To write these updates (mostly for my own records, although I do hope that some aspiring homesteader out there is reading and enjoying these), I keep a list of tasks that I get done on each day – and of course, I’m always taking pictures and video of the things I see and do. The key to writing, though, is that I actually need to sit down and write. That can be hard when a full day of work is followed by as many hours of backbreaking labor as I can fit in before nightfall. I often fall asleep on the couch, my laptop next to me from earlier in the evening when the intentions of writing still felt like they might outweigh the heaviness of my eyelids.
Needless to say, I am a bit behind. This post brings me up to February 8th. I am pleased that winter seems to be letting up, although I am concerned that acknowledging that might jinx it.
Food Production
Gardening season is around the corner, but it’s a little too early to start any seeds and my cold frame is still buried under the snow. It is, however, never too early to start sweet potato slips, which take an inordinately long time to develop. I had previously started slips in soil, but they have yet to show signs of life. They might still come around, but I wanted to hedge my bets, so I decided to start additional slips in water.
I went to a local health foods store and purchased one of each organic sweet potato they had – two purple varieties, a white, and a classic yam. I suspended them in jars of water with the root side (generally the pointy end) down. It will take several weeks before slips begin to sprout, but the roots are already beginning to develop.
The plan for these sweet potatoes is to grow them in large soil bags, started inside before the first frost. I’ve grown sweet potatoes in the past, but typically my harvest yields small roots due to the brevity of our growing season. By stealing a few extra weeks indoors, I’m hoping to increase the size of the resulting potatoes.
Aesthetic Utility
Since moving here in June, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect kitchen table. I had a clear vision: I wanted TABLE. You know – wood, rectangle, four legs. I wanted classic, timeless, durable – something casual enough for daily use, that could be dressed up for more formal occasions. This proved very difficult to find. Even solid wood tables had a strange appearance due to veneers and stains.
In mid-November, I placed an order with a local company for a custom-built table to match my vision. Natural cherry with two leaves, four Windsor chairs, and a bench. It took this long, but it was finally delivered – and it’s PERFECT! I can’t wait to start collecting (and perhaps making??) linens. 🙂
In other exciting news, I ordered chicks!! I recently shared how I had purchased a chicken coop, which gave me license to place a chick order. I ordered Speckled Sussex, Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington, and Blue Laced Red Wyandotte. They will be delivered in early June.
While I ordered eight chicks for my farm, I will be receiving a double order (16 total, four of each breed) because my adopted mom is getting in on the order as well – she is down to just three chickens that scarcely lay eggs. We will raise them together, starting in a brooding box in my extra bedroom and then moving to a chicken tractor at my family’s farm for acclimation. Once they’re finally independent, we will split them up. (That sounds sad! But I’m sure they’ll be fine.)
So yes, you read that right – there will be 16 chicks in my extra bedroom starting in early June. The next task will be to figure out how to best set up the brooding box.
Energy Independence
I am almost out of firewood. I am too stubborn to purchase firewood. I’ve been digging half-rotten rounds from long dead trees out of the snowy woods in an attempt to buy myself a little more time. Now that we’ve made it through the worst of the cold snap, the mini splits should be sufficient to keep my house at a manageable temperature, but I just love the ambiance and comfort of a fire in the wood stove.
This will be the last winter I ever find myself in this position. It’s actually amazing that I’ve made it this far, given that I just moved here in late June and did very little firewood preparation over the summer.
Moving Forward
The days are getting longer and the snow is starting to melt. I can’t wait to officially measure out my future garden and use flags to mark it out. Then, I’ll put down cardboard and start hauling in composted manure. I’m sure I’ll be writing about that process in just a few weeks!
Stay warm,
KC