Homestead Happenings

Welcome to the first Homestead Happenings of 2026!

It's been a quiet couple of weeks around here.

The holidays are over, and we are getting back into our groove.

The weather has been wavering from frightfully frigid

to downright delightful.

Christmas day had us at 70 degrees and sunny!

The garden is still growing,

though ever so slightly.

Leeks were harvested for the makings of soup,

but for the most part,

harvesting is just not happening.

I'm starting to gear up for another season of

winter sowing.

I'm currently saving my lettuce containers to use for the project.

Thankfully, the girls are sailing right through winter,

and all have now grown back all of the feathers they lost from molting.

Their coops are still stuffed with straw as needed,

and cracked corn allows them to maintain their body heat.

We look forward to adding to the flock this spring.

Life is just better with chickens.

A few thrifting trips have been taken.

It's one of the things that all of us enjoy.

We actually found a couple of new to us shops,

so it was fun to get out and spend some time together.

I also found a new local feed store,

so that I can pick up rations for the chooks.

We prefer to support small businesses when we can.

The colder weather outside has been the perfect reason

to force me to stay indoors and bake.

The fresh milled flour recipe library

continues to grow.

I never thought it would be so much fun to learn

how to bake all over again!

Bread and rolls are pretty much a weekly task now,

and I don't mind it one bit.

It's absolutely unbelievable how much better I feel

now that I've been making my own bread for these 3 months.

This past week, I tried my hand at making

English muffins, one of my favorite breakfast foods.

They turned out pretty good,

but I have a bit of tweaking to do.

It's so rewarding to know that I am creating food

that nourishes my body and feeds my soul.

This week, honey was purchased from our neighbors,

three doors down from our home.

We've been using this honey for years.

You can't get more local than that!

Their honey is wonderful,

and it is being used in most of the bread recipes.

It seems everyone is recovering from the holidays.

Even one of our resident squirrels was spied

napping on the back deck.

Nothing wrong with a little sunbathing.

I hope that your year has started out on a good note,

and that it just keeps gettin' better!

God bless.