Archive for the ‘Suburban Homesteading’ Category
Taking Back Life
Taking back a life and a farm is no easy task. It starts early, lasts till dark and cleanses the body with sweat. My “take back” plan started in the quiet pre-dawn hours of the morning. Over a cup of free trade tea I sat at my kitchen table staring out the window and thinking as all that needed to be done rumbled through my head. But none of that would get the job done, so I picked up my pen and started writing, making a list really of all the chores, repairs, tasks, errands that needed to be accomplished to get us back on track.
When I had filled an entire page I stopped, a little overwhelmed by the shear volume. But when I realized the jobs were falling into categories like barn, garden, yard, garage, house I felt a little better. I could group the jobs by area and work on one area at a time with inside jobs being done in the middle of the day when it was too hot outside to work very long in the garden or yard.
By mid-morning I had fed and collected eggs, planted and watered in 45 4” pots of pumpkins, squash, and tomatoes, watered 2 flats of sunflower seedlings, picked lettuce, radishes and spinach, fixed the water line to the fruit trees, repaired a few sprinklers, washed and refilled water fonts, water buckets and water bottles, scrubbed out and stored the water fonts used for the meat ducks, swept the front of the barn of cobwebs and dirt, cleaned the kitchen and thrown in two loads of laundry. I didn’t work at a frantic pace, I’ve had enough of that lately, but I worked steadily, moving seamlessly from one task to another like a dance of persistence and determination. As each chore was marked off the list I could feel the chaos and stress fade in my body and my mind.
A short break and a much needed glass of Mason Jar tea gave me time to regroup, figure out my next step and, of course, add to the list. The sun was reaching high in a crystal blue sky and it was getting warmer, no sign of the storm reported on last night’s news. Some of our chores would need supplies which meant a trip into town. We were also low on chicken and sheep feed and I had a few errands to run too, so I decided this would be our afternoon break with lunch thrown in as a treat.
I love living in a small town. I never have to go very far for the things I need. Some people think it’s boring, no energy and nothing to do, but there’s a different kind of energy in a small town. It’s steady and constant. I like it.
When I had unloaded 300 pounds of livestock feed and put away the proceeds of my errands I set about repairing a water hose blown out during the duck butchering. Nothing goes to waste on a small farm, if it can be repaired.
The worked continued…mow the lawn, clean the rabbit hutch, refill nesting boxes with bedding, bolt together another raised bed and fill it with cleanings from the barn and coop along with a healthy dose of garden soil and compost, a new home for salad greens and root vegetables. As later afternoon came we began to wind down. A late afternoon snack and drink, and a call from my sister inviting me to the movies brought our day’s work to an abrupt end. So much had been done and life was beginning to look normal again. After a quick shower and a change of clothes I’m off to see “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”. I think I deserve it.
Besides, as Scarlett O’Hara famously said, “tomorrow is another day”.
27-Days of Change
WEEK 1:
So far the first week of our 27-day challenge has been an easy one thanks to a well stocked pantry and freezer. The trick has been to use what we already have in new and interesting ways. New marinades, different seasoning combinations or interesting cooking methods can bring new life to routine meals.
For breakfast Brianne and I have poached eggs on toast. The eggs are collected daily from our own hens and the bread is baked from ingredients I have on hand. Brianne eats an extra piece of toast with blueberry jam, canned last summer from berries picked a few miles up the road. It is the perfect start to our morning (and our challenge).
I contacted my friend Angela who buys raw milk from a private dairy. It’s not in the county, but I think it will be within a hundred miles; still waiting on a response.
Lunch has been egg salad sandwiches on baked bread with sliced peaches canned this past fall from our own peach tree or chicken salad made from broilers we raised by hand, processed ourselves and frozen to sustain us throughout the year. While running errands to the feed store we snacked on Grandpa’s homemade venison jerky, made last fall from his wild harvest, and lemonade made from my neighbors lemon tree.
