Homesteading can be deceiving. When you first get into it, it can seem so quaint, innocent, and simple. After all, what can be more romantic and simplistic than building a compost pile, canning your own food, and frolicking with your goat herd out in the pasture? When we bought our property in 2008, no sooner did we sink the first fence post in the pasture did we realize: homesteading is expensive, y'all. We ...Continue Reading
How to Draw Blood from Cattle
There's something weirdly satisfying about pulling blood... Or maybe it's just me. Actually, it probably IS just me. I guess it all started during my two years as a Vet Tech... I learned to pull blood from a lot of different critters, and got pretty proficient at it, if I do say so myself. My skills have gotten a little rusty, but they still have come in handy the last few years when we've drawn blood to pregnancy test our ...Continue Reading
How to Can Beef Stew
Freezer tetris. It's a thing, y'all. We have two full-size freezers in the barn, as well as an additional fridge/freezer in the shop. (And a fridge/freezer in the house, of course). And we STILL run out of room... There's a certain element of stress that enters in every time the butcher calls to say the latest animal is ready to be picked up... It's a balancing act of rearranging, organizing, and even giving meat away ...Continue Reading
When Homesteading Makes You Lonely…
Wide open spaces... Room to breathe... Few neighbors... No barking dogs... Room for the kids to run... Breathtaking views... They are all reasons I love to spout as being my favorite parts of living in the middle of nowhere. And they are all true. In fact, I'd venture to say most of you reading this blog agree with the above as being some of your favorite parts of living rurally, too. And for those of you who have yet to ...Continue Reading
Homemade Electrolyte Recipe for Chicks
Last week was rough... I went from excitedly running around preparing for our new chick shipment, to staying up late working like a mad woman trying to bring some of the chicks back from death's door. Last week reminded me how quickly things can change on the homestead... And how thin is the veil which separates life from death. All the chicks survived the ride in the mail, which was a pleasant surprise. Everyone looked perky and ...Continue Reading