Homesteaders

[rancher hicks]

I was just in Houston (the woodlands) and it rained more than once, but not like we get here. Still it was cold and over cast. Not what I expected.

 

[jerrey]

Great thread. We have lived on 15 acres for the past 18 years here in Northeast PA. Only about 3 acres are cleared; we cleared one ourselves. As we get older, we are becoming more self-sufficient. We make our own shampoo, laundry and dish soap, glass and counter cleaners. I just erected an outdoor clothes line and haven't had naturally dried clothes since I was a kid. Our vegetable garden had never been that successful until we learned that it was a mistake to place it within the vicinity of a huge Black Walnut tree. We stumbled upon an article that explained that Black Walnut trees have a chemical in their leaves, nuts and roots that is harmful to many vegetable plants. We decided to plant 6 fruit trees in that space instead and moved the vegetable garden. And, because the growing season is so short here in the Pocono Mountains, we have already drawn up plans and will be building a 4 season green house next spring. Next year we want to plant corn and/or wheat in the 1 acre field we cleared along with starting some grape vines. We started with chickens this year and are thinking about two milk goats next year and maybe pigs after that. We would like to move faster, but we both still have to work "regular jobs" to pay off the mortgage and our business loans, but we are getting closer to that day when we can probably live off our land and our home business of making natural foods and personal care items that we started a few years ago. Life is good.

your place sounds wonderful I have a nice size garden and fruit trees 17 chickens that will be 2yr. old July have15 baby's coming Monday build other chicken house I love being out side God give so many things for us to enjoy I do make my on laundry soap and face soap and body soap I always pressure cook all the things out of the garden my pressure cooker is the one my husband mother had I asked how old it was he said as long as he could remember my husband is 78 so it is old it is American pressure cooker and I did odder some new pieces they still make that same bran nice taking to you.

 

[rancher hicks]

Well it's raining here. Again!

Went to t farmer market and bought another Rhubarb plant. And some black tomato plants.

Looked at my Red currant bushes two survived. One looks to be loaded with berries. I've surrounded it with chicken wire to protect it from the chickens.

I've one in the woods behind a big tree to dig out. Anyone know if it's okay to dig it out now? It's doing nice but gets no berries. Perhaps to shaded by the tree. I'd like to replace one of the two that died.

The chickens got into the garden and ate the tops of my garlic. I hope it comes back like last year. I really have to work on gates for my rustic fencing. I just don't have the skill to make gates.

I won't be doing any jams or jellies as I have plenty. I did buy a couple of cooks books at a flea market/antique store. Some of the old "church cook books" have some good recipes. Though it can be fun to try to figure out the ingredients or measures of yesteryear. Plus if you're short on space they're usually booklet type and don't take up a lot of room.

One thing I'd like to see is a book on how to COOK food again. The real farm chicken, grown vegetables and stuff like that. Sometimes what we buy/start with in recipes is things that have been processed to stage two, then added.

I still haven't seen much on drying beans and a bean dryer set up.

 

[sepaditty1]

I have thought many times that we need to get out there & grab this information while its still there. I look around my church/family/etc and see the last generation of people who know how to do all this stuff.

If somme of us don't learn, we are going to be SOL.

 

[RichnSteph]

I have thought many times that we need to get out there & grab this information while its still there. I look around my church/family/etc and see the last generation of people who know how to do all this stuff.

If somme of us don't learn, we are going to be SOL.

That's the truth. We're fortunate in that my wife was taught how to can and preserve things by her great grandmother and grandmother and I was taught how to hunt and process game by my grandfather. our daughter will be taught all these skills by us as she grows. I read somewhere that teaching your children to grow, catch and process their own food is one of the greatest gifts you can give them in this day and age.

 

[sepaditty1]

They'll eat for a lifetime.

 

[Raech]

We are just starting our hunting journey this fall, and we traded some mechanical work for salmon from a friend, when he gets that I plan on canning it so I don't have to buy anymore of that and maybe next year we will get to go fishing ourselves. Wish we had a boat so we could go salmon fishing, but it is really hard to fish from the rocks. Maybe if everything starts to go the way we would like, we might be able to make a weekend trip to the coast and go oyster hunting for the first time, we really like clam chowder. My mom got me a canning book for Christmas last year and I just came across fish and clam canning recipes.

 

[RTFchickens]

I agree that REAL cooking is becoming a thing if the past. When pressure cookers are viewed as a bomb making device rather then a method of preserving tomatoes and such, it's a sad sad day. After the Boston bombing we could not buy a new pressure cooker for a while. Stores were pulling them off of the shelves.
Teaching our kids to cook is a wonderful thing! I cannot tell you how many "recipes" I've found for food that contains fake food. For example: I found a pizza recipe that looked awesome! Recipe? One can refrigerated pizza dough, cheese, tomato sauce, etc etc etc... To me the recipe should include the making of the pizza dough! People do actually still make pizza dough... It took me off guard when I read that recipe. But then again, I don't think I've ever purchased pizza dough...

 

[RTFchickens]

I was asked the other day by a co worker "how to the chicken eggs get fertilized?" Does the rooster fertilize it after the hen lays it? While I was trying so hard not to laugh at that question, she honestly didnt know! She was never told... Her parents never raised animals etc. so, I explained it to her. My 8 year old knows how it happens, but its because she sees the chickens "doing the baby dance" to be honest, I had to look it up before we got into farming.
On a side note, I came home from work yesterday to 4 new fuzzy butts! My first broody hatched her first clutch!!!

 

[Raech]

I was asked the other day by a co worker "how to the chicken eggs get fertilized?" Does the rooster fertilize it after the hen lays it? While I was trying so hard not to laugh at that question, she honestly didnt know! She was never told... Her parents never raised animals etc. so, I explained it to her. My 8 year old knows how it happens, but its because she sees the chickens "doing the baby dance" to be honest, I had to look it up before we got into farming.
On a side note, I came home from work yesterday to 4 new fuzzy butts! My first broody hatched her first clutch!!!

They so cute!! That is why I really want to have a "farm" on my 7 acres, so that my son knows where stuff comes from. My husband was saying how he doesn't like pig, only bacon and spam(does that count?) well my son piped up and said "But Dad, bacon is pig, and so is sausage, I like pig!" I almost died laughing, he said it so matter of fact that my husband could only agree.