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Homestead Happenings

Homestead Happenings #13

by Margauex November 20, 2023

written by Margauex

This week on the homestead has been another pretty slow one. It has been a pretty cold and rainy week so going outside hasn’t been in the cards. So this update will be short and sweet.

In the kitchen

The last of my summer vegetables have been preserved. I fermented the last of the peppers for hot sauce, put the last of the ripened tomatoes in the freezer, and used the last bell peppers. I’m sad the season is over but also really excited to have a break. I didn’t realize how tired I was until stuff slowed down. Now I think it is really catching up to me.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, we got our Turkey. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any local organic turkeys so I ended up getting one from Costco. The places around here were selling conventional turkeys. I was surprised the Amish around me aren’t selling any. The main Amish store we went to was selling free-range conventional turkeys that they didn’t grow themselves. They said they weren’t sure exactly where they came from. So I figured if I was going to be getting a turkey that wasn’t local regardless, I’m going to get the exact one I want. I’m still trying to decide if I am going to cook it traditionally or on the smoker. Tune in next week to check out the

My sister-in-law is hosting Thanksgiving this year and she lives about 3.5 hours one way away. So unfortunately that doesn’t work for us with the kiddo and animals. So It’s going to be just the three of us this year. I’m planning on a small Turkey, candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes(Brandon doesn’t like candied sweet potatoes), Brussels sprouts from the garden, and roasted radishes/turnips/carrots from the garden with an apple crisp for dessert.

In the garden

Our mower belt broke so I haven’t been able to finish mowing and getting the cover crop in. I went into tractor supply to get a new belt and the employee who was trying to be helpful gave me the wrong one. I didn’t notice until I got home so now I have to go back and get a new one. I have a lot of mowing to do before it gets too wet so that is the top priority this week. It’s too late for it to really get growth on it now so I’m going to get it planted and then add compost on top so it will hopefully pop up in the spring.

The raised bed tunnel plants are still looking good. I think my over-winter onion experiment is going to work, so we will have fresh bulb onions in the spring but only time will tell.

New USDA hardiness zones

They released the new hardiness zones for the USA this week. Ohio has changed quite a bit. We are still solidly in 6a but the 6b zone is very close. It’s pretty alarming to see some areas jump from zone 6a to 7a. I’m very interested to see how this will affect crops in the future.

November 20, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Happenings

Homestead Happenings #12

by Margauex November 11, 2023

written by Margauex

This week has been pretty uneventful around the homestead. With the weather really cooling down, we have been inside pretty much the whole week. Avery started swimming and gymnastics this week so I have spent more time driving this week than I have for the past month.

In The Garden

I went through to do my check and see how all the fall garden stuff was doing. I can officially say I have successfully grown Brussels Sprouts! They look so good and I can’t wait to make them for Thanksgiving. We also have turnips, radishes, kale, and lettuce that are thriving. My arugula has gotten out of control. So far I am really happy with it.

Raised Bed Tunnel Update

So far the tunnel has been holding up pretty well. The biggest issue I have found is something is eating my broccoli and cauliflower leaves. I am still trying to find out what the pest is. I feel like it has been cold enough to kill everything off. I think there are some cabbage worms that are hiding out. I am assuming the inside of the tunnel is too warm to kill them so I am currently looking into other solutions. I am out of neem oil so that is going on the shopping list. I am also going to throw down some diatomaceous earth to see if it kills whatever is still in the tunnel. The overwinter onions I am expiermenting with look amazing inside. So that is a bonus.

In The Pantry

I went down to our root cellar to check on inventory this week. I noticed a weird look to one of my containers of water glassed eggs. I pulled it out and one of the eggs at the bottom had cracked. So I took them upstairs and decided to use the others. I ended up making an apple pie baked oatmeal for breakfast this week. It was pretty tasty. The kiddo really loved it. Highly recommend it if you have too many eggs.

I am trying to be better about keeping an inventory down there. My goal is to have a year’s supply of what we use, but keeping it while having a working pantry is pretty difficult. We go through about 15 Dunkin Donut coffee containers from Costco in a year. I have 5 in my pantry right now, so every time I go to Costco I try and grab 1 or 2 until we have the 15. It sounds like so much but I did the math and we are saving almost $3000 dollars by drinking coffee at home versus getting it from Starbucks or Dunkin. So at least there is that.

