and when you take a bite

pickles are fermenting. you get full flavor all the way to their core. If

you’re going to eat all of your pickles in about

.
5 M ove the container to an out-of-the-way a month, you can eat them right out of the

spot where the temperature stays in the container they fermented in. To keep them

mid-sixties to mid-seventies. Temperatures longer, you need to pack them in jars with

that are too high can cause the cucumbers to fresh, heated brine, then process and seal

spoil before they’re cured by the brine. the jars in a boiling water or pressure canner.

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER I 125

OTHER PICKLING HERB VINEGAR
VEGETABLES You can’t pickle herbs—though dill and

Sweet and hot peppers, okra, cauliflower, other seasonings are critical to making

beets, cabbage, onions, zucchini, and other kinds of pickles—but you can use

watermelon rinds all can be pickled in a vinegar to preserve the flavor of rosemary,

similar fermentation process. The first thyme, sage, tarragon, and other fresh,

couple times you try to pickle, use tested homegrown herbs. Add spices such as

recipes from the National Center for garlic, hot pepper, or grated horseradish

Home Food Preservation or cookbooks to add a little more zip. Or use herbs such

with credibility. To get results that are as lemon verbena or mint along with

safe and appetizing, you need to get the berries to make a sweeter topping for fruit

brine’s acidity and salt levels just right, or other dishes.

and they vary for each vegetable. Start with glass jars or bottles that are
clear or lightly tinted and that will be easy

RELISH, CHUTNEY, to fill and pour from. You can recycle used

CHOW-CHOW, jars and bottles for herb vinegar, but be

AND PICCALILLI sure they are completely clean and dry

You don’t have to stop at pickling just one before you begin.

kind of vegetable. Relish, chutney, chow- Pick herbs from your garden or buy

chow, and piccalilli are condiments made them. Rinse them to clean off any debris

from different mixes of vegetables such as that stuck to the leaves and stems, and

tomatoes (red or green), onions, carrots, then let them dry completely. Gently

corn, beans, and cauliflower. You pickle crush or otherwise slightly t^ruise the

them all together and then seal them in herbs to release their essential oils (the

jars. By the way, they make great gifts for source of their flavors and scents). Push

hostesses and other situations where a lit¬ the herbs into the bottles or jars until they

tle homemade something is appropriate. are loosely packed to about one-third full.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 126

 Use the best-quality vinegar you can out the herbs or leave them in the vinegar.
afford for this. White wine, red wine, rice Or put a nice label on it, tie a bow around
wine, and cider vinegars all work for this it, and give it as a gift.
purpose. Bring the vinegar to a boil, then, Before we leave this topic, a word about
using a funnel, carefully pour it into your infusing oils (rather than vinegar) with
containers up to a half-inch from the top. herbs, spices, or garlic. Flavored oils can
Allow the vinegar to cool on the counter be very tasty and are as easy to make as
to room temperature, and then stopper or herbed vinegars: simply fill clean jars
put lids on the bottles or jars. Leave them with herbs—as directed for herb vinegar—
in a cool, dark place to steep for three to and fill the jars with oil (skip the heating
four weeks. Shake the bottles or jars from step). But in contrast to highly acidic
time to time to mix the vinegar and herbs vinegar, oil is a ripe host for botulism and

together well. other undesirable microbes. So if you

Herb-infused vinegar is great for salad make flavored oil, be sure to keep it refrig¬

dressing, as a marinade for grilling meat erated after you make it and use it or

or vegetables, or in any dish where you throw it away within two weeks.

want a hint of herb flavor. You can strain

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 127

Cellaring STORAGE VARIETIES
Many of the crops that are harvested in
the fall are the best choices for cellaring
BEST FOR CELLARING (neat how that worked out, isn’t it?). Win¬
ter squash, which includes acorn, butter¬
Garlic Onions
nut, Hubbard, kabocha, and spaghetti
Green tomatoes Sweet potatoes
types, is very different from summer
Potatoes Winter squash
squash like zucchini and crookneck
squash. The winter types develop a thick,

Before every home had a refrigerator hard skin and have relatively dry flesh, so

and supermarkets offered a year-round they keep well for months after harvest.

selection of produce, nearly every house Delicata squash (sometimes sold as

had a root cellar, in which the winter’s store Sweet Dumpling) is a type of winter

of vegetables was kept. The cool, dark con¬ squash with a thinner skin, so they don’t

ditions were just right in the root cellar to keep quite as long. (Pumpkins, you might

allow certain foods to stay fresh enough to like to know, are not one unique species of

eat during the long, dormant season. In the winter squash, but rather are varieties

old houses where I spent time as a kid, the from one of several groups of winter

root cellar was always the spookiest spot. squash.) Harvest winter squash after frost

Newer houses don’t come with root cel¬ has killed the vines and you can’t pene¬

lars—many don’t even have basements— trate the skin with your fingernail. Leave

but you can create the conditions for the stems on the fruit.

storing food like this, even if you live in an Onions and potatoes maybe very juicy
\
apartment. when fresh-picked and even after a “cur¬
ing” period. The storage types are drier
and have thicker skins. For onions, store
long-keeper yellow onions such as Copra

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 128

or Yellow Globe. The milder red, white, couple weeks where you can spread them
and yellow Spanish onions don’t keep as out without touching each other, where
long. Russet potatoes and other varieties air circulates freely, and where they won’t
that have a tough skin and are on the be in direct sunlight. A shed, covered
starchy side (as opposed to more waxy patio or balcony, or garage works well for
red potatoes) hold up best in storage. this, but any sheltered, well-ventilated
You’ll find that some apple varieties store spot indoors or out will serve the purpose.
better than others. Generally, the more Set potatoes, apples and pears, onions
tart the apple, the firmer the flesh, and the and garlic on a screen or grate of some
thicker its skin, the longer it will keep. kind to allow air to flow all around them.
Jonathan is a classic storage apple. Pears That may not be possible for heavier
don’t last quite as long in storage—they squash—instead, rotate them every cou¬
are sweeter than apples, so they rot a little ple days so that the side touching the
faster—but the same rules of thumb apply ground changes, allowing it to dry evenly.
for choosing varieties to store.
HOW TO STORE
CURING YOUR STORES When the produce is thoroughly dry on

Whether you plan to store onions, pota¬ all sides, they are ready for your “cellar.”

toes, sweet potatoes, apples and pears, The ideal conditions for storing these

garlic, or winter squash, they all hold up crops are cool temperatures (slightly

better if you “cure” them a little before you above freezing to 50°F) and a dark space.

put them into storage. Curing is nothing Onions and squash fare best where the

more complicated than letting them sit in humidity is very low, while potatoes,

the fresh air until the juices inside settle. apples and pears, and sweet potatoes tol¬

After harvesting these crops, rub off any erate slightly more humid conditions. Try

clumps of dirt still stuck to their skin, but to keep apples away from other items. In

do not wash them. Then set them for a storage, potatoes gradually emit a gas

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 129

that fosters ripening. Apples are most vul¬ and other fungus. Protect your produce in

nerable to this gas, which could cause storage by taking the time first to cull out

them to rot as they become overripe. any item that is bruised, has a soft spot, or

Remember that ventilation is critical for is damaged in any way. Eat them—they’re

all crops, because airflow keeps mold and still safe for you—but don’t store them. For

other destructive microbes from estab¬ items that are more prone to bruising,

lishing colonies on your food. such as apples and pears, wrap each up

Harvest baskets are the traditional ves¬ individually in sheets of newspaper. With

sel for storing produce in the cellar. You potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, and gar¬

can find them at flea markets and yard lic, try to use the items on the bottom of

sales, or you can buy new ones at farm the pile first. They get the least air and are

supply stores. Paper grocery bags also the most susceptible to bruising.

work for storing your crops. Don’t use

plastic bags, which trap humidity. You can IN-GARDEN STORAGE
use a hard plastic container, if you first Freezing temperatures outside are not so

drill many ventilation holes in it. You can good for growing food, but for a few veg¬
keep any of these containers in your etables, you can use the weather to help
pantry, coat closet, insulated garage, an store food in your garden you can eat
unheated attic, an enclosed porch, or any through the cold months and into next
other room that is dark and dry. Or you year. You’ll find all the details on how to
can create your own small root cellar with do this in the chapter on growing food
the plans on page 133. (see page 24).
If you have the right conditions, the You can store carrots, beets, onions,
\
most common mishap in cellar storage is parsnips, and turnips in a cellar, but if you
spoiled food. One bad apple (or onion or keep them in your garden you save space
potato or...) can spoil the whole bunch by for other crops that need to be inside.
becoming a breeding ground for mold They all taste a bit sweeter after a frost

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 130

anyway. The flavor of kale, Brussels growing again as soon as temperatures
sprouts, collards, and leeks improve after warm up the next spring. You might think
a couple of light frosts, too. They won’t of this as storing the plants over the win¬
keep in the garden all winter long where ter, if not the food from the plants. Simi¬
there’s consistent snow cover, but they larly, cabbage gives you two seasons of
can last well into the fall everywhere and harvest. After you cut off the heads to eat
into winter where there’s little or no snow. this year, you leave the stumps in the
You can’t harvest spinach, arugula, mus¬ ground and pack mulch around them. The
tard, and Asian greens in winter, but you following spring you’ll have fist-sized,
can plant them in late summer to early fall tender, and sweet little cabbages around
and eat some of the leaves in the fall. the stumps’ tops. After you clip them off
When the weather turns cold, you cover and eat them, pull the stumps and start
them with mulch and wait until they start the season with new cabbage plants.

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 131

 TOMATOES FOR THANKSGIVING

THE SUMMER GARDENING SEASON ENDS—FOR MOST OF US LIVING IN THE TEMPERATE

zones of North America-as the days get shorter in early fall. While your tomato plants may stay

alive, they are not likely to ripen many of the green fruits that still hang on their vines. At least not

outside. You can fry green tomatoes (a classic Southern dish) or make green tomato relish. Or you

can store them over the next few months as they gradually ripen. They may not taste as good as

sun-ripened tomatoes in summer, but you may have a few ready to eat on Thanksgiving Day.

When the tomatoes appear to have stopped ripening or on a day when a hard frost is predicted at

night, pick all the tomatoes remaining on your plants. (If you wait until after the frost, the tomatoes’

texture will go from juicy to mealy.) Sort them from lightest to darkest green. Tomatoes become a

lighter color—often closer to yellow than true green—just before they ripen. These lighter ones are

called “breakers” by pros, and if you put them in a brown paper bag with a banana or avocado,

they’ll be ripe, sweet, and ready to eat in about three days. (As bananas and avocados ripen, they

emit ethylene, a gas that is a naturally ripening catalyst.)

Wrap each of the darker green tomatoes in a single sheet of black-and-white newspaper, and put

them in a cardboard box with a lid (the kind copier or printer paper comes in). Keep the box in a

cool, dry place.

Check the box each week, first to be sure that none of the tomatoes has been damaged and is leak¬

ing—one rotting tomato really does spoil the whole bunch. As the weeks pass, check regularly, and

you will see the tomatoes ripening. As soon as one develops the slightest hint of red, take it out of

the box and put it near other ripening fruit—and get ready to eat it in a few days. The darkest green

tomatoes may not appear to be doing much for weeks, but most will eventually ripen. Be patient

and enjoy homegrown tomatoes when there’s frost on the windows.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 132

 BASEMENT ROOT CELLAR

EVEN IF YOU LIVE IN A HOUSE WITH A FINISHED BASEMENT, YOU CAN STILL HAVE

a root cellar. The following are simple plans for transforming just a corner of your basement into a root

cellar, with a minimum of know-how and readily available materials.

Choose the right spot. Most crops keep best this easily, such as one that includes a
in relatively high humidity, so choose the casement window or the like.
dampest spot in your basement. Typically Your ventilation pipes can be made with
the sump pump is in the dampest corner. just about any pipe or ducting. I'm giving
You need to build this root cellar next to an directions based on using plastic (PVC)
exterior wall. You want, if possible, to build pipes, because they are very durable and
on a wall that's below grade (underground), easy to cut, and you can readily find valves
because you want the greatest contact with to fit right into it. Cut a length of pipe to
outside soil temperature you can get. If you reach through the wall. Cut the end
need to use a wall that's above grade, be sure straight. Slide a closed blast gate (valve)
it doesn't get too much sun. (Use north-fac¬ onto the pipe until it fits snugly against the
ing or shaded walls.) end of the pipe and just tight enough to
resist slightly. Secure the valve in place
Allow for ventilation. Without ventilation, with three or four screws.
stored produce spoils. With this plan, you Cut pieces of pipe for the other vent.

stimulate ventilation by running two This one can go through the wall just

pipes through the outside wall. One will about anywhere; just add an elbow and a

be at the highest point of the wall. Both length of pipe running down the inside so

pipes should be about three inches in that it ends up about a foot from the floor.

diameter. Try to pick a site that allows for Add another blast gate in that pipe.

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 133

 The purpose of these two vents is to cre¬ temperature falls way below freezing, you

ate a siphon. Cool air is denser than warm need to close both valves until the air out¬

air and collects in low spots. Anytime the doors warms up again.

air outside your root cellar is cooler than Seal the wall around the pipes with

the air inside, the siphon allows warm air to aerosol insulating foam to fill in gaps and

be drawn out and cool air to flow in. As the cracks. After the foam sets, it holds your

temperatures outside fluctuate, you get pipes securely in place.

almost continuous air change while keep¬

ing the temperature as low as possible. Build the walls. You could build the walls

Which brings us to the reason for the out of just about anything, but, due to the

valves. When the temperature outside moist conditions, you should splurge on a

drops below freezing, you close one of the handful of 2 x 4s made of cedar or other

valves. This stops the siphoning of air, but rot-resistant wood for framing, and some

you still get some venting while protect¬ moisture-resistant wall board (“green

ing the food from freezing. If the outside board” sold for use in shower stalls).
Nail one 2 x 4 to the ceiling, fasten another
to the concrete floor with a bead of construc¬
tion adhesive (the kind in caulking gun
tubes), and cut the studs to fit between them.

Cover the walls. Put the green board on

the inside surfaces first. Once the inside

panels are glued and screwed in j^lace, stuff

the cavities with fiberglass insulation and
cover the outsides. With all of the cover¬
ings in place, get out the aerosol foam
again and shoot it into all of the cracks—

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 134

especially between your new wall and the quarter-inch plywood and hang it directly
(likely) ragged edges of the old walls. on the studs. One customizing touch
A root cellar does not need to be air¬ worth considering is to make the door in
tight, but the tighter it is, the more control two pieces. This way you can open the top
you’ll have over the air quality and tem¬ half and grab a couple onions without let¬
perature. Plug &s many gaps as you can. ting out the coldest, dampest air at the
bottom of the root cellar.
Add the shelves. Bear in mind that lower
shelves will be cooler and wetter, higher Finishing touch. Fasten a rod to the handle
shelves will be warmer and dryer. Arrange of each blast gate, and run it through the
and space your shelves to accommodate wall into the basement. This way you can
squash and potatoes on the lower shelves, open and close the valves without opening

apples and onions higher up. the door and spilling the cold air. It also
will allow you to see whether the valves are

Hang a door. A ready-made door with open or closed without opening the door.

frame already measured and cut works

fine. Or you can make a simple door from

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 135

 HOMEMADE CHEESE

CHEESE IS MILK MADE DURABLE AND EASILY PORTABLE. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF

varieties of cheese, and you could apprentice with monks and artisans for decades before you learn

all the secrets to making the rich, complex-flavored aged cheeses you find at the gourmet shop. But

turning milk into simple fresh cheese is quite easy and quick.

1. Pour a gallon of whole milk into a large a pound of cheese from a gallon of milk.

nonreactive pot. Heat it almost to boiling

(190 to 195°F). Stir it constantly to keep the .

4 Remove the cheesecloth and wrap the

milk scalding as the temperature rises. cheese in plastic. Store it in the refrigerator a

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in a few hours or overnight to allow it to firm up,

quarter-cup of white distilled vinegar. Let it and keep it there until you’re ready to slice

stand for ten minutes. As it cools, the milk and eat it like you would cream cheese or

separates into solids, or curds, and a yellow¬ other soft, spreadable types. It keeps about

ish liquid called whey. a week in the refrigerator.

2.Sp read a cheesecloth (you see now how it

got its name) over a mesh strainer set over

the sink. Stir a pinch of salt into the milk, and

then pour the entire contents of the pot into

the strainer. Leave it draining for an hour.

3. Gather up the corners of the cheesecloth

and lift it out of the strainer. Roll or pat the

curds into a lump ball. You should get about

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 136

Once you have the most basic steps down, (you’ll find many online). Rennet is a nat¬
you can get into the nuances that make urally occurring enzyme that converts
cheese such an interesting and diverse milk protein from soluble to insoluble.
food. Making cheese requires little work That is, it creates the solid curds from the
or storage space and no expensive equip¬ liquid milk. Rennet is sold in the pudding
ment. And you get to be endlessly cre¬ section of most supermarkets, or you can
ative. It’s almost ideal home food buy it from a cheesemaking supplier. It
production for small-space homesteaders. comes in tablet or liquid form—most
You start with milk. It can come from a experienced home cheesemakers find the
cow, goat, or sheep. It can be pasteurized liquid easier to work with and more reli¬
or “raw”—ultrapasteurized and powdered able.
don’t work well. You can go with milk In the basic formula for fresh cheese, the
from the store, but if you look around your vinegar acidifies the milk, and the natural
area, you are certain to discover small rennet in the milk forms the curds. More
dairies where you can get it closer to the complex cheeses require starter and ren¬

source. Cows raised by grazing in a pas¬ net selected to produce specific reactions.
ture, rather than kept in a stall and given To make hard cheeses, which keep much

laboratory formulated feed, produce milk longer, you need a cheese press, which

that is richer in flavor and full of unique squeezes moisture out of the curds and

microbes that impact the taste and tex¬ compresses them. You can buy or make

ture of cheese. one. If you have a place in your home

To make cheeses for aging, you need a where you can manage the temperature

starter, or a bacteria that acidifies the and humidity closely, you can make any

milk. You can get that from yogurt or cul¬ kind of cheese, from chevre to bleu, ched-

tured buttermilk, or you can buy a bacter¬ dar to Brie.

ial starter from a cheese supply company

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 137

 /<r:x
Small
mmdijkuMk
Space
HOMEMADE YOGURT Project

MANY COMMERCIAL BRANDS OF YOGURT ARE MORE LIKE PROCESSED PUDDING

than the healthful dairy food full of beneficial cultures that you get when you make it yourself.

Turning fresh milk into homemade yogurt is easy and takes ordinary kitchen skills and no special

equipment.

Yogurt is made through the action of cultures that you need to add. You can buy it freeze-dried or

just use three tablespoons of plain yogurt with live active cultures from the store as the starter for

your first batch. After that, you’ll have created your own starter to use for future batches. An ordi¬

nary heating pad—like you use for sore necks and backs—and an instant-read thermometer will

help you keep the milk at exactly the right temperature for the cultures to work efficiently.

1. Start with a half-gallon of milk, which will that might interfere with the cultures that

yield the same amount of yogurt. You can digest lactose and make yogurt. You’ll know

use whole, low-fat or fat-free milk: your pref¬ you’ve reached the right temperature

erence. Allow the milk and your starter to because the milk starts to froth but has not

come to room temperature. yet bubbled. While you’re waiting for the

milk to heat, fill your sink with ice-cold water

2 . St irring steadily, heat the milk over to come nearly to the top of the pot.

medium heat to just 185°!-, keeping tabs on

the temperature with an instant-read ther¬ .

3 As soon as the milk is warm, remove the pot
mometer. You can do that in a double¬ from the heat and immerse in the cold water,

boiler—a smaller pot with the milk heated being careful not to get any wateqm the milk.

over boiling water in a larger pot—or you can Stirthe milkcontinuouslyand cool to 110°F.

heat the milk directly on your stove if you do

it slowly. Heating the milk kills any microbes ,

4 When the milk reaches 110°F, remove it

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 138

from the cold water and stir in the starter or will smell a bit like cheese and the liquid may

plain yogurt. Mix it thoroughly. At that tem¬ look greenish: that’s what you want. The

perature, the active cultures get busy repro¬ yogurt will be runnier than store-bought

ducing and consuming lactose acid. Cover yogurt at this stage, but if it is still mostly liq¬

the pot with its lid, turn on the heating pad, uid, let it sit on the heating pad a little longer

and set it for 110°F or its medium level of nexttime.

warmth. Put the pot on the heating pad and

cover it with a thicktowel. .

7 Give the yogurt a thorough stirring, then

pour it into scrupulously clean plastic con¬

.
5 Leave the pot alone on the heating pad for tainers with lids (used yogurt or cottage

seven hours. No stirring, no checking on it, no cheese containers serve well). Put them in

peeking. Be sure your heating pad doesn’t the refrigerator to chill overnight and in the

have a safety mechanism to turn itself off morning stir well again. Now you’ve got

after a certain length of time; if that’s the case, homemade yogurtfor breakfast. Your home¬

you’ll need to monitor the pad to keep it on. made yogurt will keepinthe refrigerator for

about two weeks. Before you finish it,

6. When the time is up, lift the lid and look to remember to save three tablespoons of it to

see that the milk has separated into chunky use as starter for the next batch.

curds and a little thin liquid on top (whey). It

CHAPTER THREE: SAVE IT FOR LATER | 139

 CHAPTER FOUR:

WORKING WITH ANIMALS

D omesticated animals are more than just a cool addition to your small
homestead. They contribute valuable resources to your goal of self-suffi¬
ciency help dispose of waste, and are a source of food themselves. Caring for
livestock is a great way to teach kids responsibility. And small animals are genuinely
entertaining and fun to have around.
You can raise some kind of livestock no matter where you live. You need no more room
than you do for a small garden plot, and you can start with animals that are quiet and dis¬
creet enough that your neighbors may never know you have them. Many municipalities
today are dropping or loosening restrictions on keeping domesticated animals, even in
areas densely populated by people. Before you bring any livestock home, though, be
sure to check with your local zoning commission or cooperative extension office about
any ordinances that govern keeping domesticated animals at residential (as opposed

to agricultural) properties.
Bees the queen. You leave them alone, they’ll
keep clear of you—though keep in mind

From suburban backyards to city that they may be attracted to some kinds

rooftops, bees might be more popular now of soap, perfume, or other manufactured

than Chihuahuas. In a space about the size fragrances. If you’d like to keep bees

of a small filing cabinet, you can keep a around but want to be extra-safe, I’ll tell

hive where a healthy colony of bees will you about a truly docile type in the

live and make honey and come home to “Choosing breeds” section on the next

when they’re done with their important page.

work of pollinating your garden and oth¬ If you need one more reason not to use

ers. Bees are entertaining to watch, too, as pesticides in your garden, remember that

they keep as busy (as the saying goes) many of those chemicals are toxic to bees.

building, feeding, and caring for their Even if you don’t keep bees, pesticides are
queen. harmful to the many native bees you
I realize many people worry about the depend on for pollination.
dangers of keeping bees, especially
around children. But if you don’t have an BENEFITS
uncontrollable phobia (known as “api- Honey straight from the source is a natu¬
phobia”) and no one in your family is rally pure sweetener you can gather and
highly allergic to bee stings, you needn’t store for yourself. But the most important
be afraid of bees. Unlike wasps, such as contribution bees make to your food sup¬
the all-too-familiar, bee-resembling yel¬ ply comes from the pollinating they do in
low jacket, bees typically die when their your garden. Crops such as cucumbers,
barbed stinger catches in your skin (it’s peppers, apples, and raspberries—and
ripped out of the bees’ abdomen, in case countless others—rely on bees to spread
you’re wondering). So bees sting only in the pollen from plant to plant. The more
desperation, most commonly to protect pollination that takes place, the bigger

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 142

your harvest will be. Bees also produce viruses and pests that plague other types.
wax, which you can use to make candles, They do not, however, fare well in very hot
lip balm, and other useful products. With a climates, so if you live in the Southeast or
little more effort, you can harvest royal jelly Southwest, go with Italian honeybees.
and propolis, which bees make and are If you want to encourage bees to help
purported to help keep you healthy. Propo¬ with pollinating your garden but are fear¬
lis also is used to make wood varnish. ful that you or a family member will be
stung, you want to attract mason bees.
CHOOSING BREEDS They do not make honey, but they are very
There are thousands of species of bees, docile around people and are easy to
and not all of them produce harvestable attract with a simple structure you can
honey or even live in a hive. Many com¬ build just by drilling holes in a block of
mon wild bees nest, feed, and care for wood. (See page 149 for specifics.)
their larvae in small groups or even alone.
Honeybees come from one of four strains FEEDING
that have been domesticated for centuries. Bees live on the carbohydrates they get
The strains are Italian (a.k.a.Western), from nectar (and the honey they make
Caucasian (which refers to the mountains of from it) and protein they get from pollen.
Eastern Europe, not their skin color), Black, The best way for you to nourish the bees is
and Grey (or Carniolan). Among them, to plant a diverse garden full of different
Italian and Grey bees are the most popu¬ herbs, vegetables, and fruits, as well as

lar for beekeepers. Grey bees are widely flowering plants, shrubs, and trees. Your
recommended for novice apiarists—that's goal is to have some plant or another in

the technical term for beekeepers— bloom from spring through fall, so the

because they are gentle, have strong bees have a steady nectar supply. A few

homing instincts (especially valuable in particular favorites are borage (known as

bustling urban areas), and resist the “bee’s bread”), lilacs, monarda, and gold-

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS | 143

enrod. Some beekeepers feed their bees from evenly shaped six-sided “cells”

syrup (a simple sugar-and-water solution) joined together to form a panel. Made of

in early spring and late fall, when there's beeswax, the cells are used for storing

little other food for them, and even sup¬ food (honey) or as a larvae nursery. In the

plement their diet during the growing first year of a hive, bees devote much of

season. This is sensible if you live where their time and energy to building honey¬

winters are long and frigid, or where there comb and less to making honey.

aren’t flowers for them to feed on during As a beekeeper, you provide the hive for

the other seasons. your colony, but your goal is to mimic

Bees also need water nearby, especially nature as much as possible. Put it close to a

during dry spells. A birdbath or other wall, fence, or hedgerow to protect it from
small, shallow dish of water works well. If the wind and harsh weather. A partially
you don’t keep the water supply constant, shaded location is the bees’ preference. Set
the bees may frequent your neighbors’ the hive as high as you can reach, and the
swimming pool or dripping water spigot bees coming and going from the hive will
and cause them to worry about your hive. mostly fly over the heads of your neighbors.
Speaking of, do all you can to place your
SHELTER hive where it won’t be seen by passersby—
In the wild, honeybees live in hives they at the least, set the hives twenty-five feet or
construct themselves, most commonly in more from sidewalks and roads.
a hollow section of a tree or in an opening The most common bee housing used
they find in a wall or other manmade today are called “Langstroth hives,”
structure. They tend to seek out locations named for a beekeeper in Philadelphia
that are sheltered in some way from the who came up with the design in 1851. It is
wind. The hive itself is a series of layers of a box composed of a series of eight to ten
honeycomb, an amazing example of wooden or plastic frames in which the
insect engineering. Honeycomb is made bees build their honeycomb. The frames

