Farm Fresh Peach Pie

Unfortunately, we do not have thriving peach trees yet. We have a few started in our "orchard", but we will not see any production for a while. So to supplement we buy from our local farmers market to fill our needs that we have not met yet. I will buy from a local farmer before I would buy from the local grocer. Unfortunately since I work every weekend out of the year I cannot get to a farmers market, but Josh was able to go with the kids. Something they all enjoy going to. We also needed to replenish our cabbage because we had deer wipe out our entire crop in one night. This is the first time in 4 years that this has happened. Suppose next year we may have to deer proof better. Josh makes wonderful sour kraut using an old fashioned 10 Gallon crock and a wooden stick. My daughter who is not fond of sour kraut helped out in the process!

Once it is ready we place a mason jar filled with water on top and cover tightly to keep those nasty lil pests from getting in while the fermentation begins.

I'm sure we will get a very good supply this year as we made double what we did last year, and we got over a dozen jars made.

With the bushel of peaches I made two peach pies. Such a treat as it is not often I get to make fruit pies. Too bad we didn't have homemade fresh goat milk ice cream! Maybe next year! The peaches were wonderfully ripe and ready. They smelled wonderful, and made a great pie.

                                               Peeled and cut

             
                                             The pits I'm hoping to plant

                                             The filling smells wonderful

                                            The finished product

I love when I prepare something that everyone enjoys. It makes the time and work I put into it that much better for me. Knowing that I can provide my family with farm fresh homemade goods is what this life is all about.

Duckie Discovery!

It was a normal morning feed. First the pigs, off to the goats, then the ducks. While I was pouring their water I notice a little oval shape within the mud with the color white peeking out. Hmm...is that an egg? It sure is. My three year old feeds with me in the morning. He was very excited to see the egg laying there. I wasn't expecting to find an egg as I figured it wouldn't be till next spring that we got an egg. I look forward to my feeding this morning to see if there are any new discoveries. It is always an adventure on the homestead!
                           

                                                   Blue Swedish Duck Egg

                                               

Getting to the old-fashioned life

Living in a modern world when all you want is an old-fashioned world is hard. To be able to live in a way that satisfies the soul we almost have to sell our soul to do it. We should be able to drop all the modern ways today and live as we please. I think when my children are older/out of the house that is just what I want to do. I want to drop all modern amenities and live very pioneer style! We are in the working process of making that happen. Unfortunately, obtaining this lifestyle is costly. Though, I think it's only as costly as one makes it. I believe we could survive just me and my husband by gardening, hunting and raising some chickens and bunnies, and having a dairy source. I don't believe we need much more than that especially when it's just the two of us. I want to rid ourselves of modern transportation. I would love a horse and buggy to get around. I want to rid ourselves of modern appliances, electricity, etc. The draw back is the need to have some kind of income to be able to keep a float. I am working on being able to work from home in order to maintain our homesteading desires and keep an income. The drawback of this is having the need for internet, which we will still need electricity. Of course we could invest in solar, which is something I want to do if we can find a way to make it worth it. Essentially the only outside bill we would have is internet and possibly electric. As long as we only use the electricity for our internet needs then this would not be a huge deal for me. It will be more about the will power to stay away from using the electricity for other things. It is time to really sit down and discuss these goals and desires. I believe it is possible to have what we want right now, but we are too over our head financially. We don't have the means to feed our animals we have. The goats, chickens and bunnies would be doable, but the pigs are another story. They are more costly to feed, unless we have the fields of corn, which we do not. My personal overall goal is to create true self sufficiency that is realistic. In the next 15-20 years I think we will be able to get to a place of self sufficiency if we have the right plan and mindset. During this time while we are working outside the home I want to be as debt free as possible by the time the kids are grown. But, despite whatever outside debt we have when the time comes to shut everything off then so be it. I cannot worry about any debt and let it hold us back from what we want out of life. I get so tired of living pay to pay. Not being able to pay this or that. This is supposed to be a life of  "simplicity". Yes, this is a hard work lifestyle, but its more simplistic. I want to LIVE for a LIVING. I vow to not have stress over a green piece of paper that holds us hostage daily. We will have this life and all this work we are doing now will be completely worth it in the end for us.

Goals on the Homestead

     My husband and I are inching our way closer and closer to the lifestyle we want and need. It is a one step at a time process, but our dreams are in sight. We now have most of our consumption needs. We have our meats, dairy within the next year, and vegetables. Although, the vegetable process has been a struggle due to uncooperative weather patterns the past couple years, as well as financial set backs. As I look out our window I witness the accomplishments that I can only give most credit to my husband. He works so hard here to have what we have. While working a 40 hour work week, it is amazing what we have done thus far. I could only imagine what would be accomplished if we did not have the 40 hours taking up our time here. Some of my goals that I wish to have happen within the next year is to have a better surviving garden. We also will need to plant at least double what we did this year. Hopefully next year we will not have the financial hardships as we did this year. I would like to accomplish planting field corn for the animals consumption and be able to grow our own hay. One more thing I would like to accomplish is growing wheat and be able to process my own flour. I would like to at least double our fruit orchard in the hopes of wine making in the years to come. This is just the few things that would greatly improve our wonderful lil homestead. With everything that we have accomplished in a few short years, I have no doubt that we will accomplish this and more in the next couple years!

                                           Our Beautiful Guy Protecting His Hens and Home

Intelligent Barnyard Animals = not food?