Fall Room Switcheroo

When we first moved into our house, we decided to take the biggest room as the primary bedroom. Brandon’s office was put in the room that was supposed to be the primary. We ended up switching those this week. Our new room is about 5 degrees coolers than the other, which is great for sleeping and it has an ensuite bathroom. We have turned the biggest room into an office/upstairs hangout/soon-to-be guestroom. It is still kind of a mess right now but has been a nice place to hang out in before we put the kiddo to bed.

November 11, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Happenings

Homestead Happenings #11

by Margauex November 3, 2023

written by Margauex

We got our first taste of winter this week. Tempatures dropped into the low 20s with highs in the low 40’s. Our first snow came in too. We barely got 1/4” that didn’t really stick. North of us, they got hit with lake effect snow, getting over 7 inches in some places. With the cold weather coming in we spent almost all our time inside working on projects I have put off in favor of outside stuff.

In the garden

Nothing really new in the garden. The lettuce, spinach, arugula, radishes, and turnips all survived this cold weather. . . so far. Everything I planted in the Raised Bed Greenhouse Cover I built looks really good. And the whole thing hasn’t fallen over yeat so win-win. If I actually get a harvest out of it we can call that a win-win-win.

The plants I have stored in the greenhouse are also looking really good. I may have to bring them in later on in the winter season. I know I will have to bring in the lemon and lime bushes. Everything else should be ok. One thing with a greenhouse is that if it is unheated, overnight temperatures will be the same as the outside.

I also got a bunch of bulbs at our local hardwarestore to get in the ground for next year. I’m really going to try and focus on attracting pollinators for next season.

The Playful Evolution: Dining Room Turned Play Space

Our house is a small farmhouse built in 1864. Well, the original part was. There have been additions over the years, a big portion done in the 1920s and then more added on in the late 90s. So our home layout is not ideal. The people we bought it from tried to do a remodel, knocking down walls and such but I honestly think it made it worse. Our main living space rooms are weird-shaped with lots of nonfunctional space. Our dining room is a perfect example of this. It’s a decent-sized room that should be something other than a dining room. So we decided to make it into an indoor playroom for our now 14-month-old.

We started by moving all our workout stuff into a small section of our long rectangular living room. Eventually, it will all get moved into the basement, when I can figure out how to take apart the treadmill to move it. Then I moved all the baby stuff out of our living room into the new playroom.

It is still a work in progress but, she is loving the extra space so far. I think it is going to be a really great space for her this winter when it gets so cold we can’t spend that much time outside.

In The Kitchen

I have added a new rule in the kitchen for the winter. Whenever I have 7 pints or 5 quarts ( what my electric pressure canner will hold at a time) I will refill them with something. I want to keep the shelves full so that when winter hits, I do not have to leave the house unless absolutely necessary. I also want to try and do the full 2 months of the every bit counts challenge in order to do that I need to have enough food to last. This week I filled jars with dried beans. It will make cooking a bit easier, I won’t have to remember to soak beans overnight.

I’m down to the last crock of peppers fermenting. The Louisiana hot sauce I made was so spicy but the flavor was amazing. The salsa turned out really good too.

Baking, Baking, and more Baking

Since the cold weather has hit, I have been on a real baking kick lately. This week I did a bulk baking day to prep for the week. The Dinner Roll recipe is now a weekly must for us. We use them as rolls for sides, sliders, and even mini sandwiches. They are so good and easy to make.

November 3, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Happenings

Homestead Happenings #10

by Margauex October 27, 2023

written by Margauex

In the Garden

Two years ago Brandon helped me plant about 200 garlic bulbs. The following summer when It was time to harvest I was almost 9 Months pregnant. We ended up not getting any of it harvested and it popped up again this year. The 200 we originally planted turned into 800+. I decided to plant them in my raised beds. They are super easy to harvest that way. Plus I’m making a bunch of amendments to my market garden soil so I cant really plant them there. I got 650 of the 800 bulbs planted. I’m going to finish up this weekend.

We had our first killing frost. So this weekend I’m going to mow down the tomatoes and corn beds to get cover crops planted. It’s the last section I have to get in before it gets really cold. I’m planting a field pea/oat mix with tiller radish in between. Hopefully, the tiller radish does its job breaking up the clay soil so I can plant potatoes next year. I also harvested our last basket of peppers. The plants officially died from the frost. Not 100% sure what I’m going to do with them but I think I’m going to make more fermented hot sauce

Animal Update

My husband is one of those people who is 100% in or nothing. So this week he has been working on setting up our basement as a cat haven. He got a cat scratch pole and toys, and now we have cat nanny cams set up so he can watch them during the day. They are both warming up to us, more to him. I’m hoping they keep the mice out of our cellar.

