How to Store Onions

Onions are indispensable in the kitchen, and because they keep so well, they're available all year round. If you grow your own onions and store them you can permanently cross them off your grocery list. Learn how to select onions to store and create the right conditions to store them so they retain their taste and nutritional value for up to ten months.

1. Store late-season onions. The onions you harvest in the spring and summer are not hardy enough to store. They should be eaten within a few weeks of harvesting. Plan to store onions that are harvested in the fall, since these varieties are able to last through the winter.
If you grow your own onions, plan to store onions that you plant during the spring.
Onions are ready to harvest for storage in the late summer or early fall, when the top of the plant begins to fall over and dry up.

2. Store pungent onions. Pungent onions, as opposed to mild onions, have sulfurous compounds that cause you to tear up when you chop them and also help preserve the onions through the winter. Mild onions don't have this self-preservation system, so they should be eaten a few weeks after they're harvested. The following varieties of globe onions do well in long-term storage:
Yellow onions such as ebenezer, yellow globe, downing yellow globe, and yellow globe danvers.
White onions such as southport white globes. These should only be stored if their necks are small.
Red onions including wethersfield and southport red globe.

3. Dry the onion skins. After the onions are harvested, spread them out in a ventilated area so that the skins can harden. Do not remove the leaves. Allow the onions to cure for two to four weeks.
Dry the onions location away from sunlight and humidity. Sunlight can taint the taste of the onions and make them bitter. Lay a tarp in your garage or a shed. The environment should be dry, warm and breezy.
The onions are finished curing when their stems are no longer green. The onions' skin should be withered around the stem and wrapped tightly around the onions.

4. Trim the onions. Once the stems are completely dry, use sharp scissors or a knife to trim the roots from the onions.
Discard onions that still have green stems at this point, as well as those that are bruised or have broken paper.
Cut the leaves at least an inch above the bulb, or leave them intact and braid the leaves together.

5. Choose a cool, dark place to store your onions. The space should have a temperature maintained between 40 - 50 degrees Fahrenheit, or 4 - 10 degrees Celsius. Many people opt to store their onions in a root cellar or basement. If the space is too warm, your onions will begin to sprout. If the location you chose is too cold, the onions will start to rot.

Keep the storage space dry. Onions easily absorb moisture, and the wetness in the air will rot your produce. The humidity level should be kept at 65 - 70 percent.

6. Make sure the space is well ventilated. Keeping air flowing around the onions will help prevent molding and rotting.
For good ventilation, hang the onions in mesh baskets, netted bags or pantyhose.
If you decide to use pantyhose as a storage option, tie a knot between each bulb. Use the bulbs from the bottom, cutting the onion out below the knot so the onion above it stays secure. You can also use string or twist ties in between the onions to keep them separate.

9 Tips to Keep Your Garden Going While On Vacation

Many of us grow vegetable gardens so we can enjoy fresh produce. But gardens need tending, especially during peak summer-vacation season. That can pose a problem.

Weeds threaten to take over my garden if I don’t get out there every few days, and if it’s exceedingly hot and doesn’t rain at least every other day, I have to water. Produce also needs to be picked before it over-ripens or birds and bunnies take a nibble. So what to do if you are going on vacation? It’s a shame to start seeds and watch them grow and flourish only to miss out on harvesting your bounty. Here are some tips on keeping your garden going when you’re on vacation so you don’t return to find your vegetable patch ruined.

1. Water Well and Mulch
Just before leaving on vacation, give your garden a really good watering and then mulch around the base of each plant to help retain moisture. Depending on how long you’re gone and how hot it is while you’re away, you might return to wilted plants, but hopefully you won’t lose any. The mulch will also help keep the weeds down.

2. Equip a Non-Traveling Family Member to Help
Rebecca Sweet of Harmony in the Garden is a landscape designer, public speaker and author who shared the following advice.

"As a public speaker, I spend a fair amount of time traveling and have devised a simple way to help my non-gardening husband keep a watchful eye on my garden,” she says. "Even though the majority of my garden is hooked up to automatic irrigation, there are always a few containers or areas of my garden that rely on hand-watering. To help catch my husband’s attention, I place a few ‘indicator’ plants in containers near the back door. Indicator plants are those that wilt much faster than others (such as hydrangea or lettuce). One look at them on a hot day and he knows it’s time to get the hose out!”

This is a great tip, especially if you have a willing helper who isn’t a confident gardener. An indicator plant makes it easy for them to know how much and how often to water.

3. Install an Automatic Irrigation System
An automatic irrigation system, as mentioned above, is a great way to ensure your garden stays well-hydrated. Kits aren’t that expensive and are easy to install. The irrigation system won’t solve the problem of your vegetables over ripening on the vines, but it might be easier to recruit a neighbor to just come pick every few days if they don’t have to worry about watering, too.

