BHM Newsletter
Volume 11      Number 3

March 21, 2009
 

INSIDE BHM

Missing Issue

Did you miss the February issue of the Newsletter? Not to worry, so did everyone else. We were so busy we forgot to send out the notices.

This is a link to the February issue which contains Part 1 of "Companion Planting" as well as recipes and humor. It will open a new browser window.

Now, for this months's news...

Deadline is done for May/June issue

We're just finishing up deadline for the May/June 2009 issue (Issue No. 117), and we think it is such a strong issue that we plan to order an extra 10,000 copies printed to meet anticipated demand. The issue itself is 16 pages longer than our usual 100 pages, and it includes a special 17-page "Making a Living" section.

The last time we ordered extra copies was for Issue No. 111 one year ago when our cover, editorial, and content forecast the economic hammer that was about to descend upon America. This time we're talking about how to create your own job in a down economy. We've profiled 12 people who have done just that. Most of them came from our own small town of Gold Beach. For at least the next several issues, we'll make creating your own job in a small town setting a regular feature of the magazine.

Digital issue starts with May/June issue

We'll also launch our digital issue online with this May/June issue. It will be free this one time so prospective subscribers can see what it is all about. It will be an exact copy of the print issue, but will feature various live links plus seven short videos that will be animated by clicking on a photo in an article. We estimate that about 10 percent of our subscriber base will want the digital issue. Even if you don't, you may want to check out the embedded videos.

Leaving on a jet plane

I'll be heading to Boston with my family in a couple of days to discuss BHM's website and our upcoming digital issue with BHM's webmaster, Oliver Del Signore. BHM Senior Editor John Silveira and BHM Food Editor Richard (Butch) Blunt will also be going back there. John, Butch, and I grew up in Boston so we'll be drinking some beer at our old haunts.

Back in Gold Beach, Jay Stoler and Eric Ragsdale will be preparing the technical aspects of the digital issue, as well as creating the seven videos out of the raw footage we have shot. Tomorrow morning, just before leaving for Boston, Jay Stoler will shoot video footage of Annie and me so we can pop out of the digital issue's "Note from the Publisher" and do a video introduction for the issue.

Lots of interesting stuff going on here, but I'm mainly looking forward to having lobster and a beer in Boston.

—Dave

SELF-RELIANCE TIPS

Companion Planting

Part II

Last month we looked at the theory of companion planting and the many reasons for giving it a try, from insect control to enhanced taste in some veggies. This time around, we'll deal with the specifics: What to plant with what?

Keep in mind that while some of the following recommendations are based in science, others come from folk customs. Gardeners over the centuries have found that certain plantings work for them. But since climate, soil types, the local insect population, and the personal dedication of the gardener all factor into the equation, you will always need to observe and discover what works in your garden.

You might want to start keeping a journal of your plantings, writing down what varieties you planted, when, how close together, and any relevant observations about weather, moisture, insect activity, weeds, and other problems or benefits you encounter. Then, next season you can repeat what worked, discard what didn't, and refine plantings that showed some promise.

For more in-depth help, we recommend Rodale's Companion Planting and the well-known book Carrots Love Tomatoes. Information in this article is derived from these and various online sources.

Here's a table compiled by George Kuepper & Mardi Dodson of the National Sustainable Agricultural Information Service. The chart and the article it came from can be downloaded as a printable .pdf file from this site. Note that it also includes information on what not to plant together.

