In the quest for self-sufficiency, it is best to start with growing foods that are easy to grow. This builds confidence in the homesteader. When you put simple, tiny seeds in the ground and then harvest lovely greens a few weeks later, you feel like “I can do this!” Not only that, but through little effort, … Read more
I am starting a new series here at The Well Fed Homestead. Every Friday I am going to post photos of our farm from that week. You’ll get to see the progress, and you’ll get to see the reality. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes imagine a picture-perfect farm with rolling green pastures … Read more
Buying a dairy cow for the first time is a big deal! We bought 2 cows from trusted friends (thankfully!). Had we purchased from any stranger off of Craigslist, we might have purchased a dud cow. There are so many things to know about a dairy cow and keep the milk safe! Keeping a dairy … Read more
We just purchased a second Jersey. My husband met the previous owner at the vet, where he had testing done, and where he was able to ask a lot of questions. One particularly big concern in buying a dairy cow is Johne’s Disease (pronounced Yo-nees). It’s a disease that is identical to the human … Read more
So, you want to get a dairy cow, but you have no clue what kind to get. There are some things you need to think about when choosing a cow: do you plan to sell the milk? (Is it legal in your state?) If not, you probably don’t need a cow that produces large quantities … Read more
I started the year with a goal of reading 1 new book every week. Ha! It’s taken me two months to get through The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck. Not that it’s really a difficult book, I’ve just been busy. It is long, but not difficult. It is enjoyable, for the most part (through part of … Read more
We purchased soil/compost mixtures from two different local companies last month. One of the products looks great. It’s got ground coconut shells, and ground up bark, and an organic fertilizer. It is fine and free of clumps, and appears ready to plant in. We needed more soil on a Saturday, and the original place was … Read more
Do you know how much your family eats in a year’s time? As a farmer’s wife, I am keenly aware of how much meat, poultry, eggs, honey and dairy we consume. Raising enough food to meet our own needs, as well as an abundance to sell is an integral part of our life. To be … Read more
I am picky about where I buy my meat. Honestly, I do buy some meat at the grocery store, but only grass fed stuff from the local stores that I can trust. I never buy meat from the large chain stores. My ideal is to buy it from farms only. Or, even more ideally, someday, we’ll produce it … Read more
I just finished reading Wendell Berry’s fiction novel Hannah Coulter. (Warning, there will be spoilers in this post). It was the first piece of fiction that I’ve read (other than books to my children) since I graduated with a degree in Literature more than 11 years ago. I cannot believe it has been so long! My New … Read more