With dwarf rabbits there are a lot of considerations concerning their digestive tract, namely, one has to be very diligent in observing the little hoppers as they tend to have gastrointestinal issues galore as a rule.

Most recently we have been treating what we believe to be coccidiosis, a disease that can affect the intestines and liver and one that is caused by opportunistic pathogens.  This seems to be relatively common in younger rabbits and though it also affects older rabbits they have a tendency to become immune and just past the disease to the little ones. 

Symptoms of the disease include slimy diarrhea, lack of appetite, fading or weight loss, emaciation, and occasionally it can be fatal if not treated.  Most recently we had a 6 month old junior become symptomatic.  The symptoms for our little guy included first the lack of appetite, he wasn't eating his daily ration, the second symptom was the nasty gelatinous diarrhea which led to a quick call to our breeder friend.  It is so very important to closely watch the daily food intake of your rabbit to be able to discern immediately if there is a lack of feeding as this is almost always a reason for close observation.  

Common treatment of this problem includes the use of Corid (Amprolium) as a preventative in both the spring (before temperatures rise) and fall (before temperatures drop).  The administration is easy enough, it is just adding the powdered medication to water (for the 20% powdered solution we used 1 tsp powder to 1 gallon water) and offering it as the only source of water for 5 days (longer- up to 21 days for acute infections like we were dealing with). It is also recommended to treat your entire herd to ensure you won't have re-contamination.  At the moment we have a pregnant doe and we will not treat her until after she kindles as the medication seems to do well in mammal milk but has not been studied during gestation.

Another wise choice to control infection is to spray out the rabbit hutches with vinegar or bleach solution to aid in killing the disease.

Within 2 days our little guy had returned to his normal ornery self and was ready to eat whatever was put in front of him again.  This is an important medication to pick up at your local Tractor Supply Store and keep handy in your bunny medicine cabinet so that you can use it immediately as necessary.

I remember well the first time I decided we were going to order some chicks to start our flock.  I knew little to more than nothing at the time.  I asked around and discovered that two people (my mom and a good friend) had completely different recommendations for what breed of laying hen I should purchase.  However, my friend had some laying hens for us that were the Black Australorp breed so that is where we started.

When I ordered chicks for the first time (for the record, Australorps are still my hands down favorite even after trying Barred Rock, Americauna, and Rhode Island Reds). I ordered both breeds (Australorps and Rhode Island Reds)...here's how to order.
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ASK AROUND- I asked where everyone else got their chickens, what their favorite breeds were and why. I asked what hatcheries they liked, and which ones to stay away from. (some have better success rates of shipping and customer service is of utmost importance if you happen to receive chicks DOA)

LOCATE A HATCHERY- if you can find a local hatchery with the breed you are looking for you are in a win-win situation.  You can drive to get your chicks, avoid shipping costs (they can be a bit pricey) and avoid the almost inevitable dead chick that can come from shipping day old hatchlings.  You can also avoid having to slate off an entire day to be at the post master's beck and call for when they receive a peeping box for you to come get IMMEDIATELY from your local post office.  I was lucky enough to find one hatchery that carries Black Australorps that is only a 45 minute drive away.

PICK YOUR HATCH DATE: This is of utmost importance because when your chicks hatch they will either be shipped to you within that first 24 hours (you will usually get them when they are between 48-72 hours old and they will be THIRSTY) or you will be picking them up from the hatchery that day, this means preparation on your part as you need to have your brooder area set, heat lamps available, food and water on hand and be ready to go!

PAY FOR YOUR BIRDS AND WAIT: If you are smart, and you want spring chicks, you put an order in to the hatchery of your choice in January requesting your ship date for sometime later in the spring.  The reason I say this is because if you do what I did this year, which was wait too long, you are at the mercy of when the hatchery will have your breed on schedule to be hatched, sometimes that can be months after you had planned...especially if you are trying to get 4H breeds that need to be a certain size by fair.

