My Herbs

I started a lot more herbs this year than I usually do because I was afraid some of the seeds wouldn't take and I tried to get some plants going in various stages. I do most of my herbs in pots, they tend to be more fragile but the weeds are easier to keep down and I don't have to worry about other plants growing over the herbs.

I planted stevia this year for the first time and I really like it. Sometimes while I'm out in the garden I'll just take off a couple leaves and eat them. They have a very nice flavor with no after taste. I use this mostly in my smoothies, but I also juice it for a mean green juice. I'll start harvesting it more and blending it up and freezing it in ice cube trays for later use. You can also make up some simple stevia teas to use when sweetener is needed.

I have a lot of chives. I love chives on eggs in the morning and I use it in my Mexican meals, salsa, salads etc.

This year I ended up with a ton of basil, usually I have a couple plants and at least one croaks. This time I have 6 or 7 pots full. We use basil in our lettuce wraps, in Italian dishes in salads.
Our favorite is fresh sliced tomatoes with mozzarella and basil leaves stacked. Then I mash a couple cloves of garlic in olive oil with S&P and pour it over the tomatoes. Soooo good. I also grow parsley for soup and smoothies, thyme, rosemary, cilantro for salsa. Since the season is coming to and end soon I plan to start dehydrating everything for the winter.

Homesteading tip:

Once herbs are dehydrated remove them from the dehydrator immediately and put in air tight jars out of the sun. When herbs are left in the dehydrator when it's off they can rehydrate partially and mold.

Peaches, Cherries, Tomatoes Oh MY!!!

I decide to relieve my tree of about ten pounds of peaches this morning. My punky is loving the peach tree this year and is eating about 2-4 a day. I'm going to try making dehydrated peach slices like the apple slices I did the other day and see if we like them. We also love fruit leathers and I plan on doing some of those with the peaches also and see how they turn out. Maybe mixing some other fruits in with the peaches and a little stevia. The store bought kind are full of sugar and unpronounceable chemicals. Bonus they'll be free!

These are called ground cherries although they're kinda more like a tomato.

They have these adorable little paper sheaths around them kinda like a Chinese lantern. The sheath stays green until the fruit is ripe then turns paper like and brown. Sometimes they just fall to the ground and sometimes they stay on the plant and can be picked off. The shell protects the fruit when it falls to the ground and keeps it from going bad for a couple days. They have seeds like a tomato but aren't in the gelatin coating that has to be removed for saving. I got these as a plant from Seed Savers Exchange this year. I missed some of the fruit when it fell and it started a new plant. So I think they'll be easy to start next year inside before the last frost.

Above is the plant, it grows to about 4 feet wide so leave some room if you plan to grow these babies. They also grow close to the ground so they are aptly name "ground cherries." 

Homestead Tip:

Start saving seeds midway through the summer so you don't forget.

My Tiny Homestead

Well, I call it a homestead but we are still in town and we are far from self sufficient. We are in the planning stages to move and that is always so exciting. Anyway, as for right now we grow some of our food.

I started grapes when I first bought the house and raspberries that turned out to be mismarked and were blackberries. My husband has hacked those poor blackberries to death. I understand why, they have thorns and scratch you when ever you walk by and sprout up everywhere in the lawn. We had a huge harvest on just the two grape plants this year. I estimate around maybe 45lbs or more.

 I started to dehydrate them and they're a little sweet tart and a lot smaller than what you get at the store but, they're homegrown and organic. We also have an apple tree that had an underwhelming harvest. The birds were terrible and pecked at most if not all of the survivors. But one of the largest apples was 5 inches wide and 4 inches tall.  We have a lovely peach tree that is drooping all the way to the ground.

I had removed a ton of the blossoms to get a larger yield but we still have a ton. One of the branches finally cracked under the pressure so I went around the tree and removed about 20lbs but it doesn't even seem like I harvested any. I want to let them get a little more ripe and soft. They're brightly colored but once picked they'll get soft but not sweeter. There has to be around 100lbs or more on the tree. I'm planning to weigh everything out as we pick to keep track of the yield. We also have rhubarb but I made the mistake of planting my yellow zucchini to close and it took over the whole area, so the rhubarb stopped growing. I may cut the zucchini back a little later so I can get a fall harvest from the plant. The only other perennial edibles are mint, lavender and lemon balm. I'll go into the garden on another post.

Our only animals are three shih tzu's right now. We have a male Frasier and female Ashley that are about 11 years old and another female Madison that is 7. We always used to talk about having a Shih Tzu farm (in jest). When we move we're thinking about chickens. Layers and broilers and maybe a cow for milking but we're not sure on the cow. I was thinking about goats for milking and cheese but my husband doesn't like the cheese and doesn't think he'll like the milk. I grew up on goat cheese and love it. But, it may be easier to just get the milk through a share program.

Homestead tip:  
Plant trees and edible perennials when you first move into your homestead. It takes a while to reap what you sow. I love going out and eating from the garden and seeing my harvest all stored up.

About Me

Where to Start:

I'm a lover of DIY! In almost every area of my life I like to do it myself, much to the dismay sometimes of my patient husband. I like to research almost everything and then research it a little more then take a whack at it. Most of the time everything turns out peachy. I've reupholstered furniture,  painted furniture, tiled a kitchen, done plumbing, a lot I never thought I would, but never doubted I could. I figure if someone else can learn to do it I can. In the last 12 or so years I have become a determined cook. I like to go as far as making my own cheese if I feel like it. It's funny how people look at you a little sideways when you mention you made this or that yourself. Sometimes I think they're shocked other times I'm positive they think it was a little crazy or unnecessary. Fortunately a lot of people are turning back to DIY in so many areas of their lives. This has prompted me to start documenting some of this to help others and sometimes to receive help where I can't do it on my own.

I think DIY is a lot more than just repainting furniture or making it from scratch. I like DIY food, jewelry, repairs, demolition etc. I have become a gardener and never, ever thought I would be. I hated pulling weeds as a child, HAAATED! Now I find pulling weeds relaxing. Go figure. It took me almost all of my life to realize I am an outdoor person. I am just not happy if I can't be outside at some point during the day and sometimes most of the day. My husband comes from a family of "pay someone to do it". I come from a back ground of  "I have to do it myself"  because I've been on my own for most of my life. We have little clashes in this area. Well maybe "little" is not the right word sometimes. I'm frugal most of the time but do realize you have to pay a little more for some things to get things that last. But, I have also been a dumpster diver, again to the shock of my husband. I have to say I was blessed to find him. We are each others opposites sometimes. My weaknesses are his strengths and his weaknesses are my strengths for the most part.

So I'll be getting into almost anything,  but focusing more on backyard homesteading aspects. Right now we live in town on a regular plot of land. I bought this house before we got married and started the whole nesting thing. I'm learning as I go about homesteading and trying to get more self sufficient. I know when people talk self sufficient a lot of people start envisioning a back woodsman living in a shack. But I think that point of view is changing greatly with all kinds of people starting to realize we depend too much on, stores, our government the stock market etc. Things seem to be staying the same or getting worse as far as the recession and I think people are just plugging away and not really grasping how the situation is now.

I think as a society we can do a lot more for ourselves and stop being just consumers. I have started to get a passionate about healthy living and all that it entails. Taking the responsibility for knowing what I put into my body.