SHT Blog – Food, Gardening and Outdoor Activities Blog

June 13, 2019 By Eric Leave a Comment

Clover Lawns Pros and Cons

Do you drive by houses every day and admire their green lawns? And, you think that your lawn will never look like this? It might just be because you have the wrong lawn in your yard.

There are some people that are claiming that clover lawns are much better options than the normal lawns that people have in their yard.

Some are saying that you should have a mix between the normal lawn and the clover lawn. What is the truth? With these pros and cons, you will know if having clover lawns is something that you want to have or not.

Pros

1. The Flowers of the Clover Lawn Are Great Nectar Source for Bees

If you have a love for insects, this is a great benefit of having the clover lawn in your yard. The white flowers that the clover lawn has, is great for bees. This is a great nectar source for bees to make honey.

This is one of the most common reasons why so many homeowners are planting the clover lawn. This is to make sure that bees have enough nectar for the summer. Not many people know this but bees are starting to go extinct. And, without bees, we will not have flowers and fruit. This is why this is the top benefit of having a clover lawn in your backyard.

And, without bees, we will not have flowers and fruit. This is why this is the top benefit of having a clover lawn in your backyard.

2. It Improves the Health and Fertility of the Ground

This is an important benefit, especially if you plant flowers or vegetables in your garden. The moment that you are planting the clover lawn, you are going to have healthy and fertilized soil.

This is a great benefit that not many people are aware of. That clover is ensuring that all the ground around it are healthier and fertilize it. Making your soil great for planting anything. And, you don’t need to add fertilizer to the ground to assist the clover with growing. Making it easier to have a green lawn without the troubles.

3. Your Lawn Remains Green, Until the First Frost. Even During the Hot Summer Days, It Will Stay Green

This is the main reason why your neighbor’s lawn is much greener than your own lawn. The lawn will remain greener for a lot longer. It will only start to fade when it frosts or snow for the first time. And, even in the hottest days, the color of the grass won’t fade like normal grass.

This is the reason why most people are switching to clover lawn. Because it is going to keep your yard looking beautiful for a lot longer.

Cons

1. You Will Need to Reseed It Every Two to Three Years

Those who have normal grass lawns don’t ever have to worry about planting new seed again. You only need to plant the seed once. Then, you can enjoy your green lawn for years.

However, this isn’t the case when you are planting clover as your lawn. This is something that has a short lifespan. Meaning that you need to reseed your lawn every two to three years. This means that it is hard work to keep your clover lawn green, year after year. Not something that many people want to do.

2. The Clover Grass Stains a Lot Easier Than Other Grass Types

If you have children that are going to play on the grass, this is something that you should consider before you can start planting the clover lawn.

Clover is staining a lot easier than normal grass. Meaning that if you have children playing and rolling in the grass, there are going to be a lot of greener stains to clean. And, we all know how hard it can be to clean green or grass stains. This can become a problem in the long term. You might not want your children to play outside anymore. With small children a normal lawn might be the best option, to keep clothing clean.

3. You Need to Plant the Clover Just Perfectly, to Have Green Looking Lawns

One thing that you should consider before you just start planting the seeds for a clover lawn. You need to plant the clover just perfect. Planting too much seed at one place is going to look patchy. And, if you don’t have planted enough seeds, your grass will not have the end result you have hoping for.

This is why it is recommended that you hire a professional for planting the clover seeds for you if you want to have the perfect looking lawn. If you are going to plant it yourself, for the first time, you might regret changing to clover lawn.

With these pros and cons of having a clover lawn, it will be a lot easier for you to decide if this is something that you want to consider. For most, this is the best decision that they ever have made.

However, this doesn’t mean that just because your neighbor is happy with this clover lawn, that you will be as well.

June 13, 2019 By Eric Leave a Comment

How to Get Rid of Sod Webworms

You thought that you have a beautiful and healthy lawn. Until one day. Then, you realize that your grass is dying and it doesn’t look that good anymore. There are many reasons why this can happen, but the most common reason is because of the sod webworm.

These worms can damage your lawn in no time. And, it is important to make sure that you are knowing as much as possible about these worms. This is the only way that you can be sure to prevent these worms and to get rid of them.

With this info, you won’t have a problem with sod webworms anymore.

How Does a Sod Webworm Look Like?

how to get rid of sod webworms naturally

There are so many different worms that you can find in your garden. How do you know what a sod Webworm looks like? It is important to know how this worm looks like because you don’t want to kill all type of worms and risk your soil to become unfertilized.

The sod webworm is about 1 inch long and is the caterpillar stage of the small white and brown moth. Because these worms aren’t that large, it is hard to spot them in the lawn. You can identify areas where they might be situated, by brown, and dead grass on your lawn. With moving the soil around in that area, you might find these worms hiding away.

Why Should You Get Rid of Sod Webworms in Your Garden?

The question that you might ask now, is why should you get rid of sod webworms in your garden and from your lawn. Many people are saying that killing webworms isn’t necessary, because they don’t damage anything in your garden.

