Steel Raven Farms

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Homestead

What Is An Emergency?

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An emergency is anything that happens that is unexpected, life changing, or causes significant disruption of your day to day life. But what I define as an emergency is going to be different than yours. How I handle an emergency is going to be different than how you handle one. But there are a few universal truths to emergencies and planning for them. So instead of answering “what is an emergency”, we should asking and talking about, how to prepare for emergencies.

What Is An Emergency

As I said at the start of this blog post, an emergency is any unexpected event that leaves you reeling. This could be literally ANYTHING. An unexpected job loss, injury or illness, fire or storm or heaven forbid, a death. These events can be absolutely devastate you and your family. But there are things we can do to help mitigate some of them and the first step is planning.

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How To Prepare For Emergencies

There are a lot of things that we can do to prepare for an emergency. But there are some emergencies that no matter what, you can’t prepare for. Those are the true heartbreakers. But before we talk about that, let’s get into preparing.

Planning For Emergencies

The first thing that we need to do when starting on this journey is to realize that you can plan and plan until you think you are prepared for anything. But you have to realize that you will NEVER be prepared for every single thing. Sure, we can make sure that we have food on hand. We can make sure that we have plenty of water. But what happens if all of that is gone? So we have plans and more plans. Then we have back up plans.

The first thing we do is plan for an emergency. I break down emergencies into a couple of categories: Financial Emergency, Health Emergency, Weather Emergency, and Other Emergencies. We are going to go through each one and I’ll show you how I prepare for these things.

Financial Emergency

This can look like anything from a job loss to legal issues. This could even look like the after effects of one of the other types of emergencies. For example, a health emergency can have financial impacts. Or a weather emergency can wipe out your savings.

There are several ways to help mitigate a financial emergency and the first is a savings account. We want to have a fair amount in this account to help if something goes wrong. There are a bunch of financial gurus that say you should have $1,000 in it, 3-6 months of expenses, or some other amount that they deem is the “Right” amount.

To be honest, when you homestead, you should have a lot more than that in there. When our well pump went out, it was a $3,000 repair. If your goat gets injured, that can be a couple thousand dollars.

Realistically, you know how much your house needs to run in the case of an emergency. For us, we shoot for at least a month of income in savings at any given time. For some, that number is going to be hard to figure out and harder to save. But having that money in the bank (or safe) can set your mind at ease.

Another way to deal with financial emergencies is to have a well stocked house. If you think about it, this alone can mitigate most financial emergencies. Because you don’t have to buy groceries, toilet paper, dog food, or animal feed, that can stretch your savings by a lot. You don’t have to buy anything until you get back on your feet.

Health Emergency

This can look like anything from a broken leg to a cancer diagnosis, and it absolutely devastates a family. If either Jared or I were to get seriously injured, our world would come to a grinding halt. The loss of income, loss of help around the homestead, and medical bills could be crippling. To prepare for some of that, we make sure that we have good short and long term disability to help cover bills and expenses. We’ve got good health insurance, money in the bank and food in the pantry and freezers.

But what happens when that runs out? An illness can make all of that completely obsolete because of the length of time illness can take to heal. This is were knowing who you can rely on in your community can make a huge difference. Friends, family, and neighbors can become invaluable when dealing with a health emergency.

Weather Emergency

This is the scariest emergency for me because I can plan for financial emergencies. I can plan even prepare to a certain extent for health emergencies by having insurances, food and a good community. But when a weather emergency strikes? You can be facing a total loss and not have any way to come back from it.

If a tornado rips through your community, you aren’t the only one dealing with it. The community is too. Which means it doesn’t matter how much money you have in savings. You will be facing long lines to get water, food, clothes, etc. Because your well thought out plan is gone with the house.

To prepare for it, there really isn’t much we can do, right? If a tornado rips the roof off the house and floods our cellar, our supplies are gone. But there are things you can do. The first being never store all of your supplies in one spot.

Having spare chainsaw blades and gas stored in the barn, garage and basement. Or having a couple caches of food, clothes, blankets, etc in barrels buried in the yard may seem crazy now, but if something happens? You’ll be glad to have it.

Think about these types of weather emergencies and start preparing for them.

And please make sure that you have a manual can opener! You would be surprised how many people have all these canned goods with no way to open them!

Other Emergencies

These are the heartbreakers. The sudden loss of a loved one, divorce, major accidents, house fires, etc. These are the ones that hurt the most because you are not only financially impacted but emotionally impacted.

I have a binder that has all of our information in it. If ANYTHING happens to me, I know that Jared can handle everything. And if he can’t, it tells whoever is handling everything, where to find our resources.

Preparing For Emergencies Doesn’t Mean You Are A Prepper

One of the things that drives me crazy is that people are so afraid of being labeled a “Prepper”. Preppers have been vilified by the media, governments, or whoever else. And “normal” people are scared of them.

But you don’t have to prepare for a zombie apocalypse.

No one wants to think about what could happen. But in our day to day jobs, Jared and I see these emergencies all the time. We hear all the time, “How am I going to handle X?”. And it has really gotten me thinking over the years. What would I do IF?

I just need you to be prepared if something goes wrong. This can look like picking up an extra can of beans or pasta every grocery trip. This could be saving a $20 bill in your nightstand. These small steps will add up and allow you to have peace of mind that if something does happen, you will be okay.

A Side Note

As a side note, I want to remind you that the time of an emergency is not the time to try and learn new skills! If you don’t know how to start a fire, the time to learn is not when the power goes out and your family is freezing. The time to learn how to start a garden, is not when the grocery store shelves are bare. Just a thought to keep in mind.

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December Garden Chores

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I feel like December is really the only month I truly get to rest in the garden. That doesn’t mean I don’t do anything, but my chore list is much smaller. My December garden chores look more like clearing, building, mulching and waiting for spring. But there are some things that have to get done in the gardens.

My December Garden Chores

My December garden chores look more like a prep list. This is the time where I am prepping beds, securing compost and generally planning for the rest of winter and spring. Sometimes, if the weather is nice, I go ahead and plant some things that I know are frost hardy.

Where are we?

We live in the foothills Appalachian Mountains in Northeast Georgia. That means that we are in zone 7B and usually we end up with a frost around November 1st. The thing about living in the southeast is that while it may be December, it is not uncommon for us to have 80* days and 40* nights.

