tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75823790626375016072024-03-19T01:38:43.661-07:00The Reluctant Homesteaders50 acres in Western Oregon. The family farm, passed down to us,
The Reluctant Homesteaders.
Time to get busy...Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.comBlogger197125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-44000374155358073472020-04-03T01:12:00.000-07:002020-04-02T13:14:27.929-07:00Pruning Raspberries And A Word Of Caution
Where do you start when your raspberries look like this?
Get down under them and you can see pretty easily which ones need to go.
It is very clear here, which canes are new and which are old. Green means new, Brown means old.
In the fall I prune my raspberries. When I tell people that, they get very animated about how they don't know what to prune or that they didn't even know Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-67835751429279605222020-03-21T00:28:00.000-07:002020-04-05T20:25:08.333-07:00Grafting Chicks**Putting chicks under a hen that is not their natural mother.
O.K. So this post will not be full of fabulous photos because virtually all of it takes place in the dark.
If
I owned an infrared camera it would be really fun to take pictures of
the process but instead you will need to imagine what I am telling you
to do and then ask me questions if I didn't get the point across
properly.
Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-43982570277382554622015-06-10T16:18:00.000-07:002015-06-15T12:37:15.994-07:00Sprouts and Weeds
It is June, which is the appropriate time for little sprouts to appear.
Our Littlest Little Friend on his Birthday.
Our Littlest Friend is now our Second Littlest Friend. His little brother has entered the scene a little early but ready to roll.
Our Second Littlest Friend has been helping Buck in the garden by picking strawberries, his little dog too.
With all the hubPhoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-55547477471339448312015-04-17T21:43:00.000-07:002015-04-17T21:43:52.751-07:00The Real House
Work continues on the Real House. I had it in my mind to get most of the work done a few months ago, but life doesn't often work that way.
That's OK though, we keep plugging along.
It is not a palace by any means at 850 square feet, but it will be a huge step up for people who have been living in an 8 x 12 Micro House. Eight times bigger.
The final plumbing of fixtures, the kitchen Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-29454138868492618022015-03-25T23:29:00.000-07:002015-03-25T23:29:22.784-07:00Egg Dreams
You might remember that last June I hatched dark eggs from my Cuckoo Marans hens, in a very temperamental incubator.
My goal was to increase the occurrence of extra dark eggs from my flock.
Unfortunately
we also increased the occurrence of Bobcat visits at the same time that
the dark egg chicks were growing up, so I lost all but 4 of the
pullets. The Bobcat caught Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-50112212297965396022015-02-28T13:15:00.001-08:002015-02-28T13:15:13.584-08:00Phoebe's Top Ten Homesteading Gadgets
The Top Ten List of My Favorite Homestead Gadgets
Slow Cooker
I'm embarrassed to admit that I did not know the true value of this appliance until last year. One thing held me back- I thought Slow Cookers were for soup. But the reality is that they are little ovens too.
Since then I have made some amazing meals in this unit. Sweet and savory, from bread pudding to Cajun flank steak. Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-27426611406061400412015-02-16T20:01:00.000-08:002015-02-16T20:01:14.978-08:00Starting Garden Plants for the Spring
Even though it seems way too early to be thinking about plants for spring, it isn't.
There is a lot to be done before you start the seeds for next years garden.
A list:
Read seed catalogs, choose too many seeds
Dig out saved and older seeds, figure out which ones are still good
Buy potting soil or use your own compost
Beg, borrow and otherwise gather enough 2" to 4" pots and waterproof traysPhoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-74218671683439443322015-01-03T15:27:00.002-08:002015-01-03T15:27:39.543-08:00Reluctant Homesteaders Top Ten Tools For Homesteading
Sometimes, as I walk up and down the hill, up and down the hill, I think about the things I use to get things done here at the Homestead.
I have started playing a game in my mind. Like one of those "Stranded on a desert island" games. If I had to pick 10 items to start with on a Homestead, what would I want to have with me?
