Farming
From Kitchen Cuttings To A Garden
Anyone can grow these very simple roots. More importantly, what would we do without them?

It cannot be said enough that “hard times are ‘a comin’”, and it’s now more important than ever to acquire both food and the ability to reproduce it. Many people’s minds turn towards gardening when this notion hits them, and at the outset they think; “Oh! I’ll grow tomatoes!” But the season for growing tomatoes is very short in most places, and you can’t very well depend on them. Enter the root crops.
“The Latin writers have only treated of this plant in a cursory manner, while those of Greece have considered it a little more attentively; though even they have ranked it among the garden plants. If, however, a methodical arrangement is to be strictly observed, it should be spoken of immediately after corn, or the bean, at all events; for next to these two productions, there is no plant that is of more extensive use. For, in the first place, all animals will feed upon it as it grows; and it is far from being the least nutritious plant in the fields for various kinds of birds, when boiled in water more particularly. Cattle, too, are remarkably fond of the leaves of rape; and the stalks and leaves, when in season, are no less esteemed as a food for man than the sprouts of the cabbage; these, too, when turned yellow and left to die in the barn, are even more highly esteemed than when green. As to the rape [turnip] itself, it will keep all the better if left in its mould, after which it should be dried in the open air till the next crop is nearly ripe, as a resource in case of scarcity. Next to those of the grape and corn, this is the most profitable harvest of all for the countries that lie beyond the Padus.”
-Pliny the Elder on the turnip rape, Natural History, Chapter 34
Turnips, carrots, garlic, onions—root crops, all of them—are essential ingredients to our everyday diet. But perhaps most important of all: they are easy to grow, and they can be grown in multiple seasons. Anyone can grow these very simple roots. More importantly, what would we do without them? Sure, a survivalist might be able to hunt a decent amount of table meat from a successful outing, but isn’t it also necessary to have some garlic to rub into the steaks?

Image from the online Arktoons comic, Bovodar and the Bears
But even more importantly is the fact that these crops are extremely easy to acquire. Here, in the First World of the 2020s, we have grocery stores. And there, we find ourselves purchasing bundles of green onions, garlic bulbs, bags of carrots, and so on. Yet, these grocery store foods have the ability to serve more than one purpose. True, we can cut them up and eat them. But also, we can take discarded cuttings from these foods and plant them.
For example, should you purchase a bundle of green onions in the grocery store, and you use the green stalks but plan to discard the rooted ends—don’t. Keep those little white bulb ends. As you can see, they have small root systems hanging from them. Instead, take the ends of those green onions and plant them. They will take root in soil and sprout up naturally in prepared soil. If you have a whole onion, you can cut off the rooted end of it and put it in a dish of water. The dry roots will come to life, drink in the water, and within a couple of weeks you will have green stalks sprouting out of that “onion cap,” and it will be ready to put in the earth.

Onions and garlic: made to survive.
If you bought some carrots, and there’s a bit of green at the head of the carrots, cut those carrot heads off, put them in a dish of water, and watch the carrot return to life. You can plant the carrot in soil after it revives, and you’ll be able to harvest fresh seeds from its stalk in the next season. Harvesting seeds from these plants is very important at this time, as most store-bought seeds have been on the shelves for a very long time, and they might not be as successful as you’d like.

The carrot can persevere in chilly climates.
Have potatoes growing “eyes” on them? Divide those potatoes up with a knife, plant them, and gather a few bundles. Aged potatoes can be a treasure. Do you have some spare garlic rolling around in your food stores? Plant them root down into your backyard’s soil, and let them grow for a couple of seasons. Heck, you can even salvage unused portions of a celery stalk or cabbage in this fashion. Salvaging kitchen scraps can quickly fill up your empty garden space if you can’t find any seeds.
Is the weather getting chilly? Well, another very useful thing about these particular plants is the fact that they are capable of growing in colder weather. They are biologically designed to survive and even thrive in the spring and fall. They don’t always do too well in the scorching summertime. “Kitchen-cuttings” root crops like these are very useful, in the fact that they can be grown in at least three of our seasons. If the winter is mild, even four seasons.
In fact, if it is winter time, and you have crops of onion, garlic, or carrots in the ground, you can protect them from extensive frost damage by putting those fall leaves to use and surrounding the leaves of the plants, shielding them from weather that would potentially kill the crop. By doing this, by having your root crop in the ground through the winter, though it’s true it will not grow much with its leaves, the root system underneath will continue to proliferate. Of course, if the winter is utterly terrible, you might not have such luck. But it is possible to succeed even through the darkest of the four seasons.
With scarcity on the rise, and a tremendous need for frugality, thrift, and resourcefulness, it would do everyone a world of good to acquire some of these rudimentary gardening skills, utilize that backyard, or if necessary, even launch into a guerrilla gardening campaign. There is a lot of dirt available out there that’s simply not being used, and a lot of these small roots we eat don’t require much space at all. With things going the way they are now, it’s crucial we get some food systems going, pronto—which means it would do us good to utilize every method for getting a crop going as we can.