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 144

rest on a foundation, usually made of wire, If you're just starting out with beekeep¬
and they are inside a covered box to pro¬ ing, your best bet is to buy the Langstroth
tect the comb from the elements. This design hives, because you will find the
design works for beekeepers because it most information and support from the
allows the frames to be removed as they many others who are using the box hives.
fill up with honey and the honey can be
extracted without cutting into the comb. CARE AND
Today, you may find other backyard MAINTENANCE
beehive designs, notably the top-bar hive, The queen, her workers (females who pro¬
which has honeycomb frames placed hor¬ vide food for the queen and the brood, and
izontally and no foundation. Top-bar care for the hive), and the drones (males
hives reportedly produce less honey, but whose only purpose is reproduction) have
they are closer to how bees build in nature evolved specific roles that help the hive
and they're relatively easy to build with sustain itself. Your role, then, is to stay out
salvaged materials. of the way and help only when problems
If you want to go totally “old school,” occur. By providing the bees with the con¬
wicker bee “skeps” are the classic and most ditions that they need, you minimize the
attractive backyard hive. They're woven potential problems. One common mis¬
from straw into a basket that's rounded on take that many new beekeepers make is
top and open on the bottom. Bee skeps setting up a hive that is too big for the size
need to be kept on grass or other natural of the colony. The extra space leaves room

surface—so they don’t work well on bal¬ that the bees can't police themselves, cre¬
conies and rooftops—and they're not likely ating an opportunity for pests that prey

to produce the most honey or even on bees to move in.

beeswax, but they give your garden a very Wax moths, beetles, mites and viruses

authentic look. You can buy a bee skep or sometimes invade honeybee hives, and

take a course in howto make one. there are a variety of chemical treatments

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS I 145

available for dealing with them. Many below 90 degrees, when nearby flowers are

beekeepers, though, are able to do with¬ in full bloom and the nectar is abundant,

out the pesticides and antibiotics, relying and during the midday hours when the

instead on the bees’ natural defenses to workers are out in the field collecting nec¬

overcome problems. For instance, wax tar. Early to mid-summer is typically the

moths often get into a hive (attracted by best time for people to gather honey.

the wax, hence their name) and lay eggs. Experienced beekeepers use a specially

When the larvae (little grubs) hatch, they designed extractor to separate honey from

eat honeycomb and honey, spin webbing the comb. Find a local beekeepers’ associa¬

into a cocoon, and turn into moths. In a tion, and offer to help another beekeeper

healthy colony the bees kill the grubs with the process, then you may be able to

before they do much damage. borrow an extractor when you are ready to
If you are keeping bees to harvest their harvest your own. The simple, low-tech way
honey, you want to have a protective suit is just to crush the comb with the honey
that looks sort of like a cross between the inside in a bucket that has a screen to catch
protective gear you wear when handling the comb and a spigot at the bottom called
hazardous materials and the outfits worn a “honey gate,” from which it drips out. You
by spacemen in comic books. You also can find buckets with this design where
want a “bee smoker,” a small vessel in beekeeping supplies are sold.
which you burn bark, pine needles, dried
grass or sage, paper, or other light fuel and HABITS
then puff it into the hive with the smoker’s A normal honeybee colony has between
bellows. Smoke causes the bees to gorge 20,000 and 50,000 members, with one
on honey, and they become more docile, so queen. When the hive becomes crowded
you can open up the hive without exciting (or if the current queen is more than two
them too much. The best times to go into years old), they may crown a second
your hives are when temperatures are queen, and half of the members swarm

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 146

out of the hive with the new queen to GETTING STARTED
scout out a location for a new hive. A Early spring is the time for you to start
swarm may alarm your neighbors, as it your beehive. You can order bees from a
can appear to be a gang of unruly stingers mail-order source, which will send you a
preparing to attack, even if that’s not gen¬ package with a queen and several thou¬
erally the case. The best way to prevent sand workers. You may be able to get a
swarming is to introduce a new queen to colony from a swarm catcher in your area,
your hive every spring. If you do find a but I suggest you start with a beginner’s
swarm of bees you or others are worried kit, if you’ve never kept bees before. Be
about, you can hire a “swarm catcher” who sure to have your hive and all your sup¬
captures the bees and gives (or sells) plies ready to go before you order. When
them to other beekeepers. Again, getting the bees do arrive, late afternoon on an
involved with a local beekeepers’ associa¬ overcast day is the best time to introduce
tion can help you find the resources you them to your new hive.

need when situations like these arise. The Resources section on page 253 will

Unlike many types of bees, honeybees guide you to reputable suppliers of bees

survive through the winter. They are not and beekeeping gear, as well as how to

active, but instead cluster together for find a beekeepers’ group near you.

warmth. Some researchers have found the

temperature of a cluster of bees inside
their hive to be about 93°F, even when it’s

below freezing outside.

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS | 147

 HONEY DO

WHETHER YOU HARVEST YOUR OWN HONEY OR BUY IT FROM A LOCAL BEEKEEPER,

it is a valuable local resource. Here are a few fascinating facts about it.

• Honey stays fresh at room temperature. No need to refrigerate it.

• Cookies, cakes, and other baked goods made with honey stay fresher longer because honey

absorbs and retains moisture.

• Honey has natural antiseptic properties and has been used for centuries to coat open wounds

and protect them from infection.

• Your grandmother was right: Tea with honey soothes a sore throat. That’s because honey

reduces inflammation.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 148

 A
*

h
Small

1%Vo/ecw1
..._
Space
MASON BEE HOUSE
••
••••••• ^

MASON BEES, ALSO SOMETIMES CALLED “ORCHARD BEES” OR OSMIA LIGNARIA,

are very people-friendly pollinators found throughout North America. They tend to be slightly

smaller than a honeybee, and their bodies are shiny dark blue. Mason bees don’t produce honey, but

they are active at pollinating fruit trees as well as vegetable plants early in the growing season.

They don’t live in a hive—they nest in existing holes in wood. For that reason, the tube design of this

mason bee house is sure to attract them to your yard.

1. At the home center or lumberyard, get faces. Usea blowtorch to lightly charthe side

posts cut from a hardwood such as fir or red¬ where you started the holes (figure 8).

wood. You may also be able to find an old

fence postthat will workforthis, but don’t use .

4 Waterproof the blocks by dipping them
pressure-treated wood. You’ll end up with once in water-based polyurethane (figure C).

blocks four to six inches wide and six inches Be sure to let any excess sealant drain away.

deep: each block will make one bee house. Leave the blocks to dry for several days.

They can be from one to two feet long.

.
5 Seal the back of the house (the uncharred
.
2 With a 5/16 bit, drill rows of holes, each side) with tape (figure D). Duct or even

about 3/4-inch apart, from one end of the painter’s tape will work. More expensive foil

block to the other (figure A). Drill the holes tape looks better. Be sure the tape is sealed

all the way through the block. A drill press, if tight all around the edges of the block.

you have access to one, makes this so much

easier than a hand drill. Maybe you can find 6. Get paper straws or tubes—the thinner

one to use at a local trade school or business. the walls the better—that fit snugly in the

holes. Paper straw inserts make it easy to

3. Nesting females are attracted to dark sur¬ clean out old nests each season and help

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS | 149

control mites that parasitize the bees. Use 10. Cut a small piece of plywood slightly

black pen or nail polish to darken the straws' larger than the wood block and nail it on top

tips-again, the dark color is more appealing to create an overhang, like a roof, that shel¬

to nesting females (figure E). ters the entrance to the holes (figure /-/).

.
7 Cut the straws (not the black end) to be .
11 Bees naturally nest in a spot that gets
slightly shorter than the hole, and slide them morningsunandis protected from the wind.

in (figure F). The ends should just touch the Hangyour bee house under theeave on the

tape covering the back of the holes: this will southeast side of your house, or on a shed,

make it a cinch to remove the tape and clean fence post, or some solid structure. Be sure

or replace the straws each year. it is at least three feet off the ground. Nail it

in place.

8. Sprinkle fine sand over the face of the

block, letting it fall through the holes, to .
12 Each November, when the bees' active
cover the sticky tape at the back of the holes season is over, remove the straws. Clean

andtohelpwedgethestrawsin place. them out thoroughly with a vinegar and

water solution, or just replace them.

9. Twirl a pencil in the tip of each straw to set

the straw and clear its entrance {figure G).

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 150

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS I 151
Chickens from Brooklyn to Seattle, Chicago to
Houston, are raising their own flocks like

I’m convinced that plants can pro¬ never before.

vide us with all the nutrients we need to

live a long, healthy life, so there’s no rea¬ BENEFITS
son we couldn’t grow and gather all of our For decades Americans, especially home¬

own food. But animal-derived foods taste steaders, depended on eggs as an impor¬

good and are very satisfying, so many of tant part of their diet. In the 1970s doctors

us enjoy eating them. Caring for a small began advising patients that eating eggs

flock of chickens is the simplest and most regularly led to an unhealthy amount of

sustainable way to produce your own sup¬ cholesterol in the blood, a cause of heart

ply of animal protein. A healthy hen lays disease, stroke, and other ailments. Egg

an egg at least every three days from consumption went down, and some peo¬

spring through fall. With a flock of just a ple turned to eating only egg whites. Now

half dozen chickens and a small lawn or the latest research has found that whole

other open outdoor area, you can get eggs are a healthful source of lean protein,
enough eggs to supply a family of four. and we can eat them without worrying
Chickens do need a little attention every that they’ll ruin our health.
day, but really no more than a dog or cat. But you should know that eggs freshly
The setup cost isn’t much, and it can be laid by hens that spend their days grazing
almost nothing if you build a coop from outside are different from eggs produced
salvaged materials. They feed themselves on factory farms and sold in supermar¬
most of the year (the growing season), and kets. As you’ve no doubt seen inlhe news,
they can be a help with your garden. They salmonella outbreaks are an all-too-
develop distinct, often amusing personali¬ frequent occurrence among factory-
ties, and some can be very affectionate. raised chickens because they are living in
No wonder city-dwellers and suburbanites unhealthy conditions and fed an unnatu-

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 152

ral diet. (To keep chickens from cannibal¬ transform almost any plot of ground into
izing each other, which they are prone to a highly fertile garden plot.
do in the very confined spaces of facto¬ Healthy chickens may live up to twenty
ries, they are often debeaked!) Eggs laid years, though the average is eight to ten
by hens that graze for their own food have years. Their egg production declines dur¬
been found in many studies to be richer in ing the second half of their lives, but
vitamins A and E, and in essential omega- they’re so much fun, it’s easy to become
3 fatty acids, and are lower in cholesterol, attached to them as pets. You can decide
too. By raising your own chickens, you get when, if ever, each becomes more appeal¬
eggs that are healthier for you and your ing to you as meat.
family, and you stop supporting the inhu¬
mane—and often dangerous—factory pro¬ CHOOSING BREEDS
duction of eggs. Hens of all breeds lay eggs, but the differ¬
The ideal diet for healthy chickens is ent breeds are categorized depending on
based on bugs and seeds they scrounge whether they produce a lot of eggs (lay¬
up for themselves, but it can also include ers) or are better suited for meat produc¬
vegetable scraps from your kitchen and tion (broilers, fryers, or roasters), though
garden, and even weeds. Chickens are some are defined as “dual purpose.” If a
even more efficient than a compost pile at steady supply of eggs is your goal, go with
turning waste into nutrients for your gar¬ layers.

den plants. In fact, chicken manure is very Bantam chickens are about half the size

rich in nitrogen and can dramatically heat of standard breeds. Bantams’ eggs are a

up your compost pile, making the best bit smaller than the standards, too. But

and most natural fertilizer possible. Even aside from those differences, you’ll find

better, if you keep them in a moveable that the petite hens have the same wide

coop (often called a “chicken tractor”), variety of traits—of plumage and person¬

their scratching, eating, and pooping can ality—as you see in the standard breeds. If

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS 153

you have less than a quarter-acre to graze A few breeds that are popular for

them on, go with bantams; otherwise, smaller flocks include Buff Orpington,

choose whichever size you prefer. Barred Plymouth Rock, Araucana, and

You can choose from more than 400 dif¬ Wynadottes. Start small—six to eight

ferent breeds of chickens. For your first hens—in your first season to be sure you

time, consider trying a few different ones have the time and space to manage a

to see which best suit your purposes and flock. As with a garden, it’s easier to grow

conditions. For instance, some breeds tol¬ your commitment than to go big to begin

erate sweltering summers or frigid winters with and have to scale back when your

better than others. Certain breeds are more effort gets beyond your control.

dominant or submissive, aggressive or

docile. Productivity and longevity vary FEEDING
from breed to breed, too. Some hens make Insects and seeds they find for them¬

better and more meat than others. And, of selves on the ground are the solid founda¬

course, there is appearance. The feather tion of a healthy diet for chickens. They

patterns on hens can be as fanciful as a also eat small weeds (particularly the
high-fashion model or as traditional as a aptly named chickweed) and, if you let
farm wife. Egg colors vary, too, from white them, seedlings in your garden, too. And,
and brown to blue, green, and speckled. as I previously mentioned, chickens feed
Color does not reflect the eggs’ nutritional on kitchen and garden scraps, especially
value, as you may have heard, but the vari¬ leafy greens. Don’t give them meat or
ety of hues does make your egg collection dairy products. Some people report that
basket more interesting. Finally, just like giving chickens onions and garlic affects
with vegetables, these days you can choose the flavor of their eggs, and that feeding
an heirloom breed of chickens that’s been them citrus fruits or their rinds dimin¬
around for centuries or a recent hybrid ishes egg production. Best to avoid those.
with unique traits that are valuable to you. During the cold months and at other

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 154

times when your chickens are not able to come in is best) and an eight-inch metal
scrounge up their own food, you can give pie plate. Be sure both are thoroughly
them store-bought pellets, typically com¬ clean before you start. About an inch from
prising cracked corn for carbohydrates the open end of the can, drill or punch two
and soybean meal for protein. In feed small (quarter-inch or so) holes on oppo¬
stores and online, you’ll find mixes that site sides. Fill the can with water, then
are formulated for new chicks, for broilers, place the plate, bottom side up, over the
for breeding, and for layers. The right feed open end. Flip it over and the plate will
for your hens keeps them healthy and pro¬ replenish itself as the chickens drink the
ductive, but beware of products that have water. Just be sure to keep the can consis¬
preventive medications and other chemi¬ tently filled—chickens drink a lot on cool
cals in them—your small flock with access and hot days.
to the outdoors will be naturally healthy. Grit is tiny, tiny pebbles stored in chick¬
Go with certified organic feed, and you ens’ crops (or gizzards) that take the place

can be sure it’s pure. of teeth, helping them to digest their food.
A feeding trough designed for chickens Chickens that graze find their own grit,

minimizes waste. You can often find a but you have to supply it if your hens are

used one at a barn sale or online. But a confined. Likewise, calcium is critical to

feeder isn’t necessary—for a small flock making strong eggshells. You can provide

you can use a few small plates. it in the form of crushed oyster shells, sold

Chickens need a constant supply of both in feed stores and in garden centers.

fresh water. You can buy water containers

plain or fancy for your chickens—again SHELTER
barn sales are a good place to search for Setting up a proper home for your little

one. Or you can make a very simple one flock is critical to their health, safety, and

with a large metal can (the number 10 size productivity, but it’s also a fun chance for

that cafeteria and restaurant supplies you to get creative with the design and

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS 155

materials. The first choice you have to dogs, cats, and raccoons. (Wildlife like

make is whether you want the coop to be foxes, raccoons, and hawks are increas¬

stationary or mobile. A henhouse that ingly common in cities today.) Almost

stays put is simpler and may be all you any structure with a sturdy roof and walls

have room for. But if you can and want to works. A healthy home gives each hen

graze your chickens in different spots four to five square feet of inside space.

around your property—to get them to stir Chickens prefer to sleep perched above

up and fertilize garden beds or to give ground level. Put a ladder, chair, tree

them a constant supply of fresh plants branches, or shelf in your coop—or any¬

and bugs to eat—you can keep the flock in thing they can stand on that’s higher than

a chicken tractor, a coop that’s easily the floor—and they will roost on it. Nesting

moved to different spots. boxes, filled with straw, shredded paper, or

You can buy prebuilt chickens coops of other soft, natural material, encourage the

either type, and online you can find lots of hens to lay their eggs where you can find

photos and plans to make your own, too. them. You don’t, by the way, need one nest

Homesteaders are using all kinds of pre¬ for each bird—they readily share even

existing structures to make coops and when there are open nests.

chicken runs, from toolsheds and garages The healthiest place for your chicken

to doghouses and plastic outdoor storage coop is over bare ground, where the drop¬

containers. The simplest ones are wood pings can be naturally decomposed by
A-frames wrapped in chicken wire and worms and other creatures in the soil.
with a small house at one end. Keeping a constant layer of leaves, dried
No matter which type you choose to go grass, straw, wood shavings, or ^hredded
with, the basics of an effective coop are newspaper (all carbon-rich materials, as
the same. Chickens need shelter from we’ll cover in the section on composting
extreme cold and heat and protection on page 178) helps the high nitrogen bird
from predators including hawks, foxes, poop to decompose quickly and with less

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 156

odor. If you must keep your chickens on a HABITS
concrete or other solid floor, install a wire A healthy, well-cared-for hen lays an egg
mesh base to your coop to make cleanup every other day or so (some breeds more,
easier (the droppings fall through to the some less) from early spring into fall. Dur¬
floor where you can more easily sweep ing winter, when the daylight hours are
them up). Spread a layer of the carbon- shorter, egg production naturally slows
rich stuff underneath the wire mesh. down and the chickens molt, shedding most
Either way, every other week or so, clean of their feathers and growing a new set.
out the bedding and waste, dump it in They will keep laying through most of this
your compost pile (which will heat up in period if a small light is left on for a few
hours!), and replace it with fresh bedding hours each morning (it works best if the
material. light is consistent, like on a timer). Some
For extra protection from daylight pred¬ experts believe, though, that this practice
ators such as dogs and hawks, some causes the chicken to stop laying at a
homesteaders are using electric mesh younger age. By the way, feathers that have
fencing, which the chickens quickly learn been shed make a healthy addition to your
to avoid. It is relatively inexpensive and compost pile.
very effective, so you can leave your flock Chickens roll around in dirt to help

to graze in safety. But, having never used them get rid of mites and parasites that

it, I still think a movable coop with ordi¬ get into their feathers. If your chickens

nary chicken wire that’s slightly larger don’t have a place where they can dig

than a standard raised garden bed (four their own dirt baths, give them one in a

feet by ten feet) seems more appropriate box. Just fill a shallow box with equal

for a homestead-size flock. parts coarse sand, wood ashes, soil, and
diatomaceous earth, a naturally occurring
mineral that works as an organic pest con¬
trol (just be sure to get it from a garden

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS 157

supplier, not the kind used in swimming If at all possible, get female chickens

pool filters). If you want to be entertained, only. Hens lay eggs whether a rooster is

watch your hens take a bath on a hot, dry present or not. Roosters may protect the

day, flopping around front and back, side flock from some predators, but they also

to side, stirring up a cloud of dust. make a lot of noise—all day long, not just
at sunrise—which can disturb your neigh¬

GETTING STARTED bors and cause them to complain about

Early spring is the ideal time to launch your chickens.

your own flock of chickens. I can’t answer You can mail-order for pullets and

the philosophical question about which chicks (I’ve listed a couple of popular

came first, the chicken or the egg, but I sources in the “Resources” chapter, page

can tell you that the easiest way to begin a 253), but buying from a nearby hatchery

backyard flock is to buy pullets. They are saves you money on shipping, is less dis¬

hens that are four to five months old, just ruptive for the birds, and supports local

the age when they start laying eggs. Pul¬ farms (which slows suburban sprawl).

lets cost more than baby chicks, they’re However, you may not find a lot different

not nearly as adorable, and your breed breeds to choose from in your area and

choices might be limited, but pullets are with the growing popularity of backyard

ready to go right into the coop. If you do chickens, the supplies tend to go fast in

decide to start with baby chicks, be pre¬ spring. Wherever you get your pullets or

pared to keep them in a warm place that’s chicks, get about 20% more of them than

fully protected from predators—most you want to compensate for any losses

chicken owners let them live inside the (and yes, losses are not uncommon) you

house during this period—and to check suffer on their way to full adulthood.

on them several times a day for the first Once your hens are ready to be outside

month or two. They also need a lamp for in the coop, keep them confined to it for

heat (a 250-watt bulb is ideal). about five days to establish that it is their

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 158

permanent home. Then they always will saying goes, chickens do come home to
return to it at night, because, as the old roost.

EGG-CELLENT EGGS

FRESHLY LAID EGGS ARE MORE FLAVORFUL AND NUTRITIOUS THAN THOSE THAT

have been pasteurized and shipped to supermarkets, where they stay for several weeks. To get the most

from the fresh eggs your own hens lay or that you get from a local farmer, remember these facts:

• Fresh eggs keep for several days without bloom” that protects it from undesirable

refrigeration. For maximum freshness, store bacteria and other microbes. If you can’t

them with the pointy (narrower) side down. easily rub off the dirt with your fingers, wipe

it gently with a towel dipped in a solution of

• You may notice traces of dirt or chicken half warm water and half white vinegar.

droppings on fresh eggs. Before you scrub

them clean, bear in mind that the outside of Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly

the shell has a thin membrane, called “the before and after handling the eggs.

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS | 159

Mixed Poultry chickens, ducks, and other poultry, but
you never see that in the store because

Guinea fowl, ducks, and geese are they are sorted by size in the processing

not as popular as chickens are among plant before they are packed and

modern homesteaders, but many people shipped.) Fresh eggs from ducks allowed

who have lots of experience with them to graze taste very similar to fresh, free-

believe that mixing a few different kinds range chicken eggs, with the same

of poultry is ideal for small backyard orange-tinted yolks and firm whites.

flocks. They all feed on bugs and leave Duck eggs have a slightly “ducky” flavor

behind manure to fertilize your garden. much as fresh chicken eggs taste a bit like

Like chickens, they lay eggs you can cooked chicken breast. Guinea fowl lay

gather and eat. They’re all easy to care for eggs that are a half to three-quarters the

even in relatively small spaces and tend to size of large chicken eggs, but they are not

be even more self-sufficient than chick¬ as inclined to use the nest so you have to

ens. And because each type of bird has its hunt for them. The egg-laying period for

own niche, they will live companionably geese is shorter, generally from late

on your homestead. spring to early fall, and the eggs are

higher in fat and protein than chicken and

BENEFITS duck eggs. Some bakers prefer using eggs

If you think chickens are reliable egg pro¬ from ducks or geese because the whites

ducers, certain breeds of ducks are known (technically, albumen) stay stiffer and

to lay more than 300 eggs a year; like makes cakes and cookies more airy.

chickens, egg-laying slows down in win¬ Guineas are voracious consumers of

ter when the ducks molt. Duck eggs aver¬ ticks, which makes them appealing to

age about the size of the jumbo chicken anyone whose home is near woodlands

eggs you see in the supermarket. (Keep in and other breeding grounds for the nasty

mind, though, that egg sizes vary among little pests, and they love beetles, too.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 160

They are not scratchers or plant-eaters, If you want lots of duck eggs, Khaki
like chickens, so they stroll through gar¬ Campbell ducks are champion produc¬
dens eating bugs and leave crops alone. ers—as many as 300-plus eggs a year each.
Ducks eat a wide variety of insects, with a They are taupe-colored with green beaks
particular taste for slugs, the bane of wet- and good foragers. Muscovy ducks are
climate gardeners. They may also eat even better at foraging, but they are (to
grass, weeds, and other plants. Geese are most people’s taste) not very attractive and
strictly vegetarian, and they have been they’re distinctly not very friendly to peo¬
used for centuries to clear gardens and ple or other creatures. Indian Runners and
other cultivated lands of weeds. They’ll Pekins are well-adapted to mixed flocks
virtually mow your lawn for you. and they look like ducks from storybooks—
All types of domesticated fowl produce cream- to yellow-colored feathers with
a substantial amount of nitrogen-rich orange beaks and feet. Pekins grow a bit
manure that heats up a compost pile in a larger, reaching as big as nine pounds,

hurry, which is especially valuable if you while an average Indian Runner is closer to

add a lot of carbon-heavy materials like four pounds. In Europe, where people eat

leaves or paper. The resulting compost more duck than in North America, Rouens

will be the best fertilizer money can’t buy. are the most popular duck for meat. They
look like Mallards, the ducks you see most

CHOOSING BREEDS often at your local pond.

Among the many types of guineas, the You won’t find many different breeds of

most popular for backyard flocks are Hel- geese to choose from, but the most widely

meted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris). available is the Toulouse. It is very cold-

Their feathers are black and gray with hardy, lays about fifty eggs a year and can

white dots, and they grow to be about four grow as large as twenty-five pounds. It is

pounds. This species is very social and gray on the back and breast, white under¬

attentive to hatching its eggs. neath. Pilgrims are known to be very

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS | 161

friendly and quieter than other breeds. range birds and may actually harm them.

The males are white, the females olive- Also, keep in mind that when the temper¬

gray. They grow to be about fifteen atures are low, birds eat more so that their

pounds. Embden are the classic-looking metabolism can help them stay warm.

goose with white feathers and orange You can feed them from small dog bowls

beaks and legs. or any other stable, easy-to-access dish.

