100 foot diet challenge update

We are busy planning our garden and we have decided we will build raised garden beds. This will allow us to start with the best soil we can get and we wont have to worry about as many weeds, I have been reading Jerry Bakers book "Old Time Gardening Wisdom" and we have been searching through seed catalogs to find Organic and Heirloom seeds to plant. We will be getting started on our garden as soon as the weather breaks and the ice and snow melt away!

In the mean time;

We raise meat rabbits, which will also provide us with excellent compost for our garden from their manure!
We raise Rhode Island Reds and Silver Laced Wyandottes for fresh eggs daily, we get enough eggs every day to feed us and sell the rest to help off set the cost of the chicken feed!

This is an old picture of our eggs

We also raise Royal Palm Turkeys for meat and have just learned that there is a market for their eggs, we can sell the fertile Turkey eggs for $2.00 each to anyone locally who is interested in incubating and hatching their own Turkeys, We also had someone approach us about buying one of our Toms for $40.00!

That will also help offset the coast of raising them!

We have plans of purchasing an incubator and hatching our own Turkey's and Chicken's to keep our meat supplies strong.

We are still eating the canned peaches, tomatoes, apple sauce and apple butter that I put up last fall!

We have only 4 more weeks until it is spring and we are wanting to grow these vegatables in our garden;

Tomatoes, Peppers, Corn, Lettuce, Peas, Onions,Green beans,Carrots, Potatoes,Zucchini and yellow squash.

We are also considering planting some fruit trees, Blackberries and strawberries.

I am so anxious to get started!

What are your plans?

100 foot Diet Challenge

Path to Freedom is one of my favorite websites and they have a wonderful challenge going on right now!

The 100 foot Diet Challenge;

It wasn’t that long ago (1940s) that people planted Victory Gardens when it became necessary for them, due to wartime shortages, to grow their own food. Now, it’s our turn
If you want to fight against peak oil, climate change and our consumerist culture, then join us and start a living protest right in your own back (front) yards. Be the change, live the solution! Use your yard (or balcony or porch steps) not only to grow food but also to cultivate a healthier and more fulfilling life. (excerpt from Path to Freedom)

We are going to take this challenge as another step in our Journey to a more simple life, I hope you will join in too!

Visit Path to Freedom to find out more!

Once Spring arrives and we can get our gerden going I will post about the meals we eat that come right from our own land, I am anxious to get started!

Happy Late Valentines Day

I had to work on Valentines Day so I am a little late in wishing everyone a good day but I hope that the romance of this day is still lingering into your weekend!

Alan came into work on Valentines day and brought me a pretty pink laced, heart shaped box of chocolate, a sweet pink teddy bear, a pink rose and a beautifully sentimental card! he had little notes all tucked around saying how much he loved me!

I thought that was so sweet and the residents at the Assisted Living where I work enjoyed it almost as much as I did, they were still talking about it yesterday!

I loved all the little attention to detail that he so thoughtfully put together, I am blessed to have such a wonderful Man in my life!

The Future of Food - Introduction

I recommend this movie to anyone who is concerned about the food we eat.... the food we feed our children.
This is just an introduction, the film goes into detailed information about BIG Businesses like Mansanto and Round up obtaining patents on our food and genetically modifying the seeds we plant, the film talks about how these companies bully our farmers and invade our government to control the food we consume not only here in the United States but, Worlwide.
The film talks about how Japan has avoided growing GMO foods and is watching how these foods impact the children of the US,before they make their decision about growing them. In other words we are their voluntary lab rats!
If we dont wake up soon as a nation, we are risking our future of wholsome foods that are chemical free, please watch this introduction and if you have a netflix movie membership you can watch the full version, you owe it to yourselves to be better informed,We owe to our Children and the generations after them!

Sledding

It has been snowing all day, Alan, Robin and Ryan were out enjoying it all afternoon!

Ryan with his rosy cheeks!

Even the dogs were having fun!

Ryan sledding down the hill!

Robins turn!

Ryan played awhile on his swing set!

Hunter and Bandit were all over the place!

They all had a wonderful time, the snow is supposed to turn to freezing rain tonight and then to all rain by tomorrow morning...it was a good thing they were able to enjoy it today!

Now its time to make hot chocolate for the frozen family!

Earth Hour 2008

I found out about earth hour from Patty at Morning Ramble, Please watch this video and pledge to turn off our lights for one hour on March 29.
go to earthhour.org to make your pledge and spread the word to everyone you know... Lets make a difference, lets all fight Global warming and give our children a brighter future!

February Frost

A Beautiful, Peaceful Sunday Morning

We woke up this morning with a beautiful frost and low fog.

it was so peaceful walking around the homestead taking these pictures, the only sounds that were heard was Charlie crowing and the Turkeys gobbling, I enjoy these country moments and would not change them for anything!