Resurrect your store-bought produce for a quick crop.
I’ve been a gardener all of my life to one degree or another, here in eastern Oklahoma.
I run the Trad Catholic blog known as The Forge and Anvil, and before that I was known for running The Hirsch Files. I’ve been linked to by Ann Barnhardt, OnePeterFive, Canon212, Vox Clamantis, and others. I’ve been published on sites such as Men of the West, Culture Wars, and Stares At the World. I wrote the introduction to Vox Day’s Innocence and Intellect. I currently have an e-book titled Let There Be Signs: 2017, and under the pseudonym Jack Mikkelson, I’ve published the book Bovodar and the Bears, and I am also the author of the Bovodar and the Bears comic series on Arktoons.
Laramie Hirsch
Farming
How to Tan Fur on Hides With a Note on Making Leather
This is an art. Learning takes time, but don’t be afraid to make mistakes. The hide is very forgiving.

By: Salt & Stone Bear

This article was first printed in our very first issue of The Beartaria Times Magazine, Origins, A Revealing of Legends
More and more folks are learning how to keep and butcher their own animals, so comes the need to learn how to tan hides. Tanning used to be a very common skill that has since been forgotten with modern textiles. Fabrics printed in China contain some nasty chemicals and the environmental impact is devastating. Buckskin pants were once as common as blue cotton jeans today, worn by people of all socioeconomic status. Currently, it is estimated that roughly 6 million deer are harvested annually and only a very small percentage of hides are ever used to make leather. Now add the endless numbers of sheep, goats, cow and even pig skin that could be used for a variety of applications. If you do not keep animals, not to worry, contact your local butcher and they will likely tell you to help yourself to whatever they have. It’s a favor to them as they do not have to pay to dispose of them.
Disclaimer: there are lots of ways to tan, this is just how I do it, which would be called fat tanning or brain tanning. I do not like using chemicals, as they are unhealthy for the tanner, environment and less sustainable.
- Skinning
If you are starting with a whole animal, there are plenty of online tutorials on how to do this. Mainly you just want to make sure the hide has not been “knifed up” which will leave marks on the leather. The ultimate goal being no holes or knife marks in the skin, as it will be more difficult (but not impossible) in the tanning process.

- Salting
I use pallets that have hardware cloth stapled on them so that when the hide is laid out, there are no sagging or drooping parts as there are big gaps in a pallet. You could just lay it out on a tarp, but I think the air flow under the skin is helpful. Once the hide is laid out flat on the pallet, spread a good layer, about an inch of white canning salt or sea salt (no iodine) on all parts of the hide, being careful to get all the edges. Leave for 2 weeks or up to a few months if you don’t have the time. I prefer wet salting (the salt stays damp) to dry salting as it makes a nicer finished product. But if you live in a very dry climate that dries out the salt, it will still be fine.

- Fleshing
For this step, you will need to have a fleshing beam and fleshing knife. You can purchase them from a trapping outlet online or make a beam out of a very smooth log. Flip the salt from the hide into a rubbermaid tub or barrel as it can be used again. Then give the hide a good shake in the driveway or woods (probably not your lawn as it can kill the grass) to remove excess salt. I highly recommend watching a YouTube video on how to do this. You want to hit the right angle so you don’t cut the skin.
- Apply tanning solution
Once the hide is fleshed, lay the skin back on the pallet and apply the tanning solution. I like a brain/egg solution, but you can use just brains or just eggs. Or even Spinal cord fat/fluid. One brain will do one hide, but adding an egg and a splash of water will bulk up the solution, which I find to be very helpful. For a single hide, in a designated blender, combine brain(s), one egg and a tablespoon or two of water. Rub in the solution over all parts of the skin. Then, three options- cover with plastic wrap/ fold in half on itself or sandwich together with another hide if you are doing more than one. Allow to sit overnight- one day.


- Stretching & Drying
You will need to build a frame that is a little larger than the hide you are working with. 2x4s are great for this. If you are doing something very small like a squirrel or rabbit, you can use a board with tacks to achieve the same results. Some will also bend a limb into a circle for a very small hide, or if you are doing a very large hide like a moose or cow, an old trampoline frame is great. You just have to innovate with what you have available. With a very sharp knife, carefully puncture the edge, 1/2” or so in on the skin. You don’t want it too close to the edge or the twine will rip out. I really like to use butcher’s twine as it holds a good knot. Start at the 4 corners of the hide, then fill in-between. Give a good pull on the string, but not too hard, stretching the skin very flat. Tie to the frame. You can go back and re-tighten the strings that become loose as you go along. Allow to dry. A dehumidifier is really great in helping this process along, especially for large hides.


