It is getting very busy here on the homestead since Spring finally decided to come in full force and greet us with its presence. We have had a few upsets while being here on this rented homestead but we just pushed them aside and kept going as we have to in order to meet our goals. Since the beginning of may we have been turning up ground, planting seeds and organizing the property as it was a big mess when we moved in. I now have a tomato garden planted along the fence line beside our house, radish and carrot boxes in the back yard with my greenhouse, peas where planted along the fence line near the bottom of our hill and all my berry plants remain in buckets growing in rows. I was excited to see my rhubarb sprouting and finding out that we have wild leeks growing in our treed areas.
I am still trying to keep up with downsizing our home but after a day out planting I really don't have the energy to decided if I want something or not so that process is going a bit slower then originally planned. But on the upside all our piglets are almost at market weight, Caramel our little lamb is growing, we will be sending our sheep in to market as well as the piglets and we have a new rabbit who is pregnant, so our meat rabbit production is finally growing. I am still looking for a New Zealand buck for my ladies but other then that I am not buying any more animals until we find another more permanent homestead. My homemade incubator has yet to hatch any eggs and at times is not keeping the temperature correctly so I splurged and purchased a Sportsman incubator in hopes to speed up production of our chickens as my ladies just are not broody. So here I sit patiently awaiting for the delivery truck to bring me my incubator. My homestead cook book has been pushed aside for the last week as I am trying to get everything planted and growing but I do hope to get back to that very soon. I have also found my scrap book full of allergy free recipes from a few years back when our little one could barely eat literally anything and am considering publishing another cookbook with allergy free recipes if my homestead cookbook takes off. I am also in the middle of making a couple different quilts in order to sell to make a few extra dollars and the girls have been learning how to mend clothing...they haven't quite got it but I am proud to know that they are not afraid to try and try again! Well I have to run still lots to do and my bread got off to a late start so to the kitchen I must go! Hope Everyone is enjoying this lovely weather!
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We have been raising pigs for almost three years now and I have to say we are still far from pro's when it comes to these lovely creatures. The first year we had ever raised pigs was quite the learning experience. We started out with four Tamworth pigs, such beautiful creatures they were and so gentle. But did they ever grow fast. The hubby had hurt his back about a month after we bought them and so didn't make it far from the house, so it was up to me to feed them. Everyday I went to the barn, feeding and filling their water trough and everyday the one male piglet would wait until you would give him a good rubbing, boy did that pig love being rubbed under the chin. It had only been about three months and they sure where growing, the one morning I made it down to the barn and had to do a quick gate repair as my little piglets were not so little anymore and the male who loved to be rubbed stood as tall as me. Its a little scary the first time a pig stands up and meets you eye to eye! Now after this incident I went to the house and said I think its time we take our pigs in! The hubby kindly responded nope probably not for another few months. So I went about my chores and after oh about another 6 months past the hubby finally went down to the barn, headed back to the house, looked at me and said "Who the heck's pigs are they?" I just laughed and said I told you so. Next was to get them to the Abattoir, they where too big for us to handle me being 8 months pregnant so we hired a guy with a truck but learned quickly that pigs really don't like to leave the ground. They were stubborn as ever, they just would not walk up the ramp. So we where stuck I had placed an ad online but no response, then finally I decided to message a man that was selling a large pig and he was kind enough to take the pigs to the Abattoir for me. I was going to pay him for all he did but when he noticed my pigs where Tamworth he was interested in a female. That is when I decided to trade a pig to get the other three to market! Raising them was a rough go but I learned pigs are clean animals, who do not like to go up ramps so horse trailers move them best and really they are extremely easy animals to raise and as long as they are fed they are happy. And the 850 lbs of pork that came off my three pigs was more then enough to feed this happy homesteading family for the whole year!
Have you ever wondered why you keep half the items you own? Do you really need them, are you going to use them?
