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.
Sometimes, I almost feel a bit embarrassed when watching pollinators working the flowers – it’s a very intimate relationship between the bee and the bloom. This bee, so industrious, spent just a few moments here as it made its rounds.
Continue reading “Haiku: Twisting Tryst”
Nearly white with just a hint of blush, these bindweed flowers were too lovely to ignore this morning. The bees seemed enamored of them, too.
Continue reading “Haiku: Candescent Calystegia”
Queen Anne’s Lace is a very special flower, comprised of many tiny, individual flowers in an umbrella-shaped “umbel”. At the center, one or more of the flowers may be red or purple (or there may be no colorful center flower at all).
Continue reading “Haiku: Blooms Becoming (Bird’s Nests)”
Every so often, one of the ladies lays a strange egg – unusually shaped, colored, or, like this one, sized. It’s just a reproductive quirk, but fairy eggs are always fun to find and this one was ready for an adventure around the farm!
Continue reading “Eye Candy: Portraits Of A Fairy Egg”
This was, for me, today’s reminder of resilience: overnight snow and frigid temperatures may have battered the dandelion, furling its tender petals, but I know I’ll see its cheery countenance once again. Further, I know many other blooms lie covered in snow, just waiting for the sun’s restorative touch. We may see Nature as – at times – shockingly harsh, but for natural creatures like plants and animals it simply is…and they don’t have a choice about rising to the challenge of survival. Resilience.
We’re surrounded by the incredible beauty – arguably, mundane beauty – of wildflowers. Some belong to what we call “weeds” (undeservedly pejorative), but each has its charm, value, and/or use. While I truly do appreciate their aesthetic appeal, I also appreciate the range of wines that can be made from the edible flowers: some delicate, some bold, and all unique.
Continue reading “Winecraft: Working Wildflowers”