- Scrape
Once the hide is completely dry to the touch, you can start scraping off the tanning solution and the layer of skin. You will need a scraping tool from a trapping outlet or you can sometimes find tools to do this at antique shops. Just nothing too sharp, more blunt. Scrape with good force, but not too hard. The skin will turn a beautiful white as you do this. It takes time. I like to give a good push on the hide with my hand as I scrape to aid in softening and stretching those skin fibers. You will know you are done when the leather is very soft. Cut the strings and remove from the frame.
- Smoking
This is where tannins from wood and bark seal and finish the hide. Cut an old pillowcase in half long ways or some kind of fabric and pin on the bottom/ very edge of your hide. Then fold the hide in half long ways and use the existing holes and butcher’s twine to temporarily sew it together. Make a loop at the top to hang. Go back and pin together the fabric at the bottom to essentially make a stove pipe. Collect rotten wood and bark that is wet from the forest then make a fire with dry wood until it gets down to coals. Add rotten/ wet wood and bark. Attach the fabric side to your stove pipe with a rubber band and smoke for 2-4 hours. You want to be VERY careful with this part. Do not leave unattended as you only want smoke NO fire. If it breaks out into a fire, it can scorch or burn your hide. Ruining all your hard work. You want cold-warm smoke only. Periodically check the color of the skin inside, you want a nice deep amber color. Take it down, bring inside and allow it to sit for a day to more thoroughly absorb the tannins.
Then rub in a finishing sealer. Lard is really perfect or a homemade mix of Lard, tallow and a little beeswax.


- Finishing touches
At this point, you can carefully hand wash the finished hide with soap and cool water, but do not soak for too long. Try to be as speedy as possible. A designated washer is great for this stage. Run it on the spin cycle only to get the water out or shake out very well and dry.
With a razor blade, cut off the edges, about where your puncture holes are. Brush out the fleece or fur. Then celebrate haha.



If you want to make leather without fur, dry scraping can be done at the point the hide is stretched on the frame. You can use a razor blade to carefully remove the fur, then scrape and apply tanning solution/ plastic wrap, similarly to how you did the other side. Scrape it down again. Smoke both sides in the same fashion.
This is an art. Learning takes time, but don’t be afraid to make mistakes. The hide is very forgiving.
If you have questions, feel free to reach me on the Beartaria Times app – Salt and Stone Bear or Instagram @salt_and.stone
Happy Tanning!
Farming
Micro Greens – Macro Benefits
Having good nutrition is important, sure, but that’s just scratching the surface of the benefits growing your own greens offers.

By: BalanceBear (aka @johnny.greenleaf)

This article was first printed in our very first issue of The Beartaria Times Magazine, Origins, A Revealing of Legends
Microgreens, as the name suggests, are small by nature, but the benefits they offer are quite the opposite of their size.
What are microgreens and what exactly do they have to offer? Microgreens are vegetable greens harvested just after the cotyledon leaves have developed (7-10 days after germination for most varieties). The benefits? Well, they are countless. We’ll get to many of them, but a few of the biggest advantages of growing microgreens over traditional vegetables are their space efficiency, time to harvest, & ease of getting started. Just because you don’t have a yard, doesn’t mean you can’t grow your own food. With as little as a shelf in an apartment, and a few supplies, you can start sewing seeds and reaping the benefits of these nutrient dense greens in no-time. I was introduced to the world of microgreens this past year by the legendary Urban Farmer, Curtis Stone, and in just a matter of 8 months they have already had a profoundly positive impact on my life, and my community.

