On New Year's Day, we woke up to snow. We don't get a lot of snowy days around here, so it was a lovely way to start out the new year. We expected it to melt off by the afternoon, but in a very unusual turn of events for western Oregon, the snow is still here! The temperatures have remained below freezing for almost a week now, and everything, including the New Year's snow, is frozen in ...
Seasons
Family Tree Day Traditions
Family tree day is a tradition we have enjoyed every year since we moved onto this homestead. Up on the the hill behind our house, we have a small lot of replanted Douglas-fir and Grand fir. They're planted pretty thick, and need to be thinned out, so we feel like taking one every year as our Solstice tree is at least a good start. One day we hope to really thin them out and build some kind of ...
Winter Conifer Tonic Syrup
This weekend while we were cleaning all the elderberry harvest out of the freezer to brew elderberry wine, I decided to make this conifer and wild berry tonic syrup recipe from my wildcrafting heroes at Gather Victoria. While the elderberries were boiling on a burner outside for the wine, I filled a pot on our stove with elderberries, Douglas-fir needles, grand fir needles, spruce tips, ...
Chickens in the Snow
We had our first snow day of the year yesterday, and I thought I would share some pictures of the chickens in the snow. Most of the flock refused to come out of the coop, but these two rogue chickens spent the night out roosting in trees, and were unfazed. There was cracked corn to be had, after all. On this homestead, even the chickens are wild. ...
Pumpkin Perfect
Wishing you and all your pumpkins a Happy Halloween! ...
Calm Before the Storm
We've got some wild fall weather moving in to the Pacific Northwest, so I thought I would take a moment to appreciate the still, misty mornings and fall color before the leaves fly away. The big elm tree in our yard is usually the first herald of autumn around here, and the most short-lived. I enjoyed its cheery yellow color while we were out weeding the raised beds and planting the ...
September Happenings Around the Homestead
Fall is a time of change, and as is often the case with change, with it comes good things. As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, trees are ripe with fruit, vegetables are ready to harvest, and wild fruits are ready for the picking. Gathering it all up can be a lot of work, but it's a fair price to pay for enjoying all the season has to offer. As we head into this busy time on a ...
Homebrewing Sparkling Rose Petal Wine
I don't know what it was about this spring, but it was all about the flowers. A friend mentioned to me that she was wanting everything flowery and colorful in her culinary endeavors, and I was right there with her on that. From lavender syrups, to rose petal jelly, to lilac wine, to calendula petals in my salad every day, I just wanted to infuse my life with flowers. After trying out a rose petal ...
Spring in the Woods
"One attraction in coming to the woods to live was that I should have the leisure and opportunity to see the spring come in." ~Henry David Thoreau ...
Scenes from a Snowy Solstice
We celebrated the holidays with family in the Central Washington Cascades last week, and I am finally getting around to sharing a few scenes of our snowy fun on the Winter Solstice. Solstice morning icicles. Wild quail congregating at the bird feeder. More wildlife: my little niece "crunching" in the snow. Putting those fabulous ladybug boots to good ...