COMPANION PLANTING CHART FOR HOME & MARKET GARDENING (compiled from traditional literature on companion planting)
CROP	COMPANIONS	INCOMPATIBLE
Asparagus	Tomato, Parsley, Basil
Beans	Most Vegetables & Herbs
Beans, Bush	Irish Potato, Cucumber, Corn, Strawberry, Celery, Summer Savory	Onion
Beans, Pole	Corn, Summer Savory, Radish	Onion, Beets, Kohlrabi, Sunflower
Cabbage Family	Aromatic Herbs, Celery, Beets, Onion Family, Chamomile, Spinach, Chard	Dill, Strawberries, Pole Beans, Tomato
Carrots	English Pea, Lettuce, Rosemary, Onion Family, Sage, Tomato	Dill
Celery	Onion & Cabbage Families, Tomato, Bush Beans, Nasturtium
Corn	Irish Potato, Beans, English Pea, Pumpkin, Cucumber, Squash	Tomato
Cucumber	Beans, Corn, English Pea, Sunflowers, Radish	Irish Potato, Aromatic Herbs
Eggplant	Beans, Marigold
Lettuce	Carrot, Radish, Strawberry, Cucumber
Onion Family	Beets, Carrot, Lettuce, Cabbage Family, Summer Savory	Beans, English Peas
Parsley	Tomato, Asparagus
Pea, English	Carrots, Radish, Turnip, Cucumber, Corn, Beans	Onion Family, Gladiolus, Irish Potato
Potato, Irish	Beans, Corn, Cabbage Family, Marigolds, Horseradish	Pumpkin, Squash, Tomato, Cucumber, Sunflower
Pumpkins	Corn, Marigold	Irish Potato
Radish	English Pea, Nasturtium, Lettuce, Cucumber	Hyssop
Spinach	Strawberry, Fava Bean
Squash	Nasturtium, Corn, Marigold	Irish Potato
Tomato	Onion Family, Nasturtium, Marigold, Asparagus, Carrot, Parsley, Cucumber	Irish Potato, Fennel, Cabbage Family
Turnip	English Pea	Irish Potato

And here are some additional thoughts:

• Besides being edible themselves, flowering plants like chives and strawberries draw "good" insects into the garden for the benefit of other plants.

• Mix flowering plants and herbs in with your vegetables, or plant them in nearby beds. Start with early spring bulbs and keep something flowering all through the growing season and into fall. These will attract and shelter spiders and other beneficial insects that will help knock down the population of pest insects. Don't disrespect wildflowers. They can also attract "good" insects, and by appearing without your help, wildflowers spare you work.

• You probably already know that legumes (peas, beans, and clover) "fix" nitrogen in the soil. But it helps to know that they do this in different ways, with different benefits. The nitrogen fixer is actually the bacteria Rhizobium, which is attracted to legume roots, absorbs a percentage of the sugar produced by the plants, and use the resulting energy to capture nitrogen out of the atmosphere. Some long-season legumes (peanuts, chickpeas, and pole lima beans, for instance) can produce all their own nitrogen. Quick-cropping legumes (peas, snap beans, etc.) can make most, but not all, of their own nitrogen. But with all these legumes, when the plant dies and decomposes, nitrogen is released into the soil for other plants to use. "The big bonus," says Rodale's Companion Planting, "comes when you turn the foliage and roots of the legumes into the soil. When they decay, they can release enough nitrogen to feed the next crop you grow."

• Marigolds (probably the most widely planted companion in vegetable gardens) have been scientifically shown to kill or trap several types of soil-dwelling pests, including nematodes.

• If you don't want to fence your garden against animal pests like rabbits, deer, gophers, and moles, try planting a barrier hedge of strongly scented plants. Since humans are one of the few animals that actually like stinky, spicy foods, the pest critters might be fooled into leaving the milder plants within the hedge alone. (A fence might work better, though.)

• In making your plantings, always be aware of possible dangers. The castor bean, for instance, has an excellent reputation for repelling both moles and deer. But that helpful bean is also the source of the powerful poison ricin, which not only kills but does so excruciatingly; you would not want your children or your pets to eat castor beans or their seeds.

• Don't devalue weeds. True, some of them are damaging due to their spreading roots, strangling growth, competition for nutrients, disease-spreading potential, or propensity for attracting "bad" insects. Some (like Jimson weed and nightshade) are also poisonous, though they may be beneficial in other ways. On the other hand, low weeds can serve as moisture-holding mulch and weeds with deep tap roots -- like the infamous dandelion -- can help break up hard soil. Some weeds make good trap crops; they draw the same insects that like to feast on your veggies. By surrounding your veggies, the weeds attract those insects first, before they reach your edibles. Wait until the insects have begun colonizing, remove the weed, and voila! you've helped rid your garden of pests. (Books on companion gardening will have more information about specific weeds, their benefits and their drawbacks.)

