This Week: Almost Spring

I can hardly believe March is here already. Just last week we had snow and ice blanketing the farm. This Week our pastures are beginning to come alive again. With the warming weather has come our yearly spring rains. They were heavy enough to send our cattle looking for shelter. We were fortunate to haveContinue reading “This Week: Almost Spring”

Spring Thaw – This Week – 02/21/2021-02/27/2021

Last week it felt like a world of ice and snow had moved into the Cove forever. I wore my flannel lined jeans until they could do chores on their own. I worried over our little kids out in the barn and my older hens. But this week…. This week the spring thaw began. PleaseContinue reading “Spring Thaw – This Week – 02/21/2021-02/27/2021”

Homesteaders Need a Day Off

Gd worked six days and the took a break. No matter if you believe in this story of creation or not, the fact that a rest day is built into an entire culture is pretty amazing. However, on a Homestead or farm it’s very tempting to work seven days a week. Chores like feeding animals,Continue reading “Homesteaders Need a Day Off”

Mending Clothes – a Forgotten Skill with Global Impact

I recently made a trip to the thrift store to purchase new long sleeved men’s shirts for the winter. I happily found three shirts in like new condition. Two were missing buttons, yet the replacement buttons were still attached at the bottom of the placket. I suspect the missing button may have been the reasonContinue reading “Mending Clothes – a Forgotten Skill with Global Impact”

Feeding Sheep – Shepherding Series Installment One

Welcome to the first installment of the Shepherding Series. This series of post and videos is intended to give first time shepherds or those thinking about becoming shepherds an overview on how to care for sheep. To watch the accompanying video, please click here Feeding Sheep Video When I moved to the farm in 2014Continue reading “Feeding Sheep – Shepherding Series Installment One”

Jing Orange Okra from Baker Creek – An Overview

Watch the video to see more I love okra. Growing up in Florida okra was one of the easiest crops to grow over the long summer season. I well remember Papa picking it so I wouldn’t get itchy from the mature plants and Mimi patiently frying it. The restaurant we frequented most was Po Boy’s.Continue reading “Jing Orange Okra from Baker Creek – An Overview”

Raising Goslings in a Danger Zone

My last trip to see my grandmother shortly before her death in 2008 also involved geese. She had moved to a house that had a shared pond and a few geese. It was then that she taught me how to handle and tame geese and I asked lots of question about them. It was the last piece of farming and traditional skills she left to me. So, when I was given a mean old gander and two hens as a farm warming present in 2014 by my neighbor I was elated.

Protecting Tender Volunteer Seedlings from Frost

As we approach our last frost free date the temperature has hit upwards of seventy degrees for over two weeks with over cast days in the forties and fifties. This herald of fine spring weather has spurred some lovely volunteers to sprout in the garden. I’ve found over the years that my volunteers are someContinue reading “Protecting Tender Volunteer Seedlings from Frost”

Planting Peas

Peas are not one of my favorite things to eat. However, they sell well at the farm market, and they make a wonderful secondary feed crop for the sheep and cattle over winter. Thankfully, we can get two crops in for both the table and the hay loft. This year I’m growing a generic gardenContinue reading “Planting Peas”