Category: Homesteading
Adding Cattle to our Homestead
When we moved onto our homestead in November 2020, we planned to eventually get cattle. My husband has spent months putting up and repairing fence in hopes of making our dreams a reality. Though we still have another lot to fence in, we felt we were ready and our cattle were delivered on Saturday. Having […]
Southern Squash Relish
If you find yourself with an abundance of squash this year, check out this recipe for canning squash relish. It is some seriously good stuff and so easy to make. INGREDIENTS 4 pounds fresh, firm yellow and/or zucchini summer squash (as purchased) ½ cup diced sweet onion (about 2.4 ounces prepared) 2 cups cider vinegar […]
Making Ketchup from Scratch
Let me start by saying that making ketchup takes a lot of tomatoes. I mean A LOT of tomatoes and I only make it when I have tons of tomatoes at the end of the season that I need to use up. Most of my tomatoes go to make salsa and spaghetti sauce. I will […]
FALL ON THE FARM
The Farmer’s Almanac was correct. We made it to November here in South Arkansas (zone 8a) before the first frost. The day before the first frost was predicted, I grabbed my phone and took photos. I’m sure I am not the only person who cries the morning after a frost when everything is brown instead […]
My Greenhouse is Here!
When me moved to our new homestead, the first thing I wanted to get was a greenhouse. Fast forward to two years and I finally have one. I have an entire pinterest board dedicated to greenhouse ideas. I have spent countless hours pouring over each detail of each greenhouse in an attempt to create this […]
GROWNING HABANADA (NON-SPICY HABANERO)
One of the coolest peppers I have ever grown is an orange, wrinkled looking thing called a Habanada. I saw the seeds while browsing seeds from Baker Creek and the orange color intrigued me. I read that it was the world’s first heatless habanero so I immediately put the little packet of seeds in my […]
Growing the Toothache Plant and it’s Medicinal Benefits
This is my first year to grow the Toothache Plant and to be honest, I purchased the seeds because I thought the flowers were cool looking. I thought they looked like little eyeballs so I fondly refer to them as the eyeball plant. I purchased my seeds from Baker Creek but I’m sure there are […]
GROWING PEPPERS FROM STORE PRODUCE
I am sitting in a restaurant have this amazing avocado bruschetta and I get my first glimpse of these tiny red peppers that had this amazing flavor. I knew I wanted to grow some of these peppers, so I asked the waitress what they were called. I found out they were sweetie peppers. Being the […]
FIG JELLY (For those that don’t like the texture of figs)
As I mentioned in my post about fig jams, I don’t like the texture of figs. They have an amazing flavor but they are fuzzy. It is hard for me to eat anything that is covered in fur. If you think you don’t like figs, try cooking them down and just using the juice. You […]
Starting a New Garden on a New Homestead
We purchased a new homestead in January and though we have not made a lot of progress on the inside of the house, we have made progress on the outside. Specifically, the raised beds for the garden. I plan to turn the entire fenced in area of our backyard into food production including putting in […]
PLANTING, GROWING, & HARVESTING BLACKBERRIES
For some of us in the South, picking blackberries brings brings back childhood memories of reaching for those delicious dark purple nuggets among a thicket of thorns. Standing in the warm sun, we ate as many berries as we saved. Our hands turned purple, juice ran down our chins, and we complained out the scratches on […]
There are some great coupon & ibotta combinations going on right now. Here are a few things that I picked up last night at Walmart. Buy 1 Aleve PM Pain Reliever, 40 ct $8.97, regular price Use one $3.00/1 – Aleve PM 20 ct or larger from SS 9/10 And submit one $3.00/1 – Aleve PM, 40 ct or larger, via […]
COYOTES ARE EATING OUR WATERMELONS!
Crows and raccoons will poke holes in the watermelons or just scoop some of the insides out, but coyotes will eat them right down to the rinds. If they decide not to eat them on the spot, they will travel across an 80 acre pasture with them. They bite into them, pick them up, and […]
HOW TO CAN BLACKBERRY JELLY THE EASY WAY.
Last year, I purchased a raspberry and blackberry plant. I also dug up several wild blackberry plants and planted all of them in a nice neat row. This year has yielded enough blackberries to make several pints of jelly and some juice to make blackberry lemonade and blackberry cupcakes. I have Blackberry, Vanilla Blackberry, and […]
How to Grow ~ PEACHES
Peach trees are not hard to grow but it does seem like it takes forever before they produce fruit. If you are reading this, it’s probably because you were looking for information on growing peaches. You have probably read several articles ( I usually read at least ten) on how to successfully grow them, planting techniques, […]
4 weeks – From seeds to young plants
It’s that time of the year again. Time to go to the farm store, pick out your seeds, and get them started indoors while you wait for winter to pass. I love our local farm store. Notice my fancy labeling system. Hey, it works. Once the plants get bigger, I label cups with a sharpie […]
How to Grow ~ SQUASH AND ZUCCHINI
Squash is a seasonal vegetable. It is very susceptible to frost and heat damage, but with proper care it will produce a bumper crop with very few plants. PLANTING If you wish to start seeds indoors due to a short gardening season, sow 2 to 4 weeks before last spring frost in peat pots. However, we recommend […]
Making BLUEBERRY JAM
I love blueberries and I love making jams and jellies so when I get blueberries, some will go into the freezer and some will be canned. I must confess that though I love making jams, I don’t really eat a lot of it for breakfast. I do however, use my jams in recipes like muffins […]
How to Grow ~ SNAP BEANS
I am planting green beans (snap beans, string beans) for the first time this year. I go out daily to see how much they have grown while I was a work. It has become a daily routine that is somehow calming to my spirit. I understand that green beans are supposed to be easy to […]
SPRAY DRIFT FROM AERIAL APPLICATION OF PESTICIDES
I’m watching this helicopter make turns over my house while spraying over nearby timberland. If anything actually lives this year (it hasn’t survived in the past) it will no longer be organic and all eggs that my chickens lay today will need to be thrown out. As you can see, the chemicals are sprayed almost […]
WHY YOU SHOULD NOT WASH FRESH EGGS
WHY YOU SHOULD NOT WASH FRESH EGGS I usually don’t wash my eggs until I am ready to use them unless it’s been raining and they are dirty. I have done extensive research before making this decision and realized that they stayed fresh much longer if unwashed whether they were refrigerated or not. […]
How to Grow ~ BELL PEPPERS
HOW TO GROW BELL PEPPERS Planting Start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before last spring frost date. The temperature must be at least 70 degrees F for seed germination, so keep them in a warm area for the best and fastest results. Start pepper seeds three to a pot, and thin out the weakest seedling. Let the remaining […]
Vinegar Vs. Dishwasher Rinse Aids
I ran across this article about using vinegar as a natural dishwasher rinse aid over at Handy and Homemade. There are a couple of suggestions on how to use the vinegar in the dishwasher (put in your rinse aid dispenser or put in a bowl on the top rack) I have been […]
HOW TO GROW TOMATOES
Planting If you’re planting seeds (versus purchasing transplants), you’ll want to start your seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the average last spring frost date. Select a site with full sun and well-drained soil. For northern regions, is is VERY important that your site receives at least 6 hours of sun. For southern regions, […]