Your poultry flock needs a constant sup¬

FEEDING ply of drinking water. Of course, ducks

Backyard poultry allowed to roam and and geese prefer to get it while they’re

feed to their hearts’ content mostly fill wading, but when any of them can’t find it

themselves up with the natural foods they outside, you need to be sure they have

prefer—bugs, seeds, and small plants. You access to a fresh supply. You can buy or

can supplement their grazing with fruit make a self-replenishing container—

and vegetable waste from your kitchen or either way, for ducks and geese it needs to

nearby restaurants. The birds often go for be deeper to accommodate their bills

wilted lettuce greens, carrot tops, broccoli than the water supply needs to be for

stalks, apple cores, and the like—experi¬ chickens and guineas.

ment to see which your birds prefer. You

can also give them a small amount of SHELTER
whole grain, such as corn, oats, or wheat. The basic housing requirements for

During winter and other times when ducks, geese, and guineas are even sim¬

their natural food is scarce, you can buy pler than they are for chickens. They need

pelleted food formulated specifically for shelter from extreme temperatures and

each type of fowl. They can all survive on harsh weather (high winds, heavy rain, or

chicken feed, if that’s all you can find, but snow), and they need protection from

stay away from the medicated products, most of the same predators that threaten

which are not necessary for these free- chickens. You can house guineas and

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 162

chickens together, if you have both. two or three days. The bird droppings in
Almost any sort of enclosure works—my the water are valuable nutrients for your
neighbor uses a small doghouse and a garden plants, so if at all possible pour it
chain-link dog pen for her ducks. You can off into the soil—not directly on plants,
build a more elaborate structure—Buck¬ though, because the “hot” nitrogen can
ingham Palace, as one renowned gar¬ burn the leaves.
dener calls his—but that is more for To protect their ducks from daytime
aesthetics than any need your fowl have. predators (like dogs and cats) and to pro¬
Guineas prefer to roost in trees rather tect gardens from ducks, some home¬
than indoors; ducks and geese do not steaders keep them in a portable pen, like
roost. All three are more inclined to create a chicken tractor. They come back to their
their own nests rather than lay eggs in pen on their own at night, so the portable
boxes you provide. In fact, guineas tend to pen isn’t essential for them.
hide their nests so you may never see
them unless you keep a watchful eye on HABITS
them. For that reason and because the Guineas can be noisy, screeching at
eggs are about half the weight of a intruders and other creatures that
chicken’s, many guinea owners don’t frighten them. They make good “watch¬

bother with trying to gather the eggs. A dogs” for this reason, but the noise may

duck or goose lays its eggs in the same disturb the neighbors. They also like to

place each day, though the spot is mostly roost on deck railings and other perches.

of its own choosing. Since they don’t know property lines, they

Many people who keep ducks and geese may surprise your neighbors by showing

provide them with a small plastic kiddie up on their side of the line. Before you get

pool, if they don’t have access to a pond. guineas, it’s a smart idea to inform your

Protect them from parasites and other neighbors and get their acceptance. Be

problems by changing the water every sure to tell the neighbors that guineas eat

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS | 163

pests, mice as well as insects, and they do GETTING STARTED
become accustomed to familiar people Day-old ducklings and goslings rather

and pets. than eggs you incubate are the best way to

Ducks are much quieter and docile. begin for novices. Get them in spring

They naturally walk in a herd. Simply from a hatchery in your area, most of

walking behind them with a stick that you which are registered with the U.S. Depart¬

wave on the opposite side of where you ment of Agriculture (your county exten¬

want them to go guides them. They do, sion office can also help you find them). If

however, spook easily, so avoid sudden there are none near you, you can mail¬

movements and loud noises around them. order for them, too. Guinea fowl keets (as

In the wild, many geese mate for life, their hatchlings are known) are a little

one of the few creatures (besides humans) older when you get them, but they are

that do. Domestic geese can be more like very susceptible to cold and moisture. All

many of our favorite movie stars—serial of these little birds need extra protection

monogamists, who mate with a single and to be kept enclosed for a couple

partner for a while and then move on. months until their reach mature size.
Check the “Getting Started” section for
chickens (page 158) for details on raising
newborn domestic fowl.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 164

Rabbits food you give them into potent pellets of
fertilizer. Even better, rabbit manure is not
You don’t have to be like Farmer as “hot” (or nitrogen-heavy) as poultry
McGregor battling Peter Rabbit to know manure, so you can use it to feed plants in
that wild rabbits can be frustrating pests the ground or even in containers without
in your garden. They can mow down a row composting it first.
of lettuce overnight and take a nibble out Certain breeds of rabbit, such as the
of every strawberry. But domesticated Angora types, grow fur that can be har¬
bunnies are just the opposite. Keep them vested without harm to the bunny and
out of your garden and they can be a real then spun into very soft yarn you can use
asset to your diversified urban home¬ to make hats, scarves, and other knitted
stead. They’re also lovable and easy to items. Of course, if you are able to treat
care for pets, perfect for small homes and your rabbits more like livestock than pets,
where other kinds of livestock are not wel¬ their pelts are highly prized, and their
come. Just don’t forget that rabbits flesh is a healthy, low-fat meat.
earned their reputation for reproducing
often and abundantly—be sure you have a CHOOSING BREEDS
plan for what to do when that happens. You have hundreds of choices that you
can narrow down by considering your

BENEFITS conditions and what you want the rabbits

Rabbits can’t survive on leftover veg¬ for. Netherland Dwarf and other minia¬

etable scraps (more on that in the feeding ture breeds grow only to about three and a

section below), but they do enjoy the parts half pounds, so you don’t need a lot of

of the food that you probably (hopefully) room for them to live in and they eat con¬

are tossing into the compost pile, such as siderably less than the larger breeds.

carrot tops, potato peels, and apple cores. Their litters are also smaller—usually only

They turn that waste and all the other two to four kits at a time.

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS 165

 Slightly larger “small” breeds get to be chosen to give them the nourishment

about five pounds, still a manageable size they need. Give them produce only as a

for small properties. They come in a wide treat, not a staple in their diet.

range of colors, from black to white to Each day a four-pound rabbit will eat

brown or gray. Many of them have floppy about four ounces of pellets, or about one

rather than upright ears. Dutch and ounce per pound of their weight. Beware

Himalayan are two widely available of overfeeding. Caged rabbits don’t get

breeds in this size range. The medium the same amount of exercise as wild ones

breeds, which get to be about seven do, but they don’t always regulate their

pounds, include those with the Angora food consumption accordingly. An over¬

fur. Most of the popular breeds for show¬ weight rabbit is not healthy or cute.

ing, such as Mini Lop, American Sable, Your rabbits need roughage in their

and Harlequin, come from this group. The diet, and hay is the best way to give it to

larger giants can weigh as much as them. They can eat as much of it as they

twenty-five pounds, so they’re in demand want, so provide them with a steady sup¬

by people who are raising them for fur or ply of timothy or other dried grass cut

meat. Giant Chinchilla and Flemish Giant from fields you know were not treated

are two of the most commonly found. with pesticides.

You can feed them from any dish with

FEEDING sides low enough for your bunnies to get

As you already know, rabbits love vegeta¬ their noses into it. Be sure the dish is sta¬

bles and fruits, but they need a more bal¬ ble, so they don’t constantly turn it over

anced selection of nutrients than they get and spill out all the food. Also, s^t up the

from raw produce. Nearly everybody who feeding area so that the food stays dry.

raises rabbits successfully feeds them Soggy food can make them sick. Evening

with packaged pellets based on alfalfa (for is the best time to feed rabbits, because

protein) blended with other ingredients they are more active at night than during

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 166

the day. You can feed them in the morn¬ head space—more for larger breeds—so
ing, but whichever time you choose, be they have enough room to move around
consistent. A routine helps rabbits stay and stretch out.
happy and healthy. If you build the cage from wire, don’t use
Rabbits drink a lot of water because chicken mesh, which can hurt the rabbits’
they cannot absorb it from the food they feet. Even better, provide a sitting board
eat. Many people provide them with water (about the size of their bodies) so they can
bottles with spouts, like those designed rest in comfort. A wire floor is sensible,
for guinea pig cages. Most rabbits figure though, because it allows their waste to
out how to use them, but because the bot¬ fall out, which makes cleaning easier. You
tles are relatively small, you may need to can collect the bunny manure on a tarp
refill them more often than if you use a beneath the hutch so you can use it in
ceramic crock or just a dish designed for your garden or compost pile. Rabbits can
small dogs. Rabbits dehydrate quickly, so chew through wood and plastic, so if you
be sure they always have access to fresh, use those materials, be sure to reinforce

clean water. them with wire to keep them from escap¬

ing. Many hutch designs feature a door

SHELTER that lets you get inside to clean, but those

An attractive rabbit hutch is fairly easy to with a roof that opens instead are even

build, but whether you make or buy shel¬ easier to maintain.

ter for your rabbits, each bunny needs its Be sure to put the rabbit hutch where it

own compartment—male rabbits (known will be shaded from the heat and shielded

as “bucks”) and females (“does”) fight from cold winds. Get it up off the ground

each other, and two of the opposite sex to keep their predators, most commonly

will do what bunnies are known to do: dogs, from getting to them. If you want

reproduce. Give each rabbit at least three your rabbits to graze in your yard, you can

square feet of floor space and two feet of set them up in a movable pen (like the

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS | 167

chicken tractor I described on page 156). GETTING STARTED
Early evening (around dusk) is a good The American Rabbit Breeders Associa¬

time to let them graze each day. tion maintains a state-by-state listing of

breeders, and that’s the best place to start

HABITS looking for a reputable source. I’m not

People who keep rabbits as indoor pets saying you need a bunny with a pedigree,

have found that they can train them to use but an established breeder is the most

a litter box. If you do this and use standard reliable way to get what you pay for.

kitty litter, don’t put the used litter in your Whatever you do, don’t try to catch wild

compost pile. The litter likely contains rabbits and raise them in captivity. And if

chemicals to fight odor and for other pur¬ you decide to quit raising rabbits, find

poses that you don’t want to put in your someone else to take them rather than

garden. Many bunnies that live in close releasing them into the wild. They retain

quarters with people do become affec¬ their natural instincts, but without experi¬

tionate lap pets. ence on their own, they won’t last long.

You might be surprised to know that

rabbits do vocalize. Though we think of
them as silent, they make low grunting
noises when they are agitated, and they
let out an unnervingly shrill scream when
they are threatened and frightened or
hurt. They grind their teeth softly when
they are content, kind of like a kitten’s
purr.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 168

 HASSENPFEFFER, ANYONE?

IN GERMANY, HASSENPFEFFER, OR RABBIT STEW, IS A POPULAR TRADITIONAL

dish. Rabbit is enjoyed in other European countries and elsewhere where they are abundant. Rab¬

bit as meat is no longer popular in North America, but as more people begin to question the sus¬

tainability of eating beef, pork, and chicken, it is gaining new enthusiasts. Here’s why

eco-conscious meat-eaters are considering rabbit.

• Rabbits eat food that people don’t. • Rabbits are very efficient at converting

calories into meat: rabbits can produce six

• They’re easy to raise and to butcher (sorry, pounds of edible meat from the same

there’s no better word) yourself. amount of food and water it takes a cow to

produce one pound.

• Since rabbits reproduce quickly, the supply

can be constant.

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS 169

Goats easy to turn goat’s milk into chevre and
other fresh cheeses, or make it into yogurt

Grazing animals wouldn’t seem and even ice cream. Angora and Cashmere

well suited to populated areas, but goats goats grow the soft fur that is transformed

are highly adaptable and easy to manage into the highly valued fabric for which those

in a limited space. If you have 3,000 names are famous. All breeds of goat are

square feet or more for a pen, you have handy for mowing down grass and other

enough room for a couple of goats. vegetation, including thistle and other

Though goats don’t really eat tin cans hard-to-eliminate weeds, without resorting

(despite what you’ve seen in storybooks), to poisonous herbicides. In fact, goat own¬

they do feed eagerly on weeds and other ers in many places are renting out their

undesirable plants, so they can graze in herds for this very purpose. (See “Goats for

abandoned lots, along roadsides, and in Rent” on page 173.) As with other kinds of

just about any uncultivated space. Goats backyard livestock, goat manure is a nutri¬

are generally docile, and some breeds are ent-rich ingredient for your compost pile.

even friendly. Goat’s milk soap is an expensive luxury that

you could make yourself.

BENEFITS
Did you know that outside North Amer¬ CHOOSING BREEDS
ica, goat is the most commonly eaten red Start by considering what you want goats

meat around the world? It is a staple of for. Certain breeds are better suited to

Caribbean cuisine, which you may have milk or meat production. La Mancha,

tried if you’ve ever been to the islands. But Nubian, and French Alpine areYhe most

even if you don’t want to raise goats to eat, common dairy goats, while Spanish and

dairy goats can supply you with highly San Clemente are popular for meat. If you

nutritious milk that is easier to digest for want goats for fiber, Angora and Cash-

those who are allergic to cow’s milk. It’s mere are the best choices.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 170

 For a small backyard you can get minia¬ their own, give them roughage such as
ture versions of many breeds, including corn stalks or hay. Almost any kind of hay
the dairy types. They were created by is fine, though hay from legumes like
cross-breeding Nigerian Dwarf goats with alfalfa, clover, and vetch is more nutri¬
other breeds. They reach up to 100 pounds tious than grass hay, like fescue or sudan-
and still produce a substantial amount of grass. Alfalfa is especially desirable
milk. Mini La Manchas are widely recom¬ because it is rich in calcium, which helps
mended for urban goat herds because they with milk production. If you give your
are calm, quiet, productive, and (I’m not goats other types of hay, provide them
afraid to say it) kind of cute. with alfalfa pellets (simply ground up and
For your city or suburban backyard dried alfalfa), which you can find at pet
herd, stick with females (called "does” or stores and feed mills. You can give your
“nannies”) rather than males (“bucks” or goats grain like corn or oats at times of
“billys”). The boys can become aggressive the year when they don’t have much to
and noisy when the girls are in heat, and browse on, but don’t rely on it because,
they can have a very strong odor. Goats like cows, they are ruminants evolved to
are social animals, so get at least two or turn green matter into milk. Experienced
more nannies. goat keepers also give them mineral sup¬
plements that contain copper, an essen¬
FEEDING tial nutrient for them. Be sure they have a
Goats want and need to graze, or rather to steady supply of water to drink, too, espe¬
browse, meaning they prefer to munch on cially during hot, dry spells.
shrubs and the lower branches of trees
rather than on grass and other ground SHELTER
covers, though they do eat grasses when Cold is no problem for goats, but they are

they are available to them. prone to catching pneumonia when they

Along with the vegetation goats find on stay wet. A garage, a toolshed, or any

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS | 171

structure you build that lets them go that the latch is on the outside—goats

inside when it’s raining or snowing works. have been known to figure those out, too.

Make sure the entrance is set up so they My neighbor has always kept a wooden

can come in and go out at will. If the struc¬ picnic table or low flatbed wagon in his

ture is high enough for you to stand in, goats’ pen. I frequently see the goats chas¬

you will find it much easier to muck out ing each other on and off these platforms

the bedding. in what looks a lot like the game of “King of

Unless you live where there are long the Mountain” we used to play on dirt piles

rainy periods, such as the Pacific North¬ around the house where I grew up. I’m not

west, the ideal floor for your goat shelter is sure exactly what they’re doing, and nei¬

bare ground rather than wood or concrete, ther is my neighbor, but it does seem like

because soil absorbs much of the animals’ they get a lot of exercise out of it.

waste, and the microbes living in the earth

can decompose it. If the shelter does have HABITS
a solid floor, cover it with wood shavings The best way to ensure that dairy goats

or straw to absorb the waste. And remem¬ continuously produce milk is to breed

ber to clean out the floor covering and them each year. Rather than keep your

replace it with fresh material once a own billy goat, take your nannies to a

month or so. Add the dirty old material to farm that can provide a billy for this pur¬

your compost pile. pose. Most experts say you must stop

Goats find surprisingly ingenious ways milking while they’re pregnant, but you

to escape from a fence. Chain-link is the can start again shortly after the kids are

most secure, but if that costs more than born. y

you can spend to enclose their pen, you You don’t need special machinery to

can use wire or stock fencing that’s at milk goats—you can do it by hand—but a

least four feet high. The gate must be milking platform they stand on while you

sturdy and secure, and try to set it up so sit and aim the stream into a container

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 172

makes the job much easier. You can milk GOATS FOR RENT
your goats daily for the ten months or so
that they are lactating between pregnan¬ IN A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY MASH-UP

cies. Depending on the breed, they pro¬ of high-tech and good old-fashioned, two of

duce an average of about three quarts of the best-known brands on the Internet have

milk a day. hired goats to help manage the landscape

Goats are subject to occasional infesta¬ outside their offices. Google and Yahoo are

tions by intestinal worms. You can find just two of the many businesses and individu¬

organic (herbal) deworming formulas als who lease a herd of goats to clear brush

online and nowadays at many feed stores from their properties. Goats are an increas¬

or from farm animal veterinarians. ingly popular and eco-friendly solution for

cleaning up land overgrown with weeds,

GETTING STARTED brambles, and other unwanted vegetation.

If you know of a county or local 4-H club They’re especially valuable on steep slopes

fair, that is the best place to look for goats and other places where people and machines

to buy. You might also ask at a nearby feed don’t work so well.

store about people who come in to buy How much can a small a herd of goats earn?

supplies for goats. Wherever you find the From $200 to $1,000 or more per day, depend¬

goats, be sure they have clear eyes, a ing on the scope of the job and the number of

straight back, and a wide, deep chest. goats needed to do it. If you want to put your

goats to work, you’ll also need a portable elec¬

tric fence or a couple of well-trained herding

dogs to ensure that your workers don’t wan¬

der off the job.

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS 173

 KNOW THE CODE

THE FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION YOU NEED TO ANSWER BEFORE YOU

start raising any livestock is: what are the local regulations about keeping animals where you live?

Just fifty or sixty years ago, few municipalities restricted homeowners’ rights to keep bees, chick¬

ens, or ducks. But as the power of neighborhood associations grew and people became more

removed from the source of their food, laws were passed to prohibit raising even these pet-size ani

mals in many cities and the suburbs. Today, the tide is reversing and these laws are being revoked.

Still, you need to check first. Start with your local zoning board, where these laws typically orig¬

inate. Your county extension office is a reliable source of information, too.

Even if you are permitted to raise any of these animals where you live, take the time to inform

your neighbors about what you are doing and explain all the measures you will take to keep the ani¬

mals from becoming a nuisance. Pay particular attention to making sure the animals are out of their

sight and won’t produce unwelcome odors. Oh, and bring along ajar of honey or a carton of eggs to

help convey the tangible benefits of their tolerance.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 174

 BUY A SHARE

DO YOU LIVE IN A PLACE WHERE KEEPING ANY LIVESTOCK IS NOT FEASIBLE?

That does not mean you have to settle for eggs and meat from factory-scale operations (I can’t even

call these places “farms”). You can buy locally produced, pasture-raised animal products at many

farmers’ markets and even in some of the progressive-minded grocers like Whole Foods Market.

Another way to get more safely and humanely produced eggs and meat is to join a CSA (a com¬

munity-supported agriculture farm) that specializes in these items. You buy a “subscription” at the

start of the season and get a share of the harvest each week. You also share with the farmers in the

risks of agriculture.

In an even simpler arrangement, some small farmers offer shares of their livestock to a few peo¬

ple, who make a down payment on the meat when the season starts and collect after the butchering.

One year our family purchased a quarter of a steer—from a small herd of about a dozen raised on

pasture not far from our house in the suburbs—which was delivered to us in the form of the best¬

tasting steaks, roasts, and ground beef we’ve ever had at home. We needed a large freezer to keep it

all, but at $2.25 per pound for all cuts, we easily justified the cost of the freezer. This year we’ve

invested in a half share of a hog and are already looking forward to the best chops, ribs, and ten¬

derloin imaginable.

CHAPTER FOUR: WORKING WITH ANIMALS | 175

 CHAPTER FIVE:

CARING FOR THE HOME

I!

F ou’re not planning to move out of your house or apartment and into
a log cabin or yurt, but you would like to be more self-sufficient and use
our precious resources wisely. You can become less dependent on products
and services and enjoy the money savings and satisfaction that come with providing
for at least some of your own needs. Whether you need to get rid of refuse, wash your
clothes, water your plants, or deal with a pest problem, the solution may be right in
your backyard.
Waste around your home and yard and turn
them into compost, you close the loop
Management on the production-consumption cycle,

reduce your contribution to overflowing

Grass, leaves, and other yard waste, landfills, and make fertilizer for the food

along with discarded food scraps, consti¬ plants you are growing. Most exciting—

tute a quarter of the stuff that gets hauled and I really mean most exciting—you get

off to landfills in the United States. That’s to participate in the nearly magical

just wasteful and unnecessary when all of process that regenerates what’s thrown

us can be managing that refuse ourselves. away into a treasure gardeners call “black

Whether you live in a single-family home gold”: rich, crumbly, sweet-smelling com¬

or an apartment, you can turn almost any post. You watch decomposition happen,

kind of garbage that was once a plant into and you will be fascinated.

compost. Don’t worry about what you’ll do You don’t need special ingredients, a lot

with the compost—it just continues to of space, or unique knowledge or skills to

break down and eventually is absorbed do this. You have the basic ingredients of

into the soil. If you have a garden or compost around your home, regardless of

houseplants, you’ll be glad to have the where you live. You can set up a compost

compost, the most effective fertilizer and pile in a space as small as 3 feet by 3 feet.

soil conditioner known to man. But even if you don’t have enough space

Growing and cooking your own food is for a compost pile, you can make it on a

work, but it can also be fun and very satis¬ patio or balcony in a container that’s the

fying. Dealing with the garbage that’s left size of a standard trash can, or even in a
V
over, not so much. Cleaning up after din¬ box you keep underneath your kitchen

ner may be a chore, but when you take sink. Just about all that is required of you

kitchen scraps and other waste from is patience.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 178

 WHY COMPOST (Wherever You Live)

1. Compostingis like alchemy, transforming 3. Your corner of the world stays a little

banana peels, apple cores, and coffee bit cleaner.

grounds into black gold—aka the best

plantfertilizer imaginable. 4. You need no special skills or knowledge-

just toss garbage into a heap and let it rot.

2. Landfills are a dirty, stinking mess—no

place for innocent kitchen scraps. 5. It keeps earthworms fat and happy, and
don’t they deserve that?

WHAT IS COMPOST? “Compost Happens” means.

Let’s start with a little science. Everything Humus, a word commonly used as a syn¬
that was once alive eventually decom¬ onym for compost, is more accurately
poses. Billions of microbes, such as bacte¬ applied to organic (that is, once living)
ria and fungi, feed on decaying tissue, matter in the process of decay. So, for
breaking it down into smaller pieces as instance, a pile of leaves that are starting to

they digest it. Those microbes show up and break down, but are still recognizable as

get to work almost the moment the living leaves, is humus. Helpful stuff for building

thing dies. When the decomposing matter healthy soil, but not as valuable as com¬

was once a plant, the stuff the microbes post.

leave behind when they are done digesting When compost is finished breaking

is compost. This process occurs continu¬ down, it looks like the crumbs left behind

ously in nature, in every meadow, forest, after you cut a slice of chocolate cake—dark

and vacant lot, without people getting brown bits with a lightly sweet, earthy

involved at all. That’s what the slogan smell. If you squeeze those bits in the palm

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 179

of your hand, they clump together, but if
you crumble them with your fingers, they
fall apart. At its finished state, the original
ingredients are no longer discernible, and
the compost is teeming with microbes.

MAKING COMPOST
As I said, nature makes compost without
any effort by people. If your only goal is to
dispose of your own waste, you don’t need
to do much other than to pile it up. Later on
in this chapter, I’ll tell you about what
should and should not go into your com¬

post pile.
You can take an active role in the process
to speed it up, keep it functioning effi¬
ciently, and produce a richer, more bal¬
anced fertilizer to use in growing your
food. You do this by choosing and mixing
the ingredients thoughtfully and ensuring
that the microbes have the air and mois¬
ture they need to keep working steadily.
The basic formula is very simple. Fresh
ingredients like banana peels, carrot tops,
and other kitchen scraps are high in nitro¬
gen and are referred to as “greens.” Older,

drier stuff, such as fallen leaves or straw,

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 180

are carbon-rich “brown” ingredients. The MANAGING A
ideal blend for compost is three parts COMPOST PILE
brown to one part green, but don’t worry
about making that too exact—just remem¬ You gradually build your compost pile,
ber that you need some of each type, with adding ingredients as you get them.
generally more brown than green—to get When the pile reaches three feet high, it
your pile to decompose evenly. will have enough volume to begin “cook¬
ing.” That is, it will heat up (from the
• To build a compost pile, find a level microbes’ activity) on the inside and get
spot that’s nine square feet. The warm enough that you can actually see
closer it is to your kitchen or garden, steam coming from it on cool mornings.
the more use it will get. The spot does When the stuff on the inside of the pile
not need to get direct, full sun, but has finished cooking and looks decom¬
some sun each day can help keep it posed—two to three weeks after you built
warm and active on cold days. the pile—you want to move the inside of
• Cover the ground on the spot with a the pile to the outside and move the stuff
couple-inch-thick layer of straw. If on the outside to the center. You do this by
you don’t have access to straw, you digging out the center with a shovel or a
can use six to eight sheets of black- garden fork and then pushing the outside
and-white newspaper (no glossy material into the center. This process is
color pages) instead. known as “turning” the compost pile.
• Cover that with a layer of green You can, and want to, keep adding fresh
material. material to your compost pile. When the
• Continue to add greens and browns air is very dry—especially in winter and

as you have them. during a spell of windy days—moisten but

• Moisten the ingredients if they are do not soak the pile. The microbes need air

very dry. (which you give them when you turn the

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME I 181

pile) and moisture to function efficiently. RAW MATERIALS
Sometimes you will find yourself with a Almost anything that comes from a plant

lot of one type of ingredient, such as fallen can go into the compost pile. With just a

leaves or grass clippings. Instead of couple exceptions I’ll tell you about in this

dumping it all into your compost pile at section, no animal products belong in

once, bag or stockpile them near your pile your compost pile. We’ll look at the

(if possible) and add them gradually as greens (high nitrogen) and browns (high

you accumulate other mix-ins. A diverse carbon), which doesn’t refer to their color

mix of materials makes the best compost but rather to their state of freshness.

and the easiest-to-manage pile.

GREEN INGREDIENTS

Kitchen scraps. Only from fruits and veg¬ rich ingredients you can add to your com¬

etables, such as apple cores and onion post. (Yes, manure is brown, but it’s so

skins. nitrogen-rich that it falls in the “green” col¬

Grass clippings. From lawns that have not umn.) The bedding from stables—the mix¬

been treated with synthetic fertilizers, her¬ ture of straw and dung—is an almost

bicides, or other chemicals. perfect addition to the pile.

