Here at the GIE+EXPO in Louisville, Kentucky, there are about as many farm-related machines to look over and run as a guy could ask for: I’m talking John Deere tractors, Bobcat excavators, Cub Cadet garden tractors, Stihl and Husqvarna chainsaws, Ford trucks, and about as many zero-turn mowers as a landscaper could wish for.

One of the coolest things I’ve seen so far, is some cutting-edge technology and engineering that enhances utility of two staples on the farm that previously often went underutilized: the UTV and ATV.

Kirk Jones, of ProMan PTO has engineered a cool way to add power take-off points on UTVs and ATVs that can power a cutting deck, log-splitter, leaf blower and more on either the front or back of these machines that in most cases are used only for hauling equipment and pure fun on the farm.

For the ATV, you’re looking at adding the system for around $5,500. For the UTV ProMan PTO mobile hydraulic platform, it’s going to run you around $6,000. Something to consider, though, especially if you’re considering adding a completely separate machine with PTO attachment capabilities. 

The system relies on a hydraulic pump attached to the motor and a reservoir cooler mounted to the machine – on the front-load rail of ATVs and under the front seat of UTVs – that run hydraulic hoses either to the front- or rear-mounted attachment.

It opens up a whole new arena for consumers, dealers, and manufacturers alike.

Imagine using your ATV, attaching the log-splitter, and splitting your log segments right on site, rather than loading them in the truck, hauling them back to the barn, unloading them, splitting them, and stacking firewood. Or, better yet, attaching the splitter to the front of a UTV with a trailer on the back, and you see where the application goes from there.

Or, rather than mowing pond banks with a tractor bushhog that never feels safe enough, attach a mowing deck to the ATV or UTV and bush hogging in a much safer manner.

It takes UTV and ATV utility to a whole new level.

In fact, the whole idea originated because Kirk Jones felt there had to be a better way of mowing his farm in hilly central Southern California. He turned to an ATV already on his place, took off the casing of the engine, reverse-engineered a fitting for the hydraulic pump, attached the cooling reservoir, and voila, a mobile hydraulic platform took the ATV into a whole new level of production and safety.

It takes 5 to 7 hp to move an ATV in low gear, so you’re left with 40-some-odd hp that isn’t being used. My biggest question is with engine torque, and how the log splitter holds up when the engine isn't at full-throttle, or how fast the blades spin on the cutting deck when not at full-throttle. Nevertheless, these guys at ProMan PTO designed a system to tap into leftover engine power, and now it’s on the market. The system is currently compatible with Kawasaki, Yamaha and Polaris engines, and hopefully Honda, John Deere and Kubota will follow. Proman PTO seems to be onto something, and it could change the game when it comes to farm equipment and the small farmer getting more out of his or her machines, and in a safer mode of operation in some case.

Leave it to a small landowner to come up with such a cool concept.

 Day 1 at the 2011 Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs Pennsylvania offered the chance to mingle with livestock, speak with animal owners, and listen to presentations from leaders in the animal husbandry world.



 

My own responsibilities, helping at the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy's Animal Husbandry Tent, meant I was assembling poultry and rabbit cages, leading ponies to pens, and even in once case carrying a non-halterbroke sheep from a trailer to her pen about 50 yards away.

Some of the coolest things from this Fair, for me: talking with livestock owners of various animals, and even getting to know individual breeds; it offers one of the few chances in this business to have a direct interface with readers, and it’s refreshing to hear about their homes, farms, gardens, animals and lives; seeing speakers like Pat Foreman, Carol Ekarius, Harvey Ussery, and Joel Salatin, not to mention the presentations given by my own colleagues at Ogden Publications; a refreshing chance to get to know those colleagues better, outside of our office cubicles.

This video was a quick interview with Anne Hallowell of Mercer County Pennsylvania. The Hallowells raise Classic Llamas, impressive multipurpose animals that perform well as guardian animals, companions, and most notably pack animals. I’d never seen a pack rig like this for a llama, and the idea of using this animal to pack up for a camping trip and then employ that animal to protect the campsite on that trip is pretty cool.

It’s inspiring to interact with Fair-goers, exhibitors, and presenters alike.

Weekend before last, I had the opportunity to head out to Prairie Turnip Farm in Osage County, Kansas, and participate in 3 hours of chicken processing in which about 40 birds went from pasture to freezer.

It’s always a good experience for me. Inevitably in that setting of editors, farmers/ranchers, spouses, scientists, country folk and friends, you’ll learn something or remember something long forgotten – even something as simple as that the atrium is the chamber of the heart opposite the ventricle (we kept wanting to say aeorta).

Anyways, it’s always good to get out there and process some birds, and bringing home a couple extra chickens in the 5- to 6-pound neighborhood never hurts, thanks to the generosity of others.

