In this video, Rombough’s story reveals not only a remarkable mind that grasps the complexities of nature at a deeper level, but a practical knowledge for how to extend the plant breeder’s tools of grafting to produce a single tree containing three different but complimentary varieties of apples: Orange Pippins, Holstein, and Liberty.

And, a nice story, to boot!

It’s all about making the most of the learning curve.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program’s mission is to advance—to the whole of American agriculture—innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education. SARE is proud of its connections to farming communities across the country. To learn more about our grants program; see more videos; read hundreds of fact sheets, books and other information about SARE-funded research; or search the projects database, visit www.SARE.org. SARE is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.

View the longer video to learn about Tom Trantham’s Sustainable 12 Aprils Dairy Grazing Program.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program’s mission is to advance—to the whole of American agriculture—innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education. SARE is proud of its connections to farming communities across the country. To learn more about our grants program; see more videos; read hundreds of fact sheets, books and other information about SARE-funded research; or search the projects database, visit www.SARE.org. SARE is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.

Frikeh, Parched Green Wheat

For organic farmer Anthony Boutard, the idea to grow the right variety of wheat to produce Frikeh came about by chance. While waiting for his number to be called at a favorite German deli, Boutard had ample time to read the labels of packaged products, and came across a package of green wheat. Intrigued enough to investigate further what to do with this grain, he discovered a preparation for parched green wheat to produce Frikeh. The market economics were right; Frikeh was not being produced in this country, and the process was labor intensive with only a 3-day window of time to harvest the wheat for parching. Eventually, Boutard settled upon a red wheat variety that is planted in the winter, the heads (containing the small grains) begin coming up in April. By July, when it’s time for the wheat to be harvested, only the heads are cut, the remaining straw stalks are mowed down later as they help with adding organic matter back into the soil, and also aid in weed control throughout the year.

As Boutard explains in this video, the grain is ready to be harvested (and burned) when the winter wheat is between the milk stage and the soft dough stage of growth. When the wheat is just right for harvest, pinching the heads will produce just a drop of milky substance.

Skilled Workers Preparing Frikeh

At the end of the heating process, the heads are put onto a trailer and hauled over to a mechanical thresher that will knock and separate most of the grain from the heads. The grains will then be placed on individual racks for air drying. The first 2-3 days are the critical stage for drying, this is the time where they are most susceptible to mold and yeast infection that would damage the grains. After this critical phase has successfully completed, the racks are combined in layers for up to two weeks to finish the drying process. After drying is over, the grains go through a seed cleaner to remove any remaining chaff, dirt and soot.

The Frikeh are placed into individual bags, and ready for market.

Boutard says that the Frikey is best consumed 1-2 months after harvest in the field, and is only available as a seasonal specialty on his farm (Ayers Farm).

Check out these fabulous Frikeh recipes: Frikeh and Albacore Salad and Frikeh Summer Salad.

[Editor's note: this post has been edited to correct two errors: grünkern—from Germany and Austria—specifically refers to Spelt, and though also a green wheat, is very different in taste from Frikeh, and roasted in a different manner,"on a darre, a heavy metal roasting pan". According to Anthony Boutard, in German, spelt is called "dinkel" so the proper term is gründinkel. The deli mentioned in this post was not a Mediterranean style deli, it was a German Deli. Thanks to Isabell Norman for originally pointing out the error with the grünkern (gründinkel) reference.]

If you’re finding you have too many beans, consider canning them. You might like to try Dilly Beans from Marissa McClellan’s canning blog, Food in Jars.

When the population of worker bees exceeds the resource capacity of a hive, a portion of the colony will leave to find a new home. A swarm is the natural way for a hive to divide itself (usually) in half, and transport the new colony (with the old queen) to a temporary spot (cluster) from which select bee members (scouts) search for a new home. There are a number of incredibly complex interactions that the honeybees make in order to decide when its time to form a new colony, when to actually start swarming (leave the hive); for the scouts to locate potential new homes; communicate their findings to other bees; select among a choice of different offerings; and then finally, direct the majority of the colony (that have never seen the new home) to its precise location. Chemical signals called pheromones play an integral role in their ability to communicate, but honeybees also rely upon acoustic signally methods. For example, the buzz-run dance signals the bees it’s time to leave the hive.

In this video, beekeeper Matt Reed demonstrates how to collect a wild honeybee swarm; this one is about 2 pounds in size, or 7000 bees. A swarm may range in size anywhere between roughly 1000 to 30,000 bees, and relies upon a small contingent of scouts to find a suitable home, and relay that information back to the collective. It is believed that honeybee scouts will perform an acoustic dance to convey their enthusiasm for a potential site, eventually, a consensus is reached among the group, and one site is chosen to become the new home. Suitable housing exists in hollow trees or logs, but may also be chosen inside man-made structures including hollow walls, and under porches or eves.

