Homemaker

Money has become very tight for us and I am trying to find every way to cut expenses. I always clean up and dig soil ammendments into the garden in the fall so it is ready to plant in the spring. Usually I buy bagged manure and compost from Lowes to dig in. This year I am killing myself to mow with the push mower to collect grass clippings and chopped up leaves to roughly dig into the garden beds. I'm using what I have in my own yard and I'm getting more exercise. I have used leaves and grass before, just not this exclusively. I'm hoping that by using the leaves and grass, along with the staw and chicken poo from the coop, wood ashes and my compost, I'll be able to get by without buying any fertilizer.

Great idea! I've been wanting one of those.

It's just barely on a simmer...you could even use a crockpot if you wanted. I think it's worth it in order to get a natural, complete form of minerals that the body can easily absorb and use. The synthetic minerals in most multivitamins are very difficult for the body to deal with. Does it cost to keep your stove or crockpot running several days? Sure, but I think about how expensive medical bills will be later when my body is suffering from the pain of weakened bones. Pay a little now, or pay a whole lot more, along with the suffering, later.

Go for it!! (Not that I'd ever be able to find any in my clean sterile modern grocery store. I 've never seen any at my natural foods co-op either.)

Judging by how nasty people can get in parking lots trying to get the closest spot, I don't think many would be willing to walk it. They'd just sit by the side of the trail and whine, hoping the stagecoach would come by soon.

I'm sure that mice and moles could still tunnel in from the bottom.

I've had great success growing pumpkins and winter squash on mounds of straw. I just scrape back some of the straw, spread in some compost and plant. As they grow, the straw is breaking down, and the worms are working the organic matter into the soil. After I harvest, I spread on some cow manure and let it continue rotting over the winter. When spring comes, I plant potatoes in the rich shallow soil the worms dug for me. I layer on lots of straw as the vines come up. I get a decent crop of potatoes, but not as much as in deeply tilled soil. After that second year of straw covering, the worms have deepened the soil even more. When I dig up the potatoes, I'm giving the soil in that bed it's first real digging. I find the organic matter worked down a good 6 inches or so. I layer on more manure and straw for the winter and come spring it's ready to be planted with anything but root crops. I usually do pole beans and cucumbers. Each year I've added a new bed to my garden using this method. I keep them all mulched with straw or leaves. My soil is getting very rich and I don't need to use a shovel. I just lightly stir up the top 3 inches when I plant seeds. The only time I take a shovel to it is when I dig the potatoes. I love the way Ruth Stout thinks. No-till gardening is such a blessing! By the way, Ruth Stout is my great-great aunt. I have a picture of her feeding her chickens. (Not the same Ruth stout!!)

This sounds like a very unique gift. I've never had alcohol, except for some red wine in stew and bourbon in my MIL's sweet potatoes. I didn't like the flavor of either. Do you think a person not used to alcohol would like it? Isn't rum sweeter? I'm sure my in-laws would love it, but they'd be shocked if I made it for them!

I just got 9 more bags of apples last night. Rather than make it all into applesauce, I'm going to make a few jars of cider.

I keep the pumpkins in the garage or basement so they don't freeze. I bring them out one every few weeks. I had only 8 hens last year and they took about two weeks to finish one. even when they froze, they would thaw enough most days for the hens to peck at them. The cold kept them from molding. At first, I would break them open for them, but they soon learned to peck through the rind themselves. The squirrels also helped themselves when the hens weren't around to chase them off.

I'm really laid back when it comes to my eggs. I don't wash them. If any are poopy, I rub off what I can and don't wash it until I'm ready to use it. Usually, I just let the dog have the poopy ones. He'll eat them shells and all! In the summer, I keep the eggs in a bowl on the counter until morning when I use them in our omlette. I rotate the older ones out of the egg holder and put in the ones in the bowl from the day before. In the winter when we didn't have much of a surplus I didn't bother putting them in the fridge. My kitchen is around 55-60 degrees in the winter, so they keep well. I haven't been giving my girls their oyster shell the past few months. They free range, and they're getting what they need from the bugs they eat. The shells have been nice and strong. I'll start back on it when the frosts start up. Lately, I've been letting them run out of food after their breakfast and they find plenty out in the yard. Their crops are bulging, so they're finding plenty. They don't believe me when I tell them they don't need me to fill up the feeders with their pellets. They let me know quite clearly that they are dying and that I'm a cruel mother. I re-fill them in the evening. I'll miss that free food come winter. I'm going to look for reduced price pumpkins after halloween to give to them over the winter. That helps keep their yolks nice and dark when the yard is void of greens.

