Ego-away

     I was remembering a moment somewhere around this time last year. I was overcome with the hippiest of urges to remove my shoes and ground myself in the earth as I foraged a rare blackberry free patch of forest. My thought stream was filled with wild woman imagery and inspiring quotes about being one with the trees. It was all very Lorax with a side of dryad. And then.....I stepped square and barefoot into a pile of fresh deer scat.

    Nature has a way of doing that. It inspires us. It fills us with awe and wonder! It makes us feel special and important to witness to the mysteries and secrets of the quiet places. Then it does a 180 and says "Settle down there, Euell Gibbons!" Nature reminds you who is really in charge despite all your best laid plans and intentions.

   Sometimes this ego check comes with the bitterly amusing squish of fecal matter, but other times it can be a harsher lesson. We lost all but three turkeys last year from several of these nature slaps. It's easy during those times to get angry at that damn fisher or your mom's overly excitable dog. But the harsh truth is that it's ultimately your fault. You didn't check the gate that last time despite your intuition tickling at you before bed. You didn't tighten that collar down just a notch even though you knew the dog wasn't used to farm creatures.

   Listen. Mistakes will be made. You're going to sunburn some seedlings. You're going to trust a little too much in apparently less than adequate predator defenses. Your incubator settings will not quite be up to muster. It is going to happen. The sooner you square yourself with that the more productive you will be able to be.
 
    This is not to say that you're not allowed to feel badly. or feel guilty. Actually I would encourage that reaction, but only for use as fuel. Understand first that you made a mistake, and secondly what that mistake was. Finally, understand that all mistakes have a correction. Sure, nothing will bring back the specific lives lost but the understanding of what occurred will protect you from the same mistakes in the future. A successful homesteader isn't one who doesn't make any mistakes. A successful homesteader is one who can step outside of the ego of their mistakes to learn from them.

    The cycles of nature march inexorably onward. The seasons wait for no man or woman. The best medicine a nature saturated lifestyle has for our species is the lesson of being. To learn to let go when things have not gone our way. To adapt our strategies and mindset to the current reality of what is and not to what we think it should be. Let go of that ego now and again. It won't run away, I promise! It will be right there where you left it, but letting it go will allow your soul and mind to breathe. Allow yourself to take that break. Just a little rest will have you feeling right as rain in no time.

This is not how I pictured my flock looking as we head into this summer, but my heart is grateful!

Cast of Characters

  As everything is still in the just now emerging stage as far as foraging and gardens go I thought I'd take a moment to introduce you to the current (but ever changing) flock!

Of course I've already introduced Arpee, Blucinda, and the three bronze babies. We have a good lead on some RARE heritage breed poults and will be ordering more soon!

I prefer turkeys to chickens as their health problems seem fewer and I really fell in love with their personalities. They are all very unique and individual with a really fascinating social structure.

These cuties are coturnix quail. They have been bred for centuries to be egg producing machines and some of my hens pop out multiple eggs per day. We kept four outside and four inside this winter and while we got eggs from our indoor ones our outdoor ones are larger and healthier. Coturnix quails are most often kept in very very close quarters but I have found mine prefer a bit more space and LOTS of hiding places. A few of them are very friendly and will visit with you when you are out there, but others prefer you just drop the food and leave. They are cute and make nice pets but their life expectancy is only around two years. I have not successfully incubated eggs yet despite them producing fertile eggs. I also have not yet had one try to go broody, but some of them seem to be trying to form clutches so I'm moderately hopeful? 

 Apollo and Artemis are my current breeding pair of red golden pheasants. I originally purchased these gorgeous creatures to use their molted feathers, but Artemis is currently brooding a clutch of eggs! This is something most ornamental pheasant keepers will tell you is not a possibility but I really believe it depends on the bird and conditions. These pheasants eat next to nothing and are super cold hardy. They will NOT free range though and need to be kept in covered runs. If you make sure they have lots of shade the males' colors will be brighter. These two are actually going to go live with a friend once Artemis raises her babies for a little while as we have upgraded out pheasantry!

