tri-state outdoors, september 2015

WARRICKNEWS.COMSeptember 2015

SafeshootingBiking the Tri-StateFINDING BASS IN THE SCUM

PIONEER LIVING:GETTING BACK TO NATURE

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• Private Pay = we charge $400+ a month LESS than competitors. • Medicare = we provide therapy on your schedule, well above 2.0/2.5 hrs a day - not like competitor’s 1.5/2.0 • Medicaid = we provide therapy and restorative nursing care • Continued care provided regardless of pay type; we WILL NOT discharge you due to pay source. • Only Transcendent provides outpatient therapy through an on-site credentialed clinic.

Dear Community Members,

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President/Owner Transcendent Healthcare, LLC

This being said, I would personally like to say “Thank You” for allowing Transcendent to provide services for Long Term and Short Term Care, In Patient and Out Patient Rehabilitation, Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care, and Hospice.

I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the Tri-State communities on behalf of Transcendent Healthcare, LLC.

It has been nine years now (since 2006!) that Transcendent has had the privilege of being part of the Tri-State communities. Growing up in a small community and living in Gibson County, I truly understand the importance of small town community relations and personalized services.

I pride myself in saying that Transcendent is NOT a Banker, Investor, or National Chain; I am “hands on” in each of my properties every day. I know the residents, families and employees, personally! This is what makes us successful; local people, local ownership and local investment, NOT the cookie cutter chain operation. It is no different than a superstore vs the local hardware store or the private owned restaurant vs a chain.

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Tri-State Outdoors | Fall 20154

Preparing for SpringA little work now goes a long

way for the future.

Discovering NatureFrom cicadas to butterfl ies,

all of nature is beautiful.

Fishing with ArrowsMidwest Bowfi shing is em-

bracing a new approach to an old pasttime.

Campfi re CobblerWhat pairs better with a cool

evening and a roaring camp-fi re? Cobbler, of course.

Table of

6

18

24

32

Warrick Publishing Co.204 W. Locust Street

Boonville, Indiana 47601(812) 897-2330

Tri-State Outdoors | Fall 2015 5

Safety FirstGuns aren’t inherently

dangerous. Are you being safe with yours?

Biking the Tri-StateThe region is a biker’s

dream with rolling terrain and existing trails for off-roaders.

On the HookBass fishing offers endless

possibilities.

Back to NatureMisty Ham is embracing an

older way of life in her Civil War-era home.

Contents

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14

28

36

PUBLISHERGary Neal

[email protected]

MANAGING EDITORTim Young

[email protected]

PRODUCTION MANAGERAmanda Redenbaugh

[email protected]

MAGAZINE EDITOREmily May

[email protected]

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORSAmanda Mosiman

Tom FullerKen McBroomJulie LockhartBrad ScalesMisty Ham

ADVERTISINGKaren Hullett

[email protected] Lewis

[email protected]

CIRCULATIONTammy Franz

[email protected]

ACCOUNTINGKristina Morris

[email protected]

BUSINESS MANAGERDebi Neal

[email protected]


The fruit of fall labor

Fall is just around the corner. Before long, the weather forecasters will be-gin predicting temperatures dipping

into the low 50s at night, the main growing season will draw to a close and we feel the inclination to “let the garden go.”

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Early fall, however, is a vital period in gardening and home landscaping, and it is important that we do not neglect certain things. September gardening mea-sures may guarantee success for the coming year.

Lawn and Landscape CareSometimes fall is short on rainfall. Most lawns in

Indiana will need from 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water per week. It is best to apply this amount of water in a single thorough soaking rather than in light irrigations every day. Be careful, though. Overwatering may cause more damage. It is easy to overwater a turf area. Some potential consequences of overwatering include increased crabgrass pressure, increased dis-ease incidence, shallow rooting, waste of a valuable resource and higher water bills.

Don’t forget your fertilizer program! Fall is the best time to fertilize your lawn.

Early September is not too late to plant grass seed where it is needed.

Evergreens need attention, too. This is a good month for pruning and cleaning. Dead wood and bag-worms can be removed.

Vegetable and Fruit GardensBe sure your vegetables are adequately watered.

Many crops, such as corn, pepper, squash and to-mato, won’t mature correctly if stressed due to lack of water.

Near the end of the growing season, pick off all tomato blossoms that won’t have time to bear fruit, so plant nutrients go into existing tomatoes.

Green tomatoes can be stored for four to six weeks and will gradually ripen to a red color. The best stor-age conditions are about 60 degrees Fahrenheit with a moderately moist atmosphere. Be sure to remove fruit that may start to ripen or decay.

Fall weed control around fruit trees is crucial because weeds act as hosts to over-wintering insects.

Be sure to keep strawberries weed free. Every weed you pull now will help make weeding much easier next spring.

