Farmer spends £2,000 converting Peugeot estate car into a SHEEPDOG

Farmer Dave Isaacs, Lad the dog and Floss the car.

After a farmer lost his beloved sheepdog, he decided to remember his loyal companion by spending £2000 on a dog makeover for the family car.

Dave Isaacs and his family, on losing Floss the sheepdog, decided to make a car-sized replica out of a Peugeot estate car.

Mr Isaacs lives on an 180 acre farm near Battle in East Sussex and spoke of this unique tribute: ‘I know it was a bit of a mad thing to do but it was a tribute to my old sheep dog Floss who passed away.

Floss the car can reach up to 40mph and has been found rather adept at herding sheep with lamplights for eyes and an exhaust for a tail.

Talking of its usage as a herder, Mr Isaacs said: ‘Sheep aren’t known for their intelligence and they didn’t seem to notice the difference so they were quite happy.’

Sadly, due to the space the car with is taking up too much barn space, the family are putting it on Ebay with a ‘heavy heart.’

‘As long as she goes to a good home I’ll be happy’ said the Sussex farmer.

Curing and Storing Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are not very sweet or moist when first dug. It takes six to eight weeks of proper curing and storage before they have the sweet, moist taste and texture desired when baked.

Although freshly harvested roots won’t directly bake into a great product, they can be candied or used in sweetened pies or casseroles.

After the roots are dug, they should be cured to heal the cuts and trigger development of the sugar-creating enzymes. Cure by storing in a warm, humid room for five to 10 days. A temperature of 80 degrees to 85 degrees and a relative humidity of 80 percent to 90 percent are ideal. These exact conditions will be hard to establish around the home, so select a room or building that comes close to these conditions.

After curing, store roots at 55 degrees to 60 degrees for six to eight weeks. This storage further develops the sugars and maltose sugar-creating enzyme. This enzyme will really kick in while baking at 350 degrees to 375 degrees to develop the sweet, syrupy sugars that Louisiana yams are famous for. 

Stored cured roots may last several months or more. The length of time sweet potatoes can be held in storage without sacrificing quality will depend on the environment they are stored in. The conditions above are “ideal,” but sweet potatoes are held under a variety of environmental conditions, and quality and longevity in storage will vary accordingly.

Exposure to low storage temperatures for several days will cause the sweet potatoes to develop a hard center and reduce their eating quality.

When the roots are stored at high temperatures for a long time, they begin to sprout, shrivel and become dry, stringy and pithy.

Sweet potato roots, held over for use as seed potatoes for the next spring, should be dusted with 2 to 4 ounces of 5 percent Imidan per bushel to help control the sweet potato weevil.

Eight Ways to Preserve Grapes in Winter

Veraison is upon us, which means the grapes are coming into season. Here's eight ways to preserve grapes, from the traditional jelly to chutney, raisins and more. 

1. Grape Jelly
The ultimate taste of childhood, grape jelly captures the essence of the fruit. Stick it to Smucker's and make your own. (While you're at it, make your own peanut butter, too.)

2.Grape Jam
Less fussy than jelly, grape jam burst with the juicy flavor of grapes, especially if you have access to wild fruit.

3.Making Raisins
Jams and jellies are not the only way to save grapes. Dry them to make your own raisins. They'll be suppler and more flavorful than store bought, guaranteed.

4.Pickled Grapes
Tangy, sweet and tongue-tingling, pickled grapes are a revelation. They're delicious in salads, or just straight out of the jar.

5.Grape Juice
Treat your tomatoes like the fruit they are. Tomato jam is sweet, savory, tangy and Grape juice is very versatile. Make a zingy shrub, ferment it into fizzy soda, sweeten it into a luscious syrup or just can it straight up!

6.How to Make Verjus
This is what you do when life gives you unripe grapes. Made with wild or domestic grapes, verjus (verjuice) is just the strained juice of unripe grapes. You use it like a mild vinegar. Best part? Verjus plays well with wine, where vinegar does not. Hank Shaw shows you how.

7.Preserved Grape Leaves
There's more to grape vines than the fruit. My Pantry Shelf shows you how to pick the right size leaves, and how to put them up so you can make dolmades for months to come. (Also, fresh grape leaves are great for keeping your fermented cukes crisp!)

8.Grape Chutney
Drizzled over roasted vegetables, used as a glaze for roast pork, spread on a grilled cheese sandwich or incorporated in your next cheese plate, this seasonal chutney is sure to impress! (No need to tell anyone just how easy it is to make...) Courtesy of Philly Herbivore.

The Mysterious Albino Deer Herd

Throughout history people have been fascinated by rare sightings of albino whitetail deer. In fact, these mystical ghosts of the woods have been the center of many ancient Native American legends and folklore. Encounters with solid white deer were even documented in journal entries by early European explorers in the big woods country of present day Wisconsin. 

The natural intrigue with white deer can probably be best explained by their unusual appearance that catches both the eye and our imagination. According to biologists, the recessive gene that causes albinism in whitetail deer is very uncommon. The chances of an albino deer being born are only 1 in 20,000. 