These beaky babies are ring neck pheasants. We are also waiting on an order of melanistic pheasants which are a ring neck genetic mutation. The melanistics will make up for my loss of color variety in feathers (although the person taking my red goldens has promised me feathers so that's very nice!), but ring necks are also able to be utilized as meat birds. We plan to keep a breeding quartet though as these are also very very cold hardy, something which is vital to survival in our area. 

 An example of my feather art (find it at facebook.com/thehappyhippiehusky ). All of my birds are kept as safe and happy as I possibly can. We have grown quite a bit and learned so much since obtaining our first birds last year, but I look forward to a long and exciting journey with my birds. Our true goal for livestock on our homestead is quite a bit larger than fowl, but that is another post, and there will always be room for my feathery friends here!

Family Foraging

    Upon first meeting new people my mushroom hunting and other foraging adventures inevitably pop up in conversation and I've noticed an interesting contrast in reaction based on the gender of the person in question. Unless I am speaking to a fellow forager or other earthy sort 75% of males respond with "Mushrooms, huh? That's gotta be a trip! Harharhar..." whilst 75% of females tend to momentarily clutch their pearls in shock and gasp "But you don't let your children eat this stuff?!" I don't get irritated by this, I view it as an opportunity to hippify someone which always makes me smile.

  So please allow me to illuminate what foraging with small children is like. My two are currently six and three and accompany me on the vast majority of outings. We establish the rules of the outing every time. Do they follow the rules every time? No...not perfectly. But they try! As taxing as it can be I try very hard to leave room for excitement. I don't want to squish the enthusiasm for exploring and harvesting so I have these safety practices:

1. Eyes on little hands! Yes it means that for now I'm not going to be pulling in 10 or 15 pounds of morels because I can't keep my eyes on the forest floor 100% of the time, but I'd rather give my kiddos the freedom to explore. It's their job to learn, it's my job to be watchful and keep that learning safe.

2. Child transport devices. My six year old has matured beyond the need for such things but if the little one is having an unfocused day and is pushing the boundaries a little too far into the cart or carrier she goes! While she's in there I will hand her safe nature things to explore like edible flowers or interesting rocks or maybe a feather to look at. That way she still gets to join the fun but at a pace controlled by me.

3. I either stay on property or I bring a dog...sometimes both and we make lots of noise! Some day when my kids are older I'll be able to teach them how to walk quietly and catch glimpses of owls, deer, and foxes but right now I can think of very few things less pleasant than an unexpected encounter with a large predator and my children. Thankfully most predators want nothing to do with a pack of humans and their dogs so our noise level tends to clear wildlife away from our immediate area. I am still very vigilant though and like to stay in areas where there is a history of human activity and where I have a decent radius of visibility. I also tend to stay in cellphone range just in case.

4. There are some terrains we just don't do right now. I don't do a lot of wetland harvesting and this summer I think we might start learning about how to explore rivers safely. Water is probably my number one concern as far as terrain goes but we also steer clear of woods that are too thick with blackberries or snarly branches as picking their way through that can really zap their energy. Along with terrain comes being prepared to do multiple and frequent full body tick checks! My kids think I'm nuts because every time they scratch an itch I'm there in a split second making sure it's not a little blood sucker!

5. This is a special feature of foraging knowledge I have yet to employ in an emergency but make sure to keep locked in the brain box just in case. There are plants and fungi out there that will cause an immediate purge of the digestive system. If the child (or animal) has just popped something into their mouth and you can get to them within seconds of swallowing the finger gag thing works just fine to regurgitate it. But if your child only tells you later that they ate something and it's making them feel funny you're going to want to reach for either activated charcoal (which is a great addition to your bag) or if you're lucky your area will be prolific with a plant helper in this regard. Here our most common emetic is the speckled alder. It is so incredibly bitter that chewing on the bark will indeed make you toss all of your cookies! This will buy you time until you can get your child and a sample of the offending "treat" to medical professionals.