On another note, we unfortunately lost a chicken this week. She had an egg stuck that broke and then fully prolapsed. How the egg broke I do not know. I have never had that happen before. We brought her inside and cleaned her up. We kept her in a dog kennel in our dining area with food and water hoping she would recover. Unfortunately, she did not make it and passed away that night. So that really sucked. Our other chickens are doing really well, and the goats are just as mischievous as ever.

In The Kitchen

I successfully made my first challah bread. I have been obsessively watching braiding bread tutorials and finally gave it a try. I will say, having ADHD and trying to watch a 30-second clip tutorial is very difficult. It took me 17 watches but I finally did it. I think I should have stuck with just 3 braids, it would have taken me 1/4 as long but in the end, I got it and It turned out tasty. Brandon said it would be really good as a giant pretzel with cheese. So that Is next on my list of baking. I’m attempting to make a sourdough version. If it turns out, Ill share the recipe.

I also cleaned out my fridge this week. I had a bunch of oranges, lemons, and limes that needed to be used ASAP so I decided to dehydrate all of them. You can hang them to dehydrate but I find that using my Excalibur dehydrator really helps keep a pretty color. When hanging things, they always turn brown.

BUGS BUGS Bugs

Every year right after our first frost we get a swarm of beetles that come by our house. This year they were here for a day. Our one door is an old wood door so it has some gaps along the edge. I went down to the basement and our door was crawling with Mexican Bean Beatles. I yelled for Brandon and he came down and helped me kill all the bugs that made it inside. Then I panic duct-taped the door until I could run to Menards and pick up insulation tape to fix the gaps. So currently our side door is out of commission. The good thing is that we found a couple more gaps to the outside around a couple of old windows in the basement and some other spots that needed to be recaulked. Our house definitely feels less drafty now, which is perfect before it gets really cold.

October 27, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Pantry

7 Ways To Increase Your Food Security

by Margauex October 24, 2023

written by Margauex

Between inflation, extreme weather events affecting crops, and geopolitical conflicts, it is more important than ever to have food security for your family. The USAID defines food security as “Food security means having, at all times, both physical and economic access to sufficient food to meet dietary needs for a productive and healthy life. A family is food secure when its members do not live in hunger or fear of hunger.”

For me, being food secure comes from having a year’s worth of food stocked in our home. Knowing that if something were to happen like an illness or job loss we wouldn’t have to worry about food.

How is having a homestead pantry different from a prepper's pantry?

A pantry is a pantry whether you use it for prepper foods or as a working pantry. I do bulk buy things like baking supplies, flour/sugar/yeast, etc. but you won’t see me buying thousands of dollars worth of freeze-dried meal buckets to use for an emergency. Homesteading gives me a natural advantage when it comes to food security and emergency preparedness and it can for you too. You don’t need acres upon acres to do it.

During the summer months, we can, freeze, dehydrate and ferment the excess harvest for winter. Instead of tin cans sitting in the pantry or MRES stocked away, we rotate our food storage, eating through it during the late fall, winter, and early spring. The goal is to have enough of an item to last us until the next harvest. Learning how to cook from scratch and incorporate preserved foods into meals is not only a more affordable way to eat, but is also way healthier. You control all the ingredients that go into your food.

I personally believe that the homesteader’s way, having a working pantry, is far superior to a straight prepper pantry because it is healthier, tastier, and a renewable resource of food.

Here is a list of ways anyone can increase their family’s food security.

#1 Grow A Garden

This is the number one way to increase your food security. Many people think you can just purchase one of those emergency seed kits, store them, and then plant if the need arises. The truth is gardening is a lot more nuanced than that. Knowing how to set your garden up, companion planting, what varieties work well in your climate, your soil nutrition, when to plant, and I could go on listing so many more things that are so important to have a successful harvest. My favorite saying is ” The difference between a good gardener and a bad gardener is the good gardener has killed more plants”

Even if you are in an apartment or in the city, there are community gardens you can join. Grow bags for balconies. Even growing herbs in your window is an option.