4. Put a Timer on your Soaker Hose or Sprinkler
If an irrigation system is too high-tech for you, it’s even easier to install a timer on a soaker hose or sprinkler. Again, you’ll still have to recruit a picker, but at least your garden will be watered.

5. Find a Garden Buddy
Mike Podlesney, host of the Mike the Gardener podcasts and founder of Seeds of the Month Club has this advice:

"My neighbor looks out for my garden for me. Although I turn the water off to the main house, I leave the line open to the hose hookup outside so my neighbor can water if necessary. He comes over and checks to see if anything needs to be picked. And I’m doing the same for him this week while he’s on vacation.”

6. Make Self-Watering Jugs
Save up your milk, soda and water jugs prior to your vacation. Water your garden well just before you leave, then poke a few holes in the bottom of each jug, fill with water and place around your garden with the mouth of each jug pushed several inches into the ground. The water will drip out of the jugs slowly while you’re gone and keep the soil moist.

7. Time your Harvest
This takes a bit of planning, but if you have enough advance notice of vacation plans, you can try to time your harvest to occur before you leave. Most seed packets list the days to germination and days to harvest, so just count backwards from several days before you will be leaving (to give you time to eat, can or freeze your harvest before you go) to figure out when you need to plant. Start your seeds indoors if you need to get a jumpstart. Alternatively, time things so your vegetables won’t be ready to harvest until after you return. This will allow you more time to can or preserve your bounty once you get back home.

8. Time your Vacation
Of course, this whole issue can be avoided if you go on vacation in the winter. Why leave your beautiful home in the summer anyway when everything is blooming, it’s warm and sunny, and you have a glut of fresh produce to eat? Go away in the dead of winter instead when you need a break from the cold and snow!

9. Feed the Wild
Lastly, if none of these tips are feasible for you, then open up your garden for the week and let the rabbits, deer and other wild animals have a feast! Then plan on letting your chickens and ducks (if you raise them) into the garden when you return to clean up what’s left. At least nothing will go to waste!

Each of these tips is good on its own, but combining a few can also be effective to help your garden get through your absence. Also remember to cage or stake any plants that will need that extra support while you’re gone … and enjoy your trip!

Rabbit Predators

There are many rabbit predators that will attack or eat the rabbit, including man. In fact, rabbits have more than most.

Depending in which part of the world you live, will determine the most likely predators you need to be aware of.

With domestic/pet rabbits, perhaps the most common predators are pet dogs, pet cats and foxes.

However, don't think these are the only ones.

Many people are surprised to learn that large birds are a predator to rabbits, especially if the rabbit is a baby, young or a small breed type. Such birds, depending on where you live, include Hawks, Sparrow
Hawks, Owls, Falcons, and kestrels.

Other rabbit predators include Weasels, ferrets, badgers, stoats and snakes.

If you have a pet rabbit and it is outside for any amount of time you must give the rabbit constant supervision. When not supervising, it
is recommended that the rabbit is kept inside a secure run or hutch.

Rabbits can die from shock or a heart attack just because a predator is stalking around outside the hutch. When confronted by a predator the rabbit can panic and injure themselves or simply die of shock.

Any hutch or run must have a private box or hiding area to really protect your rabbit. You should let the rabbit escape and hide, like into a private box in the hutch. Keep a close eye on your rabbit while it is out.

With their acute vision, hearing and smell, a rabbit can sense the presence of a predator, such as fox or a raccoon (depending where in the world you live), even in your neighbour's yard.

Many raccoons and foxes can open hutches. The raccoon can climb tress and open doors. Foxes may live under sheds or tree roots/stumps.

No garden or yard is free of predators whether you live in the city or the countryside. If you're in a part of the world where you get Raccoons, they can easily travel up through storm drains and arrive in urban areas.

With some rabbit predators, wire cages are no protection for a rabbit. If your rabbit cannot stay in your house at night, then it is always best to try and make sure the rabbit is enclosed within solid walls such as a garage, basement or in a garden shed over night.

Again with pet rabbits, humans can also be a threat, if the rabbit is left outside in a hutch overnight or even unguarded in a run during the
day.

For wild rabbits, any other wild animal, large or hungry enough to be bothered, can be a predator.

Humans of course top the list of rabbit's predators and have been the rabbit's main enemy for the last 200 years or so, since the rabbit was regarded as a major pest.

Wild rabbits cause a lot of damage to crops, farmers land, gardens and the countryside.

During the 20th century when the rabbit population was much larger, they caused such extensive damage to crops and trees and in Britain, they were included in the Pests Act 1954.

Man, then became the biggest of the rabbit predators.

