We live in southern Mississippi now. I've seen critters and bugs that would scare the crap out of people up north in Illinois where I lived for 17 years. It seems things get nastier the further south you go. The flies are huge and those ants don't play! Thanks goodness for my essential oils or those red ant bites would still be troublesome. We have alligators and some not so nice snakes and spiders. We have sweat bees that will give you a run for your money and cinch bugs that are all too happy to eat your garden for you. My chickens and turkeys have a full time job on our 2 acres of land.
I do my own canning, dehydrating and freezing of all the food that I grow or buy at local farmers markets or farms. I make my own butter, buttermilk and milk soap from milk that I buy from local farmers. We have rabbits, chickens and turkeys also for meat as well as eggs. I have some that are just pets and my entertainment. We have a pond on the property that we haven't been able to access yet due to overgrowth. Once a pathway way has been established, I will have samples sent in and tested at our local extension office. Once in the clear, I will stock the pond so eventually we can fish from it to put more food on the table. We are currently building our out buildings to accommodate some dairy goats and pigs. Next summer I'm hoping to have the bee hives up and running. Once the layout is finished, then I can start to decide where the fruit trees will be planted. I use essential oils for everything. Make my own laundry soap, dish soap, body scrubs, deodorant and toothpaste. We also use the essential oils to support our overall health and well being. We only use the oils and natural ingredients for cleaning like vinegar, baking soda and Epson salts for just about everything else. I use beeswax, arrowroot powder and organic raw shay butter for a lot of my cleaning products as well as for my deodorant. I use the cloths lines for drying the clothes, and I'm very glad we have a well because I've been going through a lot of water lately for the animals due to the heat.
We are also in the beginning stages of reclaiming the rainwater for the animals and the garden. Hubby is working on creating a cistern for the gray water as well. We use our compost area along with our rabbit & chicken droppings along with vermicomposting as fertilizer for the vegetable and flower gardens. I keep the eggshells separate in our fridge so I can grind them down to feed back to the chickens and turkeys at a later time. It's a lot of work at times, but for me it's very rewarding and peace of mind goes a long way. I just enjoy being close to the earth and appreciate what it provides for me and my family.
I do my own canning, dehydrating and freezing of all the food that I grow or buy at local farmers markets or farms. I make my own butter, buttermilk and milk soap from milk that I buy from local farmers. We have rabbits, chickens and turkeys also for meat as well as eggs. I have some that are just pets and my entertainment. We have a pond on the property that we haven't been able to access yet due to overgrowth. Once a pathway way has been established, I will have samples sent in and tested at our local extension office. Once in the clear, I will stock the pond so eventually we can fish from it to put more food on the table. We are currently building our out buildings to accommodate some dairy goats and pigs. Next summer I'm hoping to have the bee hives up and running. Once the layout is finished, then I can start to decide where the fruit trees will be planted. I use essential oils for everything. Make my own laundry soap, dish soap, body scrubs, deodorant and toothpaste. We also use the essential oils to support our overall health and well being. We only use the oils and natural ingredients for cleaning like vinegar, baking soda and Epson salts for just about everything else. I use beeswax, arrowroot powder and organic raw shay butter for a lot of my cleaning products as well as for my deodorant. I use the cloths lines for drying the clothes, and I'm very glad we have a well because I've been going through a lot of water lately for the animals due to the heat.
We are also in the beginning stages of reclaiming the rainwater for the animals and the garden. Hubby is working on creating a cistern for the gray water as well. We use our compost area along with our rabbit & chicken droppings along with vermicomposting as fertilizer for the vegetable and flower gardens. I keep the eggshells separate in our fridge so I can grind them down to feed back to the chickens and turkeys at a later time. It's a lot of work at times, but for me it's very rewarding and peace of mind goes a long way. I just enjoy being close to the earth and appreciate what it provides for me and my family.