#2 Save Your Own Seeds

Seed saving is the practice of collecting, storing, and replanting seeds from plants you’ve grown, preserving genetic diversity and enabling self-sufficiency. It saves you money by eliminating the need to purchase seeds each season. Did you know saved seeds adapt to your local growing conditions, leading plants that yield better harvests? This process also contributes to the conservation of heirloom and rare plant varieties saving them from potential extinction. Check out my post on seed saving here.

#3 Learn To Preserve Your Harvest

Learn how to safely can your food. Know what should be pressure canned and what can be put in a water bath canner. Not a fan of canned food? Thats ok! You can dehydrate, ferment, and freeze instead. It’s good to have a wide variety of preserved foods that serve different purposes. Dehydrated fruits are an awesome snack. Throw dehydrated veggies in broth and make a soup. Ferment your own salsa, hot sauces, or sauerkraut. Freeze peppers for fajitas, green beans for stirfry, and broccoli for meals. There are so many vegetables and fruits you can freeze and use in your cooking. I’ve found that when I freeze them myself, they don’t have that weird freezer taste that store-bought frozen vegetables have.

Preserving what you grow saves you money and makes healthier, tastier meals. You control the ingredients that go into what you preserve

#4 Raise Your Own Chickens

Most people do not realize that meat from your grocery stores and a lot of local farms comes from hybrid chickens, either cornish cross or rainbow rangers. They won’t live long enough to breed before their hearts give out or their legs break. They are bred to grow very fast in a short amount of time with the most meat possible.

If your local ordinance allows, get heritage chickens. They are super hardy and can be bred if necessary. Most heritage breeds are dual-purpose, meaning you can have them for meat or eggs. This coming year we are adding a rooster to start hatching our own chicks. It is really easy and fun to do. Find my Backyard Chicken Guide here.

#5 Stock Your Pantry With A Year Supply Of Food

Like most people, I do not have enough space to grow all of my family’s yearly grain consumption. I purchase grains in bulk because it is more affordable, we use them all the time, and if properly stored grains can last decades. When you buy food in bulk, IT MUST BE STORED PROPERLY. Check out my post on The Basics Of Food Storage for an in-depth guide on building your storage pantry.

Aside from grains and dry goods, store a year’s supply of canned goods, dehydrated foods, and fermented foods. When cooking from the pantry you want options. Surviving on grains and canned foods is doable but you will probably get sick of it really quick. Having vegetables stored in different ways gives you variety in your diet.

For example, I can, freeze and dehydrate green beans. Canned get used as a side for meals, frozen are great for stirfry and roasting in the oven, and dehydrated are great for soups and casseroles.

#6 Plant Edible Bushes, Trees, And Perennials As Landscape Around Your Yard

As beautiful as ornamental trees, shrubs, and bushes are, with the small size of yards we have nowadays and the low water in a lot of areas, we should really be planting food-producing landscaping instead. Berry bushes look great year-round. Grape vines are great for trellising fencing and gazebos. Strawberries make beautiful ground cover. There are so many beautiful edible plants.

#7 Learn How To Cook From Scratch

Cooking from scratch means different things to different people. It could be a meal kit from the grocery store because you didn’t go out to eat or order delivery that night. Others might think buying veggies, meat, and rice from the store and making a stir fry is cooking from scratch Then you have the hardcore cooking from scratch. Like making homemade pizza from the cheese you make a few weeks in advance, topping with homemade canned sauce and veggies you’ve grown and preserved with meats you cured yourself from animals you’ve grown.

I am nowhere near the hardcore stage nor do I want to be. Would it be nice to be able to make my own cheese and dairy products? But for my family size having a milk cow just doesn’t make sense. For me, there is a healthy balance you can have between the store-made frozen meal kit and the hardcore make-everything-from-scratch. Learn to make what you can from scratch from the items you store in your pantry. You will save money, have healthier foods, and spend less time in the grocery stores. Learn how to make things from the raw ingredients and have the skill to cook completely from scratch if you really needed to.

Sources: https://www.usaid.gov/agriculture-and-food-security

October 24, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Pantry

5 Ways To Save Time In The Kitchen

by Margauex October 23, 2023

written by Margauex

When I think about being self-reliant with our food, I am absolutely amazed at how past generations were able to complete the task. With little to no technology, food preparation and preservation was a long, tiring, and often times tedious task.

With the right tools, the preparation and preservation of your food can be quick and simple. I thought about sharing all the ways I save time preserving, but for me preserving and cooking are so intertwined, it just made more sense to talk about both.