Remove dead plant material and compost it or plow it under. This will limit your pest population next year. Cucumber beetles, squash bugs, Colorado potato beetles and European corn borers pass the winter in debris left in the garden.

FloriculturePerennial seedlings may need plenty of watering dur-

ing September. Don’t forget to water the compost heap, either!

Late-blooming fl owers need plenty of water, fertiliza-tion, and perhaps spraying during September, to insure full bloom later on.

Rose bushes may be thankful for September spraying and watering. Some of the fi nest blooms come during the cool autumn weeks.

Dig and repot herbs for growing indoors over winter.Plant spring-fl owering bulbs beginning in late Septem-

ber. Planting too early can cause bulbs to sprout before winter. However, allow at least four to six weeks before the ground freezes for good root formation.

-----Amanda Mosiman is the Purdue Extension Educa-

tor for Warrick County. She can be reached at [email protected] or 812-897-6100.

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Safetyfirst

F irearms safety begins with you. Firearms are often mis-represented as volatile, erratic, unpredictable objects with bad tempers. The truth is much simpler: They are

mechanical devices that require an external force to oper-ate. That external force is you. A fi rearm by itself is simply a mechanical object that requires an operator, and you as the operator are solely responsible for the safe use of the mechanical object. Firearms don’t “go off” nor do they fi re by themselves. If a negligent discharge of a fi rearm occurs, it’s guaranteed a human operator failed to follow basic fi rearms safety.

The National Rifl e Association stresses three primary rules for fi rearm safety:

1. Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. During the course of fi re and even when not ready to fi re, following this rule will ensure that any bullet leaving that barrel will follow a safe direction until something safely stops the bullet’s path. That safe direction must include full awareness of what the muzzle is pointing at (your target or safe backstop), including anything near, around, in the way of, or beyond. I sometimes encourage new shooters to imagine an infi nitely long light saber (yes, I used a Star Wars reference) to visualize the bullet’s path anytime they are handling a fi rearm. If you don’t want to lose a body part or destroy an object, keep that muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

2. Always keep your fi nger off the trigger until ready to shoot. A fi rearm requires the trigger to be pressed to fi re the cartridge and send the bullet on its way. Keep your fi nger out of the trigger guard anytime you handle a fi re-arm. Your fi nger should never touch that trigger until you

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have made a clear decision to fire. Keep away from that trigger until ready to fire!

3. Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use. Except for those firearms designated for quick, rapid access for defense, all firearms should be transported, stored, handled, transferred or cleaned in an unloaded state. Remove magazines if possible and verify the chambers are clear. Always perform a visual and physi-cal check of the firearm when making your firearm safe. And just because that firearm is unloaded does not mean you can point it in unsafe directions. Always treat every gun as if it is loaded no matter how many times you’ve checked.

The safe handling of a firearm can be kept in mind with two easy yet constant reminders:

1. Where is my trigger finger?2. Where is my muzzle pointing?With those two checks always in the forefront of your

mind, you will always safely handle a firearm. If you fail at one, the other safety check will minimize (but not remove) the danger you created.

While those are the three most basic and most impor-tant firearms safety rules and the two most important con-stant checks, they are not the complete set. Other safety rules include but are not limited to:

Be sure your gun is safe to operate. Know how to properly clean and maintain your firearm. Maintenance is a critical step in firearm safety.

Know how your gun operates. Read the owner’s manual front to back.

Choose the correct ammunition for your firearm. Con-sult your owner’s manual or contact the manufacturer for more information. Many firearm manuals are available online for download from the manufacturer’s website.

Wear the correct personal protection equipment for firearms activities. Wear a high neck shirt to prevent expelled cartridges from going down your frontside. Wear safety glasses that are at minimum impact rated and marked as ANSI Z87.1 (available at any hardware store). Wear a baseball style cap to deflect expelled cartridges from landing on the top of your safety glasses frame. Lastly, wear ear protection with a noise reduction rating (NRR) of at least 25dB. Ear protection should be doubled up (plugs and muffs) for younger shooters/observers and if conditions require greater protection. Some firing line canopies can trap and deflect noise back at the shooter.

Always shoot sober. Drugs and alcohol have no place around firearms.

Use common sense when greater safety precautions are required.

Safe storage of a firearm should prevent access by unauthorized persons. This can include children and guests in your home as well as keeping vehicles locked and firearms safely secured out of sight.

Please remember these firearms safety rules and Re-member, only you and you alone are responsible for the safe handling and storage of firearms.

-----Tom Fuller is a mechanical designer with PCI Skan-

ska and is an NRA Certified Pistol Instructor and Range Safety Officer.


Biking the tri-state


Biking the tri-stateBiking the tri-state

Whether you are into road riding, mountain biking or BMX racing, the tri-state has you covered. Although this area lacks the challenging topography of places

like Colorado or Tennessee, it makes up for it with low-traffic backroads, well-designed trails and a world-class BMX facility.