Where we are, we don’t usually get snow but we could get an ice storm. This makes gardening a challenge because we are never really sure what weather we are going to end up with.

Mulching

I mentioned in the November Garden Chores post that mulching is so underrated but probably the most important thing you could do. And I’m going to say it again. Make sure you mulch your garden beds! This is so important for putting organic matter back into your soil, feeding soil microbes and so many other amazing things for your soil. These are just some of the tips that I picked up from Diane Miessler in her book Grow Your Soil.

Mulching will also help make your job easier in the spring because mulching helps to suppress weed growth.

Prepping Beds

Depending on where you live or the stage of your garden, this may look different for you. For us, since our soil never really freezes, we are able to keep working our beds almost year round. What I usually do to prep my beds is making sure that I have added a ton of organic matter and then covered it. So again, mulching. But I will also all of our leave litter to the beds.

Some people say to leave the leaf litter where it falls to allow for native insects to have a place to live. And I TOTALLY agree. Except, we live in the south. We have tons of spiders, snakes and other creatures that I don’t necessarily want my dogs, kids, chickens or goats to run into. So we pick up all that leave litter and put it in our beds or compost. Those creatures can go live in my garden beds for the winter.

Securing Compost

This is going to look a little different for everyone, but for us, this is making sure that we have plenty of animal bedding in the coops and barn. I talked in depth about using animal bedding as compost here. I practice the deep litter method in my barns and coops to ensure that there is plenty of compost for spring. I also make sure that we are adding to our compost bin. But since most of our kitchen scraps go to the chickens or the pigs, that’s not really a lot.

We’ve also found that because we don’t till our raised beds, or in ground spaces, we actually can add various organic matters straight to the beds and the beds have enough life to break it down without affecting the plants.

Another way that we secure compost is by contacting various neighbors. We have several horse, cow and chicken farmers around us. We tend to stay away from the chicken farmers because they don’t usually practice organics and we don’t want that on our gardens. But we will reach out to several neighbors and see if they have what we are looking for.

For you, that may look like asking if you can have their leaf litter. If your neighbors are bagging up their leaves? Go grab that from them!

General Planning

I am a planner by nature and I have a whole category where I talk about planning your homestead. But I go a little overboard when it comes to the garden. Especially considering that I am a Chaotic Gardener. During December, I really go through all my garden prompts and journal for that year and try to figure out where I can improve.

Since our goal is to grow 75% of our, and our animals food, we really need to make sure to dial in our gardens as much as possible. This means ensuring that what we start in January is working, that we are putting in bumper crops, and getting us closer and closer to that goal.

We also make sure to plan any infrastructure that we need for the gardens. Things like irrigation, building or replacing beds, and sourcing soil, compost, mulch, etc.

Garden Planning

This is also the time to figure out where we are going to put things in the garden. We want to make sure that we have plenty of space but also plants. For example, we can a ton of tomato sauce every year. We also make ketchup and BBQ sauce. Then we dehydrate a ton for tomato powder. That’s a ton of tomatoes that we need to grow. We are talking on average we need about 1,000 pounds of tomatoes or 200+ tomato plants.

We also want to make sure that we are rotating what we plant. We don’t want to put heavy feeders in the same place two years in a row. Sometimes, it’s necessary and that means that we need to make sure that we support the soil as much as possible.

Another part to making sure that we are planning the garden “correctly” is that we prioritize our plantings. This means that we need to look at what we NEED vs what we want to try. Now, we have 15,000 sqft of garden space, so the chances of us running out of room is slim but it is possible. But more to the point, those 200+ tomato plants are more important for our food security than cut flowers for the table.

Working Outside In Winter

Our winters are usually pretty wet, so getting out into the garden can be challenging. There is a lot of time spent in the greenhouse or inside because it is chilly and wet.

Make sure that if you are working outside in the winter, you are properly layered. Again, it’s not abnormal for us to have 70-80* days in December. But at 730 in the morning, it could be 34*. So make sure that whatever your weather, you’ve got enough layers or just wait until the sun is out and you can enjoy the warmth.

What are your December Garden Chores?

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How Much Do Chickens Cost?

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So you’re interested in getting some chickens. I warn you now, you will become a victim of chicken math if your not careful. But one of the ways to keep that from happening is to really understand what you’re getting yourself into. It’s not as easy as going to Tractor Supply or your local feed store and picking up a batch of chicks. How much do chickens cost? A lot.

If you are just starting in your homestead journey, I have the deal for you! In The Homestead Bundle you will receive our Hay Calculator, Profit Calculator, Digital and Printable Garden Journal, The Backyard Homestead eBook, the Simple Budget, Schedule F worksheet, and Herd Health Sheets. That’s a $99 value for $47!

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Before You Get Chickens

I feel like I should start every single blog post about livestock by reminding you that you should not get ANY livestock, including chickens until you have a garden set up. I also fully expect you to not listen. It’s just the nature of homesteaders.

In all seriousness, you should be prepared for chicks or chickens WAY before they ever show up on your property.

Tractor Supply

The Chicken Coop

You have a couple options here when it comes to your chicken coop. You can go as cheap or as expensive as you want. But there are some hard fast rules that you should follow. It should be secure from predators and this includes the human variety, too.

You should make sure that it is draft free, but with good ventilation. There should be roosting bars and nesting boxes. But after that, sky is the limit. We have a metal shed that we use and we like it for the most part, but I’m not a huge fan. The metal has started to rust in less than a year and it’s very drafty in the winter and BOILING hot in the summer. We normally use it for brooding chicks since it is more secure and stays pretty warm when we’ve got the lamps on.

I would stay away from anything that isn’t made from real wood. There’s a bunch on the internet that are composite and unless it is a good quality like the decking boards. There are also a ton of places that shell really nice shed/ coops. If you can build it, that would probably be a better option because at $8,000? My girls are just find in their metal shed, outside or in a tree.

Buckets, Waterers and Feeders

You can absolutely cut corners here, but remember, the more corners you cut, the more issues you can have. For example, I would not get a tiny seven pound chick feeder for your chicks. The reality is that you are going to be filling that thing twice a day depending on the amount of chicks you have. I would get one like this, that is going last them for at least a day but preferably several days.

