Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie

While our grandparents’ traditional holiday desserts of yule-log cakes, yeast breads with dried fruit and steamed puddings still grace many Christmas feasts, it’s probably safe to say that, today, pie is the quintessential holiday dessert in the United States.

Ingredients

1 9-inch pie crust (unbaked)

Filling

2 eggs 1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 (15- or 16-ounce) can pumpkin
1 tsp. maple extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1⁄2 cups evaporated milk
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup raisins

Topping

1 1⁄2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted or put through a sieve to remove lumps
1/2 tsp. maple extract pecan halves

Preparation
Filling
Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Add pumpkin, maple extract, cinnamon and salt, and blend until smooth. Pour the milk in gradually, blending at low speed. Stir in pecans and raisins by hand.

Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F, cover edges of crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning, and bake an additional 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Topping
Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and maple extract, and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread over cooled pie and refrigerate until serving time. Garnish individual servings with pecan halves.

Crops & Gardening

Turnips, Anyone?

Turnips are the unwanted crop of the year for Jessica's husband

Photo by Jessica Walliser

I always end up with the same problem. I plant too many of the veggies my husband doesn’t like, and then I feel guilty when they go to waste. The garden is still full of beets and turnips. Probably his two least-liked veggies and I’ve got armloads. I love them, but even if I ate five of each of them everyday between now and Thanksgiving, I’d still have too many. But the carrots we all adore, well, I ran out of those three weeks ago.

Why I can’t figure out how to plant three times more carrots and ten times fewer turnips, I’ll never know. I haven’t been able to successfully freeze root veggies (any tips?) so there’s no help for me there, and I don’t like pickled beets so that preservation method is not an option. I have stored them in the basement in the past and that’s pretty successful, but we don’t really have room for that in this house, what with the giant canoe, two kayaks, three bikes, and bedroom furniture camped out in our basement.

At some point, I usually start to pawn them off on friends. But, while non-gardening friends will pounce on tomatoes and even the occasional zucchini, I never seem to get any takers when I offer up beets and turnips. Obviously, they have never had them fresh from the garden (or they are taste-dysfunctional like my husband).

So I sometimes end up tossing them on the compost pile. While I do feel badly when I do this, I also know their “remains” will eventually go on to feed next year’s garden. It’s all part of the cycle of life in the garden, I know. Plus, it’s a good feeling when you spread homemade compost on the garden in the spring, even if you have to say a little prayer for last year’s fallen turnips as you dole it out.

This year, though, I’ve decided to take a different route. I’m going to donate my “unwanted” beets and turnips to my local food pantry. I called and they take food donations of any amount and are extra thrilled when it’s something from the garden. My only hope is that the recipient enjoys eating them as much as I enjoyed growing them… even if there were a few too many.

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Equipment

Security Equipment

Masterlock’s No. 15

There was a time when it was safe to leave a rural door unlocked; sadly, that’s a thing of the past. Rural crime is on the rise, and it behooves country dwellers to prevent it as best we can.

Some of the best crime deterrents are the simplest and least expensive to implement. According to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, here are some things you can do:

• Have a dog or two in or near the house. Barking dogs deter thieves.
• Walk your yard with a critical eye, searching for places burglars might gain entry. Beef up security there. Trim back thief-concealing trees and shrubs. Install vandal-resistant outdoor lighting. Bathe the exterior of your home, driveway, barns and outbuildings in light at night.
• Ensure doors and windows are constructed of solid wood or metal and fitted with quality locks, including deadbolts on all exterior doors. Use the locks—always!
• Avoid inviting strangers into your home. Don’t indiscriminately hand out keys. Store valuables out of sight. Gun cabinets and high-end electronics in the living room invite thefts.
• Don’t leave your property at predictable times; vary your schedule if you can. When you’re gone, lock up and don’t leave notes on your door. Avoid hiding door keys; thieves know all the usual hiding places.
• Ask a trusted person to stay on your farm when you’re away for longer periods. Barring that, securely lock farm implements, tools and equipment in sheds; set up lights with household timers to reflect your normal living patterns; and ask neighbors to pick up your mail and keep an eye on things (and reciprocate when needed, of course).
• Erect strong, securely mounted gates on your driveway and other access roads to your property, and keep them shut. Install a driveway alarm. Post appropriate signage (“No Trespassing,” “Guard Dog on Duty” or “Alarms on Premises”).
• Lock vehicles; never leave keys in the ignition. Don’t leave money or valuables in plain sight. Secure truck toolboxes using quality padlocks. Use lock caps on motor-vehicle and farm-machinery gas tanks.
• Monitor livestock often. Ensure all are permanently marked, and maintain complete records. Photograph or shoot high-quality video of valuable animals.
• Form a neighborhood-watch committee—yes, even in the country—and put up signs. Work with your neighbors; become each others’ eyes and ears. Write down descriptions of strangers or strange vehicles, and be willing to call the police.
• Plan ahead. Consider security when designing new structures. Whenever possible, construct barns, sheds and storage facilities within sight of the house.

