Is anyone else out there working on mixing nature and "the old ways" with modern, ethical technology to find more sustainable approaches to how we live? #sustenencefarming #sensors #sustainability #iot #homesteading
#Homesteading
New episode online! It's time to clean out the first of my gardens, as I have to leave it soon.
Watch: https://video.katehildenbrand.com/w/jjiYonZ6AjJHL1D2scMydC
Read: https://rootsandcalluses.com/blog/153-leaving-first-garden
Donate: https://rootsandcalluses.com/support
The salsify is flowering. And what a gorgeous flower it is!
While we are big fans of black salsify, regular salsify is completely new to us. I have never even seen it in any store. I'm very curious what it tastes like, but before we dig up these roots, I want to make sure I have seeds in case we like them.
A tip if you want to grow salsify, black or otherwise: If the roots never seem to grow thick enough to bother with, leave them in the ground for more than a year. They usually thicken up significantly in spring if they got some winter rest. The black salsify we have can easily stay in the ground for three years without getting woody. We just put the seeds in, thin them out a little, and then leave them be until we want to harvest.
I've got this skunk issue. I'm trying to not relocate or harm the skunk because I've got this rat issue. The rats are eating my broccoli plants. For the time being I'm giving up on the broccoli. The skunk is trying to eat my honeybees (and maybe the rats? .. I dunno). I looked out my bedroom window at 4 am the other morning, it was just first light, and there was this luxurious skunk that has been living under a shed on my property for, apparently, a few years now, snuffling around getting into things and messing with some unused bee equipment I have sitting in the back yard. I mean this skunk is a beauty. Soft and fluffy looking, not a hair out of place. Awfully proud of his very large tail. Leaving a trail of odeur. Little shit. So, I rolled up some flimsy chicken wire and put it in front of my (one!) beehive and rolled some more and stuffed it under the hive support too. It will really be a hassle for skunky-poo to do anything to the hive now. Hopefully he will work on the rat issue for me. I may have to re-visit the wire deterrent later. We'll see. (there is also an ant issue. I wonder if skunks eat ants....)
Guinea Fowl: #Homesteading Heaven or Hell? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPAiHla6H0A
We have expanded our warm compost capacity with two additional bins. Each bin takes 375L and is insulated so the composting process continues during the cold of winter. The thick plastic keeps critters out as well. 🐀
While plastic is never fun to add, this system allows us to keep plant matter and food scraps on the premises and to close the loop between the garden and kitchen. It can even handle most weeds and meat scraps. 🪱
To get a quick start, we added some activator to our first bin. From there, some of the lively material can be moved into new bins to give them a head start as well. It's all a matter of keeping the cycle going. Starting from complete scratch is of course always an option, it just takes a bit more balancing and time.
In addition to our four warm bins, we have open compost piles where spent plants and leaves go to collapse before being added to the mix in the bins, balancing out the food scraps without taking up all the available space.
We fully rotate the compost once, shovelling it out of its bin and putting it into a new one. After 2-3 years (depending on weather conditions and the exact contents of the bins), the compost is so well matured that it can be spread right on top of our garden beds.
I had a chance to grab some used shade cloth that would have been discarded. I was worried it was going to be too "shady" but everything seems to love it so far. Easier to keep things watered. I put tomatoes in pots this year for more flexibility depending on what kind of weather we get.
#greenhouse #homesteading #gardening
The garlic green and the entire bouquet of chive blossoms landed in the mixer. Pesto instead of trash. Use instead of waste.
Against my fear, the blossoms didn't even weirdly color the pesto. And so delicious with notes of garlic and onion.
BDG feature: A Chicken Coop for Enlightenment
🔗 Read more at BDG: https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/a-chicken-coop-for-enlightenment/
#Buddhism #BuddhistPractice #Acceptance #Equanimity #Imperfection #Homesteading #Dharma #Mistakes #Wisdom
So I missed doing the 11 weeks old photo but got today's 12 weeks shot. They're all even in the pic even though one is inside the mobile coop run.
They pretty much just look like a flock of mature Wheaten Marans hens at this point.
The materials to build their big proper coop with attached run arrives on the 29th. Hoping it doesn't take too long to build. They're making do with what we have but it'll be nice to have a proper coop for them appropriate for their size and number. The weather here has really messed with our coop building timeline.
Dill and carrot. Spot the difference. 🌱
We have thrown handfuls of dill seeds all over the garden and now it seeds itself out plenty. It has done a great job supporting other plants and attracting helpful insects. 🐞
It's also quite popular with neighbours who are welcome to pick their fill during the summer.
First crop of earlies for dinner tonight, 18 potatoes from the first 2 seed potatoes planted 12 weeks ago
#gardening #growyourown #homesteading #vegetablegarden #potatoes
I've been using this book for 30+ years and can't wait to get a copy of the 50th anniversary spiral-bound version - easier to use in the kitchen! #homesteading
Posted into LIVING OFF THE GRID @living-off-the-grid-AnOffGridLife
New episode is online: I'll teach you how to ferment carrots and sauerkraut. As a bonus, I'll explain the absolute basics of no-dig growing on the example of my window planters.