No doubt about it, companion planting is a complex matter that requires from you a commitment to practice and learn. But the rewards can be less use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, less watering, healthier plants, and even tastier fruits and vegetables -- not to mention a more natural and diverse garden.

RECIPES

Amish Cooking

The calendar says it's spring. But unless you're lucky enough to live in some southern clime, Ma Nature still says its winter. Gray, snowy, blustery, late-winter days remind us of the comforts of rich, filling foods. And where better to turn for that sort of fare than to the Amish?

Amish cooking is very Germanic -- which means meat & potatoes, gravy, hearty breads, and pastries. Even the vegetables most commonly used in Amish cooking aren't exactly "lite"; cabbage (and sauerkraut) and turnips don't usually make it into contemporary lists of health-oriented favorites.

Yet there's nothing inherently unhealthy about this kind of cooking. The secret is in what you do when you're not at the table. The Amish consume an astonishing amounts of meats and fats and heavy accompaniments. But they don't suffer any unusual incidence of heart attacks or food-related health problems. And the reason (as you probably know) is that they work it off. A recent study showed that Amish men walk about 18,000 steps a day, and Amish women 14,000. Contrast that with health-conscious young urban professionals who wear pedometers and struggle to get up to 10,000 steps a day.

So eat, enjoy these traditional Amish recipes, warm yourself from the inside out ... then get out and do those spring chores.

Amish Slaw

1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 medium cabbage
2 medium onions
1 cup granulated sugar

Mix vinegar, oil, water, mustard, celery seed, sugar and salt; boil for 3 minutes. Mix cabbage, onions and sugar. Combine boiled mixture and cabbage mixture; refrigerate overnight.

Potato Noodle Dumpling Soup

1 1/2 cups water
3 medium potatoes, peeled and grated
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup diced cured or smoked ham
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon celery seeds
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley or chives

Bring the water, potatoes, celery, onion and ham to a simmer in a large saucepan; cook for 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix the egg, flour and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Using floured hands, pull into stringy lumps; add to the potato mixture. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring often. Stir in milk, celery seeds and remaining salt; heat through. Top with parsley or chives.

Serves 4 to 6.

Breaded Turnips

2 cups cooked turnips
2/3 cup bread crumbs, divided
1 tablespoon margarine
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 egg
Salt and pepper

Cook turnips until tender. Drain, mash and then add 1/2 cup bread crumbs, saving remainder for top. Add egg, sugar, milk, salt and pepper to taste. Mix together; pour into greased baking dish. Dot with butter and remaining crumbs. Bake 45 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Ribs & Sauerkraut with Apples

Country-style ribs
3 pounds sauerkraut
3/4 cup chopped onion
6 to 8 whole cloves
1-1/2 cups chopped Granny Smith apples
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Broil or slow cook country style ribs.

In a large roasting pan or casserole dish mix together sauerkraut, onion, cloves, apples, brown sugar, pepper and chicken broth. Bury ribs at random in sauerkraut mixture. Pour chicken broth over top. Bake at 325 degrees F for 2 hours.

Swiss Cheese Meatloaf

1 egg
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2-3 strips bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the egg in a large bowl. Add evaporated milk, sage, salt and pepper, and mix. Add beef, crumbs, 1/2 cup of the cheese and the onion; blend. Form into a loaf and place in a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange bacon pieces on top of loaf. Bake 40 minutes.

Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake 10 minutes longer.

Scrapple

Slices of scrapple are often fried in butter and served hot, usually for breakfast or brunch. Serve ketchup, syrup or apple butter on the side.