I live on a small farm but I am blessed to be within a 15 minute drive of all things modern.  I can hop in on of our vehicles (we have more than one as do most American families these days) and head to the grocery, gas station, drug store, mall, or any other modern convenience in a jiffy.  This wasn't the case back in my grandmother's day.  

As I have mentioned before my grandmother was born just after the start of the Great Depression and growing up during her formative years she lived on a farm.  She recently shared with me some of her memories of the grocery trucks that would cater to the farm ladies, most of whom did not drive, and her anticipation as a child of seeing the wonderful things on that truck that came down the dusty lane.

I don't know if this picture is an accurate representation, it is what I was able to find with a quick google search, both the inside and out of what a grocery truck looked like in the 1930's

Grandma shared with me that the grocery truck would come weekly and the sight of which was a welcome image for those farm wives whose husbands were out in the fields for long work hours. She also remembers that sometimes on Fridays a man would come by with fresh fish on ice in his truck, selling his wares, and often a Peach truck would come as well.  Grandma remembers that when the fish man came it was a treat to have fresh fish, there was no refrigeration so that meant a meal of fish was in short order.  

When the peach man came the children were not allowed but 1 fresh peach each as my great grandmother would can her precious bounty of juicy peaches for a treat in the winter. 

In the fall, grandma reports that a man would come, selling a load of coal. My great grandfather would buy his winter supply that way. The other heat was courtesy of all the wood my great grandfather would cut for the wood stoves.

Grandma doesn't remember every having boxed cereal in her younger years (something she does enjoy now).  She did tell me that her mother brought rolled oats that they sometimes had for breakfast.  Not the instant kind, the kind that you cooked and the kettle was hard to wash she remembers.

Grandma once mentioned to me the instant lemon pudding type of dessert she remembered getting as a treat from the grocery man, I searched high and low on the internet and when I showed her the pictures I found she said this was the one she remembered.
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I often wonder what my children and grandchildren will look back at and laugh about when they talk of my life as I age.  What things that I now take for granted will be so antiquated to them as to elicit a "can you believe it?"

Personally, I can see the value in a grocery truck, sometimes I wish I could just stay at my own piece of heaven and let the food stuffs come to me...

#1. Repurpose-
 Our grandparents or great grandparents didn't throw things out.  Your grocery sacks, milk jugs, and old clothes all have repurpose value.  If you are ever at a loss for what to do with something, ask someone over 65 or look to Pinterest.

#2. Pay with Cash-
​ Yup Dave Ramsey is all over this one and he is right on.  When you ditch the plastic and pay with cash it just feels different, it kinda hurts!  Grandma did this, credit as we now know it didn't even come in to play in the US until around 1950, I'd say we were better without them!

#3. Plant a Garden-
​ I have always touted this one.  Even if you are in the city with nothing but a postage stamp of grass, you can grow something.  Even just 1 tomato plant, or some herbs, something.  It saves money!

#4. Hang your clothes to dry-
​ When I studied this one out one summer I found that in 3 months (just during summer) I saved around $35 on my energy bill just from hanging clothes to dry...and you haven't lived until you have slept on line dried sheets!

#10. Learn about and use natural remedies- cheaper and healthier than most storebought OTC remedies.  There are so many from lavender essential oil for burns, peppermint tea for upset tummies, Plantain weed for stings... the list goes on and on. (check this out)

Our grandmothers knew a lot about how to raise families on a budget, if you are lucky enough to have a grandparent who lived through the great depression, their wisdom is INVALUABLE in this area.  Here's to living like our grandmas!

My daughter began her bunny business a few months ago.  We researched her chosen breed, found top notch breeders, located appropriate housing and we were all set, just sit back and wait for the baby bunnies, right?

Well, in bunnyland, things are not as they always seem.  Though educational, my daughter's first attempt at bunny breeding was a flop.  It was very entertaining and funny to watch, you haven't lived until you have seen bunny business...let me tell ya! But, our buck was unable to get the job done...I think he was still a little too small.

