sustainable living, homesteading, sustainable homemaking
As we transition from the last days of Spring into warmer days of Summer, the work is just beginning on the homestead! Here’s a bit of what my week held… Our orchard is complete for now with 23 fruit and nut trees in place. Apples, pears, cherries, plums and hazelnuts are included and it has [...]
What exactly is pH and how does it impact the growing of our own food? While many of us “glaze over” when someone starts to talk about chemistry, there’s a certain amount of understanding needed if we plan to be successful in growing our own food. The endevour of growing food isn’t quite as easy [...]
Have you ever wondered how to calculate how much produce you need to be able to can a desired amount? It’s time to get your game plan together! Photo credit Well, I sure have! My poor left-brain can’t handle “winging it” when it comes to canning, I want to know the formula. Can anyone relate? [...]
Here’s the BIG reveal of my kitchen garden plan, plotted by Territorial Seed on-line for free! Click here to see the entire plan, which includes a planting guide for your zip code and instructions for each and every plant to intend to grow! Territorial Seeds is one of my favorite seed stores. I planned a [...]
I LOVE new construction. I hate new construction….. OK, I love what follows construction and that’s progress! I purposely haven’t bored you to tears with every detail of our barn building this year, but I hope that pictures of all the trenching that’s been going on here for the last couple of weeks makes you [...]
Most people hate weeds, myself included…until today. As gardening season is upon us, I’ve had my hands in the dirt this weekend longing for growth. While I’ve had very good success with my soil, I must admit that I’ve often wondered what the true conditions of my soil were. Succumbing to my curiosity, I purchased a soil [...]
The shortage of honey bees due to parasitic mites and mystery diseases is a real threat to the health of our crops! We need these precious pollinators to grow food….mason bees to the rescue! Photo credit I’ve been unfamiliar with mason bees until lately, but as story after story of “colony collapse” come across my [...]
Many vegetables and fruits can be stored in pits, cellars or basements without refrigeration during the cooler months. Successful storage depends upon establishing the right conditions of temperature, humidity and ventilation. Temperature The purpose of all root cellars is their ability to keep food cool, after all, they were the first refrigerators. A [...]
Follow the Tribe!