Field Tuff’s AgSafe Wireless Camera Monitoring System

Lock It Up
The first line of protection for securing equipment, rural outbuildings and gates is quality padlocks, hasps, chains and cables. While a persistent thief can breach most any such arrangement, good setups will slow him down and possibly send him down the road seeking easier targets.

Choose all-weather padlocks for outdoor applications, and always choose locks with hardened shackles. (A shackle is the bowed top part of a padlock.) Heavy-duty, keyed padlocks with hardened shackles and five or more pin tumblers are difficult to cut through and to pick. However, a padlock is only as good as the hasp, chain or cable used in conjunction with it; hasps should always incorporate concealed hinges.

An array of sturdy Masterlock padlocks and hasps can be purchased at hardware and department stores. Among them is Masterlock’s No. 15 series of padlocks featuring laminated steel bodies, hardened boron alloy shanks for superior cut resistance, five-pin cylinders to help prevent picking, and dual-locking levers to provide extra pry resistance. Sargent & Greenleaf manufactures specialized padlocks designed for high-security applications and extreme weather resistance. Their Environmental Padlock series features strong, powdered-steel bodies with nickel plating inside and out to resist corrosion; self-cleaning locking cylinders; case-hardened or stainless-steel shackles; and a key-retaining feature that traps the key in the padlock when it’s unlocked. (No lost keys!)

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News

First American Pig Confirmed with H1N1

Post author By Dani Yokhna
Post date October 22, 2009
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The USDA confirmed its first pig with H1N1

Courtesy USDA/ James Fosse Agricultural Research Services veterinary medical officers Kelly Lager (left) and Amy Vincent collect a nasal swab from a piglet to test for novel H1N1 influenza virus.

The highly publicized H1N1 virus, more commonly known as the “swine flu,” has had people across the U.S. vigorously washing their hands and applying hand sanitizer after every cough and sneeze. However, no case of H1N1 has been detected in American pigs—that is, until this week.

On Monday, the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed the first case of the H1N1 influenza virus in an American pig. The sample was collected from a show pig at the Minnesota State Fair at the end of August and tested as part of a research study done between the University of Iowa and the University of Minnesota, documenting cases of the flu in places where pigs and humans converge.

The H1N1 flu virus is a respiratory disease that affects pigs similarly to how it affects humans, says Peter Davies, a professor in the College of Veterinary Studies at the University of Minnesota. Symptoms include a fever, sneezing and coughing; however, some infected pigs might show no signs at all, such as the case with the Minnesota fair pig.

Although H1N1 will spread quickly when introduced to a herd, sick pigs will show symptoms for seven to 10 days and then recover. There is little risk for mortality, Davies says.

“It doesn’t appear to be any more problematic than the influenza that has been in the industry for decades,” he says.
However, the USDA, along with veterinarians and the National Pork Board, has been urging pork producers to intensify their biosecurity measures to prevent the spread of H1N1 among livestock. According to Davies, this means taking the same precautions that humans take when trying to avoid the disease.

He tells small farmers to implement sick leave policies to keep infected people off farms. Pigs are most at risk of contracting the virus from infected humans. Also, farmers should restrain from sending sick pigs to other farms or to slaughter in order to protect animal transporters and animal handlers from contracting the virus and spreading it to other livestock. (Contact the USDA for guidelines on how to slaughter sick pigs.)

“Once the virus is introduced to the herd, there’s nothing you can do,” Davies says. “It’s like having it in the high school.”

Most anti-virals are too expensive to treat sick pigs with and are not licensed for use on pigs, he says. Antibiotics can be used to prevent secondary diseases like pneumonia from occurring, but usually farmers do not administer any treatment. Even preventative measures, such as vaccinations, do not seem to give significant protection, he says, because H1N1 is not a significant threat to pig health.