Who would have thought that chickens could bring so much joy and entertainment? I still thank God for allowing me the blessing of having them in my life. Now, if he would only work it out so I could have a roo! I know, I know, in His time.

Precious!

I need to integrate my flocks soon. The chicks are in a tractor right now, but I let them out in the evening to graze with the free-roaming hens. So far no problems as long as the chicks don't try to go for the same bug as a hen. I know it will be a different story when I finally let the little ones sleep in the coop. Closer quarters will be sure to invite arguements.

Yup! Take care of it now, or it may lead to more problems. I injured my feet at work and one still gives me problems. Because I limp a little when it hurts, I'm messing up my hip. Remember the song...the leg bone's connected to the hip bone... On the plus side, when you make changes to help one problem, the bonus is that it improves other problems as well.

My husband and I were taking training classes to become foster parents to special needs children. God closed that door and told us he wanted to spend our time and energy by pulling our kids out of school and home-schooling them. Now that they are grown, I wonder if God will lead us back to foster parenting. We are willing to do His will. What could be a greater task than giving hope to those who have none?

I'm glad you mentioned about the need to "publish" the entry. I just started my blog and was wondering what I was supposed to do. Who knows how many other people out there are wondering the same thing.

I always have bowls of kombucha going. I'm having trouble keeping up with demand. My son has his girlfriend drinking it now when she comes over. As soon as I get to the store, I'll make a batch of Kvass, which is a fermented Soviet drink using bread and fruit. I'm also getting some sweet potatoes to make an african drink called fly. I've never tried it before, so I'll have to let you know how it goes.

Hey, I think I'd actually wear the pom pom poncho. It's cute!

Stephanie, Your kids certainly wouldn't learn canning in public school. In fact, when I was in home ec. I learned how to make monkey bread with pillsbury dough from a can, and peanut brittle. Boy, that'll keep you going strong! Now your kids will share in the pride when you pop open a can of pork for a meal.

Our waking moments can be so full of activity and the concerns of life that we cannot hear the voice of God. Maybe God chooses the only time our mind and thoughts are silent to speak to us. For most of us, that is during those few precious hours we are sleeping. What is that verse...? Be still and know that I am God. Our busy world leaves us with little time to be quiet and listen for the voice of God.

I'm having my son help me build my chicken coop. While I don't really have any building expertise, at least he's learning that when you put your mind and back to it, you can figure things out. Alot of the time, people dismiss the idea of doing things themself because they haven't been taught. My son is learning that you can often figure it out as you go. This will be an important skill to have... confidence.

I've been using it for five years. I stopped using all vegetable oils and shortenings for cooking and used coconut, red palm, butter or olive oil instead. It wasn't a difficult switch at all. It takes alittle time and determination to eat it from the spoon. The red palm oil is worse, but so worth it! I have made so many changes in my diet that I can't tell you specifically which health improvements are because of the oil. I know my skin is softer and smoother because of it. Please don't mistake this for bragging, but, since I transformed my health five years ago, people think I'm my kids sister instead of their mother. When I'm with my daughter and her baby, people assume I'm the mother and are shocked when I tell them I'm the proud grandma. Because of this, my daughters use the oil as well. They want to keep their skin and hair looking young. I have a friend who eats the way I do and she is about 50 years old. I think she looks around 40. Her skin is still soft and smooth and glowing. It's not just the coconut oil. There's no quick fix.

Wow, I didn't know there were local chapters. I looked up my closest chapters, one in Roanoke, and one in Botetourt/Rockbridge. I was also delighted to see that Harvey Ussery has a chapter in his area. I attended his homesteading conference last month.