In addition, the solid white coats of the deer make them more susceptible to attack from predators, which dramatically decrease the overall survival rate of these special whitetails. With that being said, very few people will ever have the opportunity to catch a mere glimpse of these white ghosts. However, there is a unique place in Wisconsin called Boulder Junction that is home to an unbelievable number of wild albino deer.

Preparing Your Property for Raising Goats

Bringing home goats requires some forethought on your part so that you can keep your goats safe and healthy and protect them from predators. Here’s a glimpse of the projects you need to undertake before you get your goats:

Build housing or get current housing ready. Goats need some kind of shelter from the elements and a safe place to bunk down. In addition, you might want a dedicated area for milking or kidding, if you decide to breed your goats.

Build a fence or check your fencing for security. Goats are smart and curious, and they will head out into the neighborhood if given the chance. Furthermore, wolves, wild dogs, and other predators would love to be able to get at your goats, and so you need to do your best to keep them out.

Buy feed and feeding equipment. Goats need hay, grain, minerals, and other supplemental feed, depending on the kind of goats you get, their stage of life, and the way you intend to use them. And of course, your goats need clean, fresh water every day. At a minimum, you need

Feed storage containers

Food bowls

Hay manger

Mineral feeder

Water buckets

Put together a first aid kit. Accidents and illnesses are inevitable, and so you need to be ready for common problems you’re likely to face as you raise goats, from stopping the bleeding from a hoof-trimming injury to giving injections to combat infections or illnesses.

Goat-proof your yard or pasture. Goats are grazers, which means that they move from plant to plant and tree to tree, eating all the way. Some of the common plants that homeowners use for landscaping can poison goats, and so you need to clear them out. You may also want to protect the trees that you can’t or don’t want to remove but adding some protection to their trunks.

Tips for Bringing New Goats Home

If you purchase your goats from a breeder who lives across the country, the breeder is responsible for getting the goats to a shipper, and all you have to do is find out where to pick them up. If you bought the goats from a neighbor and they are trained to lead, just put them on leashes and lead them home. If you’re buying goats in any other situation, you need to figure out in advance how to get them home.

Some of these methods won’t work for large goats, but you can transport goats in the following ways:

Pet carriers or crates with straw or wood shavings for bedding. If you’re moving the goat in an open truck bed in cold weather, cover the crate with a rug or tarp to keep the wind down and keep the goat warmer.

The back of an SUV, van, or the back seat of a car.

Cover the seat with a tarp and towels for those “accidents” that occur during transport.

On the towel-covered lap of a passenger. Goats that are being held and aren’t standing up will not pee on you, but they will poop.

The back of a truck with a canopy. Make sure to put down plenty of straw.

A horse trailer or another trailer with fencing or cattle panels to make it high enough to prevent escape. Cover an open trailer in extreme weather conditions to protect the goats from rain and wind.

Regardless of how you transport your new goats, to make the trip as stress-free as possible, do the following:

Load the goats carefully.

Make sure they have adequate bedding or padding.

Start, stop, and take turns or curves slowly and smoothly.

If your trip will take many hours or days, provide the goats with hay during the trip and stop every 3 to 4 hours to let them eat, drink, and regain their equilibrium.

If you’re getting your first goats, you don’t have anyone to quarantine your new goats from. You just get them situated in their new digs. But if you’re adding goats to an existing herd, you need to quarantine the new goats for at least 30 days.

Breeding Goats for Meat

 Rasing your own goats for meat can give you a greener, more sustainable lifestyle. A lot of people around the world eat goat meat, which is lean and delicious. Meat goats are generally not used for milking, and some even have traits that make them undesirable to milk.

If you're interested in goats to sell in the fast-growing market, to get rid of kudzu or blackberries, or just for your own freezer, you have a growing number of breeds to choose from.

Boer: Boer goats are white and reddish-brown (although some are all red), and many are horned. Their horns are short and curve back close to the head. Bucks can weigh from 260 to 380 pounds and does from 210 to 265 pounds.

Although expensive, Boers are adaptable, hardy, affectionate, and mild-mannered. Boers do have some fairly common genetic defects you need to watch for, including extra teats and abnormal testicles.

Tennessee fainting goat: Tennessee fainting goats are also known as myotonic or stiff-legged goats because of their tendency to go rigid and fall down when they're startled. This is a genetic defect in a recessive gene that probably started in just one goat and then was continued through breeding

Kiko: Kikos are most often white with long, scimitar-like horns and medium ears that stick out sideways. They can gain substantial weight without supplemental feeding. If you have a large range for these goats, they may be more economical than Boers.

Spanish goat: Spanish goats are usually medium-sized and lanky with long horns that often twist at the end. They come in all colors and mostly have short hair but can also have long hair.

Because meat goats are growing in popularity, breeders are crossbreeding the existing breeds to develop newer, better goats. Some of the better-known breeds are

Texmaster: A moderate-sized meat goat and a trademarked cross between Boers and Tennessee Fainters developed by Onion Creek Ranch in Texas.

Moneymaker: Developed by Bob and Dusty Copeland of California by first crossbreeding Saanens and Nubians and then adding Boers into the mix.

Savanna: A heat- and drought-resistant breed with excellent mothering abilities. Savannas are muscular, with long ears, thick black skin, and a short white coat that develops a nice fluffy cashmere undercoat for additional warmth during the winter.