Homesteaders

[KlopKlop]

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

Also that there is no judgment for having trouble with it. my wife helps raise the broilers but she cannot be there on 'the day' herself

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

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

Yes even my husband, who does cattle for a living is somber when it is time to butcher. And he is just taking them to the butcher shop, other people do the killing and working.

 

[KlopKlop]

Yes even my husband, who does cattle for a living is somber when it is time to butcher. And he is just taking them to the butcher shop, other people do the killing and working.

I normally lurk in a thread with other people from Minnesota here on BYC and your cattle operation was brought up in conversation the other day. How you started with just a couple and built up from there. Very cool!

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I normally lurk in a thread with other people from Minnesota here on BYC and your cattle operation was brought up in conversation the other day. How you started with just a couple and built up from there. Very cool!

Well my husband did. I do not claim that. And he did get help. His dad sold him the equipment and rents him the land at a reduced family cost (which helps alot). But yeah he impresses me too.

 

[KlopKlop]

Well my husband did. I do not claim that. And he did get help. His dad sold him the equipment and rents him the land at a reduced family cost (which helps alot). But yeah he impresses me too.

I suppose I got the grapevine translation of the story, but it is still cool! Even with help from his parents/family that is still impressive. I am sure you have had some hand in helping too !

We hope to try beef cattle someday too, but only 2 or so

 

[Loc20chick]

@mythreesons That is impressive, I'm envious in a good way, I can work towards that, and good advice on getting some mature trees too.

 

[rancher hicks]

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.

Really. I did not know that. Lord have mercy I've given away bags of hosta plants at our old house. If I had a truck there is a lot I could do. I see cinder blocks on our CL for free all the time. Lots of free stuff there. Tell me more about eating Hostas.

I've struggled to get berry plants going but I don't give up. I'm trying to put in a hedge row laced with berry plants. What can you tell me about wild black berries? I've got them growing around and have been clearing around them so they have room to grow.

I managed to get four cups of wild grapes this year. I've researched them and learned a few things but there aren't enough on the vine that hangs over from my neighbors property. Can you give me advice on them?

 

[rancher hicks]

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.

My new to me old recipe books have recipes for coon and possum and squirrel. When I get the time I'll post some here so make sure your browser will print to Word.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Really. I did not know that.  Lord have mercy I've given away bags of hosta plants at our old house.  If I had a truck there  is a lot I could do.  I see cinder blocks on our CL for free all the time.  Lots of free stuff there. Tell me more about eating Hostas.  

I've struggled to get berry plants going but I don't give up.  I'm trying to put in a hedge row laced with berry plants. What can you tell me about wild black berries?  I've got them growing around and have been clearing around them so they have room to grow.   

I managed to get four cups of wild grapes this year. I've researched them and learned a few things but there aren't enough on the vine that hangs over from my neighbors property. Can you give me advice on them?  

pick pick pick. Every ripe berry or grape you see pick it. That encourages the plant to produce more fruit. It might take a few years but keep at it.

 

[Loc20chick]

Really. I did not know that. Lord have mercy I've given away bags of hosta plants at our old house. If I had a truck there is a lot I could do. I see cinder blocks on our CL for free all the time. Lots of free stuff there. Tell me more about eating Hostas.

I've struggled to get berry plants going but I don't give up. I'm trying to put in a hedge row laced with berry plants. What can you tell me about wild black berries? I've got them growing around and have been clearing around them so they have room to grow.

I managed to get four cups of wild grapes this year. I've researched them and learned a few things but there aren't enough on the vine that hangs over from my neighbors property. Can you give me advice on them?

X2 on advice on wild grapes and black berries. I also have some at the back of our property its a bush and there are grapes and what I thing is black berries I would like to tend them and plant some in our property, they hang over a trench/creek to our side and drop on our property.