The Backyard Homestead

by Carleen Madigan

  Chocolate ice cream. Use the basic recipe, but melt two to six (1-ounce) squares of bitter or semisweet chocolate in a small pan over low heat and add to the scalded milk. Increase the sugar to taste, usually doubling the standard quantity.

  Coffee ice cream. Use the basic recipe, but dissolve 3 tablespoons instant coffee, espresso, or grain beverage in 4 tablespoons hot water or ¾ cup brewed coffee. Add to the cream mixture just before freezing.

  Fruit ice cream. Use the basic recipe, but before freezing add 1½ cups fruit puree stirred with 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons sugar or 1 tablespoon honey. Use fresh or unsweetened frozen fruit. If you use pineapple, use canned, not fresh. Strain fruits with seeds, such as raspberries and blackberries, after pureeing.

  Ice milk. Use the basic recipe, but substitute whole, low-fat, or skim milk for the cream.

  Mint ice cream. Use the basic recipe, but reduce vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon and add 2 teaspoons peppermint extract to the chilled cream mixture.

  Pistachio ice cream. Use the basic recipe, but add 1 teaspoon almond extract with the vanilla. Add 1 cup finely chopped pistachio nuts when the ice cream is mushy. If desired, add green food coloring with the extracts.

  Super-creamy vanilla ice cream. Use the basic vanilla recipe, but soften 1½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin in ¼ cup water and add with the sugar to the scalded milk. Continue cooking over low heat until the gelatin is dissolved. Or substitute 1½ tablespoons agar for the gelatin.

  CHAPTER 7

  Food from the Wild

  An amazing bounty of food can be foraged from vacant lots and other wasted spaces. On a recent walk around a post-industrial city that suffers from some neglect, I foraged a fabulous array of edibles — wild grapes, cornelian cherries (fruits of the cornelian dogwood tree, Cornus mas), and gumi (fruits of the invasive autumn olive, Elaeagnus umbellata). In the latter case, I consider my harvesting to also be a service to the community, as it keeps the plant from spreading farther afield. In the spring, there is pokeweed, young shoots of tender Japanese knotweed, ramps (wild leeks), and fiddlehead ferns here. In the woods outside of town, I’ve found a number of mushrooms, including chanterelles, hedgehogs, bear’s heads, and shaggy manes. When you begin to understand the edibility of the plants and fungi you pass by every day, you start to see potential food sources everywhere you turn.

  Although we have a tendency to think of cultivated food crops as our only source of nutrition, wild foods can be a good supplement.

  When you consider fishing and hunting as forms of foraging, you can envision ways to supply yourself with all four food groups from the wild. Even the fifth group — sugary treats — can be foraged by making maple syrup or keeping honeybees (this last is really more a form of livestock than a way to forage, but it does have wild origins).

  There are caveats, of course. First of all, you must know what you’re eating! That can’t be stressed enough. Find an expert in your area, take a class, buy a good identification guide, and do some studying before you get started. Start with something easily identifiable, like domesticated food plants that have escaped cultivation, and move on to wild plants once you’ve gained some experience.

  And always be sure to get permission from landowners before you set out. While they probably won’t be opposed to your digging up dandelions from their front lawn, they might wonder just what you’re up to if you don’t take the time to introduce yourself first.

  Beekeeping

  The rewards of keeping bees are many: You’ll have all the honey you need for cooking and table; you’ll have a supply for wonderful gifts; your garden will be pollinated by your own bees, and will grow better for it; and you may eventually earn money for your honey. Best of all, you will have a fascinating hobby.

  What You Need to Get Started

  The location of your hives should be selected with care. Check your zoning laws to be sure that beekeeping is permitted. Choose a quiet, sunny, secluded spot. Bees follow a landing and takeoff pattern in front of the hive — be sure that their flight path doesn’t cross a sidewalk, road, or walkway. If your hive will not be near a natural source of water, provide one.

  Time. Beekeeping demands little time and fits in well with other weekend chores.

  Timing. In northern states, it is important to get your bees early in the season. They must have time to build their combs and raise new bees so that the hive population will be large at the season of the main honey flow. Arrange to have the bees delivered about when fruit trees bloom in your area.

  Knowledge. A little bit of knowledge will get you started, and you’ll know it all. Begin by following a good manual; from there, you can explore the subject in as much depth as you want.

  Bees. Bees can be obtained in many ways. You can buy them from mail-order beekeepers. You may be able to purchase an established hive from a nearby beekeeper. Or you might have a nearby beekeeper place a swarm of bees in a hive for you. If you buy an established hive, ask for a certificate of inspection signed by the state apiary inspector stating that the hive is free from disease.

  The most popular bees to start with are Italian bees. They are industrious, and a good queen will quickly build up a strong hive. Start with a 3-pound package of bees (about 10,000 bees).

  Equipment. Bee equipment firms sell beginner’s kits. If you buy one, make certain that you get all of the items in the equipment box before you begin setup.

