Homesteaders

[Chicken girl 15]

Just wanted to give you a little insight into my little piece of paradise.

I have had chickens for the past 6 years since buying our home that sits on a little less then 3-acre's as it was all we could afford or we would of loved to have owned more acreage...that same year we added  1-plum and 1-peach tree with a few blackberry bushes (they died btw) had my dh build me a couple raised beds but soon realized I needed to fence in our garden as our chickens free ranged and from that point on our little homestead grew into more then I could of pictured.

I bought a greenhouse using my bonus money from work..made several cinderblock beds (couldn't afford to buy cedar wood) then my dh used whatever he could salvage from our property to build the fence..( we did need to buy some t-posts and the wire fencing that surrounds my garden) with the greenhouse in the middle of the raised beds..I dedicated some of the beds for our perennial edibles which is a couple asparagus patches, a herb garden, a mint garden, sun chokes, walking onions and a strawberry bed..around the inside of the fence I planted several grape vines, several rhubarb plants, a yarrow and for some color some irises that I got on clearance last year at Tractor Supply for $1.50 and many very old purple ones from my 83- yr old MIL's yard and a comfrey plant that I also dug up at my MIL's..one of the raised beds is shaped like a T and one part is a 2-cinderblock high raised bed that homes 4-blueberry bushes with some strawberry plants that jumped their beds and needed to be placed somewhere..they are thriving so I must of done something right.

We have pear, peach, plum, sour cherry, sweet cherry, apple, juneberry, mulberry trees in our fruit orchard 24- trees in total so far...on the outside of the fenced in garden we have 1-black current, 2- juneberry and 7-elderberry bushes.

Planted blackberry, raspberry, white raspberry, blueberry, pink lemon aid blueberry, gooseberry..over 80 plants and growing new canes every year.

Just this year I finally got smart and planted some herbs that I could step outside and pick instead of walking to the garden.. oregano sage, chives, thyme and marjoram perennial herbs around our newly built front deck (my dad paid for it as a overdue house warming present.. I call it our forever present..lol.) mixed in with day lilies, cheyanne echinacea,, irises ,lemon balm, peppermint and spearmint..

I plant medicinal's but have only made a tincture using our elderberries.. I planted yarrow, bee balm, echinacea, comfrey, lambs ears, horseradish, comfrey.chamomile so far.

We have many wild edibles growing on our property like fiddleheads, nettles, wild onion, wild garlic, wild grapes, dandelions, wild black raspberries, lambs quarters, burdock, hens of the woods.

We have a maple tree and sycamore tree that we can tap to make maple syrup.

I learned that you can eat hosta's..I have many planted around our property that I bought on clearance for a $1.00 each and some my Aunt gave me.

We have a acorn tree, pine trees and white burch that has medicinal and edible uses.

I made dandelion wine last year that is absolutely delicious AND will kick your butt..lol..can't wait until spring to pick all the untainted dandelions I can find to make as many gallons of wine I can put up..
'
I also made my own comfrey & dandelion salve's..

My son made us stinging nettle pesto that was better tasting then basil pesto from nettles growing in my strawberry patch.

I made all our jam from picking blackcaps (aka black raspberry) that we have growing on our property, on my dads property which is up the road from me...if you have never tried blackcap jam or jelly you don't know what your missing..this is coming from someone who was brought up on smuckers concord grape jam.

I'm self taught by watching youtube to pressure can, dehydrate and water bath can...

 I'm alway's striving to learn something new  to grow, or preserve.

I love my little piece of paradise.

blackcap jam is fantastic. I have 5 plants by my barn that get better each year. As well as all sorts of wild grapes, red raspberries and all sorts of things we have yet to identify. I grew up in the Midwest and now live in NYS. so as you can imagine things are a lit different here. I will one day know what we have and until then I will do exactly as you are and add more every year. We are slightly larger scale than you as we have 8.8 acres. Tons of room for edibles and medicinal plants.

 

[mythreesons]

Thanks wyoDreamer..

I understand like everything else their are alway's someone to say something negative...But, think about it before modern medicine all medicines came from the wild, trial and error.

I'm a believer in my homemade elderberry tincture as I've had great experience with it as well as my brother who was born with a compromised immune system and is always sick...so I know first hand that this is better then any over the counter cold and flu medicine...I have swollen glands in my neck taken a teaspoon of the tincture and within a 1/2 hour I'm back to feeling normal again..it works!