Thanks to the effort and cooperation of local organiza-tions, businesses and government officials, the tri-state continues to grow and develop into one of the best areas for cycling in the midwest. From Boonville to New Har-mony, it’s time to explore some of our great local riding spots.

Let us begin with road riding. Hal Wolford would have a heyday with this topic, and rightfully so. The local backroads are some of the best in the country for road riding thanks to rolling terrain, great views, and rela-tively few cars. It is tough to highlight specific road rides since there are so many, but local “roadies” have done an excellent job of identifying some great routes. The Bluegrass Fish and Wildlife area near Elberfeld and the Burdette Park Discovery Trails on Evansville’s west side both have something for everyone, each with nearly 40 miles of paved roads and easy-to-follow signs. The towns of Evansville, Newburgh and Owensboro also have their own designated bike paths. These paved paths are, for the most part, separated from roadways and provide a much safer environment for kids and beginners to enjoy. For the more adventurous, any of our local backroads

can be strung together to create some amazing routes for road riding or the bud-ding genre of cycling called “gravel grinding.”

Although off-road riding poses potential hazards, it does eliminate the risk of danger due to automobile traffi c. Capitalizing on this fact has allowed mountain biking to rapidly evolve in recent years and the evidence of this growth has been sculpted in dirt. For those looking to get into the sport, Angel Mounds in New-burgh has some decent trails for beginners. If you want a little more challenge, Harmonie State Park in New Harmony and Ben Hawes Park/Rudy Mines in Owensboro are popular destinations. The area’s most experienced riders typi-cally head to Scales Lake Park in Boonville, where you will fi nd more advanced trails and the area’s fi rst mountain bike skills area featuring a pump track, dirt jumps and wooden challenge course. Interlake State Recreation Area in Lynnville also has many great trails for riders looking to get back to the roots of mountain biking.

Burdette Park is also home to the fastest BMX track in the midwest. Built in 1977, the George Mason Burdette Park BMX track has held many great events and helped to produce some amazing local riders. With a new course design, the crew at Burdette Park BMX has big plans for this year. Be sure to visit www.burdetteparkbmx.org for details.

I hope to highlight these great riding spots and more in future issues of Tri-State Outdoors. In the meantime, check out this great website for more informa-tion: http://www.getactiveguide.com/trail-maps.html

-----Brad Scales is an avid mountain biker and bike trail designer. He is owner of

the Boonville Bike Club, Inc. and a board member on the Evansville Mountain Bike Association.


Autumn, the season of change, is perfect for an outdoor exploration with cooler temperatures, colorful leaves and many migrations. The sea-

son provides a wonderful opportunity for adults and children to stay connected to nature. Most everyone has a favorite way to view the fall foliage. The colors are breathtaking from a distance, but I enjoy actually entering the woods to experience autumn’s glory from ground level. On a fairly sunny day, the light fi lters through the colorful leaves and fi lls the canopy with a spectrum of color. The tree tops glow with different hues as streams of light cast down to the ground. The scene is usually enhanced by a multitude of leaves free falling from the branches.

In the woods this time of the year, the foliage thins revealing the life cycles of some fascinating insects waiting to be discovered. After emerging from a fi nal stage of complete metamorphosis, butterfl ies leave behind what remains of their chrysalis attached by threads to the foliage.

Other insects go through incomplete metamorpho-sis; they also supply many interesting things to fi nd. The praying mantis in its transformation to adult molts leaving behind a thin almost transparent skin with in-credible details. Examine branches closely to fi nd the securely fastened egg case of a praying mantis. The egg case resembles a tiny wasp or hornet nest.

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When cicadas are completely formed, they break free leaving behind the outer layer of their exoskeletons. Look for these shells on the side of tree trunks and on the ground near the tree’s root system. Cicada shells are harder than the more pliable molted skin of the praying mantis.

Hunting for cicada shells was a wonderful childhood activity. I would scour the tree trunks for the little treasures. After locating a shell, I would gently remove the seemingly embedded grasp of the hinged legs from the bark. I was careful not to damage any of the legs; I needed to preserve their grasping ability. I remember clipping the cicada shells on practically everything including myself. I would wear them in my hair, clip them around buttons and wrap them around fingers; they made great “bug” rings. What a sight I must have been with all those shells clinging to me, but the joy that those nature encounters brought to me was precious. Nature expands the imagination of a child; it inspires.

It is special to find evidence of the stages of metamorphosis this time of the year. It is a true demonstration of the delicate strength of an insect’s exoskeleton.