  Step by Step

  Keeping bees is not complicated, but upkeep is essential, and a manual on beekeeping will be a necessary companion to teach you the tricks as you go along. Here is a rundown of the basic steps that a novice bee-keeper will need to learn.

  drone bee

  worker bee

  queen bee

  a package of bees

  Beekeeping Equipment

  Your basic start-up needs are listed below. The cost may vary, depending on your regional supplier.

  • A standard 10-frame hive with bottom board, entrance block, outside cover, inside cover, frames, and foundation

  • A 3-pound package of bees, with queen

  • A bee veil (to protect your face)

  • Gloves

  • A bee smoker

  • A hive tool (for prying apart the hive and frames)

  • A feeder (to feed the bees sugar syrup until they can support themselves with nectar)

  • A bee brush

  • A beginner’s book on beekeeping

  Installing bees in the hive. A few general hints: Don’t rush. Work calmly. Install the bees in the evening. And remember that they aren’t inclined to sting you after they are fed. Follow this basic installation procedure:

  Prepare the hive. Before you get your bees, the hive should be assembled, painted, and placed in its permanent location. Remove five frames to make an open chamber. Fill the entrance feeder with syrup.

  Get your package of bees. As soon as you get the bees, feed them. They’ll need to subsist on sugar water until they start producing honey. Install them as soon as possible; hold them no more than two or three days.

  Get yourself ready. Light the smoker. Don your bee attire and net. Have a hive tool and bee brush handy.

  Open the shipping cage. Pry off the cover of the cage with the hive tool. Remove the queen cage. Replace the cover.

  Look at the queen cage. Get a good look at the queen, so you’ll learn to recognize her. Place the queen in the hive.

  Put the bees in the hive. Carefully replace the wire frames. Working gently, so that you don’t pinch the bees, replace the cover.

  Getting Stung!

  Here’s the big question: Will you get stung? Yes. You almost certainly will get stung from time to time, but after a while you’ll begin to tolerate it pretty easily. Many stings can be avoided. Here are some tips:

  • Work in the hive during good weather when the bees are out of the hive and gathering nectar.

  • Wear protective gear and light-colored clothing. Bees tend to crawl into dark p
laces, so have tight wristbands on your sleeves and tuck the bottom of your trousers into your socks.

  • Use a smoker when working with bees. Watch the reaction of the bees to the smoke. You will soon learn the minimum amount that can be used to subdue them.

  • When you get stung, remove the stinger quickly by scraping it with the hive tool or your fingernail. Don’t try to pull it out with your fingers, as this will only force more venom into your body.

  • Finally, make certain you are not allergic to bee stings. Most beekeepers eventually develop immunity to stings. If you become allergic to bee stings and the effects of the sting grow worse each time, consult an allergist. Such an allergy can become deadly.

  How Bees Make Honey and Wax

  The nectar that bees collect is generally one-half to three-fourths water. The bees evaporate most of the water by adding enzymes to it. These enzymes change the nectar into honey. The bees seal the honey into cells of the honeycomb.

  Beeswax begins as a liquid exuded from the abdomen of worker bees. As it hardens into tiny wax scales, the worker bees use it to build honeycomb.

  Beekeepers often provide their bees with honeycomb foundations made of sheets of beeswax. They fit into hive frames and become the base of the honeycomb. These foundations enable bees to speed up comb construction and provide a pattern for straight and easy-to-remove comb.

  Confine the bees to the hive. Plug the hive with the entrance feeder and a handful of grass. Check several days later. Replenish the syrup, if necessary.

  After about a week. Using a little smoke, remove the covers and check the queen.

  Maintaining the hive. The hive should be maintained about once a week throughout the spring and summer to prevent feeding problems or preparations for swarming. The best time to work on the hive is on a sunny day. Here’s what it takes:

  Put on your protective clothing.

  Light the smoker.

  Open the hive. Pry it open, using the smoker to subdue the bees.

  Check frames. Look for cell building and honey production.

  Keep feeding. Replenish sugar syrup until bees have a large store of honey.

  Check on the queen. Look for eggs and larvae to be sure that the queen is producing.

  Add to the hive. When the hive becomes full of honey and bees, add extra stories, called “supers,” to the hive.

  Watch for swarming. Check the bottom edges of the hive for large queen cells, which may indicate that the hive intends to swarm (evacuate the hive body en masse).

  There are several things you can do to reduce the chance of swarming: Provide room by adding supers before they are needed; requeen every year; and replace honeycombs in the brood chamber with empty cells for egg laying.

  The Flavors of Honey

  There are as many flavors of honey as there are flowers. In early summer, honey comes from wild berries and locust trees. The main honey flow in the northern part of the United States occurs during July, when a delicious light honey made from the blossoms of clover, alfalfa, and wildflowers can be harvested. As the season progresses, honey made from the later flowers, goldenrod and aster, is darker in color and has a more pronounced flavor. Honey can be as dark as molasses, to which those who know buckwheat honey can attest. Its dark color and distinctive flavor cannot be mistaken. If one type of flower predominates in an area, the honey will have its flavor. You have probably seen orange blossom, tupelo, or sourwood honey for sale.

  Harvesting the honey. The flowers have bloomed and fed the bees. The bees have painstakingly collected and stored the honey. You’ve placed super on super on super, and they are all filled. What next? It’s time to enjoy the fruits of your bees’ labors.