I use preserving to make things easier when cooking. I’ve spent years cooking three meals a day, from scratch, for my family. It is a lot of work and can become overwhelming very quickly. So if you want to start cooking more from scratch and preserving but don’t know how to fit it into your schedule, I have some helpful tips for you.

#1 Have a Meal Plan

Having a weekly meal plan proves incredibly beneficial for time-saving in the kitchen. By organizing meals ahead of time, you streamline your cooking process and eliminate the uncertainty of daily meal decisions. It will also save you time and money. Having a meal plan will give you exactly what you need for the week, eliminating extra trips to the store, where you end up getting more than you need. I try to keep our grocery store trips to once a month. It doesn’t always happen but that is the goal. You can check out my meal planning and prep post here.

#2 Purchase Proper Tools, Gadgets, and Appliances

I mention how important this is in my 9 Essential Tools Every Gardener Needs post and it honestly applies to most things in life. In the kitchen you can get by with the basics, but why double or even triple the time it takes to cook or preserve something when there is a tool that can do the same task at a fraction of the cost? I completely understand not all tools, gadgets, and appliances are going to work for every family. Limited space, financial constraints, and even skepticism about functionality can make us apprehensive about obtaining more stuff.

If you’re on a budget, really look into what is going to save you the most time. If you can try and save for the more premium option. I’ve ended up spending just as much money on some things by going with the lower-cost option and then needing to repurchase it because it broke. Or it ended up being a complete waste of money because it just didn’t work correctly and it was too much of a hassle to use. Over the years my Birthday, Christmas, and now Mother’s Day gifts have been things I use in the kitchen, including my pots and pans, Instant Pot, a smoker, griddle, and a mixer. You can check out my complete list of kitchen gadgets here.

#3 Know How Your Tools Work

You’ve got your proper tools, now make sure you know how they work and the best way to use them. Did you know the Instant Pot makes the best and easiest hard-boiled eggs and rice? How about that you can use your dehydrator to make yogurt. Figuring out what each of your gadgets can do is crucial in not only saving time in the kitchen but also keeping your kitchen space clutter-free. Why get extra things you don’t need if what you already have will work?

Mixer: I have a Kitchen-Aid mixer. You can get a bunch of attachments for it. Things like a pasta roller/cutter, meat grinder, and food mill (my most used accessory). Check out what your mixer can do and use it fully.

Food Processor: On top of normal food processor stuff, chopping, I use this for shredding bulk cheese and potatoes for hashbrowns, slicing veggies thin, and making pie crusts (really anything that the recipe says to mix butter into pea size balls in flour).

Immersion Blender: This thing is one of my most used gadgets. I use it probably 4 times a week. It works amazing for small batches of things you don’t want to put in the blender. It fits perfectly in wide-mouth mason jars to blend dressings, homemade mayo, etc. It is also a great way to make your own pureed baby food.

Dutch Oven: A Dutch oven is a must-have for home cooking. I have two of this exact one. One red and one blue. I use it for most meals, the red for any soups, stews, chilis, pasta/one-pot dishes, braised meats, roasts, and even as a deep dish for frying. The blue I use exclusively for baking breads.

Blender: Getting a high-quality blender and knowing all the functions of your blender will save you so much time and energy. I use mine daily.

#4 Preserve "Meals in a Jar" and Bulk Cooking

Bulk or Batch cooking is something that everyone mentions when talking about how to save time in your kitchen. The reason is because it works. One way is to double or even triple a recipe, then freeze what you don’t eat. I do this with lots of recipes, the main one I make and freeze consistently is pizza dough and toppings. We have homemade pizza every Friday, so having these premade to pull out cuts down my weekly prep. Make sure you and your family like the recipe first. Do a test with a small amount in the freezer and then cook it up. Some meals texture and taste can change after freezing and cooking. Do not waste your time, money, and ingredients by doing make-ahead freezer meals you and your family will find inedible.

I do a lot of “Meals in a Jar” canning. Unfortunately, this isn’t a complete meal as there are ingredients not safe for canning but having 90% of your meal done for you is a huge time saver. Throwing some pasta in a pot to cook and warming up a jar of pasta with meat sauce is a quick 20-minute meal. You don’t have to worry about thawing meat, chopping vegetables, and cooking it all down. Soup bases are another great meal in a jar. I do a bunch of chicken soup base that I can throw in a pot with some noodles and have chicken noodle soup, and add rice for chicken and rice soup, I’ve even thickened it up and made chicken pot pie with it. Having the basics for a meal done makes cooking so much faster.