Every year you hear the term "Spring Cleaning". It used to be about beating out the carpets, washing the curtains and the linens after a long winter and some people still do so. Others however take it to a whole other level and use "Spring Cleaning" to empty their home of items they have collected that they do not use and most of these items end up in a Yard Sale. Now lately I find around the homestead that I have so many items that we don't even use, and the clutter is starting to drive me crazy, as is the time it consumes to go through it all. At moments I wish i could just pick up and go with only what I truly need and just leave the rest, but that is not realistic so I am here sorting out the boxes of unorganized Junk that has followed me to our new home. In order to successfully meet our goals of becoming self-sufficient and off-grid more then 3/4 of the items in my house have to go. Not only do we not use the items anymore it will lessen the amount of trips we need to take when we do find a more suitable homestead. As I am organizing my Junk boxes I tend to wonder why I let myself become so materialized. I don't need any of this and if there was a flood or great disaster and I lost it all, I wouldn't miss any of it! Not to mention the money we could have saved if we didn't purchase half this stuff in the first place. I have also learned that having eight children means having lots of clothes, I have already given away six bags of clothing and still have so much more. So now I am just shaking my head in disappointment, if only I could be a tad more organized I would have gotten rid of this Junk long ago! Let's hope next years Spring Clean doesn't keep me so busy and that I can get back to the basics needed! Every Spring and Summer people all over the world load up on sunscreen to protect themselves from the Suns Rays. Millions of dollars are spent on all these different brands, but how can we be sure that it is actually safe for our skins. When you look at the ingredients listed, most of the time you cannot even pronounce the words. If we don't buy food that contains chemicals or unknown substances why would we put ourselves to risk by rubbing cream on our skin that has those same chemicals and unknowns?
Sure there are homemade sunscreens, but after checking out a few different recipes it got me wondering how healthy they really where for us, especially when you consider coconut oil and olive oil are the main ingredients in most homemade formulas. In my opinion both these ingredients although natural, attract the sun and can cause sun burn. So what do we use? We do not use anything! Instead we protect our skin from the sun by using clothing, just as the Amish do. We wear light weight clothing that covers our skin and large sun hats that cover our face and shoulders. Sure we may look funny to some, but we are protected and do not have to worry about sunburns, nor do we worry about what chemicals we may be putting into our bodies. Some disagree with our views towards sunscreen, others understand where we are coming from, but either way we are happy with our decision and do not deal with the pain that is sunburn! Well it seems Spring is finally here, or it is for the moment. Either way the windows are open and outdoor work has begun. In the last two days we have built a duck coop and a rabbit tractor, we have built a larger fenced area for the children to run and play and we have started planning where we are going to plant all these lovely plants that currently occupy my dinning area, as well as finding a place to hang our clothes line. I cannot wait to smell that outdoor fragrance that line hung clothing gets!
It has been a rough go so far with the disappointments that are renting but with our heads held high, we ignore the frustrations and go about our goals. My cookbook is coming along and I am on track for my goal to be self published by July! Also I am in the middle of trying to make a few aprons for myself and the girls as we needed some new ones! Began putting together a plan to save enough for a down deposit by Fall, which puts a smile on my face :) And well I am baking on the homestead as usual, only difference is it comes before and after outdoor chores now! Heading off to the kitchen now to prepare a meal for my hungry bunch, will be sure to update you soon of our journey to be self sufficient!
Growing up we lived off store bought items, as I got out on my own I chose to learn how to can and make my own foods. I tell you in the beginning I had difficulties and had a lot of failures, but after time I became more comfortable with the water bath and upgraded to a pressure caner. I cannot tell you how excited I get to can, it gives me a great rush knowing that the food we plant and harvest is mine and even though it can be time consuming its a great joy knowing that you made it! There is no questioning the labels, wondering what they put in there that isn't listed, nor is their that tin taste that you get from the cans of store bought foods.