6. I am not shy about telling my kids why they aren't supposed to eat something. Rather than just saying "That's yucky" I will go into great detail about what exactly that plant or fungi can do to their system and in what amount of time. As long as it is delivered in a matter of fact tone it doesn't scare  them, if we're being honest it sort of intrigues my six year old. He usually wants to ask more questions about it which I find solidifies the identification and my warnings into his memory.

    Children were made to explore and investigate, they were born for adventures and learning! I believe in wild children. I believe the freedom to grow and interact with nature is the most precious gift I can possibly give my little ones. I love to watch them discover the world around them. This is how we raise the generation that will save us all. If we impart a love, respect, and understanding of the natural world to our children they will grow up already forming ideas and plans to protect our wild places. Taking the time to invest in the wilderness education of children means we are taking the time to invest in the future of our planet.

Blucinda's Babies

  If you recall from a previous post, our blue slate hen Blucinda hatched out two of her own poults last week, and they did not make it. Me being the emotional sort I was in tears at the thought of removing the remaining eggs. I couldn't stand the thought of watching her pace around calling for her lost babies. So an idea formed in my head. She had previously adopted some juvenile Muscovy ducklings. In fact she has a permanent limp from defending five of her teenage ducks from a predator. So I thought, maybe I could buy her some babies!
 
   I did some research and checked with my farm bird folk and sure enough! This is actually a fairly common practice even between species (such as a broody chicken taking care of turkey poults). So we decided to give it a shot. The feed store only had three bronze broad breasted poults left so we snatched them up. We will be getting more heritage poults to increase our breeding stock this summer, but we needed these babies quickly as eggs left sitting too long will rot...and explode.

   All of my research said to introduce them during the evening when everyone is getting sleepy. There was a good chance she would reject the poults or even that they would reject her. They were slightly chilly when I introduces them to their new mama so I think that helped! Not much makes a poult happier than a warm place to snuggle.

   As I carried the tiny pet crate out to Blucinda's hut the little ones began peeping their "we don't know what is happening and we are afraid" call. Readers...I wish you could have heard Blucinda answer them! She let out these heart wrenching, quavering, croaking calls. I am very anti-anthropomorphization of animal behavior but I have to say, if she were human she would have been weeping tears of joy. When introducing foster chicks and poults you are supposed to shove the babies directly under the hen but these little peepers were so excited to get out of the crate they all popped out at once! Within five minutes they were all snuggled safe and warm beneath my beautiful girl as she cooed them a turkey lullaby.

    We are now on day four and all three poults are eating, drinking, and thriving. We have since removed the unhatched eggs and some of them did contain poults that just didn't hatch. There were many possible reasons for this, the biggest being the wet conditions at one point in the hut before we fixed a previously undiscovered leak in the roof. However, as fertilization was apparently not the issue both Blucinda and Arpee have cemented their place on our homestead by producing offspring.

  We have learned so much this breeding season. We made quiet a few mistakes, but we also did some things right! But that's the whole point of this lifestyle: constant experimentation, research, and adventure!

 Bronze broad breasted poults. Great for meat production (I have named them Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter) not so great for breeding due to health concerns.

Blucinda lets me peek at the babies every once in a while.  

Then she says, "Nope! That's enough!" calls the babies under her protective wings, and glares at me until I leave haha!

Blossom Bliss

   When I walk out onto my back deck and the wind is in the right direction I can detect the wonderful, warm, sweet smell of wild plum blossoms. It is my very favorite springtime smell. This spring the mushroom season has been wierdly slow and patchy so I'm doing a lot of blossom harvesting! Some make their way into what is supposed to be jelly but is turning out as delicious syrup (I'll get it right eventually, but that's another post!), some will be dried and used for medicine or flavoring later in the year, and some become a cosmetic springtime indulgence for me! I love to extract the scent from the flowers and use it to rinse my hair. Depending on the flower the scent can last a few days!
   
      It's really really easy to do and is in fact the first step in the jelly making process as well.

First, find some delicious smelling blossoms. Wild plums tend to grow in huge patches so the risk of overharvesting is minimal, but do remember that the first spring pollinators utilize these to survive. 

