The Mother Earth News

Way back in the 70's, my parents occassionally subscribed to new magazine, The Mother Earth News.  This was kind of a countercultural, back to the land movement sort of magazine for aging (30 something) hippies.  My parents didn't fit that description, but they were both frugal of mind and heart and the idea of doing things for themselves, raising their own food, and supporting themselves fit very well within their way of thinking.

As a teen, I would read selected articles out of The Mother Earth News.  I would read about how to build low cost structures like rammed-earth homes, adobe, straw bale, log cabins, underground houses, stone root cellars, etc.  I would learn about how to build a low-cost wind generator, or water turbine as well as installing solar electricity.  I would learn about heating with passive solar, wood, geothermal, etc.  I would learn about heating water through a copper coil on the back of a wood stove, or running a hose through a heating compost pile, or passive solar heating.  I would learn about baking bread, raising heritage breed chickens, and the different breeds of draft horses.  The Mother Earth News has a lot to offer to an imaginative, self-sufficient farmer wannabe.

One of the articles that stuck in my mind was the evaluation of the different breeds of draft horses.  I learned that you could certainly tread lightly on the land with draft horses and meet all of your motive power for farming.  You could minimize soil compaction with horses, compared to tractors.  Horses could gather (pasture) or raise (hay and grain) their own feed.  Different breeds had different advantages and disadvantages.  The beautiful Clydesdales (of Budweiser fame) were magestic beasts, with feathering at the tops of their hoofs (like the Shires as well).  Belgians were popular with the Amish and were the most numerous and most available breed.  The Suffolk Punches really caught my eye because they were the only breed that were specifically bred for farm work.  They were a tad smaller than the other breeds, but had body conformation and temperment that made them especially suitable for farm work.  I put my eye on the Suffolk Punches for my farm because of The Mother Earth News.

The Mother Earth News introduced me to the idea of rare breeds or heritage breeds that were being lost due lack of use by "progressive, industrialized agriculture."  When it came to chickens, the Dominique really caught my eye.  It looked a lot like the black-and-white speckled Barred Plymouth Rock.  The Barred Plymouth Rock was long consided the small farm bird of choice.  The Barred Plymouth Rock was derived in part by crossing the Dominiques, with the white Plymouth Rock (I believe).  When reading the description of the Dominiques, I read that they were especially good foragers, meaning they found much if not most of their own food.  Some of the newer breeds liked to hang around the feeder waiting to be fed.  The Dominiques went out and rustled up their own grub.  They laid a moderate amount of eggs and produced meat to boot.  Another feature of the Dominique that I found attractive was that it was endangered.  There were few breeding birds left in the world.  I loved the idea of the Dominique as a contributing member of my own farm.

Through my adult years, I have subscribed to The Mother Earth News probably half of the time.  Sometimes it was a bit too much of a financial burden.  Sometimes I just loved having it come every month.  Sometimes I would subscribe and read it cover to cover.  Some months it would go unread.  Sometimes when I was not subscribing, I would pick up a copy and Barnes & Noble or New Seasons.

The magazine changed much over the years, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.  It changed ownership at least three times, I believe.  At a point about 15 years ago or so, it briefly went from a pragmatic, down to earth do-it-yourself magazine to kind of a new agey, earth spirit, self-proclaimed environmentalist magazine.  I think that bit lasted about four issues before it became clear it was an unmitigated disaster.  Don't get me wrong, The Mother Earth News has always had just a bit of that hippie based new agey, earth spirit, environmental magazine, but at its heart, it was always a down to earth magazine about how to live self-sufficiently and pragmatically, while enjoying and living a healthy country life style.

The Mother Earth News has helped me frame the way I think about living in the country and being self-sufficient.  Today, you will find it in a stack of magazine by my reading chair, adding additional insights and bits of information as I think about and plan for the farm.