  The honey in the frames is ready to be taken when the bees have capped it with a layer of wax. It has a finished, packaged look, and none of the honey will leak out.

  Removing the super. You will take honey from the super on the top of the hive. Fit a bee escape into the inner cover and wait 24 hours, so that most of the bees will have time to find their way down into the hive. Take the super off the hive.

  Brush off any lingering bees near the hive entrance. Take the super inside to work on it.

  Taking the comb honey. You’re now ready to package your honey in one of its most delicious and natural states. You will need the following materials:

  • a wire cake rack, 12 by 18 inches

  • a baking pan, 12 by 18 inches or larger

  • containers for the honey

  • a knife for cutting the comb

  • a spatula to move the chunks to the containers

  Using the knife, cut the comb from the frame and place this large chunk on the rack. Cut smaller chunks to fit your containers. Separate the chunks and let the honey drain from the sides. Then place them in the containers and seal.

  Another method of packing cut comb honey is to cut the chunks and place them in widemouthed glass jars. Heat some honey to 150°F (66°C), let it cool, and fill a jar with it. This type of pack is commonly called chunk honey. The honey in these jars tends to crystallize quickly, even though you have heated it to prevent this.

  Cut comb honey can be conveniently packed in square plastic boxes, available from bee equipment suppliers.

  Sharing with the bees. Remember that you should always leave enough honey in the hive to allow the bees to winter over comfortably. Requirements vary throughout the country, so precise amounts are difficult to compute. Consult your local Cooperative Extension agent.

  Foraging

  If you love the idea of getting something for nothing, foraging for wild edibles may be a good way for you to supplement your homegrown food. Since most wild foods have such a short season, foraging is a fabulous way to stay in tune with the seasons and be more in touch with the natural world, not to mention the exercise you’ll get from all that walking. And foraging isn’t just about picking berries and nibbling roadside weeds — it also includes fishing and hunting for game.

  There are a few caveats, however. Unlike eating vegetables from your garden, harvesting wild foods can be deadly if you’re not fastidious about identifying the plants and mushrooms you’ve collected. Use a respected guidebook, take classes, and seek out an expert to give you a lesson on what’s edible in your area. In short, do what you need to in order to become properly trained before you start picking.

  If you’re interested in fishing and hunting, you’ll need to check with your local branch of the Fish and Wildlife Service to find out what the regulations are, when the hunting and fishing seasons are, and what kinds of permits you’ll need (see Resources, page 340). Clearly, these activities require more training and special equipment than foraging for blackberries does. Again, take the time for training.

  Find a Good Guide

  If you are interested in learning enough about plants to harvest some wild edibles, you will need a good field guide, preferably one that addresses the plants in your geographical area. Some guides have photographs, while others have drawings. Usually the drawings are in color. The quality varies rather dramatically from guide to guide. A book with clear photographs may be your best bet, especially if the photographs show the plant you are interested in at different stages of development, since a plant may look entirely different during each part of its life cycle. A good drawing, however, is better than a poor photograph. You want to be able to clearly see leaves, stems, stalks, and flowers. The guide should also provide information about habitat, look-alike plants, possible toxicity, and methods of harvesting. (See Resources, page 340, for a list of recommended reading and Web sites.)

  Get Permission First

  If you’re considering venturing onto another person’s land to forage, be sure to contact the landowner and obtain the proper permission before starting. The same holds true for public places — many national and state parks prohibit visitors from taking anything outside the boundaries of the park. Get permission before you harvest.

  Harvesting wild foods can be deadly if you’r
e not fastidious about identifying the plants and mushrooms you’ve collected.

  Tools

  Foraging requires very few tools. The few that are helpful are probably in your kitchen or garden shed. A trowel is useful for digging up roots. A jackknife or paring knife with a sheath is also necessary, as is a good pair of leather work gloves. You will need something in which to carry home your treasures. A basket or cloth bag is preferable to paper, which will fall apart when wet, or plastic, which will cause your tender greens to wilt.

  Harvesting

  There are two big issues to keep in mind when harvesting wild foods. The first is toxicity. Mother Nature is not always benign. Just because a berry is blue doesn’t make it a blueberry. It may be a pokeberry, which is fatal if ingested in large amounts by a child. Don’t eat anything unless you are absolutely certain about its identity and edibility. Stick to the plants you know well, and try to learn about one or two new species each year. Rely on your field guide in addition to the advice of an expert forager before you eat something new.

  Even knowing that a plant is generally edible doesn’t ensure that it is edible at every stage or that every part is edible. Some plants are tasty and healthful only when cooked, and a few require several changes of water. This is where a good field guide and a knowledgeable mentor are essential.

  Mushrooms require special consideration, as the results of a mistake won’t be just uncomfortable; they can be deadly. If you want to learn about mushrooms, join an established mushroom club and learn from experts. If you’re interested in growing mushrooms, there are kits available that enable you to grow almost any variety you like. The kits are fairly foolproof if you follow the directions carefully. Mushrooms can be grown in basement areas that are not good for growing anything else.