However, this isn’t the truth. A moth doesn’t harm anything in the garden, but the webworm is living off the green grass or the roots of the grass. Meaning that you will have places in your lawn that will be brown and grass starting to die.

The longer you are leaving the worms in your lawn, the more problems you will have to get your lawn healthy again. There are some species of the sod webworm that is eating plants as well. Leaving your plants to die and to lose their leaves.

Do These Worms Like Any Type of Grass?

Will you find the sod webworm in any type of lawn? Or are there a type of lawn that will be worm-free? Yes, there are some grass types that will be more likely to have sod webworms than other grass.

This is why some people are struggling more with these worms than other people. It depends on the type of grass that you have as your lawn. These are the grass types that will be more likely to have problems with webworms.

Kentucky Bluegrass
Perennial Ryegrass
Fine Fescue

If you don’t want to struggle with webworms, then you should stay away from these mentioned grass-types.

Preventing Them From Occurring in the First Place

There are some things that you can do to prevent sod webworm infestations in the first place. But, then you need to start with these prevention methods as soon as spring starts. Otherwise, the prevention won’t work, and you will need to use other methods to get rid of these worms.

Plant resistant type of grass that won’t attract moths from laying eggs.
Watering your lawn and keeping it wet. Those people that are watering their lawn, once or twice a day won’t have a problem with sod webworms. Even, if they have the wrong type of grass planted. Worms will drown in the wet grass.
Maintain your grass on a regular basis. Lawn it when the grass is getting long, and make sure that you fertilize it regularly.

Getting Rid of These Sod Webworms

You already have signs that your lawn is invested with sod webworms. How do you get rid of these worms, without damaging your lawn, or cause problems to your pets? These are a couple of things that you can do to get rid of these worms.

Treat the area with Insecticidal Soap. This soap will kill all webworms and will be safe for children and pets to play on the lawn.
Another option is to treat the infected area with Neem oil solution. It will make sure that the worms stay away for up to 6 weeks.
Start watering your lawn on a regular basis. In the beginning, up to three times a day is recommended. This will drown the worms.

Sod webworms are something that many homeowners are struggling with. Especially in their lawns.

With the right methods, you will be able to prevent these worms from living in your lawn. And, getting rid of it isn’t as hard as what you might have thought.

The more you know about these worms, the better and easier it will be to get rid of them.

June 13, 2019 By Eric Leave a Comment

How to Make Beef Sticks at Home

Are you wondering about how you can make beef sticks at home?

Beef sticks are nutritious and you can keep them for longer periods if well prepared.

However, good as it may sound, the major challenges that arise are related to cost factor and lack of knowledge among many people to make beef sticks.

If you really love beef sticks, then you can learn how to prepare them at home. As such, this post gives you insight into how you can make beef sticks at home using a quick and easy recipe.

You can certainly save money by making sticks of your choice at home.

Factors to Consider

If you want to make beef sticks at home, there are certain factors to consider such as the cooking methods and types of snacks to make.

You can choose from either a smoker or an oven to prepare your beef sticks at home.

Smoking leaves the meat with good flavor and it is crucial to maintain the cooking heat at a low level below 200 degrees F to make sure that the meat dries instead of cooking.

It might be difficult to maintain this temperature on your smoker so if the temperature gets too hot, you better remove the meat then return it when it has subsided.

On the other hand, an oven is ideal for preparing beef sticks at home since you can easily control its temperature. The other advantage of an oven is that it is readily available in almost every home and it is easy to use.

Types of Homemade Beef Sticks Recipes

There are mainly two types of homemade beef sticks namely: naked homemade beef sticks and casing beef sticks.

There have different recipes that you may need to know so that you can make sticks at home.

1. Naked Homemade Beef Sticks

The recipe for naked beef sticks includes different ingredients. In this recipe, you should not include jalapeños or cheese hence the ingredients are as follows:

5 Pounds Ground Beef with high-fat content to avoid drying when cooking
2.5 Teaspoons Of Mustard Seed
2.5 Teaspoons Of Garlic Salt
5 Teaspoons Of Meat Curing Product with sugar and salt
2.5 Teaspoons Of Coarse Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Of Hickory Smoked Salt

You can also be adventurous and try something new. For instance, you can add cayenne and red pepper if you like the stick to be spicy.

Steps to Make Naked Beef Sticks at Home

There are different steps that you should take that include the following:

Mix all ingredients including spices in a large bowl.
Wrap the bowl and leave to rest in the fridge overnight to allow the meat to absorb the ingredients.
Remix the whole mixture again the following day and you can add more flavors.
Wrap the bowl again and put in the fridge for another night.
You can shape your meat into the desired strips of about 8 inches long and 3 inches in diameter.
Place the meat sticks in the oven and bake for about 8 hours at 150 degrees F. When they are ready, leave to cool and you can place them in the fridge for 2 weeks or six weeks in deep freezer.