The USDA and other health organizations continue to iterate that H1N1 poses no food safety risks.

“I want to remind people that they cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says.

Although, this is the first confirmed case of H1N1 in a pig in the United States, other countries, including Canada, Argentina and Australia, have reported seeing the strain in their livestock.

The virus became known as “swine flu,” Davies says, because the H1N1 strain has elements of genome found in two different swine viruses, but it also contains elements of avian and human influenzas.

“Whether the new virus—the hybrid virus—originated in swine or people, we will probably never know,” he says.

Farm Management

More Hobby Farmers’ Tips & Tricks

Post author By Jessica Walliser
Post date October 22, 2009
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Catch a Donkey … or Llama … or Ram

“We once took in a trio of abused donkeys that were impossible to catch. We erected a small pen in a corner of their pasture, fed them there, and within a week, could easily corner and catch them. Since then, we’ve saved innumerable hours of annoyance and effort by maintaining catch pens for hard-to-capture critters on our farm. With the advent of sturdy round-pen panels made from welded pipe, building low-cost, species-specific catch pens is a cinch. For instance, our touch-me-not llamas are easily herded into a pen created from 10- by 5-foot panels. A smaller pen can be erected in the rams’ fold, where the guys crowd in for a special treat.”

—HF contributing editor Sue Weaver tends a varied menagerie, including Nubian-buck blogger Martok, on her Arkansas farm. Follow Sue and Martok at “Mondays with Martock.”

A Little Heat Goes a Long Way

“While laying black plastic water pipe from our house to the gardens, I had my fill of pounding in tees, elbows and connectors. Then I recalled a lesson learned from a shop mechanic while working on a baler: He pointed out that it would be easier pulling the flywheel off a shaft if we heated the flywheel first. It’s amazing how little heat expansion it takes to free up a frozen shaft, and the same holds true for plastic pipe. I set up a propane camp stove and heated water to a boil while I worked. Sticking the pipe ends into the boiling water worked best, but if that wasn’t possible, I poured it over the ends. The connector or elbow slipped in, and in no time, it was clamped into place.”

—Jim Ruen, a farm equipment and tool expert, lives in Minnesota and pens the “Shop Talk” blog.

Mulch Like Mad

“A good, thick mulch works magic in the garden—keeping weeds at bay (the ones that do grow are easier to pull), retaining moisture so you don’t have to water as often, preventing cold weather damage to plants, and adding nutrients and organic matter to the soil as it breaks down. I mulch my berries, shrubs, herbs and flowers at least once a year using a mulch my clever friend created from used coffee grounds, dried cow manure and coffee-bean chaff called Latte Doo Doo. In the vegetable garden, I layer straw, grass hay, compost and burlap coffee bags. I even use soiled fleece from our sheep to mulch around our apple trees.”

—Cherie Langlois blogs about “Country Discoveries” on and off her Washington hobby farm, where she has gardened and tended animals for 20 years.

Keep Your Tools Close

“Our shed sits pretty far from the garden, so I save time by keeping my frequently used garden tools in an old army locker in a corner of the garden. It’s just tall enough for my shovel and rake, and there’s a nice little shelf on top for my pruners and trowel. Its ‘footprint’ is an 18-inch circle, so it takes up very little room. Plus, it has a lovely antiqued look and makes quite the conversation piece for visitors.”

—Green-thumbed garden writer Jessica Walliser lives in Pennsylvania and gives the practical “Dirt on Gardening.”

Copy Your Neighbors

“When selecting plants and flowers for your garden, a tour of your neighborhood provides invaluable information as to varieties that grow well in your area. Gardeners who let themselves get carried away in the nursery often find that something that looks enticing on the racks will not perform well once planted in their own gardens. Many nurseries sell plants that grow well in their wholesale growers’ facilities, not necessarily ones that will thrive in your particular environment. However, seeing a plant flourishing in your neighbor’s garden is an excellent sign that the species will grow well in your own yard.”

—California-born Rick Gush lives in Italy and writes about his gardening adventures in his blog, “La Dolce Vita.”

(This article originally appeared in “Hobby Farmer’s Bag of Tricks.”)

Farm Management

Hobby Farmer’s Bag Of Tricks

Post author By Jessica Walliser
Post date October 22, 2009
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hobby farmer planning — Sterling College/Flickr

Every hobby farmer, from neophyte to old-timer, has a metaphorical bag of tricks: a diverse collection of clever strategies, techniques and tools that help us save time, frustration, money, or even life and limb while caring for our livestock, crops and farms.

