Finding Joy In the Journey

I was tending my vegetable sprouts yesterday and found 3 seeds that had taken root in virtually nothing. They must have been tossed out when I was transferring soil so they didn't get any water, heat, or light for weeks. Yet, there they were. Growing.

It made me pause and appreciate my blogging and homesteading journey. Writing a blog has been full of personal growth. I've had as many views as 375 on a single post, down to an all time low of 16 last Wednesday. Last week I focused on the importance of keeping homesteading simple and in my opinion it is the most critical component of success with this lifestyle. Dave and I communicate very well but there was something about me putting it into print that struck a cord with even him. We had been discussing our "need" for a bigger tractor the last few weeks and after my KISS post he commented that he could make due with what we already have for a while.

Writing about homesteading has helped us in ways we didn't know it would! By muffling some of the noise, we've been able to tackle a few easy things this last week that have really packed a 👊🏼 on the farm. Here's what we've been doing!

It's Alive!

Fermenting chicken feed is a hot topic in the poultry community. It has a ton of benefits to both the chickens and the farmer so I thought we should give it a try. I took a 5 gallon bucket, added our locally sourced meat bird crumble to it, covered it in non-chlorinated water (we have a well but this is important for people with city water. Chlorine kills the good bacteria you're trying to grow!), stuck my big paw in there and gave it a good stir. I'm Italian...I use my hands to mix but you could use a tool if that isn't your thing 😉

Then, I let it sit for 3 days. I would check on it, give it a stir daily, and add water if needed. By day 3 it was bubbling and smelled of yeast so I knew it was ready! This was a fun science experiment and in truth very similar in concept to sourdough!

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/0430e8_f7dbe0b295c14c9686cd6386c6e1f06b/360p/mp4/file.mp4

When it was time to feed, I used a scolapasta (wire mesh strainer) to drain some excess liquid off and plopped it in the food dish. The chickens LOVE it, consume WAY less feed, and it has a lot of added nutrients. The downside is you can't leave uneaten feed for longer than 24 hours so it requires daily feeding. The birds we are currently feeding are on twice daily checks so this isn't any more work than before but it would increase our egg laying flock work dramatically. We will probably move that direction with them after processing our meat chickens in a couple months.

Wind power!

I had an intruder in my raised garden this week and the little rascal ate the tops of my tomato plants 😭 I started with 10 and was down to 3! I went to the store and was going to buy a mole trap and rodent repellent but as I was standing there completely overwhelmed by the options I decided to walk away. It wasn't meeting my KISS goal and I decided to just stop. I did a quick internet search to see what natural options there were and someone suggested creating movement in the garden. So smart! I went to Dollar Tree, purchased 3 reflective garden spinners for a total of $3.75, and put them in.

Guess what? It worked. Zero tomato losses since and some added visual interest to the garden. Simple but effective.

Take a crack at it!

Remember my egg shell hack for seed starting? A couple of things I learned this year. Does it work? Absolutely (I've been doing it for years)! What would I do differently? Make sure the egg shells are deep. I was a little lack luster when choosing my shells and although shallow ones work fine, deeper shells allow for stronger root development and hold moisture better. The biggest drawback to the egg shell method is how quickly they dry out. I don't mind "playing with my babies" so this doesn't bother me but if you're short on time and aren't paying attention, they'll dry out quickly on you. When I transplant the sprouts, I always make sure to slightly break the shells before placing them in the hole. I've found it allows the roots an easier path to reach the garden soil and grow quicker.

The slim down

I can't be the only one that gets anxiety when it's time to thin out seedlings. This year I experimented with something new. Instead of snipping off one plant so the dominant one could grow, I plucked the smaller of the two early after a fresh watering. Using a spoon, I gently scooped out the second sprout and placed it into a separate egg shell. It worked amazing and I didn't feel like I was wasting perfectly good sprouts! It's more time consuming but I do this on a small scale so it works for me and it helped reduce waste. Totally worth a few extra minutes.

Testing, testing...one. two.

Remember that low effort flower bed we trialed at the bottom of our pasture? It's sprouting 🌱

The reclaimed zinnia and sunflower seeds both took. No fertilizer. Didn't kill the grass before tilling. Randomly threw handfuls and half heartedly covered them with a rake. Still, they're growing. We will face some challenges with deer and bunnies but we needed plants to grow first and they did. Proof of concept for ZERO dollars and I'm pretty excited about what I can do with it next year!

Sew fun!

My parents got Chelsea a sewing machine for Christmas and I finally worked up enough patience to tackle a project with her on it. I'm no seamstress and the last time I used a sewing machine I was her age 😳 With that said, it was like riding a bike...on a bumpy trail 😂 I joked that my mom was having a good chuckle from heaven watching me teach myself to sew again. Chelsea did most of the work and I helped guide her along the way. Handing over control is not my strength but it's important for our kids growth to let them do things for themselves so I have been making a conscious effort to harness my inner Elsa and let it go.

It took us about 2 hours but we did it! She was so proud of her creation and learned an important skill along the way. I'm thankful I was taught how to do this many years ago so I could pass it on to my kids.

There's more (always 😜) but it can wait until next week. If you didn't get a chance to read KISS Therapy last week, take a quick peek (if you did read it, a share could help someone you know and me). It's not Earth shattering but it is a foundational truth for homesteading. Has something been on your mind to try? Do it! Plant some zinnias, throw a handful of sunflower seeds, get that sourdough starter you've been wanting, plant a tomato! Whatever it is, give it a whirl. Start small. Start simple. Just start.

See yinz next week!