#5 Plan in Advance

At the end of every year, I go through my pantry and do an inventory. I ask myself a couple of questions. “What did we use the most of this year?” “What did we run out of?” “What did we not use?” and most importantly, “What do I wish I had in my pantry that I had to buy at the store and can replace with what I can grow?” These questions help me determine what I am going to preserve for the year and how many plants I’ll need to plant to reach that goal.

You want to focus your time and energy on growing things you will actually eat. Don’t grow 20 okra plants if you don’t enjoy okra. It’s a waste of time and space. Once you get a good idea of how much you generally use of a vegetable or fruit, you’ll just need to slightly tweak the numbers year to year. I always overplant certain crops to hopefully overcome any problems with that growing year. Anything extra at the end of the season I give away to friends and family. If you have enough space it’s a great way to garden.

October 23, 2023 0 comments

Backyard Chickens

Best Egg Laying Heritage Breeds

by Margauex October 22, 2023

written by Margauex

There are so many different chicken breeds to choose from. It can become overwhelming quickly. Working on a farm in Colorado I was responsible for 600+ chickens at any given time. We ordered roughly 200-300 new chickens each year to replace older chickens. We needed hardy birds that would survive Colorado winters and free-ranging around the fields. They also needed to be high-production egg layers in order to provide eggs for our CSA members and community.

When looking at chickens for homesteads, egg-laying is only one factor in selection. You want to look at how well they forage, their temperament, how much feed is needed for egg production, and overall hardiness.

It is important to know all these aspects before purchasing your chickens or you may end up paying more than you expect and get less yield than you want/need. Check out my Backyard Chicken Getting Started Guide for information on everything you need to have chickens!

Why you use Heritage Breeds for Egg Production

Heritage breed chickens are traditional, time-tested poultry breeds that have been raised by farmers for generations. These breeds are valued for their unique qualities, often including hardiness, adaptability, and the ability to forage for their food. Unlike modern commercial breeds, heritage chickens are selected for their ability to thrive in diverse environments, produce flavorful meat and eggs, and preserve genetic diversity within the poultry population. They stay true to the original type, making breeding possible. They are also less susceptible to health issues that hybrid chickens may have. There is a reason they are “heritage” and have been around for several generations.

Even though it may seem like heritage breeds lay fewer eggs than hybrids that is not really the case. If you look at it from a yearly standpoint, yes hybrids do lay more eggs in a 1 year period. But after the first year, most hybrids are culled due to burnout or health problems. Year after year heritage breeds will continue to produce. The oldest chickens I have personally seen still producing eggs were 4 years old and heritage breeds.

What are the best Heritage Breed Egg Laying Chickens?

Here is my list of the Top 10 Best Egg Laying Chickens based on all the factors listed above. I put it in the order of my personal favorites but you really can’t go wrong with any of the 5. The top three each lay a different color, white, brown, or blue. So if you are looking at only a few chickens, I recommend getting one of each

Plymouth Barred Rock
Ameraucana
Leghorns
Speckled Sussex
Australorps

#1 Plymouth Barred Rock

This is my number one breed. They are great layers with an average of 210 large brown eggs per year. Super hardy, they do well in cold winters. Dual purpose, you can use them for meat and egg production and they live 6-8 years. They are also the friendliest birds you can have. At the farm I worked at, the owner’s daughter had a pet-barred rock she named Daisy. Daisy would come up to her, sit on her lap, and follow her around everywhere.

#2 Ameraucanas

Ameraucanas are known for their beautiful blue eggs. They were bred to retain the blue egg-laying genes and eliminate health issues with the Ameraucana breed. They lay about 250 eggs per year and have a few different varieties. I have a Blue Ameraucana and I will be completely honest, she is really prissy. The wheaten variety is a little broody but friendly. My Blue Ameraucana will let you pick her up and follow you around. She will also be very vocal when she feels the chicken coop/ nesting boxes need to be cleaned out. She will stand outside the coop and squawk until you give her the attention she wants. I don’t know if that is all the Blue Ameraucanas or if mine is just super spoiled but keep that in mind.

#3 Leghorns

Leghorns are a high production white egg layer averaging about 280 eggs per year. All the eggs I have gotten from them have been extra large but they traditionally lay large eggs. They come in a couple of different varieties with the white leghorn being the most common. They are a bit nervous and I have seen them fly over 10-foot fencing. When they get used to you they are super friendly. I had a leghorn at the farm that I named Clark because she was always getting out and exploring. When I would yell her name she would come.

