Homesteading is a journey. Some months you accomplish your goals by leaps and bounds. Other months, you fall back a few steps.
The important part is to keep working hard to progress forward in your goals. It doesn't happen overnight. Many websites make it seem easy, but it isn't. It takes baby steps to get to the big projects. So, I'm starting this monthly homesteading update to share our progress and setbacks. I hope that you find them useful in your journey of homesteading.
October
- We attended the Self Reliance Festival.
We took some time away to travel to Camden, TN. We met new people and learned about projects that others are doing on their properties. For more information about this trip, check out the post: Our Trip to SRF – PJ's Projects (pjsprojects.com)
- We replanted blackberries.
A family member purchased blackberry starts while I was in the hospital. They survived in the pots for longer than they should have endured. We finally moved them to their new home. I am crossing my fingers that they will survive and thrive next year.
- Hubby started composting.
We had discussed our need for good compost on the property. The hubby took the initiative to try Billy Bond's method of quick compost. Check out his video here:
He used cut grass, wood shavings and animal waste to layer and start the process.
- The hubby fixed the back doors of the greenhouse
We haven't found permanent material for the greenhouse doors. We know that it is something that needs to happen at some point but we simply keep finding more pressing issues to address. These doors just get patched up when needed.
- We practiced target shooting.
We set up the target shooting area and invited friends over to hang out and test their shooting skills.
- We harvested angora fiber.
Harvesting angora fiber sounds more complicated than it is. We simply combed our rabbits thoroughly and saved the fur that we removed from them. I find it a fun and relaxing activity. I am looking into ways that we can expand this operation and hope that it works out.
- We trimmed the goat's hooves.
The goats needed their hooves trimmed as they were growing a bit too long. The hubby worked with them to get this task completed. He has mentioned that we may need to look into obtaining a headgate before the next attempt.
- The dog returned the buried rabbit.
In the last post, I mentioned that our long-time buck, Lucky, had died (Homestead Update - September – PJ's Projects (pjsprojects.com). We buried him in the field. The dogs didn't pay much attention to the activity, so we carried on with our lives.
We haven't received very much rain this fall, and the ground was very hard. Apparently, we didn't bury the rabbit deep enough to hide the smell of decomposition from the nose of a dog. Our dog dug it up and returned the carcass to the house. I will spare you the pictures. Luckily, we were able to catch it and rebury the rabbit before the kids were aware of the issue. Of note, when I say "we", I meant that I found the mess and the hubby reburied poor rabbit.
- I obtained shelves for the greenhouse.
I wanted a workbench for the greenhouse. A place to set up seeds and organize any harvests. The hubby came through and built it for my birthday!
- I dehydrated apples.
In a previous post (October Homeschooling Activities – PJ's Projects (pjsprojects.com), I described taking my children to an orchard and instructing them to pick apples. They definitely listened. I had an abundance of apples to process. One way that I did this was by dehydrating them. I sliced these apples, dipped them in lemon water and placed in the dehydrator.
When done, I place them in mason jars and vacuum sealed the lids for storage. We love these snacks!
- I made and canned apple pie filling.
We can only eat so many dehydrated apples, so I decided to make and process apple pie filling. I peeled and sliced the apples while the mixture of sugar, spices, cornstarch and water heated on the stove. I tightly packed the jars with apples and poured the sauce over them. When all of the jars were complete, I water bath canned them.
Here are a few tips:
-- This one is delicious but messy. Just accept it and embrace it.
-- Leave plenty of headspace in the jar or it will overflow in the canner. This won't ruin the jar, but you will need to eat it soon.
-- While the recipe states that this is apple pie filling, it can be used in other ways. I have heated them in a slow cooker for a sweet baked apple desert, used as a topping on ice cream, and baked in a cobbler.
- We covered the front landscaping area.
My goal is to turn the front walkway landscaping area into an herb garden. This can still be beautiful but have a function of growing helpful plants right outside our front door. The area has been overgrown with plants that I don't want (mostly lambs ear) and we need to choke this out to provide a better planting environment in the spring. We covered the area with cardboard and black plastic. Hopefully, it will be easier to manage next year.
- Obtained teasel root and made tincture.
A kind friend discovered that she had an abundance of teasel (or dipsacus). When she offered to share, I was very grateful. We used this opportunity to schedule a visit and she took time to give the kids and I a tour of her property.
I decided to make a tincture out of this by cutting up the root and submerging it in grain alcohol. Teasel is commonly used for the treatment of Lyme disease. We purchased and used it for a family member in the past with great success. Among other things, it can be used as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic.* I'm excited to have our own tincture on hand.
- We bartered for a new washing machine.
One part of the homesteading lifestyle is bartering. This is a great way to increase the value that each person receives. We designed and created a wooden piece in exchange for a used washing machine. Our washing machine experienced some minor damage during the move last year and it is gradually getting worse. While our current washing machine is still functioning, there is a point where it may unexpectantly die. Having a spare will be handy.
In addition, I had this crazy idea to set up a system where I could run two washing machines at the same time. As a family of seven, we have a lot of laundry! The possibility of being able to double the impact of washing clothes is very tempting. I have discussed the topic with the hubby, and he is looking into possible ways to make this happen. Either way, it is here and ready to go when we need it and it only cost us a bit of time and wood.
- Hubby built a pen for the goats.
We needed a designated sheltered area for the goats. The hubby obtained reclaimed wood from a family member's farm to decrease the costs of the build.
We utilized the muscle of our young helpers to assist with the project.
The girls claimed that they helped but I cannot pinpoint their exact contribution.
Although it is named the goat pen, it can be used for any animal as needed in the future. The hubby plans to complete the loft area when he gets more wood. He will build a ladder and we intend to use the loft for additional storage.
- I made butter.
It was a new experience for me. Check out the description here: I Made Butter! – PJ's Projects (pjsprojects.com)
- I planted garlic in a grow bag.
I didn't get my garlic planted as early as I normally choose to do it. When I did try to plant the garlic, I found that our ground was as hard as a rock due to our lack of rain. I chose to plant our few garlic pieces in a grow bag instead. It is an experiment. Cross your fingers that it works!
- I processed and canned pears.
The kids picked pears as well as apples at the orchard. Since it was the end of the season, the remaining pears were an asian variety that had the shape of an apple. I had never tried this variety before, but it quickly became one of my favorites.
There are many ways that you can process pears, but I like my pears in a simple syrup. I used the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving . It is a great reference and I highly recommend adding it to your home library.
I made one small change to the recipe. I added lemon juice to each jar to increase the acidity. Asian pears are less acidic than other varieties and I wanted to water bath can these pears. Ensuring that they have a low pH is essential for safe water bath canning.
We are making small steps, but they are mostly headed in the right direction. I wonder what we will do next month!
*Nothing mentioned here should be taken as medical advice. I am simply describing our life and you should do your own research before utilizing anything for health related issues.
**I have started attaching links for certain products to my amazon affiliate account. As an Amazon associate, I will earn money from any qualifying purchases made by using these links.