Fill a glass jar thusly. Make sure you have a lid that fits tightly. There are violets in this one but those don't add much of a scent (this batch was for syrup/jelly). You can pack it as tightly as you wish, but I don't squish too many in as the scent you extract is really quite potent without overdoing it. 

Next (blogger fail! no picture...) pour boiling or nearly boiling water over your blossoms in their jar. Go ahead and fill the jar up. Put the lid on and give it a  good shake then let it steep overnight.

The next day, put some cheesecloth over your jar and strain out the liquid, and that's it! Use your blossom tea to refresh your face or infuse your hair with the delicious smells of spring.

There are many harvestable items out right now! This basket has violets, plum blossoms, dandelions, and fiddle heads in it. Go out and explore! Spring is a great time for getting to know what will be growing in your area this summer. 

Sometimes the Circle of Life is a Real Jerk

   Well...I said we'd be talking about death didn't I? Both poults that hatched out are deceased and it is unlikely we will get any more from Blucinda's clutch. I found one this afternoon soggy and stiff so it was most likely the victim of the turbulent weather last night. The other I found just a little bit ago still in the hut but this one was rather weak to begin with so it wasn't entirely unexpected.

   I don't like anything going to waste here so I borrow my death ritual from ancient Tibetan and Siberian tribes. I bring my deceased creatures far out into the field well away from the bird yard and lay them on the earth for scavengers to utilize. It is called a sky burial. The resting place for my first two tiny babies born here is under a patch of wild plum in full fragrant bloom. I think they would have liked that spot.

   Yes I get sentimental about untimely deaths. Yes I allow myself to mourn the moment, the swift judgement of nature, and the what could have beens. Yes these birds are bred to be utilized for meat for my family and so their lives are finite, just as any wild turkey will most likely wind up as someone's meal. But I believe when we can no longer allow ourselves to shed a tear for little lives ended too soon we stop taking responsibility for our potential part in it and so miss out on opportunities for growth.

  I'm already planning for next year's hatching season. Step one will be better nesting areas. I'm toying with the idea of hauling in natural brush or maybe even planting a low bush or two. We have our eye on a trio of Narragansett turkeys which are my very favorite so hopefully that will increase our hen population. For meat this year I think we will purchase some broad breasted poults.

   I will also be upgrading the incubator as the only hope we currently have for successful chicks of any kind are the red golden pheasants under their mama Artemis. I still believe bird butts are the best incubators and make for strong bird babies but as we can see from this spring it's always good to cover your bases.

  But that is in the future. Tonight we are sad and will allow ourselves to be sad. Tomorrow will dawn and I will have tales of morels (fingers crossed!) and plum blossom magic for you. Rest well, little ones. There are many hungry mouths to feed during spring in the forest, your physical shells will not go to waste.

Get Out of the Way

   Yesterday was an Ultimate Tomato day!! Our first baby bred and born here appeared. Yes, that's right folks! Arpee has produced offspring! Blucinda has not left the nest for even a minute yet so I think more will be making their way out of their eggs today. Meanwhile the incubator eggs are not looking very hopeful though I still have a few days to make that final call. 

  This brings me to something we discover anew as each season unfolds. Humans unnecessarily complicate natural processes so often. We throw this that and the other fertilizer on plants in neat little rows to accomplish what scatter planting and mycorhizal fungi can achieve. We second guess the natural instincts of our animals and become helicopter moms to our chickens (side note...we don't have chickens, people keep asking me about my chickens?). We apply human logic and emotion to animal interactions and behaviors. 

   We lost our other blue slate hen this spring to predators and it was 100% my fault. She laid a sizeable clutch under a tree just outside of our yard. "Well that's not safe!" I thought with my human brain and removed the clutch and put a decoy "egg" where I thought would be a safe place in the turkey pen. Blucinda decided to take over that spot but Blusephine was having none of it. She wandered farther into the field and selected a tree about 100 yards away from the turkey yard. Well obviously that wasn't safe either so this time I took her four eggs and put them into the nesting area I had chosen. She apparently was tired of this game and took off into the woods to find a place I wouldn't mess with and...well...that was that. 