Garden waste. Everything from tomato Coffee grounds. (Brown again, but they

vines that you have finished harvesting to belong here for the same reason.)

pulled weeds that have not gone to seed Human and pet hair (any co/or)^ They’re

Herbivore manure. The waste from chick¬ rich in nitrogen and are easy to get from

ens, cows, horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, and barbers and groomers. Add them in small

other herbivores are one of the most nutrient- amounts because they break down slowly.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 182

BROWN INGREDIENTS

Fallen leaves. The more you shred them weed-block in a new garden or pathway.
(with a lawn mower, for instance), the Sawdust. It is so carbon-dense that it
faster they will decompose. breaks down very slowly, so use it in mod¬
Straw. Be sure you don’t get hay instead. eration. Never use sawdust from treated
Straw is the hollow stems left behind after or painted wood.
corn or other grain crops are harvested. Woodstove or fireplace ash. A rich source
Hay is simply cut dry grasses, and it can of the important plant nutrient potassium,
include the seedheads. You don’t want ashes are highly alkaline. Add only small
those seeds in your pile because they will amounts—a bucketful or so—at a time.
sprout up as weeds wherever you use the Eggshells. One key exception to the “no
compost. animal products” rule of thumb. Eggshells
Shredded paper. Black-and-white news¬ add calcium to your compost, and while
print and office paper can be used as car¬ they decompose slowly, you can almost
bon-rich brown materials, but shred them watch the fragile shells breaking into ever
up first so they don’t clump up in your smaller pieces.
compost pile. Cardboard is better as a

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 183

THE “NEVER EVER” LIST

These items do not belong in your com¬ Human manure. Bad idea, in case you are

post pile, because they could introduce wondering. Do you know what’s in that $#!+?

harmful diseases or toxins, or because Glossy paper. High-quality colored paper

they won’t degrade fully. is printed with colored ink that contains

Meats, dairy products, bones, and fish. heavy metals. Black-and-white newspaper

They decompose slowly, make your com¬ is safe.

post smell bad, and attract animals. Diseased plants. Toss them as far as pos¬

Dog, cat, pig, and reptile manures (and sible from your garden, put them in the

bedding from their living quarters). They garbage, or burn them. If they get into

often contain parasites or dangerous your compost, they could spread the dis¬

pathogens that are harmful to humans, par¬ ease when you use it in your garden.

ticularly pregnant women, children, and Gypsum board scraps. Gypsum is a natural

people with compromised immune sys¬ mineral, but the building material may

tems. Never put them in your compost pile. contain paint and other undesirable toxins.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 184

LOCAL RESOURCES food products throw away tons of useful
You probably have many of these ingredi¬ ingredients.
ents around the house, and they’re the Landscapers. Lawn-care services and
efficient way to start your compost pile. other landscaping pros collect and must
But you don’t have to stop there. No mat¬ dispose of grass clippings, tree prunings,
ter where you live, you can scavenge for and the like almost every day. Many of
many more valuable ingredients that will them will deliver the stuff to your home if
make your compost pile work better and you take it off their hands.
the results be more nutritious for your Parks department. Another source for

garden plants. grass clippings and leaves for your com¬

Zoos, animal parks, and pet stores. Don’t post pile. Whenever you get grass clip¬
live near a farm or stable? Bring a con¬ pings from an outside source, try to stay
tainer with a tight-fighting lid to other away from any that have been treated with
places where plant-eating animals are herbicides, which may kill friendly
kept. Almost any of them will gladly share microbes in your compost pile.
a load or two with you, especially if you Neighborhood watch. Believe it or not,

offer to shovel it yourself. people throw away valuable compost

Restaurants and cafeterias. Every day ingredients. Go down a street in an older
they’re generating pounds and pounds of neighborhood—where the trees are tall-
fruit and vegetable scraps. If you know on trash night, and you will see bags and
someone in the trade or just have no inhi¬ bags of leaves by the curb. Would anyone
bition about asking for the waste, provide miss them if you helped yourself to a few
a lidded container and pick it up often. of them for your compost pile? Talk about

Food processors. Manufacturing plants an embarrassment of riches.

that turn freshly harvested produce into

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME I 185

CONTAINING COMPOST BOX DESIGN
You don’t need a dedicated composter. Four sides and a lid, but no bottom, these

You can just pile up the ingredients and bins are generally made from wood or

let them decompose. But if you live close plastic (often recycled). Be sure to choose

to your neighbors or just like neatness one that has ventilation openings on the

and order (you know who you are), then sides to allow air and moisture to move

you’ll want a compost bin that keeps the through the pile. Many have a little door

ingredients discreetly inside and scav¬ in the front to allow you easier access to

enging animals outside. If you want to the finished compost.

buy one, there are lots of different designs Benefits: Worms and other soil-dwellers

you can choose from, online (try Corn- can easily get into the pile from below and

posters.com) and at most home and gar¬ begin helping with the decomposition.

den centers. Most fall into one of two Considerations: You need nine square

categories: feet of ground space to site it. You must

turn the pile with a shovel or fork.
SPIN DESIGN
Sometimes called the “Tumbler” type of
compost bin, this design has a large con¬
tainer, like a barrel, mounted on a rack.
You put the ingredients inside the barrel
and then spin it to mix and aerate them.
These can range from the size of a small
trashcan to as big as an oil drum. Because
your ingredients have no access to the
ground, you need to add a little soil to the
bin to introduce the right microbes for
healthy decomposition.
Benefits: Ideal for patios, balconies, and
other places where there is no bare
ground. Very easy—fun even—to turn.
Considerations: Makes compost slowly

unless you fill it up all at once, turn it reg¬

ularly, and add nothing more. No contact
with the soil—you need to add finished
compost or garden soil to spur decompo¬
sition. Dries out quickly.

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME I 187

COMPOST FOR SALE ents that haven’t decomposed in the bag.

Many municipalities give away compost

to residents. But if yours doesn’t or you USING COMPOST
need a small amount for a container gar¬ Although you continually add fresh ingre¬

den, you can buy bags of it at nurseries dients to your compost pile, it stays the

and home centers. same size because it’s always breaking

Before you buy, check the bag. Though them down. So you don’t have to do any¬

manure is often in well-made compost, thing with your compost—you can just

you don’t want composted manure. It is use it as a way to dispose of your own

too rich for containers and doesn’t have waste (and feel good about that). But it is

the balance of nutrients as you get in com¬ the best fertilizer you can use in your gar¬

post made with a variety of ingredients. den, and it improves many of your soil’s

Also beware of bags that list “biosolids” as qualities in the process. These ideas will

an ingredient. That is an industry term for help you get started.

sewage sludge, and you don’t want to Seed-starting mix. When planting seeds

spread it on your garden or put it in your in pots indoors before moving them out¬

containers. side, blend three parts peat moss or coir

Ask an employee where you are shop¬ with one part compost. Use your most fin¬

ping for compost if you can see a sample. It ished compost for this.

should smell sweet and earthy, not sour or Container mix. Instead of potting soil,

moldy. Squeeze it in your fist. If it clumps make the mix half peat or coir and half

into a hard ball, it’s too soggy. If it doesn’t compost. The finer the particles in the

form a ball, it’s too old, dry, and dusty. You compost, the better.

want compost that sticks together from a In the garden. Spread a half-inch layer of

gentle squeeze and falls apart when you compost on top of the soil before planting
rub it between your fingers. Be sure there and once or twice during the growing sea¬

are no discernible big chunks of ingredi¬ son. Scratch it in lightly to the top few

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 188

inches. Or add a handful or two to each
hole when you’re transplanting seedlings.
Compost tea. Brew up a batch of this nutri¬
ent-rich liquid fertilizer for feeding potted
plants. To make it, put a shovelful or two
in a burlap bag or old pillowcase. Tie the
bag shut and steep it in a bucket of water
for two to three days. Dilute the “tea” with
an equal amount of water, and sprinkle on
your plants. Spread the compost that’s left
in the bag in your garden, or toss it back
into the compost pile.

THREE BASIC BINS Pallet box: Many businesses that receive

You can make your own compost bin with large shipments give wooden pallets to
materials that are easy to salvage. anybody who will haul them away. Set
three of them on their ends and form them

Wire ring: To make a three-foot diameter into three sides of a cube. Cinch them

compost bin, get ten feet of chicken wire together—at the top, middle, and bot¬

or other light metal fencing. Form the wire tom—with zip ties. With the fourth side,

into a circle. Fasten the ends together with secure only one side so that it can still

zip ties or twine. Be careful with wire open like a gate to make it easy for you to

ends—they are very sharp and prone to shovel out the finished compost. You can

poking you when you’re not paying atten¬ also use snow fencing or plastic mesh and

tion. Set up on the ground and fill, starting metal posts for the sides of compost bin.

with a layer of straw.

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 189

Trash Can Tumbler: If you have enough liquid you get is super-rich in nutrients

space for a garbage can, you have room and an ideal fertilizer for container plants.

for this composter. Find or buy a 32 gallon To make your own worm bin, get an eight-

or larger plastic garbage can with a tight- to ten-gallon plastic storage box with a lid

fighting lid. Drill two- to three-inch holes and drill twenty quarter-inch holes in the

about six to twelve inches apart all the bottom. These let condensation drain out—

way around the sides of the trash can. you can use a second lid as a tray to catch

Cover the holes with hardware cloth or the small amount of moisture that comes

window screening, and secure with duct out. Around the top edge of the box, drill

tape. Fill the can with your raw ingredi¬ ventilation holes about an inch apart. Drill

ents. Once a week or so, lay the can on its twenty-five to thirty holes in the lid, too.

side and roll it back and forth a few times,

holding your hand on the lid to be sure it
doesn't pop open, to “turn” your compost.

KITCHEN COMPOST
If you have no room for even a trash can,
you can still make compost. All you need is
a cool, dark spot where you can keep a plas¬
tic storage container—like under your
kitchen sink or in a closet. That’s where the
worms will live as they dispose of your fruit The worms need bedding. Make that by

and vegetable scraps, along with newspa¬ cutting newspaper into inch-wide strips

per and small amounts of yard waste. and moistening (not soaking) if. Cover

Vermicomposting, or composting with the bottom of the bin with a three- to four-

worms, doesn’t produce a lot of compost inch thick layer. Add brown leaves or a

to use in your garden, though the black scoop of soil, if you can get some.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 190

 bin and make a pile of new bedding and
garbage on the other. In a week or two the
worms will have moved to the new pile
and you can remove the old compost. It’s
ready to use in your garden.

You can buy worms online or through

bait shops, or you can capture them in the
wild. Look under leaf piles or lure them in
by setting a piece of wet cardboard on
your lawn overnight—the worms will be
underneath in the morning. Black liquid, or “worm tea,” collects in the
You can feed your worms any fruit and bottom tray and inside the container. It is a
vegetable kitchen scraps, like apple cores pure liquid fertilizer. You can collect it with
and broccoli stalks. And add them gradu¬ a baster or just pour it into a cup. Add a
ally to prevent the food from rotting couple tablespoons to your watering can
before the worms have a chance to digest when you water your container plants.
it. Just like with any composting, don’t If your bin smells like rotting garbage,
put meat, fish, or dairy products in your you’re adding food too fast for the worms
worm bin. Give the worms fresh, damp to consume it. Hold off on giving them
newspaper once a week or so. more. If your bin smells like mold, you’ve
Store the bin in a well-ventilated area away made the newspaper too soggy—add

from direct sunlight, high heat, or frigid cold. some that’s dry.
After a few months, the bedding will Fruit flies are a problem when you don’t

have broken down into rough compost- bury the food waste in the newspaper or

brown and chunky. Time to add new bed¬ you have too much food for the worms to

ding. Move the old pile to one side of the handle.

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME I 191

 PET POO COMPOSTER

WASTE FROM YOUR DOG OR CAT (OR YOURSELF, FOR THAT MATTER) IS BIO-DEG-

radable, but it is not safe to put in your compost pile. Manure (that’s a nice technical word for it, isn t

it?) from carnivores may contain parasites and disease-carrying microbes that can survive the

decomposition process and infest your garden vegetables and fruit when you use the compost. You

can and should put waste from plant-eating pets, such as guinea pigs, gerbils, and parakeets, in

your compost pile.

Throwing dog and cat waste into the trash where it will be carried off to a landfill isn’t ideal either.

Pet poop wrapped up in plastic is held in a kind of suspended animation and clogs up already over¬

flowing landfills. Left to decompose wherever it falls, dog doo is not only a stinking mess, it also

may wash into streams and reservoirs, depositing its load of disease vectors into the water supply.

You can flush dog and cat waste (though not plastic bags or kitty litter) down the toilet and send it

off to your septic tank or a municipal water treatment plant. Another, more resourceful solution

that will appeal to many homesteaders is a “dog doo digester.” You can buy one, but it’s so easy to

make that you ought to at least consider trying to set up your own first.

l.Start by looking for a location where you ten small holes in the sides, near the bot¬

can dig that’s far from your food garden tom. Cut a wide opening at the bottom—a

and any aboveground water supply. An keyhole saw makes this quick and easy.

out-of-the-way place is best, so no neigh¬

bors see what you’re doing, even if it is 3.Dig a hole that the container fits in

completely safe and will be odor-free. completely.

\
2.Get a small plastic trash can or a large .
4 Make a base layer of small rocks or gravel

plastic bin with a lid. Drill or poke eight to at the bottom of the hole. The container

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 192

 should rest on the base so that it sits a 5. Backfill dirt around the outside of the con¬

couple inches above ground level and tainer to hold the container firmly in the

allows the lid to be put on snugly. hole.

That’s all there is to it. To use it, lift the lid and drop the poop into the bin. Add carbon-rich materi¬

als such as sawdust, fallen leaves, dried grass clippings, or shredded paper. If you prefer, you can

also add a natural septic starter (found in hardware stores and home centers). Replace the lid. The

waste slowly degrades, liquefies, and drains away. You don’t need to empty the container ever.

This system works best if you are scooping up the waste and adding it to the bin directly. If you

pick up your pet’s poop with a bag, look for cornstarch-based bags, which are now widely available

at pet stores and online. Standard bags won’t degrade in the digester, so if you use those, you need

to empty their contents into the container and then toss the bag in the trash.

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 193

Water INSIDE
You can save a lot of water just by paying

The earth's surface is three-quar¬ attention to when the spigot is on. Do all

ters water, as you probably remember from you can to keep water from simply run¬

science class, but did you know that less ning straight down the drain and always

than 3% of that is fresh water? To put it think efficiency. Here are a few places to

another way, if all the world’s water were fit start.

into a gallon jug, the fresh water available • Put a bucket in the tub to collect the

for us to use would equal only about one water that comes out of the spigot while

tablespoon. It is a most precious resource- you’re waiting for it to warm up enough

after just three days without it, you die. For for you to shower or bathe. Use that

most of us, water streams out of a tap when water on your garden or houseplants.

we need it, and we give it no more thought • Take the same approach with water you

than whether it is cold or hot. We rely on it use for rinsing fruits and vegetables.

not only to hydrate ourselves, but for so • Keep a pitcher of water in your refrigera¬

many other things from cleaning our bod¬ tor rather than letting it run from the tap

ies, our clothes, and our homes to irrigat¬ until it’s cool enough to be refreshing.

ing our gardens and orchards. • Soak used pots and pans instead of try¬

As a resourceful homesteader, you want ing to scrape them clean while the water

to use water as efficiently as possible, runs.

whether it comes from your own well or a • A fully loaded dishwasher uses water

municipal reservoir. If you think about it, more efficiently than washing by hand

you can probably come up with lots of while the water runs. If you have two

ways to save water in your home, but I sinks in your kitchen, you can fVash by

want to share a few ideas and reminders hand efficiently if you use one side for

that I think are especially relevant for soaking and one for rinsing.

homesteaders. • Consider replacing older shower heads

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 194

 with newer, low-flow models. If you have other microbes that pose some risks to
an older toilet, replace it with a newer, your health. It needs to be filtered through
high-efficiency type. Or retrofit it with a a system that’s designed to clean it suffi¬
low-cost dual flush kit that lets you ciently for reuse. You can find kits and
choose between a simple rinse for liq¬ plans online, but if you are not adept and

uids or a full flush for solids. experienced at basic plumbing, bring in

• Showering with a partner can be not only an expert to help you get your system set

water wise but also fun—as long as you up properly. Check out the resources sec¬

don’t get too distracted in the process tion of this book for leads on how to get

and end up staying in the shower longer. started.

Gray water is water that’s been used in OUTSIDE

your house to wash you, dishes, or clothes I know you remember some of these rec¬

(as opposed to blackwater, which comes ommendations from the gardening chap¬

from the toilet or garbage disposal). Gray ter, but I have to reiterate them here

water typically constitutes 50% or more of because they’re so important to water

the water that goes down the drain in your conservation.

home. In many areas you are permitted to • Keep a layer of natural mulch on your

set up a system to reuse gray water for irri¬ garden and around your landscaping

gating your garden, washing your car, and plants at all times, but especially in

otherwise using outdoors. In some places summer. Mulch keeps the bright sun

you can even use gray water for toilet from evaporating all the moisture from

flushing. the soil and prevents water-sucking

Recycling gray water can dramatically weeds from putting down roots. Grass

reduce your demand for fresh water and clippings, shredded leaves, and straw

help you to be more self-sufficient. Gray are free (or low-cost), effective mulches

water does, however, contain bacteria and for your vegetable garden. If you need a

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 195

more attractive mulch for flower beds, you water in the middle of the day, it will

trees, and shrubs, bark chips look nice evaporate before the plants have a

and work well. chance to take it up. Water directly to

• Before you water your garden or flower the roots—leaves do not absorb much

beds, do the test on page 29. Once moisture. Once the plants are estab¬

established, trees and shrubs do not lished, soak the soil deeply once a week

need to be watered. If you find that rather than sprinkling it daily. This

those landscape plants are persistently encourages plants to grow deep roots,

dehydrated, they are not right for your which can find moisture underground

conditions and you should move them rather than in quicker-to-dry-out sur¬

to a spot that is better suited to them or face areas.

replace them with varieties that are • A drip irrigation system is the most effi¬

well-adapted to where you live. cient way to water your garden. If you

• If you need to water your garden, do it in can’t buy one, a soaker hose which

the morning (best time) or about an “weeps” water along its length is the

hour before sunset (next best time). If next best choice.

v
\

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 196

RAIN BARREL
The best water for irrigating your garden falls from the sky. A rain barrel captures pre¬
cipitation from a downspout and stores it until you need it. You can buy one or make
your own with these basic instructions.

1. At a local restaurant, cafeteria, or super¬ vinegar is very effective at killing unwelcome

market ask for a food-grade plastic barrel- bacteria left in the barrel.

55 gallons is a common size, though a bigger

one works fine if you get one. Be sure it has 3. With a one-inch spade bit, hand drill a

not been used to store chemicals or petro¬ hole about eight inches from the bottom of

leum products. It should have a lid that the barrel.

opens readily and closes tightly.

.
4 Install a garden hose valve in the hole by

.
2 Thoroughly clean the interior of the bar¬ placing the adapter and washer inside the

rel. A simple solution of water, dish soap, and barrel and the spigot on the outside (it helps

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 197

to have two people working together on .
7 Use sheet-metal snips or a hacksaw to cut

this). Wrap the valve threads with Teflon off your downspout about three and half

plumbing tape to ensure a watertight fit. feet above the top of the barrel. Get an off¬

Tighten it slowly and gently to avoid cracking set diverter-available at home centers and

the barrel. building supply stores-and install it in the

downspout. It functions as a splitter, allowing

.
5 Drill another hole, the same size, near the you to direct water into your rain barrel or

top of the barrel. Install another hose valve out the bottom of the downspout.

or simple hose bib. With a hose attached,

thiswill manage any overflow. .

8 Attach a flexible downspout extender
into one side of the diverter and the cut-off

6. Get a skimmer basket like those used in piece of downspout into the other side.

garden ponds and swimming pools to filter

out leaves and other debris. Trace the out¬ 9. Set the barrel on cinder blocks or bricks.

line of the basket’s bottom on the barrel's lid. Make it high enough for you to get a watering

With a keyhole saw or jigsaw, cut out the can easily underneath the hose valve.

traced area. Cover the basket with window

screen or hardware cloth to prevent mosqui¬ 10. Direct the flexible downspout extender

toes and other disease-carrying insects from into the skimmer basket. Check the forecast

getting into the barrel. Set the basket into for rain.

the hole.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 198

Housekeeping of salad dressing, but to me that's more
tolerable than the fake floral scents used
Television commercials would have to cover up the noxious odor of chemicals
you believe that you need a specially for¬ in so many cleaning products. The aroma
mulated product to keep each surface in of vinegar is gone when you rinse with
your home free of deadly germs and the water after cleaning. For most uses, dilute
dirt and grime that cause nearly fatal vinegar about two to one with water. You
embarrassment. No one believes advertis¬ can use more potent solutions, even
ing tells the truth, but chances are you have straight vinegar, for really resistant dirt
a lot of these products around your house. on durable surfaces like sinks and toilets,
Unfortunately, those products almost countertops and tile. Straight vinegar and
always are made with powerful chemicals hot water unclog bathtub drains without

that are poisonous to people and (in their damaging pipes.

manufacturing) toxic to the environment.

Do you have to choose between keeping Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol is a solvent

your home sanitary and polluting the that loosens grease and sticky stuff like

planet? Definitely not. A resourceful hairspray and hardened toothpaste. Alco¬

homesteader can use a few safe, ordinary hol evaporates quickly without streaking,

household items to thoroughly clean just so it leaves glass and chrome shiny and

about every corner of the house, saving smudge-free. Mix it with equal parts water

money and ensuring that kids and pets and white vinegar, put the solution in a

are not exposed to poisons in the process. spray bottle, and forget about buying the
blue window cleaner ever again.

White vinegar (distilled) is a mild acid

that breaks down dried-on dirt, mold and Baking soda not only keeps your refrigera¬

mildew, soap scum, and hard water tor smelling fresh, it is an abrasive, so you

deposits. Yes, the smell may remind you can use it to scrub stovetops, tubs and toi-

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 199

lets, pots and pans, or almost any surface Liquid dish soap is a mild detergent that is

that needs a bit of elbow grease. Sprinkle strong enough to clean hardwood and

baking soda on a damp sponge and then linoleum floors, walls, and other surfaces

scrub away. For extra-resistant grime, where you don’t want to harm the paint or

make a thick paste with baking soda and a finish. Mix a tablespoon into a half-gallon

little water, and apply it to the dirty spot. of warm water until it dissolves thor¬

Let it sit for about fifteen to twenty min¬ oughly. Soak a soft rag (old T-shirts and

utes—baking soda is an alkali that softens underwear serve the purpose) in the solu¬

the stuck-on dirt—and then wipe clean. If tion, wring out the liquid until the rag is

your carpets and rugs smell musty, sprin¬ damp not dripping, and wipe the surfaces.

kle baking soda on them, let sit for about

three hours, then vacuum well. Vegetable oil, such as olive or canola,

shines up furniture and other wood sur¬

Hydrogen peroxide, known as H202 to faces without leaving behind the waxy

your chemistry teacher, is a very safe dis¬ residue that commercial sprays do. Mix a

infectant. How safe? You can mix it half cup of the oil with a half-cup of lemon

and half with water and gargle with it to juice, a mild acid that breaks down glass

kill germs in your mouth. (Just be sure rings and smudges. Dab a little at a time

you’re using 3% hydrogen peroxide, which on your cleaning rag, then rub it into the

is the most commonly sold concentration. wood. Wait about five minutes, then wipe

Also, spit it out—don’t swallow it.) In your with a fresh rag to soak up any oil that

bathroom wipe mildew-stained tile grout doesn’t soak into the wood. Polish wood

with hydrogen peroxide, let sit for ten like this every three to four months or so.

minutes, and come back to rinse it clean. For weekly dusting, use a cloth diaper, an

Use hydrogen peroxide to clean cutting old sock, or a piece of another fabric with

boards and countertops and protect them static for the dust to cling to.

from salmonella and other bacteria.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 200

Essential oils are very potent and fragrant LAUNDRY
liquids made by distilling the leaves, The homesteaders of yesteryear had to
stems, and roots of plants. Oils from euca¬ heat water over a fire, soak their clothes in

lyptus, peppermint, or lavender give your a tub, scrub them with bars of soap on a

homemade cleaners an authentic fresh washboard, and hang them to dry outside

scent and they’re natural disinfectants. or in front of the fire. Today, we have wash¬

You can find essential oils in natural ing machines that heat their own water

foods stores. They can be pricey, but you and agitate to remove dirt, fossil fuel (gas

use only a few drops at a time. or electric) powered dryers, and an aisle

Word of caution: My wife and I use the full of different products to choose from

homemade cleaners I’ve shared with you to ensure the clothes are clean, smell

here in our house, and they are gentle and fresh, and are free of the scourge of static.

effective. But I always suggest that you And if we are not fortunate enough to

test them in your home first by using have these appliances in our homes, we

them in a small, discreet way so that if can take our clothes to coin-operated

they are going to cause any damage to a laundries (or washaterias) that now have

surface, you discover that before you’ve TVs, Wi-Fi access to the Internet, and in

used them everywhere. some cases, even bars serving cocktails.

If you decide to do away with toxic com¬ Now, before you turn the page, let me

mercial cleaners, don’t just simply toss assure you that I’m not about to suggest

them in the trash. Take them to a haz¬ that you dump the appliances and pick up

ardous waste collection site in your area a washboard. But since the washer and

where they can be disposed of without dryer consume a lot of energy and the

harming the environment. average household cleans 400 loads of

laundry a year, I want to offer you ideas for
reducing the costs to you and the environ¬

ment.

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 201

SIMPLE DETERGENT
The laundry detergent aisle in supermarkets and megacenters are lined with dozens of
products sporting brilliant labels that suggest mountain streams and fresh breezes.
Most of them, though, are brews of harsh chemicals and laboratory-formulated fra¬
grances. Those that contain phosphates are especially damaging to our freshwater sup¬
plies and aquatic life. They are all toxic to people and pets, and are not essential. You can
make your own safe and effective laundry detergent with water and three simple ingre¬
dients you can find tucked away in the corner of those cleaning-product aisles.
Start by picking up a bar of plain, unscented soap (such as Ivory or Fels Naptha), a box of
washing soda (similar to baking soda, but it is sodium carbonate rather than sodium bicar¬

bonate), and borax.

1. Grate a third to a half bar of the soap into a 5. Add the soap mixture to the water and stir

saucepan on your stove. well. Add an additional gallon of hot water

and stir again. If you want the detergent to

.
2 Add six cups of water and heat it until the have a pleasant scent, mix in a teaspoon or

soap melts. two of essential oil like lemon or lavender.

.
3 Mix in a half-cup each of the washing soda 6. Let the soap sit for about twenty-four

and borax, and stir until it is all dissolved. hours, and it will become the consistency of

Turn off the heat. thick soup.

.
4 Pour four cups of hot water (from the .
7 You can pour it into smaller containers or
\
tap—no need to heat it) into a bucket with a leave it in the bucket. Stir it lightly each time

lid that holds at least two gallons. If you don’t you are ready to wash clothes. Use a half-cup

have one, you can get one from a restaurant of this detergent per load. It does not pro¬

or other food-service operation. duce a lot of suds, but don’t worry about that.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 202

 Remember to try this detergent on a Delicates and the express. You may have

small load to be sure it’s effective and some clothes made of fabric that needs to

doesn’t damage your washer or clothing be washed separately from heavier

before you start using it heavily. If your clothes—your so-called delicates. Or

laundry tends to be especially dirty, dou¬ maybe you need what my wife likes to call

ble the amounts of washing soda and an “express”—a garment that you want to

borax to pump up the cleaning power. wear before you have a full load to clean
with it. In these situations, you can wash

GENERAL LAUNDRY TIPS them by hand in your sink or, for a slightly
larger load, the bathtub. When you wash

Wash warm, rinse cold. The U.S. Depart¬ this way, soak the clothes in warm water

ment of Energy says that about 90% of the with just a little detergent (because get¬

energy expended on washing clothes is ting the soap out of the clothes is the only

used to heat the water. But if you wash challenging part of the process, so it’s bet¬

clothes in warm water and rinse them in ter to use less than more) for about five

cold, you can cut each load’s energy use in minutes. Swirl them around in the water

half, according to the DOE. Use hot water using your hands or the handle of a mop

only for the dirtiest clothes. or plunger to help loosen any dirt. Drain
the water out and gently twist the clothes

Full loads. It’s only logical, but let me just to wring out the water. Rinse with cold

say that you use resources most effi¬ water, and then wring the clothes again

ciently when you wait until you have a full thoroughly. Hang to dry.

load to wash your clothes. Newer washing You can also find small, hand-cranked

machines do have half-load settings, but washers designed specifically for apart¬

running them twice for two smaller piles ment dwellers, campers, singles, and oth¬

of laundry is still not as efficient as one ers who live without laundry machines.

larger load. These devices use even less water than

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 203

hand-washing. See the Resources section dryer accelerates the deterioration of

on page 253 for where to find them. many fabrics, including cotton and Lycra.