And with the overall cost of food in the grocery stores rising and the amount of product shrinking, I am so glad that I can and don't have to worry about paying over priced prices for items. By growing our own vegetables and canning, we can stock up on items that we like and will use, there is no waste as our animals get the scraps and its cheap! Sure you have a lot of hard labor in order to grown, harvest and can your foods but really could you imagine what our grocery bill would look like if we shopped at the local grocery store...we would be broke! Now I know canning isn't for everyone, but I have noticed a lot of local farmers that do a CSA food program are starting to add homemade canned products into their program, and I know a few people who purchase items and get their friends to can for them, so there are other options out there! Either way, I intend on teaching all our children how to can and preserve their foods, and hope that they pass it down to their children. It's my personal opinion that making your own food, whether you grow it or buy it locally is not only a healthier choice, but it seems to taste better too! Homesteading, becoming more self-sufficient some people think we are crazy, some say we are tree-hugging hippies but what others think has yet to change our goals. Although sometimes I do believe I over think things and letting my mind wander just gets me so stressed out. I am not going to lie, I am a over protective parent most of the time although I know my children have to run free and experience all life has to give. We are just trying to live the dream, grow our own food, eat healthy and know where our food is coming from, provide for ourselves. Unfortunately due to my early adult years and stupidity I had claimed bankruptcy and even though that is in the past it still is looked upon when trying to purchase a home, not to mention that a larger portion of my income is currently government based and well apparently that is frowned on.
So in order to live our dream we tree-hugging hippies as they call us are forced to rent. Well if you have a dream like we do and are looking to rent to follow that dream I do hope you don't go through the troubles we have had. In 2012 we rented a small 17 acre farm, the landlords seemed nice enough and the first year was pretty decent, until winter came and I ended up with snow in my bathroom, frozen taps only in half the house which was so funny as the two rooms with plumbing where side by side, the landlord just told me well it didn't happen when we lived here. Then things got worse as the back side of the wall was separating from the house bringing water into the smaller children's bedroom when it rained, the water started tasting funny and the sump pump kept jamming in the middle of the night, and again we got pushed off and told he had to find someone to do the work and didn't want to pay the quoted $10K to fix the house. Later the furnace was tagged by plumber and he tried to tell us to use it anyways, we said we don't think so. So they put in a propane furnace, yep it was supposed to be cheaper but when you have air leaks all over and mold beginning to show up on walls you know its time to get out. I tried for a mortgage but unfortunately even with a down deposit I needed a co-signer and that was something I didn't have, so desperately searching for a farm more suitable as things kept getting worse, I was almost ready to give up and then my ad I had posted online was answered. You could imagine my joy when they said they had 140 acre farm for rent, I jumped on the chance to take a look and the hubby and I accompanied with my father went driving 2 hours to check it out. When we arrived it looked a little messy from the garbage the last tenants had left behind but the house looked livable and the barn was gorgeous. We had mentioned all the problems with the rental we where in at the time and again this landlord seemed nice although he was worried about not getting rent on time, well that is one thing I always have ahead of time. So we took it and decided to move in within the next month. So now we have lived here for almost six months and spent all my down deposit I had saved for a home which was ten thousand dollars just to move us two hours away and all our tractors and animals, only to find us in a similar predicament. We have an leaking attic, and were told it cannot be fixed till spring, we have doors and windows that freeze when it gets cold at night and wake up to thick ice on windows in the morning and mold on the windows, but cannot be fixed till spring. I cannot use the cupboards that are on the outside wall in the kitchen for food storage as everything freezes and now have found mold in the cupboard and to top it all off the downstairs addition is now leaking when it rains or snow melts...all I keep hearing is oh it can't be fixed till spring or I'll find someone to check it out. I am getting so frustrated and cannot understand why you wouldn't want to keep your houses updated. So now we stick it out and hope that I can save up enough to purchase our own land soon, and get out of this bad streak of rentals. So if you are looking to rent a farm and homestead, just be cautious its not always as great as it seems. I love how a fresh snowfall can make everything look so beautiful and untouched, and how relaxed and at peace it can make you feel. Especially first thing in the morning as I rise out of my toasty warm bed, grab a hot cup of coffee and sit looking out the patio doors to our acres and acres of snow covered fields. But at the same time I find myself anxiously awaiting the spring thaw...oh how I cannot wait for the melting snow, the muddy walkway, the sounds of the birds chirping, and I shall not forget to mention my most favorite thing of all, that crisp fresh air smell spring brings.