     I have seen many articles concerning the viewpoint that many of the barnyard animals we raise for consumption have a higher intelligence than most give credit for. This is the rational for not being able to eat them versus the cat or dog. An article of persuasion to stop consuming meat. So I am one who raises several barnyard animals solely for consumption. Pigs are in a way similar to dogs in their composition. They enjoy seeing you when greeted. They will lay to get their bellies scratched. It is all very amusing and delightful, but they have a purpose here. And that is to feed my family. While they are being raised here they are being treated with the due respect they deserve. They have a good life while they are here with us, unlike their cousins inside a factory that grocery stores buy from. My arguments to vegans is this....a vegetable is alive. Does it have intelligence? Maybe; maybe not. But you are still consuming something that is alive. Should I judge you for eating vegetables and plants. How about the millions of trees that you use daily to write a letter or build your home with. I believe as a human being we were built to consume both vegetables and meat. Our bodies need both for proper survival. We can live a long life eating either or, but is it quality? So why do people make these arguments? To persuade to not eat meat? I would rather people be persuaded to stop buying from the grocery stores and start raising your own animals for meat. It is a matter of opinion, and I am so tired of seeing these articles that try to deter people from doing what nature intends us to do because of an opinion.

Dreams and Goals

Knowing what to do in life can be a big challenge. I know what I want out of life. I want to be a good wife and mom. I want to tend to the home; cook, clean, bake...I want to tend to the homestead. I have these things, but things that I did prior to getting these things is causing me inner stress. Prior to getting our homestead I began school, because I was tired of living pay to pay and never accomplishing anything that we wanted. Our dream was to have land and be self sufficient, but we did not have the means to do that. Until the fateful day that we literally stumbled upon our land. Now, I am pursuing an education that is useless for me. I understand that education is never useless, and I may need it someday. I am just heartsick over the debt I caused my family due to what I thought was needed back then. I will begin to have to pay on my loans this fall. This hurts me because the point of this lifestyle is to work out of debts. So I think about what I may be able to do out of the home so that my degree is not useless. I will not feel as burdened by the debt if I am actually using it somehow. The problem is, what can I do with it at home? My AA is in business. So I suppose that selling homesteading goodies out of my home could be considered using my degree in a sense. It just isn't enough though. I have been trying for years to get my name out there to sell baked goods and it is a hit and miss thing. It is not enough to sustain us financially. So what do I do now? Do I continue schooling? Do I continue trying to find some kind of work at home opportunity? Do I keep trying to promote my baked goods? Or all of the above?  If I could supplement our income, the loan debt would not be as much of a burden, at least in my own mind. I know I need to sharpen my skills for baking. I would love to do wedding/occasion cakes from the home. I believe I have the skill, but I'm lacking in experience and proper equipment. I believe if I had the proper tools I could develop my ability and be able to make a decent living. I would also continue selling cookies, breads, etc. Another dream I have is to try my hand at wine making. I would like to be able to profit on that as well, but that is years to come as we just began our orchard. We would need to plant a lot more fruit to make it profitable. Our homesteading goals is not for profit. Our goals is to be self reliant, but if I could help us financially by using our land and abilities we would be able to stay home eventually and live the life that we have been striving for.

The Overwhelmed Housewife

     My home is overwhelming to me, and with the life we are leading it should not be. I just do not know how to get past the overwhelming feelings I get towards our home. I begin by trying Monday mornings to get the home clean. It is a task to get the three main rooms clean the correct way. The week consists of the gathering of much clutter that comes with having a large family. I am ok with clutter if it had its place. I have tried several times to create a place for clutter; to organize it. It just does not seem to stay the way I put it. I get to a point where I give up and just tidy up so the home is livable, until I can't take much more and do another full day of deep cleaning come Monday morning. It seems to last a day. Then things begin to pile where it shouldn't; dirt, papers, toys, food, odds and ends accumulate to the point I get exhausted. I know my role is to continue day and night to pick up after it. This is the only way to stay on top of it. It is how any good housewife and mother does it. My Grandma did it, my mother did it...so why do I have a hard time? It goes back to motivation I guess. I need to get back into a mindset of early rising and getting work done first thing, most of which would be done before the husband and kids rise for the day. I started a good "schedule" a few months back. I got pretty motivated, but I exhausted myself and it has been hard to get back into the routine again. I disappoint myself as a housewife and mother for not staying on top of things like I need to; like I want to. I aspire to be like my Grandmother. The prime example of how I want to live. When she began her family she was taking care of elderly folk in her home for income. They were family in her eyes though. She would be up and ready by 3 am - 4 am everyday. By the time her 3 children and husband was up for the day she would of had 2 or 3 loads of laundry done, and not just clothes, bed sheets, towels, etc.. She ironed everything, had bread baking, breakfast going and dinner started. Home was picked up, dusted, vacuumed/swept, dishes washed mostly all before the rooster crows. The rest of the day was maintaining, cooking, and any other chore of the day. This is my inspiration I need to live up to. So how do I do it and stay sane? I just do it. The trick is to continue it and not give up in frustration. It does feel great to get up and shower and get myself looking nice, getting the home cleaned up first thing and be able to enjoy being in our home. I do not enjoy it when I know I have been lazy with it. Another excuse I let myself have is that I am so tired come Monday morning after working 24+ hours over the weekend. My job is physical and can be very emotionally draining as well. To begin first thing Monday morning can be a hard challenge, but I know it is just mental. It is a mental block I need to fight past. Thankfully, my grandmother is supposed to come for a visit this upcoming Monday morning. It is going to make me get out of bed early and clean. I refuse to have my "perfect" grandma come and view me as a disaster. I know she does not view me this way as she tells me how good of a mama I am all the time, but my home looks nothing like her home. That is what I want to achieve and I believe with the right motivation and aspiration I will do it correctly forever.