One of the benefits of blogging is that I get to really pin down my Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-66971206951802228702014-11-25T22:36:00.001-08:002014-11-25T22:36:47.454-08:00What in The World Have We Been Up To?
It's been a few weeks since a post and don't think it hasn't been on my list, but man, unless I can clone myself, posts are going to be a little thin for a while.
We have been so busy. Children moving, friends in the hospital, Halloween (in this family, it is a HUGE production)
and house work. House work in the most literal sense. We have been working on the house here at the Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-92083228504298966302014-10-21T13:53:00.000-07:002014-10-21T13:53:52.798-07:00The Smoke House, Done
I burned the midnight oil finishing the Smoke House this summer. It's not like I had a lot of spare time around here, but it was something I wanted to do and I had some real fun doing it.
I mounted some old rusty Buck Saws that I'm sure were my great grandpas on the outside.
The Smoke House is electricity free, so candles and solar lights are a necessity. June found Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-78534513214608626212014-09-25T20:53:00.000-07:002014-09-25T21:06:21.001-07:00The Smoke House
2009
If you have been following the Reluctant Homesteaders for a while, you know that a rundown, falling down building doesn't scare me. Take the Hay House for instance. The only thing that was holding it up when we started working on it was a 4x4 I had shoved under a truss the year before.
In the end we saved a piece of family history and gained a hay barn that would hold 8 ton of Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-13183327726164767332014-09-02T22:44:00.000-07:002014-09-02T22:44:00.091-07:00Fermentation
Apparently we planted plenty of green beans this year.
Phoebe and I have canned three batches of dilly beans so far. I think this is going to be it, but the bushes have been pumping out the beans, so we'll see.
We have not made pickled beans in years, not since that Christmas party when she brought a jar of them for the gift exchange. They became the hottest item of the night. No Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-68205411952732750702014-08-17T23:51:00.000-07:002014-08-17T23:59:09.195-07:00Peep! Peep!
21 days is all it takes to make yourself a batch of chicks!
Well... 21 days of constantly messing with the temperature and humidity of a very temperamental and inexpensive incubator which was poorly situated in an uninsulated building just as a storm front came in.
As the movie below attests I did a decent job of being a momma hen, but I have to tell you, it is sooooo much Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-82950449024826628742014-08-05T16:39:00.002-07:002014-08-05T16:40:30.777-07:00Incubator Chicks
As you know I LOVE our Cuckoo Marans breed of chickens. They are gentle, good mothers, good foragers- without being nuisances and they lay lovely dark brown eggs. They are dual purpose, meaning they can also be eaten, but I can't really tell you how they taste since the coyotes have been the only ones doing Cuckoo Marans taste tests.
We did actually butcher a few at the same time as Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-32595605669625672682014-07-20T13:52:00.000-07:002014-07-20T13:52:10.832-07:00Our Homestead Anniversary, 5 years and 200 posts
Finally, all the raspberries I can eat.
That's right, this is The Reluctant Homesteaders' 200th blog post! And it has
been 5 years, almost to the day, since Buck and I cautiously and at
that time, a little reluctantly, took up the reins of my family's
dilapidated and blackberry covered Homestead.
There had not been a major repair or replacement on the farm for over
30 years.&Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-3596585989502970312014-06-27T23:53:00.000-07:002014-06-27T23:53:33.342-07:00Sunshine Umbrella
I have solved my clothes drying dilemma. I did consider a clothesline that Rose commented on in my Laundry Day! post. She suggested a T post set-up that I am familiar with because I had that type of setup at my other house. It is very durable since the metal T posts never degrade (except when our tree fell on them) and the lines can be very long between the posts, thereby holding a lot of Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-27220175277759623722014-06-06T17:58:00.000-07:002014-06-07T17:52:37.786-07:00Green Bean, The Scary Bean
I have canned lots of fruit and jams but I have not canned many vegetables or meat. It takes skill and special equipment to can these. I have my childhood training (which was dubious at best. Watching your Mom and Grandma can doesn't really count.) and I have taken a couple of extension classes, but I have put off the meat and veggies until this summer because of the exacting skill and dangerPhoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-45636072282880852014-05-30T18:30:00.000-07:002014-05-30T18:30:00.311-07:00Deciding What to Plant and How to Preserve It.