Beekeeper, Matt Reed, surveying honeybee nest

Reed does not treat his bees with any chemicals, but relies instead upon natural selection (those bees that survive without any treatments) to confer their genetic resistance to disease and parasite infection. By maintaining disease resistance in their genetic stock, Reed hopes to develop strains of bees that will remain hearty over time, and be entirely free of the need for chemical treatments, or medications to sustain their populations.

The key points that Reed emphasizes for maintaining his healthy bee hives:

1. Honeybees are caught in the wild; their wider genetic diversity increases their odds for survival.
2. Locally collected bees are well suited to their native environment, and have built up immunities to disease.
3. By not using chemicals and medicinal treatments to protect a hive, over time, the hive becomes stronger, and better able to withstand disease outbreaks.

Naomi Montacre, co-founder of Naomi’s Organic Farm Supply, a Portland organic feed and products store, shares some of her expert knowledge on raising backyard chickens.

In part 1, Montacre describes some of the basic considerations deciding whether to raise chickens in your own backyard. As she points out, chickens are relatively inexpensive to raise, and they can provide up to about 4000 eggs per chicken, throughout their lifetime. Though rare, backyard chickens can live into their early 20′s; 12 years of age is more the norm. The most productive years for chickens are within their first 3-5 years, and then tapers off sharply through the remainder of their life.

In the raising of young chicks, Montacre offers advice for those looking to raise chickens organically, without the use of medications in their feed, a practical suggestion how to do so in a healthy, and natural way.

In part 2 of this how to series with veteran beekeeper Glen Andresen, we learn about the basic equipment needed for those relatively new to beekeeping, or just starting out.

Glen Andresen Working On One of His Langstroth Hives

• Hive Types, the key strengths and weaknesses of the Langstroth, Top Bar, and Warre hives.
• The parts of the Langstroth hives, probably the most popular type of hive.
• A variety off hive Tools, including a frame holder, bee brush and scratcher
• Smoker
• Special Clothing

There are (of course) many good books on basic beekeeping. One book, I can recommend (disclosure: I received a free copy in the mail), is a hardcover titled: Homemade Living: Keeping Bees —All You Need to Know to Tend Hives, Harvest Honey & More published by Lark Crafts (2011).

Let us know if you have any favorite books that you have used, and can recommend to others.

That savings, and his profit margin, are going to be even greater if energy and fuel prices continue to rise as they have been recently. Rainville first got interested in oilseed production when University of Vermont Extension approached him about growing canola seed on his farm. Initially, Rainville thought the canola could provide a good source of feed (canola meal) for his cows, with oil production simply a side-benefit. Over several years, however, Rainville’s thinking was transformed as he realized the potential for producing his own biodiesel.

Starting from the initial questions about growing canola in Vermont, the project has grown to include a major emphasis on biodiesel production. As shown in this video, Rainville himself led that charge developing expertise in production, harvesting, processing and storage of canola (and sunflower) oil. He also fine-tuned the technical side of converting that oil into biodiesel fuel for use on the farm. Now it’s the seed meal and the harvest residue that are byproducts.

As the economic and environmental incentives attract more farmers to this technology, Rainville cautions that farmers should try out oilseed and biofuel production on a small scale first, before making any major changes or investments in equipment. Watch the video and learn more to see if biodiesel production might be adapted to your farm or ranch system.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program’s mission is to advance—to the whole of American agriculture—innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education. SARE is proud of its connections to farming communities across the country and encourages those who wish to learn more to visit the site. SARE is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.

In a way, local beekeeping can be an extension of the mantra: think globally, act locally. Even before filming Call of the Honeybee about an entomologist who works with bees, and is attempting to breed more disease resistant queens, I found myself drawn to bees, their wonderful honey, and their precarious plight in recent years. So, learning more about urban agriculture that includes managing (if that’s the right word) bees feels like a good thing to learn how to do.

Glen Andresen, Portland, Oregon Beekeeper

Once you discover whether or not you can raise bees, there are some other considerations to take into account such as where would be the best place to put the hive, sun and wind considerations, and making sure there is a water source nearby.

Glen Andresen has been a beekeeper for 20 years and teaches beekeeping in the Portland Metro area. He has a number of hives in his urban backyard, and also several off-site as well. In this video he discusses the basics of beekeeping, and discusses a number of items that ought to be considered before purchasing hives, bees, and other equipment.