Keeping On Getting Back To Normal, Love Fresh Food

Hello SS folks, long time no post... However as I mentioned after my return from the coast, I am presenting you with the photos of the homestead and where I am at with things.

So we are doing great, and the weather has been bad. With almost no rain, my rain barrel has been dry most of the grow season. I have used both pond water and well water for the garden. The mulch I laid down has been a blessing. Like some of you, I have been getting on with my seasonal duties of putting food up for the winter season. Although I have been eating more veggies since the garden has been growing, I drop almost 25 pounds of fat. Stress fat as well as process food eating I am sure. We all know the difference in the taste of market food and your own.

Well, all that being said, I'd rather explain the photos as they posted. So if you have sometime and want to join me on my adventure of my SS lifestyle, grab a cup of tea or your preferred drink and lets have a mozzy on the farm.
Mushroom Logs setting idle, waiting for some rain


Wind spinners which help run the birds off and add some beauty to the garden



Solar lights in the garden. 4 corners have led colored globes, and again the bean tree fence post topper


Garden Guard


Garden pictures of different crops and general garden stuff







Ground Hog enters garden and eats carrots and beans, I will harvest and stew him soon


Early Garlic processing



Onions



Summer and Zuke squash, dried and ready to be separated into my squash mess vac bags and other cooking recipes. I have a long loved squash mess recipe from my Mom that she taught me how to make. I took it one step further and developed a dehydrated recipe of my own.


Jamming.. Maple syrup too..





So let me set this up and explain to you how some people don't think. At the end of maple season, folks are tired and couldn't be bothered working out the "fines" in the last gallon of syrup. Fines are named as all the small particles left over in the last batches of each go at maple making. They were going to toss them out this year, I got my equal share already, and wanted the stuff they were going to throw away. Anyway, what you are looking at is one jar of the left over "fines" syrup. Somewhat darker than Amber, still a good quality syrup, this jar is 90% maple syrup with the fines settled at the bottom. SO letting it settle and removing the top syrup has given me another half gallon of syrup.


Todays harvest


The root cellar seems to keep at a steady 66 degrees and was a rewarding building project for food stores. It has proved to be a great place for me to safely store both dried foods as well as canned food.

The hedge rows have provided a steady supply of berries for jamming and fresh eating. This year is the first year that grapes are growing. some of the later raspberry plants are still providing berries of pancakes and sugar and milk.


I suspect that I will be drying and canning tomatoes very soon. I will be canning green ones as well. I also will be drying some for soup recipes.

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You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy.
вегетарианец- Russian word for poor hunter
We are pioneers, trail blazers, we fight for freedom. We transform our dreams into the truth, our struggles, we became a nation.

Seeds Sit and Rot While The Rain Keeps Coming, Bored of Rain

First, I hold all those families in/near or being effected by the flood in my prayers.

It is true it has been a while since I have posted, and in truth I have been busy with other things other than my homestead. Although, it is true that I have many projects in the making, I finished a few of them including the mushrooms as you know.

I also made some small climbing trellises for veggies in the garden. I copied something I saw for sale some years ago, and found them to be small than the ones I made a few years ago. They are easy to move, and made them from cedar planks that were above my shop.

We have yet to plant the garden and get that going. I went to the mill today for some supplies only to find onion and tater seeds being sorted as more than 60% were rotting. There isn't many odors more awful than either of those two. John is upset by the loss, as are the farmers I was told.

Some farmers have had just enough time between the rain to drop a plow in and get that done. I have seen no fields that have been disced yet this year.

I have done yet another project I need to share with you as well soon, as soon as I can get out and shoot some frames.

I had set my garlic/onions/taters prior to all this rain. I do have small plants ready to go in soon. I also have currents (red/black) as well as cherries coming in now!! YIPPY!!

How To Make And Grow Your Own Mushroom Logs, More Self Sufficient Ideas

I know many of you have been waiting for me to complete this video this spring. So it is now completed, and I also want to share a good reliable source for you to purchase your spores from.

This self sufficient task was so easy to do and gives years of rewards. If your in need of getting your hands on some white oak logs, be sure to ask your friends that own land, or find a saw mill near by. A logging company would be happy to sell you or give you some branches from a white oak tree they have harvested for wood. People really get interested when you start to explain to them what your doing with the logs.

Remember to place the log in a shaded area, where there isn't a lot of wind. If you need to build a wind break, do so. Also remember to place your logs just above the ground on some other logs or an old pallet.

