My work commitments start to taper off as summer approaches, and the days stretch seemingly forever after I’ve gotten home from work. I often start the evening with the intention of completing a specific task, only to get distracted by…
Weeks 46 & 47 at Farm 96: Little Projects Everywhere
If we’re being honest, I’m treading water. My heart is on the homestead, but my body still needs to be at work for another month. I chip away at various tasks with every spare moment, well aware that soon I’ll…
Weeks 43 & 44 at Farm 96: Orchard Expansion
Spring break often feels like a ‘preview’ of summer. Last year, around this time, I was buzzing with excitement and nerves – I was under contract on my dream homestead, I had a decent plan for moving, and there was…
Weeks 41 & 42 at Farm 96: Cosmetic Eyesores
Here in Connecticut, we are on the cusp of the full spring bloom – much needed after such a dreary winter. As spring approaches its peak and a winter of planning comes to fruition, I feel like real progress is…
My Impulsive Journey into Maple Sugaring
For most of my life, my dream homestead included a maple forest so that I could produce my own maple syrup – it’s the quintessential New England dream, driven by fond childhood memories of frequent trips to Vermont. I didn’t…
Week 40 at Farm 96: Potato Towers & Starting Seeds
As frustrating as it is to have so little time for homesteading during the week, it does shed light on how lucky I am for most of the rest of the year. A typical homesteader with a full time job…
Week 39 at Farm 96: New Cold Frame
I am not behind on writing, but I am behind on posting – oops. Week 39 was March 16 through March 22nd. Here’s what I got done: Food Production I installed the new cold frame that I had constructed over…
Weeks 37 & 38 at Farm 96: Boiling Maple Sap!
As I enter the busiest season for my job and other responsibilities, I find myself having to cram as much as possible into one or two days each week. I enjoy all of the roles that I take on outside…
Week 36 at Farm 96: Blizzards & Books
This has been by far the most snow-packed winter that I can remember. There might have been years that technically rivaled this one – 2011 and 2013 come to mind – but the impacts of the snow really amplify when…
Week 35 at Farm 96: Blizzard Prep
It’s rare that I get a whole day to spend on homesteading tasks, so I was looking forward to tackling a few things on Saturday. With the last-minute shift in the weather forecast came a shift in the to-do list…
Week 34 at Farm 96: Tapping Maple Trees
As a reminder, I organize my week’s accomplishments according to my ultimate goals for this homestead property. Here’s what I got done this week: Food Production The garden dreams are at their peak while the actual productivity is nonexistent. The seedlings that…
Weeks 32 & 33 at Farm 96: Ordering Chicks & New Kitchen Table
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…