Apocalyptic Homesteading (Day 665)

Hello Everyone!

Autumn is in the air, The lovely grit, A pleasant hike, Kudzu leaf meal & Almost dry pokeweed berries!

I am off to a slow start this morning and kind of want to go back to sleep given that I was up later than usual last night. As soon as I went outdoors I could not help but notice that 'fall is in the air' and it was much cooler than it has been in quite some time... which yeah left me feeling incredibly sleepy!

There is something about the transition from summer to fall that I really like and although there being less bugs and less high temperatures sure plays its part there is undoubtedly much more to that sentiment. I dunno what to call it but there seems to be a certain 'briskness' to pretty much everything during that time and especially so with the wildlife.

I guess that it has a lot to do with those old instincts to 'prepare for the winter' and make ready for leaner times and harsher conditions. That said though, part of my mind just enjoys watching the leaves change color, eventually fall from the trees and the landscape itself looking very different afterwards.

Of course much of the other vegetation gradually dies back along with the ticks, flies and other pests... so I am sure all that jazz plays its part in my 'enjoyment' as well! Overall, I try not to get too excited and start venturing into the woods too early but I always feel better about doing so once that first freeze occurs and I know the snakes have gone inactive.

On a different note. The grit around here has gotten a bit much to deal with again and I have a feeling that I will spend a good portion of the day cleaning out the cabin and vacuuming the dust out of everything inside to boot. I have even been occasionally vacuuming out the computer by taping a piece of a plastic straw onto the end of the shop-vac so that I can get into the smaller crevices because whoa all that grit turns to dust quickly!

Alright, it is much later in the day now and slowly creeping towards sunset so I best dive back in here and see what all I can spell out before the hour grows too much later. The day was not super productive but I did at least get a fair amount of stuff done early in the day (including some hiking) before it got super hot outside.

A while back I mentioned collecting kudzu and giving it to one of the roosters and although I have not been doing so on every hike... I have been remembering to do it every few days or so. I still dunno what it is about that stuff that the rooster likes so much but he sure seems a bit happier (and even crows less) whenever I give it to him.

After doing more research I think that the best way to store kudzu (for long-term fodder use) may well be as 'leaf meal' which from what I can tell is essentially made by first drying and then grinding the leaves and/or vine tips into flour. From what I was reading online the leaf meal is then either added to other feeds or made into a mash before giving it to poultry.

Of course the same leaf meal could also be eaten by both livestock and even humans... so that in and of itself is interesting and potentially quite handy given the abundance of kudzu in the southeast region of this country. I know that I have mentioned some of the pros and cons of the vine over the years but I always go back to not just how abundant the stuff is but how fast it grows!

As far as 'crops' go it is assuredly 'less than ideal' given its destructive and invasive nature... but hey like I have said before there is nothing wrong with making use of it where it has already established itself. Honestly, most places would probably do well to adapt a strategy of putting it to use just to help contain and control its spread.

Anyway, now that the rainy weather has subsided many of the pokeweed berries that I left on the plants to dry have finally started to fully dry out. Hopefully soon I can get a bunch of them harvested and stored away because yeah I really like having them around for the birds both wild and domestic.

One thing that I keep thinking about the pokeweed growing in the dog yard is just how much protection (cover) that it provides for the chickens from the more predatory birds like hawks. A big part of that is how wide their canopy is and how few lower branches they have which effectively makes for a perfect place for the birds to safely roam around in.

Well, I think that I am going to call this entry 'good enough' and get on with the editing and posting. I hope that everyone is doing well and has a nice day/night.

I have been seeing a lot of these yellow flowers lately.

Yet another kind of bolote popping up here.

Thanks for reading!

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