2 pounds pork shoulder
1 onion, sliced
1 small bay leaf
1 cup white cornmeal
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Grated mace, nutmeg and liquid smoke to taste (optional)

Combine pork, 4 cups water, sliced onion and bay leaf in large saucepan. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Drain pork and reserve broth. Discard bones and chop meat fine.

Mix cornmeal, 1 cup water, salt and 2 cups reserved broth in saucepan.

Cook, stirring until thick. Stir in meat, minced onion, thyme, sage and pepper. Cover and simmer 1 hour.

Turn into 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and chill until firm. Cut into slices, dust lightly with flour. Heat a little butter in a skillet, and fry until browned on both sides. Serve at once.

Serves 6.

Friendship Bread (and Friendship Bread Starter)

This traditional Amish bread can be made in many different varieties. We've chosen a recipe that contains a modest amount of fruits and nuts, but you can eliminate fruits & nuts completely or use other fruits, nuts & veggies of your choice. Examples: apple dices, cashews, shredded carrots, sunflower nuts, bananas, or zucchini. It's up to you.

Starter:

Always use a wooden spoon for stirring the starter. Never use a metal spoon.

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 cups granulated sugar, divided
3 cups warm milk (110 degrees F), divided

Day 1:
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes.
In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature until bubbly.

Days 2 through 4:
Stir starter with a wooden spoon.

Day 5:
Stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk.

Days 6 through 9:
Stir starter with a spoon.

Day 10:
Stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Remove 1 or 2 cups to make your first bread, give three cups to friends along with the recipe. Store the remaining starter in a container in the refrigerator and begin the 10 day process over again.

You can also freeze this starter in 1 cup measures for later use. Frozen starter will take at least 3 hours at room temperature to thaw before using.

Yields 6 cups of starter.

Friendship Bread

2 cups Amish Friendship Bread Starter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dates, pitted and chopped

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, stir together Amish Friendship Starter, oil, applesauce, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs and milk.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir into the starter mixture. Fold in the chopped nuts, raisins and dates. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake for 60 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pans before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 2 loaves.

Smearcase Cake

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar

Filling:
16 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons flour
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (13 ounce) can evaporated milk or 1 1/2 cups sweet milk
Cinnamon

Sift dry ingredients for cake. Add eggs, oil and sugar; stir well. Press into a 13 x 9-inch pan. Spread cake dough in bottom and on sides. Make filling.

Filling: Mix all filling ingredients together; beat until smooth. Pour filling into shell. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake in 325 degree F oven for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

Apple Fritters

8 medium firm cooking apples
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1/2 cup milk
Confectioners' sugar

Peel and slice the apples 1/4-inch thick. Combine the brown sugar and lemon juice in a 10-inch shallow dish. Add the apple slices, spooning the sauce over both sides of the fruit. Allow to stand for 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy skillet.

Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl beat the egg yolks thoroughly and add the rind and milk. Combine with the dry ingredients.

In a mixing bowl beat the egg whites until stiff, then gently fold them into the batter. The batter will be puffy and there will be some white patches showing. Dip the apple slices into the batter, firmly pushing the slices into the batter until both sides are covered.

With tongs, drop the apple into the hot oil and cook until golden on one side (about 2 minutes). Turn and fry on the other side for 1 minute. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Taffy

1 quart sugar
1 pint. cream
1 pint light corn syrup
1 tablespoon gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water

Boil sugar, cream, and corn syrup for ten minutes. Add gelatin softened in cold water. Cook until a thermometer inserted in the mixture reads 250 degrees F. Remove from heat, cool and then pull in the good, old-fashioned way. After pulling, cut small candy-sized pieces and enjoy.

HUMOR

A police officer pulls over a speeding car. The officer says, "I clocked you at 80 miles per hour, sir."

The driver says, "Gee, officer I had it on cruise control at 60, perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating."

Not looking up from her knitting the wife says: "Now don't be silly dear, you know that this car doesn't have cruise control."

As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls, "Can't you please keep your mouth shut for once?"

The wife smiles demurely and says, "You should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did."