What to Feed Your Goats

Before you get your goats, you need to make sure you have all the feeding equipment they need, as well as a stockpile of food. All goats need certain kinds of feed, but they have differing nutritional requirements depending on their gender and what stage of life they're in.

Goats are browsers, like deer, which means they prefer trees, bushes, and woody weeds; rather than standing still and eating grass down to the roots, they like to stay on the move, eating a bit of this and a bit of that. Goats can learn to graze a pasture, but don't expect it to be "mowed." The grass helps supplement the goats' diet, but low grazing also can spread parasites.

Goats have specific nutritional needs, only some of which are met by the plants on your farm that they browse on. You have to provide feed for the needs that can't be met by browsing. Unless you have a lot of property with a variety of browse, feed will be your biggest expense in raising goats. Don't scrimp on goat feed — it will pay dividends in good health, milk production, and lower veterinary bills.

Feeding hay and alfalfa
Hay is the main source of nutrients for goats in non-grazing seasons, or all the time if they don't have access to browse. Grass hay provides a moderate amount of protein and energy for the goat diet. Legume hays, such as clover and alfalfa, usually have more protein, vitamins, and minerals, particularly calcium, than grass hays. This varies depending on the maturity of the hay or alfalfa and the way that it's cured and stored.

Each goat needs 2 to 4 pounds of hay each day, although some of this need can be met by available pasture or other forage. Make it available free choice throughout the day when pasture is unavailable or feed twice a day when goats are also browsing.

You can feed alfalfa (and some grass hays) in pellet form if you don't have storage or if you want to mix it with grain. The goats don't waste so much alfalfa when it's in pellets, and you can limit who gets it by combining it with their grain.

Using chaffhaye instead of hay and alfalfa
Chaffhaye is forage in a bag and substitutes for hay. To make chaffhaye, producers cut early alfalfa or grass, chop it, mist it with molasses, add the culture bacillus subtillis, and vacuum-pack it into 50-pound bags. The treated hay ferments in the bag, adding good bacteria that's easy for goats to digest. It provides more energy, vitamins, and minerals than dried hay.

Goats need up to 2 pounds of chaffhaye per 100 pounds of body weight when you feed it as an alternative to hay. The nutritional value of one 50-pound bag of chaffhaye is equivalent to an 85- to 100-pound bale of good-quality hay.

Feeding grain
Grain or pelleted grain mixes add protein, vitamins, and minerals to a goat's diet. Some are formulated specifically for goats. Grain options include the following:

Whole grain: This is the whole, unprocessed grain seed head.

Pelleted grain: A product made from grain or grain byproducts milled into small pieces and then made into pellets by adding a binding agent.

Rolled grain: Nutritionally identical to whole grain, rolled grain is simply rolled so that it's flat.

Texturized grain: Similar to rolled grain, texturized feed mixes usually have other ingredients added to improve nutrition.

How to Build a Mineral Block Holder for Your Goats

Goats need mineral supplements to stay healthy. Here's an easy way to build a mineral block feeder yourself. This is a really simple idea for a wooden mineral block holder that keeps the mineral block off the ground and also covers the top of it, so when those kids start jumping they just land on wood. You can buy the wood for this, or make it from pieces you have lying around. The inside dimensions (10 1/2 inches) are important because that's the minimum required to hold a standard-size mineral block. (You can make it larger, if you want.) You need a solid post or wall to attach it to.

You can build a simple mineral block holder.
To make the mineral block holder, you need the following equipment and materials:

Hand saw or circular saw

Drill

Pencil

Yardstick or other measure

Carpenters' square

Level

One eight-foot long untreated 2 x 6 board

One sheet of 3/4-inch untreated plywood

56 3-inch deck screws

12 1 1/2-inch flat-head screws

To make your own mineral block holder, follow these steps:

Measure your 2 x 6 and mark with pencil at 12-inch intervals.

Use the carpenters' square to make sure the ends are even. (Note: You can make the top section from a 2 x 4, but you need to use a 2 x 6 for the bottom so the mineral block can rest on it.)

With your saw, cut eight 12-inch pieces from your 2 x 6 for the sides.

Measure your plywood.

Mark two 13 1/2-inch by 13 1/2-inch pieces for the top and bottom

Mark two 6 1/2-inch by 16-inch pieces for the top and bottom braces, which will be cut at a 45-degree angle

Cut all the pieces of plywood.

Using eight screws (two for each corner), screw together four of the 12-inch 2 x 6 pieces to make a 13 1/2-inch square.

To make the box square, make sure each piece of wood is attached on the inside on one end and the outside on the other.

Attach the first piece of plywood to the top of the square with 12 screws.

Assemble the bottom section by repeating Steps 5 and 6.