   Now during all this moving around and finding of eggs Arpee the tom was ALWAYS with Blusephine. With my human brain I equated his constant presence with concern, that he was accompanying her so he could keep track of his flock. After her final disappearance Arpee started going into the hut where Blucinda was brooding. I started noticing more slate gray feathers than there should have been and even a couple of crushed eggs! So I looked up whether or not toms should be kept with brooding hens. 

Big.

Fat.

Nope!

   Turkey toms will continue to try and mate with the females on the nest often crushing the eggs and sometimes even killing the hen herself. This explained Blusephine's wandering behavior. I was actually putting her nest in immediate danger rather than possible eventual danger and she was trying to tell me. 

   So we built Arpee a bachelor pad and I sat down outside of Blucinda's hut and promised her I wasn't going to mess with her. Eventually she rolled a few dud eggs out and I cleaned those up for her but that was it. Even on snowy sleety icy days I trusted her and her instincts, and look how well she did! With no other female turkey to show her how to do it and actually she herself was hatched in an incubator somehow she still accomplished this staggering feat of stamina. 

    Currently we also have a red golden pheasant named Artemis sitting on a clutch of eggs. Both breeders I got my red goldens from said there was no way a hen would ever sit her eggs. It has now been over a week and I have not seen her leave her post even once. She is not a cuddly bird and she startles up when anyone gets too close, but for the sake of those eggs she will huddle in and stare me down now if I approach the nest. She's not leaving that spot! So I will trust her as well and patiently wait to see if she keeps at it. 

  The coturnix quails are another bird that I have been cautioned over and over that they will not brood eggs but I'm beginning to doubt that. Yes, the majority of the eggs are just popped out and sit where they drop but Liam (my awesome bird loving six year old) has now discovered three or four eggs grouped together three times. They get nestled into a little cup shaped depression in the straw and have a few pieces of straw covering them up. This seems like nesting behavior to me so the next time I see it I'm going to leave them alone and see what happens! 

   I'm going to get out of the way. I'm going to apply this to so many other areas in my life. How many opportunities have I worried away? How many discoveries have I limited with my intrusions? Most importantly, when has my meddling interrupted the growth or exploration of another being (be it human or not)? 

   The message in the cautionary tale of Blusephine the turkey is this: when our best efforts are just not panning out, when something just doesn't seem to be clicking I believe this is a message for us. A message that reads simply "get out of the way." 

  

Foraging Fiddles

     Spring has sprung and with its arrival comes my first real meal making harvest: fiddle heads. Please remember to always do your own research BEFORE consuming any wild edible, blogs like this can give you clues on what to look for but ultimately your safety is in your own hands.

      Ok sorry for the doom and gloom but I don't want anyone croaking unless you're a spring frog! So, fiddle heads! Fiddle head is not an actual identification but rather a stage of growth in the life cycle of ferns. What is really meant when speaking about edible fiddle heads is the spring growth of the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris). There are many things out there right now that look like the scroll of a fiddle but they are not the fiddle heads being referred to here and many of them are toxic and even carcinogenic. Ostrich fern fiddle heads also need special preparation before utilizing them so as not to cause food poisoning.

    If you're still here and haven't noped away from the idea of harvesting fiddle heads you are in for a real treat! While the ID and preparation of fiddle heads sounds scary it really is very simple! My six year old can rattle off the identifying features and the features of other ferns that indicate they are not what we are looking for.

 This is not an ostrich fern, note the fluffy white hairs.

 Neither is this but it was about six inches away from ostrich ferns! 

 Ahhh here we go! See the copper colored foil? That's an important identifying feature. Also note the smooth jade green stems. They really are quite pretty! During the early spring preforaging season you can note the location of the old fern clusters so you know where to check later.

 This is ostrich fern as well... it just got a little wierd! You'll find fiddle heads in moist but not wet places. They also enjoy shady places and slightly acidic soil.

 The "celery groove" is another very important identifying feature. Uncoil your fiddle head a bit and look for a smooth u shaped stem. 

 The perfect age to harvest the fiddle heads. It's still fairly tightly coiled but has started to shed its foil.