Watching for fall migrations is reason enough to get outdoors, but birds are not the only migratory species on the move. Several years ago a casual day trip to Patoka Lake resulted in a remarkable event. On a last minute hike to explore one of the many gor-geous areas around the lake, we came across a large overgrown stretch of grasses and wildflowers with some large trees. While I was admiring the colors and shapes of all the flowers, I noticed a monarch butterfly right in front of me then another and yet another. We suddenly realized that they were everywhere; there were more monarchs than the eye could count. How we missed the huge numbers of butterflies when we first arrived is beyond me.

Again, they were everywhere. Many of the monarchs were feeding on the expanse of wildflowers.

Some of the butterflies were resting on the surrounding shrubs and trees, while others engaged in flight, filling the area as far as we could see.

After taking as many pictures as I could, I just stood in amazement of the spectacular event. I had never seen so many monarchs in one place before or since. I did not want to leave, but I did with a deep thankfulness for the encounter with these beautiful insects.

Beneficial insects require habitat, and yes, even cicadas are beneficial. They are an extremely important part of the food chain. Many species rely on cicadas including insects, fish, birds and mammals. Butterfly species need very specific host plants to survive. When summer blooms fade, our fall perennials supply vital nectar for the benefi-cial pollinators. Some late bloomers include asters, black-eyed Susans, cardinal flowers, gayfeathers and goldenrods.

To learn about the monarch’s migration visit www.monarchwatch.org. There are maps of the butterflies migration along with monarch tagging information. On this great web-site there are seed kits available for milkweed, the monarchs host plant, and for nectar plants.

Discover the wonders to be found in nature this fall. For more information on how to provide habitat for beneficial insects, please contact

the Indiana Wildlife Federation www.indianawildlife.org. -----Julie Lockhart is a freelance writer and photographer. She can be reached at julielock-

[email protected].


Istarted Bowfi shing nearly 10 years ago. A good friend of mine, Brandon Rodgers, introduced me to the sport. When he invited me to go with him and I laid my eyes on the fi sh

he was shooting, that was all it took. We spent many a night out on his airboat shooting fi sh.

After many daytime excursions, I realized nighttime shoot-ing was where I needed to be. The fi sh would come up in the shallows to feed at night, bringing greater chances of eliminating the rough fi sh population. The sport was about more than just me. Bowfi shing is a family affair. My daugh-ters were intrigued and showed the same passion as I did. I spent many nights on the water, even with my youngest. When it got too late, she would curl up on the bench, not wanting to miss out on anything.

Bowfi shing has introduced me to a lot of wonderful people from all over the country and for that I am thankful. It has built friendships that will last a lifetime. The sport of Bowfi sh-ing sure has grown over the last 10 years. We used to be one of the only “boats with lights” on the water and now it looks like a tournament every weekend with the large num-ber of boats out there.

The sport has evolved from a hand wrapped reel to a bottle or spinner reel attached to a bow. The sporting indus-try has seen how popular Bowfi shing is within their custom-ers and has evolved to better serve us.

We are currently running a custom aluminum boat with 9.9 kicker front steering with 10 150 watt high pressure sodium lights. We look like a Walmart parking lot going down the wa-ter as bright as we are. This is a sport you can either shoot fi sh from the bank or have a complete decked out Bowfi shing boat, either way it’s a whole lot of fun.

My team now consists of Mel Greer and John Whalen. We have won/placed in a multitude of tournaments, and it is

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something to see when all those boats come pulling in after a night on the water loaded down with rough fi sh. (Check with your local states for legal fi sh you can shoot).

My personal record is a 72-pound big head that was shot on the Ohio River and a 57-pound big head from Kentucky Lake. On a good fi shing night, you can pull in between 100 and 600 pounds of rough fi sh. My team loves the sport and the conservation we provide is loved by sport fi shermen everywhere. The fi sh that are being removed out of our reservoirs and lakes are rough Asian fi sh that should not be here to begin with, as they hurt the habitats of our sport fi sh (bass, catfi sh, bluegill, etc.) Check out my website, midwestbowfi shing.com, for more pictures and we will see you on the water.

-----Jeremy “Grizz” Oller is owner of Midwest Bowfi shing. He can be

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Crankbaits come in all shapes, sizes and colors. There are so many choices that many anglers lose

sight of the most important feature of a crankbait: the bill or lip. There are many bill shapes on the market, but we will focus here on the round bill and the square bill crankbait and the differenc-es. This article will also explain when and where to use each type.

Round Bill CrankbaitRound bill crankbaits are great for

deep open water applications. The round bill allows the bait to run truer and is used on all deep running crank-baits. For this reason, round bill crank-baits are great for probing cover in deep water or deep water with suspended bass. The round bill helps you get the bait down quick to reach the depth where the fi sh are holding.

