Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's going on 

here on our Piedmont homestead.

The weather has turned chilly,

although we've not had our first frost yet.

This week has also broken our dry spell,

bringing 3 1/2" of rain to the property.

No doubt the garden welcomed it.

It did, however, deter me from taking many pictures,

therefore this garden update will not be complete.

Recently, the fresh-milled flour adventure began in my kitchen,

and the more I learn, the more I realize

that this is a lifestyle change for the better.

I've been experimenting with various recipes,

mostly with great success.

These sandwich rolls were light, but hearty.

This einkorn loaf of bread was absolutely delicious,

and it will become a regular in my rotation

of homemade breads.

Even the pancakes that I made this week,

are better than any past attempts at using

simply almond flour to keep them gluten-free.

It's hard to explain,

but whenever I indulge in any of these

fresh-milled staples,

my body feels nourished, 

and very satisfied.

A small serving leaves me feeling full

in a very good way.

We still have blooms-a-plenty,

and the pollinators are very appreciative.

This sunflower, which lives near the entrance

of the chook run,

always has a bee of some type nestled on its face.

Likewise, the black-eyed susan vines and

the cosmos are loaded with visitors

doing their work.

I was able to harvest the turmeric,

and will dry this to use for cooking,

and making golden milk during the winter.

What an easy and valuable crop to grow.

Turmeric is one of the best plants to aid with inflammation.

One hundred cloves of garlic were planted,

and instead of taking up the raised bed space

for 9 months, I decided to plant

them in the ground where I had sown potatoes

earlier in the year.

After the rain we had, I noticed that some of the stems

are already poking up out of the ground.

We actually did harvest a cucumber last week!

There are a few more on the vine growing,

and perhaps we will be able to get another picking

before the frost shows up.

This is the Market More variety,

and the skin is a bit tougher than I like.

The cool weather row covers have replaced

the bug netting on the raised beds.

At this point, it's mostly to keep the chooks out,

as they enjoy helping themselves to the goodies inside.

All of the beds are now filled with broccoli, cabbage, 

kale, lettuce and turnips.

The garden is looking the best it ever has,

and I am so grateful for the nourishment it provides.

Since I mentioned the chooks,

I'm happy to report that Saffron is still going strong,

with no extra interventions.

It warms my heart to know that all of our girls

are thriving and seemingly happy.

Through one of our Azure orders,

I was able to find these amazing handmade clothespins.

I'd seen them advertised through Mother Earth News,

but there was a long wait list to place an order.

It's understandable.

These are some heavy-duty pins

that will outlast me.

There's no chance my clothes will be blown away

with these sturdy pins on the job!

You can find their website here.

Another update I thought I would add to this post,

is that we finally got C's surgery done.

It was a long and difficult process,

and I hope we never have to go through anything 

like that again.

He is one week out, and healing quickly.

Thank you so much for your prayers and good wishes.

They were felt.

I'd love to know how your autumn is sizing up.

What's going on where you are?