One of our dinners this past week was grilled lamb chops with an Asian marinade, sticky rice and cucumber salad drizzled with rice vinegar. The cucumbers were hydroponically grown and came from the farm market. The lamb was home raised and harvested last fall, and the rice and other marinade ingredients came from the pantry. We washed it all down with a refreshing glass of mint tea, fresh picked from the garden right before brewing.
All-in-all this week has been a great start to our 27-day challenge.
Asian Marinated Lamb Chops
1 pound shoulder chops (any chop will work)
1 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fresh minced garlic
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
½ Teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Scallion, sliced thin
½ Can crushed pineapple
- Combine all ingredients except lamb chops to make marinade.
- Place chops in baking dish and cover with marinade. Cover and let sit for 3 or more hours.
- Grill until about medium doneness, but still pink in the middle.
- On stove, cook down marinade for topping on rice.
27- Days to Change the Way We Eat
I once read that it takes 27 days to change a habit, either good or bad. 27-days to stop smoking, start a diet and stick to it, or make exercise part of your daily routine. In 27 days the “new” habit has formed in the brain and becomes second nature, you do it without thinking.
So why am I telling you all this?
Because today is Day One of a 27-day family challenge to eat more locally, buy locally and consume locally. It’s a personal challenge I know, but one I hope many of our readers will champion as well. If we stop and look (or research) what is available in our county I think we would all be surprised at how many of the ingredients needed to make a meal can be found in close proximity to where we live. I have to admit that even I sometimes forget what can be found just a few miles from my home.
The challenge will mean a lot of cooking at home, eating harvested animals, shopping in the pantry (or the garden), at farm stands and Farmer’s Markets, and much more. What it doesn’t mean though is giving up on condiments, spices, tea and staples I already have on hand like flour, sugar, olive oil, rice, beans and pasta. I’ll document our progress, and be honest about the pit falls: added work of making bread on a Tuesday after work, the challenge of gardening with a full-time job and a kid in school and the sabbatical my hens sometimes go on, leaving us with no eggs for days.
It will also mean a few sacrifices (swearing off Dr. Pepper and Mint Chip ice cream for starters, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.). We’ll be eating within 60 miles of our home (the size of our county) and sometimes 60 feet from our own back door for the next 27 days; and not for the reasons you may be thinking of – supporting the local farm economy, increase in transportation costs of goods, factory farms, high intensity animal feedlots…that kind of thing. Nope, none of that.
We’re doing this for a lot of reasons, but mostly because we want to make a permanent change to the way we think about our food. We want to jumpstart our dedication to growing even more of our own food and buying what we don’t as locally as possible. I want to know how much effort it will take and how much cheaper (or expensive) it is to truly eat where we live. So, for the next several weeks I’ll be writing about all the gory details and shining triumphs, along with some of the recipes I used just to entice all of you to jump on board.
Here are a few of our ground rules:
- Shop at home first (freezer, larder, pantry, garden, barn).
- When needed, shop local farm stands and farmers markets.
- Buy, barter or trade for local meat we don’t raise ourselves.
- Bake from scratch (wheat is a CA crop, but not farmed locally. It comes from 100 miles away, but is milled into flour 50 miles away. Works for me).
- Source relatively local dairy products.
- Cold turkey on candy, chips, sodas, fast foods, etc. (although these are not big items at our home, just the idea of it may kill Brianne).
- Eat three square meals a day, plus snacks.
- Staples, condiments, oils, spices and seasonings already on hand are allowed.
- Drink at least ½ gallon of water a day.
- Walk at least 3 miles day.
Sound like a plan? Stay tuned to see how we faire.
The Victorian Kitchen Garden
I am totally hooked on this 1987 BBC television show entitled “The Victorian Kitchen Garden.” As soon as I watched the first episode I was lost in the epic month-by-month restoration of a walled kitchen garden at the Chilton Foliat estate in Wiltshire England. Having been to England and reveled in each garden I visited this show was like a long overdue garden junky fix.
