Shupe Homestead

Attach the chalkboard. Note, the chalkboard with spices attached can be very heavy. When dry, cure the board by swiping the long edge of a piece of chalk over the surface and wiping clean.

Despite losing a good many leaves, which most informational websites we read said it could not only survive but recuperate from fully, the tree has continued to produce blooms and seed pods, so we're hopeful that it was the right move at the right time.

Be realistic and prioritize so you'll be able to achieve the things that matter most for you and your farmstead. Pick a week in late spring and go ahead and ask friends and family to keep that date free to help out.

Winter solstice means that after a few days of seemingly standing still (“Solstice” comes from the Latin phrase “sun stands still”), the sun will start inching up higher into the sky again, stretching our days out longer and longer up until the...

Shop Used and DIY Let's be honest, those homebrew supply catalog photos of shiny, stainless-steel brewing equipment, with the bells and whistles of built-in thermometers and water-level gauges, are pretty seductive.

How true can that be in other aspects of our lives? You don't have to have any interest in wildflower foraging or even hiking for that matter to put judgment aside and embrace the unfamiliar.

I add a bag of previously frozen and thawed food scrapsonce or twice per week. Get more vermicomposting info on HobbyFarms.com: Build a Vermicompost Bin [Video] New Year's Resolution: Vermicompost Kitchen Scraps 5 Soil Amendments to Grow Better Herbs...

Oh yes, the hubby had an opinion on this, sending me on more than one recon-and-return mission. Don't let these little details get you down. There can be too much of good thing when navigating row upon row of hardware options.

Keeping her in a wire cage slightly larger than the aquarium, I covered her. As homesteaders, we have a unique opportunity to inspire and teach those wanting to start a self-sustaining lifestyle .

Shortly before our return, Dad told me the poults had turned into Velociraptors (remember Jurassic Park?). Now that they're older, our flock has been the picture of robust good health as they forage about inside their pasture pen.

About the Author Lisa Kivirist keeps her pantry stocked on her farm and B&B, Inn Serendipity, in Browntown, Wis. More free downloads>> She is the co-author of Rural Renaissance and Edible Earth .

Jones and Sharon Sweeney-Lynch (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2011) The Accessible Pet, Equine and Livestock Herbal: Choosing Abundant Wellness for Your Creatures by Katherine A. Drovdahl, 2012) Tags books , Farm Fresh , garden , Lists , livestock , seed saving

I still get chills thinking about that. Pick your favorite candidates and vote—because you can. 25, 2012, so please do! If she wins, Mom will put the prize money toward feed and treats for us animals.

That's exactly what Kriss Marion of Circle M Farm in southern Wisconsin asked. She and her family celebrate Thanksgiving a week early. “Both my husband and I along with our three sons have been training together in order to keep our activity levels...

“We do not believe in factory farming and industrial large-scale production of food.” Redwood Hill Farm lets sustainability seep into nearly every facet of the family-owned operations as well.

Hollyhocks come in a rainbow of colors: yellow, white, pink and red. These are the sunflowers that have been fairy houses and forts, after all! After everyone has had their say, tie a paper bag around the seed heads of your three chosen plants.

These places included the highest level of our house, our basement and our stairwells. « More Farm Sprouts » Tags disaster preparedness , emergency plan , emergency preparedness , Lists

More than 95 percent of flour sold in the U.S. is enriched flour, according to the NAWG. This is why bran-heavy breads—think bran muffins—tend to be dense. Historically, the South has grown—and continues to grow—soft red winter wheat, which is...

Christmas carols are being piped through every retail store around while the snow starts to accumulate higher and the temperatures continue their annual winter plummet. Regardless of your religious beliefs or what year-end holiday you celebrate, we all...

Imagine a triangle or tic-tac-toe grid on the page and place your focal point at one of the tips or crosses. About the Author: Monette Satterfield is an artist and author with boundless curiosity.

It frees of from the need for perfection. The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings. ~Masnunoba Fukuoka While we are cultivating tomatoes, beans, peppers and apples, agriculture teaches...

With some degree of care, making candles can be done in your home, too, without a mess or any danger. If the right one isn't selected, the wax pool might drip all over the counter or leave us with a crater as the candle burns down into the middle of the...

I may not be able to start gardening or backyard chicken-keeping any time soon, but when that time comes, I'll already have a head start. Something will spark one of these thoughts, and I'll wind up daydreaming about my three-armed life or my alternate...

« More Farm Sprouts » Tags bacon Cultural language barriers aside, fat from pasture-raised bacon is a beautiful mono-saturated fat for cooking . For those with family members still giving you grief about eating bacon, feel free to share this insightful...

Pure vanilla extract While in the shower, massage the entire scrub in gentle circular motions from your shoulders to your feet, focusing on dry areas such as hands and heels. About the Author Lisa Kivirist is the co-author of ECOpreneuring and a Food...

I know all of this, but right now I just really, really want to garden with the sun on my back and without wallowing in mud. Now, we can catch and store more water in the barrels and, because they're outfitted with spigots, attach a hose to irrigate garden...

I, for one, have been putting in extra hours crafting homemade gifts (and buying some, too), writing Christmas cards and making my favorite peanut butter cups to take along to Christmas parties.