Now how could something so small offer so much? It’s been theorized that the reason microgreens are so nutrient dense compared to the leaves of their mature vegetable counterparts is because they are harvested shortly after germination, when all of the nutrients they need to grow are there. Regardless if that theory holds true as to the why, nutrient tests have shown that microgreens contain 4-40 times more concentrated levels of various nutrients than leaves in the mature plants, depending on the variety & specific nutrient (i.e. red cabbage microgreens contain 40 times more vitamin E than mature red cabbage). Buying microgreens from a store can be significantly more expensive than normal mature vegetables, but growing them yourself, especially when you consider the time from planting to harvest, is much more affordable. Furthermore, when you buy anything from a grocery store, the vitality of the food has already been severely diminished due to the fact that it takes so much time for the product to be packaged and shipped off to the store. From the moment a fruit or vegetable is harvested, the nutrients begin to break down. This vitality can actually be measured. Realistically, the freshest produce you can get from a store is 4-7 days post harvest. The total time it takes to get from planting microgreen seeds to harvesting the greens is 10-14 days total (for most varieties), which is right up there with the nutrient density when it comes to the best benefits microgreens have to offer. When you compare that to typical times like 2-3 months for a mature plant to bear fruit, it’s quite astonishing that the microgreens pack such a dense nutrient punch, and when you grow them yourself, you can eat them living, which means you don’t lose out on any nutrients like you do when you get already deteriorated greens from a store.
Having good nutrition is important, sure, but that’s just scratching the surface of the benefits growing your own greens offers. One of the biggest benefits I have personally experienced since becoming an urban farmer, is the community connection that has come from it. I believe that food and community are two of the biggest sources of energy in this realm, and when you grow your own food, and further when you exchange it within your community, the energy boost is multiplied. Picture a closed-loop energy cycle; that’s what you get to experience when you buy, sell, or trade locally within your community. First, you get an energy boost from growing your own food, you then experience an additional energy boost when you exchange your food to someone in your community, because you see the joy it brings them, and you know that it will nourish them. They receive that same energy boost when you buy or trade for their food, and thus the communities’ overall energy goes up by a multiple factor, and the energy loop remains closed. When people in your community buy food from a corporation, especially one that’s not local, energy gets siphoned off into the ether, rather than being kept in your community where it can continue to cycle & recharge.
I’m speaking from experience here, as I have felt a tremendous difference since buying, selling, & trading with local bears at our Southern California Bartertaria Meetups, as well as exchanging my greens for fruit from my neighbors’ trees.
Even if you live in an apartment in a city like I currently do, microgreens can be a great starting point for you to tap into that energy cycle. Furthermore, if you’ve never grown food at all, consider these greens as a great micro-step to start the journey that is gardening/farming.
I won’t go too much into detail about the equipment you need to get started, as there are plenty of great resources online and on YouTube for that (seek and ye shall find), but I will tell you the basics of what you need to get started, and a few good online resources to look in to if you want more details. You will need some kind of tray or container to put the growing medium in (I use 10×20 trays from Bootstrap Farmer), seeds (I get mine from TrueLeaf Market), a growing medium (I use an organic potting soil from ProMix), and lights (I use 4’ Sunblaster Fluorescents) if you want to grow indoor, otherwise you can obviously use sunlight if you have space and want to grow them outside. That’s basically it. Anything else will just upgrade your operation. A few of the best online resources which helped me along my journey, from setup, to growing, all the way through harvesting are: Curtis Stone’s From The Field TV, Donny Greens on YouTube, and OnTheGrow who have great experiments on YouTube & an ebook.
So, whether you just want to add some nutrient dense greens to your smoothies, juices, salads, or dishes as a garnish, have some sunflowers to snack on, take a micro-step towards learning to grow food, or go big & contribute to the energy cycle of your local community, the macro benefits of microgreens are there for you.
“To a man’s heart it brings gladness to eat the figs from his own trees, and the grapes of his own vines”, and to your heart gladness can come from eating the microgreens of your own stem.
Farming
Using Hay to Import Fertility and Feed the Pastures
A recent study I read indicated that pastures responded better to feeding hay directly on the field verses hauling manure and compost from the barn.

By: Mohawk Farmer Bear
When we took over the farm in 2015, the fields were constantly being cropped and hayed. Modern agriculture focuses on production at the expense of soil health and fertility. While we have good soils here, it’s obvious that fertility is low, and the pastures are nowhere near as productive as they have the potential to be. This winter, rather than feeding the cows down by the barn as usual, I focused on rotating them around the pastures and feeding the hay directly on the pasture. By the time grazing starts in May, I will have fed 200 round bales of hay or 50 to 60 tons of hay onto the pastures. That’s a lot of manure, organic matter from wasted hay, and fertility to spread on 50 acres. A recent study I read indicated that pastures responded better to feeding hay directly on the field versus hauling manure and compost from the barn. More fertility is captured with winter bale feeding on pastures. So, this summer, I’ll get to see it. Either way, 50 tons of hay (5 tons to the acre) should have a huge impact on the pastures. More fertility means more grass, which means more beef.

Unrolled hay bale. It spreads the fertility around the pasture and gives all the cows access to the dinner table.

In early February, you can see where the cows have been without snow. I covered this part of the farm well.

The farthest and highest point on the farm. Typically the hardest to get manure spread on, but I fed a ton of hay up there this winter. It’s a pretty good hill, so even with heavy baleage, I start at the top and push the bale down the hill to get it unrolled.
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