When we start out as farmers, our bags tend to be on the skinny side (I know mine was), and the new tricks we learn often dazzle us into “Wow, I never thought to try that before!” moments. But soon, our bags fatten up with a passel of tricks gleaned from books, ag magazines, websites, classes, other farmers and a steady diet of first-hand, hard-earned, often trial-and-error experiences. Enough time goes by, and we may come to take our own oft-used methods for granted—their dazzle dims—and even think our bags are full. Like Mary Poppins’s bottomless carpet bag, though, a farmer’s bag of tricks always has room for more.

We asked 10 farmers across the United States to dip into their own bags and pull out a favorite trick to share. Feel free to help yourself to whatever tricky technique or tool might fit your farm. (I plan to do the same.) Who knows? The results could be pure magic

1. Stick to a Routine

“People always ask me how I can work full time and still take care of a farm, but because I grew up on one and realize how things work, I can be really efficient. Most important—I do the same routine every day. Horses love a routine, and when they can anticipate what comes next, it makes things easy and then usually nothing will happen to make me late for work. One time, though, the neighbor’s pigs escaped and tried to run into the horse barn. I’m running around screaming at these big pigs, ‘You’re not going into my barn!’ until finally the owner came and got them. I was late for work that day.”

—Pam Gras works as an occupational therapist and lives in a converted barn home on 6-acre Clearwater Farm in Wakefield, N.H., with her golden retriever, three cats and four horses (who reside in their own barn).

2. Know Your Preferences and Your Pigs

“Get to know your pigs, and let them get to know you. Talk to your pigs and announce your presence when you are approaching their pens. They will learn to recognize your voice and will feel safe. Don’t intentionally make loud noises or upset them, as they will shy away from you next time you come around. When you are done handling them, give them a bit of food as a reward.

“Pigs come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Choosing a pig [breed] that matches not only your husbandry methods but also your personal preference is important. Pigs chosen for preference will bring you a sense of pride, and you will take better care of them. While preference is important, try to be objective with your requirements. Many people have color preference or size preference. Choose the breed that matches your personality, but also choose the best animals in that breed.”

—Bret Kortie is the co-rancher, along with Arie McFarlen, PhD (author of Hobby Farms Pigs), of Maveric Heritage Ranch Co. in South Dakota, a ranch dedicated to saving and promoting endangered livestock breeds.

3. Bribe Your Cattle with Bread

“When it’s time to work our cattle and calves, we just call them into the corral from their 53-acre pasture. What persuades them to come in? Inexpensive bread and buns from the day-old bread store—an irresistible treat! We can safely separate cattle by tossing bread to other areas, and it’s invaluable for keeping mama cow busy while we’re doctoring or tagging her baby. True safety in the field! During our farm tours, the children learn the ‘cattle call’ and are delighted to see the cows running in from the fields to eat bread from their hands.”

—Cher Boisvert-Tanley, a retired chiropractor and rodeo doctor, runs Chestnut Hill Ranch Bed & Breakfast in Tennessee with her husband, George. Along with tending to their animals, the hard-working couple hosts weddings, farm tours and other events.

4. Herd Ducks with a Light-wand

“To protect ducks from nocturnal predators such as raccoons, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, skunks and owls, they should be locked in a predator-proof enclosure every night. In many locales, the safest strategy is to put them inside at least a half-hour before dark. If you’re tardy putting them in their nighttime quarters, ducks can range a fair distance from home since they’re enthusiastic foragers of earthworms and other delicacies that emerge at nightfall. [If this happens,] a good flashlight with a strong beam can be used as a light-wand to herd them back to their enclosure. By shining the light several feet behind the ducks, you can guide them to their quarters (but don’t shine the light directly at them, as this can cause panic and scattering). With the right flashlight, good technique and a little practice, you can gather a scattered flock of foraging ducks from several acres in just a few minutes.”

—Dave Holderread is the author of Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks (2000) and The Book of Geese: A Complete Guide to Raising the Home Flock (Hen House Publishing, 1981). He and his wife, Millie, raise more than 45 waterfowl breeds and varieties at Holderread Waterfowl Farm & Preservation Center in Corvallis, Ore.