The second attempt was much more successful, the doe was bred 2x's both 12 hours apart by taking her to the buck's cage for a fun little romp.  (again, hysterical to watch...the buck repeatedly stomped his foot at her as if to say "quit running in circles and sit still!)  I palpatated the doe's abdomen at day 14 which is when you are supposed to be able to feel "marbles" or "grapes" in the doe's abdomen... nothing.  We were both disappointed, though she did feel a bit "heavier".

By about 4 days before the doe was due for kits I picked her up and felt tiny movements in her abdomen...yay!!!  We knew we were in for some cute and fun bunny love very soon!  To say that both my daughter and I were ecstatic would be an understatement.  We checked on that poor doe incessantly just to see what she was up to..still nothing.

By day #29 there was a change, my husband checked on her around 6am, nothing...I went out around 9am and there was a nesting box full of fur and some of the wiggliest, naked-est little pink creatures.

I had done my research and I knew that mama bunnies pull fur out to soften and make a cozy nest.  I did not know much more...here is where the learning curve came in.

#1.  The old adage that you should never touch newborn animals does not apply to rabbits...or at least not to Dwarf rabbits.

#3. Bunnies do not sit in the nest to warm their babies and will only nurse 1-2 times in a 12 hour period...and the nursing sessions can be as little as 5 minutes.

#2.  The animal kingdom has neglectful mamas too.

#3.   Kits can "come back" to life.

#4.   Kits are VERY fragile and though their parents can be cold hearty, even a 50 degree cold snap is too much for naked babies.

This is where the story unfolds to a very sad ending.  I learned most of these facts, after it was too late.  When we saw the babies around 9 am I took the picture you see above, when I returned around 11 am to check again, there was no movement in the pile of fur...I decided to chance a quick touch and found the babies were cold.  I learned that often new mama bunnies (ours is pretty young) don't know how to properly line their nests and cover their babies which leads to tragedy.

As I cupped a baby kit in my hand and called one of the breeders we had gotten bunnies from I found that after a few minutes the baby kit started to move a bit, it went from ice cold to slight movements...this is the coming back to life part, just like with puppies sometimes bunnies can "come back."  It was short lived though we tried everything, we lost all 3 kits.  The breeders I spoke with said it was likely due to mama doe being a bit neglectful in her nest making.

I also learned that what I could have done differently was to actually stick my hands in the nest when I found the bunny babies as pictured and cover them up.  I also could have taken the nestbox inside my house and returned every 12 hours to let mama bunny nurse, keeping the bunnies inside the house for the first 2 weeks until they got their fur.  Finally, I learned that this is pretty common and that every breeder that I spoke with has experienced this type of situation.

Sad as it was, we learned A LOT in a few short hours.  My daughter took it hard but was able to get over the loss and still relish in her beautiful bunnies that she still has to play with and cuddle. Lesson learned.

It was a number of years ago that I attended my first one of these, I was on the fence about homeschooling, just checking it out really.  However, once I set foot in the door, I was in awe and easily swayed towards  the never ending pursuit of educational excellence.

It has been some years since I was that woman, so unsure about the journey, this year I was attending for encouragement.  I know I am on the right path and that this is exactly where God led our family, this homeschooling journey we are on.  But, I am going to be completely transparent here and let you in on a secret...there are still years that I NEED ENCOURAGEMENT. 

I have been in the trenches for the last 2 years, homeschooling with babies and preschoolers has got to be akin to the zoo headmaster's tasks on opening day...its a jungle in there.  This is not an easy season in our homeschooling journey, in fact, it has to be the most challenging time that we have been in yet.  So there, it is out, I went to the convention because in all honesty I had to get some encouragement.  I found that and so much more.

Though there are a number of homeschooling conventions one can attend, I go to the GHC (Great Homeschool Convention) which parlays in Cincinnati, Ohio for a long 4 day weekend.  I only went for a day but it was worth every moment.  

During the long weekend one can attend a variety of workshops with sometimes as many as 20 occurring during one hour time slots, if you miss one that you would have liked to attend, you can purchase an audio cd of the workshop for a nominal fee.  The convention tickets also include a vendor hall pass which entitles the owner of said pass to peruse aisle after aisle of curriculum (at last count there were over 600 vendors). This is perfect for a visual gal like myself, I want to thumb through textbooks and look at pictures before making my final decisions and purchases.

