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Homesteading
Gone to Flower
Unless there is some avid seed saving going on, many gardeners strive to harvest and eat their vegetables before they go to flower or bolt. Oftentimes the desired edible portion of the plant will turn bitter or woody as the energy is directed towards flower and seed production, which translates for many into a total waste of the food we worked so hard to grow. When you think about gardening ...
June on the Homestead
June has been a busy month around here. The garden is all planted, tomatoes and peppers are growing in the hothouse, chickens are getting fat and sassy, seeds are germinating and strawberries are hanging red and ripe. I do love June. There has been enough precipitation to keep me from having to water all the time, so the kids' first week out of school felt like a real summer break. We hiked, we ...
How About That Honey Cow
It can't be denied, I've had bees on the brain all Spring. The neighbor's honeybees buzzing over to pollinate the flowers in my garden are helpful and lovely, but I couldn't help but pine away for a hive of my own. There are those times in life where pining pays off, and this was one of them. For my birthday last week, my husband and son surprised me with a handmade honey cow. Maybe ...
May on the Homestead
As the month of May draws to a close, I thought I'd give an update on happenings around the homestead. It didn't feel like there was much to report this month with all the rain. I started a lot of seedlings, got a lot of potatoes and onions planted, and had the neighbor come over with his tractor to plow the field again. I spent a lot of time waiting for the rain to stop. This last weekend of May, ...
Fun With Rabbits
It's been a busy time of year, and in the shuffle I forgot to introduce two new additions to the homestead. Micke Fleur and Sanna Blossom the Netherland Dwarf rabbits were given to us by some friends in my childrens' class in interest of giving them a life out in the country. While my children are excited about having two new pets, I've got one thing on my mind. Manure. I ...
Cute Kids and Blueberry Miracles
On our way home from this past weekend's camping trip (more about soon) we stopped to see our friends Jeff and Taryn on their Siuslaw River homestead and meet all their baby goats. Let me tell you, those were some cute kids all around, and it was hard to resist taking some home with us. We all fell in love with the runt. There's something about tiny little goats that just pulls on your ...
April Showers
April showers are not just the stuff of old sayings this year, and I have been working away on the garden in stolen moments between downpours, and trying not to get too impatient for the field to dry out. I've never checked the weather report so often in my life. I even made it a tab on my browser. We did manage to work one section on two dry days last week, and I started getting those potato ...
Braving Alaska: Food for Adventuresome Thought
I will start of by saying that I've had Alaska on the brain for a very long time. Often I wonder what it is about this far-flung state to the north that captures my imagination so. In my mind, it stands as the last frontier; a rugged, sparsely populated, beautiful and harsh wilderness. I can't help being fascinated by such a place, and I couldn't tell you how many times my husband ...
Garden Beds Exposed!
This weekend it finally dried out just enough to run the rototiller over the garden and start adding manure. After weeks of rain, this was a much anticipated event. We switched from rows to something more like a keyhole design to maximize garden space, and I think it's going to work out nicely. Uncovering all that rich, dark soil is sure a treat to the eye! Now we just need it to dry out a bit ...