Homesteading isn't always as cute and dreamy as you'd envision it. There's hard work, invasion of privacy (ironically), and heartbreaking losses. We don't wear cutesy dresses and frolic in fields and spend our days petting goats. I actually bought a long flowy gingham dress because it was clearance and my tween thought it was hilarious. Then one day I was wearing it outside ...
Podcast
8 big things accomplished year one on our small homestead
Year one homesteading on three acres As we embark on our 4th growing season on our homestead I thought it would be helpful to reflect on the projects we worked on in our first few years homesteading. We learned so many things our first year, and we really "hit the ground running" as soon as we could. It seems like we did so many things because we were breaking ground ...
New Year, New Plans
It's January 1st here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and it barely feels like winter. The chickens are laying so many eggs that we feel like we're drowning in them. I've made quiche, AJ made bread pudding, we have scrambled eggs almost daily and it's still not enough to get through the eggs we have. The worst part is how muddy the eggs are, because this winter just hasn't been ...
Beginning homesteading: A guide for beginners
Beginning homesteading: A guide for beginners Homesteading is a lifestyle that involves living a more self-sufficient life, often on a small piece of land, we only have 3 acres on our little homestead. Homesteaders may grow their own food, raise animals, and preserve food for the winter. They may dabble into other things, like we're going to start making soap with our goats ...
Farming on 3 acres
Whenever someone dreams of having a farm you always hear them say things like, "if only I could move to a farm with 40 acres." Nothing makes me roll my eyes more than someone that doesn't know what they're doing think they need an excessive amount of land. You don't have to have 40 acres to have the farm of your dreams! We were house hunting during the mass exodus of 2020, when ...
Start the homestead, live in abundance
We were a family of 3 for almost a decade, and now we're a family of 5. Yes, in this economy. This is the time in our life where we were blessed with a growing family. Our family grew and we decided to pursue our dreams. My husband always dreamed of moving back to a farm like when he was a kid, and I always dreamed about having more animals than I could count. So we moved and ...
Freezer sweet corn (with butter, sugar and salt)
Our garden this year had 4 little rows of sweet corn. The barn cats loved hiding in the stalks. If you couldn't find the barn cats you knew exactly where to find them. Our garden definitely flourished this year, it's our 3rd year here and this was the year of the great garden expansion nearly doubling in size. Which is why we were able to plant so much sweet corn. It was ...
Why don’t homesteaders use vets
One thing you don't realize when you bring home farm animals, is how much you'll have to vet them yourselves. You bring home some cute cuddly goats, and you're not thinking about checking their poop for parasites and worming them. You better believe that's what you're going to be doing though. You'll have to research and learn so many things, that you probably didn't want to ...
The secret to the best pie crust
I've figured out the secret to the best pie crust. Every year on my birthday we would celebrate by heading to the same orchard we've been going to since we were kids. We would always get caramel apples and their iconic apple pie with the best pie crust you've ever tasted in your life. We would pet and feed goats, admire chickens and play at the farm. Tomorrow I turn 33 ...
Horrible reasons to switch homeschool curriculum
Horrible reasons to switch homeschool curriculum Horrible reasons to switch homeschool curriculum, we’ve all been there. Let’s talk about it! As a homeschooling mom there are so many options out there for how to teach my kids. It’s overwhelming, and every season we wonder if what we’re doing is good enough or if we should go straight back to the drawing board. It’s ...
Common mistakes with meat chickens
We just butchered our first ever group of meat chickens, the process overall went pretty good, but there are definitely things that we will change next time. Here are some common mistakes with meat chickens. This year we had 37 cornish crosses that we raised in a chicken tractor for 10 weeks. We ended up with an average of 3-4 pound birds, so there's room for lots of ...
5 things you need to know before getting chickens
5 things you need to know before getting chickens Baby chicks are adorable, and we all know egg prices are unpredictable. So it might be tempting to pick up some chickens when the farm stores are full of those fluffy little chicks. There are some things you should know before becoming a full on crazy chicken lady like me, because those little balls of fluff cost a lot more ...
Is raising meat birds gross?
We have raised laying hens for the past 3 years, we're no strangers to the process. You place them in a brooder, it gets smelly and full of poop, you put them in a coop when they're old enough, that'll get smelly and full of even more poop. How much worse can meat chickens be, right? Is raising meat birds gross? It can't be as gross as they say, right? Is raising meat ...