I was privilaged to hear a number of amazing speakers, but three stuck out in my mind. Heidi St John, Chrystal Evans Hurst, and Dr. Inge Aurbaucher.  Heidi spoke to my mom heart. She helped me remember why I was doing what I was doing and how when I felt ill equipped for the task at hand, God was there to guide me, I need only ask.  Chrystal reminded me to slow down and quit letting the business of life get in the way of my mission.  I really needed that, amidst homeschooling, homesteading, blogging and freelance writing for magazines I have also begun writing a book...yup I needed her reminder that there are seasons for everything and I need to focus on the season I am in now.  Finally, Dr. Aurbaucher brought tears to my eyes.  Hearing first hand from a Holocast survivor was an amazing experience that I will not soon forget.  Hearing about history from someone who lived it is far superior to reading a panoramic view in a dry history book.  I went so far as to meet Dr. Aurbaucher afterwards and share a photo op as well as get my books signed.

It was, and always is an amazing experience to get to attend one of these conferences.  I leave feeling renewed, refreshed and reminded why I am walking against the current in the choice we have made to homeschool our children.

It is definitely not on your "diet" but this Cinnabread is a hit and with its mouthwatering buttery sweetness, you will be begging for more.  I once had a friend say she just might sell her children for some, I am not sure I need anymore children in exchange for bread, but it really is THAT GOOD!

Basic Ingredients:

3 packages active dry yeast (or 2T plus 1 -3/4 tsp)
2 cups warm water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
7-3/4 to 8-1/4 cups flour

(additional 1 cup sugar, 1 cup butter and 1-2 T cinnamon for filling)

1.  In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add the sugar, butter, salt and eggs as well as 4 cups of flour.  Beat until smooth and then add enough flour until a soft dough forms.

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2. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.  Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (approx 45 minutes)
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3. Punch dough down.  Turn onto a heavily floured surface and divide dough into 3 pieces.   Roll each piece into a long narrow oval (the longer the roll the more swirl you get in the cinnamon bread).

4. Smooth melted butter and cinnamon sugar mix (I don't really measure this part, but the more butter the better, usually 1-2 sticks for the total 3 loaves) over the rolled oval.  Once the area is covered simply start at one end and tightly roll up jelly roll style.  Be sure to do so TIGHTLY and avoid air pockets as this will leave holes through your finished loaf of bread.

5. Place each roll into a loaf pan that you have melted butter into the bottom of.  Let rise a second time (approx 45 minutes) in a warm place.  

Okay so not really jewel encrusted spuds but a beautiful shade of purple in this Blue Aidorondack variety none the less.  I have grown these ever since tasting them for the first time during a co-op buy from friends a few years back, they are delicious and unique.  They have a sweeter taste than a regular potato but not as sweet as a sweet potato.  They hold their hue even after cooking and make fantastic olive oil and rosemary garlic fries.  

I recently had to order some more seed potatoes (these are hard to find) as my batch from last year was lost in the earth due to the intensely wet summer we had.  I lost all of my root vegetables in fact, they just turned to mush in the ground.  I have a penchant for the Blue Aidorondack variety though there are other purple hued potatoes on the market.

When spuds arrive you will usually get what really just looks like whole potatoes.  It was so tempting not to eat them, but for the growth and betterment, they must be planted.  It is estimated that for each seed potato piece that you plant, you can gain 10 pounds of new potatoes from just that one seed.

What is a "seed?"  Well, when you let a potato sit too long it starts to sprout "eyes" when left in a cool, dark place these eyes will pop and start growing vine-y type of shoots.  This is a good thing because for each "eye" that is essentially your "seed."  If a potato is covered with eyes, you cut it up and plant each piece as a seed effectively gaining up to 10 or more pounds of yield per cut piece. (usually at least 2-3 per well sprouted spud).