My experience this particular Saturday was mainly doing a lot of the killing at the kill cones. I’m a hunter, but taking a life is still something that wears on you, especially if it’s time and time again. I found myself being glad when I was alone; that way the process wasn’t rushed, and I could stand back from the kill cones at the conclusion and sort of let a minute or two pass and recognize the gravity of the moment as a way of paying proper respect. And I certainly didn't want to feel the need to talk at that time; there's nothing to be said.

I’ve watched deer die in the field, and I’m always glad to be alone. It’s just not something you really want to share with other people – I’m usually just deep in thought, and nothing about it is cheerful. And the repetitive nicking of the jugular and feeling the stream of warm blood on my hands, I have to admit I was glad when that part was over for me. When the final bird was dispatched, it was a relief.

Not that the killing bothered me. It’s obviously a necessary part of the process and I took pride in playing that role and performing it in the least amount of time as possible. I was glad to do my best to perform it well.

But, I do admit it was a good feeling to get past that and stand next to the evisceration table for awhile, where I spent most of my time the previous year.

The chicken plucker makes the process so much easier than my mom tells it. She remembers mainly the stench, like a lot of other people who've done significant home chicken processing. The Featherman plucker performed wonderfully.

After 40 birds (about 25 Freedom Rangers from MOTHER EARTH NEWS Sr. Associate Editor Troy Griepentrog, and 15 Cornish-Rock crosses from GRIT Editor Hank Will) in about 3 hours including cleanup, we were eating quiche under the eaves of the polebarn and making jokes about spices from the jalapeño chips getting stuck in our crops.

The whole experience just makes me wonder, When and why did mainstream America become so disconnected from our food? 

Kill Cone and Evisceration Table Photos: courtesy Karen Keb

A couple weeks back, I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural MOTHER EARTH NEWS Fair, September 25 and 26 in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania. From talking to GRIT readers to attending a workshop on small-scale home meat processing, this was an excellent opportunity that I’m thrilled to have seized.

My duties at the Fair were multifaceted, but initially I was to go and work a booth promoting GRIT’s partnership with the U.S. Belted Galloway Society involving a giveaway of a young, registered Belted Galloway heifer. The drawing is mid-March, by the way, so there’s still time to get in. All you need is access to a couple of acres, and you could have a gentle, hardy, beef cow that will do excellent on grass.

 

Turns out, this was the perfect venue for talking with people about which breed they’d pick for starting their own herd, and I hope this won’t be the only cow (or other livestock) sweepstakes we do at GRIT. We love putting useful stuff in the hands of our readers, and what has more utility and vast returns than loveable livestock for your farm?!

Photo: courtesy David King

Aside from working the booth, I got to get out and mingle with Fair-going folks, shoot some video and ask some questions. I met a young woman who’d won tickets to the Fair via a GRIT facebook giveaway. I talked to Twenty Twenty (his real name, reflecting a desire to perceive things in the most accurate way), who gives nature walks and workshops on how to forage for food in the wild. His wife, Carol Wingert, hopes to contribute photography for upcoming issues of the magazine.

Craig Russell, president of the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities, was in a booth right across from us.

I got to meet and talk with Paul Gardener, a GRIT blogger and writer/contributor with whom I share a passion for hunting and rural life.

 

I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Nutting, an owner of Ogden Publications who expressed his affection for GRIT and the direction we’re headed. We also talked about a topic we’re mutually passionate about; baseball. (The Nutting family owns the Pittsburgh Pirates, and one of my best friends, a cousin, plays for them.) But hearing Mr. Nutting talk about how he reads every issue of GRIT made me downright giddy.

The one workshop/presentation I actually got to attend, the meat processing one I mentioned earlier, culminated with the actual skinning and evisceration of a rabbit. I learned the setup and tools I need for doing my own hogs one day (more willing friends, among them). I’ve long been enamored with the thought of having the ability to process my own meat, and this allowed me to talk to a guy who does just that, and see his operation in photos. Since that presentation, I’ve come to understand this is a trade I can learn, it’s realistic and affordable on all levels. I’ve even inquired into the prospects of working one day per week as a sort of apprenticeship with a local butcher.

 

So multiple things I saw that weekend inspired me.

But nothing touched talking to GRIT readers. In this business, you don’t get that interface often. Once in a great while – I think it’s happened twice in the 2-plus years I’ve worked at GRIT – you randomly meet someone who reads. For the most part, it’s easy to become focused on the routine of it all: writing and editing, tracking down art, more editing, final production, putting the magazine on our website, rinse and repeat. We love it because we love the lifestyle and the content, but we seldom get to share it in person with the readers we try our darndest to serve.

Hank and I even had a little fun thinking about what a GRIT Fair might be like. Here’s Hank’s take: “At the GRIT fair, I suspect we’d see a little more Red Man and a little less American Spirit – more boots instead of Birkenstocks. But in both cases it’d be a celebratory gathering of thoughtful, committed and smart people who are passionate about getting the most they can from this life without ruining the planet for their children.”