The same thing goes for waterers. Don’t get a tiny one. You will be refilling it all the time. We have several of these, and absolutely love them. Chicks are able to drink from them with no problems. And we don’t have to worry as much about them running out of water.

Buckets and pans are as needed but you will eventually need them. Pans for oyster shell or buckets for hauling feed. You will eventually need them.

So How Much Do Chickens Cost?

Let’s start with the coop. A decent middle of the road coop shouldn’t cost you much more than $500. I would recommend getting one with a run attached to it so that on days that they can’t free range, they have a way to get outside.

If you want a bigger run, I would recommend poultry netting. You can get the netting and a solar charger for under $600 for GOOD netting. Don’t try to save money here by getting cheap. Cheap means less protection from predators, chickens getting loose, and more. This is the netting we have and it works great.

Save on Seeds

Your feeders, waterers, buckets, and feed will all depend on your location but should run you about $100 for good feeders and waterers. Feed should be about $15-35 depending on where you get it. I am able to get Non-GMO feed at my local feed store for about $17/ 50# bag.

Supplements will also depend on your area but for a different reason. If you have high parasite loads on your property, you’re going to want to get something for that. We use Corrid for our chicks. We also give them electrolytes in the summer because it gets so hot and humid here in Georgia.

Grand total you are looking at about $1200 before you even get your chicks. Again, this will depend on which coop and supplies you get.

Brooding Your Chicks

Before you get your chicks, you need to have a brooder that is ready to go. I talk in depth about brooding in this blog post. This could look like a large tub with a heat lamp in your living room, like the picture below. Or a metal shed and a bunch of lights. Everyone will brood their chicks differently. If we only have a few chicks, we will brood in the house in a large tub. If we have a ton of chicks, like when we bring home our meat chickens, we will brood in the metal shed.

Buying the Chicks

I would make sure that you have the coop, brooder, and supplies BEFORE getting your chicks.

Usually, you can get chicks for about $3-7 each. This is going to depend on your breed and if you get straight run. I highly recommend getting sexed chicks. This will help you avoid getting roosters and then figuring out what to do with them.

I also recommend getting from a reputable hatchery. We use McMurray Hatchery and have for years. We love them and will probably always go with them unless we don’t have a choice.

The biggest problem about getting chicks is not falling victim to chicken math. I wrote a whole blog post about chicken math and how to avoid it here. But some quick points that I forgot to mention is making sure that you get a chicken coop that will only fit so many chickens. Then making the decision, and sticking to it, that you will only have THIS many chickens. I wish you the best of luck with it.

At The End Of The Day

I can’t tell you exactly how much chickens cost. There are too many variables. But the biggest thing to remember is that a good coop, feeders and waterers, feed and the chickens themselves are not cheap. You will end up spending at least $1200-$2000 before you ever get that first egg. That’s if you do it “right”. You can go cheaper and you ca go more expensive. But your eggs will never be free.

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Building Your Legacy: Leaving Your Mark On YOUR World

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When I was in school, there was this hype of “You can be anything you want to be”. I had thoughts of being President of the United States. Or maybe an astronaut. But I never really figured out what I wanted to do. Even now, in my 30’s with a great career, I just want to retire. I want to leave the rat race and homestead full time. Over the last handful of years though, the thought has shifted from what do I want to be when I grow up to asking myself: How are you building your legacy?

If you are just starting in your homestead journey, I have the deal for you! In The Homestead Bundle you will receive our Hay Calculator, Profit Calculator, Digital and Printable Garden Journal, The Backyard Homestead eBook, the Simple Budget, Schedule F worksheet, and Herd Health Sheets. That’s a $99 value for $47!

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Building Your Legacy

I think the first step in building your legacy, is to look at the definition of legacy. I pulled this definition from the Oxford dictionary.

noun

  1. an amount of money or property left to someone in a will. “my grandmother died and unexpectedly left me a small legacy.”
  2. the long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person’s life. “he left us a rich legacy of buildings that are both innovative architectural creations and genuine works of art”

For some families, the legacy is being in law enforcement or military. For other families, it’s cycling addiction and abuse. And for me, it’s the dreaded 9-5 and grocery stores.

What Was Passed To Me?

The legacy that was passed to me is the typical American legacy. It was working 40 hours a week in a job that you like just enough to keep going to. Or the feeling of being stuck in a job because you don’t have the time, money or education for something different. It was going grocery shopping at a big box store with labels, directions for cooking, and packaging galore. It was sending your kids to school to get an education that they could take to their 40 hour a week job. It was expected that I get a job at 13 and work as much as possible, or as much as my family could get me to that job.

Beyond the typical legacy, my love of creating came from the women in my life. I learned how to sew from my mom. I learned how to crochet and knit from my grandmother. My love of photography came from my aunt.

But I’ve never been one to do what I’m told. I’ve been accused of not listening or following direction on MANY occasions. And most of the time, it wasn’t in a good way. I am pure frustration for anyone “in charge” of me or any rule follower teaching me how to do something. Being a rebel has a lot of up and downsides. So those skills I picked up from my mother, grandmother and aunt were expanded upon by going further down the rabbit hole on my own.

Wanting Something Different

I’m an observer. I see what other people do, how they do it, and most importantly, how they LIKE it. Then I take that observation and pull it into whatever I’m doing. I saw what the 40 hour work week was like and knew I didn’t want to work 40 hours a week and only see my kids and husband a few hours at night. Being stuck inside 4 walls, without the ability to escape when I need it, causes HUGE amounts of anxiety. There HAD to be something better than packaged food from the grocery store. I wanted something different.

I am a VERY independent 4 year old trapped in a 34 year old body…. with access to the bank cards.

The legacy I want is handed down recipes. I want second and third generation cast iron. I want generational knowledge of gardening, canning, animal husbandry, and working WITH nature. And I KNOW it sounds spoiled but I desperately want to learn these things at my family’s knee instead of the internet.

So we started building our legacy

Building your legacy doesn’t always start with a radical shift. Sometimes, it’s just one thing. It’s prioritizing family over work. Or making family meals every Friday night. Sometimes something small is enough to get you moving in the “right” direction for you to build the legacy you want.

Your Legacy Is In Your Hands

We definitely broke the mold over the years.