Air them out. If your clothes haven’t On the line. You can buy the classic

become stained or noticeably dirty, “umbrella” type clothesline, which fits into

maybe they don’t need to be washed at all, just about any size yard and can be folded

especially jeans, sweatshirts, and other up and put away when you’re having guests

layers you wear on top of other clothes. over. Or you can build your own laundry

Hang them outside, and the fresh air will line with a few inexpensive materials and

make them smell clean again. the most meager of construction skills. You

Solar clothes dryer. Rather than sucking have two choices for your clothesline: the

up energy drying your clothes with a gas classic “T” or a pulley system.

or electric appliance, use the power of the Whichever system you go with, try to site

sun. Set up a clothesline, and you save your clothesline on the east side of your

energy and expense, and your laundry home, so that it gets sun exposure early in

will smell like a warm breeze on a spring the day, especially in fall and winter when

day. Better yet, using a laundry line rather the sun fades in the afternoon. Set it where
than a dryer helps extend the life of your air circulation is not blocked by the house,

clothes because the high heat inside the a fence, trees, a hedge, or anything else.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 204

 T-BAR CLOTHESLINE
1. You need two 6x6 wooden posts and one 3. Place the posts in the holes and cement

4x8 for the cross bars. Most people use them in place.

treated wood for this because it stands up

through many years of getting wet, but since .

4 Cut the 4 x 8 in half. Turn four of the eye

the wood treatment is generally made from screws into one side of each piece, equal dis¬

chemicals I don’t like to put my hands on, I rec¬ tance apart.

ommend naturally rot-resistant cedar, which I

know is pricey. (If you choose treated wood, .

5 Centering each piece on top of a post, attach
handle it with gloves on.) Also get a bag of it securely to the post with the wood screws.

quick-setting cement, eight stainless-steel eye

screws, wood screws, and at least sixty feet of 6. Cut the rope into four lengths and tie each

nylon rope. (Cotton line sags when it gets wet.) end securely to an eye screw.

.
2 Digtwo postholes nofewerthan eightfeet .
7 When you’re sure the cement is fully dry,
apart and no more than twelve feet apart. The hang your first load to dry. After you’ve used

holes should be ten to twelve inches deep. the line about ten times, retighten the lines by

wrapping a loop or two around the eye screws.

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 205

 PULLEY CLOTHESLINE

1. To make a pulley line, start by identifying two .

5 Holding both ends of the rope, thread it

sturdy spots to attach the ends, such as a corner through one pulley and then the other. Don’t

of your house and a fence post or large tree. worry about keeping the rope taut-you’ll

handle that in the next step.

.
2 Get two large stainless-steel eye screws, a
pair of pulleys, a rope tightener, and nylon 6. Thread one end of the line into the rope

rope. These items are all available at home tightener and tie the other end securely to

centers and hardware stores. The rope must the open loop at the opposite end of the rope

be twice the distance plus one foot between tightener.

where you’ve chosen to place the ends.

.
7 Pull the rope taut and trim off any excess

.
3 Drill small starter holes foreach eye screw rope, leaving three to four inches for you to

and then turn them in so that they are seated grip when you pull it tight again after using it a

securely. few times.

.
4 Clip the pulleys to the eye screws. 8. Hangyourfirst load to dry.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 206

 In our house we’ve found that most drugstores and online. You need to work on
clothes and sheets come off the line soft, a clean, dry surface where the lye won’t
but towels and washcloths can sometimes damage anything, and you should wear
be a bit stiff. Shake each of them vigor¬ long sleeves, rubber cleaning gloves, and
ously when you take them down, and they, safety glasses. Lye is highly alkaline and
too, will feel fluffy and ready to dry even causes a painful burning sensation on skin,
the tenderest skin. so don’t think you’ll just protect yourself by
being careful with it. Like baking, soapmak¬

HOMEMADE SOAP ing requires you to be certain your meas¬

Making your own soap is an advanced urements are always exact or you won’t get

homesteading challenge that’s not any the desired results. Also, when working

harder than baking, but does demand with the lye, take care not to breathe the

attention to safety because you work with a vapors or lean over the pan. Keep kids and

powerful chemical—lye, also known as pets away from your work area.

sodium hydroxide, which you can buy at Here’s a basic recipe:

1. Pour three cups of very cold water into a 3. Once it is mixed thoroughly, leave this
two-quart glass or ceramic container. Don’t solution to cool for an hour or more, until it is

use a metal container—lye reacts with it. about 110°F.

.
2 Slowly and carefully add twelve ounces of .
4 While that is cooling, heat up 48 ounces of

lye, stirring as you go. This mixture gets hotter olive oil to the same temperature—110° F.

without you applying any flame or other heat

to it. 5. Carefully—at all costs, avoid splashing the

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 207

 lye mixture—blend the two liquids together. .
7 Let sit until it is consistently hard, which

may take up to a week.

.
6 Pour the combined liquids into a 10 x 12
inch glass or plastic container lined with wax .
8 When the soap has hardened, cut it into

paper. (If you can’t find a container that size, blocksand wrapeach with wax paper.

you can substitute a cardboard box lid, like

the kind that a ream of printer paper comes

in, also lined with wax paper.)

hemp, or use lard or beef tallow (like the

original homesteaders did) instead of the
olive oil. You can also use milk—goat’s
milk is a popular choice because it is high
in emollients that leave your skin very
soft and smooth. Be sure, though, to check
for the right lye concentration to use with
different fats. It varies and if your lye solu¬
tion isn’t right, the soap will not harden.
You can find online “lye calculators” (like
the one at www.soapcalc.net) for just about

Once you have this basic formula work¬ any fat that is suitable to soap making.

ing, you can start to personalize it. You You also can add essential oils k) make

can substitute or mix and match with the soap more fragrant. Lavender, vanilla,

other oils, such as coconut, almond, or and lemon make for very pleasant scents

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 208

and each has unique properties for differ¬ wood, you need to get it this year to use
ent types of skin. next. Whether you buy it or cut it yourself,
you can tell seasoned wood because it
ENERGY USE looks dark or gray (though it’s white
Think of wood as stored solar energy that inside when you split it) and the bark sep¬
the tree collected and you release when arates easily from the heartwood.
you burn it. It also seems somehow to Madrone, a tree that grows in the Pacific
have a warming energy when you split Northwest, is said to be the best firewood
and stack it. If you have a fireplace or, because it’s very dense, producing a
even better, a wood stove, you want it to steady high heat. But if you don’t live in
give you the most heat as efficiently as the madrone’s range, oak, which grows
possible. That starts with the wood. everywhere, is a dense, slow, hot-burning
The first and by far the most important hardwood. Hickory and birch are, too.
consideration when selecting wood to Softwoods, such as fir and pine, don’t pro¬
burn is seasoning, or the amount of time duce quite as much heat, but they dry out
that has passed since it was split. No mat¬ and catch flame faster than hardwoods.
ter what kind of wood you get, the logs Build your fires with both types of wood,
need at least a year after they are split to and you will be able to start it quickly and
dry out enough to burn well. Green, or keep it burning for hours.
unseasoned, wood is hard to get lit, doesn’t Wood typically is sold in “cords,” which
burn thoroughly, and leaves behind a when stacked should be four feet high,
residue called “creosote” that produces four feet wide, and eight feet long, or

noxious fumes and may even cause a fire about 128 cubic feet of wood. You pay less

in your chimney. Wood that is more than for unsplit wood. You can rent a log split¬

five years old, however, tends to be much ter for a day at home centers, if splitting

too dry to produce much heat. with an ax is not for you. Be sure to store

To be sure you have truly seasoned your firewood off the ground (on dis-

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME I 209

carded pallets) and, if you can, under a As the paper turns to ash, look to see if

roof rather than a plastic tarp, which traps the kindling (twigs and bark) has caught

condensation and slows the seasoning fire. If not, add a few more sheets of paper.

process. When the kindling is burning, add two

To build a longdasting, safe, and warm small logs in the same direction as the

fire, start by placing a large, heavy log on kindling. When the logs are half to two-

the back of the grate (parallel to the back thirds burnt, add more, two at a time,

of the fireplace) and a medium-size log in building the pile up in a cross-hatched

the front of the grate, leaving at least two pattern. Always be sure to leave space

to three inches between them. (Actually, between logs to allow air to flow

the real first step is to open the flue, so I through—fires need oxygen as much as

hope this is just a reminder.) Roll six to they need wood. Flames do emit heat, but

eight sheets of newspaper or other scrap your fire really begins warming the room

paper into tubes and stuff them between, when some of the wood turns to glowing

under, and around the logs. Lay a half- orange coals.

dozen or so dry twigs and/or pieces of

bark across (perpendicular to) the logs. MORE ENERGY
My father-in-law, a great fire-builder, EFFICIENCY
taught me to hold one rolled-up paper in Even without a fireplace or wood stove,

my hand and light it first to start creating you can reduce your need for fossil fuels

an updraft and then use it to light the to heat—and cool—your home. A row of

other paper at both ends and, if possible, shrubs or evergreen trees planted on the

in the center. I realize this isn’t the safest north and east side of your home deflects

practice, but if done with care, it does help cold winter winds and reduces yc^ur heat¬

get the smoke the paper will produce ing costs. Tall, leafy trees and shrubs on

heading up the chimney rather than back the south and west side of your house pro¬

into the room. vide shade that keeps your home cooler

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 210

on hot days. Even planting a small tree Pest Control
that shades your air-conditioning unit
can increase its efficiency by as much as Insects in your garden are inevit¬
10%, according to the U.S. Department of able, and essential. In your home they are
Energy. nearly as inevitable, even if they’re not
You can reduce your energy demand essential. Or maybe they are and we
with a few simple measures you take aren’t, but I understand that you don’t
inside, too. Keep a solid layer of insulation want bugs crawling all over your home.
in the attic, garage, or anywhere else walls But that’s no reason to schedule a monthly
are exposed to the outside. Be sure your visit from an exterminator, nor is it neces¬
windows and doors are as airtight as pos¬ sary to buy spray cans full of chemicals
sible. Seal cracks around window case¬ that are poisonous to just about every liv¬
ments and doors with caulk. Also, don’t ing thing, particularly you, your family, and
allow furniture, drapes, or anything else to your pets. Instead, I’ll share with you some
block vents. Drapes add extra insulation safe, effective solutions that you can rely

for your windows. Close curtains during on to curb an insect invasion.

hot days to keep your house cooler, open Before you try any solution, though,

them on sunny days in winter to let the take the time to figure out why the bugs

sunshine help warm it. are in your house. You can kill all the bugs
you see, but until you deal with the condi¬
tions that entice them into your home,
they will keep coming back. Access to
food is one of the primary reasons bugs
come into your house. It sounds obvious,
but don’t leave food (or even crumbs) on
your floors, counters, sink, or any place
else. Pet food may attract insects and

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 211

rodents—be sure to put away your ani¬ few words in defense of spiders. I know

mal’s bowl when feeding time is over. You they creep many people out; my teenage

probably know that moths feed on wool son can’t even tolerate a toy spider near

and other fabrics. They also may subsist him. But remember this: spiders prey on

on hair and lint they find on floors and many of the most bothersome pests,

carpets, if you don’t sweep or vacuum reg¬ including flies, moths, and fleas. And with

ularly. Termites and carpenter ants seek only a couple rare exceptions, spiders do

out weak or rotted wood. Many pests may not bite people. (The exceptions are black

also come inside your house in search of widow and brown recluse spiders, which

water they can find from a drippy faucet are rarely found in homes and do not live

ora tiny leak they find. T he more you keep at all in many regions of North America.)

your home clean and well maintained, the So if you see spiderwebs in your house, by

more likely it is that the pests will leave all means sweep or vacuum them up, but

you be. leave the spiders to continue eliminating

Before we move on to active pest con¬ other pests for your

trols you can use, please indulge me in a

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 212

ANTS nuisance outside, pour boiling water on
With the exception of fire ants, whose their nest. It may take a few applications
bites are very painful, ants are generally to fully kill the colony, but the treatment
beneficial insects outside, where they will work.
function as the ecosystem's garbage Inside, they can be bothersome, though
removal team. To get rid of fire ants and not really a threat of any kind. They’re easy
other types of ants that have become a to eliminate using this simple trap and bait.

1. Start by making the bait. Thoroughly dis¬ punch several holes in the sides of the tubs,

solve one teaspoon of boric acid (available at near the bottom so the ants can get inside.

drugstores and supermarkets) and six table¬

spoons of sugar in two cups of water. Use a .

3 Soak cotton balls in the bait solution, put
clear jar so you can see when all the boric them into the containers, and cover them

acid crystals are dissolved. with lids so the bait doesn’t evaporate.

.
2 Using old plastic containers with lids, like .
4 Place the bait containers wherever you
margarine or soft cream cheese cartons, seeanttrails.inoroutsidethehouse.
 makes it more likely that surviving ants will

.
5 Watch and wait. This trap is most effective continue eating the bait and taking it back to

when the worker ants continually carry low the nest.

doses of boric acid back to feed the other

ants in the nest. Boric acid is mildly repellent 6. Clean the containers and use fresh bait

to ants, so mixing a very low dose with sugar solution at least once a week.

COCKROACHES taking the sugary bait back to their colony

Few pests provoke disgust and loathing to feed others.)

like cockroaches do, and if you live in an The challenge of getting rid of cock¬

apartment building where other tenants roaches is that they may continue to come

leave food and garbage accessible to into your home from other apartments

them, they can be hard to get rid of. You where residents are not as diligent about

can poison them using the same boric cleaning up. In that case, you want to see

acid trap I recommended for ants, though if you can discover where the roaches are

you need to double or even triple the con¬ coming into your apartment or their path¬

centration of the borax in the bait to make ways after they are in. Once you have fig¬

it effective against roaches. You will still ured that out, you can spread diato-

see roaches for three or four of days after maceous earth around the entryway. It is a

you set the trap out as they slowly carry naturally occurring mineral (fossilized

the mildly poisonous bait back to their plants) with sharp edges that wound the

colony. If you are not seeing their num¬ roaches when they walk through it. Clean

bers diminish after a few days, increase up the dead bugs and refresh the layer of

the borax concentration. (The reason you DE every week or two. You can find DE at

don’t want to make the solution too strong many garden centers and online—just be

is that you don’t want to deter them from sure to get the kind for pest control, not

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 214

the type that is used in swimming pool fil¬ that is less taxing on your attention and
ters, which won’t be effective because it is reflexes is a trap. I don’t mean a Venus fly¬
ground up differently and doesn’t have trap, a plant that eats pests, which are very
the same sharp edges you want for gash¬ effective. I’m referring to a trap that flies
ing open roaches, stick to or lures them in with bait and then
prevents them from getting out. You can
FLIES buy traps like those—be sure to get one
The fly family has thousands of different that is not treated with pesticides—or you

members, and the ones that find their way can make them yourself.
into your house are rarely more than sim¬ Squirt a thin bead of honey or maple

ply annoying. (Many of those you see in syrup down the middle of a strip of duct

your garden are quite beneficial because tape (the sticky side), and you have a very

their larvae parasitize pests such as cater¬ basic flytrap. When the flies land on it to

pillars.) Flies do the important work of eat the sweetener, their feet get stuck.

consuming waste, so the best way to keep Hang a couple of these near your garbage

them from overrunning your home is not cans or wherever you see flies congregat¬

to leave rotting food and garbage accessi¬ ing, and before long they’ll be encrusted

ble to them. This can be a challenge if you with flies.

keep a compost bucket in your kitchen, as Construct a bottle trap from an empty

we do. Make sure it has a secure lid and two-liter soda bottle. About two-thirds up

empty it at least every two or three days. from the bottom of the bottle, cut off the

Using pesticides to control flies is a bit top portion. Remove the cap and turn the

like using a bazooka to shoot a squirrel- top part upside down, and tape or glue it

yes, it will do the job, but there’s sure to be securely to the bottom half. If you want to

a lot of unnecessary collateral damage. hang the trap when you’re finished, punch

Fly swatters are a more appropriate holes on either side through both sections

weapon for the job. An even better option on opposite sides of the bottle, and loop a

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 215

length of string through the holes. Fill the homeowners are “bug-zappers,” which

bottom section with water and a few purportedly lure pests to their blue lights

squirts of liquid dish soap. Bait the trap by and then electrocute them when they get

spreading a bit of jelly around the edge of close. Despite what the advertisements

the top where the cap goes. The flies come claim, these devices do not control mos¬

in to get the jelly, and few if any of them quitoes because the pests are not

will be able to get out. You’ll see them attracted to light. (This is a great solution

floating in the water. for killing moths, which are attracted to

light; but moths are hardly pests outside,

MOSQUITOES and they can be very beautiful.) Mosqui¬

Few things ruin a nice late summer toes are lured in by carbon dioxide, the

evening sitting on your patio or balcony gas you and all other mammals exhale

as surely as mosquitoes do. Their bites are with every breath. The little biters are

mildly painful and itchy, and very aggra¬ most active at dusk—the time of day when

vating. And now many people fear mos¬ we are most likely to be relaxing outside.

quito bites because they can spread You can find mosquito traps with carbon

potentially lethal West Nile Virus. The dioxide lures (and powered by electricity

solution for many people who don’t want or propane) selling for up to $1,500, but

to run inside has been to slather on chem¬ independent research shows they are not

ical insect repellent. DEET (known to very effective at reducing mosquito popu¬

chemists as N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide) lations.

is the active ingredient in most commer¬ Your first line of defense against mos¬

cial insect repellents, and when applied quitoes in your yard is to get rid of stand¬

repeatedly to the skin, it has been known to ing water, where mosquitoes lay their

cause rashes, headaches, restlessness, and eggs. Even a small puddle that lingers for

irritability, particularly in young children. more than three days is likely to become a

An alternative that appeals to many breeding ground for mosquitoes in sum-

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 216

mer. You also want to recruit the food and rub them on all your exposed skin. I’m
chain to help control the mosquito popu¬ not going to promise this will give you
lation. Bats eat thousands of mosquitoes 100% deterrence for hours on end, but I’ve
each night, and they come out to feed at found I rarely get bit while coated with
exactly the same time the pests get busy these essential oils. And I think I smell
snacking on you. If you don’t have a bat nice, too.
colony around your home, you can buy or
build a very simple bat house, hang it STINKBUGS
high in a tree, and before long you’ll see AND OTHER
them as it begins to get dark each night OCCASIONAL PESTS
flapping and swooping around, gobbling Asian stinkbugs are relative newcomers

up mosquitoes. Purple martins are mem¬ to our continent that are quickly making

bers of the swallow family that also feed real nuisances of themselves. Because

on mosquitoes, which is why many farm¬ they are an alien species, they don’t yet

ers set up houses for them near ponds and have natural predators here to keep them

watering holes. Purple martin houses can in check. So far, they’ve been found clus¬

be expensive, but they also make an tering in houses on the East Coast, but sci¬

attractive addition to your landscape— entists tracking them have observed that

though not a fraction as beautiful as the they are rapidly expanding their territory.

inhabitants. If you squish them by hand or foot, you

You can protect yourself from mosqui¬ will not fail to notice the very pungent sul-

toes the natural way by growing citrus- fury stink they emit.

scented herbs such as lemongrass and Ladybugs are very beneficial insects in

lemon balm. Before you sit down outside, your garden (their larvae eat pests like

break off a few stems and leaves from the aphids), but in cold climates they come

herbs, crush them gently in your hands, inside houses and gather in large clusters.

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 217

Crickets, beetles, and other insects also Home Remedies
may find their way into your home, where

you don’t want them. Pm not a doctor—and I’ve never

When you need to get rid of any of these played one on TV. I’m not a trained

bugs, don’t reach for the can of poison. herbalist, and I don’t claim to be a healer

Grab your handheld vacuum cleaner of any kind. But just as you can control

instead. Hit the power button to High and pests and solve many other minor house¬

suck up the little buggers, then dump hold problems without buying products

them outside where they’ll become food at the store, I have found that you can treat

for other creatures. minor ailments with remedies made from

plants in and around your garden. Now,

YELLOW JACKETS AND before I share a few of the herbal remedies

OTHERS WASPS I’ve found easiest to use and most reliable,

Wasp and hornet larvae prey on garden let me give the all-important caveat:

pests, but none of us ever wants to see Information you read here is not intended

them in their adult stage. They sting to be a substitute for professional medical

painfully and often. Yellow jackets are care. Always check with your physician or

especially a pest at late summer cookouts. other qualified health provider about any

You can use the same homemade trap I serious medical condition. You assume all

described for catching flies (page 215) to risk (and hold me and the publisher of this

lure many of them away from where they book completely blameless) for using any

can bother you and trap them there. Hang of the information found here. Got it?

the trap about 15 feet away from your food

table.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 218

ALOE aunt was quick to brew a cup of cham¬
The easy-to-grow houseplant known as omile tea whenever she heard my siblings
aloe vera has thick stems that ooze a pale or me pass gas.
green gel when they’re broken open.
Many herbal medicine experts say that GARLIC
the gel has antibacterial, anti-inflamma¬ You can protect yourself from colds just
tory, and antiviral properties. It has by eating great-tasting food. Seriously,
proven most handy around our house for research has shown that people who eat
soothing minor burns, including sunburn, garlic frequently catch fewer colds, and

and treating small cuts and abrasions. when they do get a cold, the symptoms

You can use it just by breaking off one of are less severe. Garlic also is linked to

the stems and squeezing out the gel onto reduce risk of heart disease, cancer, and

the affected area. As with all of these many other health benefits. It has a

remedies, use only a little at first to be clearly established connection to the

sure you don’t have a strong negative best-tasting marinara sauce, stir-fry, and

reaction to it. crusty Italian bread.

CHAMOMILE JEWELWEED
A pretty member of the daisy family, You probably haven’t intentionally

chamomile tea has long been used to planted jewelweed, but if you have had an

soothe stomach distress and help people encounter with poison ivy (in your yard or

relax before bedtime. If you remember the walking in the woods), the orange-flow¬

classic children’s story The Tale of Peter ered plant is likely to be growing not too

Rabbit, the mother bunny gave her son a far away—they seem to thrive in the same

cup of chamomile tea when he came conditions. Which is very convenient,

home from his afternoon munching away because the sap from jewelweed’s stems

in Farmer McGregor’s garden. My great- can protect you from the rash caused by

CHAPTER FIVE: CARING FOR THE HOME | 219

poison ivy and can reduce its duration if relaxation and ease anxiety. The Univer¬

you do get the oil from poison ivy on your sity of Maryland’s complementary medi¬

skin. If you can, apply the sap before you cine department also reports on research

go near poison ivy to create a barrier. that found people suffering dramatic hair

Some people report that jewelweed sap loss slowed or even reversed that process

also helps speed the healing of mosquito by massaging their scalps with the essen¬

bites and bee stings, too. tial oil from lavender. I can’t attest to that
personally, but if you or someone you are

LAVENDER affected, adding a few drops of lavender

When choosing herbs for your garden, oil to your shampoo certainly couldn’t

lavender should be near the top of your hurt.

list. It is beautiful, sporting stalks of pink

to purple flowers in the height of summer, MINT
very drought-resistant and nearly care¬ The leaves from homegrown mint make a

free. Most of all, lavender is delightfully tasty tea—hot or iced—that calms your

fragrant—you’ll catch a whiff every time stomach when you’ve overeaten or just

you brush by it, which becomes almost feel queasy. Peppermint works best, I’ve

irresistible once you discover that. Some¬ found, but almost any kind of mint works.

thing about that fragrance seems to Making the tea couldn’t be easier—just

soothe stress and calm nerves. Research drop a handful of fresh leaves into boiling

has confirmed what folklore has long water, and let it steep until the water turns

claimed—lavender flowers in your bath¬ a pale yellow-green.

water or crushed inside a pillow promote

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 220

 APPENDIX:

A TO Z
GROWING GUIDE

o help you get started producing some of your own food, I’ve compiled the
basic information you need to plant and care for fifty-four vegetables and
herbs, with hints on the best choices for small gardens and containers.
 ASPARAGUS
What to plant: Crowns, or one-year-old

ARU6ULA root clusters. All-male varieties such as

What to plant: Seeds. Italian seed compa¬ Jersey Giant, Jersey Prince, and Jersey

nies offer different varieties, but to me Knight, are more productive than old-

they all seem to grow and taste the same. fashioned types, which include lower-

yielding females.

When to plant: As soon as you can work

the soil in spring, and in late summer, when When to plant: When your garden's soil

night temperatures drop below 70°F. temperature is warmer than 50°F.

Planting and growing tips: Planting and growing tips:

• A fast-growing crop, arugula is ready to • Asparagus needs three years before you

snip off leaves for eating thirty to forty can begin harvesting but it can continue

days after you plant the seeds. producing for fifteen years after that.

•Arugula's flavor gets spicier as the Choose a spot for it where you won't be

leaves grow larger. digging and planting other crops.

•When temperatures warm up in spring, • Dig a trench six to eight inches deep.

arugula grows flower stalks and then Add compost and form small mounds

blooms. Time to pull it and replace with eight to ten inches apart. Place one

a hot weather crop. You can eat arugula's asparagus crown on top of each mound

peppery yellow flowers, if you like. and gently spread out the roots. Backfill

• Where winter is not too frigid, you can with the soil you dug out up to the level

plant arugula in fall and cover it with where the top of the crown is at the soil

mulch after it sprouts. It survives winter line. Gradually backfill with the rest of

and starts growing again in the spring. the soil as the plant grows.
•Do not harvest any spears the first two

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 222

 seasons or you will diminish the yields in • Once your basil plants start to branch out,
future years. In the third year, take a few start trimming off the top. Clip off the top

of the largest spears. After that, harvest third of the plants two or three times—
all spears that are thicker than a pencil. about two weeks apart—and they will

• When the harvest ends, asparagus grow bushier and produce more leaves.

grows large ferny leaves. Leave them on •You can trim off and eat leaves as

the plant through fall and winter, then needed, making sure a few leaves are left

trim them to the ground in spring. behind on each stem. In about a week,
you’ll see new growth again.

