Do you have your garden planned out yet for next year? I know, I know. It's only December. There's snow on the ground and we're barely into winter yet. But it's this time of year when I start getting the itch to work the soil. You know what I mean? When the days are short,... Continue Reading →
As summer winds down, my thoughts are constantly speeding ahead to fall. It's no secret that September and October are my favorite months. Cooler mornings, warm afternoons and a changing of the guard when it comes to evening meals. Soups. Stews. And roasts oh my! However, as the pumpkins begin to ripen in the field,... Continue Reading →
Clover might be my favorite discovery in gardening. Growing up, I was taught that clover was nothing more than a weed that marred an otherwise perfect lawn. I saw the various patches of clover as areas to avoid in the summer when walking barefoot, since they were often teeming with bees. It wasn't until we... Continue Reading →
Gardening is hard stuff. It's not just the weeding. Or the ground prep. Or the manual labor. It's also getting your seed placement and timing right. It's understanding how soil temps will affect germination, and knowing just how long to harden off those beautiful transplants you've been worrying over for the past week. It's all... Continue Reading →
I think the best part of gardening is knowing that at the end the season we will (usually) end up with an abundance of food that can be preserved and put on the shelves or in the freezer for later use. The work is rewarding in and of itself. The mystery of placing seed in... Continue Reading →
There is a rhythm to life. Birth. Growth. Production. Decay. It's the pattern that every living thing must go through. We were formed from the earth and to the earth we will return. Decay is essential for new life to begin. When it comes to healthy soil, it is the spent life of decaying things... Continue Reading →
I was reading the other day that the FDA has lifted its consumer advisory to avoid romaine lettuce grown in the Salinas region of California. I'm sure the growing community is happy to have this ban over with. However, this was the fifth recall on leaf crop grown in the area that I can remember,... Continue Reading →
I'm serious when I ask this. Where did the year go? It's beginning to sound like a cliche, I know. But I'm still scratching my head over how fast it seemed this year went by. Maybe that's why I'm clinging to this time between Christmas and the New Year. This season of rest. Because I... Continue Reading →
The market garden is now dormant. Asleep again as winter approaches. All is quiet where there once was a flurry of activity not that long ago. I always come into this season with mixed feelings of relief and gratitude. Our spring is so busy with planting and working the soil, and our summer with harvest,... Continue Reading →
Homesteading is all about the experience. We all come to homesteading for different reasons. But in the end, what we really crave is a different approach to life. An experience that transcends the meaningless grind that has become the norm in modern day living. For our family, it was a hunger for a simpler, more... Continue Reading →