Homesteaders

[rancher hicks]

Has anyone used this supplier, Renaissance Farms ? They have a particular tomatoe I was interested in. http://renaissancefarms.org/healingharvest/store/products/scoresby-dwarf-tomato/

I haven't but if it's an heirloom you can save seeds. You could also google the name to see if someone else sells them. Many times I'm deterred by the shipping cost when ordering seeds. Unless you'll be ordering more from them.

In other news I did see some sprouts of the Zinnias I've started. I'm expecting seeds from Burpee and getting set up so they can go in the pots right away.

I do intend to order more seeds from Annie's and Botanical Interest. They have seeds I want and seeds others don't carry.

Too, I will buy plants are the Farmers Market since there are vendors who sell heirloom varieties that I only plant a couple of. For $4 I can get two plants rather than spend $4 for seeds I have to start.

 

[Loc20chick]

I started tomatoes, Swiss chard and collards seeds yesterday, I want to start more, I will have to get some potting soil. I read somewhere that it's better and helps to prevent diseases if one uses potting soil to start seeds, not sure how true since the plants will still get planted in thefarden.
Also processed 7 young roosters and left some younger ones for later in Summer. I will also be setting some eggs in the bator end of the week.

It's been warm around here perfect weather to play and work outside.

 

[Raech]

It has been rainy around here, not good for much of anything. We had some super nice days but mostly it is rain, rain, rain, followed by a day or two of sun. But never enough sun to dry out the mud very much. Dad has been doing a lot of pruning and shredding at the house, next is down sizing and removing stuff. Slowly but surely we will get the house ready. I had to put down my chi the other day, she woke up and couldn't walk so it was time, she had some other medical issues as well that she would not have bounced back from. I cried for two days after I got her buried at the house, so when we move in I will still have her with me, she is buried next to the other dogs that we have loved before her.

My seeds are sitting in the only window that gets any sun, hopefully they grow, if not i will sow my seeds in the garden and go from there. Still need to clean up the big garden at Dad's house so we can get it fertilized for the new year, but it is way too muddy to do anything. Priced out carpet for the new house, they will take the old, and put in the new, for free as long as we spend over $700. So in theory, we will have new carpet in a week after probate is done. Dad is still fighting probate, and is getting frustrated sitting at home just putting around the house.

 

[Beer can]

Still to early to start anything here, though I have some sweet potatoes going in the window.
40s-50s during the day, teens at night. Perfect weather for tapping Maple trees, did some today and the saps a drippin :-D

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Still to early to start anything here, though I have some sweet potatoes going in the window.
40s-50s during the day, teens at night. Perfect weather for tapping Maple trees, did some today and the saps a drippin :-D

I don't even know if we have any maples. Would be great though. We love fresh maple. I guess with all we have going on it would be more simple to just buy local though, like we do honey.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

I did start my greens today though. And I'm also making a hanging spinach rack to put in my barn. Right now it stays in the 40s so I should be able to get some great spinach.

 

[Beer can]

I don't even know if we have any maples. Would be great though. We love fresh maple. I guess with all we have going on it would be more simple to just buy local though, like we do honey.

We just make enough for us, takes a lot of sap and a lot of boiling, time consuming and you have to keep on top of it when it gets warmer. Warm weather you can't just store it to boil when you have time, sours quick. I haven't bothered the last few yrs but we usually get a couple gallons. I could make more but get sick of boiling it after awhile and quit.
The one's making $$ off it are set up with self feeding evaporator pans, pumps to collect the sap from big tanks, trees tapped and run connected together with hose gravity feeding down to the tanks.

A lot of local maple syrup around many stores carry it, (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...i7ATAW&usg=AFQjCNE8qX4JzQ9fp-8KMzTCpHRz6ApQfg) same with the honey, a lot of local stuff available. We usually just buy honey at Frog Pond. I have to ask my neighbor sometime where he gets his honey, gets it a lot cheaper cause they just refill his container. He swears the honey cures his allergies. They're from Jersey and until they retire only come up on weekends occasionally. Said his allergies were terrible until he started with the local honey.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

We have 2 places we get Honey and both are affordable. Both also carry several types.

 

[Beer can]

Ever get that dark buckwheat honey? Wasn't bad but not my fav, kinda tasted like grape nut cereal, which I like just odd flavor for honey IMHO. I prefer regular ole honey.

 

[Bantambird]

I wish there was maple syrup and blueberries here, you Easterners are lucky for those... I love the darker grade b syrup, it's got lots of robust flavor and plenty of good minerals. But honey, we have plenty of that! We used to get free honey from a guy who kept hives on grandma's homestead, because she refused to spray anything so the bees were healthy. The man retired eventually.