Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome back to Homestead Happenings!

Well, it's been a while.

I was having trouble getting pictures to load up

on my laptop, and I'm not sure how I figured out 

a different way, but we'll see how it goes.

I really am trainable!

This lone sunflower has been a major hub of activity

over the last week or so.

Although many, many sunflower seeds were planted,

for some reason this is the only one that showed up.

It could be the drought that we are still experiencing,

but it's just not been the same summer without them.

The Seminole pumpkins are doing well

and started to climb the arched cattle panel.

So far, we have no flowers, but I continue to hope

that we will be able to enjoy this fall treat.

This particular pumpkin stores very well.

Let me know if you'd like some seeds.

The bed where the onions grew is now seeded with

carrots and a few lettuce varieties.

I've grown carrots before, but had decided

that since organic carrots are so affordable at the store,

it's not really worth it to grow your own.

I changed my mind.

The boards and screen cover you see are 

left in place until the seeds germinate.

I learned that on GrowVeg,

one of my favorite YouTube gardening channels.

The secondary reason for the covers is to keep the chooks

from scratching up the seeds.

Let's see what pops up!

Some of the leeks have been harvested,

and these will be cleaned, chopped and put into

the freezer in glass jars.

They will come in handy during soup making season.

There's nothing better than homemade leek soup

on a cold wintry evening.

Having this wire rack out on the front porch worked out well.

Garlic, onions, and now the leeks can dry there

before being put into long term storage.

This corner of the porch stays dry and shaded,

so we'll use this method from now on.

I've been thinking of giving up on growing onions,

because the harvest seems so small and the fruit

does not seem to bulb up as expected.

This is our harvest this year (apart from some

which has been given away), which added up to

seven pounds.

They are fine looking bulbs, and I'm sure they will

taste great, but I'm not sure it's worth the extra bed space.

Leeks have always done better in my garden,

so time will tell if this veg makes it into next year's list.

This is my first ever homemade

elderberry syrup made from the land!

The honey is local (3 doors down),

and the recipe was SO simple!

The best tip was to pick the berries

when they are super dark,

place them in a container and freeze them

until you have enough to make a batch.

Once they are frozen, they are much easier to destem,

and fingers stay clean and dry.

This will be a yearly ritual now,

and there are still berries left on the bushes

for the chooks and the birds.

(I'm secretly thinking I need to make more room for elderberries.)

Another new venture in the kitchen

is this non-dairy ice cream recipe.

It uses water, almond butter, vanilla and maple syrup.

It is incredibly creamy tasting and because it

is so clean, it can be enjoyed anytime,

not just for a special occasion.

I can't wait to try new combinations!

The bread baking continues with my new obsession

of everything fresh-milled flour.

The flavor is amazing and knowing that this bread

is actually nourishing my body motivates me to explore

new recipes regularly.

The book below is one of my go-to sources

for easy to follow, simple recipes.

Our baby chooks are all grown up!

They are free ranging with the rest of the flock,

and will soon graduate into the big run

with the rest of the girls,

although they will continue to stay in their own coop.

In just a few weeks, they should be laying and

allowing us to share eggs with our neighbors and friends.

What a blessing these girls have been.

They actually seem to enjoy being together, share food without fighting,

and move as one unit when they are out foraging.

They could teach our older girls a thing or two 

about getting along.

So grateful to have been able to grow our flock

and that everyone is healthy and active.

It feels good to share on the blog again,

and I'm glad that at least for now,

things are working okay.

I missed writing, and it's important to me

to record my day-to-day garden adventures here.

It's the simple things in life that matter.

~daisy