Watch: https://video.katehildenbrand.com/w/iBXvDsgEPhLQmXtVSRHp8P
Read: https://rootsandcalluses.com/blog/152-fermented-carrots-sauerkraut
As always, without ads and with me as the sponsor. So, feel free to donate: https://rootsandcalluses.com/support
the worst picture of my very best creation of all time 🍽️🍜 homemade blackberry froyo (with blackberries from my garden 🌱) and homemade magic shell
It's really easy to create jargon and manipulate people with it.
"Homesteading" is not the same as "regenerative agriculture" though I see them used interchangeably. While producing your own food at a small scale and doing any soil remediation is no doubt beneficial for the environment, I am remiss to call homesteads which solely produce about 30 varieties of non-native produce and steward livestock in conventional ways "regenerative". Distancing oneself from reliance on global capitalism and consumption is absolutely wonderful! But those who turn such "homesteads" into massive agents of profit (looking at you, Joel Salatin) and then claim they are "regenerating" the land give me pause.
We struggle with the concept of monetizing our ranch. No doubt we will have to, at some point and for some period of time. But when profit is the primary motive rather than the thing that keeps the mission going, it is inevitable that ethics get sacrificed at scale.
And I'm not here to make any specific accusations about Polyface. I own a few of Salatin's books and find some of his input valuable. He is, no doubt, operating in a better way than factory farms, and he is protecting the grasslands he holds better than most, and I'm sure increasing their fertility all the while.
But what is regeneration? It isn't growing your own food in above-ground bins, it isn't just growing stone fruit in the middle of the desert (like another article I just read about a couple in Lancaster -- relatively close to us) and getting some palms to grow while damning the insects that eat your tomatoes.
The "natives" arguments are fierce and complicated but notwithstanding all of that, if one can forgive me for oversimplifying for a post, we must consider how we will actually give natives a chance to return to land -- native plants, animals, fungi. We can grow our own food -- and should -- but that may mean that the way we eat should change and prioritize food that makes *sense* in our environment: natives, when possible. And where natives don't cut it or aren't quickly established, we must be honest that the crops we've selectively bred to be sugar and calorie dense are not a part of the ecosystem we are regenerating. Perhaps they are a part of the regeneration efforts: I can plant brassicas to break up soil, use goats to fertilize and give space for (somewhat) tender native grasses where creosote is dominating, and use beans and clover to fix nitrogen, but I cannot kid myself that 5 acres full of just these things would be sustainable in this environment.
Regeneration and land stewardship demand honesty of us, and thoughtfulness, and a willingness to acknowledge that the goal cannot be supporting a modern, American lifestyle. Period.
Climate change is here now and it is hot, thirsty, windy and dangerous. And how it affects growing food is significant. Over the years, I've seen a lot of comments like “I know HOW to grow food, I just don't need to right now” or “yeah, when SHTF I'll be out there putting in a garden and hunting”.
Listen. If you aren't gardening right now, you don't know how to garden. I've been gardening my whole life and every year it changes, the climate changes, the zones change, the air moisture, humidity, wind, plants and soil water needs, changes in what varieties will do well in more heat, less water and humidity, length of growing season, - every aspect of growing food is rapidly changing and you need to adapt.
You will be lost in the weeds – no pun intended – if you don't start right now (better yet years ago unfortunately) to learn the basics and understand how climate change as well as other factors such as animal movement and migration, insects and pollinators, birds, rodents, and troublesome bugs affect your ability to make the most of your available growing space. Plant diseases are more troublesome as the planet warms up and the zones move north, along with fungal diseases, harmful insect migration, invasives, predators and prey.
Seed germination and viability seems to be becoming an issue the last few years. I'm not sure if it's supply chain, dishonest corporation practices, lack of expertise or what, but it is getting weirder. A couple of years ago we had pepper-gate (massive numbers of mis-labeled seed packages mainly with pepper varieties but also squash and other vegetables). This year has been a challenge to get kale and some lettuces to germinate for no apparent reason.
Last year we had a very late spring deep freeze which took out many kinds of fruit trees in BC. There were few locally grown soft fruits such as peaches to be had. So far this year, the blossoms are showing promise, so here's hoping.
The point is, grow food RIGHT now while you can learn and also have a monetary buffer while learning, during failures and while grocery stores have fully stocked shelves. During a societal collapse is not the time to find out that your soil is severely lacking in a necessary nutrient or that your growing zone won't support your stable foods or that the rats will eat you out of house and home. Learning how to deal with all of these issues now and sourcing out possible solutions in your local area while becoming familiar with typical ups and downs builds resiliency in your future security.
#prepping #GetPrepared #homesteading #smallfarm #backyardgardens #victorygardens
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