B .■■■". BEANS
What to plant: Seeds. Pole types need to

BASIL be staked, but they take up less space than

What to plant: Seeds or plants. Sweet or the bush varieties. Kentucky Wonder and

Genovese varieties are the common Blue Lake bear lots of straight, juicy pods.

choice for pesto or Caprese salad, but you Dried beans come in dozens of varieties,

have many other choices, including Thai including kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils

and Cuban, which have smaller leaves and black turtle beans.

and a spicier flavor.

When to plant: Spring, after the last frost.

When to plant: A week or so after the last Where the first frost doesn’t come until

frost in spring. Basil doesn’t tolerate cold. October, you can also plant green
beans in late summer for fall harvest.

Planting and growing tips:

• If your growing season is short or if you Planting and growing tips:

are new to growing basil, start with • Beans, like other members of the legume

plants rather than seeds. family, pull nitrogen (a key nutrient) from

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE | 223

the air so you don’t need to fertilize them. Planting and growing tips:

• Use stakes that are six to seven feet tall • Beets need loose soil with as few rocks as

for pole beans. Any taller and you may possible to form smooth, evenly shaped

not be able to reach the uppermost roots.

beans; on shorter stakes, the bean vines •When you plant beet seeds too close

get tangled. together—and in my experience, it’s

• Avoid working in the bean patch when it almost impossible to avoid—you have to

is wet (even from dew). You risk spread¬ pull out the extras so that there are five

ing fungal diseases from one plant to the inches or more between them. Eat the

next. thinnings in a salad or any way that you

• Once the plants start producing beans, would eat spinach.

pick them every day or at least every • The roots are most tender and flavorful

other. Smaller beans are tenderer, and when they just start to show through the

the plant will continue to pop out new soil line. They get woodier and drier as

ones to replace the ones you picked. they grow larger.

• Leave dried bean pods on the vine until • If you are succession planting (see page

they begin to turn brown. 17), follow beets with tomatoes or a mem¬
ber of the squash family.

BEETS
What to plant: Seeds. You can go with a

classic red variety, such as Detroit Dark

Red, or try a red-and-white striped or
golden type. Bull’s Blood has striking dark
red leaves and deep red roots.

When to plant: About four weeks before

the last frost in spring.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 224

BROCCOLI out) are the best way to avoid biting into
What to plant: Seedlings. Calabrese is a a caterpillar.
popular heirloom, Green Comet is valued
for the many extra side shoots it produces. BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Or get all adventurous with a purple broc¬ What to plant: Seedlings. Long Island

coli or even a romanesco. Improved, an heirloom, is disease-resis¬

tant. Jade Cross is more productive,
When to plant: Spring or late summer, Oliver is quicker to ripen. Rubine has red¬
when overnight temperatures are warmer dish stalks and sprouts.
than 50°F and daytime temperatures are
cooler than 8o°F. When to plant: Mid to late summer—about

six weeks before your area’s average first

Planting and growing tips: frost in fall.

•The first few days after you transplant

the seedlings are critical for their sur¬ Planting and growing tips:

vival. They tolerate cold, but they need • To get the biggest, healthiest plants,

to be kept constantly moist until they leave eighteen inches or more between

start to grow again. the seedlings.

•When you harvest a head of broccoli, •When the nights get colder than 45°F,

leave some of the main stalk in the gar¬ clip off the stalk’s growing point to con¬

den. Fertilize it with compost tea or other centrate the plant’s energy on filling out

liquid organic fertilizer and in a few the existing sprouts.

weeks small broccoli heads will form on • Harvest the whole stalk or some of the

the sides of the remaining stalk. sprouts, whichever suits you. Either way,

• Caterpillars are broccoli’s number one wait for a couple of light frosts to

pest. Row covers (a fabric that lets light, sweeten the sprouts’ flavor before you

air and water in, while keeping moths pick them.

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE | 225

• A stalk-full of sprouts will keep in a heavy, solid heads. Keep a few inches of

garage or other cool spot for a few weeks organic mulch around cabbage at all

after harvest. times to prevent the soil from drying out.

CARROTS
What to plant: Seeds. The familiar long-

rooted Nantes and Danvers are best in

CABBAGE loose soil. In the heaviest soil, go with a

What to plant: Seeds or seedlings. Choose shorter, stumpier type like Thumbelina.

a variety based on what you want it for- You aren’t limited to orange—heirloom

eating fresh, cooking, or sauerkraut. The seed companies are offering purple, red,

longer the variety’s maturation time, the yellow, and white varieties.

better it is for cooking or storing. Green

and red types, along with bok choy and When to plant: As soon as the soil is dry

other Asian cabbages, have similar needs and not too cold to dig in spring.

and habits.
Planting and growing tips:

When to plant: Early spring for harvesting • The looser the soil, the better the carrots

in summer or midsummer for a fall crop. will grow. Add lots of compost to loosen
dense, clay soils.

Planting and growing tips: • After sowing the seeds, cover them

• Cabbage grows best where it gets a little lightly with soil or, even better, fine com¬

shade during the day. post. Be sure you don’t pat the soil down

• Leave at least a foot between each cab¬ v so hard the tiny seeds can’t break

bage plant so that the heads have through when they sprout.

enough room to reach full size. • When the carrots poke up above ground,

• Constant, even moisture is crucial for mound up soil or mulch to cover them

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 226

 and prevent the sun from turning them grow muskmelons in the North.
green. •Plant muskmelons in clusters of four
• You can leave carrots in the ground until and leave enough room around each
you’re ready to eat them. Surround them cluster for the vines to spread three feet
with several inches of straw, shredded or more in all directions. If you don’t
leaves or other organic mulch so the soil have enough room for that, grow the
stays pliable enough for you to get the vines on a trellis and help support the
carrots out when the temperatures are fruit as it gets heavy in a “hammock”
freezing. made from T-shirts, panty hose or any
other stretchable fabric.
•Muskmelons are ripe and ready to har¬
CANTALOUPES AND vest when the area where the vines con¬
OTHER MUSKMELONS nect to the fruit turns brown.
What to plant: Seeds (where summers are

long and hot) or seedlings (everywhere CAULIFLOWER

else). Cantaloupes are an orange-fleshed, What to plant: Seedlings. Snow Crown,

netted muskmelon. Other varieties may Snow King, and Snowball all have their
have smooth skin or green flesh, and partisans, though there do not seem to be
slightly different flavors. meaningful differences among them. So-
called self-blanching types often still
When to plant: A week or two after the last need a little help from you to be sure they
frost date in spring. This is a warm completely cover the head.

weather crop.
When to plant: Early to midsummer. Cau¬

Planting and growing tips: liflower needs consistently cool tempera¬

•Covering the soil in spring with black tures—fall-like—as it matures.

plastic mulch helps warm it enough to

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE I 227

Planting and growing tips: When to plant: Right after the last frost

• To form full, substantial heads, cauli¬ date.

flower needs fertile soil with a complete

set of nutrients. Mix lots of compost into Planting and growing tips:

the soil before planting. • Swiss chard tolerates heat better than

• About three weeks after planting cauli¬ spinach, but as the temperatures warm it

flower, scratch an inch-deep layer of grows taller, leafier and less tender. A lit¬

compost (or aged manure) into the soil tle shade in summer slows this process.

around the plants. • You won’t plant an easier to grow, more

• Direct sunlight turns cauliflower heads trouble-free crop than Swiss chard.

green and bitter. When the head is still • Harvest leaves only as you need them

smaller than your fist, gently pull the and the plant will continue to make new

large leaves up over the head and tie ones until frost.

them in place with twine. Be sure the

leaves and head are dry when you do this CHERVIL
to prevent trapping moisture and caus¬ What to plant: Seeds, or seedlings (if

ing the head to rot. spring quickly becomes hot where you

• Feel the head inside the leaves with your live). The plain and curly types taste and

hands. When it feels full, the head is smell very much alike.

ready for harvest.

When to plant: Late winter/early spring or

CHARD late summer.

What to plant: Seeds. The traditional

\
white varieties, such as Fordhook Giant, Planting and growing tips:

are more productive but not as attractive • Like just about every herb, chervil suf¬

as newer types like Bright Lights, which fers in soggy spots. Plant it where the

have red, yellow and orange stems. soil drains quickly after a storm.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 228

• Chervil's tiny white flowers attract the • Dig up and divide clumps of chives
beneficial insects that prey on pests. Plant every three to five years. You can share
it in and among your vegetable crops to the new clumps with friends or pot them
help protect them from infestations. up and bring them inside to grow on a
• You can start harvesting the feathery windowsill.
leaves about six weeks after you plant
the seeds. CILANTRO
What to plant: Seeds. “Slow-bolt” varieties

CHIVES are best for areas where spring heats up

What to plant: Seedlings. Beware of garlic quickly.
chives—they spread rampantly and soon
invade every bed in your garden. When to plant: Three to four weeks before

the last frost in spring.

When to plant: Early spring is usual, but

you can plant them at any time during the Planting and growing tips:

growing season. • Cilantro flowers attract bees and other

pollinators. Plant it around your veg¬

Planting and growing tips: etable beds to help boost your yields of
• Chives are perennial, meaning you plant other crops.
them once and they grow back every • Cilantro bolts, or flowers and starts pro¬
year. Put them in a spot where you won’t ducing seeds, when the soil gets warmer
disturb them. than 70°F. Pull it and replace it with a hot
• In late spring, chives blooms with puffy weather crop in summer, or let it go to
purple flowers you can eat or just cut off. seed. The seeds will drop and come up
• Cut chives as you want to eat them, and the following spring.
at the end of the growing season, trim • The pods that form after the flowers fin¬
them down to a few inches high. ish blooming are filled with seeds that

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE I 229

are the spice known as coriander. You will continue producing new ones.

can gather some of them to dry and use

in your kitchen. CORN

What to plant: Seeds. Heirlooms like

COLLARDS Country Gentleman have the true “corny”

What to plant: Seeds. Georgia Green, an flavor. Newer hybrids, such as Silver

heirloom, produces large heads and toler¬ Queen and How Sweet It Is, have been

ates heat. Champion is more compact, so bred for extra sweetness. Popcorn needs a

it fits into smaller spaces, and it’s more long growing season before it’s ready to

winter-hardy than most varieties. harvest.

When to plant: Midsummer, about three When to plant: A week or two after the last

months before the first frost in fall. frost date.

Planting and growing tips: Planting and growing tips:

• Deep-rooted collards grow best in loose • Corn seeds do not germinate in cold,

soil. Dig and fluff the soil eight inches damp soil. Wait until the overnight air

deep or more. Mix in nitrogen-rich mate¬ temperatures are warmer than 6o°F and

rials like well-rotted manure. the ground has dried out before planting

• Collards sprout in soil as cold as 45°F them.

and as warm as 75°F. In warm soil, the • Cross-pollination happens readily

seedlings will come up in as little as a among different corn varieties. Plant only

week; they may take up to three weeks in one at a time to avoid harvesting^ears that

cooler conditions. have all sorts of weird variations.

• For best flavor, wait until after a light frost • A heavy feeder, corn needs a lot of nitro¬

or two before harvesting. Snip off and eat gen at the start of its growing cycle. Mix

the lower and outer leaves and the plant in composted (not fresh!) poultry manure

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 230

 or other high-nitrogen organic fertilizer Planting and growing tips:

into the soil a few weeks before planting. • Cucumber varieties typically have both
• Nourish corn with compost tea or other male and female flowers. The males
liquid organic fertilizer every other week open first and produce pollen, but no
from the time the seedlings first poke up fruit. Some newer varieties produce
through the soil until the ears start to mostly or only female flowers. Seed
form. packs of these varieties include a few
• Thwart a corn earworm infestation with seeds (usually marked with dye) of a
a few drops of vegetable or mineral oil in variety with male flowers to pollinate the
the tip of each ear. females. You need to take care of the
•Corn is ready to harvest when the silk male or you will have lots of female flow¬
has turned brown and a milky fluid ers and no cucumbers.
squirts out of the kernels when pressed • Save space by guiding cucumber vines
with your fingernail. to grow on a structure, such as a trellis.
This is also increases air circulation, pre¬
CUCUMBERS venting fungal diseases that plague
What to plant: Seeds in warm climates, cucumbers, and it keeps the fruit away
seedlings where the growing season is from ground-dwelling pests.
short. If you plan to grow them up a trellis, • When cucumbers don’t get steady mois¬
look for vining rather than bush varieties. ture, the flavor can turn bitter.
Smaller pickling types grow on the short¬ •Don’t plant cucumbers where you last
est vines. grew squash or melons—they are closely
related and some diseases that afflict all
When to plant: Two weeks after the last of them live in the soil.

frost in spring.

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE I 231

DILL EGGPLANT
What to plant: Seeds. Dukat produces What to plant: Seedlings. Black Beauty is

tasty seeds and tender foliage. Long the classic, large, purple Italian type.

Island can reach up to five feet tall. Easter Egg bears white, oval-shaped fruit.
Turkish Italian Orange has bright-colored

When to plant: Anytime after the last frost fruit. Bambino produces lots of little fruit

date has passed. on a plant that reaches just a foot high-

perfect for containers and small plots.

Planting and growing tips:

• Sow dill seeds only a half-inch deep and When to plant: When the soil has warmed

cover them lightly with soil. to at least 6o°F. Don’t rush—eggplant is

• The ideal spacing is nine inches very vulnerable to cold.

between each plant, but if your garden

gets steady air flow, you can plant it Planting and growing tips:

much closer. • Choose a spot for your eggplant where you

• If you let dill flower and go to seed, it have not recently grown tomatoes or pep¬

replants itself in your garden—every¬ pers, its cousins in the nightshade family.

where. Fortunately, the sprouts are easy • Eggplant is most productive if it gets at

to recognize and pull out where you least eight hours of direct sun each day.

don’t want them. Dill is a biennial, which • If a cold spell occurs after you’ve planted

means that the seeds are produced in the eggplant, cover it at night with r^w cover

plants’ second growing season, so don’t fabric or just an old sheet.

pull it out in fall. • Use small tomato cages or stakes to hold

up eggplant heavily laden with fruit.
• As eggplants grow larger, they become

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 232

 tougher, seedier and more bitter. Pick blossom with your hands. Do this over a
them when they're no more than four bowl or other container to catch the
inches in diameter. Frequent picking seeds as they fall.
stimulates the plant to continue produc¬ • If you leave a few flowers on the plant,
ing new eggplant. the seeds fall and replant themselves for
the next year's crop.

F ...
FENNEL
What to plant: Seeds. Bronze fennel is GARLIC
attractive and produces lots of aromatic and What to plant: Cloves from mature bulbs.

tasty seeds, but a very small bulb. Florence Hardneck types tolerate a wide variety of
fennel (or “finocchio”) grows a large white conditions—this group includes red- and
bulb that can be braised whole or shredded purple-streaked varieties. Softnecks are
for eating fresh or in cooked dishes. better suited to braiding. Do not try to
grow from cloves purchased at the gro¬
When to plant: Early spring, as soon as cery store—they are typically treated with
you can work the soil. an anti-sprouting agent.

Planting and growing tips: When to plant: Fall, around the time of the

•Fennel grows vigorously even in poor first frost.

soil. Plant it where other crops do not

fare well. Planting and growing tips:

•You may have to wait as long as three •Garlic needs a chilling period to form
weeks for fennel seeds to sprout. full-size bulbs. After planting in fall, gar¬
•Harvest fennel seeds after the flowers lic grows a few leaves and then becomes

turn brown by simply rubbing the dried dormant through the winter. It starts

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE I 233

 growing again when the weather warms When to plant: Anytime you can get a

in spring. chunk of root to plant and can dig in the

• Weeds are tough competition for garlic. soil.

Keep them away from garlic with a solid

layer of straw, shredded leaves or other Planting and growing tips:

organic mulch. Pull any weeds that come • Horseradish is a perennial that comes

through it as soon as possible. back every year. Left to its own devices,

• In late spring, hardneck garlic varieties horseradish spreads aggressively and

produce a “scape,” or seedpod on a long will soon colonize the whole garden. To

stalk. When it is full and plump, cut it off control it in a small space, plant it in a

and add its mild, garlicky flavor to a stir- deep container, which you can bury in

fry or other dish. the ground or keep on a patio or deck.

• Garlic is ready to harvest in midsummer, • Dig a hole that’s deep enough to stand

after the aboveground leaves have the root cutting up in. While holding the

turned brown and flopped over. root, backfill the hole with soil until allof

• Save a few of your best cloves to plant for the root is covered but the very top,

your next crop. known as the “crown.”

• Horseradish needs no fertilizer or any

other care. Plant it and ignore it.

• Cold temperatures improve the flavor of
horseradish. Harvest it in after frost in

HORSERADISH fall or in early spring, by digging up the

What to plant: Root cutting. You can buy a root. Remember, every piece of root you

cutting from a nursery or any piece of root leave behind will grow into a new horse¬

you can get from another gardener or at radish. Try to dig up the whole root and

the store will grow into a new plant. just replant a chunk or two for next year’s

harvest.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 234

Km..... your garden until a week or two of very
cold temperatures shut down its growth
KALE and wilt its leaves.
What to plant: Seeds or seedlings. Curly

or savoyed (crinkly) varieties tend to be KOHLRABI

tenderer. Dwarf Green Curled is a sensi¬ What to plant: Seeds. Grand Duke has

ble choice for containers and small tender bulbs. Early Purple Vienna has an
spaces. Red and purplish varieties such as attractive color and is ready to eat six
Red Russian are colorful enough to fit weeks after planting.
into a flowerbed.

When to plant: As soon as the daytime

When to plant: Mid to late summer, about temperatures are consistently in the 50s
three months before the first frost in fall in spring and in late summer for a fall
(for seeds) or six weeks before the first crop.
frost (seedlings).

Planting and growing tips:

Planting and growing tips: • A quick spring crop, kohlrabi is an ideal

• Though kale is mostly trouble-free, avoid choice to plant where you plan to grow
planting it where you’ve grown cabbage, tomatoes, peppers or other heat-loving
broccoli, or other members of the cab¬ crops in summer.
bage family in the last three gro wing sea¬ • A mix of purple, pale green and white
sons. kohlrabis makes an eye-catching and
• A handful or two of compost in the plant¬ practical container.
ing furrow or hole is all the fertilizing • Kohlrabi is ready to harvest when the
kale needs. bulb is about the size of a baseball. The
• Kale tastes best after a few frosts have flavor turns bitter as it grows larger than
sweetened its flavor. It can survive in that.

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE I 235

 LETTUCE
What to plant: Seeds and seedlings. Leaf

LEEKS lettuces let you mix and match shapes,

What to plant: Seedlings. The best-tast¬ textures and colors, and they give you a

ing varieties, such as American Flag and continuous harvest. Romaine is an easy to

King Richard, need up to 130 days to grow head lettuce that’s more heat toler¬

mature (though you can harvest them ear¬ ant than most.

lier, as baby leeks). Blue Solaise can be

planted in fall and harvested in spring. When to plant: As soon as the soil is warm

and dry enough to work in spring and two

When to plant: Around the last frost date weeks after that and two weeks after that.

in spring. And again three times more in late summer.

Planting and growing tips: Planting and growing tips:

• Get leek seedlings that are more than six • To get the longest spring harvest of let¬

inches tall. Cover all but a couple inches tuce, as well as mache, mesclun, and

of the stems with soil. other salad greens, plant seeds and

• As the leeks grow, mound soil or mulch seedlings at the same time, then follow

around the base to keep the stem white with sowing seeds twice more at two-

instead of turning green. This “blanch¬ week intervals.

ing” gives the leek a sweeter flavor. • Place lettuce where it will be shaded by

• Leeks, like other members of the onion taller plants, such as tomatoes, later in

family, have shallow roots and do not the season to help it last longer as the

compete well with weeds. Protect them v temperatures heat up.

with mulch and vigilance. • You can begin harvesting the leaves as
soon as they are more than four inches
long. Leave at least five behind to fuel

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 236

 the growth of new ones. •Marjoram is very drought-tolerant—
• If you live where it is damp in the morn¬ plant it in the hottest, driest spot in your
ing, look for slugs on and in your lettuce garden.
plants (their favorite food) and remove •Before the first frost in fall, dig up a
the pests before they eat your salad. clump or two of marjoram and pot them
Then put out the traps on page 56. in small containers. Put them where they
• Feed lettuce with a dose of compost tea will get sunlight and you can clip fresh,
or liquid organic fertilizer after each har¬ fragrant leaves to season your meals all
vest. winter.

MUSTARD
..
What to plant: Seeds or seedlings. Green

Wave is more heat-tolerant than most

MARJORAM varieties. Osaka Purple matures in as lit¬
What to plant: Seedlings. Sweet marjoram tle as three weeks, stays compact, and has
has better flavor than wild or pot marjorams. striking deep-red to purple veins in the
green leaves.
When to plant: Right after the last frost

has passed in spring. When to plant: As soon as you can work

the soil in spring and in late summer.

Planting and growing tips:

•Marjoram grows to about three feet Planting and growing tips:

tall and almost as wide, which makes it • Plant mustard where it will be shaded in
an attractive green accent plant in late spring and early summer to extend
flowerbeds. its growing season.
• It also grows well in containers, by itself • For milder flavor, keep consistently moist.
or with flowers or other herbs. Allowing the soil to dry out between

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE I 237

 waterings makes mustard more pungent. • Okra plants can reach up to five feet

• When the weather turns warm, mustard high or even taller, but you can contain

flowers and then forms seedpods. The them to about three feet by clipping off

edible flowers and the seeds add a spicy the top growth. This will result in a

flavor to raw and cooked dishes. bushier plant.

• Harvest okra pods by clipping them off
the plant rather than pulling them off
with your hands. Regular picking stimu¬

OKRA lates the plant to keep producing more

What to plant: Seeds. Clemson Spineless, pods.

an heirloom, bears big pods without the

many little prickles on most varieties. ONIONS
Burgundy’s stems, leaves and pods have What to plant: Sets, or little bulbs with

vivid red highlights. Early maturing Jade green shoots on top. For fresh-eating, try

is best for short seasons. sweet and mild-flavored Walla Walla.

Copra keeps well for months in storage.

When to plant: When nighttime tempera¬ He-Shi-Ko tolerates cool, damp soil to

tures are consistently warmer than 65°F. produce crisp scallions in spring.

Planting and growing tips: When to plant: When the soil is dry and

• Okra is a very drought- and heat-tolerant warmer than 50°F.

tropical plant. Put it where it will get as

much sunshine as possible all summer Planting and growing tips:

long. v • Soggy soil causes onions to rob Plant

• A relative of hibiscus, okra makes a strik¬ them where the soil is loose and well-

ing, tall ornamental plant in flowerbeds drained—a raised bed is ideal.

or containers. • Mix in a lot of compost where you plant

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 238

 onions, but otherwise refrain from fertil¬ than you need.
izing them. Too much nitrogen encour¬ • Oregano, like other members of the mint
ages the growth of green leaves at the family, spreads rapidly in the garden. Plant
expense of the bulbs. it where it has room to expand or contain it
• To produce big bulbs, plant onions at by growing it in a pot (you can bury the
least six inches apart. If you want scal¬ whole pot in the garden if you like).
lions, just two inches between each set is • Harvest oregano stems and leaves any
sufficient. time you want some to flavor pasta sauce
• Harvest onions after the leaves turn yel¬ or other dishes. After the first frost in fall
low-brown and flop over in mid to late or in early spring, cut back mounds of
summer. oregano to about three inches high.

OREGANO
What to plant: Seedlings. The pink-flow¬ p V,
ered variety is more attractive and, in my
experience, tends to be less aggressive PARSLEY
than the standard type. Greek oregano is What to plant: Seedlings. Flat-leaved or

prized for its flavor. Italian parsley varieties taste to me a little

fresher or brighter than the curly types.
When to plant: Any time after the last frost

date in spring until early fall. When to plant: Two to three weeks before

the last frost in spring.

Planting and growing tips:

• There’s no need to buy oregano if you Planting and growing tips:

know a gardener who has some. Just ask • The parsley worm (actually a caterpillar)

for a clump that’s three or four inches in becomes the black swallowtail butterfly.
diameter and you will soon have more The caterpillar may munch your parsley,

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE I 239

but rarely does enough damage to keep where they get partial shade during the

you from harvesting all you need. Leave height of summer.

it be and enjoy the stunning butterflies • Soak parsnip seeds for a few hours

hanging around your garden in summer. before planting them. Parsnip seeds are

• When the plants are taller than six very slow to germinate—just keep the

inches, you can begin to snip off parsley soil consistently damp and wait.

leaves as you need them. They will be • Parsnips growbest in soil that’s loose to

quickly replenished. at least a foot deep, and as free of stones

• Parsley survives winter and continues and even pebbles as can be. Add com¬

growing the following spring where tem¬ post, but avoid adding manure and other

peratures are not below freezing for high nitrogen fertilizers to the parsnip

weeks. Parsley has a two-season life bed. They can cause the roots to fork

cycle, so you will have to replace it at instead of forming one solid root.

least every other year. • Begin to harvest parsnips right after the
first frost in fall. Anywhere warmer than

PARSNIPS the very far North, they can stay in the

What to plant: Seeds. All-American and ground through the winter, but be sure

Harris Model produce smooth-skinned to harvest them before new growth starts

roots that are a modest eight to ten inches in spring.

long. Gladiator keeps well in storage.

PEAS
When to plant: Late spring to early sum¬ What to plant: Seeds. Little Marvel and

mer, so it matures around your first frost Lincoln are reliable English (or shelling)

date in fall. peas. If you like edible pods, try^Mam-

moth Melting Sugar (snowpea) or Sugar

Planting and growing tips: Snap.

• Parsnips stay sweeter if you plant them

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 240

When to plant: Six weeks before the last PEPPERS
frost in spring. What to plant: Seedlings. Ace (bell), Red

Cheese (pimento) and Jimmy Nardello’s

Planting and growing tips: (frying) produce loads of sweet peppers.

• After planting pea seeds, keep the soil For chile peppers, you can choose from

damp but not soaking—they are prone to mild Numex jalapeno or fiery Scotch bon¬

rot in cold, wet soil. net, and many degrees of heat in between.

• If you live where spring stays cool into

May, you can extend your pea harvest by When to plant: Two weeks after the last

sowing the seeds twice or three times at frost in spring.

two-week intervals.
• Grow peas up bamboo poles or netting Planting and growing tips:

hung between two poles. This keeps the • Peppers are tropical plants and thrive

vines from tangling and makes it easy on long hours of direct, hot sunshine.

for you to find the pods. Avoid planting them where they will be

• Treating pea seeds with inoculant, a nat¬ shaded at all.

urally occurring microbe, before plant¬ • If you buy seedlings that already have

ing can increase yields. You can find little flowers on them, pluck them off

inoculant online and in garden centers. when you plant. You want the pepper to

• After a vine finishes producing, cut it off devote its energy to growing roots in

at the ground level rather than pulling it your garden before it begins fruiting.

out. Its roots are rich in nitrogen that can • Drought, especially at the end of sum¬

feed the next crop you plant in that mer, makes chile peppers spicier. Adjust

space. your watering to your taste.

