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Showing posts with label homesteading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homesteading. Show all posts

Saturday, April 14, 2012

A Look Around-April 2012

This is really just for my records.  I want to record how our garden grows throughout the season this year.


The oregano bed was planted a couple of years ago and just keeps going.  It was covered in leaves throughout the winter and is looking great.  I'll be adding lots of fresh oregano to our salads and drying some as well.  I also have a four by four bed of lemon balm that will need a few more plants added to it.  For some reason it is not doing as well as the oregano.


This is a new bed that Jordan recently built for me.  I had transplanted my mint into another bed and it didn't do very well.  Now I have transplanted most of it to this bed and will be adding more plants as I find them.  We love peppermint tea and I would love to have this entire bed full of peppermint!!  I also have pots with lemon mint, apple mint and chocolate mint.  I am hoping to get some four by four beds built soon to fill with each of those mints. 


Our older blueberry bushes are covered in berries!   Last year was the first year we really were able to harvest much from them and we only got a couple of gallons.  We have several more planted, but it will be a while before they are very fruitful.  Thankfully, we are just a few miles from a huge blueberry farm and can pick all we want there!


I think this bed is a 12 x 4.  It is full of everbearing strawberries and we will be getting a good bit from them this year.  This bed was started last year from the babies of the mother plants that I purchased 2 years ago on clearance.  I spent about $15 for a dozen strawberry plants and we have two beds full now.  We'll be seperating these before next season into two other beds.


Birds like strawberries, so we have to keep them covered or there won't be any for us!


This is another 12 x 4 bed full of squash plants....and one lone marigold.


Another 12 x 4 is ready for a load of soil.  We still have cucumbers, watermelons and green beans to plant from seeds and I have started tomatoes, leeks, more squash and lots of basil that will need to be planted soon.  We need more beds built!!


Yesterday we purchased more plants to add to these beds.  We now have early peas, tomatoes, various peppers, and squash planted here.


This is a muscadine vine that was growing near the garden.  Jordan is training it to a trellis.  Last year he foraged in the woods and got gallons of muscadines and we made jelly.  Yum!!




To the right we have marigolds planted alongside onions started from seed. To the left are chives and more onions and marigolds.


We are mulching with leaves this year hoping to keep down the weeds and to retain moisture.  When the leaves break down they will enrich the soil.


This is the first year that our little plum trees actually have plums.  There won't be enough for a big batch of plum jelly, but we'll have enough to eat fresh.  And we also have apples!!   So excited about this!



Around three groups of felled trees we have huge mounds of wild blackberry bushes.  Last night when I was taking pictures, they were covered with bees.  If we only had beehives.....



More marigolds waiting to to be planted...Marigolds help keep the bugs away.  As these die down we will save them to scatter around plants next year.


This bed has sage and thyme.  I harvest them in the fall and the sage grows back up to about 3 feet high. 

                                                                    

Knockout roses are looking beautiful!

I had to put in a picture of Caedmon.  He had already had his bath, but ran out while I was taking pictures.  The azaleas at the porch railing were beautiful this year, but are at the dying out stage and look slightly frazzled.  

That's a look around here this week.  Hope to see you soon!


homesteadrevival.blogspot.com

Monday, December 5, 2011

Things Are Hoppin' on the Homestead

Starting off a busy week this morning.  Awoke this morning to the sound of the chickens going crazy.  Jeff went out to check on them and both doors were wide open.  Apparently a child left them open late yesterday afternoon.  Nothing seemed to be remiss, so Jeff just shut the doors back up.  The coop has outside doors and an inside door to where the chickens actually are kept, so they can't get out.

Saturday Jordan took our seven roosters to be slaughtered, so they are now snug in the freezer along with Mr. Hog who met his fate a couple of weeks ago.  They will be joined by a 1/4 beef later this week!  Ahh....lovin' that, but for some reason I am having trouble getting inspired to write a menu for this week.

We  (umm, I mean the children) are gathering about 20 eggs per day.  And no, we don't use that many, but I am able to trade for fresh milk.  This morning I've got two quarts of yogurt in the dehydrator and I've been making butter as well.  I'm not getting as much milk as I was earlier in the year, but right now that's about all I can handle.  I'll make more yogurt this week and then make yogurt cheese!  Yummy!  It's great with lots of added herbs for a cracker or bread spread.

This morning it's warm and overcast and rain is predicted for the next three days.  Jordan, Kaelan and I went out to the garden to gather lettuce, spinach and turnip greens for some meals this week.  I noticed the chives I cut down to the ground just a few weeks ago can stand another good trim.  I am enjoying added dried chives to several recipes.  I'll use some in the yogurt cheese spread.

Inside, today we will be baking bread, practicing piano and violin, doing some school work, wrapping presents, cleaning and Jeff will be grouting the tile in the back entryway.  Hopefully in the next few weeks we can get the kitchen painted and tiled as well!

Yesterday, I tried dehydrating some frozen figs.  That didn't do too well.  I'm sure it would have worked with fresh figs much better.  Does anyone have any idea about what I can do with three gallons of frozen figs?  We don't really care for fig preserves, though.  I hate to give them to the chickens, but with beef coming in this week, freezer space is needed.

Update:  My mom is getting the figs.  She has two lovely old fig trees in her backyard (which was my mamaw's backyard when I was growing up) and makes fig preserves every year.  She sent all her preserves home with my brother to Africa, so she will replenish her supply with these.  

homesteadrevival.blogspot.com

Monday, October 31, 2011

Busy Times



Yes!!  Those are eggs from our very own chickens.  We are now getting about 8-9 eggs per day from our flock of Americanas, Buff Orpingtons, Cuckoo Marins and a breed we are not sure of....I don't think the cuckoos are actually laying yet, and as there are about 26 hens out there we should be getting lots more, but right now we are thrilled and, if the ladies keep doing their job, we can take eggs off the grocery list!

