Camassia quamashCommon Camas Iris innominataGolden Iris Ribes sanguineumRed-flowering Currant Iris tenaxToughleaf Iris See the little ant? Fragaria chiloensisCoastal Strawberry Lathyrus japonicusBeach Pea Take a little time to slow down and notice what's blooming around you. ...
Know Your Homesteading Roots: The Story of Gertrude Colley
In honor of Mother's Day, I would like to dig down to my roots and tell you a little about one of my homesteading ancestors. My Great Grandma Gertie was an amazing, lively figure in my childhood. I knew her in her nineties, living alone in a house up on a hillside in Bremerton among her flower gardens, orchids and cats. I was always very intrigued by her. I have this photo of her that I love in my ...
Gold From the Fields: Making Homemade Cultured Butter
I now feel like I understand the sentiment behind names for dairy companies like "Darigold", "Meadow Gold", and "Pot O Gold". Fresh, homemade butter is like beautiful golden nuggets of goodness from the fields. My childhood friend and neighbor sent me this cultured butter recipe from the Seattle Times, and my love of butter compelled me to give it a whirl. The thing I like the most about this ...
Making May Wine: Mountain Rose Herbs Recipe Contest Entry
To ring in and honor the first day of May each year, one my favorite seasonal traditions is making May wine. This easy and tasty beverage is traditionally made in Germany where it is served as a spring tonic for the May Day holiday by infusing dry white wine with dried leaves of the Sweet Woodruff herb (Galium oderatum or Asperula odorata). A perennial spreading herb, native to the forests of ...
Vending at the Mayfaire
I think that I have always wanted to sell my crafts at festivals but didn't really know it. I seem to always be making things as gifts for other people, but only recently have I discovered the profound joy in creating art for no person in particular and putting it out there for the world to see. This Saturday was my first booth experience, and it really affirmed for me that I love ...
The Lilac and the Apple
Have you ever come across some blossoming fruit trees or lilac bushes in a field or the woods and realized it was the remnants of an old homestead from days gone by? This is one of my favorite old homesteads along Highway 126, and I love visiting at different times of year to see what is growing there. I especially love going there in the fall when the apples are ripe! In honor of the first ...
A Field of Dreams
This weekend, our neighbor came over with his tractor to till our garden cover crop under, and, as a huge bonus, he plowed our South field! Our neighbor, who is uneasy about heights, is happy to do work trades with my husband to help do things up on ladders in exchange for tractor work. It's a beautiful arrangement! And, we now have a field! I always imagined that one day I would grow fields of ...
Miss Fancy Pants
This past week I finally finished this pants project I was working on for my daughter. I was invited to a sew-your-own-pantaloons party at a friend of a friend's house, where I had the good fortune to meet the talented Usha Davis, who taught a group of ladies how to recycle old flare-sleeved blouses and pants into these fancy pants creations. She makes some of the most amazing clothing with ...
To the Lighthouse
Every April for the last few years, our family has gone camping at Cape Blanco State Park. Each time we go, there, the abundance of things to do, and beautiful places to spend time outdoors keeps us coming back. Cape Blanco lies on the Southern Oregon coast, near the town of Port Orford. The westernmost point in the state, the cape juts out into the ocean between the Elk and Sixes Rivers, and the ...
How Free My Garden Grows
At the root of every homesteading dream lie the seeds of self sufficiency. That good feeling you get deep down in your soul when you do something for yourself by hand, from scratch and without paying someone for it or to do it for you is what I'm talking about. Doing something directly that contributes to your sustenance as a human being is a feeling that cannot be bought or sold. It's honest ...