I’d been reading about fermentation for years. It’s far easier than pickling which I find a somewhat tedious labor because I could never get the ratio of ingredients just right. Humans have been fermenting food and drink for at least 9000 years! Fermentation is a chemical process that breaks down …
Be thankful you’re not one of my chickens. My poor hens get the pot once their egg production drops. Roosters strut off into the freezer even sooner since they tend to squabble and hurt the hens. I mentioned to Greg that my two black marans have stopped laying thereby sealing …
It’s Spring! The birds are singing, the grass is growing, and there are already figs and limes on my trees. Time to get to work! We’ve got a full house what with new chicks, new goats, and new quail. Here’s what’s happening this month. Garden: The garden is still being …
Last year we tried quail as an experiment. We decided not to over winter them and dispatched them before it got cold. Then during the winter I started cooking some of those quail, and man, were they good. We decided to get a new batch. I don’t think I’ll over …
Unless my last Boer (unbred) doe decides to surprise me, I think that’s it for baby goats this year. We had a hard year. Pan, our most experienced doe had four babies, but only one survived. That he managed to survive being born 12 days early is a miracle. He’s …
Sometimes I think it’s more exciting to plan a garden than to harvest it. When I harvest, all I think about is how much more work I’ll have to do to preserve it all. But it’s the beginning of the gardening season so it’s time to dream and plan. This …
I was sick all last week with a wicked cold. Greg got sick a few days before me so it kind of feels this cold has been with us far too long. To make things worse, two of our does delivered early. Our experienced mom, Pan, delivery FOUR babies. It’s …
Winter on the homestead is the time of year that tests your mettle. It’s easy to get your chores done when the weather’s nice, but when an icy wind bites your face off it makes you rethink your retirement plan. The weather keeps waffling between 70 degrees and hard freezes. …
I’m way behind on my plans for the new year. I usually have my game plan in place by October, but 2018 has not been kind. It’s nearly over though, so it’s time to pick myself up and start again. The Blog: I’ve been struggling with this all year. My …
If you’re in the northern hemisphere, it’s time to button up your home before winter. Depending on your latitude that could mean anything from cleaning gutters to raking leaves. For us, we don’t rake leaves until December or January depending on how cold it is, but there’s plenty for us …
Many years ago I read an article (and subsequent YouTube videos) by a man who claimed he re-energized his spent and nearly sterile soil by using wood chips as compost. Wood chips were like a religion to him and he’d have tree trimming companies bring him chips by the 18 …
It was a long, hot summer, but the homestead is finally getting a break from the heat. Every year we try to do one thing that improves or makes our lives easier on the homestead. This year was the year I finished putting up weed barriers on the walkways between …
I’ve lived in Texas for over forty years and this is the first time I’ve ever come across a cicada killer. Cicada Killers (Sphecius speciosus) is a wasp that can get up to two inches long. Now I know everything is bigger in Texas which might account for the one …
My Facebook friends already know that we lost all fifteen healthy pullets to varmints. It was a cruel blow to an already trying quarter. But every problem is also an opportunity. Yes, we lost every chick, but now that we’re starting from almost nothing, we can try different breeds. I’ve …
Homestead life goes on even when it’s hard. Garden: My garden is all over the place. Some things were successful, others still need time to show their worth. Part of the problem came from the flip-flopping temperatures in March. Usually, I have everything planted in March and harvested by May, …
It’s been a rough few weeks. The predators have been out in force. Every time we thought we’d secured a pen, they’d find another way in. I even moved the chickens to another pen that I thought might be safer, but that’s when the poor rooster met his end. He …
Hatching new chicks can be exciting and sometimes nerve wracking, waiting for a little chick to crack its shell and fight its way out. It took me a long time to learn that sometimes helping was not helping at all. Someone new to hatching might want to help peel away …
One of the perks of living in the country is that we’re not limited by city regulations. This includes burning trash and debris on our property. We’re old pros at it. We’ve been burning brush on our property since 1986. Our burn piles have gotten smaller since getting goats and …
I put off milking my goats for a long time. At first, I told myself, well, we only have Boers and they’re not known for milk production. Then we moved into Nubians, and my first argument fell flat. This is the first year my Nubians kidded. I let them wean …
I have this theory. I think many human beings live only long enough to see dreams completed and then they give up. If that’s true there’s a chance I might live forever. Six months ago I might’ve said that the homestead was nearly completed to my satisfaction, and now it …
