Howdy!
Just wondering why you decided on Minnesota to homestead in? Thanks! Appreciate your wisdom & learn MUCH from your writings… Thanks!

Jul Amidon
Brimson, Minnesota

There were lots of reasons we decided on Minnesota when we were looking for a new homestead. First of all, two of my adult children live here, one down by Sturgeon Lake, and another by Hager City, Wisconsin, just across the border. My sister, Sue, also lives in Hermantown, near Duluth. Then I had lived here before and both my late husband, Bob, and I liked the state. We also loved Montana, but land there had gotten WAY beyond our prices! WAY BEYOND, for any amount of good homesteading land.

When we looked here, land was much cheaper, a lot of it with water on it.

In addition, we love the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Area, just northeast of us, as well as the thousands of other lakes and rivers that are canoe-friendly.

We wanted wild land with remoteness and critters. Here we have deer, bear, wolves, fishers, otter, beaver and even an occasional moose or cougar.

So we found 80 acres with a creek and two beaver ponds, big woods and 25 acres that had been clear cut about 15 years ago, growing up to popple and pines.  It had a gravel ridge to build on, and also some benches that made gardens and horse pastures.  All in all, it’s working out very nicely.  Glad we’re here.

Hi Jackie!
Love your column! Here’s my question: Have you ever found GREEN meat in your roast chicken? If so - do you throw the whole bird out - or just pick out the green meat. I understand that the bones can make the meat dark or brown - but what’s up with green? I’ve had it happen twice in homegrown organic birds and two of my friends have had it happen.

Thanks,

Mindy Wickham
Richville, NY

I can’t say that I’ve every had green meat on my roast chicken.  It’s probably only a chemical reaction of some kind, natural in nature, sort of like how ham slices get a fluorescent sheen to them sometime.  I wouldn’t throw out the roast chicken, but just pick the green out.  I’m sure you know what the bird had eaten and it wasn’t a chemical picked up in the feed.  One tip:  sometimes overcooking poultry makes ugly colors next to the bones; try roasting a little shorter time and see if that helps. — Jackie