But with Spring so very close our work loads get even busier, fences need put up not only for our animals but also for our children. Chicken, Duck and Rabbit tractors need to be built, our fields need to be cut and prepared for planting, and the rest of our seeds need to be started. From dusk till dawn we will work non-stop, sure from time to time you may hear us mutter something under our breath but everyone has their moments! When we started our journey two years ago with very little money we thought we might be kidding ourselves. Becoming self-sufficient does not happen overnight, it is not something you can just say your going to do and expect it to happen. No, in order to become self-sufficient you have to work hard and be committed to your goals, and it can be back breaking at times, but if you work your butt off eventually it will pay off. It may take a few years but once you master your goals its rewarding in itself. We have yet to accomplish a perfect garden, but we have been lucky enough to bring in enough vegetables that we don't have to rush out to buy any. With a family as large as ours it takes a lot of planning in order to make sure we can feed ourselves throughout the winter and into the spring. This past year we did not get to preserve as much as we needed, due to the great amounts of rain we received last season and the fact that we moved quickly during harvest season, to beat the snow. The one downfall to renting your homestead is you really never know how long you will be there and this is why we have our goal of finding a cheap but useful plot of land up North of us to call our own. Today I thought I would tell everyone about our first planting experience, as I am getting super excited while waiting for my seed order to arrive!
In the past two years I have learned so much about land and planting and had many failures doing so I figured why not share the experience. The first year we started farming we rented 17 acres and paid to get someone to come in during early spring and break the ground, and turn up the soil. It was utter torture from there on, we had no tractor and so where left with a field full of soil and chunks of grass. Shaking my head and wondering what I got myself into, I took a deep breath and said We can do this! So being 9 months pregnant with our seventh child and the determination to no longer fail, my husband and I took to the dreaded field with our children off to the side running and playing. Our two daughters that are the oldest of the children pitched in from time to time, but the days were long. We walked the field turning the chunks of soil and collecting rocks, singing songs with the children until we could only see the dark brown soil. The next step was the worst for someone who had only dug a 4 foot by foot garden prior to this experience, yep that's right next we had to dig rows in a two acre garden. This took us a couple of weeks to finish, due to the large amounts of rain we were getting. It was not fun especially when you are half way out in a field and it starts to down pour. I still remember that day, the girls and I where finishing our tomato rows, when suddenly hard cold rain began to hit us, we tried to get back to the house as quick as we could but the rain was so hard it turned the soil to sticky mud. We lost our boots a few times and I ended up falling once or twice, by the time we made it to the house we looked like mud people. Needless to say we had to stay out of the field for a day, but I didn't complain it was nice to have a rest. Once we finished our rows we planted corn, tomatoes, beans, peas, squash, peppers, onion and pumpkins. Throughout the season we constantly had to weed the garden by hand, and found it so hard to keep up with as the field used to be a hay field and so when we had turned the soil we refreshed the hay seeds that where on the ground. On top of that it was one of the hottest summers we had in a few years and with the exception of the spring down pours, we hardly saw enough rain to feed our plants. We tried bucketing out water by hand but it was not working. Later that season we had made friends with a local farmer and he said some of our problem was that we disturbed the water line in the field. I thought he was crazy at first but after listening to him explain all the facts, I shook my head once again. After all that hard work we only came out with enough tomatoes and corn to do us half the winter. I was so upset and the hubby had thought about giving it all up...needless to say we are still at it. |
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