Using a level to ensure that it is even, attach the top and bottom sections to the post or wall with eight screws each so the bottom of the top and the top of the bottom are 16 inches apart.

Attach the bottom piece 14 inches from the ground or higher. The plywood should be on top for the top piece and on the bottom for the bottom piece. Don't situate it too high or too low for your goats to comfortably eat the mineral.

Place the top brace with one against the center of the plywood "top" and the other against the post at a 45-degree angle and attach with three screws on each end.

Place the bottom brace with one end against the plywood "bottom" and one end against the post at a 45-degree angle and attach with three screws on each end.

To make a better fit, you can cut the end.

Angora Meat Goats

Angora Meat Goats are a medium sized breed that grows very long curly coats, known as mohair. These Angora Meat Goats are of Turkish origin. Angoras are fairly laid back and docile but not very hardy.

Angora goats may be the most efficient fiber producers on Earth. These makers of mohair came from and were named after Ankara (Angora before 1930), the Turkish province where they have thrived for centuries. Turkey guarded these goats against exportation until 1849 when seven does and two bucks were imported into the United States. Later, more were imported from Turkey and South Africa, the two principal mohair producers in the 19th century.

But now the United States has become one of the two biggest producers (along with South Africa) of mohair — the long, lustrous, wavy hair that goes into fine garments. The other primary fiber from goats is cashmere (see "A Small-Scale Agriculture Alternative, Cashmere Goats", December 1992). But crossing Angora with cashmere goats results in a fiber called cashgora, with very limited use and characteristics of neither fine fiber.

The two goat types also differ in temperaments. The angoras are relaxed and docile, while cashmere and/or Spanish meat goats are often flighty and high strung. Angora goats, which do produce mohair, do not produce Angora hair. Only rabbits can produce Angora hair.

Although Angora goats are somewhat delicate, they grow their fleeces year-round. This puts considerable strain on the animal, and probably contributes to their lack of hardiness.

About 90 percent of the U.S. mohair clip originates in Texas, but the goats are raised across wide areas of the United States. They adapt well to many conditions, but are particularly suited to the arid southwestern states. Central and southwestern Texas have all the major mohair warehouses.

Fleckvieh - A cow with high milk production

Fleckvieh (or Miling Simmental) is the second largest dairy breed in the world – and one of Europe’s oldest. At the moment, there are an estimated 42 million cattle with Fleckvieh bloodlines worldwide. Developed in the highlands of Germany, Switzerland and Austria, the breed became popular in most parts of the world because of their adaptability to harsh climatic conditions.

Active genetic potential

“The Fleckvieh cow is durable, hardy and easy to handle even within a small farm,” says Dr. Anthony Gichohi from Fleckvieh Genetics (EA). “They are able to move easily even in the most difficult terrain. A mature Fleckvieh has good strength and body development. A mature cow weighs about 650-800 kilograms. The breed has a very large and active genetic potential. We believe it is going to be one of the major breeds in the country once farmers discover its quality,” he says.

Nutritious milk and good meat

Studies show that every 1 kg of milk from a Fleckvieh cow contains 4.2% fat and 3.7% protein in addition the milk is also rich in other micronutrients and Omega 3 fats – which are vital for a healthy body. According to Dr Wanjohi, Fleckvieh bulls are fast growing and gain muscle at a rate of 1.5 kilogrammes per day for the first 200 days when cross-bred with other breeds, the farmer is assured of high quality of milk and beef. Under intensive fattening conditions, young bulls reach a daily weight gain of more than 1300 grams. In the first 6 months after birth, a bull can attain up to 300 kg with proper feeding and management.

Disease resistance

Compared with other breeds, Fleckvieh owners will not have to incur huge veterinary bills – due to the breed’s ability to withstand some of the common livestock diseases, mastitis for instance – This is an inflammation of the udder that cuts down milk production. The infection is caused by somatic cells (dead cells) from the bloodstreams that get into the milk in the udder. Fleckvieh cow milk has lower numbers of somatic cells compared to other dairy breeds, meaning that Fleckvieh is less prone to mastitis; there is another advantage: Less somatic cells means: The milk lasts longer without refrigeration.

And, since Fleckvieh has a very thick skin, it is more resistant against diseases transmitted by ticks and tsetse flies- the proboscis of these vectors cannot penetrate the thick Fleckvieh skin.

An easy to handle cow

Farmers are usually more interested in the amount of milk a cow can produce. But what goes for Holstein-Fresian and other breeds, can as well be said of Fleckvieh: The amount of milk a cow produces depends directly on the feed it is given and the way it is kept. With sufficient and nutritious feed, a healthy cow can produce a lot of milk; if the feed is poor, the milk yield will be less. Farmers sometimes forget the relationship between the feed given and the milk output.