We've been eating salads from the garden and even had some turnip greens last week.  We've harvested all the sage and thyme and must get our sage made into wreaths and the thyme spread out to dry this week.  I've got several plants of chives that I want to cut and put in the dehydrator.  Jordan dug up two rosemary plants and potted them to keep in the house over the winter.

I still have applesauce to can and my countertops are covered in habenero and jalapeno peppers.  This morning we'll be making up some Cowboy Candy and pineapple habanero jelly.  
And then there's the 16 or so pounds of black seedless grapes to take care of, the baskets of apples, the onions that need to be dehydrated and a box of sweet potatoes that needs something.

Oh, and then we have the school work to do, the laundry, the cleaning and the regular cooking and baking to take care of as well.  Which means I better get up from this chair and get some of the sleepy heads out of the bed!  Hope you all have a great week!

linking up at homesteadrevival.blogspot.com

Monday, October 17, 2011

Looking Around


Harvesting sweet potatoes
We experiemented with planting sweet potato peels and wound up actually growing some.  We planted them in a little bed made from a wooden gate off of our front porch.  Just using what we find!

 
However, this is how one of the potatoes grew!!  Now we know we can do it, so we will take better care next year.

The picture of the lettuce bed is from over a week ago.  The lettuce is much larger now and salads are on the menu for almost every day.


The turnip greens are also much bigger than this now.  We'll have turnip greens on the menu next week.



Our peppers didn't do much this summer, but are now putting out.  


As are the hot peppers...pepper jelly is on the agenda!


Hoping to have some cabbage later.



And we have eggs....We have one americauna that gives one egg a day.  The cuckoo marans and buff orpingtons have not begun laying yet, but we did add 10 other layers to our flock last week.  They are giving us about 7 eggs a day.  We think they are a cross between Rhode Island Reds and Leghorns.  We now have 26 hens and 8 roosters.  The roosters have now been moved to the chicken tractor and will soon be arriving at their final destination.



Late last week I went produce shopping and got great deals on apples, russet potatoes, sweet onions and sweet potatoes.  The dehydrator has been running this weekend with onions and I also want to do the russet potatoes.  Apples will be made into cakes, pies and applesauce and just eaten plain.  We also ordered a hog to be slaughtered!!  Can't wait to have that meat in the freezer!  Now to find a grass-fed cow...

Jeff and the boys have been working on my laundry closet renovation....it has been cleared out, cleaned up, painted, a new cabinet put in and organized with miscellaneous items, and tile has been laid.  Tonight the washer and dryer will be put back in and I will have a gazillion loads of laundry to do.   We still have to get a new hot water heater installed, but I am thrilled so far with the progress.  Painting the mud room this week and then laying tile there and in the kitchen as well.  We are on a roll!!  Painting the rest of our tongue and groove unpainted wooden walls and ceilings in the kitchen, dining room and hallway are on the agenda for the next month as well as painting the wood walls in the boys room and painting some furniture.  And then there is the cooking, the cleaning and the schooling to do as well!  Always busy!  Always blessed!





homesteadrevival.blogspot.com

gnowfglins.com

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Saturday Prep Post--Jamming with the Chicken Coop


Don't forget to leave a comment on this post to have a chance for a $15 certificate to Lilla Rose.


When I last filled you in on the chicken coop project we left it like this.  And it stayed this way for about three weeks due to Jeff and Jordan's crazy work schedule.  Jeff was, however, able to take a couple of days off and I am so glad to see some great progress being made.  We have one hen who is laying one egg every day in the chicken tractor.  I am sure she will be happy to have a real nesting box and a little privacy in the next few days.


Thursday and Friday the guys headed out back.


It's been bright, sunny weather with mild temps so sunshades were required....At least if you are a cool 15 year old!


The roof work is almost completed.


The doors are finished and the trimwork just needs a coat of paint.




Jeff is sharpening a carpenter's pencil ready to mark some wood.


Jackson is happy to be working with his dad!


Caedmon has already learned we measure twice and cut once!


This is my BABY!!  Can't believe he will be three this next week!


Aaron is cutting some board while Jeff watches on.


My boys have learned so many skills with this project!  Some mistakes have been made and corrected as they have worked all together.  This hasn't been a cheap project, but you can't put a price tag on the skills they have learned or on the time that they have been able to spend with their dad.  Priceless!!


Measuring for another cut.


Jordan putting on the shingles.  I think the older boys did all the shingle work themselves.


And Jackson was there to make sure they did their work well.  Or else!


Digging holes for the fence posts to get started on the chicken run.


Jeff is checking out the work on the shingles.


This is what it looks like this morning.  Lots of progress in the last two days!


Today the plan is to trim the shingles, finish out the inside with nesting boxes and a screened-in wall, and to get the chicken run completed.  Lots to do out there!

And while they are busy outside the girls and I will finish defrosting and taking stock of the the last of the freezers (I did two smaller ones yesterday) and making muscadine jelly.  Jordan has been foraging in our woods the last few weeks and has collected a huge amount of muscadines.  He has been bagging them up for the freezer and yesterday I cooked them down, strained them and got a gallon of juice. 
I wonder how many jars of jelly or jam I have?  No matter what happens we will have a great variety to spread on our fresh bread.   We'll all be busy today so I better get hopping!


Wild frozen muscadines with a few fresh on top


A gallon of muscadine juice




Photos courtesy of Kaelan Elizabeth Chamblee

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