Once you cut your spuds in such a manner as to assure that you have at least 2 "eyes" per piece you need to let them air dry for about 24 hours.  You can see how my potatoes are a bit "wet."  This drying time does help in the retardation of mold, due be sure they are in a well ventilated area though.

Once your time is up, you can plant. There are so many methods to planting potatoes, and everyone will tell you their method is best.  These potatoes are no exception.  I have had tremendous success planting these directly in well worked ground, but, in a wet year you will loose them all as root crops rot in the ground when it is too wet for too long. 

This year I am using a grow sack, you can just as easily use a plastic storage tub with some drainage holes drilled into the bottom, or even a plastic trashcan with drainage holes.  

Simply fill your container with a healthy grow medium (I bought a bag of composted cow manure for $5, and no, there is NO odor to it at  all).  Start by filling your container only about 1/2 to 3/4 full as you will add more dirt/compost after the shoots of green start to show up.

Now put your potatoes, cut side down, in your soil.  Spread them out and then cover with another layer of dirt.  Water generously and wait until you start to see green sprouts shooting up.  When you see the green sprouts/leaves, bury them with another layer of dirt.  By doing this you are encouraging another layer of spuds to form.  

Kids love to help with planting potatoes and because they are not fragile or of small seed, it is an easy task.

You will know that it is time to check on and dig your potatoes when, nearing the end of summer your green leafy vines start to yellow and die back.  At this point you can gently dig down with your hands and feel for the spuds, if you feel fully formed spuds/potatoes, just lay down a tarp and dump out your container to collect the potatoes.

You need to let the potatoes "cure" for a few days in a cool, dry place.  This will allow for better and longer storage time.  After that, enjoy your bounty!

** Note** I purchased my seed potatoes from Pinetree Garden Seeds this year, their customer service is top notch and they have beautiful catalogs for free as well.
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So, I came home from a friend's house with...BUGS!  Nope, not the kind you have to exterminate for, and not the kind that itch your head, these are actually a renewable resource for some of the animals and reptiles we keep.

This was not my idea, I was dutifully running to the pet store on a regular basis for the meal worms to feed my son's pet Gecko.  I have to admit that this was not a fun adventure as the pet food store is waaaay across town and each visit leaves my son pining for more reptiles (no thank you).

My friend showed me her plans for not only feeding her daughter's Gecko lizards for free but also feeding her covey of Quail and offering tasty little treats to her chickens too.  I was kinda curious, it was fascinating and a little gross, but I was intrigued.  She was raising Darkling beetles.  These are kind of fascinating creatures as they don't need to drink water and need no more care then to bury themselves in wheat germ with a little water moisture for their habitat and the occasional kitchen scraps from veggies and fruits thrown in.  

In return for a scrap of apple or cucumber I have now obtained a renewable food source for not only the Geckos but also as a treat to any of the foul we raise on our little farm.

Some interesting facts: (courtesy softschools.com)

"Darkling beetles do not fly due to fused wings (also known as elytra) that are sealed to the body.

Darkling beetles feed on decaying plant and animal matter. They also eat live plants, buds, fruit, fungi and grains.

Darkling beetles rarely drink water because they are able to extract the moisture from the food they eat.

Most species of darkling beetles are active during the night (nocturnal).

Latin name of darkling beetles is "Tenebrio" which means "the one that likes darkness". Name refers to the fact that these beetles usually inhabit dark places and hide under the rocks and leaf litter.

Natural enemies of darkling beetles are lizards, rodents, spiders, birds and large beetles.

Fishermen use darkling beetles as bait for the fish.

Darkling beetles are common model organisms in the laboratories and classrooms which investigate ecology, genetic and biology of insects. They are large, have short life cycle and their maintains does not require too much effort. Darkling beetles are also used as ideal source of food for the laboratory animals such as insectivorous mammals.

Some species of darkling beetles can complete their entire life cycle in 3 to 4 months, while other species can survive until the age of 10 years. Most darkling beetles live only several months due to intense predation."

