There I was. Standing in the barn with both hands firmly wrapped around the legs of a squealing three week old male pig. I held it up as the vet made an incision across each testicle, beginning the castration process. And the first squeal sent Charlotte charging at us. I had dreaded the moment most
Let’s be real for a few moments. Can we? Because I’m going to come clean on something. When we brought the pigs home last May, I had good intentions on creating a separate space for Churchill, our boar. Because one boar with four gilts will eventually lead to…well, you know. But those good intentions are
When I initially came across the property that would eventually be ours, it wasn’t the house or the 12 acres of land that caught my attention. It was the old brick barn that boldly stood among the overgrown mulberry and ash trees. It’s roof was pocked with holes, like an old cannon riddled ship after
I think bread can be beautiful. I am fascinated by the connection food has in our lives. How it connects us with the land, with each other, and how all of it makes us feel. It’s almost like there was design in this, like this was part of the plan. It’s almost as if food
Honestly, growing peppers might be one of my favorite things about the garden. When I sit down over the winter to flip through my seed catalogs, peppers are usually the first I go through. Searching through the all the different varieties makes me feel like I did as a little kid standing at the penny
Fresh strawberries. Mmmmm… I’m drooling just thinking about them. Certainly one of my favorite things about early summer! Nothing beats the flavor of a fresh, sun ripened strawberry. We use them to make jams and deserts. We smother our pancakes with them. Our kids will eat them right off the vine until their faces are
The Irish know a thing or two about potatoes. Like the old wisdom of planting potatoes on Good Friday. Whether doing so actually brings luck, I can’t tell you. But it’s usually our goal to start getting our potatoes in the ground by then. What about you? Will you be planting potatoes this year? Growing
They come in all sizes. They come in all shapes. It doesn’t matter how grand or how small your gardening ambition might be. Adding raised beds might be one of the easiest things to consider to give a jump-start to your gardening experience. The benefits of raised beds There are many reasons to use
Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it’s officially time to start decorating for Christmas. Looking for inspiration? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together 25 ideas to help you get started planning your perfect country Christmas. These metal Christmas trees are a perfect addition for a little rustic look. From RustinRose A different take
I’ve been thinking about ways we can extend our growing season. Why wait to plant in May when we can plant lettuce and other cold weather crops in March? And what about harvesting kale and Brussel sprouts in December or January? So I started building these cold frames that fit over the raised beds. They