Good Reads...

See the legislation Crongressman Kucinich from Ohio has introduced HERE

Safe guard the meaning of ORGANIC Read and Sign the petition HERE

Read "Barren Spring" by Bonnie Azab Powell HERE Author~Claire Hope Cummings dishes the dirt on genetically modified food

Harvet Day!!!!

The garlic is ready!!!! This is longest wait of the year. Garlic is planted in mid November. Harvest is usually in July!

I guess I should have put something along side these two beautiful specimins. They are about the size of a closed fist.
MMMMMMMMM more garlic!
Garlic drying!

Well, if you haven't guessed, I love garlic. Until you try organically grown garlic from your own dirt.... you have no idea! No vampire is gonna get me!!!!

Stop on by.... the Hummer Diner!

Wow! What a weekend! We had a huge sale at work and I pulled a 13 hour day yesterday! My poor feet are killing me! (I am commissioned sales person, selling furniture on a 10,000 square foot sales floor, yes, 10,000!) I do alot of walking everyday, but alot more yesterday! I missed my chicks. My strawberries are turning to mush. And Sugar thinks I am a stranger! But all that aside..... The chicks still love me! I would like you to meet Hilda (back center) and Stew (forward). They are 2 of my NH reds. Stew (short for chicken stew) is our only rooster of our 9 chicks--he hasn't figured out if living with 8 hens is good or bad. Hilda is my DIVA! She is soooo funny. When I go out to see them, Hilda will run up the ramp and down the perch and fly off the end. Of course, she is rewarded with much laughter and clapping, so she does it again. I really do enjoy the chickens. I can't believe they are only 2 months old!

The whole gang! The other NH red is Myrtle. We have a buff orpington named Curious George, she loves to freeze and stare at you, like she is trying to figure you out. The other 5 don't have names yet. The barred rocks are hard to tell apart. I haven't identified and distinct personality traits yet. But I am sure, before the summer is out they will all have names!
The Sunflowers
Corn, bush beans, tomatoes, gourds, spinach, broccoli, basil, asparagus all growing great! Aquaponics.... the basil is going gangbusters in this environment!
Strawberries coming on strong still! More jam on the way!

I hope everyone is doing well!

Blessings to all!

I Love Strawberries!

I love strawberries.

BUT

One can only eat sooooo many strawberries at a time!

I gave away strawberries.

I fed the chicks strawberries.

I threw away strawberries.

SO

I decided to make JAM!

Fresh Berries

Pectin, SureJell, or what I used,

Ball Freezer Jam Pectin!

Smash up the berries, mix up a packet of the fruit jell and 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Add the sugar mix to 4 cups of smashed berries and Voila! JAM! Pour the jam into 5-8 oz jars and freeze for up to a year!
Strawberries all year long!

Sunday Morning in Four Oaks

Today was a day for mowing the law.

My poor sweetie.... he would really love a riding mower!

A straight on view of the garden.

The garlic is really looking fantastic this year.

Back half of the garden.

The yuckra did not germinate. (maybe I cursed it)

But the sweetie is gonna try again.

My faery forest!

It greats vistors when the come in the drive.

I think the dusty millers have turned into trees!

The basil in the aquaponics is doing well.

There is also a couple of brocoli and some spinich.

The tomato is kinda iffy.

The ferns are doing great. The weather has been perfect for them.

We have netted chains, ladies, cinnamons, christmas, red stem, and a few more.

They make a great shade ground cover!

If you are interested, we sell on ebay. homestead*creations.

The sunflowers are really growing.

I can't wait for the flowers to bloom!

The birds will love them too!

The chickens still fasinate me! They are so hillarious. It is better than tv! The 3 NH reds have names. The rooster is "Stew"! The darker hen is "Hilda". She is the show off and star of the coop. When she sees us coming, she runs up the steps, down the perch and flies off the end. The lighter red is so prim and proper, I named her "Myrtle" after my grandmother. The others will probably be named as their personalities show. But I do love my chicks!
And no post would be complete without mention of my constant companion, protector of chickens, Sugar. She is, as I post, laying on her favorite green cushion next to me!

To all my blog friends, I hope you had a fulfilling and restful weekend! Mine starts tomorrow!

Take care! Happy blogging! Reuse, Reduce, Recycle!

Garden Update Four Oaks, North Carolina

Spring is truely here!

The plants are growing like weeds!

Basil in the aquaponics beds.

Garlic and collards
Cabernet grapes

(we lost one this winter)

Sunflowers in front of the porch
Bush beans

The first planting of corn is showing. The gourds are looking fantastic. We have sooooo many strawberries that it is difficult to try to eat them all! (Sooo many burdens--I don't know how I do it!) The tomatoes are looking great. I got an egg plant this year! Yeah! I hope all you gardeners out there are planting away! (We use a no till system. We grow cover crops in the winter (rye) and only make rows. We also mulch with leaves and hay. We try to disturb the ground as little as possible.)

Gardening on the Homestead... Growing Challenge update

Time goes by so very quickly!

The sunflower starts planted and growing nicely in front of the porch.

The birds will love them when they get nice and tall!

We are fortunate here... we can grow collards all year long

These are just a few Georgia collards, already harvested leaves for a great meal!

OMY! The Strawberries!

We have probably harvested (and eaten) 10 quarts already.

Tons of berries still ripening!

The ferns have gorgeous fronds this year!

If any one is interested, visit Ebay.Little bitty, teeny tiny, brand new grapes!

Thanks to who visit! I enjoy your comments and meeting you!

Gardening on the Homestead... Spring

Winter is finally heading north.... still some cold nights, but, as always, we are anxious to get the spring planting underway.Spring seed starts.

Marigolds are peeking out.

Garlic, planted in November, looking beautiful!

Onions, seed planted in January, finally looking like onions.

Grapes showing the first leaves.

Strawberries!!! yeah!!!

Even turning red and juicy!

I can't wait.

Here, at the good ole homestead, we plant organically and use a no till method of gardening. We also raise worms and use the worm compost in gardening. This year we have also started an aquaponic venture. (or adventure) I think the kinks are almost worked out of the auto syphon. The water is cycling great. The fish are healthy. The water is getting close for planting! Stay tuned. I will keep you up to date with all going on at the homestead!

Aquaponics Update

System is cycling well. We had to go from one syphon drain to individual syphons on all grow beds.

Spring Spring Spring

It has been raining for over a week... almost everyday! Here, in NC, we really need it. Our lakes and aquifers are slowly filling. Maybe our drought status will be reduced. Flowers are blooming. Ferns are peeking up. Azaleas are blooming. Here are a few pictures around our homestead .... Grab a cup of coffee & ENJOY!