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Death on the homestead is commonplace. Sometimes it’s planned but many times it is not. And that’s one reason why most kids who grow up on a farm accept death so easily. It’s a hard lesson, but sometimes a tasty one as well… Shortly after getting our first homestead in Omaha, we decided to get…
Today marks the first of June, and while I realize I’ve strayed from the garden a bit over the last weeks, I cannot resist this opportunity to detail some of the plantings you should be sowing into the ground for this month. Read on, for some ideas on what to dirty your hands with in…
Unless you’ve found a deadhead that–miraculously–has some of the meat still attached, this probably seems odd timing for an article on the procedures for Euro-mounting a deer skull. There’s a reason for that. About halfway through the project this fall, I came down hard with the world’s favorite Coronavirus, and was forced to shelve it…
It’s not a good idea to find a babysitter on Craigslist. It’s not a good idea to buy full-grown animals on the Internet either. Almost no one sells you their good animals. You’re likely getting a scratch-and-dent model that could be sick, nervous, or destructive. It’s a lesson I learned when I bought a ewe…
Good day folks. As I sit here at my steam-powered excuse for a computer, I’ve begun to realize something–my writing has taken a distinctly garden-esque turn as of late. Perhaps it was the brisk spring air, or maybe it was watching the little green shoots peek through the dirt, but I’ve been in a distinctly…
I sometimes have the chance to peruse the comments on my articles (and, when I can figure out the controls on the #&*@ing content management system, even manage to respond to a few). As it happens, I was going over the comments on my last posting and noticed a potential confusion between bagworms, and Eastern…
Notice a large section of your plant-life getting torn apart by sticky sacks of worms, year after year? You likely have a bagworm infestation, but this is the year to put an end to the tree-borne plant-bandits. Read on for some tips on how to remove these pests from sight and mind. Seasonal Skirmish The…
Howdy ya’ll! With a couple weeks left in April, I think it’s time for our second installment of proper plantings for the month. So if you’ve already got your beets buried, your carrots coming in, and your cucumbers cared for, here are a couple more to keep you going till month’s end. Tomatoes Planting tomatoes…
Good Tuesday ya’ll, and happy Spring! April is one of my favorite times to be a homesteader. The days get longer, nights get warmer, birds start singing and the cicadas begin to hum from the depths of the woods. It’s a great time to be outside, and what better excuse to get on out there…
As springtime approaches, that tends to mean one thing around my homestead. The chickens, long self-confined to a smaller grazing ground have begun to range again, scratching their way through underbrush and tree, grass and, yes, even garden. As I’m watching them, I’ve begun to realize it’s been a little while since I last profiled…
There are few things nicer to enjoy on a crisp, early-spring morning than a steaming-warm cup of tea. Curling your hands around the mug and taking in the aroma, you can almost feel the promise of the coming turn in weather. Tea has a bit of an exotic reputation of course, due to its near-4000-year…
Here in Virginia, it’s been a cold winter, and a snowier one than most of the last odd decade. Come to think of it, that theme seems to be the trend nationwide this year, with even parts of Texas seeing absolutely unheard of weather. As such, this article may be a few days late, but…