Since we were a young family and Jared was in the Army, I stayed home with the kids. My cooking skills grew and I no longer had to buy Bisquik to make pancakes. I got a job where I could work two days a week and bring home a full time paycheck. A job allows me to homestead and homeschool while earning a paycheck.

Jared broke the cycles of addiction.

We are creating a legacy of skills, hard work, and independence that our boys can take to their own families.

Do I expect them to be paramedics? No. In fact, I don’t want them to be paramedics. This job is HARD. But I will support them no matter what they decide to do.

Do I expect them to go into the military? No. Again, I don’t want them to. But if that is what they decide, I will support them.

Do I want them to have a homestead? Yes. Because then I know they will be able to take care of themselves and their families. But if not? That’s okay too.

Do I want them to homeschool their kids? Meh. It’s what worked for us.

So What Is My Legacy?

I don’t know, yet. I know what I want my legacy to be. I want my legacy to be a person who is supportive of not only my family’s endeavors and decisions but my own. I want to raise boys who are good and capable men. I want my family to be able to grow their own food, raise and butcher their own animals, and be good stewards to the resources they have been entrusted with. Wither they do those things or not is irrelevant.

I want my children and grandchildren to know that I will pass down second or third generation cast iron. I will teach them how to cook from the heart and not a book. I will always be willing to teach them the skills that I have learned so they don’t have to learn them from the internet. They will learn how to raise and butcher animals. They will know how to put in a garden.

But most importantly, when I die, I know that I did everything I could do to raise a family that doesn’t roll over when things get hard. I know that I have taught the next generation skills that will help them thrive no matter where they find themselves.

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How To Not Eat Fast Food

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Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as saying, “Don’t eat it, duh”. We have been conditioned to believe that from scratch cooking is hard, time consuming and not for you. Clever marketing has made fast food a trillion dollar industry. And we are just trying not to starve. So here we stand, trying to figure out how to not eat fast food, while also trying to figure out how to feed our family. Well, I’ve got some tips that have served us well over the last 15 years.

How to not eat fast food

It isn’t always as simple as not eating fast food. I am a paramedic in real life and I can honestly say that I eat fast food occasionally. I ALWAYS bring my meals to work and have for the last 10 years. Simply because eating 3-4 meals out every shift would break the bank. If I spent $10-15/ meal out every meal for 12 shifts per month, I would spend about $360-$540/ month in meals.

Jared is also a paramedic and the way our schedules work, he cooks dinner one out of three nights and I cook the other two. So I follow the 70% rule. For us, we eat home cooked meals 70% of the time.

Tractor Supply

Why We Don’t Eat Fast Food…. Much

Don’t get it twisted, we still eat “fast food” but we don’t eat at the typical fast food restaurants. We only eat at 3; Chick Fil A, Zaxby’s and Arby’s. The reason is because those foods will rot. If I were to leave them out, bugs will eat them. That means it’s mostly real food. We also eat there because it’s the lesser of two evils. We’ve got to eat and I can’t whip up a meal while driving down the highway.

Also, it’s not just about the money. I feel like crap every time I eat fast food. It disrupts my gut in ways I won’t mention here. So I try to limit the amount of food I buy on shift. But sometimes you need food while you’re out and about. Or the thought of cooking a meal is going to send you over the edge. Here’s what I do to limit the fast food trips.

Ways To Limit Eating Fast Food

Plan ahead- This is probably the most important which is why it’s number 1! By planning ahead you can limit your need for grabbing a quick meal at a fast food restaurant. Every week, I put the proposed meals on our weekly board. I pull out about 3 days worth of meats and put them in a bowl in the fridge to thaw. We don’t have to have the meal that’s planned for that particular day, but having the meat out, limits the 4 o’clock, what’s for dinner questions.

Grocery shop your pantry- A well stocked pantry (or food storage room in my case) is an absolute necessity when you are trying to put meals on the table. I use Azure Standard to help keep my pantry stocked.

Save on Seeds

Double it- This is my tried and true hack for always having a home cooked meal. I make HUGE meals and we put up the left overs. We’re talking 4 boxes of spaghetti and 16 boxes of left overs. We use these containers because my kids still break EVERYTHING.

Freeze it- This goes with doubling it. There are many times were it is easier to cook a whole chicken, eat some, then shred and freeze the rest. Or I’ll double or triple a biscuit recipe then flash freeze them. Then I can just take out however many I need for the next dinner. I don’t even thaw them. I just give them a little more time and they are just as good as fresh made.

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Soups- I can’t tell you how many times soup has saved the day. I use this cookbook and make a big (HUGE) pot of one of the soups. Then I can the left overs. This has literally saved my bacon more than I care to admit! Especially when we have gone out for dinner and I don’t have ANY food to take to work the next day.

Coochie boards- Yes, I know it’s charcuterie but Jaxson couldn’t say that. He called it coochie boards and it stuck. I’ve always got some sort of deli meat or salami type meats and cheeses. I can make crackers in a pinch so this has been a fall back many nights too.

Crock pot meals- Throw it in the slow cooker and forget about it. And it’s not just for roasts! Whole chicken? In the crock pot. Tacos? In the crock pot. I’m not afraid to say dinner is in the crock pot if it means that my sanity stays mostly intact.

Tractor Supply

Family Cooks- As the boys have gotten older, they have helped more and more in the kitchen. This has a two fold benefit: it takes the load off me and it teaches them to cook. Chase can make spaghetti, mac and cheese, toast tortillas, and brown ground beef. He has amazing knife skills and for the most part could feed himself. Jaxson? He’s got the attention span of a cracked out gerbil and the knife skills to match. But we’re working on it.

Make Your Own- This has been a lifesaver when I am absolutely exhausted. Everyone makes their own dinner. Whether that is a bowl of cereal or a steak, everyone makes their own food. And before you tell me that you have littles and they can’t do this? My kids have been doing this since they were about 3. Granted Jaxson wanted a “Daddy” sandwich consisted of two pieces of bread and mustard and ketchup…. No one really knows how that works because Jared doesn’t eat ketchup on his sandwiches but whatever.

Tractor Supply

Grace!

Give yourself grace. This is not a change that will come about over night. Nor should it! You’re not a robot. You are human and that means that you can’t be perfect. But by pulling out enough meat for 3 dinners or doubling a meal up, you can limit your need to eat out or eat fast food.