Because
we are putting in our Homestead gardens right now, we have this
summer's food preserving to consider. How many plants of each type is an
important decision. You don't want to plant too much of one thing and
not enough of another. And how many jars of this are left from last year
and how many bags in the freezer of that is integral to the decisions
we make.
It can be complex Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-58137235148362532672014-05-23T19:22:00.003-07:002014-05-23T19:22:46.509-07:00Shiny Snapper!
Well, spring arrived and I got out the Old Mower.
And the Old Mower said "We have to talk. Cough, Cough, I don't think I can do this any more."
Buck and I are on the verge of getting a tractor with a PTO mower so I thought I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a stop-gap hand mower.
And so I went out looking for a new casual partner.
I looked for someone who could take a beating Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-84469195259086138692014-05-16T13:08:00.000-07:002014-05-16T13:08:04.198-07:00Old Books and Iffy Wisdom
Books can take a lot of the hit and miss out of Homesteading and save a lot of time. In my search for a recipe to create my own chick-starter feed, I found a fantastic online resource which has cataloged and digitized old farming books, including this great old book on chickens and eggs. Although it is in a writing style that is a tad bit outdated, I found it very informative and fun to Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-53388897350493894432014-05-02T23:00:00.000-07:002014-05-09T11:16:06.515-07:00Laundry Day!
I never thought I would be brought to such a state of gratitude over a washer and dryer, but it has happened. I am beside myself with happiness for the ability to wash my chore clothes and throw rugs at a moments notice!
I found this washer and dryer set on Craig's List and I finally got the plumbing installed to accommodate them.
Now I just need to figure out a better clothesline. Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-24631504553728265562014-04-25T00:43:00.000-07:002014-04-25T00:43:00.166-07:00Bev Doolittle LlammaWhen I was a kid, my friend and I spent an entire summer trying to
catch a feral horse who, in the end, won the battle of wits and lived
out his life on the North Edge of Nowhere. For years after that we would
see him once in a while as our school bus would careen past his stompin' ground. If he had
had hands, the thumbs would have been in his ears, his fingers wiggling and his tongue stuck Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-28514255707749446142014-04-18T00:33:00.000-07:002014-04-18T00:33:07.596-07:00Dog Vitamins
I hate to waste a single morsel of our home grown food. When I make chicken stock I drain off the first liquid and put it in the fridge for some yummy chicken soup. Then I put the bones and skin back into my pressure cooker along with all of the carrot and celery scraps and anything else that might be languishing in the fridge or the garden like kale that has gotten just a little too Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-24835937577493577822014-04-11T12:15:00.000-07:002014-04-11T12:15:00.031-07:00Bugs Bunny Cartoon
I have a problem. An underground problem. Gophers! Unlike Moles, which are strictly meat eaters (and very few kinds of nuts), gophers eat mostly vegetation. Unfortunately, this spring, the vegetables on the menu are the same vegetables I want to eat.
They are eating the roots to my overwintered chard.
The result is very much like the Bugs Bunny Cartoons where Elmer Fudd watches the Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7582379062637501607.post-72427555612546987592014-04-06T00:40:00.002-07:002014-04-06T00:45:16.908-07:00Bull
I spent years and years wandering the hills around the Homestead while
growing up.
I sat quietly on top of old growth stumps while deer walked
unsuspectingly below.
I army-crawled up to small creeks so I wouldn't
spook the Cutthroat trout that was lurking in a shallow pool.
I slithered down rabbit trails to hunt for Quail.
And during all of these stealth activities, I have NEVER seen Elk Phoebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436073330879644940noreply@blogger.com1