Homemade Sausage Making

No need for me to rake leaves from the ornamental cherry trees in the front yard. Volunteers from the neighbourhood vaccuum them up several times a day and to boot, apply generous loads of fertilizer onto the lawn. Having this help allows me to spend more time making and eating sausage.

Red,
You are a lucky Guy.
These little critters clean your lawns as well as providing enough ingredients for sausage making.
Regards,
Jan.

The local deer population provides my family the service of keeping our rose bushes bare and vegetable garden neatly mowed. They wouldn't touch a fallen tree leaf!

Any idea how to grow cilantro in your herb garden with these characters around? They won't touch mint or rosemary, but turn your back on 'em and they eat cilantro, roots and all. We've tried enclosing cilantro pots in hardware cloth (chicken wire), and they seem to get it anyway. For critters without opposable thumbs, they sure seem to get into everything.

...or are the danged raccoons helping 'em?

I bet they'd sure be good with some "venison-helper".

el Ducko wrote:Any idea how to grow cilantro in your herb garden with these characters around? They won't touch mint or rosemary, but turn your back on 'em and they eat cilantro, roots and all. We've tried enclosing cilantro pots in hardware cloth (chicken wire), and they seem to get it anyway. For critters without opposable thumbs, they sure seem to get into everything.
...or are the danged raccoons helping 'em?

"critters without opposable thumbs" Duckie that is a description that would never enter my chart of expressions. Much too soft and kind. To me they are horned rats.

Fortunately my backyard is fenced, but on two occasions this summer I suffered a senior moment and left the gate open all night. They promptly pruned every bit of vegetation in there. It will take at least three years for my blue berries and haskap berries to recover. All the tomatoes were gone and even the horseradish was mowed down to the roots. In the five years we have lived here I have never seen as many deer as this autumn. Three days ago we went for a 45 minute evening walk on the golf course where we live, and counted 38 deer. And Yes, the raccoons did a number on the apples, but that is a tradition, they they come one or two nights and then I know that I have to pick all the apples off the trees. And what the deer and raccoons don't get, the rabbits nibble away at the leftovers.

Baconologist wrote:I bet they'd sure be good with some "venison-helper".

I wish. I think a nice venison summer sausage would be great at this time of year. But then it would not be much fun eating it in jail. But.... one of these nights.

They are so cute.
I couldn't make sausage if I think about the animals at all.
I think I could be a hypocrite.
Ursula

Hi Ursula,
Those poor little piggies you have ground up in your sausages, shame on you.
I would never do a vile thing like that!
Regards,
Jan.

Jan, Jan, you cheeky man!

Looks to me like someone needs a crossbow! RAY

sawhorseray wrote:Looks to me like someone needs a crossbow! RAY

That plan has crossed my mind many times. Next time my brother in law, a born hunter will visit, I will ask him to bring along his bow. But if some of my neighbours witness the abattoir scene, I will be dead meat myself. I'm currently on the prairies due to a family situation. Should have been on Kauai, had to cancel. The one benefit is that I will be returning home with white tail venison, wild duck breasts and goose breasts. Will have fun experimenting with making sausage with it.

I'm currently on the prairies due to a family situation. Should have been on Kauai, had to cancel. The one benefit is that I will be returning home with white tail venison, wild duck breasts and goose breasts. Will have fun experimenting with making sausage with it.[/quote]

Boy howdy Red, that's some difference in locations! All you'd have had to bring home from the Islands was pineapple and coconuts anyway, maybe a sunburn, way better off with what you've got I'd think. No deer for me this year, all I can hope for is a spring wild hog and maybe a turkey. A friend I used to split a duck blind just got his decoys out on Thankgiving morning due to the rice harvest delay in flooding. It's been raining so hard here the last couple of days, and it's supposed to last a couple more days, he's in danger of being flooded out of his blind in the first week of the season. $2K for a week of duck hunting would seem rather steep to me. RAY

el Ducko wrote:Any idea how to grow cilantro in your herb garden with these characters around? They won't touch mint or rosemary, but turn your back on 'em and they eat cilantro, roots and all. We've tried enclosing cilantro pots in hardware cloth (chicken wire), and they seem to get it anyway. For critters without opposable thumbs, they sure seem to get into everything.

...or are the danged raccoons helping 'em?

El Ducko

This might be an Old Wise tail but, I have heard that human hair clippings around plants will keep the deer away. ???????

Senor D - I've got a lot of experience donating all manner of garden plants to deer. Here are some suggestions:

1 - plant roses next to your cilantro. The deer will eat the roses instead, especially if the roses are your favorites. Keep the rose supply fresh.

2 - mark your territory. Years ago my wife and I lived in a remote location where the deer ran in herds of 20, 30, and up. To the amazement of our neighbors, we were the only folks in the area with a thriving vegetable garden but no deer fence. Our secret? Well, we didn't have a toilet in the house, and at night, instead of using the outdoor facilities, we used the chamber pot method in the tradition of our ancestors. Our nightly reserves (urine only, ahem!) we poured around the garden perimeter. In 5 years not one deer crossed our line, except when we were away and couldn't keep the boundary updated. Direct applications also work just fine. If you try this method, please, no pictures!

3 - build something sturdy over the cilantro. Nowadays we make little A-frames covered with chicken wire. I doubt coons want your cilantro - it's probably deer. But you could stake down the frames if you find something has been lifting them in the night. This works, and is socially acceptable.

Note: the deer will now move on to something else in your garden. Suggestion - send the local game warden 5 lbs. of your best venison sausage. Now, plant some roses under a floodlight with an on/off switch near a rose-facing window, from which you have removed the screen. Hang bells on the roses....