• For nearly all pepper varieties, green is
an unripe color. (Yes, even the green
peppers sold in supermarkets.) Leave

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE | 241

them on the plant and they will turn to other potential problems lurking in the

red, orange or yellow, getting more fla¬ soil.

vorful and nutritious at the same time. • Wait to plant until the soil is dry—this is

• You can dig and pot up pepper plants at more critical than the exact timing for

the end of summer, trim them back and planting potatoes because cold, wet soil

keep them in a well-lit place indoors until can spoil the crop. If your garden soil

the following spring. They plants won’t stays soggy well into spring, plant pota¬

produce peppers over winter, but they toes in a barrel (see page 41).

will start sooner the next spring because • An easy way to grow potatoes is to simply

they will already be at a mature size. scatter the seed chunks on top of the
soil—no digging necessary—and cover

POTATOES them with at least six inches of organic

What to plant: Seed potatoes, or chunks of mulch. Whether you bury them in the soil

full-size spuds with an eye. For the longest or grow them on top of it, keep mounding

harvest, plant a mix that mature at differ¬ mulch around the stems of the potato

ent times, such as Superior (early), Yukon plants as they grow so that no light

Gold (midseason) and King Harry (late). reaches the spuds and turns them green.

Gourmet fingerlings such as Russia • New potatoes are ready to harvest about

Banana are as easy to grow as the stan¬ three weeks after the first flowers bloom

dard types. on the plants. For heftier potatoes, wait

until the top green growth dies down at

When to plant: Two to four weeks before the end of the season before digging

the last frost date in spring. them up.

Planting and growing tips:

• Plant certified disease-free seed pota¬

toes to protect your crop from scab and

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 242

PUMPKINS
What to plant: Seeds. Jack-Be-Little and

Baby Bear produce small pumpkins on RADICCHIO

modest- (for pumpkins) sized vines. Rouge What to plant: Seeds. Look for heading

Vif D’Etampes is a French heirloom often varieties, such as compact Rossa di

referred to as the Cinderella pumpkin. Chioggia. Radicchio di Treviso produces
Small Sugar makes sweet pie filling. a more cylindrical shaped head (like
Romaine lettuce).
When to plant: A week or two after the last

frost date in spring. When to plant: About four weeks before

the last frost in spring or in late summer

Planting and growing tips: for fall harvest.

• Pumpkin vines spread rapidly and take

up a lot of room, so be sure they have Planting and growing tips:

space to run where you plant them. You • If spring quickly turns to summer where

can train the smaller-fruited types to you live, plant radicchio where it will get

grow up a fence or other structure, sav¬ partial shade or grow it in the fall.

ing space in your garden. •About ten weeks after planting radic¬

• Plant pumpkin seeds in groups of four in chio, cut off a third of its top growth (you

a mound, or hill, or soil. The vines will can eat what you've lopped off). This

spread out in all directions. stimulates the plant to start forming a

• Build up the hill with a lot of compost- head.

pumpkins are heavy feeders. • You can harvest a few radicchio leaves as

• Pumpkins can withstand a few frosts, but the plant is growing. The heads are ready

they are ripe and ready for harvest as to eat when the leaves are tightly

soon as they turn fully orange and the bunched and they feel solid.

vines begin to yellow.

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE | 243

RADISHES RHUBARB
What to plant: Seeds. Cherry Belle is the What to plant: Crowns, or clumps of roots

classic round red and white variety. Icicle with a few short shoots. Valentine has bril¬

forms long, white, spicy roots. Easter Egg liant red stems that hold their color when

blend gives you a mix of purple, red, pink cooked. Linnaeus comes up earlier than

and white radishes. most varieties and stays smaller.

When to plant: As soon as you can work in When to plant: Anytime from early spring

the soil in spring and every two weeks to late summer.

after until early summer.

Planting and growing tips:

Planting and growing tips: • Rhubarb is a perennial that produces its

• Round radishes need loose soil only to first crop a year after planting. It will

six inches deep. Longer types grow best keep producing for twenty more years or

where the soil is loose a foot deep. even longer. Each year rhubarb needs a

• Radishes are quick to mature—some are period when temperatures stay below

ready in as little as three weeks after 40°F before it starts growing new stems.

planting. Grow them where you intend to • Plant rhubarb so that the little buds on

plant hot weather crops later in the sea¬ top of the crowns are level with the soil

son, when the radishes are long gone. line. You’re likely to get all the rhubarb

• Harvest radishes when the top of the you need from two to three plants.

roots start poking through the soil sur¬ • Remove flower stalks the first season to

face. Don’t wait too long because they direct the plants’ energy into growing

crack open and become woody when roots and leaf stems. ^

they get too large. • As the plants age, they become crowded
and the leaf stems get smaller. Rejuve¬
nate your rhubarb patch by digging the

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 244

 roots up in fall, breaking them into • Getting more rosemary is easy when you
smaller pieces with a shovel and then have one. Just clip a shoot that's about
replanting the most robust-looking six inches long, pluck the leaves off and
pieces. Give the extra root clumps to a plant the stem in the soil. Keep it moist
friend who wants to grow rhubarb. and it will begin growing in a couple
weeks. If winters are freezing where you
ROSEMARY live, try this in late summer, put the
What to plant: Seedlings. Arp is more shoot in a pot and keep it in a sunny win¬
cold-tolerant than other varieties. Blue dowsill. You can trim off leaves and
Boy, named for its sky-hued flowers, stays stems to eat all through winter.

compact so it’s ideal for small plots and

containers.

When to plant: Two weeks after the last SAGE

frost date in spring. What to plant: Seedlings. Berggarten sage

is a long-lived variety. Tricolor is the pretti¬

Planting and growing tips: est and pineapple sage is the best-tasting.

• Rosemary grows like a small shrub

(though it can get quite large where win¬ When to plant: A week or two after the last

ters are mild) and opens loads of little frost date in spring.

white, pink or blue flowers in midsummer.

That makes it both attractive and practical Planting and growing tips:

to plant it in a flowerbed or a container. • Leave space between the sage seedlings

• Rosemary is so drought-tolerant you will and other plants so that air can circulate

rarely, if ever, need to water it after it is freely around the plant and keep fungus

established (three to four weeks after from forming. Bear in mind that as sage

planting). grows it sprawls.

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE | 245

• After sage flowers, trim off about a third lar diseases that live in the soil.

of the leaves (choose the biggest and • Mix compost into the soil to create

oldest) to stimulate the growth of tender mounds in which to plant strawberries.

new leaves. Set the plants so that soil just covers the

• Sage is a perennial but in my garden in roots but not the crown (where the roots

Pennsylvania, it rarely lasts longer than meet the shoots).

three or four seasons before I need to • Strawberries send out “runners,” or

replant it. stems on top of the soil, that create new

plants. If your garden does not have

STRAWBERRIES room for strawberries to spread out, you

What to plant: Seedlings. June-bearing can plant them in a pot (see page 31 for

varieties such as Allstar produce a large details) or just cut off the runners to keep

harvest all at once—they’re best for mak¬ the mother plant producing. This works

ing pies and jam. Ever-bearing (also best with ever-bearing varieties.

known as day-neutral) varieties such as • Protect garden-grown strawberries from

Tristar yield fewer berries at a time but rotting with a thick layer of organic

produce over a longer period. Alpine mulch on the soil around them. The best

strawberries are tiny, very sweet and ideal mulch is (you guessed it) straw.

for the smallest spaces and containers. •Feed strawberries with compost tea or
other liquid organic fertilizer after all the

When to plant: Early spring, as soon as the berries are harvested.

soil is dry enough to work in.

SPINACH
Planting and growing tips: " What to plant: Seeds. Bloomsdale Long¬

•Avoid planting strawberries where standing tolerates cold temperatures,

you’ve recently grown tomatoes or pep¬ which makes it great for fall planting.

pers, because they are all prone to simi¬ Tyee withstands heat better than most

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 246

varieties, so it’s best for climates where SWEET POTATOES
spring heats up quickly. Baby’s Leaf pro¬ What to plant: Slips, or sprouts from

duces tender leaves with small stems. chunks of the previous year’s potatoes.
Purple-skinned Beauregard is a heavy
When to plant: Early spring and late sum¬ producer. The vines of Bush Porto Rico
mer. tend to take up less space than most other
varieties.
Planting and growing tips:

•Spinach turns tough and bitter when When to plant: After the last frost in

temperatures heat up. If your garden’s spring.

soil is too cold and wet to work in early
spring, grow spinach as a fall crop by Planting and growing tips:

planting it in late summer. • Sweet potatoes are tropical plants that

• Shade and constant moisture can keep need 100 days or more of warm weather

spinach from turning bitter as the tem¬ to fully mature. Gardeners in northern

peratures rise in late spring. climates often use black plastic mulch to

•You can begin eating spinach leaves speed the warming of the soil for sweet

when the plant has more than six leaves potatoes. I generally try to keep plastic

that are three inches long. Always leave out of my organic garden, but I realize it

at least three behind when you harvest to may be the only way to grow sweet pota¬

be sure the plant has the power to pro¬ toes and melons in regions where the

duce more of them. growing season is too short.

• See page 17 for how to grow spinach over • With their bright green vines and white

the winter in even cold climates. to purplish flowers, sweet potatoes are a
good-looking choice to grow in hanging
baskets and other large containers.
• To get tubers with firm texture, stop

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE | 247

watering your sweet potatoes about in a pot with plenty of peat mixed in.

three weeks before they are ready to har¬ • A full-size tarragon plant can reach two

vest. feet across. Leave room around each

•Dig underneath the roots to avoid cut¬ plant for air to flow through and evapo¬

ting any open with your shovel. Don’t rate moisture that can rot it.

wash them—just brush the dirt off—and • Tarragon is a perennial that typically

let them “cure” for a couple weeks in a lasts three to four years. Every other sea¬

cool, dry spot away from direct sun son, take a few cuttings from tarragon,

before storing them. plant them in small pots with a light soil
mix, and keep them moist until they
start to grow. This will continually renew
your tarragon supply.

TARRAGON THYME
What to plant: Seedlings. French tarragon What to plant: Seedlings. French thyme

has the genuine peppery, vinegary flavor. has the most delicate flavor. Lemon

Russian tarragon and Mexican tarragon thyme has a fresh fragrance, though no

are different species altogether. citrus flavor when cooked.

When to plant: After the last frost in When to plant: After the last frost in

spring. spring.

Planting and growing tips: Planting and growing tips:

• Very loose, sandy soil is ideal for grow¬ • Though it is a member of the mint fam¬
ing tarragon. If your garden’s soil is ily, thyme is a slow-grower. It also grows
heavy clay, add lots of compost to the low to the ground, making it useful to fill
bed before planting tarragon or plant it spaces in flowerbeds and attractive

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 248

 spilling over ledges and other obstacles • Harvest tomatillos when they almost fill
in rock gardens. the husk—about walnut size. The fruit at
• Prune thyme regularly—every other the bottom of the plant ripens first. If you
week during the growing season, if pos¬ leave them on the vine too long, the
sible—to stimulate new growth and keep bright citrusy flavor starts to sour.
the stems from becoming woody. Eat the
prunings or dry them to use later. TOMATOES
• Dried thyme is three times more flavor¬ What to plant: Seedlings. Large beefsteak

ful than fresh. varieties, such as Big Beef and heirloom

Cherokee Purple, taste best. Cherry toma¬
TOMATILLO toes, such as Sweet Million and Sungold
What to plant: Seedlings. Toma Verde are the most productive. San Marzano is a
grows well in a wide variety of conditions great-tasting and productive paste type
and yields big, juicy fruit. tomato. Bush, or determinate, varieties
grow to a size manageable in a container.
When to plant: When nighttime tempera¬

tures are consistently warmer than 6o°F. When to plant: After the last frost in

spring.

Planting and growing tips:

• No surprise for a plant native to Mex¬ Planting and growing tips:

ico— tomatillos are very heat and • Tomato plants yield the most fruit when

drought tolerant, but very sensitive to they get ten or more hours of sunlight

cold. Plant them in your garden’s hottest each day in summer.

spot. • Dig deep planting holes or trenches so

•You need two tomatillo plants to get that you can bury tomatoes’ stems all the

thorough pollination and a healthy yield way up to the lowest set of leaves. New

of little fruit. roots will grow on the buried stem—

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE | 249

 more roots mean a bigger, sturdier, more Planting and growing tips:

productive plant. • Turnips are a close relative of cabbage,

• Pluck off any flowers on tomato broccoli and other members of the bras-

seedlings when you plant them so that sica family. Avoid planting turnips in

all their energy goes first into building soil where you have grown any of them

roots before it starts setting fruit. in the past three years.

• Caged tomato plants yield more than • Planting a new row of turnip seeds every

staked ones, but the fruit isn’t as easy to two weeks from early spring to early

access. summer gives you a steady supply of

• Feed tomato plants with compost tea or greens and roots to enjoy all season long.

other liquid organic fertilizer every other • You can start harvesting and eating

week until they start flowering—then turnip greens when the plant has more

stop. than six leaves. Be sure to leave a few

• If you let tomatoes fall to the ground in behind to support the still-growing

your garden, you will be pulling out roots. The roots taste less bitter after a

many seedlings the following summer. frost.

TURNIPS
What to plant: Seeds. Purple Top White

Globe produces tender, four-to five-inch

roots. Tokyo Cross matures just a month WATERMELON
after planting. Seven Top, an heirloom, What to plant: Seeds. Moon and Stars is a

grows lush, tasty greens on top. super sweet and juicy heirloom. Bush
Sugar Baby bears modest, 12-pound fruit
When to plant: As soon as the soil dries on vines that are shorter (under four feet)
out in spring. than other varieties. Rainbow Sherbet is a
mix of red, yellow and orange fleshed

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 250

varieties that mature in less than the stan¬ WINTER SQUASH
dard ninety days. What to plant: Seeds. Bush varieties of

acorn, butternut, hubbard and spaghetti

When to plant: Two weeks after the last squash grow more compact vines than
frost in spring. standard types. Delicata doesn’t store as
well as the others, but it has exceptionally
Planting and growing tips: tender flesh and a very sweet flavor.
• Plant seeds in groups of six with two to
three feet between clusters. After the When to plant: Two weeks after the last

seeds sprout and have four or more frost in spring.

leaves, pull out the three least vigorous-
looking plants. Planting and growing tips:

• Watermelons need lots of water—consis¬ • When you water winter squash, try to

tent moisture is ideal—to fill out com¬ direct it straight to the roots rather than
pletely and reach their full potential. the leaves, which are prone to fungal dis¬

Water them deeply once a week and eases. If mildew blooms on your winter

keep a solid layer of mulch around them. squash, use the baking soda solution on

• To keep soil-dwelling pests from damag¬ page 56 to treat it.

ing the fruits, put a piece of wood or • Squash depend on insects for pollina¬

burlap underneath each melon as it tion. Attract pollinators by planting

ripens. squash in an area where herbs and flow¬

• There are many tricks you hear about for ers are growing.

telling when a watermelon is at its peak • By midsummer, winter squash will have

of ripeness. I can say for sure that every set all the fruit it can mature before the

ripe watermelon has a pale yellow patch season ends. Remove any new flowers that

somewhere on its skin. form after that to direct the plants’ energy

into ripening the fruit it already has.

APPENDIX: A to Z GROWING GUIDE | 251

• Winter squash are ready to harvest when Planting and growing tips:

the area where the vine meets the fruit • Two summer squash vines will ensure

begins to turn brown. adequate pollination for the plants and

plenty of the vegetables for you to har¬

vest.

Z——— • Save space and create natural shade for

other crops by growing summer squash

ZUCCHINI AND on a vertical support of some kind. See

SUMMER SQUASH page 21 for how to set up a bamboo trellis.

What to plant: Seeds. Gold Rush and Yel¬ • Pick zucchini and summer squash when

low Crookneck bear loads of tender, they are less than six inches long—any

evenly shaped fruit. Peter Pan is a produc¬ bigger and they start to become woodier

tive round summer squash. and seedier. You can avoid damaging
the vine when you harvest by clipping

When to plant: Two weeks after the last rather than pulling the squash off.

frost.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 252

 RESOURCES
J rt this book I’ve tried to introduce you to the basic skills of homesteading,

give you enough information to get started, and share hints and tricks that will
help you apply the skills to city-size properties. I hope I have inspired you to try
some of these skills yourself, and once you do, you will discover there is so much more
to learn on each of these topics than I could fit into this book. Encyclopedic books and
vast online archives have been compiled on every one of these topics. Through blogs,
online forums, and social media, homesteaders around the world are sharing their real-
world experiences.
There’s no shortage of information, anecdote, and opinion; here are a few reliable
places to help you dig deeper into each of the subjects. You will see that I have a prefer¬
ence for universities, government, and established nonprofits as sources of information.
I’ve also included here some suppliers of the products and gear you might use in your
garden or around your homestead. Just to be upfront: I have no financial relationship
with any of these sources and recommend them solely based on my own experience
with them and their commitment to organic or eco-friendly practices.
 GROWING INFORMATION
Gardening
Every state has a “land-grant” university that is charged with collecting infor¬
mation on gardening—as well as composting, food preservation, beekeeping,
and other homesteading topics—and sharing it with the public through their
cooperative extension service. In most states they also train “master gar¬
deners,” who respond to questions from the public via e-mail or on the tele¬
phone. Most counties have a cooperative extension office—find yours and
you’ll discover an invaluable resource of information about your region.
Many of the nation’s leading land-grant universities share their vast
archives of gardening information online. I’ve listed a few of the deepest and
most useful Web sites for different parts of the United States.

CORNELL UNIVERSITY
www.gardening.cornell.edu

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

http://webgarden.osu.edu

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS

http: //ucanr.org/sites /gardenweb

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/lawn_and_garden

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 254

How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than
You Can Imagine, by John Jeavons (Ten Speed Press, 1979)

A detailed explanation of the bio-intensive planting method that helps you to boost
your harvest while building soil fertility and conserving water.

The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control,

by Fern Marshall Bradley, Barbara W. Ellis, and Deborah L. Martin (Rodale, 2010)
The easiest-to-use manual for solving all sorts of garden problems without toxic
chemicals.

Rodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, edited by Fern Marshall

Bradley, Barbara W. Ellis, and Ellen Phillips (Rodale, 2009)

The standard reference book has recently been updated, with in-depth entries on
every topic from alliums to zinc.

Square Foot Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew (Rodale, 2005)

If you like a systematic approach, this is your guidebook to using your space

efficiently.

Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden, by Lee Reich, Ph.D. (Timber Press, 2008)

This book introduces you to edible fruits that you don’t find in grocery stores, but are

suited to urban and suburban yards.

The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible, by Edward C. Smith (Storey Books, 2009)

An A-to-Z guide to growing every crop with a focus on maximizing the yields.

RESOURCES I 255
SEEDS, PLANTS, AND SUPPLIES
Organic seeds are now more widely available than ever and even some of the biggest,
oldest companies now offer some seeds that have not been treated with fungicides and
other chemicals. The following seed sources not only offer organic seeds, they special¬

ize in heirloom varieties or those that are well-adapted to particular regions.

Before you buy seeds or transplants, check out ratings of hundreds of vegetable vari¬
eties submitted by gardeners from around the country based on their own experience
with them at Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners, operated by Cornell University:

http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/.

BAKER CREEK HEIRLOOM SEEDS

A great source of information and inspiration
as well as an extensive selection of classic varieties.
www.rareseeds.com

GARDENER’S SUPPLY CO.

Containers of all types and shapes, rain barrels,
season-extension, trellises, and other gardening aids.
www.gardeners.com

GARDENS ALIVE!
Organic fertilizers and nontoxic pest control products.
www.gardensalive.com
v

GARDENWEB
The Internet’s most active online forum for gardeners with dedicated chat rooms for
organic growing, swapping seeds, and more specific subjects, such as heirloom vari-

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 256

eties and vertical gardens.
www.gardenweb.com

JOHNNY’S SELECTED SEEDS

Specializes in varieties suited to cold climates and
offers help extending the growing season.
www.johnnyseeds.com

PEACEFUL VALLEY FARM & GARDEN SUPPLY

Potted fruit trees, seed potatoes, garlic for planting, and a variety of seeds,
sprouting equipment, cheesemaking kits, and more homesteading supplies.
www.groworganic.com

PLANET NATURAL
The widest selection of organic pest control products for garden and home.
www.planetnatural.com

SEED SAVERS EXCHANGE

You can buy seeds or become a member to preserve and swap rare varieties with other

members.
www.seedsavers.org

SEEDS OF CHANGE
All organic seeds, many heirlooms, and other unique varieties.
www.seedsofchange.comTerritorial

A wide selection of organic seeds and plants.

www.territorialseed.com

RESOURCES | 257
Foraging DR. DUKE’S GREEN PHARMACY
James A. Duke, Ph.D., is a renowned botanist and USDA researcher who
now focuses his studies on foraged plants for eating and healing.

www.greenpharmacy.com

FORAGING WITH “WILDMAN” STEVE BRILL

He may be a “wild and crazy guy” but Brill shares just about everything you
need to know about finding, gathering and eating wild plants.
www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

NORTH AMERICAN MYCOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Maintains a state-by-state listing of mushroom-hunting clubs while sup¬
porting fungi science and the preservation of natural habitat.
www.namyco.org

The Forager’s Harvest, by Samuel Thayer (Forager’s Harvest Press, 2006)

The most useful wild plant guide because the author focuses only on
those plants that taste good rather than those that are merely edible.

North American Mushrooms, by Dr. Orson K. Miller Jr. and Hope Miller

(Falcon, 2006)
Big photographs and clear descriptions help you make that all-important
positive identification.
v
\

Stalking the Wild Asparagus, by Euell Gibbons (Alan C. Hood & Co., 2005)

A classic book full of detailed information on foraging and ideas for how
to prepare and serve wild foods at home.

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 258

 Food Preservation
CANNING ACROSS AMERICA
A nonprofit that’s devoted to the “lost art of putting up food.” The Web site lists
canning classes and events, and offers recipes from well-known chefs. Its user-
submitted photos will have you checking back often for fresh inspiration.
www.canningacrossamerica.com

KITCHEN KRAFTS
Complete selection of supplies for canning, dehydrating, pickling,
and more.
www.kitchenkrafts.com

NATIONAL CENTER FOR HOME FOOD PRESERVATION

Comprehensive information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on
every aspect of home food preservation, and critical details on processing
times for canners, with links to many other valuable university sites.
www.uga.edu/nchfp

Ball Complete Book of Home Presei~ving by Judi Kingry and

Lauren Devine (Robert Rose, 2006)

I wouldn’t ordinarily recommend a book produced by a manufacturing
company, but Ball has been the leading purveyor of canning supplies for
more than a hundred years. This book is like a founding document home¬
steaders have been using since the 1880s, except that it’s in a paperback full
of tested recipes especially handy for beginning canners. You can also
order Ball canning supplies directly from the company’s Web site.
www.freshpreserving.com

RESOURCES 259
Backyard Livestock
Backyard Livestock
AMERICAN LIVESTOCK BREEDS CONSERVANCY
A nonprofit dedicated to preserving traditional breeds and the genetic
diversity of working animals. The classifieds and resources section of the
Web site are very helpful when you’re ready to get animals of your own.

http://albc-usa.org

AMERICAN RABBIT BREEDERS ASSOCIATION

Most of this organization’s attention is on showing rabbits, but even if
that’s not your goal, you can find reputable breeders to get rabbits from on

the Web site’s searchable listings.

www.arba.net

BEE CULTURE
A magazine about beekeeping, professional and amateur. Its Web site
hosts a deep reservoir of articles, including information about beekeeping
in populated areas and state-by-state listings of beekeeping associations.
www.beeculture.com

THE GOAT JUSTICE LEAGUE

The name alone is reason enough to check out this nonprofit organization,
but when you get to its Web site, you’ll find lots of valuable details pre¬
sented in a practical, friendly voice on raising goats in urban and suburban
environments, including the legal and zoning issues. Just check out the
photos.
www.goatjusticeleague.org

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 260

POULTRY BREEDS FROM THE OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
Pictures and detailed descriptions of the most common, useful breeds of chicken,
ducks, geese, and other fowl.
http://i39.78.104.1/breeds/poultry/

The Backyard Beekeeper, by Kim Flottum (Quarry, Rev. ed. 2010)

A beginner’s guide that’s loaded with information about caring for the bees and har¬
vesting the honey, with lots of big, beautiful, and helpful photos.

Barnyard in Your Backyard, by Gail Damerow (Storey, 2002)

The details you need for raising ducks, geese, rabbits, and goats—sheep and cattle,
too, if you have the space.

Chickens in Your Backyard, by Rick and Gail Luttman (Rodale, 1976)

All the practical information you need for raising a small flock the natural way,
told with knowing humor.

RESOURCES | 261
COMMON SENSE PEST CONTROL
This site, by the Bio-Integral Resource Center, is the most comprehensive
and practical guide to dealing with pests of home and garden, with an
emphasis on the least toxic solutions. At the Web site you can purchase
low-cost “bulletins” on proven methods of eradicating urban pests, includ¬

ing head lice, fleas, and rats.

www.birc.org

GREEN CULTURE
The most comprehensive selection of composting bin designs, as well as
rain barrels, aids for extending the gardening season, and human-powered

lawn mowers.
www.composters.com

THE LAUNDRY ALTERNATIVE

Portable, hand-powered washing machines and dryers.
www.laundry-alternative.com

LEHMAN’S
Hand-powered appliances, food mills, and other new and old-fashioned
products that help make your household more self-sufficient.
www.lehmans.com

Whole Green Catalog, edited by Michael W. Robbins (Rodale,^2009)

A compendium of ideas, products, and services for eco-conscious living,

organized in categories ranging from home-building and renovating to
housekeeping and pet care.
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Belanger, Jerome D. Raising Goats the Modern Way. Pownal, VT: Storey Communications,
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Bennett, Bob. Raising Rabbits the Modern Way. Pownal, VT: Storey Communications, 1988.

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Bone, Eugenia. Well-Preserved: Recipes and techniques for putting up small batches of sea¬
sonal foods. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2009.

Bradley, Fern Marshall, Barbara Ellis and Ellen Phillips, editors. Rodale's Ultimate Encyclope¬
dia of Organic Gardening. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press Books, 2009.

