Saffron is one of the most exotic seeming and expensive spices in the world. Yet I grow an abundant perennial crop of it in a weedy, but compost rich patch of ground in my North Carolina backyard. My backyard. Okay, so my backyard isn't exactly a typical yard. It's a homesteader's fantasy of organic food… Continue reading Growing, Harvesting, and Curing Saffron at Home (with Video)
Decorative and Useful Garden Fencing
You know that expression "good fences make good neighbors"? Well, I always thought of that turn of phrase as negative. That's probably because Robert Frost's poem, Mending Wall, made it seem so divisive and futile. Yet, it doesn't have to be that way. Good Reasons for Fences There are many ways a good fence can… Continue reading Decorative and Useful Garden Fencing
The House and Homestead
Hi Everyone! I'd like to share a link to The House and Homestead. This is a blog and educational site run by a former city girl turned modern homesteader, living in Canada, named Anna. Anna is a down to earth, thoughtful person with mad vegetable gardening and canning skills. She also does an incredible job… Continue reading The House and Homestead
Raising Ducklings Week 2 (with Video)
This article is part of a series on what life with ducks is like. It's intended to give new duck keepers, duck dreamers, and anyone who needs some adorable diversion an inside look at simple ways to keep ducks. Be forewarned, my point in creating these posts is to make you want to keep ducks… Continue reading Raising Ducklings Week 2 (with Video)
Growing and Harvesting Ginger at Home (with Video and a Peak in My Fall Garden)
Hi everyone! It's finally fall here in Northwestern North Carolina. After the intense heat, humidity, and heavy rains we've had for the last two months, this weather is an amazing gift. I just wish I could wrap it up and share it with the West Coast for awhile to help all those brave people out… Continue reading Growing and Harvesting Ginger at Home (with Video and a Peak in My Fall Garden)
Raising Ducklings Week 1 (with Video)
Mama Madge, one of my free range Muscovy ducks, hatched out 13 adorable ducklings on August 26. Up until two years ago, we had so little predator pressure on our homestead, that she could have raised these ducklings to maturity on our large pond with no help from me. Unfortunately, the predators finally found us.… Continue reading Raising Ducklings Week 1 (with Video)
Must Love Ducks
My love for ducks was instant. After touring a traditional duck farm in France in my mid-twenties, I dreamed of having my own ducks someday. You know... in some distant, alternate future where I could create the life I really wanted. Back then, I mistakenly thought homesteading was only a make believe dream conjured to… Continue reading Must Love Ducks
The Secrets of Sesame
Sesame is a surprisingly resilient seed and spice plant that many people can grow at home. You'll just need to give it full sun, a healthy dose of compost, and a long warm growing period to develop those delicious seed pods. It's also easy to harvest by hand. Just make sure you pick those partially… Continue reading The Secrets of Sesame
Growing and Harvesting Mustard for Spice
As a homesteader, I grow most of our vegetables, herbs, and fruits. I also raise chickens and ducks for eggs and keep goats for dairy. But until a few years ago, I still bought most of my spices. Since I use tons of spices when cooking and making ferments, that meant I still had a… Continue reading Growing and Harvesting Mustard for Spice
Epicurean Homesteading
I started writing this post for the purpose of sharing one of my new posts Morning Chores called Epicurean Homesteading: How to Be Self-Sufficient While Making Your Life More Pleasurable. But then I realized, to those who don't know the history and philosophy of Epicureanism, this subject might seem silly in the context of a… Continue reading Epicurean Homesteading
Grow Your Own Spices (with a Video on Growing and Harvesting Garlic)
For all you spice lovers, get tips on growing, harvesting, curing, and using garlic. Plus, get a preview of the stunning cover of my new book "Grow Your Own Spices".
A Homestead Tour
I recently posted a photo tour of our homestead on my other blog (which is more of a personal journal). I wanted to share the link to that post here too so you can see the power of simple homesteading to transform a landscape. Before you link out to the photos, though, let me share… Continue reading A Homestead Tour
Fast-Track to Greater Self-Sufficiency
Creating a functioning homestead takes time, effort, and resources. It's not something you should rush into or do without careful planning. Yet, often in the middle of a crises, we feel an overwhelming urgency to make radical changes to increase our sense of security. Unfortunately, that can be the hardest time to get started. Fear… Continue reading Fast-Track to Greater Self-Sufficiency
Harvesting, Preserving, and Propagating Spring Herbs
Each year in early to mid-spring, my perennial herbs start putting on huge amounts of new growth. In order to keep those plants tame, make them bushier, keep evergreens from becoming woody, and delay premature flowering, harvesting quite a bit of that early growth is necessary. It seems counter intuitive to harvest heavily when plants… Continue reading Harvesting, Preserving, and Propagating Spring Herbs
Potager Gardening in a Crisis
The COVID-19 virus has made it difficult for grocery stores to keep shelves stocked. I visited the grocery for the first time in a month and was surprised to see so many shelves empty. Toilet paper, of course, was no where to be found. But, other things like flour, eggs, butter, and many fresh vegetables… Continue reading Potager Gardening in a Crisis