There are times when bass are suspended in the water column and you need to get your crankbait to that depth. You can throw a suspending crankbait or a fl oating crankbait. The time to use the suspending model is when the fi sh are off the bottom in open water. You want that bait to stay in the strike zone as long as possible and short pauses during the retrieve can entice the weari-est bass.

A fl oating crankbait is used when the bass are in heavy cover in deep water. Whether it be rock or tree tops, the bass are holding in, you want to be able to get down to them and present your crankbait. Sometimes it’s impor-tant to hit this cover with your crankbait to trigger a strike and you will hang up. The fl oating model crankbait will help you retrieve your lure and with practice you will be able to pause your retrieve allowing your bait to fl oat up and free from the cover before continuing your retrieve. This is a great way to generate strikes from those bass holding in deep tree tops.

Fluorocarbon line is my choice for deep diving crankbaits, as it sinks and helps to get the crankbait down to depth quicker. Spooling this line on a low-speed reel can help power the crankbait


down to depth. The rod is probably the most impor-tant part of the set-up. A slow action is needed when fishing crankbaits. The slow action is important in crankbait fishing as it keeps the rod loaded, allowing you to keep the line tight without ripping the trebles out of the bass’ mouth.

Square Bill Crankbait

The beauty of the square bill is its erratic action. The flow of water over the square bill is not uniform like the round bill, causing a turbulence causing it to dart one way or the other constantly searching for its center. It is this center searching that causes a reac-tionary response in the bass and you can get bites even when the bass aren’t feeding.

The square bill crank bait will also slither through cover better than a round bill without hanging up. When the bass have their nose shoved into the cover, the square bill is perfect for moving erratically through that cover and into the very small strike zone. The erratic motion along with the glancing off of cover can really trigger those reaction strikes and put bass in the boat when many other techniques fail.

The tackle used for square bill crankbaits differ from deep cranking round bill crankbaits. You want a high-speed reel and a little stiffer rod. When the bass are shallow, you are usually covering a lot of water and the high-speed reel allows you to do this. The stiffer rod is to get the bass out of the cover you are fishing. With a square bill, monofilament is the preferred line because it will stretch a little when pull-ing the bass out of that cover. Mono also floats and, when fishing heavy cover, there will be times when you have to pause your bait and allow it to float up and free of that cover.

There are many ways to fish a crankbait and many styles to choose from and the best way to figure them out is on the water practice. Sometimes crankbaits work when nothing else will and learning to master even one of these techniques can add to your own angling arsenal and help you catch more bass.

-----Ken McBroom is a freelance outdoor writer and

photographer based in Indiana. For more information, please visit www.ramblingangler.com. Send com-ments to [email protected].


Homemade Whipped Cream1 cup of heavy whipping cream3 tbsp white sugarA splash of vanilla

Place the cream and sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix on high with your mixer or you can whip your whipped cream with a fork or whisk for 2 minutes. Once you have your whipping cream and sugar thoroughly mixed to-gether add the splash of vanilla and continue to mix. Be careful not to whip the cream too much or it will start to curdle and thicken and you want creamy whipped cream for your cobbler.

My wife and I are leaving in the morning to do some winter camping/deer hunting and you can bet the dutch oven and cobbler ingredients are packed for the trip. It’s going to be a cold camp but with a warm fi re, a bowl of fresh cobbler with homemade whipped cream and a tall mug of coffee, I think we’ll be just fi ne.

CampfirecookingCampfirecookingCampfire

T here is nothing better than a late night cobbler indulgence around a warm campfi re in the cool winter evenings.

My wife and I love to camp in the winter. Winter camping is a great escape for us and a great way to unwind from the busy warm months that include yard work, softball games and other events. Winter is a great time to hang around the camper and try new recipes for the campfi re.

This cobbler recipe is simple but delicious. I can feel the heat from the fi re pit now as I write. My wife and I enjoy this cobbler with homemade whipped cream and a winter sunset wrapped up in a wool blanket next to a roaring campfi re.

Campfi re Peach Cobbler2 cans sliced peaches1 cup white sugar1/2 cup brown sugar1 box of white cake mix1 can of cream sodaIn a 10 inch dutch oven, dump the peaches juice

and all and spread them out evenly. Next, sprinkle the white sugar all over. Now carefully sprinkle the white cake mix evenly over the top of the peaches. Gently pour the cream soda over the cake mix. You want the soda to stay on top of the cake mix, so be sure your dutch oven is as level as possible. Next, sprinkle your cobbler with brown sugar and if you like, a touch of cinnamon is great.

Place your dutch oven carefully onto 12 coals for a 10 inch oven. Cover with the lid and place six to eight coals on top to achieve 350 degrees. Bake the cobbler at this temperature for about 30 min-utes or until the cobbler is bubbling.

