Adventures of an urban homesteader growing greens, preserving the harvest and tending a backyard barnyard
Suitcases are being packed for Labor Day weekend – a sign that summer is coming to a close and fall is knocking on our door. I am being whisked away to the Homestead National Monument of America in the gorgeous state of Nebraska for the Homesteader Reunion Weekend that takes place over the holiday weekend. The event celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Homestead Act
Aronia is a gorgeous small shrub, more tree-like in shape, that produces heavy crops of dark blue fruit. The berries resemble blueberries, but are not nearly as sweet. They are however packed full of nutrients and a great addition to the homestead. The foliage turns a brilliant scarlet in the fall, making is as pretty as it productive. I harvested our one small shrub recently,
Eggs, eggs, so many eggs! With three chickens and four ducks, we are in no short supply of eggs. I came up with a new favorite recipe this weekend to use them up: the Homestead Burger. It’s super simple, but another great way to use up all those chicken or duck eggs you might have from your backyard. Sure, you could call this a “sandwich”.
Figs have to be one the best tasting fruits on the planet. These little gems only last a couple days though once picked, which is why you typically only see dried figs sold in stores. Our amazing Desert King fig tree produces a heavy crop of juicy fruit in late summer. Although most of the figs went into the preserving pot, we were still left
Late summer has produced broccoli plants with thick stalks ready for harvest. As hard as we try, there is far too much for us to stay on top of. It’s time to think about saving seed for next year and preserving the harvest for the winter months. Broccoli produces lovely yellow flowers that will develop into seeds. When broccoli flowers just begin to appear, you
Four years ago we built a patio and pergola in our backyard to act as the central gathering space in the garden. It’s time for an update on those projects and to share some lessons learned. What comes to mind first is finishing the patio in 97 degree heat. Wish I could go back in time to say “Damn girl, take it easy! Finish it
We feel honored that our homestead is going to be featured in Country Gardens magazine! They are doing a story on our homesteading journey for an upcoming issue and had a lovely photo shoot in the garden with us yesterday. It was challenging to get the garden “picture perfect” while juggling baby Juniper, so it was time to call in help from some friends. Prior
Aphids suck – literally. These pesky garden pests will poke their mouths into your beloved plants and suck out their liquid. It weakens the plant and reduces your harvest – not to mention the unsightly appearance a massive, black mound of aphids can be on your plants. What can be done on the organic homestead to remedy the problem? The answer: lots! To prevent aphids
Apricots are little fruit jewels of the home orchard. They only last a day or two once picked, which is why you rarely see either apricots (or figs) fresh in the store. Their sweet, delicate flavor earned them a spot in our garden in the hopes that we could enjoy these treasures at their height of ripeness. Unfortunately, in the Pacific NW it is really
It is difficult to think about fall and winter crops when the tomatoes are just starting to ripen on the vine. Alas, that is the life of an urban farmer – always looking ahead to the coming season. It’s time to start plugging seeds in here and there to make sure we have good food to harvest through winter. There are some tricks to working
