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Butchering Chickens at the Farm
I felt like a real farm girl Saturday. Let me tell you all about it (well maybe not all, that would be a bit too unpleasant) About 6 months ago I did something I hope I’m smart enough to never do again. I ordered a straight run of chicks. A straight run simply means I purchased a bunch of chicks and I wouldn’t know tell they got older if they would be hens or roosters. I was buying these chicks to resell once they became older to people at our church who want meat that’s not soft like what we buy from the store. They’re from the Phillipines and Africa…
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Experimenting with a Winter Harvest of Lettuce and Spinach
I have wanted to write this post for months because I am quite excited about the thought of growing a garden year-round. Never mind the fact that I am not entirely successful with one season, I want to grow in all 4 seasons. 🙂 This past winter I decided to experiment with an idea I had read about in Eliot Coleman’s book The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses. Eliot Colman lives in Maine and has produced organic crops commercially for several years. I haven’t read the book from cover to cover but what I did gather was that you can harvest…
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A Backyard Illinois Garden
Leaving Ohio for several days, Seth and Serenity went to Illinois to visit my mom and dad and I just had to show you their garden. This garden isn’t a gazillion flowers but an edible garden and one that I find lovely as well. My dad, never one to do anything small, planted a garden that was probably almost an acre in size, just for the two of them. Of course, there was so much produce that mom would not/could not let go to waste that she ended up canning and freezing enough to feed her 3 daughters and their families. Whenever I can produce (which is not frequently), I always think of mom and…
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How a Family Started Growing Flowers by the Thousands
Do you know what it’s like to have your daughter be gone for a very long time? Seth and Serenity arrived home yesterday after being in Ohio for 2 1/2 weeks. I don’t think Serenity has ever been gone that long before and it is wonderful to have her back! I’m a little more used to Seth coming and going since he graduated from high school 4 years ago. Since he graduated he’s enjoyed learning new skills by travelling to where people need him for a season. But even though we’re used to him being gone more, it was still great to see him yesterday. If you can believe it, he’s already gone…
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An Update on My Gorgeous and Fruitful Garden
I thought it was about time for an update on the farm. My gorgeous and fruitful garden that I planted May 25 has been producing for a short while. I don’t feel that it has produced as much as it should have but my kids think I ought to be pleased. My Mormon neighbor (aren’t they supposed to be good gardeners?) told me all her tomatoes died this year because of the heat. Mine are all living, so I guess I should be quite grateful and thankful! It is so pleasing to walk out to the garden with my little basket and gather bunches of mint for tea or to gather tomatoes…