So for me, a win-win.  They don't fly, and can't climb out of the sides of the container I have them in.  They will feed my son's Gecko and my Chickens.  They aren't costing me anything.  Yup, I am morbidly fascinated and you will be too!

You can buy starters on Amazon, take a look:

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As I rifled through a largely unused drawer earlier this week, I came across my button jar.  Looking at the jewel toned baubles varying in color and shape I cannot help but be transported back to my own childhood as I would invariably sort through my mother and grandmother's button jars.

I began saving my own buttons when I set up house.  I never really knew why I was doing this, I had just always seen both my mother and grandmother do it, so I followed suit.  When I inadvertently came across this jar again recently, it was then that I remembered reading a story my grandmother had written.  A quick search through my books of wisdom and musings and I have to share what she wrote:

So, the tradition of saving the buttons is generations deep in my family, I still don't know what anyone did with all of those buttons, especially if one didn't have matches, but I am sure that they were put to good use when needed.  I will continue to dutifully collect buttons in my own jar, if nothing more than for nostalgia's sake.

UPDATE: My mom stopped by with her stash of buttons, I wanted to share the beautiful baubles and colors galore!

If you haven't noticed, over there to the right is a cool little widget button that I am proudly displaying regarding my new gig with GRIT magazine.

I'm so excited, I have been accepted as an ongoing blogger for the GRIT magazine online community!  What makes this even more special is that I am a longtime lover of the GRIT magazine (along with Hobby Farms, Mother Earth News and a few others).

If you want to read the two articles I have up on their Blogging community (as well as a host of other articles that some great contributors write up) check out the posts by clicking links below.

I'm kinda excited...had to share.  For more really cool stuff from not only our little farm but other farm friends, follow me on facebook!

Every girl has a quick go-to recipe that is just a help because it saves time, and effort.  This one is mine.  My children and hubby love it when I make potato skins, but they are pretty labor intensive, hence the birth of this quick and easy side dish that still has most of the flavor of the potato skins, with a fraction of the work involved.

Ingredients:

5-6 large potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
pre cooked and crumbled bacon
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Garlic powder
Salt 
Pepper

Step #1: Cut your potatoes into medallions and toss into a large bowl
Step #2: Toss potatoes in the olive oil and generously sprinkle salt, pepper, and                         garlic powder over them before laying them single layer on a foil lined 
                 baking sheet.
Step #3: Bake the potato medallions at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until fork 
                tender.
Step #4: Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese and bacon then return to oven 
                to rewarm. (just for a few moments so you don't burn your cheese)

Viola!  You have achieved the Lazy Potato!

We have been building around here lately, livestock buildings that is.  After last September's Great Barn Demolition we then had a Barn Raising but we have been slow in getting our livestock operation back up and running. 

My husband has been keeping pigeons for over 10 years now.  We have homing pigeons that he uses in bird dog training (his side business).  As his business is growing, so is the need for a renewable resource, hence the pigeons.  Our current pigeon coop is a fraction of the size of what we needed to allow for a healthy breeding and reproduction of these homing pigeons, so we decided to build a pigeon mansion for the birds.  We upgraded them from a 4x4 building that was overcrowded and falling apart to an 8x10 building that will also have room to raise quail.

I have to admire my husband's skills, ones he has kept from me for so many years, as he is not a carpenter or farmer, he is actually a nurse by trade.  What he did is, in my mind, pretty magnificent, considering he really didn't have any plans. What is really cool too is that these projects are completely financed by the really neat old distressed barn wood we sold from the demolition of our old barn.

We decided on a spot that we will construct 3 of these livestock buildings.  The buildings are all going to be 8 x 10 buildings with one housing the flying foul (pigeons and eventually quail), one housing the chickens (repopulating our flock next month), and one for our daughter's rabbit business, or if that doesn't fair well, possibly as an outdoor canning kitchen for me! (though hoping the bunny biz goes well- as I sit here typing we are expecting kits any moment!)

Hubby and I priced out the lumber and he drafted a rough sketch with a supply list, off we went.  First the floor, then sides and a roof that our 10 year old helped nail down.