#4 Sussex

Speckled Sussex to me are one of the prettiest birds you’ll ever see. They are white and brown with some having turquoise feathers. They lay about 250 large cream/tan/brown eggs per year and are super friendly. They are also really good foragers and make good mothers while also being pretty hardy.

#5 Australorps

If you are looking for high production brown egg layers, Australorps are it. They average about 260 eggs per year but are famous for laying 300+ eggs per year. They are a good dual-purpose breed that is pretty docile and hardy. They also have beautiful coloring. They are black with a turquoise tint that looks stunning in the sun.

I hope this helps you see why these laying hens are my top 5 chicken breeds. I recommend Meyer Hatchery or Murray McMurray Hatchery for your Chicks. We did bulk ordering from both when I was at the farm. My personal chickens come from Meyer because they are less than 2 hours away from me in Ohio and I could pick them up in person. They are both really great with their birds and if something happens to them in transit, an unfortunate thing that can happen, they will replace the birds right away. You just need to let them know within 48 hours. I also recommend trying to get your birds to be ready/delivered in the late fall. This will have them ready to lay eggs by early spring and they will be in peak production mid-summer.

October 22, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Pantry

8 Pantry Items To Stock Up On For 2024

by Margauex October 21, 2023

written by Margauex

Having a stocked pantry is a must-have for today. With shortages and rising food costs, It’s essential to stock up your pantry in the best and most cost-effective way you can. Buying in bulk is the number one way to save. I know not everyone is in the position to be able to purchase their goods in bulk. While it may be cheaper overall, not everyone has the extra $30 to just buy a 25 lb bag of flour or a 3 lb jar of honey. The other option is shopping sales. I know it is hard to do because sale prices are what we used to pay normally, but you should really grab what you can when it goes on sale, there is no guarantee it will go on sale again and we will probably never see prepandemic prices. Once corporations know we will pay something, they won’t ever drop the price.

The other thing we are seeing in stores is shrinkflation. Instead of changing the price, companies are changing the size of the packages. So you are getting less product for your money. Check sizing and ingredients. Another thing companies are doing to keep costs down is changing out ingredients for lesser quality ones. If the price has stayed the same on what you are buying really take a look at it to make sure it’s the same.

Why is there talk about shortages in 2024?

There are several reasons why there is a lot of chatter about shortages in 2024. It is not just food but across a lot of sectors. This will make prices on almost everything go up. From having the hottest summer on record, extreme droughts in a lot of the world, wildfires, to extreme flooding, lots of countries’ Agriculture was disrupted.

On top of climate-related issues, war still going on in the Ukraine, along with now war in Israel and other parts of the world, exports from those countries have stopped, disrupting the supply chain. Countries have also put export bands on products in order to secure their domestic supply. These reasons and more are going to cause food prices to really go up.

Personally, here in the USA, I don’t think we will completely run out of anything. Will you be able to get the brand you like? Probably not. Will you be able to afford everything you normally get? I honestly don’t think so. Right now there are a lot of products that are already becoming unaffordable.

I put together this list of 10 items that you should stock up on before 2024. This list includes some products because of expected shortages or price hikes while others are a great addition to your pantry to be used as an alternative to things like meat. Check out my post on Food Storage Basics to learn how to store foods in your pantry.

Where is the best place to buy pantry goods in bulk?

The best prices I have found depend on what you are looking for. If you prefer organic or conventionally grown foods, would rather have food delivered, or like to go in-store, your pricing will vary.

For organic foods, Azure Standard consistently has the lowest bulk prices with the exception of bulk all-purpose flour. (See Costco) I get all my specialty organic flours through them. They also have really good prices on organic raw milk cheese. If you like probiotic yogurt and sour cream, They have really good deals on both. You want to join a drop point to get the best deals. You pay a fraction of the cost for shipping doing it that way.

Big Box Stores

Costco: Costco has organic all-purpose flour about .30¢ less per pound than Azure.. The price might be different where you live so check and see if your local Costco has it in and the price comparison. One way I have found to price check at Costco is to view Instant Cart. I know that the prices in my store are about $2.00 less on average than what they put on Instant Cart. They are also great for checking inventory. They keep a really updated list of what’s in store. You can also find great prices on bulk items here. Conventional and more organic stuff every week.

