Tomalien

Time to fertilise perennials and plant fall crops.

Ready to make apple juice and a new sourdough starter.

Talking about staple foods that I keep in stock and why.

Little bit of a rant about weathering the storm that we’re in.

Waiting with the hay trailer while my husband makes some square bales.

The summer harvest is going strong and so is preservation. Roasting tomatillos and garlic for salsa and starting fall crop plants.

Roasting chiles, canning chicken and stock and freezing blackberries. X

Showing HOW I’m preparing and preserving.

Roasting the first green chiles from this year’s crop.

Telling about preparedness and frugality in what we’re doing.

Updating progress in the main gardens.

When greed and conquest of everything becomes so pervasive that it forces even the most peaceful to grab for more, Event Horizon has been reached.

New additions and updates in the gardens.

Feeling grateful after another night of violent storms.

Introducing a few of the cows, a calf, and a big Hi from Peanut the horse.

Sharing some recent losses and the blessings that make it all matter.

Starting a garden and fruit trees with material source suggestions and tools and sources I’ve had success with.

Discussing staple supplies, market, retail and real costs of buying and what and how much we get per year.

Updating on progress and a few losses in the gardens.

Lots of progress in the garden with a curveball.

Telling on myself for blunders and showing off some progress.

Loss of a beloved horse due to little known or discussed hazards of extreme cold.

Making sure our livestock and pets are faring well and paying extra attention to potential hazards that they can encounter. Our little dog is fine. I had to carry him in and check his paws for frostbite.

Now is the time to get serious about what, how and why your gardening plans are.

Homemade and natural. 3 lbs ground pork, 1 tbsp dark brown sugar, 2 tsp rubbed sage, 3 tsp course salt, 2 tsp course black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic granules, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp maple sugar OR maple syrup, pinch ground cloves. Mix all together well. Form into patties and freeze on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 2 hours. Transfer frozen patties to a freezer bag and store in the freezer till needed. Can be cooked from frozen.