The comfrey salve has amazing healing abilities along with many other useful purposes...I also planted some (all free from my MIL's yard) of them around the drip line of my fruit trees as their roots go deep in the ground and bring up minerals that feed the tree as well as when they flower the bees love them so that helps pollinate the flower blossoms on my fruit trees also...I read bee's never forget where their source of food comes from and will return to it every year..

I'm just starting to learn about other medicinal plants.. Next year I'm going to gather lots of red clover flowers which is said to cure cancer..its seeped in hot water to drink..I have mature echinacea, that I want to make my own antibiotics from.

I read that every part of the dandelion has medicinal/edible purposes...but, I'm going to make a tea and it suppose to be a wonderful cleanse for your liver...did you know that you can dig the roots from the dandelion, roast them to make a substitute for coffee? And that if you pick it fresh and rub the juice from the stem on liver spots on your hands everyday for several days the liver spots will become so faded they won't be visible?

The Yarrow I planted for a tincture that is a all natural mosquito spray...but, found out that has many medicinal uses.

Lamb's ears could be used for toilet paper if you were desperate..lol..

I could go on and on as this is my passion..my therapy, my stress reliever..lol..

 

[KlopKlop]

very cool @mythreesons !! My wife and I bought our 10 acres in southern MN a year ago in november and have been working hard to make it ours. i hope i can accomplish as much as you have in 10 years. We have 3.5 acres of tilled land and 1.5 acre or hayland that we currenly rent but hope to turn to pasture some day soon and raise grazing animals. we have chickens of course as well as working on establishing our annual garden. this was its first year and we have lots of work to do ammending the soil and beating out the perennial weeds we dont want (canadian thistle being the predominant issue along with what the local call quack grass a clumpy tall grass) we planted 3 apple trees to compliment the 2 mature apples on the property. we planted black rasperries and red raspberries this year and comfrey. next year i hope to add grapes. we have several mature stands of asparagus as well as added 3 new crowns i got for free. I want to try a raised bed of horse radish next year.

Also in the 'some day plans' are turkeys and quail. quail maybe even next year already!

 

[mythreesons]

Chicken girl 15~ I've been picking blackcaps since I was pregnant with my first child 24-yrs ago and never did anything with them other then fresh eating...my children when they were old enough and I faithfully picked them every year together.. a ritual ,a treasured time with my kids creating memories with their mommy.. but now they are young adults and doing their own thing..Anyway, I can't believe how good the jam is..I didn't say that I had never ate any other jam but the smuckers concord grape jam until a few years ago and that was a peach jam and I didn't care for...but the blackcap jam tops anything I've ever tasted..My mouth is drooling just thinking about having it my homemade toasted bread...lol..

You do have lots of property its pretty much endless on what you could grow. I'm jealous lol.

I have a lot to tend to on what little property I have..I could plant on my father's property which is 16- acre's and will eventually.

I added every year to be where I am today..it took years but it is so worth every penny we spent!

Btw~where are you located in?

 

[mythreesons]

very cool @mythreesons !! My wife and I bought our 10 acres in southern MN a year ago in november and have been working hard to make it ours. i hope i can accomplish as much as you have in 10 years. We have 3.5 acres of tilled land and 1.5 acre or hayland that we currenly rent but hope to turn to pasture some day soon and raise grazing animals. we have chickens of course as well as working on establishing our annual garden. this was its first year and we have lots of work to do ammending the soil and beating out the perennial weeds we dont want (canadian thistle being the predominant issue along with what the local call quack grass a clumpy tall grass) we planted 3 apple trees to compliment the 2 mature apples on the property. we planted black rasperries and red raspberries this year and comfrey. next year i hope to add grapes. we have several mature stands of asparagus as well as added 3 new crowns i got for free. I want to try a raised bed of horse radish next year.

Also in the 'some day plans' are turkeys and quail. quail maybe even next year already!

Thank you..Oh my your place sounds so awesome!

I'm sure you will accomplish much more in 10-years then I did in my 7-years..

I would of loved to have had enough acreage to plant wheat, sweet corn and all the vine type fruits and vegetables to preserve and a pond stocked full of fish..aw, I can dream right lol..