This cobbler is easy to make, but really deli-cious. The cream soda is key and makes a perfect crust and adds a great fl avor to the cobbler. Cream soda is the best in my opinion. Sprite or 7up, how-ever, can be substituted. The peaches can also be substituted with your favorite fruit. This recipe is very simple with few ingredients, but it is really rich. We like to whip up some homemade whipped cream to go with our campfi re cobbler and, believe it or not, it really helps to tame that richness a good bit.

While homemade whipped cream isn’t required to enjoy the campfi re cobbler, it is defi nitely a great touch and I even add a dollop atop the mug of hot coffee I like with my cobbler. Ken McBroom is a freelance outdoor writer and pho-

tographer based in Indiana. For more information, please visit www.ramblingangler.com. Send comments to [email protected].

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In the backyard habitat, predators not pesticides controlled the balance of the vegetable garden, so the garden often provided some surprising encoun-

ters and most welcome predators. One day while I was harvesting the remaining tomatoes, I discovered a beautifully camoufl aged frog sitting very still on top of a tomato. The tiny frog was about the size of a dime, but the little amphibian’s appetite proved to be huge, devouring pests at a steady rate.

The growing season is coming to an end for most of us. I will miss the garden and the frog, but it is time to prepare for the cooler months ahead. After the tomato and pepper cages have been removed from the gar-den, I pull out all of the annual vegetable plants for composting.

The vegetable garden has provided fresh tomatoes, peppers and herbs all season. Some of the surplus of peppers were cleaned, chopped and frozen for winter use. I have found that the green bell peppers and the banana peppers freeze best. The frozen peppers are convenient for using in soups, dips and many other dishes in the off season.

I prefer to dry the hot cayenne and chile peppers by stringing them together. For this task I recommend wearing gloves. I try to choose peppers that still have the cap and stem on top. Using a clean sewing needle and heavy thread, I pierce the middle of the cap on top of the pepper and pull the pepper down the string leaving a few inches at the end to tie a knot. I then add more peppers to the string, leaving enough length at the end to secure a loop for hanging. I have found that keeping the string under 24 inches in length works best for me. Stringing peppers this way saves space and creates something beautiful to display in the kitchen. Strings of peppers can also be incorporated into deco-rative wreaths for color or interesting structure.

I usually bundle and hang dry some of the herbs from the vegetable garden, but if space is limited I have had good results from freezing basil and oreg-ano. It is always nice to be able to savor a bit of the garden’s harvest in the months to come.

Growing up on a farm in rural Warrick County gave me a great appreciation for the fall harvest, nature and sustainable living. There were large vegetable gardens on the farm, but as a child it was the small pumpkin patch that was a magical place to me. The long sprawl-ing vines dotted with lovely bright orange pumpkin blossoms were irresistible. I was not allowed to pick all of them, of course, for the vines would not have

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7799 State Road 66 Newburgh, IN 47630

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Robin Craig (812) 573-1747

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Boonville Open Mon.-Sat. 7 a.m.- 8 p.m. • Sun. 9 a.m.- 5 p.m

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produced any pumpkins. I am fairly sure that a close eye had to be kept on me at all times while I was around the pumpkin patch. The beautiful blossoms were prepared by removing the reproductive parts from inside the fl ower, washing the blossoms thoroughly (pat dry), coating them in a little seasoned cornmeal and frying them crisp.

Roasted pumpkin seeds can make a delicious and healthy treat. After removing the stringy, slimy pumpkin guts, place the equally slimy seeds in a strainer. Rinse the seeds well in cold water and let them drain for a minute. Do not pat dry the seeds; the moist slimy residue helps the seasoning to adhere to the seeds during the roasting process.

Spread the seeds out in an even single layer on a cookie sheet or shallow oven-safe pan. Traditionally, the seeds are seasoned with salt, but creativity is golden with this simple recipe. A few alternatives include: cay-enne pepper, lemon pepper, paprika with herbs, or onion powder with garlic salt. Cooking times and oven tempera-tures will vary, so check seeds often. Usually 325 – 350 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes on each side. Use a spatula to fl ip the seeds around and to rearrange them back to a single layer on the cookie sheet. The seeds are done when they are dry, crispy and turn a light golden color. Remove the seeds from sheet, and let them cool. Store in zipper bag or container with a sealed lid. Great snack for camping or anytime.

Using the dried fl ower heads and seed pods of native plants from the garden is a simple and inexpensive way to make some fall decorations and to provide food for our native wildlife species during the fall and winter months. Bee-balm and rattle snake-master, with their spherical fl ower heads, are pleasing when they are combined with the little domed fl ower heads of the purple cone fl owers and black-eyed Susans. Try removing the dried petals from some of the composite plants and use their center disks to form a cluster. Cattails, rose hips and native grasses (especially Indian grass with its bronze color) are nice to incorporate in any arrangement. The fl ower bundles can be easily attached with twine or raffi a to the deck, the fence or to the poles of the bird feeder.