5. Paint Your Cows

“To help me identify cattle out in the field, I just spray them with Quik Shot Livestock Marking Paint, which comes in bright fluorescent colors. If I have someone new do chores for me, this helps them, too, because to someone who doesn’t know the herd, they all look alike. I might number the cows, or if the cow is named Evie, I might spray an E on her. It’s also an easy way to identify an animal going off to calve, or to keep track of one coming into heat. I’ve even had neighbors stop and say, ‘It looks like #3 is going to be calving soon.’ One time, I had this fantastic advertising idea: I’d put a letter on each animal, and my cows would be walking billboards. But then my neighbors asked me, ‘What’s TEA FEBE?’ They were supposed to spell out EAT BEEF! Cows don’t know how to spell … or do they?”

—Kathi Jurkowski has raised Belted Galloway cattle on Klover Korners Farm in Rockton, Ill., for more than 20 years. She urges hobby farmers to learn more about this hardy old Scottish breed and—sorry, cows—energy-efficient converter of grass to tasty, tender beef at www.beltie.org.

Homesteading

A Walk in the Country

The changing seasons bring new things to see all the time

Photo by Cherie Langlois

You might think after two decades of walking these same country roads surrounding our farm that I’d be bored out of my skull, but it hasn’t happened yet. Of course, it helps that I often walk with a friend, our conversations making the miles fly by. Yet even when I go it alone, boredom never threatens. You see, heading out my front door and down the gravel drive, I walk into a day and a world of new discoveries. Or at least discoveries waiting to be discovered, if only I keep my eyes and ears open and my mind uncluttered with to-do lists and worry.

It is truly different every time. Changing weather and shifting seasons transform the fields, trees and flowers. The day dishes up sunshine, or rain, or a sudden hailstorm (or all three within the span of an hour!). Mt. Rainier shows a brand-new face each morning, when it isn’t playing hide and seek in the clouds. An array of animals domestic and wild appear, some who are regulars, others unexpected: glossy-coated horses nibbling hay and a trio of terriers yapping at our heels; elk grazing an emerald pasture and a shy bobcat – just a tawny blur – loping across the road; eagles soaring black against blue skies and swooping goldfinches so bright they dazzle your eyes. The other day, my friend and I came upon a clean-up crew of turkey vultures feasting on a road-kill opossum. The big birds, so ungainly and homely on the ground, lumbered into the trees, but when they took to the sky, we saw them become pure grace and beauty.

Cherie's view is captivating and available daily

Photo by Cherie Langlois

Today on my walk, gifted with a perfect Indian summer October morning, all my senses registered fall: the fragrance of falling leaves, crispy-cool air, clear autumn light illuminating gold, orange and red vine maple leaves. Black and rust-bristled Woolly Bear caterpillars crawled the roads like they do every autumn (does anybody know why?). Suddenly, my walk had an exciting new purpose: rescue these hapless creatures from their squishy fate by scooping them up and tossing them on the other side of the road in the nice, soft vegetation.

I know. Given their probable disorientation from being picked up by a giant and thrown through space, most of them probably turned right around and crawled back in the road again, but it makes me feel good.

Hope your autumn is filled with lovely colors!

~ Cherie

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Equipment

Hand Trucks: Not Just For Appliances

Post author By Jim Ruen
Post date October 20, 2009
No Comments on Hand Trucks: Not Just For Appliances

I grew up certain that if my dad looked at a project and saw an easy way and a hard way, he would pick the hard one. I figured it must have been about character building. Forty years later, my son accuses me of only adopting labor-saving devices, like a hand truck, after he left home. He might be right.

Hand trucks are available today with larger wheels, appropriate for outside work as well as moving furniture and appliances. About a year ago, I bought one of the new and improved versions, and I love it. I’ve used it to move potted trees, large slabs of stone and even landscape timbers.

The great thing about it is how easy it is to secure an item in place. Once secured, the center of gravity can be lowered as much as needed for surface conditions. In the case of a long object like a large branch or long beam, attach one end to the hand truck, and it becomes a trailer axle. Moving the item is easy compared to carrying or dragging.

My son is especially frustrated when he sees me use the hand truck to easily move a slab of rock. He recalls all too well moving 90 tons of limestone chunks – big and small – that I used to build retaining walls. For most of it, he used a wheelbarrow. However, when it came to big slabs for steps, he or he and I would flip them end for end or roll them on edge to get them into place. In one case, his sister and mother were drafted, and the four of us pulled and pushed it across the lawn on wooden rollers. While the hand truck might not have been big enough for that particular slab, it moves others nicely. Of course, as my late father would probably tell me, it doesn’t do much for character.

