Country Lore

Readers' tips to live by

Inexpensive Bicycle Baskets
Last spring, we moved to an area that is only one and a half miles from a grocery store and slightly farther from the public library and other shopping areas, allowing me to do some errands by bicycle. The nylon bicycle panniers I picked up from a sale bin had worn out. I wanted practical, lightweight and low-cost carriers on my bike that also wouldn't bruise my shins. The usual options -- baskets, panniers, a box strapped to the back rack -- all failed on at least one count.

I decided to try small, rectangular plastic wastebaskets. I drilled quarter-inch holes under the rim along one side and a few more in the bottom for drainage in wet weather. My husband, an old sailor, knotted the bicycle baskets to the rear rack with nylon rope. The baskets rattle a bit when I hit a bump in the road, but that's no problem, and they can tilt up to be emptied of leaves and other debris. I use 16-quart bins, which seem to be just the right size. With these baskets, I can carry a dozen library books or a couple days' worth of groceries.

CINDY STAVENHAGEN

Show Your Stuff at the County Fair

I get excited every summer when the huge white canvas tents go up, signaling the opening of the county fair. My mouth waters with the anticipation of spicy sausages sizzling on the grill and thick, freshly made waffle cones for delicious ice cream.

But county fairs are more than a place to grab a bite to eat. Fairs are one of the few places where you can stroll the midway, play games and enjoy rides, while viewing livestock, country crafts and farm equipment. For newcomers to rural living, fairs are a great place to learn and make contacts.

These fairs started as agricultural gatherings where farmers showcased the results of their hard work. In return, counties offered entrants the chance to compete for prizes that raised the value of their livestock at auction. County fairs still ate partially subsidized by the state and county, as long as the county cooperative extension office oversees the competition. But you don't need to belong to a 4-H or extension program to vie for satin souvenirs at your county's fair.

Today's county fairs offer a variety of competitions under "open class." This category was designed for people who want to display their talents but don't belong to an extension organization. Open class competitions vary widely by county. Categories range from standard crops, floral and livestock, to specialized crafts such as photography, winemaking, needlework, ceramics, quilting, woodworking and more. Each county fair publishes a guide called a "premium book." This lists all the entry requirements for each category, along with any entry fees and rewards. Some fairs award cash prizes along with ribbons to each group of winners.

To learn about the fairs that are happening in your area, a good place to start is the Web site for the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (http://www.fairsandexpos.com/). Click on "Link to Our Members" to search for fairs by state or province.

CINDY KERSCHNE

Make a Free Portable Chicken Waterer

We have a small flock of chickens and designed a chicken waterer from a recycled 5-gallon plastic bucket.

Using a fine-toothed narrow-bladed handsaw, we cut a horizontal half-moon hole on each side of the bucket, starting one-third to halfway up from the bottom of the bucket. The hole is about 8 inches wide and 6 inches high. The water stays clean despite the chickens' tendency to scratch all around it, and it is easy to rinse and refill. We also saved and reused the lid; this was an added bonus.

ELIAS W. KEIM

Empty plastic kitty litter jugs also can work very well as containers for poultry water and feed.

-- MOTHE

Landscaping on a Budget

Purchasing trees, shrubs and flowers for a new yard can be expensive. Here are some ways to cut costs on landscaping:

• Purchase only half as many perennial flowers and berry plants as you want to have in your garden. In a year or two, the berries will spread, and the flowers will be large enough to divide and replant.

• Have a neighborhood or community plant-trading party.

• Keep your eyes peeled: Many people have one- to two-year-old tree saplings that have sprung up in their yards or gardens that they will be happy to let you transplant.

Using these strategies, our homestead has become a shady refuge.

JENNIE BUTLE

"Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush"

Midsummer in the Ozarks is mulberry season. If you have never eaten mulberries fresh from the tree or made them into pies, jellies or wine, you certainly have missed a unique summer treat. Mulberries are free for the picking, but so delicate they are not sold in grocery stores, though you might find them at a farmers market.

Mulberries ripen over a two-week period, and trees usually produce an abundant crop. The berries are fragile and must be picked gently. Because the trees can grow quite tall, harvesting is difficult. Some folks lay an old sheet on the ground under the tree and give the tree limbs a good shake. However, the fruit bruises easily, and not all the mulberries land on the sheet. I prefer to pick the berries individually, from the bed of my husband's 1948 Ford pickup truck.

Mulberries are easy to freeze. Wash them carefully in a colander with cold water, drain well and place in plastic bags. Frozen berries can be processed into jelly or wine, or used for a winter pie with the taste of summer inside.

My favorite mulberry recipe is mulberry/gooseberry pie. The mulberry is very sweet, and the wild gooseberry is very tart, which equals the perfect combination for a wonderful summer fruit pie. I believe it is no accident that these two berries ripen at exactly the same time.

Mulberry/Gooseberry Pie

Filling:

2 1/4 cups mulberries
2 1/4 cups gooseberries
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon sugar

Combine mulberries, gooseberries, 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and salt in a bowl and mix well. Pour the mixture into a pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan, dot with butter and cover with the top crust. Sprinkle the top with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Bake 40 minutes at 400 degrees.

JEANNETTE FISCHE

You can order mulberry trees from: Miller Nurseries 5060 West Lake Road Canandaigua, NY 14424 (800) 836-9630 http://www.millernurseries.com/

-- MOTHE

Raise Your Own Fishing Bait
My father and I love fishing, but we hate going to the store to buy worms. We decided to create a worm farm, using an old chest freezer. We drilled several small holes in the bottom for drainage and then filled the freezer with good topsoil. We also built a wire screen that covers the dirt to keep birds and other critters from eating our bait supply. The freezer lid is left partially open to let in rainwater. We bought a container of red worms and put them in the freezer along with vegetable scraps. By the next year, we had more worms than we needed.

Outdated vegetables from the grocery store (such as lettuce, carrots and potatoes) are a good source of worm food. You can also use potato and carrot peelings, as well as wilted lettuce from your own refrigerator.

CORY RAY

Web Searches Made Easy
Internet searching provides a powerful way to find all kinds of information, but sometimes the big search engines produce too many choices, and some Web sites have poor search functions.

Here's a tip that will help you avoid too many search hits and to find information inside a site that lacks a good search function: You can direct Google, one of the best search engines, to search just one particular Web site.

This Google option really works well -- simply go to Google, type your keywords into the search box, leave one space blank and then type "site:" followed by the URL of the Web site you want to search. Do not leave a space between "site:" and the URL. For instance, to find all references for "tomatoes" at http://www.seedsavers.org/, just type: tomatoes site: http://www.seedsavers.org/. Voila! Google will list all references to "tomatoes" on the Seed Savers Web site, but no hits from any other site.

Using this search function, you can find the specific information you're looking for at a particular Web site quickly and efficiently.

SCOTT HOLLIS
Lawrence, Kansas

By: Stavenhagen, Cindy, Kerschner, Cindy, Keim, Elias W., Butler, Jennie, Fischer, Jeannette, Ray, Cory, Hollis, Scott, Mother Earth News, Sep2006