I'm lucky in the sense though that the property adjoining mine is a field that my cousin owns (farm country) and said I could use the whole field if I wanted it has to be at least 10 acres or more..I might actually take him up on it...(pondering)

Your black berry & raspberry bushes will produce new babies every year you won't need to buy them unless you wanted to.

I do regret not buying matured fruit trees as it can take 4 to 6 yrs to get any fruit from the semi dwarf to dwarf..my peach & mulberry trees produced the very first year all the other fruit trees took longer or still haven't produced yet.....hope this advice helps you because if I had known I would of paid the money for the older trees rather then waiting so many years.

I'm seriously thinking of having some turkey's for our consumption but, I'm a animal lover and unless the poop hits the fan I just don't think I could kill and eat something I raised..my chicken's are my babies..I love them..couldn't imagine eating them...I'm weird I know!

My son wants to raise quail but that was the beginning of the year but he just graduated from high school and works 6-days a week (so proud of him being 18 years old and thankful that he became quickly employed when so many people are out of work in my area) there is no free time for him so I don't see this materializing.

I wish you the best on your journey..

 

[KlopKlop]

Thank you..Oh my your place sounds so awesome!

I'm sure you will accomplish much more in 10-years then I did in my 7-years..

I would of loved to have had enough acreage to plant wheat, sweet corn and all the vine type fruits and vegetables to preserve and a pond stocked full of fish..aw, I can dream right lol..

I'm lucky in the sense though that the property adjoining mine is a field that my cousin owns (farm country) and said I could use the whole field if I wanted it has to be at least 10 acres or more..I might actually take him up on it...(pondering)

Your black berry & raspberry bushes will produce new babies every year you won't need to buy them unless you wanted to.

I do regret not buying matured fruit trees as it can take 4 to 6 yrs to get any fruit from the semi dwarf to dwarf..my peach & mulberry trees produced the very first year all the other fruit trees took longer or still haven't produced yet.....hope this advice helps you because if I had known I would of paid the money for the older trees rather then waiting so many years.

I'm seriously thinking of having some turkey's for our consumption but, I'm a animal lover and unless the poop hits the fan I just don't think I could kill and eat something I raised..my chicken's are my babies..I love them..couldn't imagine eating them...I'm weird I know!

My son wants to raise quail but that was the beginning of the year but he just graduated from high school and works 6-days a week (so proud of him being 18 years old and thankful that he became quickly employed when so many people are out of work in my area) there is no free time for him so I don't see this materializing.

I wish you the best on your journey..

We raised broilers in the summer and will do it again next year. We operate on the mentality that our broilers live their chicken lives with only 'one bad day'. AKA even though they are being raised for butcher we give them the best we can do for them and make the end as quick and humane as possible.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Chicken girl 15~ I've been picking blackcaps since I was pregnant with my first child 24-yrs ago and never did anything with them other then fresh eating...my children when they were old enough and I faithfully picked them every year together.. a ritual ,a treasured time with my kids creating memories with their mommy.. but now they are young adults and doing their own thing..Anyway, I can't believe how good the jam is..I didn't say that I had never ate any other jam but the smuckers concord grape jam until a few years ago and that was a peach jam and I didn't care for...but the blackcap jam tops anything I've ever tasted..My mouth is drooling just thinking about having it my homemade toasted bread...lol..

You do have lots of property its pretty much endless on what you could grow.  I'm jealous lol.

I have a lot to tend to on what little property I have..I could plant on my father's property which is 16- acre's and will eventually.

I added every year to be where I am today..it took years but it is so worth every penny we spent!

Btw~where are you located in?  

I'm in Harpursville, near Binghamton.

My daughter and youngest son love helping gather berries and tend the garden. The older 2 boys not so much.

 

[mythreesons]

KK~ that's a great mind set.

It's a mental thing for me that's all..Heck, my son shot a squirrel right outside our back door right in the eye..he skinned it right in front of me then prepped it and fried it..I felt so bad for that squirrel.

 

[mythreesons]

@Chicken girl 15~you are pretty far from me like 3-plus hours..my son lived in Binghamton a few years ago and he really liked living there.

 

[KlopKlop]

KK~ that's a great mind set.

It's a mental thing for me that's all..Heck, my son shot a squirrel right outside our back door right in the eye..he skinned it right in front of me then prepped it and fried it..I felt so bad for that squirrel.

I should still follow that up by saying that butcher day is always very somber nonetheless