When we stopped for a lunch break I snapped this one from the backdoor, you can see the old pigeon coop in the foreground, quite an upgrade, right?

next the finishing touches, the roosts and moving day!

The pigeons seem pretty happy.  It will take these young birds time to "rehome" their internal GPS to the new coop (even though it is only about 10 foot from the old one).  Once they do my husband is able to take them and release them miles away and they will fly home.  This enables him to train the upland game bird dogs he trains using a blank pistol but not harming the renewable resource in the process.  Should one get lost, or accidentally find that it is not fast enough for a hunting dog, the re-population rate should be high enough to cover the loss.  These will also allow for sale to the public if our breeding birds produce in abundance.

The pigeons have a small "sunroom" which will help them as they are "rehoming" to their new location.

If you keep pigeons, or are fascinated by this idea, check out my many pigeon and livestock boards on pinterest, 

Growing the rubies of June is one luxury I have not afforded our farm yet.  I have always been so busy with my vegetable garden and raspberry patches that strawberries were always that, “ill wait till next year” list.  Finally the time has come, I’m on it this year and here to share the adventure along the way.
For the beginnings of my strawberry growing adventure I decided to pick an unused spot in the yard that wasn’t very beautiful, and make a raised bed, here’s how to join me in this adventure…
 
Purchase 3 of the following:

 4 x 8 untreated pine boards. 

You REALLY need to use untreated pine as the treated lumber has arsenic in it, you don’t want that in your strawberry pie!
The finished box is 4 x 8 so you use 2 of the 8 foot boards as sides, and cut one of the boards in halvsies for the ends.  Finish off with some corner supports and screws and your frame is done!

You may be blessed with flat ground, I am not.  Use a level to be sure because the “eyeballing” method can definitely fool you.  I found that I had to dig down about 3 inches into the soil on one end to get a level bed.

Once the bed is in use a heavy layer of newspaper (6-8 pages thick or more if you like- you can even use cardboard as I did in he picture) in the bottom to prevent the upspring of lovely broadleaf weeds or crabgrass.  This will also breakdown nicely and encourage fish bait to frequent your raised bed thus leaving their rich castings off behind.
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If your berry plants arrive and it is still very cold out you can buy some time by laying down a layer of straw over the berries to protect them until the days and nights get a bit warmer.  In the end of the growing season before overwintering this is what you will do anyway.  Note, that strawberries spread by use of “runners” that go underground and pop up a few inches over from the “mother” plant.  

​Step back and admire your work, wait for the warm sun to do her job, water as needed and bide time until you can bite into that first big, red, juicy berry.

No, I'm not an amateur gardener.  In fact, I have been gardening seriously for over 15 years, so my point is, I should have known better.  Read on and learn from my gardening mistake so you don't make the same one too.  This one almost cost me my whole seed starting extravaganza.

It all started in mid February.  A friend of mine and I had the bright idea that this year we would start seedlings, not only for our own gardens but also to sell to the public.  The dollar signs were swimming in my head as I thought of all the beautiful seedlings growing strong and tall, ours would be bigger than most of course because we were starting so early, so of course people would want to buy them, and likely pay premium for a larger plant.

This is where my folly started.  I have shared my seedling mix before, I use 4 parts potting soil to 1 part vermiculite and 1 part pearlite. This has always worked for me before, I'm guessing that I have just gotten lucky.  This is not a bad ratio, but my mistake came in that I was trying to figure out how to save as much money as possible to increase profits for sales...enter in the dollar store.  Don't ask me what part of buying my potting soil at the Dollar store was a good idea because in hindsight, I do see the folly of my ways.  However, I have had luck doing this in the past so I just followed suit of my old ways.  This year was the year I learned a valuable lesson.  I bought "bad" soil.  I don't really know what was wrong with it, maybe not enough nutrients, maybe someone careless along the packaging route spilled something foreign into it, your guess is as good as mine but the results were nearly catastrophic to my business and personal garden plan.

