In an earlier post, Old NFO wondered why that form of kettle didn't gain acceptance on the American frontier. I think there were two reasons. Simple frying pans nested and two or three sizes could be carried in a compact package.
There was also the issue of complexity. The mold for a simple frying pan has an upper and a lower part and an unmachined frying pan can be used for the pattern in a pinch. The mold for the chugunok requires three pieces due to the tumble-home of the shape, a left, a right and an insert (sometimes called a "core"). The insert must be nested firmly and precisely to avoid any shifting that will result in thin spots that will break. It simple a much more difficult shape to cast.
5:41 mark, sauerkraut
8:33 mark, burning raspberry canes
They are managing their primo-cane raspberries exclusively for the fall crop. Cutting the canes close to the ground and burning them can break disease and insect pressure. This does NOT work for raspberry varieties that only have a summer crop.
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| Granny is putting the boys to work. |
I bit later they roast pieces of pig-fat (like bacon with no lean) by spearing it on willow sticks and cooking it over the fire.
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17:52 mark: Based on the lighting, it looks like there are two families living at the farm. The house with the blue window sills and house with the red gable and large front porch.
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20:30 mark: Scalding and plucking a duck.
22:24 mark: Scorching the pin-feathers
25:15 mark: Preparing garlic for planting and then planting it. Garlic is typically planted in the fall.
Since each clove will grow to form one bulb, and since each bulb will be composed of 10-to-30 cloves, the grower must re-plant roughly one-fifteenth of his harvest every year.
26:33 mark: The actual planting
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| The rows run left-to-right. That is, they are very short. |
The utility of short rows is that you can do most of the cultivating and not walk near the plants so the soil does not get compacted.
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| The soil looks sandy which would account for the beautiful carrots and the scab-free potatoes. |
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| She is using a wooden rake at the 27:27 mark |
30:00 mark: Stuffing the duck with apple slices
32:00 mark: Rubbing the duck with soy sauce, paprika and horseradish sauce
35:03 mark: Beehive maintenance
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| These look like top-bar hives. They are removing feeders. |
What is notable is that they use scrap quilts, "shoddy" and furs to insulate the top of the hive. A major cause of hive death in the winter is condensate dripping off the top of the hive and wetting the bees. A thick layer of insulation goes a long way toward preventing that. It looks like they have a 6" to 8" dead-air space above the bars that they use for the insulation.
THis sequence ends at the 36:30 mark. If you keep bees, this ninety seconds is well worth your time.
42:28 mark: Granny is quite the singer. She ends her day mending clothing and singing softly to herself.
The beehives look like "Layens" style setups. I gifted a pair to one of our club members who lost her bees last year due to not being able to lift Langstroth style equipment any more.
ReplyDeleteThey have flat, hinged tops so she can open them easily. She dotes on her bees and it made me happy to see her so happy.
Neck
Thanks for piping up.
DeleteThe US bee industry is nearly completely dependent on shipping hives to California for over-wintering and pollinating the almond crop. People who "over winter" their hives locally sometimes lose more than half of their hives. That is not sustainable.
Small orchards with multiple varieties in close proximity can make do with native pollinators like bumblebees and mason bees but commercial orchards with blocks of same-variety, self-incompatible apples NEED massive numbers of honeybees over a two-week period.
Yes, the big players (1,000 + hives and hundreds of acre block trees) are pretty well joined at the hip. The stats out for the 23/24 winter losses stood at 51 -56% for commercial operators who reported, and 41 -48% for the "Backyarders" like myself. That isn't sustainable at all if the trend continues. I tagged in at 15% so I beat the average by a long shot. My bees look good this season so far, but we also haven't had any bone chilling cold so far. Time will tell.
DeleteThe area she is stuffing the insulation in also appears to be where they set up to collect honey. My guess is either cut comb or by crush and strain.
Neck
Edit: Correction ; 24/25 Winter loss survey. Where did the time go?
DeleteNeck
Long ago I worked for a summer in a small factory in NJ. On Friday afternoons the women on the production line would sing East European folk songs together. I found it touching.
ReplyDeleteLocally the "new Neighbors" have put in massive efforts to install "Lawns" locally during the COVID buy a house in the country and work remotely phase. Seems dandelions are not "pretty". Lots of Scotts Yard products and round up deployed.
ReplyDeleteLocal bee keepers lost hives to far higher "winter death" and such.
https://peppershomeandgarden.com/does-roundup-kill-bees/
In various studies I've read I notice that the "Active ingredients" IF dry don't seem to be a problem. So, some studies can say it doesn't harm bees if only active ingredients are tested. Seems a lot of the trouble comes from the "inactive ingredients" that are typically not tested.
The take away for me is use it very sparingly, use it carefully as to have it dry before bees come out to forage. I'm a wierdo as when I use it to snuff out poison ivy and such is to cover the sprayed plants. I've used recycled tin cans to cover cut and dab roundup eliminations.
Be kind to dandelions, they let you know the soil is decent for starting a garden, they were IMPORTED by colonists as a "Spring tonic" herb and bees need them badly in the early pollination before everything else comes into bloom.
re. " pig-fat (like bacon with no lean)". My Grandfather called it 'fat back'. Tasted like bacon but rather tough to chew, it was also used to season beans which were simmered all day. Yum!
ReplyDeleteSkills that will be in high demand and short supply after the coming festivities.
ReplyDeleteThose lowered center pots are around - I have a cast iron one here on my porch that fits a medium woodstove burner hole. A little weird to clean and use sometimes.
ReplyDelete