Self-taught farmers confidently raising chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs. Our focus is on practices that are environmentally harmonious and respectful to our livestock. We appreciate the beauty around us, clean eating, fermenting, and responsibly utilizing the bounty of the land. If you like thinking for yourself, continuous learning, and connecting with the homesteader lifestyle, check us out.
2020 was a banner year here for elderflowers and, later, elderberries. The amazing bounty allowed me to make wine, syrup, and – a first – liqueur. After nearly six months of infusing, the liqueur was ready for bottling!
Continue reading “Wildcrafted: Elderberry Liqueur”
The transformative power of snow is at work once again, turning the mundane magnificent. With a liberal powdering of snow, even a dry, brown leaf is renewed…and perhaps a bit of my spirit, as well. May you also find the ordinary beauty around you and luxuriate in it.
Relative to F, dastardly D was easy to learn. F requires that all holes except the fifth be covered, and the bottom hole(s) are actually covered using a key due to the reach required. Playing this new note at first, it sounded pretty effing bad.
Continue reading “Notes: Relative To F…”
Wild rabbits had clearly been out and about after dusk last night, leaving their traces around the main chicken coop, around the barn, and through the pastures. Their prints are distinctive and, if you didn’t know what creature had left them, they might leave you puzzled. This time of year, I don’t see them during daylight hours, so it’s good to know they’re still around!
Continue reading “Haiku: Under Cover Of Darkness (Snow Series #3)”
It’s been raining. A lot. Though it’s stopped for now, it’s left behind sloppy, slippery mud. Everywhere. And that clay mud gets on everything, bogging down the wheels of the cart I use to convey feed to the animals, clogging up the tread of my boots…imagine walking in that same mud with now-treadless boots – good times.
Continue reading “Haiku: Maddening Mire”
Though we’re in the season of austerity (including frigid temperatures, snow, and frost), tough little plants like this purple deadnettle find ways to survive…and even thrive. Nestled into a protective opening in a stone wall, the plant is sheltered from the biting wind and the rock serves as thermal mass, soaking up the morning sunshine. It has reminded me that as it finds simple – but effective – ways to meet its needs, so can I.