I had all my seedlings planted, they all looked great and were germinating.  I sent the flats to my friend's greenhouse for some cozy growing time away from mama and then that is where things changed.  It was not my friend's greenhouse, nope, it was not over or under watering, nope.  It was just that the flats that I had planted from one particular bag of soil were failing.  They started out well, but at the crucial point when your tomato seedling goes from 2 "leaves" to "true leaves" mine just gave up.  Not only did they give up but they started to dry out and yellow up.  My friend called me with the somber news.  I knew it wasn't the conditions because the subsequent flats that I was growing from the second bag of Dollar store dirt in the greenouse were doing fine...but I am sure it was something to do with that one bag of dirt.  The tragedy is that one bag of dirt affected over 100 of my seedlings, tomatoes to peppers, they all looked like the dying remnants of a genocidal attack.

What is a farmgirl to do?  I ran to the nearest gardening center and spent a PREMIUM price for a bag of the richest, blackest, most expensive bag of starter mix I could find.  I replanted everything. (enter in sad face here).  As I look at my friend's seedlings that were planted the same week as mine, they are up to 4-6 leaves, mine are stunted and may never recover.  The new seeds have yet to germinate so I am left with only the ones from a subsequent bag of soil which are cabbages and some more peppers, time to start the tomatoes all over again... if you are a gardener you know that this is heartbreaking.  Though not akin to loosing a child, you almost feel parental about your seedlings after so much love and tender care is poured into them.  (enter in playing of TAPS)

I will be doing things differently from now on.  I had always taken shortcuts (and I am so very budget conscious) but this area is one I will not be skimping on any longer.  My friend got a tip from a largescale garden center and I will be using her seed starting mix next year (40lbs for $35 but that should last me 2-3 years in all seriousness) and if it means that I can avoid these tragedies, I think it worthwhile.

Back in great grandma's day there was no running to the grocery for some boneless skinless chicken breasts. if you lived in town you likely got your chicken from the local farmer, but if you lived out in the country you just made a trip to the barn.  When we moved to our small farm I knew that I wanted to start living as self-sufficiently as possible and I wanted to start raising our own meat.  We have been blessed to purchase a 1/2 a cow yearly from my parents and pork from some friends, but chicken was something we were still buying at the store.  However, I have watched too many documentaries about how our food is currently being produced in the U.S. (just check out Food Inc. on netflix to start) so I wanted to get away from that.

The first year we moved in we got 10 chickens to use for meat (different breed from our laying hens) but this year we just finished up with a batch of 25 chickens.  I was proud of myself that we took care of the chickens from day one until time to butcher, and we even did that ourselves. (don't worry no pictures or further details)  We have come a long way since the tales of chickens running around "with thier heads cut off" so to speak, but it was still a hard task.  

So my freezer was gloriously full of whole chickens but that leads to learning to cook differently or cut the chicken up and figure out how to make dinners out of all cuts of meat, not just the breasts.  NOTE: if you are purchasing a chicken at the store, this would still be  a skill that would serve you well as whole chickens can sell for .99 cents a pound whereas breast meat can run you upwards of $2.99 a pound...doesn't take long to add up the difference in price.

Here it is, how to cut up a fryer:

Here is one of our whole fryers that we vacuum packed (I won't be doing it that way again).  The most important thing is to have a VERY sharp knife.  We start by slicing the leg/thigh off from the whole chicken.  (In the future I may part up the chicken before freezing but we had worked so hard the day we butchered that I was not in the mood then...lol)

After slicing off the leg/thigh portion on both sides hubby ran the knife down the breast bone keeping as close to the bone as possible to cut the breast sections off.

He repeated on both sides to get the breast meat off the bones.

Here are the leg and thigh protions as well as the breasts and on the left is the back and cavity of the chicken (perfect for putting in a pot with water, salt and pepper and making a bone broth- read my earlier post for further directions on this).

Here is the breast meat all chopped and ready to go for the fajitas I am making for dinner, I tell you nothing beats the taste difference in fresh chicken!