2. Casing Beef Sticks Recipe

For this recipe, you need a meat gun like Jerky Cannon for filling up the casings.

When it comes to this recipe, you will require a meat gun such as the well known Jerky Cannon which will help you to fill out the casings.

Ingredients For Casing Beef Sticks

5 Pounds Ground Beef with fat
5 Teaspoons Of Meat Curing Product with salt and sugar
3 Whole Jalapeños
Collagen Casings
12 Ounces Of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2.5 Teaspoons Of Mustard Seed
2.5 Teaspoons Of Garlic Salt
2.5 Teaspoons Coarse Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Of Hickory Smoked Salt

Steps To Make Casing Beef Sticks At Home

When making casing beef sticks at home, you must take the following steps:

Mix all the ingredients and meat in a large bowl
Chop the jalapeños and mix with your meat
Add your mixed meat into the shredded cheddar and mix gently and prepare stick shapes
Fill the mixed meat into the gun and pump it into the casings. Make sure there are no air bubbles and tie at both ends.
Set your oven at 150 degrees F and place the casings on the rack and cook for about eight hours.
Remove the casings from the oven after eight hours of cooking and allow them to cool completely.
Cut the sticks into reasonable lengths and you can store them in the fridge for two weeks and six weeks in the deep freezer.

When your beef sticks are ready, you can enjoy them with a beer.

June 2, 2019 By Eric Leave a Comment

How Long Does Smoked Meat Last

You have purchased your smoker and you are ready to start smoking meat for the first time. But, now you are wondering how much meat you can smoke at a time. Will the meat be still eatable after a couple of days, or should you just smoke enough for one meal? This is a question that many are asking.

Especially, if they are still new to smoking meat. Luckily, we have all the answers for you. This is everything you need to know about how long does smoked meat last, and how to prepare it correctly so that it can last even longer.

Why Is It Important to Know How Long You Can Eat Your Smoked Meat?

Why is it important to know for how long you can eat your smoked meat safely? It has been smoked, so it is safe to eat, no matter the time. Right? This is where so many people are wrong.

There is one simple reason why you should know the shelve life of smoked meat. In the freezer, refrigerator and without storing it in any way. Food poisoning. And, so many people have made this mistake and end up in the hospital with food poisoning. This is why it is essential that you know when it might be time to throw your meat out.

Does the Smoked Meat Need to Be Refrigerated?

how long does smoked meat last in the fridge

If you want to eat the smoked meat a day or two later, then yes, it should be refrigerated. The fridge is at a really low temperature. Making sure that there isn’t any room for getting germs on, or getting spoiled. If you don’t put the smoked meat in the fridge, you need to finish the meat in one day.

There are a couple of rules that you need to know before you are putting your smoked meat in the fridge. The meat should have been smoked at the right temperature, and it needs to be in an airtight container in order for the meat to stay fresh and edible. Different types of meat should be smoked at different temperatures, in order for you to ensure that it is safe to eat and to store.

General Rule for How Long-smoked Meat Can Last

There is one general rule for how long-smoked meat can last. You need to consume it within four days. This is if you have smoked the meat at the right temperature and if your fridge is also at the right temperature. If you are putting it in the freezer, it can last longer. It can last for up to three months.

If you don’t put it in the freezer or fridge, then it can’t last for longer than a couple of hours. 6 to 12 hours, depending on the weather. The hotter it is, the easier the meat will spoil.

Food Safety While Smoking Meat Can Prolong How Long It Can Last

how long does smoked meat last in the refrigerator

You will read that we keep on talking about smoking the meat at the right temperature. There are people that don’t know the different meat and the temperature that it should be smoked in order to make it safer to store in the fridge. These are the different meat and their recommended smoking temperatures.

Beef, pork, lamp, and veal should be smoked at a temperature of 160°F
Sausages with turkey and chicken it should be smoked at a temperature of 165°F
Any poultry meat should be smoked at a temperature of 165°F

Putting Smoked Meat in the Freezer. General Rules

Yes, you can put your smoked meat in the freezer for letting it last longer. It can stay in the freezer for up to three months. However, there are a couple of guidelines on how you should store it correctly.

You should wrap the meat in butcher paper and ensure that there isn’t any meat sticking out of the paper.
You can also wrap the meat in durable foil and then wrap it with the butcher paper.
Make sure that you label and date the package. This is so that you can see when you need to throw out the meat.

When Should You Throw the Meat Out?

how long will smoked meat last in refrigerator

How do you know that the meat isn’t fresh and edible anymore?

When the meat is showing signs of becoming slimy and when it doesn’t smell fresh anymore. You know what smoked meat should smell like. If this isn’t the smell you are getting, throw the meat out.

With this guide, you will know how long you can store your smoked meat. There are some really important things that you should remember about storing smoked meat. This is to ensure that you are going to have meat that is going to taste great, and that won’t be a health risk to your family.

Food poisoning because of eating meat that isn’t edible anymore can become serious.