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November Garden Chores

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As the season winds down, so does the garden. We started writing the monthly chore list as a way to help those that are new to gardening and are not really sure what to do. We also talk about what we do specifically for our zone 7b. You can still do some of these things but if you are colder (or warmer) than us, you may need to make some adjustments. Our November garden chores are more focused on keeping things warm and covered than anything.

3 pictures of garden space with the words november garden chores

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November Garden Chores

Our November usually consists cover crops and harvesting various fall crops. There’s also the mad dash to cover everything with frost blankets when the temperatures dip. It’s also the time that we work to make sure that everything is mulched well.

Cover Crops

Every year, we work really hard to put cover crops in the garden. Sometimes we’re too late and other times the chickens eat all the seeds. BUT we do try to get our cover crops in and for the most part we are pretty successful. We use TrueLeaf Markets to get most of our cover crop seeds because the pricing is great. I really like the fact that their selection is pretty big and that allows me to make my own mix.

The reason for my own mix is because I want to make sure that I am addressing problems found in the garden (low nitrogen, impaction, etc) but also planting things that my animals can eat. I don’t want accidently plant something that will kill my goats.

Harvesting

While in some places, there’s snow on the ground. In Georgia, it’s just cool/cold at night. Sure, we’ll occasionally get a frost but it’s not too bad. But we have to stay on the harvest in order to make sure that we don’t accidently forget something out there. Here’s looking at you last year’s zucchini.

We usually have several bean plants that we are still harvesting green beans from. Some, we let go until they are dry so we can save seeds. But for the most part we are really looking for fresh eating.

Frost Blankets

This is the time of year that our frost blankets are getting a workout. While we don’t want to cover everything, like the onions and garlic, we do want to make sure that the things that are tender get covered but only if the temps are going to get at or below freezing.

Usually we put the frost blankets on after dinner and take them off in the morning before all the other chores. We try to make sure that we only put them on if it’s going to be cold enough. This cannot be said enough.

Why don’t we cover the garlic and onions? Well, we want them to “die back” so that they start growing well again in the spring and summer. They don’t actually die back, but they need enough cold to set good bulbs.

Mulching

Mulching is probably just as important as water for the garden but is always the first thing that is forgotten. Every time. Mulching is this magical, amazing thing that solves a ton of problems in the garden.

Weeds? Mulch. Still have weeds? Put more mulch down.

Watering too much? Mulch. It helps the soil retain water.

Compacted soil? Mulch! It will start to decompose on the ground and the soil will take it up and start to compost it.

Cold? Mulch. It acts as insulation.

Heat? Mulch! It will keep the ground cool.

The only thing it doesn’t do is help with pests.

Can you tell I love mulch? It’s probably because I hate weeding. I will seriously shovel wheelbarrows full of mulch before I pull a weed. Which is ridiculous but it is what it is.

Not That Many November Garden Chores

As you can see, there really isn’t THAT many things to do in November. It’s mostly protecting what you’ve got going and harvesting as you can.

What do you do in your November gardens?

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The Real Homestead

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As the years have progressed, there has been a huge influx of people wanting to homestead. Which I am ALL FOR! I think it’s absolutely fantastic that we have people rushing out of the cities and onto land. Or turning their lawns into food, either for themselves or pollinators. I love the fact that we have people that are wanting to grow their own food, preserve it, and get away from the overprocessed life. But I’ve got a really big problem when I see the content that people are making and it’s these carefully curated posts or reels. It’s not a real homestead!

If you are just starting in your homestead journey, I have the deal for you! In The Homestead Bundle you will receive our Hay Calculator, Profit Calculator, Digital and Printable Garden Journal, The Backyard Homestead eBook, the Simple Budget, Schedule F worksheet, and Herd Health Sheets. That’s a $99 value for $47!

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Why Is It Not Real?

This blog post has been on my mind a lot over the last couple of months. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how to write it without sounding judgmental and nasty. While that is not my intent, I feel like I am seeing so many more posts about “I can’t do that because… insert reason here” and it absolutely breaks my heart. And I’ve had enough.

While I know it’s not great for my sleep habits, I scroll TikTok and Instagram at night. I have seen a ton of these carefully curated reels of homesteads and gardens. I see women and little girls in these prairie dresses picking vegetables from the gardens or collecting eggs. Men and little boys working a tractor or building a barn in perfectly crisp wranglers and a pearl snap button down shirts.

Or I see designer chicken coops with perfect eggs and chickens that don’t escape their run. A beautiful garden that has not a single pest, bruised leaf or dropped veggie. Perfectly cropped lawns with beautiful houses.

And I want to scream from the roof tops, IT’S NOT REAL!

Go check out my Instagram feed, I’ll wait.

What you see on my profile is the real stuff. Sure, I try not to get the trash pile from clearing the land or burn pit in the pictures because who wants to see my amazon addiction. But I will gladly tour my homestead and show you the REAL homestead. The one where the chickens have pooped on the deck and I’ve not had a chance to get it cleaned off.

Or the real homestead where Jared is building my greenhouse and there is paint EVERYWHERE. There are piles of scrap wood that needs to be close to the greenhouse for some reason or another.

The fallen trees that we won’t take care of in the summer but will work on in the fall or winter. The goat barn or hay shed that is absolutely not designer. It’s REAL!

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy those reels because it’s visually pleasing to watch. It’s amazing to dream. But if THAT reel is why you want to homestead, keep reading.

Why Does It Make Me Mad?

It absolutely infuriates me when I hear new homesteaders that are upset that they can’t start their garden because they think they have to have perfect garden beds. Or they give up hope because they saw a TikTok that showed an obviously manufactured chicken coop and run, and they don’t have enough money to buy one.

Content creators are taking the spirit of homesteading out of it and creating this world where people don’t want to try because they think they can’t afford to homestead the way they see on reels. Or they are making people believe that what they are showing is what homesteading is. And people give up before they even start. And that breaks my heart.

Save on Seeds

I could spit nails when I see someone say they just popped out to harvest a couple things from the garden in their white linen dress. They are making a from scratch meal with their fresh bread made from their sourdough starter.

Let me tell you this, that is not what homesteading looks like.