This cluster is too mature to harvest. Please note however that not all the fronds mature at the same pace, there may still be a few immature fiddle heads hiding in a more mature cluster. If you leave two or three fronds alone to grow the plant will be just fine for the season and will grow back next year!

   Once you have collected your emerald treasures bring them home and wash them in cold water, some people pick the foil off but I've found it comes off by itself during the wash and precooking process. You can store your fiddle heads wrapped up in the fridge for a few days but they will start to lose their firmness so they are best enjoyed shortly after harvest. Bring a pot of water to a boil and dump in your washed fiddle heads. Sources vary on how long to boil them, anywhere from 7 to 15 minutes. I usually do around ten. DISCARD THE BOILING WATER. It has all the potentially harmful chemicals in it. But now your fiddle heads are ready to be used in stir fries, soups, or just sauteed with a little salt and butter! 

     The taste ranges from a sweet asparagus or pea flavor to more of an artichoke flavor. They are especially good when cooked with the other spring time favorite, morels! Or maybe some ramps...or cattail shoots... or...excuse me, I need to get back out to the woods and find more tastey treats!!! 

F.O.R.A.G.E.

            Foraging season in the north woods is upon us! (Although it should be noted that winter foraging has its own unique appeal) I thought it would be a good time to go over just some of my personal foraging safety tips!

F- Fact check. Don't assume the first ID you recieve is the right one. I ID new plants/fungi with at least three trusted sources before utilizing.

O- Organize your pack before and after every trip. Clean out containers, make sure flashlights have batteries, make sure your first aid and survival gear is all up to snuff.

R- Respect the land you are on. Who's land are you walking? Any chance of spraying or runoff? Do you have permission to be there? What's the terrain like? What's going on with the weather? How's the wildlife situation?

A- Awareness: remain aware of your surroundings. Know where you've been and where you are going. Keep an eye and ear out for wildlife (bears are awake and hungry up here).

G- Gear. According to all the wild woman memes I've seen we should either be running barefoot through the forest in a buckskin loincloth and fur trimmed bra or wafting about the trees in diaphanous flowing gowns. Those are great for photo shoots but quite impractical for actual work in the wild. Pull those long socks up over your pant legs (tick protection), wear the ankle supporting boots, dress in layers so you can be prepared for whatever fickle weather spring has in store for you.

E- Energy. Remain aware of your energy level. If you are already exhausted and haven't turned around yet that can spell a really bad time. Make sure you have a good fast energy snack and water with you whether you think you will need it or not. If you are hiking in a group (another excellent safety practice) don't be afraid to communicate when you need a break or feel done for the day.

            Foraging can be such a fun way to get the whole family out into nature and exercising! Photo foraging can also be extremely rewarding and educational as well if you are not currently interested in utilizing any of your finds. The more people we have respectfully and mindfully interacting with their eco systems the better chance we have at protecting the natural wonders around us.

 New mullein is all over! This fuzzy plant is a life saver for nasty chest colds. Nature's Mucinex!

 Certainly my most important harvest: chaga the medicinal powerhouse! The sustainable harvest and use of this fungus is of utmost importance. If you choose to purchase chaga please do so from a reputable source. 

 Gyromitra esculenta, or brain fungus! Sometimes called the false morel but it doesn't really have anything to do with morels. Apparently some people eat this...but others feel the nasty side effects of a chemical akin to jet fuel. We do not chance it and just take photos of this interesting character.

 Ostrich fern fiddle heads just before maturing to harvest. These ones are too small and too tight together to collect now, the best time is when they still have their foil but are just starting to uncoil. Not all fern species are edible so please do your research!

 She's practicing her morel face!! We always harvest mushrooms in loose weave baskets. That way we help them spread their spores throughout the forest. 

This is an example of me needing to do more research. I'm pretty sure we stumbled upon a patch of wild cucumber but I have never seen them before! We will have to watch this spot this season.

Oh Arpee...