Brown, Maurus. “Basic Principles of Pruning Backyard Grapevines.” Horticulture Series Fact-
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“Drying Food.” University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
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CHAPTER ONE: TITLE I 265

 INDEX
bantam chickens, 153-154 black liquid, 190,191
a Barred Plymouth Rock, 154 black raspberries, 71-72

acetic acid (vinegar), 122 barriers for pests, 55 black walnuts, 84-86

acidity, 29 basil blackberries, 35, 71-72

acorns, 82-83 as annual, 26 blackwater, 195

air-drying food, 94-99 container gardening and, 27 blanching, 103,113,119-120

albumen, 160 freezing and, 113 blast pipes, 133-134

see also eggs growing inside, 38 blueberries, 35, 73,112

alfalfa, 46,166,171 planting guide for, 223 boiling-water canners, 115

alkalinity, 29 from seedlings, 59 boletes, 88

allergies, to bees, 142 sunlight and, 10 borage, 143-144

aloe vera, 219 temperature and, 17 borax, 202

alpine strawberries, 31,34. 246 see also pesto boric acid, 213-214
American Community Gardening bats, 217 box design compost containers, 186
Association, 43 beans boysenberries, 35
American Rabbit Breeders Association, 168 condiments made from, 126 BPA (Biphenol A), 114
American Sable (rabbits), 166 dried, 24 brining, 109,124
Angora, 165-166 freezing and, 111, 112-113 broccoli
Angora (goats), 170 as high-yield crop, 15 freezing and. 111, 112-113
animals planting guide for, 223-224 planting guide for, 225
ordinances on, 141 from seeds, 59 from seedlings, 59
resources for, 260-261 sunlight and, 10 space requirements and, 16
see also individual animals temperature and, 17 sprouts and, 46
ants, 213-214 vertical growing and, 20, 21 temperature and, 17
aphids, 53 bears, 73 brown ingredients for compost, 181,183
apiphobia, 142 bee skeps, 145 Brussels sprouts, 131, 225-226
see also bees bees buckwheat sprouts, 46
apple sauce, 114 care and maintenance of, 145-146 Buff Orpington, 154
apples choosing, 143 bums, 219
bees and, 142 cilantro and, 229 bush plants, vs. pole plants, 20
cellaring and, 129-130 feeding, 143-144 butterflies, 239-240
dehydrating, 99 getting started with, 147 buttermilk, 137
drying, 92 habits of, 146-147
overview of, 36-37 overview of, 142-143
apricots, 36, 99 resources, 260
c
Araucana, 154 shelter for, 144-145 cabbage
artichokes, 70 beeswax, 143 landscaping and, 23
arugula beetles, 56,145,160, 217-218 pickling and, 122,126
dandelions compared to, 65-66 beets planting guide for, 226
planting guide for, 222 in-garden storage and, 24,130-131 space requirements and, 16
wintering of, 18,131 pickling and, 122,126 temperature and, 17
ascorbic acid, 105 planting guide for, 224 wintering of, 131
Asian greens, 131 from seeds, 59 cactus species, 81-82
asparagus space requirements and, 15 calcium, chickens and, 155
freezing and, 111, 112-113 sunlight and, 10 canning
as perennial, 26 temperature and, 17 overview of, 114-116 \
planting guide for, 222-223 Belgian endive, 48-49 pickles and, 123
berries steps for, 117-119
dehydrating, 99 Canning Across America, 114
b freezing and, 111, 112 cantaloupes, 20, 227
bacteria, lethal, 9 herb vinegar and, 126-127 cardoni, 70
bacterial starter, 137 see also individual types cardoon, 70
baking soda, 199-200 biosolids, 188 Carniolan bees, 143
bamboo trellis, 20, 21-22 Biphenol A (BPA), 114 carrots
bananas, 37 Black bees, 143 condiments made from, 126

THE CITY HOMESTEADER I 266

 in-garden storage and, 130-131 strawberry pots and, 32 fermented pickles and, 124-125
planting guide for, 226-227 cold frame, 38-39 freezing and, 111
from seeds, 59 colds, 219 pest control and, 56
as self-saver, 24 cold-smoking, 109,110 pickling and, 122
sunlight and, 10 cold-weather crops, 17 planting guide for, 231
temperature and, 17 collards, 131, 230 refrigerator pickles and, 123
ears, air-drying food and, 94-95 community gardens, 43 from seedlings, 59
Cashmere (goats), 170 community-supported agriculture (CSA), seeds and, 61
caterpillars, 56, 225 175 sunlight and, 10
Caucasian bees, 143 compost temperature and, 17
cauliflower, 112-113,126, 227-228 benefits of, 179 vertical growing and, 20, 21
celery seeds, 123 bins for, 189-190 curing vegetables, 24, 25, 99,129, 248
cellaring, 128-130,133-135 brown ingredients for, 183 currants, 77
chamomile, 219 building a pile, 181 cutworms, 55
chanterelles, 88 components of, 180-181
chard, 228
cheese, 136-137,170
container gardening and, 28
containers for, 186-187
d
cherries as fertilizer, 29,188-189 dandelions, 65-66
overview of, 36 finding items for, 185 day-neutral strawberries, see everbearing
cherry tomatoes, 15, 21, 45 green ingredients for, 182 strawberries
see also tomatoes items to avoid in, 184 deep irrigation system, 196
chervil, 228-229 managing a pile, 181-182 deer, controlling, 56
chestnuts, 83-84 manure and, 153,161,167,170,172 DEET, 216
chicken tractor, 153,156,163 overview of, 179-180 defrosting food, ill
chickens potato barrels and, 42 dehydration
benefits of, 152-153 raised beds and, 14 air-drying, 94-95
choosing breeds of, 153-154 sale of, 188 fruit leather, 104-105
feeding, 154-155 as soil addition, 52 general instructions for, 103
getting started with, 158-159 tea, 33,189 heat drying, 99,102
habits of, 157-158 using, 188-189 jerky, 106-107
overview of, 152 worms and, 190 overview of, 92-93
resources, 261 container gardening safety, 102
shelter for, 155-157 apples and, 37 smoked fish, 108-110
chicks, 158 citrus fruit and, 37 solar dehydrator for, 100-101
chickweed, 67-68,154 crops for, 27 delicata squash, 128
chicons, 49 instructions for, 28-30 delicates (laundry), 203-204
chicory, 48-49 pots for, 27-28 detergent, simple laundry, 202-203
chile peppers, 97-98 sunlight and, 10, 52 deworming formulas, 173
chives container mix, 188 diatomaceous earth, 157, 214-215
growing inside, 38 conventional agriculture, 50 dill
as perennial, 26 coops for chickens, 153,155-157 air-drying and, 95
planting guide for, 229 cord of wood, 209 as annual, 26
from seedlings, 59 corn fermented pickles and, 124-125
chokecherries, 81 condiments made from, 126 growing inside, 38
chow-chow, 126 freezing and, 113 planting guide for, 232
chutney, 126 planting guide for, 230-231 refrigerator pickles and, 123
cilantro, 26, 229-230 pollination and, 60 seeds and, 59, 61
citric acid, 119 seeds and, 59, 60 sprouts and, 46
cleaning, household, 199-201 space requirements and, 15-16 dirt baths, 157
climate change, 9 sunlight and, 10 disease resistance, 52
clotheslines, 204-207 corn salad, 66 dish soap, liquid, 200
clothing crabapples, 78 diversity, 53
protective, 146 cranberries, highbush, 76 dog doo digester KGW TKTK, 192-193
see also laundry crickets, 217-218 drainage
cloudberries, 72-73 cross-pollination, 60 herbs and, 26
cockroaches, 214-215 CSA (community-supported agriculture), improving, 12
coir (coconut fiber) 175 potato barrels and, 41
chicory and, 49 cucumbers raised beds and, 13,14
container gardening and, 28 bees and, 142 site location and, 10-11
mixing with, 188 container gardening and, 27 sprouts and, 48

INDEX I 267
 strawberry pots and, 31 fresh-packing, 123 gooseberries, 77

frost, 17-18,130-131,132 goosefoot, 66-67

test for, 11
fruit grapes, 35-36, 77-78, 92, 99
ducks, 160-164
Dutch rabbits, 166 canning and, 114 gray water, 195
dehydrating, 99 green beans, 17
small space, 34_37 see also beans
e wild, 71-82 green ingredients for compost, 180-181,182

edible landscaping, 23 see also individual fruits green lacewing, 53

eggplant, 232-233 fruit flies, 191 greenhouses, 40

eggs fruit leather, 99,102,104-105 Grey bees, 143

colors of, 154 full shade, 10 grocery stores, 9

frequency of laying, 152,157 full sun, 10 groundhogs, 57

mixed poultry and, 160,161 fungicides, 46, 50 grow lights, 40

production of, 152-153 guerrilla gardening, 43

safety and, 159 guinea fowl, 160-164

shells in compost, 183 g gypsum, 184

elderberries, 74-75 gardening

alternative spaces for, 43
Embden (geese), 162
endive, 48-49 container, 10, 27
h
energy efficiency, 210-211 extending season for, 38-40 hair loss, 220

environmental impact, food and, 9 indoors, 44-45 hanging gardens, 30, 33

ethylene, 132 mulch and, 195-196 Harlequin (rabbits), 166

eucalyptus, 201 planning for, 17 haws, 79-80

everbearing strawberries, 31, 34, 246 plant layout, 53 hawthorn, 79-80
raised beds, 13-14 hazelnuts, 86
resources, 254-257 head lettuce, 15,16
f site for, 10-12 see also lettuce
fences, 57 space requirements of specific crops, headspace, 116,117
fennel, 26, 233 15-16 heat drying, 99-110
fermented pickles, 124-125 starting small, 12 heirloom tomatoes, 16
fertilizers succession planting and, 17-19 see also tomatoes
compost as, 178,188-189 vertical growing, 20 Helmeted Guineafowl, 161
liquid fish and seaweed, 33, 42, 45 watering of, 195-196 hen-of-the-woods, 89
manure, 165 garlic herbicides, 64
organic vs. synthetic, 45 cellaring and, 128-130 herbs
potato barrels and, 42 chickens and, 154 annual vs. perennial, 26-27
potting soil and, 28 fermented pickles and, 124-125 drying, 92, 95-96
synthetic, 29, 32, 50 herb vinegar and, 126-127 growing inside, 38
fiddleheads, 70-71 as home remedy, 219 in hanging gardens, 30
figs, 37 planting guide for, 233-234 landscaping and, 23
fires, 209-210, 210 ristras and, 99 as perennials, 26
fish, smoked, 108-110 as self-saver, 24 sunlight and, 10
flange, 116 succession planting and, 18 vinegar and, 126-127
Flemish Giant (rabbits), 166 wild, 69 window farming and, 45
flies, 215-216 geese, 160-164 hickory, 86
flower beds, 23, 26 genetically modified organisms (GMOs), high altitude canning, 118
food chains, 53 50 highbush cranberries, 76
food miles, 9 Giant Chinchilla (rabbits), 166 high-yield crops, 15-16
foraging goats Himalayan rabbits, 166
cautions regarding, 64 benefits of, 170 hives, 144-145 v
ease of, 63 choosing breeds of, 170-171 see also bees *
resources on, 258 feeding, 171 home remedies, 218-220
4-H clubs, 173 getting started with, 173 honey, 142,146,148
fox grapes, 77 habits of, 172-173 honeycomb, 144
frames for raised beds, 13-14 overview of, 170 horseradish, 26,126-127, 234
free-range birds, see chickens; mixed poul¬ renting of, 173 hot pepper spray, 56
try resources, 260 hot-packing, 115
freezer burn, 111 shelter for, 171-172 hot-smoking, 109,110
freezing, 111-113 goldenrod, 144 housekeeping
French Alpine (goats), 170 Google, 173 energy use, 209-211

THE CITY HOMESTEADER 268

 laundry, 201-207 leaf lettuce, 15 resources, 261
overview of, 199-201 see also lettuce shelter for, 162-163
resources, 262 leeks, 69-70,131, 236 monarda, 144
soap, homemade, 207-209 lemon balm, 217 morels, 87-88
huckleberries, 73 lemon verbena, 126-127 mosquitoes, 216-217, 220
humidity, cellaring and, 129-130,133 lemongrass, 217 mulberries, 74
humus, 179 lemons, 37 mulch
hybridization, 57-58 lentil sprouts, 46 self-savers and, 24
hydrogen peroxide, 200 lettuce use of during winter, 18,131
hydroponic growing systems, 44-45 container gardening and, 27 water retention and, 195-196
freezing and, ill mung bean sprouts, 46
•
planting guide for, 236-237 muscadine, 77
1 seeds and, 61 Muscovy ducks, 161
Indian Runners (ducks), 161 seeds vs. plants, 59 mushrooms, 86-89
industrial agriculture, 50 space requirements and, 15,16 muskmelons, 227
insecticides, 64 sunlight and, 10 mustard, 67,131, 237-238
see also pest control temperature and, 17 mustard seeds, 123
intestinal worms, 173 lilacs, 144
irrigation system, 196 limes, 37
isopropyl alcohol, 199 liquid dish soap n
Italian bees, 143 pests and, 56-57 National Center for Home Food Preserva¬
uses for, 200 tion, 115,120,126
• livestock nectar, 143
J ordinances on, 141 Netherland Dwarf (rabbits), 165
jams and jellies, 114 resources on, 260-261 netting for trellises, 21
jerky, 106 see also individual animals Nigerian Dwarf (goats), 171
jewelweed, 219-220 loam, 11 nitrates, 29
juglone, 86 lye, 207-208 nopalitos, 82
June-bearing strawberries, 31, 34, 246 Nubian (goats), 170
Juneberries, 75-76 Numida meleagris, 161
m nuts, 82-86
mache, 66
k Mallards (ducks), 161
kale, 17, 23,131, 235 manure o
keets (Guinea fowl hatchlings), 164 compost and, 153,161,167,170,172,182 oils
Khaki Campbell ducks, 161 goat, 170,172 essential, 201, 217
kindling, 210 pet, 192-193 infusing, 127
kohlrabi, 235 rabbit, 165,167 vegetable, 200
marinade for jerky, 107 okra, 122,126, 238

1 marjoram, 26, 237

mason bees, 143,149-151
onions
cellaring and, 128-130
La Mancha (goats), 170 mast years, 85 chickens and, 154
lactic acid, 124 maypop, 79 condiments made from, 126
lactose, 138-139 meat drying, 92, 99
ladybugs, 53, 217-218 drying, 92 in-garden storage and, 130-131
lamb’s lettuce, 66 jerky and, 106-107 pickling and, 123,126
lamb’s quarters, 66-67 melons, 10,16, 59, 227 planting guide for, 238-239
landscaping mice, 164 ristras and, 99
edible, 23 milk, 136-139,170,172-173 as self-saver, 24
energy efficiency and, 210-211 Mini La Mancha (goats), 171 wild, 69
Langstroth hive, 144,145 Mini Lop (rabbits), 166 open-pollinated plants, 57-58
laundry mint, 26,126-127, 220 orach, 69
airing, 204 mites, bees and, 145 orchard bees (mason bees), 143,149-151
clotheslines, 204-207 mixed poultry ordinances regarding animals, 141,174
general tips for, 203-204 benefits of, 160-161 oregano, 26, 95, 239
handwashing, 203-204 choosing breeds of, 161-162 organic gardening
overview of, 201 feeding, 162 disease resistance and, 52
resources, 262 getting started with, 164 overview of, 50-51
simple detergent for, 202-203 habits of, 163-164 pest control and, 53-57
lavender, 95, 201, 220 overview of, 160 site for, 51-52

INDEX I 269
 chervil and, 229 dehydrating, 92-110
Osmia lignaria (mason bees), 143.149-151
ovens, dehydrating and, 99,102 cockroaches, 214-215 freezing, 110-113
flies, 215-216 introduction to, 91
oxidation, 105
oyster mushrooms, 89 food chains and, 53 pickling, 122-127
identification of pests and, 54 resources, 259
mosquitoes, 216-217 smoking, 108-110

P organic gardening and, 54-57 pressure canner, 115,118

pallet box bin, 189 organic spray for, 55~56 prickly pear, 81-82
overview of, 211-212 propolis, 143
parsley
air-drying and, 95 resources, 262 pruning, 36

as annual, 26 stinkbugs, 217-218 pullets, 158

growing inside, 38 wasps, 218 pulley clothesline, 206

landscaping and, 23 yellow jackets, 218 pumpkins

planting guide for, 239-240 pesticides, 50 cellaring and, 128

parsley worm, 239-240 bees and, 142,146 container gardening and, 27

parsnips, 24,130-131, 240 foraging and, 64 planting guide for, 243

partial shade, 10 see also pest control as self-saver, 25

partial sun, 10 pesto space requirements and, 16

passion fruit, 79 freezing and. 111, 113 purple martins, 217

pawpaw, 80 pH of soil, 29, 35 purslane, 68-69

peaches, 36, 99,114 piccalilli, 126

pears, 99,129-130 pickles
peas fermented, 124-125 q
dehydrating, 99 refrigerator, 122-123 queen bee, 146-147

freezing and, 112-113 pickling, 122-127 see also bees

planting guide for, 240-241 pigweed, 66-67 quinoa, 67

from seeds, 59 Pilgrims (geese), 161-162

pioneers, 5, 6
space requirements and, 15
sunlight and, 10 plant supports, 20
r
temperature and, 17 plums, 36, 78-79, 99 rabbits
vertical growing and, 20 poison ivy, 219-220 benefits of, 165
window farming and, 45 pole beans, 15 choosing breeds of, 165-166
peat moss see also beans feeding, 166-167
chicory and, 49 pole plants, 20 for food, 169
container gardening and, 28 pollination, 142, 229 gardening and, 57
mixing with, 188 potassium, 183 getting started with, 168
potato barrels and, 42 potatoes habits of, 168
raised beds and, 14 cellaring and, 128-130 overview of, 165
strawberry pots and, 32 container gardening and, 27 resources, 260
pecans, 86 growing in barrels, 41-42 shelter for, 167-168
Pekins (ducks), 161 planting guide for, 242 radicchio, 243
pellicle, 110 as self-saver, 25 radishes
peppermint, 201, 220 pots, 27, 31 planting guide for, 244
peppers poultry, mixed from seeds, 59
bees and, 142 benefits of, 160-161 space requirements and, 15
container gardening and, 27 choosing breeds of, 161-162 sprouts and, 46
drying, 92, 97-98 feeding, 162 temperature and, 17
freezing and. 111, 112 getting started with, 164 rain barrel, 197-198
herb vinegar and, 126-127 habits of, 163-164 raised beds, 13,13-14
landscaping and, 23 overview of, 160 ramps, 69-70
pickling and, 122,126 resources, 261 raspberries \
planting guide for, 241-242 shelter for, 162-163 k bees and, 142
from seedlings, 59 praying mantis, 53 freezing and, 112
seeds and, 60 predators overview of, 34-35
sunlight and, 10 chickens and, 156-157 as perennial, 26
temperature and, 17 rabbits and, 167 sunlight and, 10
perennial crops, 26 preserving food wild, 71-72
persimmons, 80 canning, 114-120 raw-packing, 115
pest control cellaring, 128-135 reconstituting dried foods, 93
ants, 213-214 dairy products and, 136-139 refrigerator pickles, 122-123

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 270

relish, 126 slugs, 56, 237 strawberries
rennet, 137 small space projects container gardening and, 27
resources, overview of, 253 no-space potato barrel, 41-42 growing in pots, 31-33
rhubarb, 23, 26, 244-245 strawberry pots, 31 hanging gardens and, 33
ripening tomatoes indoors, 132 smoked fish, 108-110 overview of, 34
ristras, 97~99 smokers, 108 as perennial, 26
roosters, 158 smoking bees, 146 planting guide for, 246
root cellars, 128,133-135 soap from seedlings, 59
rosemary goat’s milk, 170 space requirements and, 16
air-drying and, 95 homemade, 207-209 sunlight and, 10
growing inside, 38 liquid dish, 56-57, 200 strawberry pots, 16, 31-33
as perennial, 26 simple laundry detergent, 202-203 sturgeon, 108
planting guide for, 245 unscented, 202 succession planting, 15,17-19
sunlight and, 10 sodium bicarbonate, see baking soda summer squash, 20, 21, 252
vinegar and, 126-127 sodium carbonate, 202 see also squash
Rouens (ducks), 161 sodium hydroxide (lye), 207-208 sunflowers, 25
row covers, 55, 225 soil sunlight
row tunnel, 40 compost and, 52,188-189 air-drying food and, 94
royal jelly, 143 container gardening and, 28 cherries and, 36
rubbing alcohol, 199 dirt baths and, 157 container gardening and, 27
runners, strawberry, 34 potato barrels and, 41-42 herbs and, 26
solar food dehydrator, 100-101 organic gardening and, 51-52
Spanish (goats), 170 site location and, 10
s sphagnum moss, see peat moss sprouts and, 48
sablefish, 108 spiders, 212 supermarkets, 9
safety spin design compost containers, 187 swarm catchers, 147
canning and, 115 spinach sweet alyssum, 30, 53
dehydration and, 102 freezing and, 111 sweet potatoes, 25,128,130, 247-248
eggs and, 159 planting guide for, 246-247
infused oils and, 127 from seeds, 59
sage, 23, 26,126-127, 245-246 sunlight and, 10
t
salad burnet, 68 temperature and, 17-18 tarragon, 126-127, 248
salad greens, 45, 61 wintering of, 131 T-bar clothesline, 205
see also specific plants sprouts, 45-48 thimbleberries, 72-73
salal, 76-77 squash thyme
salmon, 108 pest control and, 56 air-drying and, 95
salmonberries, 72-73 pollination and, 60 in hanging gardens, 30
salmonella, 152 from seedlings, 59 landscaping and, 23
saltbush, 69 seeds and, 61 as perennial, 26
San Clemente (goats), 170 as self-saver, 25 planting guide for, 248-249
sand, 157 space requirements and, 16 vinegar and, 126-127
sand plums, 79 sunlight and, 10 ticks, 160
sea grapes, 77 vertical growing and, 20, 21 tomatillo, 249
seed potatoes, 41 squash, summer, 20,21,252 tomato sauce, 114
Seed Savers Exchange, 58 squash, winter, 128-129, 251-252 tomatoes
seedlings, 19, 38 sterilization, canning and, 117 blanching, 103
seeds stings, 142, 220 canning and, 114
drying, 59-61 stinkbugs, 217 condiments made from, 126
maypops and, 79 stomach problems, 219, 220 container gardening and, 27
resources, 256-257 storage dehydrating, 99
saving, 57-59 of canned food, 118-119 drying, 92
starting from, 19 of dried foods, 93 freezing and, 113
viability of, 61-62 in-garden, 130-131 green, 128
seed-starting mix, 188 of green tomatoes, 132 in hanging gardens, 30
self-savers, 24-25 hidden, 121 planting guide for, 249-250
self-sufficiency, 5-6 jerky and, 107 ripening indoors, 132
self-watering pots, 27-28 potatoes and, 42 from seedlings, 59
sesame seeds sprouts, 46 root cellars and, 128-130 seeds and, 58,61,62
shadbush, 75-76 of seeds, 61 space requirements and, 15,16
shares, CSA, 175 of vegetables, 25 sunlight and, 10

CHAPTER ONE: TITLE I 271

 temperature and, 17 as cleaner, 199 gardening and, 38, 44~45

vertical growing and, 20, 21 herb, 126-127 greenhouses and, 40

top-bar hives, 145 pickling and, 122-127 windowsill gardening, 38

topsoil, 14 vining plants, 20 wineberries, 72

Toulouse (geese), 161 viruses, bees and, 145 winter gardening, 18

transplanting seedlings, 19 winter squash, 128-129, 251-252

trap crops, 57 wire ring bin, 189

traps
w witloof chicory (Belgian endive), 48-49

for flies, 215-216 walnuts, black, 84-86 wood, 108, 209-210

for mosquitoes, 216 warm-weather crops, 17 wood ash, 157,183

for slugs, 56, 237 washing soda, 202 wood polish, 200

for yellow jackets, 218 wasps, 53,142, 218 woodchucks, 57

trash can tumbler bin, 190 waste management worm tea, 191

trellises, 20, 21-22, 35-36 commercial cleaners and, 201 worms

tropical fruit, 37 overview of, 178 compost and, 190

trout, 108 pet manure, 192-193 intestinal, 173

turmeric, 123 see also compost; manure parsley, 239-240
turning compost, 181 water Wynadottes, 154

turnips, 24,130-131, 250 bees and, 144

chickens and, 155
freezing and, 111 y
u goats and, 171 Yahoo, 173
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 115,116, inside, 194-195 yard-sharing, 43
120,164 laundry and, 203 yarrow, 53
U.S. Department of Energy, 203, 211 mixed poultry and, 162 yellow jackets, 142, 218
outside, 195-196 yogurt, 137,138-139,170
overview of, 194
V rabbits and, 166-167
vegetable oil, 200 rain barrel, 197-198
z
vegetables watermelon, 250-251 zip ties for trellises, 20, 21
canning and, 115 watermelon rind, 122,126 zoning laws and ordinances, 141,174
dehydrating, 99 wax moths, 145-146 zucchini
pickling, 126 weeds, 14 container gardening and, 27
storage of, 24-25 white goosefoot, 66-67 dehydrating, 99
wild, 65-71 Whole Foods Market, 175 pickling and, 126
see also individual vegetables wild garlic, 69 planting guide for, 252
ventilation, storage and, 130,133-134 wild leeks, 69-70 temperature and, 17
verdolagas, 69 wild onions, 69 vertical growing and, 20
vermicomposting, 190 window farming, 44-45
vertical growing, 20, 21-22 The Windowfarms Project, 44
vinegar windows
cheese and, 136,137 cold frames and, 39

THE CITY HOMESTEADER | 272

ROCKFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY
 REFERENCE

Includes an raise a flock of chickens FORAGE FOR WILD FOOD

^Arugula to Zucchini
MAKE A POTATO BARREL start a garden
► Growing Guide for
pr Gardens of TRANSFORM THE BASEMENT INTO A ROOT CELLAR
—" All Sizes
turn food scraps into “black gold” compost

Whether you're on a mission to bring some old-fashioned skills to your

urban apartment or put your stamp on a home in the suburbs, 77ie City Homesteader
will lead the way. “Homesteading” is earthbound skills in a digital age, and: authenticity
in a mass-produced world. From small or large-scale gardening to composting,
harnessing solar energy, and food preservation, author Scott Meyer reinterprets
yesterday’s necessities for today’s enthusiast. For those who have already discovered
the pleasures of gardening, the clear step-by-step instructions to building a bee house,
raising small livestock, making cheese, cellaring produce, and smoking fish provide a
reliable starting place for a new hobby or lifestyle. Put your lawn, windowsill, or spare
closet to work as your own personal homestead in the city, and reap the rewards.

Scott Meyer was on staff at Organic Gardening magazine for

more than twenty years, seven spent as editor-in-chief, and is frequently
consulted on gardening matters by Regis & Kelly Live, The Today Show,
Good Morning America, and the Wall Street Journal. His writing has
appeared in Philadelphia Magazine, Men’s Health, Mountain Bike, and
other publications. Meyer lives and gardens with his wife and two chil¬
dren in the P
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