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News

Prevent Next Year’s Late Blight Now

Post author By Dani Yokhna
Post date October 19, 2009
No Comments on Prevent Next Year’s Late Blight Now

Take steps to prevent crops from being damaged by late blight

Courtesy Purdue University/Ray Martyn
Take steps this year to prevent potato and tomato crops from being damaged by late blight.

Along with this year’s cool, damp weather came the threat of late blight in potatoes and tomatoes, especially in the Northeast and Midwest. Because of the fungal disease’s quick-moving and potentially fatal nature, it can reappear in next year’s crop, and small farmers should take necessary precautions.

“Late blight is a significant problem in cool, wet environments,” says Martin Draper, the program leader in plant pathology at the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, noting that the risk of next year’s crop being affected depends on weather factors. “If the weather is hot and dry, it is possible no late blight will develop. If it is cool and wet again, the disease could be worse.”

Because of the widespread problem of late blight outbreaks in 2009 crops, the spores are likely to be more abundant than they have been in the past decade, Draper says.

The 2009 outbreak in the northeastern states was derived from a mixture of weather conditions and the transportation of late blight spores into the area, conditions that are not likely to happen again, says Dan Egel, extension plant pathologist at Purdue University.

However, Egel recommends small farmers take four steps to prevent late blight in their 2010 crops:

1. Throw away seeds saved from this year’s crop.

2. Plow under the crop and all vines.

3. Plan for next year’s crop rotation now.

4. Pull next year’s early volunteer crop.

Small farmers can identify late blight by carefully inspecting potato and tomato plants. A lot of dead leaves on an infected fruit is the first red flag, Egel says. An olive-green lesion appears under the leaf and the edges of the leaf turn white. This can then spread to the stems and fruit.

Read more about the 2009 late blight outbreak here.

Animals

Rats!

Bubba was eventually caught in the trap set for him

Photo by Sue Weaver
Bubba the rat got caught in the trap.

One day last week, we heard Mom say to Dad (the feed room is right by our pen), “Did you use the corn in this can that I set aside for Carlotta?” He said no.

The next day when she came to feed us after our exercise time in the yard, part of our grain was gone.
Mom told Dad and he said he bet a squirrel was storing our food for a winter feast. Uzzi and I looked at each other and giggled. We knew better—we knew it was Bubba the rat!

Tonight, Mom was running late at milking time, so she raced out and threw open the feed room door. Bubba didn’t hear her coming, so he was standing on the grain bin big as you please. Bubba ran. Mom slammed the door. Now there’s a Havahart trap set for Bubba on the bin.

Bubba is a Norway rat, sometimes called a brown rat, barn rat or water rat. Here are some things you might not know about Bubba and his kin.

The common Brown or Norway rat
Courtesy National Park Service/Wikipedia Commons
Brown rat

Norway rats aren’t from Norway; they originated in Mongolia and northern China. They spread throughout the world on sailing ships and came to North America around 1750. They are gray or brown. Most are up to 10 inches long with 10 inches more of tail, and they rarely live more than a year. Norway rats can drop 50 feet without hurting themselves and swim up to ½ mile on the surface or under water, even against strong currents. They are nocturnal, have poor eyesight and are color blind, but they have strong senses of hearing, smell, touch and taste.

A single rat leaves 25,000 droppings a year (who do you suppose counted all those droppings?) and eats just about anything he can find. In 1964, a man named Martin Schein discovered that their favorite foods are scrambled eggs, macaroni and cheese, and cooked corn kernels. Their least favorites were raw beets (yuck!), peaches and raw celery.

Humans think rats are stupid, but that isn’t so. Rats have their own social hierarchy so each rat has his place in the pack. They groom one another, cuddle when they sleep, and play games with other rats like jumping, chasing, tumbling and boxing.

Mom and Dad don’t want rats to live in our feed room (me neither, ’cause they eat our grain), so when they catch Bubba, they’ll release him near an old, dilapidated barn on a long-deserted farmstead where they have permission to relocate animal pests.

I’ll post a message when Bubba gets in the trap!

UPDATE: Bubba got caught in the trap! Mom and Dad took him to his new home. Bye Bubba. Don’t come back!

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