This time of year is always rewarding; almost overnight things seem to morph from “expanse of wood chips” to “a zillion shades of green.” The days are getting long, temperatures are slowly warming, and perennials and quick-germinating herbs and flowers are responding by popping up everywhere. With a few notable exceptions (looking at you, bindweed), most…
Archives for April 2018
How To Combine Rabbits and Chickens for Homestead Animal Synergy
Regular guest poster David walks us through the magic that happens when you combine rabbits and chickens, and how he implemented this synergistic pairing on his own urban homestead. One of the easiest to understand tenets of permaculture is the goal to use “stacking functions” wherever possible. Simply put, functions are “stacked” when you can…
17 Homestead Rules and How I Score For Each
I am forever indebted to Storey’s Basic Country Skills. It is, itself, a perfectly comprehensive and useful book but of no remarkable distinction compared to the numerous all-in-one homesteading, country skills and home how-to encyclopedias also available for sale. Personally, I am more inclined to reach for The Encyclopedia of Country Living, which is similar…
I Burned My Face with Hot Cooking Oil. Here’s What Happened.
On Thursday, March 22nd, I came back from our homeschool campus with the kids and started to make dinner. I had a lovely hunk of grass fed chuck roast in the fridge, a half-bottle of old red wine, and a jar of tomato sauce from 2016. I had braised beef on my mind. As everyone…
5 Things Friday 4/6/18
Five Things Friday: where I assemble assorted favorites, oddities, announcements, discoveries, random thoughts, life tidbits and whatever else wasn’t quite long enough for a real post. This week: transplant your cool-weather crops, watch some Shakespeare, and try not to fool yourself. Have a great weekend, friends! Do One Little Thing This Week Transplant your starts!…
Favorite Resources To Make High School History Fun and Effective
I love history, and I think it’s terribly important. “The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know,” as Truman said. I incorporate as much history as I can into my 1st grade son’s curriculum, although at his age the “3R” basics and physical play take priority. History is more formalized for…
April Gardening Chores For The Pacific Northwest
2018 Update: I think compared to other regions of the country, we in Cascadia have gotten off quite easy so far this spring. There’s a reason they are called Nor’easters and not Nor’westers, I suppose. Time to bring back this old favorite: Which isn’t to say there haven’t been some odd moments. Twice in the…