Not a single person would be caught dead wearing WHITE LINEN in their garden, at least not to harvest anything.

I can just imagine wearing a white linen dress, dodging the pigs that have found a mud pit on my way to the garden, dogs playing and the chicken poop on the walkways. While in there, I am having to hold my dress up so it doesn’t get caked with Georgia red clay and trying to harvest a couple of tomatoes, squash or melons. All while knowing I should have brought a basket (and I always forget one) because my dress doesn’t have POCKETS! It’s freaking hysterical! Mainly because I don’t even own a dress.

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Let’s not mention that my fresh bread rarely looks Insta-worthy, though it’s pretty delicious. And my sourdough starter jar is NEVER clean. In fact, it’s usually caked in starter residue from it overflowing the jar.

But you know what my homestead is? It’s the place that I don’t have to pretend. And I am honored by that.

What Is A Real Homestead?

So if those reels are not entirely accurate, what is a real homestead?

It’s a spirit of self sustainability. A person or family that simply wants better, not just for themselves but for their food, animals, community and the earth. It makes you FEEL every time you step outside.

It’s a perfectly ripe tomato on a hot summer day.

It’s the cry from you and a brand new baby goat that you had to pull from momma.

It’s humanely butchering an animal that has been loved and taken care of from birth.

It’s watching your kids come to you, absolutely filthy, holding a frog, snake or lizard they found.

It’s sitting at the dinner table, talking about your day with those that share what you hold so dear.

It’s creating a legacy were you previously didn’t have one.

It’s slow dancing with your partner in the kitchen while dinner cooks on the stove.

It’s watching your sons learn how to be capable men.

It’s watching your daughters learn to be capable women.

It’s working with nature to bring forth the harvest.

It’s freezing nights in a barn with a momma who is scared.

It’s bringing animals into the house because they are hurt or sick.

It’s NOT asking why there is goat vomit on the ceiling, a duck in the bathtub, or a chicken perched on the shower rod.

It’s syringes by the sink and hay in your hair.

It’s flies in the house, poop on the deck, broken eggs and hearts.

It’s a tearful good bye to a beloved animal.

But most of all, it’s this soul soothing, living and breathing thing that brings us back to nature in a way that a weekly hike or walk through the park just can’t do. It’s something that no content creator can make you feel.

It’s a deep breath and a weight off your shoulders when you realize that more doesn’t equal better.

While I am not a country fan, like at all, because heavy metal is life in this house. I have to appreciate what Zack Bryan said in Fear and Fridays….

“I’ve learned that every waking moment is enough and еxcess never lеads to better things, it only piles and piles atop the things that are already abundantly in front of you like breathing and chasing and slow dancing and love making, fighting and laughing“–Zack Bryan (Fear and Fridays)

My Dearest Homesteader In The Making

I beg you not to look for your life on social media. It doesn’t matter if you are a homesteader or not. The internet is not honest. It’s brief snippets of life, whether real or created. But YOU are real, your dreams are real and you will create YOUR real homestead.

So buy that property, make it YOURS. Make mistakes and learn from it. Dig into the dirt, and feel. Feel every single possibility and make it YOURS.

“Save it with the blame game
I’ve heard it all before
Ain’t nothing holdin’ you down
‘Cept your own feet on the floor
So go on, roll your sleeves up
Put your hands down in the dirt
It’s alright to follow your heart
And take what you deserve” –Charles Wesley Godwin (Here In Eden)

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10 Things To Start Preparing For Winter

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I know, I know! It’s only September. BUT you can never be too prepared, especially when you have lives depending on you. Here in north Georgia, it’s 90*+ and it feels like winter is forever away, but trust me when I tell you, it’s all down hill from here. The leaves are already starting to fall, albeit one at a time. The mornings are cooler and though it’s still hot, it’s not as unbearable. So I figured I would talk about the things we are doing now, to prepare for winter.

If you are just starting in your homestead journey, I have the deal for you! In The Homestead Bundle you will receive our Hay Calculator, Profit Calculator, Digital and Printable Garden Journal, The Backyard Homestead eBook, the Simple Budget, Schedule F worksheet, and Herd Health Sheets. That’s a $99 value for $47!

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Preparing For Winter Is Easy…When You Do It Early

First thing is first, go ahead and make a list of all the things you think you’ll need. Then check it against my list and maybe google some other blogs like Southern Dreams Homestead, The Homesteading RD or The Farmer’s Lamp to help give you a few more ideas. Below is simply part of my list that I think everyone could benefit from.

The List

Firewood!-Seriously, if you haven’t started sourcing, chopping or collecting firewood, stop everything and go do it right now. Like, now. If you haven’t been able to get around to it, make the time. You still have some time to get a few cords chopped and drying if you make it a priority. You can check out our latest eBook Heating With Firewood to help get you started.

Also, check around with neighbors or even different market places. You may find that someone has a tree they need cut and hauled away. Easy firewood. You can find a small electric log splitter less than $300 or even a big gas powered one for less than $1,500

I’m going to throw candles in here too. A small tea light candle can heat a small room for several hours. It can even cook food when placed in terracotta pots. So maybe having a million of these little buggers around would be a good idea too.

Pantry Restock– I go through my canning inventory sheets and check it against my shelves in the basement. I restock our pantry/ food storage room quarterly. That means that I go through and find all the things we have used or are running low on and make a run to the store. This tends to be a big haul for us and has things like toilet paper, laundry detergent, etc. But you don’t want to find out in the middle of a snow storm that you’re out of toilet paper. If you don’t have a place to store it, check out Home Depot for wire shelves or check out my post on our shelves.

Canning– The entire month of September, I am canning the last bit of the summer garden and soups. I will put up about 300qts and 200pts of soup to prepare for winter. The way I see it, if the power goes out, I can still heat soup on my wood stove. If you haven’t already, check out The Canning Diva’s cookbook. She has a ton of amazing soups. This book is my holy grail for soup season.

Coffee– If you are a coffee drinker, go ahead and can several quarts of coffee. I know, it sounds crazy, but when our power went out last year, guess who didn’t have coffee? So yea, can a couple quarts. I waterbath can my quarts for 20 minutes. Now, I can just heat it in a pot on the stove. I’ve also got a great recipe for homemade creamer too.

