Good Morning Everyone,
Another winter is upon us, we have already had snow, but a warm front came and gave us rain and melting temperatures. But as is normal here in the North East, cold temperatures have returned and another 6 inches of snow has fallen. The tractor is warming up right now in pr…
I have to admit, my Father was right when I was a youngster. He used to say wait until you are my age and you'll understand. I wish he were still here so I could tell him that I do.
The summer went by way to fast and we find ourselves in another colder than normal November, We have had tempe…
Haying season has ended, and since we have had frost all except our carrots have been harvested. The time to plant next years garlic is upon us and we are waiting for the ground to dry a little after the fall rains have soaked us.
I always look forward to bringing the haying equipment home, it…
The August 1998 issue of the Angus Journal included a supplement titled Feeding Options. In the supplement's first article, written by Troy Smith, there's an interesting line. For the ruminant animal, there's nothing more natural than range. ("Range" means "large pasture.") Just think about this …
With spring here and me waiting for the mud to dry up I have had some time to ponder, thinking God has been good to us on the homestead, after all we came here with limited knowledge of what it would really be like to make a living on a full-blown homestead. We came to an over grown patch of land th…
Children will learn many life skills on a homestead. They will learn for one the feeding and caring for animals, and will no doubt make many of them pets. It really is something to see a child of 60 pounds leading a 1000-pound animal by a lead rope and have that huge animal be as gentile as a baby…
We have learned through life that most folks think they are looking out for your better good, but have no idea that their thought is really for themselves. Our life together has been very fulfilling to us, no not perfect but fulfilling none the less. when others keep their ideas of how life should b…
Winter on the homestead brings us to the season of enjoying the labors of spring, summer and autumn harvest. A time to enjoy the many foods we have put up along with the warmth of the wood we cut, blocked, hauled, split and stacked into the wood shed and is now crackling in the wood stove. A time to…
Learn to make bread.
Make meals from scratch.
Find ways to produce your own energy.
Find ways to craft by hand instead of using power tools.
Grow your own vegetables and herbs.
Learn to save your seeds.
Raise a milk cow or goat depending on your room.
Raise livestoc…
There is always something to do on the homestead. This year we have gone from near or early stages of drought to a 180° turn and having nothing but huge amounts of rain the garden has gone from dry to soaked walking down the rows will put you in mud up to your ankles. Yes some things are showing sig…
With harvest in full swing I have had some time to think while processing and canning our harvest and thinking God has been good to us on the homestead, after all we came here with limited knowledge of what it would really be like to make a living on a full-blown homestead. We came to an over grown …
My Answer to the Question of Homesteading and children: Everyone is expected to do their part in providing for the family on a homestead. Girls do much of the cleaning and helping their mother in the house. Each day the beds need to be made, floors swept, and rugs beaten. There is always laund…
Haying season is here and first cut is done, this years challenge is to get enough hay in to take care of the cows we are keeping. The winter before last we let our bull go as I didn't want to keep a bull around anymore. Little did I know our cow doesn't come into heat every 28 days as she should, i…
Spring is here for us in Vermont, at least in my area. We have been building new fence for the pigs and the cows, some of the pigs have been moved to the front yard where we want to plant potatoes next year. Pigs make wonderful garden plows and harrows and do a nice job bringing rocks to the surfac…
I was asked one day about our lives homesteading from one of my caregivers at the cancer center in the past year. As I gave answers to her questions and told some of the many things we have done on the homestead. They looked at me and said, "Wow, you have lived and amazing life." I honestly can't a…
We all need to eat better, but the truth is there aren’t enough fruits and vegetables grown in America to make it possible. The U.S. food supply contains less than 60 percent of the vegetables required to meet recommended daily allowances, and less than half of the fruit. To change that, the U.S. wo…
Just what is the hard life? Is it leaving home to our 7:00 to 3:30 job in order to pay the bills? Is it living life in what we call roughing it? I think it is a good question to ponder and talk about.
I am guessing most would call how we live as homesteaders the hard life, I can't be sure if it is …
One thing I have learned in my years is winter drops an average amount of snow every year. This year is no different than any other. We either get it early, or it comes a little at a time throughout the winter or it does like it is doing now. Dumping on us at the end of the season.
It really ne…
It was discovered many years ago that the soil in America has been becoming more and more deficient in minerals as time passes. It is said that the soil in which the majority of our food is grown in has half the minerals it once had. What do you think happens to vegetables when grown in mineral defi…
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