Photo: courtesy Hank Will

Ahhh, maybe one day. In the meantime, if you’re attending a Mother Earth News Fair, catch one of us GRIT editors on Facebook, Twitter, or via email (first initial, last name @grit.com, so for Caleb Regan it’s cregan@grit.com) before the fair, and make an attempt to shake hands. It really will make our day – more like make our event.

Venison Chili Trial One went over well last night. It’s hard to say if it was more the quality of the meat or the mixture of ingredients I used, but the combination of the two made some dang-good chili. I do know this: Even though I didn’t shoot a big, old buck this year, last night’s meal – and today’s lunch, actually – made me very thankful for doe meat in the freezer.

I’d planned on using a Southern Venison Chili recipe, but once I got into the grocery store, the amount of green pepper – it calls for one large green bell pepper, cut in strips – and the inclusion of 2 tablespoons of sugar kind of turned me off to it.

So I kind of combined that recipe with another one to arrive at the one below. The only problem is, I estimate and add a little of this, a little of that when I cook – no matter my intention – taste as I go and make adjustments, so this is only my best guess as to what was in that chili.

The Amateur’s Venison Chili

1 ½ pounds ground venison
½ large white onion, diced
½ large green bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons cumin seed spice
3 tablespoons chili powder
8 ounces tomato sauce (I went with the Kroger brand, inexpensive, and already peeled and in juice – “Chili Ready”)
8 ounces water
½ cup light-red kidney beans
½ cup ketchup

Now bear with me.

First, you obviously brown the meat.

You can sauté the onion and green pepper while you do this, but mine turned out tender and cooked enough in the end without doing so. The reason I didn’t is because I forgot – kind of a shaky start – and was in too big of a hurry to see how much grease the meat would make. It was very lean ground meat … just what I’d hoped for. After I diced the onion and green pepper – I didn’t have a knife for dicing so I was using my skinning knife that I hadn’t used since the GRIT sharpening experience – I added it to the halfway-browned venison.

Sometimes I feel like I get into some intense situations when I’m cooking.

After the meat had completely browned, I added the cumin spice and chili powder. Then I emptied tomato sauce and water in, added the kidney beans and hoped for the best (i.e., hoped the vegetables would cook to tender). On medium heat, I let the mixture simmer for 1 hour, tasted it, added some ketchup and somehow it turned out really good. Gwendolyn Marie did say she snuck in some more of the spices.

The whole thing was rather fun, despite my methods.

I’ve got plenty more meat, so the next venison-cooking experience for me will either be another chili recipe, or Lori’s homemade Summer Sausage recipe. Her recipe can be found at the bottom of this blog post. I’ll let you know how that one goes.

Anybody else this hectic in the kitchen? I feel like I’m in the weeds most times.

Bottom photo by Gwen Salmon.

Here at GRIT, we have a department called Comfort Foods. I’ve always kind of distrusted the label of a comfort food, since to me food is more about sustenance than comfort. But after heading home for the weekend, a fried chicken dinner prepared by my mom reminded me of how comfort foods feel and what they’re all about. And with any luck, someone out there will have a venison chili recipe that will add one more recipe to my arsenal of comfort foods.

But what is a comfort food to me? It has little to do with the actual filling of my stomach. Rather, I think of comfort foods as those dishes we eat that take us back to a time and place, much like my favorite songs that always remind me of the same things.

From a young age, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, homegrown corn, dinner rolls and milk – out of a Mason jar most times – have been a staple to our family’s diet. It brings a vivid picture to mind of sitting at our old dinner table in the old farmhouse, no television or radio on, just a family of five gathered around the largest meal of the day; us boys eager to empty our plates and start wrestling or whatever was the plan for entertainment that particular night, antagonizing something for sure. The smell reminds me of sitting hungrily with the gravy steaming and smell of the chicken drifting, us unable to fill our plates until the prayer was said.

That is comfort; more from the memories and ease that those memories put us at rather than how stuffed we get – although we had that meal on Saturday, and I was still feeling full Monday. To this day, fried chicken, steak (grilled or chicken fried), meatloaf, my mom’s taco recipe and even tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches (we still call them toasted cheese, for some reason) all conjure up images of that little room with five place settings. Those things take me back to my childhood in the same way that spaghetti and Yellow Tail Shiraz take me back to the living room of a house I shared with my brother Josh while in college. It was a coffee table with two settings, rather than a dinner table with five.

What about you? What foods take your memories back to certain places and times?

Also, I’m in search of new deer chili recipes. I have a rather large supply of ground venison that needs cooked up, and I’m bound and determined to find a recipe I can stick with. First of all, I’m going to try Southern Venison Chili, a recipe I got from BuckCommander.com that seems more spicy than other deer chili recipes I've tried. I’ll let you know how it works out, and if anyone has a favorite, I’d love to give it a try.