         Our little start up farm plays host to an interesting cast of characters from rescued huskies to tiny adorable coturnix quails. The star of the homestead however is most certainly this handsome fellow:

       Arpee (R.P.) was the only surviving tom of our inaugural turkey keeping year. He is a royal palm turkey and our surviving hen Blucinda is a blue slate. She is currently on a large clutch of eggs due any minute now. We keep heritage breed turkeys as they have a longer lifespan, a longer breeding life, and are less prone to the health problems suffered by the commercialized white and bronze breeds. Plus...come on look at him! He's so handsome! He's so special! He's....THE MOST ANNOYING BIRD ON THE PLANET!!

       My adult turkeys are able to enter and exit their pen at will and exit he does. Every morning at 5:30 AM he silently makes his way across the yard, past all the other windows and somehow makes his way to our bedroom window. Does he know we are in there sleeping? Can he somehow sense the quiet peace of our dreamscapes? I believe he can because all of the sudden we are awakened to GOBBLEGOBBLEGOBBLEGOBBLEGOOOOOBBBBBLLLEEEE!!!!! Then for the next few hours  he patrols the house watching for me in the windows. Lying in wait….lurking… only to let spring forth his strident call with ruthless dedication to his peace shattering purpose!

            I keep calling him dinner or threatening him with butter and sage but if I’m being very honest I kind of love this most irritating member of our family. After all, he saw himself and two hens through a winter with rather extreme temperatures and conditions (unfortunately Blusephine became the snack of some wild creature this spring). He faithfully stands guard over the quails and pheasants and it’s impossible to sneak up on our house under his watchful eye. Strangely he is also excellent rodent control and I’ve found more than a few deceased mice in his pen. As I type this he is currently directly outside of the living room window and although I can’t see him I know all is well with the creatures of my budding farm because the tone of his call remains steady and conversational rather than shrieky and alarming.

            Sometimes in life the things that get under our skin also work their way into our hearts. So here’s to those messy kiddos destroying your living room. Here’s to Great Aunt Ethel spamming your inbox with prayer chains. Here’s to that cashier that takes just a little longer because he’s busy chatting with you about the weather. Here’s to you Arpee, long may you irritate us. 

 Many people are (understandably) wary of tom turkeys, and they can often be fiercely protective of thier territories. Arpee however, will not say no to the occasional cuddle!

Arpee enjoying a walk with his littlest keeper. He is actually helpful with the kids as he tattles on them when they are not where they are supposed to be! 

Finding Tomatoes

       Right after I finally once and for all had made my mind up about throwing my hat into the ever expanding blog writing ring I immediately hit a sizeable bump. There are so many homesteading and wildcrafting blogs out there, so many gardeners and foragers with this amazing treasure trove of knowledge to share. So what could hold not only my future readers’ attention, but also my own? What special words do I have to share? What is unique about my experience?

            The answer to that last question is not one that I expected. In short, the answer is nothing. There is no hardship or obstacle I have faced that has not been taken on by others who choose this path. Although my climate or skills or budget may be different from yours essentially the quest toward a fully functional sustainable homestead always boils down to these words that came to me in one of those all too frequent moments of frustration. “Homesteading is mostly death and feces but sometimes there’s a tomato.”

            Nature has a way of swiftly dealing with unlearned lessons and flaws in plans. As a matter of fact nature has quite a casual disregard of the best laid plans of humans. If something can go wrong on a homestead it eventually will and we don’t just get points off of our GPA. Our learning process is quite literally life and death which makes our failures devastating, but our successes? Our succcesses are awe inspiring! From the first soft peeps of a hatching chick to the sweet juicy crunch of a ripe homegrown apple, staggering beauty surrounds and supports us through the rough patches.

            And so my concept was conceived. This is not a place where the difficulties of this lifestyle will be shied away from. Make no mistake! There will be death, there will be feces, but along the way it is my fervent hope, dear reader that you will discover that the tomatoes of life come in many shapes and forms and if you look you will often find them growing in the most unexpected places.  It is not my intention to show you what to do or how to do it becase to be quite frank I mostly fly by the seat of my pants. Rather, I would prefer to provide you with ideas, inspiration, hope, and understanding. 

      Welcome, dear reader to my journey. 

(Volunteer Tomatoes in an herb bed last summer. )