Homestead Happenings

Greetings to you from Maple Hill 101!

We have a few things to share this week

about our homestead activities.

This little winter vignette has brought me so much comfort,

with the delicate white lights and the cheery bear on the card.

Several times a day I'll find myself just smiling

when I catch a glimpse of it.

Winter sowing continues, as spring inches closer.

We have had some success with chamomile, dill, kale, leek, 

lettuce, onions and dianthus germinating well.

The beans, parsley and thyme have not done well,

but will be resown in the next week or so.

lots of lettuce!

A large bin of broccoli shoots was harvested

and will no doubt be enjoyed all weekend.

The cabbage is finally started to head.

I can't wait to sample this homegrown newbie!

These chives decided to come back to life

after looking mighty bad most of the winter.

Bring on the potato salad!

The sweet potato slips have been started.

These were homegrown sweet potatoes

that were saved from our fall harvest.

Matchsticks were used in place of toothpicks

(we don't buy those) to suspend the spuds in the cans.

In a few weeks, we should have slips!

Last time I mentioned this heritage flour

from Sunrise Flour Mill in Minnesota.

A friend recommended it to me,

as she knows I have issues with gluten sensitivity.

I'm happy to report that not only was the bread de-lish,

there was absolutely no reaction to my skin

after devouring the entire loaf myself!

Yeah!

Dinner rolls or challah bread will be tried next.

The new chook run has been started.

It came in one ginormous box that weighed a ton.

Fortunately, the assembly was fairly easy,

especially since Big K was there to help.

We are awaiting the hardware cloth to be delivered,

so that we can finish it up.  The outer fence will be taken down,

and used underneath the perimeter of the new run,

to act as a predator deterrent.

We'll also have some sort of stone all along the outside

to keep trouble makers at bay.

We hope to complete the build by next weekend.

This will allow me to commence working on the new design

of the garden, which is to the left of the run.

Things need to be rearranged, but the run has to be finished first. 

We lost our beloved Ruby last week.

She was such a sweet and gentle soul.

We think the culprit was water belly,

of which I knew very little.

Unfortunately, it is a condition that has no cure.

We miss you dearly, sweet girl,

but know that we'll see you again someday.

I hope you'll share what's happening on your homestead.

A Twist on Gratitude

 

Every...

step forward,

joyful sprouted seedling,

morning of stillness,

noontime church bell ringing clearly,

soothing cup of tea,

IS

        A

                         GIFT.

Your turn...

Homestead Happenings

 

Winter sowing is under way!

As you can see, the butter crunch lettuce is coming up.

It’s amazing to me how well this method works.

When the seeds are ready, they germinate,

and since they are already outside,

there is no need for hardening off the plants.

Read more about Winter Sowing here.

These potatoes had been saved from our last harvest 

and placed in a paper sack in my closet for safe keeping.

As you may be able to tell, they want to grow.

Far be it for me to stand in the way!

 Three planting rings were created using chicken wire.

These rings had been used a couple of years ago for growing potatoes.

I decided to use this method again,

since these needed to be planted quickly.

Another batch of spuds will be planted in a few weeks

using the Ruth Stout method of growing in straw.

A few buckets of homemade compost

await behind the shed for use later in the season.

It’s wonderful having a space for all of the garden materials.

This handy-dandy sled helps me get loads delivered,

while saving my back from heavy lifting.

A piece of baling twine was strung through two holes drilled into the end of this bin,

which was given to me by a neighbor.

A scrap section of old hose makes a great handle.

This simple tool gets used all the time,

and makes moving things around so much easier.

I am reluctant to ask for help,

so this little set up works well for me.

The (repurposed) bags filled with shredded leaves

finally made it to the back of the property.

In the fall, we used our backpack shredder

to tidy up both our yard, and our neighbors'.

It seems there were more dropped leaves 

than usual last year.

Did you experience that as well?

The bounty will be used in the garden as mulch,

to keep the soil covered.

It’s early February, but the daffodils are already showing signs of awakening.

Several neighbors have actual blooms already.

Unless we get blasted with a late freeze,

We should be having an early colorful spring!

Sedums have become one of my favorite plants.

They are coming back after a somewhat fickle winter.

The constant shift in temperatures didn’t seem to affect them one bit.

I see a few more in my future.

Chilly temperatures kept me inside one morning last week,

so I took the opportunity to clean and sharpen my favorite pruners.

These get used almost daily, 

and it was worth the trouble to dismantle them and give them a thorough scrub.

Here’s a video on the process.

On most rainy days, you’ll find me in the kitchen baking.

I’m not sure what it is about the inclement weather,

but it encourages me to create comforting foods.

These gf pecan sandies got tweaked by the addition of chocolate chips.

My favorite chocolate brand, Hu, is the cleanest sweet treat I’ve found.

Read more here.

The same sugar free chips were used in these

pumpkin muffins.

I usually make these in the fall,

but somehow didn’t get around to it last season.

Ah well, my tummy is none the wiser.

You can find both of these recipes underneath my header

listed as “Scratch Recipes “ or “Allergy-Friendly Recipes “.

(The pumpkin muffin recipe was made gluten free

by subbing out the white flour with a combination of oat and almond flours.)

A friend shared with me this milled flour,

made from ancient grains.

I've learned over the past year or so,

that my eczema is aggravated by gluten,

so I've mostly avoided it.

The transition to gf products has not been diffiicult,

as I've been cooking and baking that way for years for my boy.

This flour is tolerated by some who have a 

gluten sensitivity, so I thought I would give it a go.

This upcoming rainy weekend may find me baking homemade bread to enjoy.

Fingers crossed.

What's happening on your homestead?