If you start this spring, you will get a few in the fall, but expect full production to start next spring.

If you don't have the means to get your hands on the wood, but you want to try it out on the cheap. Try purchasing one of these, for the cost of this single purchase, it will pay for itself the first time it grows Mushrooms for you. Just follow the simple instructions included and you will be little more self sufficient. Its a real fun project to share with others..

Fungus Amoung Us, Get The Good Stuff Here!

In the near future, I will be presenting to you a how to video on doing your own mushroom logs. I have a source that can be trusted and has only the good stuff to sell.

Here are last years logs that Mark inoculated with Shiitake Mushrooms, and mine are not too far behind his now. Each climate is different here in the mountains. Simply put, a flower can be budding right down the road, but here it might just be growing and not even reading to bud yet. I look forward to sharing some photos with you.

Now I have bought some spores from sellers that just didn't produce anything. I mean, I bought them thinking mushrooms will come, followed instructions, and nothing. Once I got my hands on some good product, I feel I need to share it with you so that you won't waste your money and get nothing. I followed the same instructions and have a good products. So I want to share the seller with you.

I have purchased several packages from this seller, and the products are spot on. If you decide to dive into doing mushrooms yourself, which I say it is great, be sure to buy it from this awesome seller.

You can see the results in my photos above.

FREE BOOK, FREE GARDENING BOOK, YOURS FREE!!!! How to Get It?

Here is a link to a free gardening book to add to your electronic library, but finish reading my post before you run off to get it, here is how to get it, at home or on the go. RX from the Garden.

FREE BOOK

When you click on the link, look for the button that says buy with on click, its free so it will lead you to another page, look for your device, click the device that you own, and down load the book for free.

 

How is that for a good deal? Enjoy my friends!!!!

With respect to our mother earth, I cleaned up some of mans mess that we put in a stream near by. Although it rained, it only took me 3 hours to remove the tires, debris, and trash. I took it to the dump, and they took it for free. All I did is mentioned I was cleaning up for earthday, and they took the trash in for free.

Earth Day, 2011, Love Your Mother!

I have decided to devote my time in loving my mother earth tomorrow by cleaning up a swirling dump site. The area is located near a water way that is used for fishing and drinking water.

Check out my FB page for a contest and free give away of a pint of maple syrup....

What are you/what did you do to love your mother today?

Planting Some Good Eats On Your Property, Make A Statement.

Let say first, that I am not a total Non-GMO organic farmer. When it comes to some items, like blackberries, I find the GMO types to be just fine. They taste fine, and serve the needs that I use them for. Now I won't change my veggie seeds that are heirloom and non-gmo seeds that I have bought, traded or gathered. I don't remove folks post on my blog, because you have your opinion and I respect that, so be sure to honor me with the same respect.

Darker the berry, the sweeter the juice..... So I am going to start out by telling you about my personal A+ choice for a neat property line, or hedge row of your own. The most, best producing blackberries I have ever grown have been the Darrow Blackberries. yes they do cost a little more, but trust me when I say that the rewards are plenty and you will enjoy picking berries without the thorns. I like my Chicksaw blackberries as well, and they have some mean thorns....

The blossoms are nice to see, and the fruits are HUGE and living in zone 5 the Darrow proves to be a steady prducer of high quality fruit.

I also suggest this berry for my city dwellers and senior folks who just don't went to give blood every time the go berry picking. Even if you plant these in different areas of your property, 5 plants will produce enough berries for a family of four.

I like to saute them in a little stevia  and pour them over my buckwheat pan cakes, I will also add a little butter as well. I like maple syrup, but I also like fruit.

Potato Basket, The Hows And The Dos, Grow-Up Not Down

If you have been a visitor of my youtube videos, than you will know that I did a potato basket video year before last. The original one had over 41k hits, featured on several gardening shows as well. Although my video presents and how to is corning, I am getting better.

The idea was taught to me by my Mother back in the 1970s, I still use the process today. Its a great space saver, interesting, and a neat conversation piece. I rememer Mom used 2 types of potatos back in the day. With the internet and seed trading programs, I plant several types. The video explains how to do it, but I accidentally left out some information that I will cover in a new video to be done very soon.

I use only indeterminate types of potatoes because they keep blooming all summer long and keep producing in the basket. Determinate blooms once and like tomatoes produce the fruit after that. Planting indeterminate in any containers is the way to go for this method. You can, like I do, use any potato seed in the baskets you want, but I wanted to be sure you understood the types that work the best.