RD September Letters 2019

Get cookin’
RD: Just had a thought that it’s soon time that you tapped someone on the shoulder and appointed that individual in charge of manufacture of The Maritime Rural Delivery Cook Book. I see several editions possible … all available one at a time, a month before Christmas.

For me, the name Myrtle Conrad and her sister’s “decadent chocolate cake” should be featured on the first cover. This could be a summer job for some farm kids under staff direction … a fund raiser, an intro to journalistic ventures … you name it.

Sandy McAllister
Cambridge-Narrows, N.B.

(Good suggestion, Sandy. It has been a little more than 30 years since Suzy Restino compiled recipes from the magazine to include in our Rural Deli cookbook – a compact, spiral-bound volume, still available from DvL Publishing for a mere $15.75 including tax and shipping – so perhaps we are overdue for another one. And Christmas is right around the corner! DL)

Our similarities
RD: I have been receiving Rural Delivery for more than 10 years, and I always read your diatribe. I enjoy it because I can tell that we think much alike. I live in the West Kootenays of British Columbia, and have been farming my 10 acres, raising animals and of course fruits and vegetables, for more than 40 years. My wife and I pride ourselves in our self-sufficiency and environmental stewardship. I just now read your latest editorial, “And the livin’ is easy - for some,” (RD July-August, pg. 6). When I got to the part where you looked around the dinner table and asked “What about us?” I decided I had to tell you this story.

A decade ago, or thereabouts, I received a call from a young representative of Stephen Harper’s campaign, and was asked to say whether I agreed or disagreed with certain statements. Kind of like a phoney poll on issues. I agreed to participate, and about the third statement in was: “Taxes should be reduced for hard-working Canadians.” I thought a few seconds, and asked, “What about us lazy bastards?”

The young fellow on the other end of the line thought about it for a good long time, and then replied, “I think that includes you too,” at which point I told him I was all for it. I enjoyed that interplay very much, and I think it woke him up a little too, but I have never since received a call from the Tories. I guess they figured out that calling me is a waste of time, though I must admit, I don’t seem to have any party that I’m excited to vote for these days. I guess it will have to be the Greens. I really enjoy reading about small farming on your side of the continent. Keep up the good work.

Rod Retzlaff
Glade B.C.

Shelter not stumpage

RD: Just a note to say how much I enjoy Rural Delivery. My husband passed away a few years ago, and he enjoyed articles about small-scale farming and woodlots. My area is pretty well clearcut – and we dare talk about clearing the rainforest. I hope my small woodlot will continue to shelter wild creatures and still give me wood for the furnace. Men have asked me to sell stumpage. I have seen what they leave.

Jennifer Palmer
Kingsley, N.B.

Alternative heat
RD: Has Rural Delivery ever discussed using cattle to heat homes with an attached barn? It is a European practice in several countries. Also, what do readers think of using cow dung bricks as a home fuel? Feedlots produce so much dung. What to do?

Robin Day
North Augusta, Ont.

(Historically, taking advantage of the heat from livestock made good sense, and some of those Old World barn-and-house designs were eminently practical, especially in bad weather – in addition to having a certain architectural elegance. Notwithstanding building codes and bio-security restrictions, maybe there’s an appropriate 21st-century way to do it. In Emily Leeson’s excellent article about Passive House construction (“An airtight case”) on pg. 48 of this issue, she discusses heat exchange systems that ensure good indoor air quality, and in our next issue she will be looking more closely at heat pumps. We’ve heard of these technologies being adapted to extract thermal energy from livestock quarters. Problem is, crowding cattle into a cozy barn all winter has kind of fallen out of favour, hasn’t it? The trend is to give them room to move and fresh air to breathe, as opposed to keeping them cooped up like . . . well, like people. As for burning manure – or turning it into bio-gas, for that matter – I believe many agrologists would say our soils could benefit from that source of organic matter and nutrients. Arguably, livestock should remain spread out across areas where field crops are grown, instead of being trucked to feedlots where they are concentrated in vast numbers. Thanks for raising these questions, Robin. We look forward to receiving some input from readers. DL)