Adventures of an urban homesteader growing greens, preserving the harvest and tending a backyard barnyard
The chickens have announced the arrival of spring with about fifty-thousand eggs. We’re averaging 4-5 eggs a day, which means the pressure is on to eat all those gems up. My favorite go-to recipe for any meal is a delicious frittata using any other ingredients I have on hand. I love frittatas because they are quick to make – about fifteen minutes start to finish
Spring fever is in full swing and it’s time to get the first round of vegetables into the ground. We recently prepped our garden soil for the season with a thick layer of homemade compost. Juniper and I were both very excited to finally be able to move our vegetable starts into the ground. We planted the vegetables we eat most often: spinach, lettuce, arugula,
Before you get spring planting fever, take the time to replenish your garden soil first. It’s the best way to ensure you have an excellent harvest this year. Great soil makes a great garden, and it’s something you have to keep cultivating year after year. Vegetables draw lots of nutrients from your soil, which is what makes them so delicious and nutritious. Over time, your
Planting season is upon us! There are baby chicks to pick up! Your garden soil needs fresh compost! And I want to meet you! These are all excellent reasons for you to stop by and say hello to me while I hang out at Wilco’s garden store in Cornelius this Saturday, March 15th. I’ll be there at 1:00pm to sign copies of my book Modern Homestead
I am sad to say that old Florence has passed away. We raised this Rhode Island Red from a baby chick several years ago, she graced the pages of my book and delivered a steady stream of eggs for us through much of her life. She worked hard on our homestead before settling into retirement and will be sorely missed. I wrote recently about the
Last fall our six-year old hen Maude passed away. It happened quickly – she lost weight and became lethargic in just a couple weeks. We tried nursing her back to health, but she passed away just a couple nights later. Chickens can live to be 7-10 years old, so we thought Maude’s passing was a bit premature. Florence, our Rhode Island Red, is the same age
Snow and ice blanketed our fair city, which puts a strain on wildlife as well. Critters expend more energy trying to stay warm and forage for food, when winter doesn’t offer a lot of options. Thankfully many neighbors have bird feeders for our local feathered friends, but fresh water can be scarce when the temperatures drop. Birds can conserve water during these times, but providing
Being homebound all weekend during Portland’s recent snow and ice storm had it’s moments of beauty. Here are a few from the garden. First came the snow – about 6-8″ in a town with few snow plows. The covers blew off my raised beds, which were then blanketed in white. Then came the ice. Freezing rain kicked in and left 1/2-1″ thick icy over the
Portland’s cold weather kept us housebound for several days. Time seemed to stop as the days went on and on, without the distraction of modern life. Instead, our attention was really focused on keeping everyone healthy and happy – inside and out. Every morning started with a visit to the chicken coops. Their roof had about 6″ of snow on top, but the girls were
This marks my 600th post about our little homestead and this morning we received a special, rare gift to help us celebrate: a little blue egg from a very old hen. Pearl, an Americana, was part of our original flock of hens that moved into our backyard in 2007. She was at least two years old back then, which makes her at least nine years
