HOME Sweet Homestead

 One day I might try to do a "Day in the Life" post because I wish I could share how what was once just a dream has become a reality that is so rich and full. But, for now I hope I can share enough glimpses that you might see some of what goes on around the homestead. 

Once the garlic cured, I cleaned it up and it turned out beautifully and it tastes delicious.

  

I was a little disappointed in the potato harvest, because I thought I had planted so many. 

I was consoled a little when I heard it was a bad year for potatoes. 

 

I have been canning like crazy around here!!

I canned all my tomatoes

 

 and even bought two boxes at the farmers' market because my tomatoes got blight. 

I have canned tomato halves, salsa, pickles, and chicken broth all within the last week.

  

We have started raising rabbits thanks to a friend generously giving us a buck and a doe. 

We already had one doe (who was supposedly pregnant when we bought her, 

but she actually wasn't). Now, although I'm still in the learning process with this, I think at least one is bred. We'll see in a few more days. 

The boys wanted to read a section from The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit to our newly named Flopsy and Benjamin when they first arrived.

 

Last Monday, we started back to school (more on that soon). 

We only took the month of July off, but the boys were begging to get back to it.

 

Bryan and I celebrated our 12th anniversary Sunday

 

and that evening Bryan sheared our first sheep.

 

 He did an amazing job! 

We still have two to shear,

 so hopefully that will happen soon.

 

Speaking of sheep, at the end of July, eight more sheep and another Great Pyrenees came to our homestead. They will be with our six sheep and our dog until their owners are able to find a new home in Louisville. 

We use managed intensive rotational grazing, 

so every few days we move 14 sheep and two dogs around our pastures. 

I'm sure it's a sight to see, but seems to be getting a bit easier each time. 

 

 Then earlier this week, the boys and I went to pick up a load of feed at the feed mill

 

because 31 baby chicks arrived at the post office for us today. 

This round of meat birds will be processed in October.

 

 My mom asked me the other day, on the phone, if I ever rest, 

and I know it's hard to believe, but I really do. 

Sometimes. :)

HOME Sweet Homestead

 We made the move to the country because we wanted to grow/raise more food. 

Well, food is overflowing at the homestead right now. 

Yesterday, we had our meat birds processed. 

Our pastured rainbow rangers went from this...

 to this.

 Tonight we cooked our first chicken and it was amazing!! All that hard work paid off and we are already preparing for the next round of 25 chickens. Our goal is to raise enough birds to have about a chicken a week.

 Our ducklings are growing by leaps and bounds each day. We lost our mama duck (to a fox, we think) not long ago, so we are keeping two of the females from the flock of ducklings and getting a new drake. The rest we will process ourselves at the end of August.

  

Our bees are thriving! This week we added a super to each hive.

  

 And then, there are the vegetables. 

We have to harvest vegetables every few days and come in with baskets full. This is the first year in three years we didn't sign up for a CSA and our trips to the farmers' market look a lot different these days. Our bags are no longer full of veggies and fruits because we have so much at home.

 

I also harvested the garlic that I had planted last November. I was so proud of this armful of garlic.

 We also found a patch of garlic that the previous owners must have planted. I let the scapes grow in this patch, just because I wanted this photo. The garlic flower is my absolute favorite. The bulbs aren't as big from this patch, but it was a sweet surprise to have this extra garlic anyway.

 

Speaking of favorite flowers, the other morning I caught an okra flower open.

 I just think they are so beautiful.

The passion flowers are also in bloom in the pastures. I love them, too! 

{Our New Laying Flock}

Our new laying flock was born two weeks ago. They arrived in BG in a box at our local post office.  We went to pick them up as soon as the post office called. There are few things that can make a LONG line of grumpy people waiting at the post office break into smiles. A box of peeping chicks sure can.

 We took our 15 chicks home and got them all settled into their brooder. 

 We have six Buff Orpington chicks, six Golden Laced Wyandotte, and 3 Blue Andalusian chicks. 

 They are all happy and healthy and growing so fast!