Extra Blankets– We have a million blankets and every year, I am tempted to throw out half of them. BUT it’s nice having the ability to close off rooms, layer up, or even insulate freezers if necessary. Not to mention if livestock needs to come inside because it’s freezing or they are injured.

Finn had to come inside when he busted his shoulder.

Portable Battery Banks– We have a bunch of these guys around and they are really handy to have. When the power goes out and the boys last device is dead, this thing saves my sanity. Plus, we can hook it up to our kitchen radio and still have news updates and more.

Animal Feed– This isn’t just Fido’s dog food. If you have any kind of livestock, now is the time to make sure you are sourcing enough for winter. For us, that means finding enough hay to get through the winter. It also means sourcing grain, alfalfa pellets, and other miscellaneous food stuffs they need.

The Hay Calculator:

If you aren’t math-y (don’t worry I’m not either), check out our Hay Calculator. It literally does ALL of the math for you and gives you totals based on what you want your goals.

On the second page, you can track where you’ve bought hay, what you spent and how long it lasted.

Buy the Hay Calculator

Animal Bedding– Don’t forget their bedding! While it doesn’t get super cold in Georgia, it does still get cold. And wet. So make sure that you’ve got some form of bedding for them. We use the deep litter method and pine shavings. The deep litter method really helps insulate them in winter and helps keep them off the cold ground. We also spread Diatomaceous Earth between layers to help keep down bugs. Again, it doesn’t get super cold here so winter Lice/Mite infestations happen. The great thing about it is we can use all that bedding as compost in the spring!

Emergency Medicines/ First Aid– This looks different from homestead to homestead, but having the ability to treat various illnesses or injuries is extremely important. I talked about the basics needed to care for goats but you also need to include yourself here. Sometimes band aids just aren’t going to cut it. You may need sutures, super glue, etc to close lacerations. Or when you’re animal suddenly develops pneumonia, having the ability to treat that without calling for a vet is a huge time and money saver.

Something to alleviate boredom– It’s true. The hustle and bustle of summer makes way for a slower winter. Maybe not 100% of the time, but more often than not, the weather keeps us inside. Extreme weather could keep us inside for days. I am a bookworm and have at least twenty books on standby waiting to be read. But my boys and Jared are not so lucky. We have games, puzzles, cards and more. They still refuse to let me read, but at least they have something to do.

Tractor Supply

Preparing For Winter

I hope this helps you start preparing for winter at least a little bit. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but it is a start. Only you know what you are going to need to get through the winter. And while this may be your first winter on a homestead, it’s not your first winter. So get a list going and start stocking up!

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What To Do With Those Cherry Tomatoes

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Every year I say, “I only need to plant 5 cherry tomato plants.” Only to turn around and end up with at least 10 plants and a million cherry tomatoes! I don’t know how these plants do it but they are machines when it comes to cranking out pounds and pounds of fruit. But come the end of July, I am drowning in them. So here is my favorite round up of cherry tomato recipes and other things we do to use them all up.

cherry tomatoes

Even if you aren’t an amazing gardener, you can probably grow all of the cherry tomatoes you could ever want. Trust me. Every year I struggle with our tomatoes. We lose a lot to pest pressure and blossom end rot. Despite various different methods of treating both, we end up with very few tomatoes. I’ll never stop trying to grow them because when I finally get it right, it will be glorious.

Cherry Tomato Ideas

Fresh eating!

That’s the first and best way to use cherry tomatoes. Now, I’m not a big raw tomato lover. In fact, I can’t stand the taste of raw tomatoes. BUT the sweet million cherry tomato variety? It is my favorite and I can usually eat those raw without being grossed out. I much prefer doing something with those tomatoes. I usually make my own sauce, even with cherry tomatoes. It makes a really great sweet sauce.

This recipe for Marinated Cherry Tomatoes from Natasha’s Kitchen is great for hot weather snacking. My family doesn’t like big heavy meals when it’s hot out. So something like this is really great for us.

We eat a lot of pasta and sometimes the heavy tomato/pasta sauce is a bit much when you are wanting a quick lunch. This recipe from A Spicy Perspective is a great way to use up some cherry tomatoes and have a great quick lunch. Add some protein and you have a easy dinner too.

cherry tomatoes

This Roasted Cherry Tomato Spread from A Salty Pot is another delicious option. You can spread it on crackers, salad or even a cold pasta salad.

Have you ever had Bruschetta? Get some crusty sourdough bread or Italian loaf and enjoy this Bruschetta recipe from The Sunshine Hustle. Here is another amazing snack, appetizer, or in my house, a meal.

cherry tomatoes

Meal Prepping With Cherry Tomatoes

Most of the recipes above can be used in meal prep, whether it’s for lunches or dinners. Really, you could cook your cherry tomatoes with some eggs. Delicious.

But making up a couple of meals with these beauties and storing them for the week would use up a lot of these babies.

Preserving Cherry Tomatoes

After a couple handfuls of tomatoes, even the biggest tomato lover will be burned out on them. So another option is dehydrating. I love to dehydrate these guys for sundried tomatoes. I have a huge dehydrator that I can put several hundred in. Usually, you set your dehydrator to 145* to 155* and let them go until they are dry. This can take anywhere from 5-24hrs depending on your temps, humidity, and water content of the tomatoes.

cherry tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes also freeze okay. But remember, when you thaw them out they are usually extremely mushy. This is due to the high water content in them.

My favorite method, second to dehydrating them, is to can them. This can be done either by keeping them whole or halving them. I prefer to pack the jars, fill with water to 1/2″ head space and then process for 40 min (pints) or 45 min (quarts).

Lastly, give it to your livestock. We grow extra plants of everything for two reasons. 1) if one plant fails, we need to have a back up. 2) if that plant doesn’t fail, we can feed it to the animals. My pigs pack on the pounds every summer.

Before we get too far into this post, I wanted to give a suggestion about keeping a garden journal. A digital garden journal is a fantastic way to keep track of past, present and future gardens. Our Digital Garden Journal is a great way to keep up with everything without getting too overwhelmed.

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Cut Back On Next Year’s Garden

If you are anything like me this is absolutely not going to happen. I am still going to plan for 5 cherry tomato plants and then start 15. That’s how it works. Because an overabundance is better than under.