Gardening offers many pleasures that can last year round. Sharing projects like these with children is a fun and creative way for them to learn about nature and sus-tainable living – after all, it’s all connected. Enjoy the fall harvest.

-----Julie Lockhart is freelance writer and photographer.

She can be reached at [email protected].

harvest


Getting back to natureIown Dawn Nikole, a small fi ber farm in the heart of bourbon country, Kentucky.

I’m a homesteader by choice. My husband and I recently purchased a Civil War-era farm that has been aban-doned for several years. My daughter and I stumbled upon it coming back from a derby celebration in Louisville.

It’s south of beautiful Bardstown, Ky., which was voted most beautiful small town in the country.It was a perfect fi t for my family and I. We always joke that I would be happy living in a teepee or yurt, as long as I

could hear my sheep or my goats. When my husband called, they said it’s a tear down. It has no plumbing and no electricity. We laughed and said

it sounds perfect. My favorite thing is when I’m asked how do we use the bathroom or take a shower. My reply is always the same, how did people ever exist before electricity or indoor plumbing? We have a solar water heater and a composting toilet. Yes, it’s inconvenient at times, but it’s funny how fast you adjust.

I no longer own or subsequently miss television. Really, I don’t. I can cook anything on a fi re that you can on a stove or in an oven.

My children complain at times when they don’t have the same access to mass media that other kids do, but they have skills that are valuable and relevant in this day and age. For example, for my daughters ninth birthday, she asked for a blue iPhone. What she got was an Ashford traditional spinning wheel. She loves it! My logic was I can buy her an iPhone — basically giving my baby a portal to the outside world that I strive to protect her from — or I can nurture a talent she has and give her a lasting skill that she will be able to market and pass on to the next genera-tion.

All of my children enjoy hand crafts. Every time I see them we do some kind of fi ber-related craft. My second old-est loves to use our farm’s drum carder — a machine that is used to align fi bers. My smaller girls enjoy helping me skirt (remove vegetable matter and belly wool) raw fl eece from our own fl ock of Shetland sheep or other local sheep.My youngest daughter loves to sew. I’ve taught them how to take fi ber from an animal (goat ,rabbit, sheep) and turn that fi ber into a beautiful garment.

We also have a family garden right here in my hometown of Chandler at my mother’s house. She started it to feed my herd of Angora rabbits. After the harvest, I can reap the bounty of vegetables she grows. I love that I can see our food and I know that it is safe from hormones and chemicals.

Everything is a circle in my life and nothing is ever wasted. The fi ber that I remove prior to processing is even used. I boil the lanolin out of it and make my own organic hand cream. Fibers that are too full of vegetable matter goes to the birds for their nest building. My rabbits fertilize our garden with their droppings. Brittle, weak fi ber gets used as insulation for our home.

I enjoy the whole process of being a farmer. Sure, I’m almost Amish in the aspect of I prefer to do things by hand rather than depend on technology. I enjoy that when I go to cut my grass I know beyond nary a doubt that my lawn-mower will start — it’s a reel mower! When I go to the mailbox, there’s never an electric bill. I know if there is ever a


natural disaster or a blackout, it won’t affect me one bit and my family will survive and prosper.

I’m thankful for my farm and blessed that my family is so supportive of my lifestyle. I was lucky to grow up in the family I did. My aunt is 20 years older than my mother and exactly like “Aunt Bea” from Mayberry. She’s the one who gave me the love of needle arts. That lady could cross stitch the Sistine chapel. My mother is a child of the ‘70s. She was a welder and factory worker and a single mother. She gave me the Rosie the Riveter mantra, “We can do it!”

When something broke when I grew up, we fi xed it ourselves, so that’s where I get it. I grew up in a perfect storm and I’m thankful for the skills and life I have. I’m proud to say I’m a farmer and a homesteader and, most impor-tantly, a mother. I know that I am bringing my children up in a time machine, and they are more interested in sheep than taking the perfect selfi e.

-----Misty Ham is owner of Dawn Nikole. She is

currently renovating a Civil War-era home with her husband, Chris Ham. She can be reached at www.facebook.com/Dawnnikolecrafts?fref=ts.


Locating bass can sometimes prove to be a futile attempt leaving one to wonder, where did they all go? During one such outing at Shakamak State Park, located in Jasonville, I found myself searching shallow and deep, shade and sun, grass and rock, dead-falls and standing timber for any bass willing to take the bait. I had decided that the bass just

were not in a feeding mood, but I was. I eased into a cove and pondered my predicament over a cold drink and turkey sandwich. I had searched every possible hiding spot in that lake and wondered what it would take to salvage the day after such a long trip to enjoy some of the great bass fi shing Shakamak State Park has to offer.

