Mangel seed

[goodcompanion]

Any hope of reviving this thread?

I am talking to someone hoping to make local gin, with all applicable permits in place–they are contracting with me to grow around a ton of various trial crops for the mash. It seems to me that mangels would be super in this regard.

As far as animal food, the chief reference I have come across is a supplement for dairy cows. I don’t know how pigs would do on them, maybe quite well? I had never heard of them being used for human consumption.

Anybody planting these suckers for this year? How about swedes?

[John O]

I’ve fed a lot of root crops over the years– mostly to cows. Pigs like the tops of turnips and rutabagas more than the actual root, from my experience. I think that root crops make a lot of sense for livestock– the major stumbling block is harvesting large quantities without spending a lot on equipment or labor– any suggestions?

For now, I’ll be growing roots on a small scale– I have a pound of mangel seed for this year and some turnips and rutabagas.

I’ve experimented with adding potatoes to my homebrew beer– they do add a cheap punch and don’t negatively affect flavor. I had thought of making some turnip beer for fun but maybe it wouldn’t be fun to drink.

John O’Meara
New Sweden, ME

[goodcompanion]

@Crabapple Farm 3741 wrote:

It seems that everyone’s jumping on the mangel wagon – Johnny’s and Fedco are both offering seeds this year.
Fedco (bless them) mentions a good Mangold (Mangel) reference from Britain:

http://www.mangoldhurling.co.uk

Check it out, it’s worth looking at, even if you have no interest whatsoever in mangels, mangolds, or any other type of beet.
A new event for next year’s NEAPFD?
-Tevis

Along the lines of Mangel hurling, you should also try badminton played with a radish (with the top still on) instead of a birdie. A good radish will hold up for about a half dozen volleys. I call it “Radminton”

[Author]

Posts