Ep. 67: Grub Axe

Original Transplants

Original Transplants Podcast Episode 67: is sponsored by Will's forthcoming book, Here, The Bees Sting [https://mercenarypen.substack.com/p/here-the-bees-sting-dropping-52022], available from Amazon and other major booksellers. Satoyama Homestead stewards Will and Sarah are busy with spring activities. In the bee yard, Will is hoping the newly installed bee packages will grow in strength and number - or be supplemented by a trapped swarm or two - after a cold and rainy start to spring that saw a lot of tree blossoms nipped by late frosts. In the chicken coop, broody hen Mayapple is isolated in the barn to break her broodiness, and the rest of the chickens are testing their boundaries. Sarah is working on rehabilitating the edible landscape, using a mattock or "grub axe" to restore an overgrown garden bed. The currants and raspberries experienced a significant die-off, the peach buds all frosted off, and the apple trees are infested with eastern tent caterpillars. In better news, the homesteaders are harvesting sorrel, arugula, spinach, radishes, and asparagus, with strawberries not far behind. One of the pawpaw trees bloomed for the first time this year, and the homesteaders have enjoyed gifts of locally harvested rainbow trout from neighbors. Sarah just transplanted hot and sweet peppers and is on-track to transplant tomatoes, okra, and squash over the coming weeks. In other homestead chores, the trusty wood stove will have to be repaired or replaced. For homestead fun, Will explains culinary experiments with caul fat burgers and maple sugaring, and the joys of mowing during a heavy frost. The homesteaders are sharing their love of backyard birding with baby Lucy, who has taken a special liking to the hummingbirds. Sarah is enjoying her new ditch scythe from Scythe Supply [https://scythesupply.com/]. For agricultural news, Will shares new research on fungi language, Sarah spots a trend in articles on alternatives to turf lawns, and a new baby formula factory receives FDA approval in Reading, PA.

Show Notes

Here, the Bees Sting book by Will Caverly

Scythe Supply https://scythesupply.com/

Eastern Tent Caterpillar - Penn State Extension https://extension.psu.edu/eastern-tent-caterpillar

Caul Fat Burger - Meat Eater https://www.themeateater.com/cook/recipes/caul-fat-burger-recipe

Mushrooms Communicate with Each Other - The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/apr/06/fungi-electrical-impulses-human-language-study

America's Love Affair with the Lawn is Getting Messy - AP https://apnews.com/article/environment-gardening-white-plains-b2a0c7ab8940f93e872a90d86ea9c6f4

Eco-friendly Alternatives to Lawn Grass - Family Handyman https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/eco-friendly-alternatives-to-lawn-grass/

Baby Formula Poised to Feed Dairy Industry - Lancaster Farming https://www.lancasterfarming.com/farming/dairy/baby-formula-poised-to-feed-dairy-industry/article_1d28e1ae-d12e-11ec-9f56-77591ba479fa.html

Where There is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook http://www