Ohio Farming

outdoorswithmartin on January 8th, 2010

Remember the good old days? When it was an annual tradition for family and friends to gather together for the autumn apple butter making. The mix of apples and cider was cooked in a big copper kettle over a wood fire, and the contents stirred with a big wooden paddle. The result was tasty, especially […]

Continue reading about Old Time Applebutter and Jelly Still Exist in Bucyrus, Ohio

outdoorswithmartin on October 29th, 2009

Bitter cold weather came early this fall, but there’ll still be days, even weeks of reasonably mild temperatures before the ground freezes hard and winter snows arrive. So, there should still be time to plant a tree or two, and some of those trees should be apples. Apples are good fruit, and the supermarkets and […]

Continue reading about Still Time to Plant Apple Trees in Autumn

Farmers and landowners have enough problems these days without adding predation by foxes and coyotes, and there are plenty of both out there in family woods and fields.  Actually, red fox populations are down a bit, possibly due to predation by coyotes, though there are still lots around, grey fox are almost extinct north of […]

Continue reading about Trapping Tactics That Work for Fox and Coyote: Ohio Veteran Trapper’s Tips

outdoorswithmartin on October 3rd, 2009

Some people don’t care for the taste of venison, complaining that it has a slightly “wild” flavor.  But many others like that flavor, and feel that it adds substantially to meals and dishes like chili where ground deer seems to surpass beef.  And few deny that venison is healthier, being leaner and free of antibiotics […]

Continue reading about Raising Deer Can Be Profitable: Ohio Whitetail Deer Farmer Tells How

outdoorswithmartin on October 1st, 2009

Life has gotten complicated for modern day farmers. Pigs and cattle are often fed by computer, litters and basic information is computer oriented too, and we do our plowing and harvesting with huge tractors and combines.  But young farmers are often forced to listen to parents and grandparents and hear “It wasn’t like this when […]

Continue reading about Ohio Farming in the 1930s: Were The Good Old Days Really Good?

outdoorswithmartin on September 30th, 2009

 “English” folk like you and me love to visit Mennonite and Amish businesses whether they be selling home bakes or produce. But few indeed get into the nursery and greenhouse market, and fewer yet succeed well enough to grow like Topsy.  Elvin Burkholder is one that’s thriving. Elvin owns the Lakeside Greenhouse & Produce on […]

Continue reading about Ohio Mennonite Knows How to Make A Nursery Grow

As many Ohio readers know, there are farm markets and farm markets.  The former are usually roadside affairs selling tomatoes, sweet corn, squash, and other good things from their garden.  The latter, few indeed, are something special, offering unusual items as well as ordinary produce, items interesting enough to be worth a modest or even […]

Continue reading about Northcentral Ohio Fresh Food and Wines: There are Farm Markets – And Farm Markets

outdoorswithmartin on September 21st, 2009

 How much does the average grain farmer make on his land per acre? $100? If he’s lucky. But apparently, it’s possible to make $1,000 on those acres, at least if they’re wet. Really wet! Bob Calala and his two brothers Lewis and David, have been doing extremely well on their liquid acres, and their annual […]

Continue reading about Shrimp Farming In Ohio Farm Ponds? Yes!

outdoorswithmartin on July 22nd, 2009

What’s big (8-10 pounds), beautiful, watches you with 100 eyes, and has a scream that some have compared to a “goosed school girl.”  Did you guess pea fowl or perhaps just peacocks?  That’s right and while the birds are fairly rare in our area, some farmers do have a few, especially those who like something […]

Continue reading about Peacocks: Are They a Bird for You? More on Ohio Pea Fowl Farming

outdoorswithmartin on July 22nd, 2009

Each year Columbus Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October, the day that Christopher Columbus discovered America.  But there’s a good deal of controversy about the event these days, since evidence is growing that it wasn’t Columbus, but the Vikings that discovered our country, evidence reported more than once in magazines like Archaeology […]

Continue reading about Vikings Were Farmers Too

outdoorswithmartin on July 21st, 2009

Published February 2005 Remember the Good Old Days?  Many of you do, and most will remember that many farms had at least a few guinea fowl or guinea hens.  My own grandmother always kept a dozen or so around, and the dark, grey mottled, or almost white birds with their ridiculous little blue and red […]

Continue reading about Guinea Fowl Great For Farms: Breeding and Benefits

outdoorswithmartin on July 18th, 2009

Most northern Ohio farmers and outdoor types recognize the ordinary nut trees and shrubs.  They know shagbark and shellbark hickories, black walnuts, and maybe butternuts.  But did you know there are lots of other nut bearers that will live and thrive in our often chill climate?  John (Bud) Luers certainly does. Bud lives on 26 […]

Continue reading about Ohio Nut Farming: Growing Nuts and Grafting