Each 30-minute episode is chalk full of interesting history on the Victorian era, English estate gardening and useful gardening tips. The cinematography is fabulous too, just what a starved gardener in the dead of winter needs to get the creative planning juices going. It is a Masterpiece Classic of gardening. And, the best part…there are 13 episodes to get you revved up for spring.
After each episode I sit back and dream, plan and wish my little homestead could be as functional and productive as this garden, certainly something to strive for, right?
I thought I’d give you all the chance to join the fun by posting each episode on the blog. Sad news though, I searched for the DVDs, but they don’t seem to be available in America. The links below are for YouTube versions. God bless people who take the time to post things we can all enjoy. Maybe if we all make inquiries about the series someone will show it again. We can hope, can’t we?
PBS, are you listening?
Enjoy the fun, folks! I sure did. Read the rest of the story »
Finding Farm Information Resources
The internet is a wonderful place to locate information, find ideas and get answers to our questions. But, sometimes we just want to talk with a human being, connect with a living breathing person; that’s when having a list of available local resources comes in handy.
America was founded on agriculture. Over the centuries our national government promoted the improvement and expansion of farming through government sponsored programs and institutions. Agriculture is still a very important part of our society and many of the institutions or organizations formed to service future farmers still exist today.
Most of these resources are in every state, and sometimes in every county of the country. If your state is less populated or you live in a fairly urban area you may have to look to neighboring counties for the information you’re looking for. But, it is out there.
So — where are these resources and how can you find them? Read the rest of the story »
A Sad Mid-Week Discovery
We’ve had a busy week so far and tonight was the first time it seemed like we could relax a bit while going about the nightly chores. It was nice outside. We’ve had a strange winter of fluctuating temperatures, rain and wind storms. One day its cold and winter like, the next the thermometer shoots up to 70 and somewhere in between the winds from the east start to howl. My poor fruit trees don’t know whether to flower or go dormant and a few bulbs are already pushing their heads up out of the ground.
But tonight, it was temperate with just a hint that colder weather wanted to push in.
With a cup of tea in my glove clad hand I made my rounds from coop to hutch to pen and through the garden, checking on feed, replacing water, collecting eggs, making plans. It was during this stroll that I realized I hadn’t seen my four little Old English hens or our old black Cochin. I looked in all their favorite hiding places and places where they go to rest and lay eggs, but none were there. I thought that maybe they had flown over into my neighbor’s yard so I headed to the fence and took a peak over. Nope. Read the rest of the story »
Wild Winds and Disaster Preparedness
The weatherman is calling for high winds, like 60 – 80 mile an hour gusts, and lower temperatures over the next few days. That can only mean one thing… damage… and lots of it. Anytime we hear news like this we immediately go into batten down mode. We’ve been through enough windstorms to know the damage they can cause and the discomfort we will feel if not properly prepared.
Several years ago, on a cold January night, a storm blew through our area with the force that can be described as a gale. Brianne and I were living on the ranch at the time and the fierce winds uprooted over 500 trees, which knocked down power lines, broke the well pump, smashed windows, tore the roof partially off the barn and damaged a corner of our house. One tree even fell, front to rear, over my truck crushing it 6-inches. Needless to say, it was totaled.
We were pretty well stocked and prepared though. Living in an earthquake zone is a constant reminder that Mother Nature can strike unexpectedly. But, it was this particular storm with its power outage that lasted for more than a week that convinced me even more that we should never be without stores, water, light and a source of heat.
With the weatherman’s prediction we set about preparing.
Prepare Your Home(stead) for Winter
I woke at 5:15 this past Saturday. Something I rarely do. I’ve never bought into the romanticized notion of waking up before the sun if you live on a farm. But, this morning was different. A long productive work week, a relaxing movie and dinner with my sister, a chat with my friend and fellow suburban farmer about kids and school; life and the future, plus a hot soak in the tub and a sound restful night’s sleep was the perfect storm of circumstances my body needed to raise me at that hour. It’s okay though, because this weekend was about switching gears.