As the officer makes out a second ticket for the illegal radar detector unit fitted in the car he had just pulled over, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth, "Damit, woman, can't you keep your mouth shut?"

The officer frowns and says, "And I notice that you're not wearing your seat belt, sir. That'd an automatic $75 fine."

The driver says, "Yeah, well, you see officer, I had it on, but took it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of my back pocket."

The wife says, "Now, dear, you know very well that you didn't have your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you're driving."

And as the police officer is writing out the third ticket the driver turns to his wife and barks, "WHY DON'T YOU PLEASE SHUT UP??"

The officer looks over at the woman and asks, "Does your husband always talk to you this way, Ma'am?"

And she says ...

...wait for it ...

"Only when he's been drinking."

An Italian man walked into a bank in New York City one day and asked for the loan officer. He told the loan officer he was going to Italy on business for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000. The bank officer told him the bank would need some form of security for the loan so the Italian man handed over the keys to a new Ferrari parked on the street in front of the bank. Then he produced the title, everything checked out and the loan officer agreed to accept the car as collateral for the loan.

After he left with his money, the bank's president and its officers all enjoyed a good laugh at the Italian man for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral against a $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then drove the Ferrari into the bank's underground garage and parked it there.

Two weeks later, the Italian returned, repaid the $5,000 and the interest, which came to $15.41.

The loan officer said, "Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multi-millionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow $5,000?"

The Italian replied: "Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?"

Spring break—that’s when kids work on their tans and teachers work on their sanity.

Spring break—that’s when kids go wild someplace other than school.

Spring break is when the only thing kids study is each other.

The college kids call it spring "break." Their parents, however, call it spring "broke."

Spring break is when teenagers give their swimsuits a dry run.

Spring break—that’s when students take time off from football games, basketball games, dances, parties, and hanging out in bars, and go to Florida and relax.

Thousands of college kids head south to vacation on a shoestring. Or at least that's what they wear on the beach.

Spring break is that annual ritual when college kids flock to the beach, get drunk, and try to swim upstream.

Spring break is when the nation's college kids demonstrate to the world how much they've learned.

Things wild young Amish kids might (but probably don't) do on spring break:

1. Drink molasses 'til you heave
2. Wet bonnet contest
3. Stuff as many guys as you can into a buggy
4. Buttermilk kegger
5. Blow past the Dairy Queen on a really rad Clydesdale
6. Get a tattoo: "Born to raise barns"
7. Cruise streets of Belleville shouting insults at people with zippers
8. Sleep 'til 6:00 AM
9. Drive over to Allensville and kick some Mennonite rear
10. Churn butter naked

***Amish Virus Alert***

You have just received the Amish virus.

Since we have no electricity or computers, you are on the honor system.

Please delete all of your files on your hard drive, then forward this message to everyone in your address book.

Thank thee.

An Amishman had stolen some lumber, and soon got to feeling very guilty about it. He was too embarrassed to go to his Amish bishop. Thus he decided to go to confession at a Catholic church to deal with his transgression. In the confessional, he told the priest that he had sinned.

"What was your sin, my son?" asked the priest.

"I stole some lumber, Father," replied the penitent.

"How much lumber did you steal?" asked the priest.

"Father, I built my German Shepherd dog a nice new doghouse."

The priest replied, "Well, that's not so bad."

The penitent interrupted him. "Father, I also built myself a 4-car garage."

The priest then responded, "Now that's a little more serious!"

The penitent again interrupted the priest, "Father, I've got to get it off my chest. I built a doghouse, a 4-car garage, and a 5-bedroom 4-bath home!"

With a look of shock, the priest then responded, "Well, that is most serious. I'm afraid that you'll have to make a novena."

The penitent Amishman looked perplexed and then said, "Father, I don't know what a novena is, but if you've got the blueprints, I've got the lumber."
 

OTHER STUFF

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Contact Info:

Editor/Letters - Dave Duffy, editor@backwoodshome.com
Web Site - Oliver Del Signore, webmaster@backwoodshome.com