But if you are consistently getting more than you can handle, look at cutting back on your numbers for next year. I hope this post helps you figure out what to do with all those maters. Just remember, there is a blessing in overabundance.

Ways To Make Money As A New Homesteader

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When you are looking to start your homestead, you may be looking for ways to bring in an income. There are tons of ways to make money on a homestead that all depend on your abilities and skill sets. If you are unskilled at growing food, maybe setting up your entire homestead with that as the goal isn’t a great idea. That doesn’t mean that you can’t do it! But there are some things that you should consider before quitting your job and moving to the country. Below I am going to go over some considerations and ways to make money as a new homesteader

money as a new homesteader

If you are just starting in your homestead journey, I have the deal for you! In The Homestead Bundle you will receive our Hay Calculator, Profit Calculator, Digital and Printable Garden Journal, The Backyard Homestead eBook, the Simple Budget, Schedule F worksheet, and Herd Health Sheets. That’s a $99 value for $47!

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Considerations For Making Money As A New Homesteader

Before you jump in to your homestead, buy the first animal, or drop a ton of money on seeds, you should take some time to figure everything out first. It would suck for you waste a ton of money on seed starts and hate gardening. Or realize there is very little profit in raising goats.

Profitability

This is literally the most important part of making money as a new homesteader. We all want to quit the rat race, but if there is no profit in what you are doing? Why are you doing it? I have a great profit calculator that I use when I am researching a new revenue source.

The reality is that money is what makes the world go around. Sure, you can get away with the minimum but at the end of the day, you need money to purchase land, animals, feed and so much more. Rarely, are you going to be able to trade for these items right out of the gate.

Sustainablity

This is another tag word that we are all to familiar with in the homesteading community, but I don’t think people look at it from the “other” side. When you are looking for a way to bring in an income, you have to look at the sustainability of that revenue. If you want to start content creation, you need to look at your ability to stay consistent.

You also want to look at whether this revenue source is something you can sustain. Burnout is real on the homestead and dealing with the constant demand of marketing, creation, etc are really hard to keep up with.

Your Skills

There is always the ability to learn new skills. But if you are looking to start a wood working business and you don’t even know how, you are going to struggle while getting your skills up to speed. Again, this isn’t to say that you can’t do it, but you need to really look at what skills you have and if they are marketable.

Another option is to find a way that allows to use the skills you already have while homesteading. This can look different for everyone but doing blood draws for animal testing can bring in a fair amount of money if you know how to do them.

Multiple Revenue Streams

Much like “regular” business or wealth building, you don’t want to limit yourself to one revenue or income stream. But when it comes to homesteading, the reason is a little different. The reality is that you are probably not going to make enough money to cover your all expenses by selling eggs.

As a homesteader, you need to understand that your income will be seasonal. You may get $100/mo selling eggs between March and October. You’ll make another $300/mo selling cut flowers from April to October. Maybe you’ll make another $1000 selling a couple goat kids in March and again October. But having multiple income streams are really important to leaving the rat race.

Your Local Market And Regulations

Depending on what you are looking to make, raise, grow or sell, you need to look into your local regulations to see if you can. Up until here recently it was illegal to sell raw milk (for human consumption) in the state of Georgia. If I wanted to sell raw milk, I had to sell it for animal consumption. If I wanted to sell bread at the local farmers market, I would have to get a cottage license.

But other things that you should look at is your local market for these items. Where I live, it doesn’t make a bit of sense to sell eggs because everyone at the local farmers market sells eggs. I would have to go closer to the city to sell at a farmers market that wasn’t completely saturated with egg sales.

Making Money As A New Homesteader

Now for the information you really want!

Sell Your Abundance

Anyone who has livestock understands chicken math and goat-a-plication. But there is a benefit to the extra livestock. You can sell it. We have a lot of chickens and ducks. This means that I can sell eggs, chicks or poults. I love goats and their milk is one of the few that I can tolerate. But to get milk, I have to breed my girls and this leads to babies. So we sell goat kids after they are weaned.

This goes for your garden as well. We all know that you planted WAY too many cherry tomato plants, or zucchini, you can sell your abundance to friends or family and even local grocers.

Consider what you are already growing, raising, breeding, etc and how you can sell the extra. It won’t bring in a lot of money in one shot, but it can bring a several hundred dollars a year and that could be an extra mortgage payment.

Content Creation

This a big one for homesteaders, especially the generations raised with the internet and social media. **Raises hand** Content creation is a great way to bring in an extra income at any point in your homestead journey. You don’t have to be a pro goat owner, gardener, canner, etc. In fact, a lot of people are dying to see the real thing. People want to see real life people, doing real life things.

The main thing with content creation is to be purposeful, and research the topics or areas you want to talk about. Again, this goes back to market research. You also need to look at your niche and what you can talk about for years and years.

Selling Your Craft

This is one that a lot of people struggle with and I am one of them. I struggle with Why would someone want what I made, it’s not that good. But the reality is that there are people out there that want to buy what you sell. You just have to find them.

I would love to get back into selling my candles, because I really enjoy making them.

Jared is building my greenhouse so I can sell my plant starts and house plants.

I am getting back into making tea diffusers.

These various products have the potential to bring in a lot of money and could allow me to stay home, which is the goal.

You could sell handmade pottery, quilts, stain glass, and so much more. The sky is the limit and with enough business, could keep you from a 9-5 with ease.

Meat Animals

If this is not something that interests you, keep scrolling. But raising meat animals can be extremely profitable if you can get your set up right and source the animals and feed well. Pasture pork, grass fed beef, and pastured chicken are all high value animals for people that want to eat meat but don’t want to get it from the grocery store.

If you already know how to butcher animals, look into what it would take to open a processing facility. Seriously, there are more and more people who want to raise animals but can’t process them themselves. I can tell you right now, there are not enough meat processors/ butchers to keep up with the demand.

Or, you could set up a business were you travel around showing people how to process their own animals. This can be incredibly lucrative.

Find Something You Do Well, and Make Sell it

At the end of the day, making money as a new homesteader doesn’t need to be hard. In fact, it can be quite easy IF you can figure out a way to make it sustainable, profitable, and work for you. There are a lot of ways to make money homesteading. The issue comes with the hard work, time needed, regulations/local markets, etc. But once you figure that out? You can spend your days hanging out wth your goats.