The first weekend in November is our traditional “get ready for winter” weekend. Regardless of the weather, it’s the time when we close the door on hot weather, cooling clothes and light meals; and hunker down to cozy blankets, fires and hearty stick to your ribs meals.
It was still dark when I woke. Not even a sliver of daylight crested the horizon. I could feel the cold air hang over me and knew the predawn hours had dipped towards freezing. I lay in bed for awhile, thinking, snuggled down under a mound of blankets, our cat nestled at my neck, planning the day ahead. There would be much to do, making ready for winter.
When I finally emerged from my warm cocoon, at 5:30am, the furnace had already gone off several times (and it was set at 60). I slipped into a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt, pulled on a pair of warm socks and headed for the living room. Although we had stacked our outside firewood racks to overflowing I hadn’t put the wood grate back into the firebox. In spring and summer my firebox is home to a tiered wrought iron candle holder, but on the first weekend of November, the candles come out and the firewood grate goes in. Read the rest of the story »
Oh Hallows Eve!
This weekend has been dedicated largely to everyone’s comfort here on the farm. The rabbit has a freshly strawed box in which to spend the winter; all the nesting boxes have been cleaned and repacked with a generous amount of shavings; my tender container garden of salad greens and spinach have been covered with float clothe to keep out the night chill and the wood racks are stacked high with seasoned, split eucalyptus.
The fire stack near the front door and a festively carved Jack-O-Lantern greets friends and neighbors on the front porch.
It’s been a weekend of settling in…to fall…to cooler weather…to fewer outdoor chores and long awaited indoor projects. The farm seems barren as I make my nightly rounds, checking on animals, gathering eggs, topping off water troughs and breathing in the cool crisp air. Most of the fruit trees are losing their leaves and much of the garden has been dismantled, save for a few containers filled with greens. New raised beds await a truckload of composted cow manure; compliments of a fellow 4-H family. And, the rest of the old garden beds have been removed and the whole area weeded and staked out for the new greenhouse and garden.
The weatherman is calling for low 40’s tonight. It was the incentive we needed to stock the wood rack to get ready for roaring fire. The stove has been was bubbling all yesterday, loaded down with chicken carcasses that were transformed into a luscious seasonal Chicken Pot Pie. Paired with a simple salad and a rustic apple pie, it was the perfect end to this all hallows weekend.
Halloween means a lot to me. It is my favorite holiday. It’s not about the scary costumes or the candy or even the wild revelry. Don’t get me wrong… I don’t begrudge people that kind of fun; it’s just not for me. Halloween to me is a time to reflect on seasons past, to find a place of calm after months of busy gardening and animal raising. It’s a time to be grateful for what we have, the food that we’ve grown, the animals that will feed us all winter and the people in our lives. The ancients marked this day as the beginning of a new year. It was a somber day full of remembrances and gratitude. So for me this has been a quiet day of slow and steady work without much fuss.
My morning started off quiet with a breakfast of pumpkin pecan pancakes, bacon and a few fresh eggs thrown in for good measure. I try to make as many pumpkin inspired dishes as possible this month. It just doesn’t seem the same (or right) any other time of year. I sat at my kitchen table, looking out the window, the chickens running from one end of the yard to the other, Sophia flapping her wings the whole way. Two big black crows sat watching from atop the pepper tree. It has been said that crows seen in pairs is a sign of good luck. It’s nothing special to see them alone, but boy if you see them together you’ve got a good sign. My fall décor consists of folk art I found while on a trip to Vermont and Oregon. Hallow themed prints with pumpkins and owls and, you guessed it, crows. My fall quilt project is a primitive crow appliqué pattern I found at a quilt show a few years ago. When I saw it hanging on the display wall it reminded me of the crows on the farm and I just had to have it, so I forked over the cash to buy it.
Someday it too will be part of my hallow festivities; wrapping Brianne and I in its warmth. Farm girls making our way together. Now that’s a pair teaming with luck.
Picture By: JMS
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