My boat drifted deeper into the shallow cove and, as I approached the shoreline, I began to hear a sound I had not heard since I was a boy fi shing farm ponds in Tennessee. Even though the sound brought on a wave of memories, I had failed to benefi t from those memories until that moment when I realized the bass were in the only cover I had not ex-plored. The scum!

I had just the bait for this presentation and thought about those days so long ago on those scum covered ponds as I tied the appropriately named Scum Frog to my line. The sound that jogged my memory so vividly was the “shlump” sound of a bass attacking a frog or insect that had landed on top of the thick scum that lined much of the shoreline and covered the backs of coves. The scum provides a perfect ambush point, as well as shade and cover for the bass.

I eased the boat in position and made my fi rst cast with the Scum Frog and landed a nice 14 inch largemouth. It was a great feeling after fi shing so long without a strike. I enjoyed several hours catching bass on the scum. The Scum Frog is a perfect bait for this type of fi shing. It is easy to cast with its weighted body, but still easily rides on top of the scum and through thick weeds that grow in the shallows. The double frog hook tucks neatly into the body. This design allows you to throw into the thickest scum and weeds without hanging up or fouling the bait.

On this day, I actually would throw the scum frog into the grass up on shore and ease it out to the scum. The bass were tucked tight against the shore beneath the scum in only inches of water. The body of the scum frog is a very soft pliable plastic that collapses when the bass strikes which completely exposes the double hook for great hook-sets and fewer misses.

When scum frogging for bass, cast your frog as close to shore as possible. Many times, the strike will come when it hits the water, so be ready. However, many times you have to work the frog across the scum to get a strike. It is amazing how well bass can detect the slightest movement. Sometimes a very small twitch is all that is needed, but other times, a more aggressive approach will trigger more strikes.

Always pause your frog in the open water next to the scum. Many times, a bass will follow your frog out to the open water before smashing it and many times you see the bass moving underneath the scum following your frog. This can be hard on the nerves so keep your composure when the bass strikes and allow it to take the bait. If you are new to topwater bass fi shing, you will probably, like we all did, miss a few fi sh. If you set the hook too soon you can pull the bait from the bass’ mouth. This can be hard to do because when a bass erupts on your frog your reaction is to set the hook.

Frogging for bass, especially in the scum, requires some heavy tackle. A heavy action rod and 65 pound braid work great for pulling bass from the scum. The scum is thick and often ends up on your line with the bass and a light rod or line just can’t handle the weight. When a small bass is tangled in the scum, the fi ght can be less than spectacular, but when you hook a good one, the scum does little to hamper the fi ght as the bass frees itself from the scum and heads for deeper domains. The lakes at Shakamak are full of snags and it takes a heavy set-up to keep the bass from fi nding one.

The lakes at Shakamak is full of lay-downs and standing timber as well as grass. On this trip, I found that the bass pre-ferred the scum that covered these lay-downs or the scum that was located near this cover. Bass will cruise along under the cover of the scum in search of baitfi sh, but prefers to be close to deeper water and cover so that they can move into it if danger approaches. The bigger bass came from the narrow stretches of thick scum that lined the deeper banks where the water underneath this scum was two to three feet. Most of the scum was in the shallow coves so that’s where most of the bass were caught but when I came across the occasional deep scum line there was nearly always a good bass lurk-ing beneath.

Skakamak State Park provides great bass fi shing with lots of different cover available for the bass. On your next trip to Shakamak, pack a heavy weight rod rigged with some heavy braid and a scum frog tied on. If you are having trouble fi nd-ing the bass, be sure to give the scum and the frog a try, and you might just be hooked on frogging for bass.

-----Ken McBroom is a freelance outdoor writer and photographer based in Indiana. For more information, please visit

www.ramblingangler.com. Send comments to [email protected].

Fighting theFighting thescum


OUTDOORSTri-State

MagazineAdvertiser Index

American Taxidermy......................34American White Tail.......................31Body Boutique...............................34Boonville Federal Savings Bank....25Boulder Designs............................23Cron’s Body Shop.........................27Dan’s Comp...................................15Kiesel Enterprises, Inc...................29Meeks Guns....................................9Midwest Equipment...............20 & 21

Paradise Carts...............................34PinUp Baggers..............................17Posey’s..........................................35R & J Shooting Supply...................35Town Square Furniture....................7Transcendent...................................2Tri-State Outdoors................33 & 35Tyler Boats.....................................13Vapor Bank...........................35 & 40Werthwein Guns............................11

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Mill Road516 W. Mill Rd.Evansville IN

47710

Newburgh838 State St.

Newburgh IN47630

Green River861 S. Green

River Rd.Evansville IN

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Boonville202 W. Locust St.

Boonville IN47601

Terre Haute2801 S. 3rd St.

Terre Haute IN47802

tri-state outdoors, september 2015

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