Sam’s Club: Before we got a Costco close to us, we did a lot of our bulk shopping at Sam’s Club. They are about $2-$3 dollars cheaper on the same brand items you can get at Costco. I think the store brand, Member’s Mark isn’t as high quality as Costco’s Kirkland.

How do I store Food to make it last as long as possible?

Check out my post on The Basics of Food Storage here.

Flour

With everything going on in the world, wheat prices are expected to go way up. In July, Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, blocking Ukrainian ports, their main way to export goods. On top of that, the USDA’s latest forecast shows a supply contraction among the key exporters based on extreme weather conditions. All this is causing projections of wheat prices to continue to go up. Keeping a stock of flour will allow you to bake your own foods, and thicken soups and sauces, along with other cooking essentials. You save so much cooking from scratch and eat way healthier too. This is a homemade sandwich bread recipe you can make for about $1.34 a loaf and is super easy to make.

Pasta

Most pasta is made with wheat. When the ingredients price goes up the final product will also go up. you can make your own pasta but it isn’t always the most affordable option. Pasta is made with just flour and eggs. So really your cost of eggs will determine which is the better option for you. I buy pasta in bulk and store it in jars for a quick meal, choosing to use my eggs for other purposes.

Olive Oil

Extreme drought in Italy has caused lots of issues for their crops, especially in the region where olives are grown. Just in the last 3 weeks, I have seen Olive Oil go up $4.00 for the 3L jug I get. The Internationational Olive Oil Council released their September report, stating extra virgin olive oil is up 104% from last year. ** Spain’s crop yield this year was also cut in half. This is going to drastically increase the price of Olive Oil in the next year. If you are not an olive oil user, stock up on your choice of oil. Once prices get completely unaffordable, people will begin switching to more affordable oils, decreasing the supply and increasing the price.

Rice

Rice is another crop affected by the global climate. India recently announced they would only be exporting basmati rice, keeping all other crops to help replenish their stores. This has made rice prices shoot up everywhere. You may not eat other kinds of rice now, but when the other rice is gone, people will be looking for other kinds of rice to use, thus increasing the demand, and making the price go up as the stock goes down. White rice, although less nutritious than brown rice, stores longer and is easier to cook.

Honey

Honey is a great item to keep in your pantry. It is an incredible sweetener that never expires. It is also way more nutritious than traditional sugars. Beekeepers reported having higher than normal die-offs last winter starting this year off with fewer bees than normal. One Washington beekeeper said, “…the worst year since the disastrous year of 2005.” This combined with the extreme weather of 2023, be prepared for supply to be low making prices high.

Dried Beans

Beans are a nutritious and super cheap food to keep in your pantry. Nutritional information will vary from bean to bean, but pinto beans are one of the most nutrient-dense foods around. For one cup of beans, you get 245 calories with 15 grams of protein. Beans are a great substitute for meats because of their high protein content. You can usually get 1lb of beans at your grocery store for a buck and some change. Add a different variety to each of your grocery trips, and you will soon have a big stockpile of beans that will be a great addition to meals. I store my bulk beans in 5-gallon buckets with gamma lids. For varieties we eat less of, I store them in half-gallon mason jars.

Lentils

Lentils are another super nutritious and cheap food. Lentils are incredibly healthy because they’re rich in protein, fiber, and essential minerals like iron and potassium. They keep you feeling full, provide long-lasting energy, and support your heart and overall health. Plus, they’re low in fat and have no cholesterol. So, adding lentils to your diet is a smart choice for a nutritious and satisfying meal.

Sugar

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Division*sugar is up 42% from this time last year. It has gone up 9% in just one month. The price increase stems from concerns over a decrease in global supply for the upcoming 2023/2024 season. This from drier than normal weather in areas like Thailand and India, countries that are big sugar producers.

We have really seen a price increase in the stores. In some places, it has been up several dollars per bag. The supply is also down in the grocery stores and with the holidays coming up, more and more people will be buying sugar, decreasing the supply and increasing the price. Store Sugar in airtight containers. Do not use an oxygen absorber. It will turn your sugar into a brick.

By stocking up slowly while you can, you get food security for tough times and inflation. You also help alleviate some of the supply chain pressures by not panic buying and clearing out shelves. In the long run, you save money by staying out of stores.

sources

* https://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/foodpricesindex/en/

**https://www.internationaloliveoil.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/IOC-prices-rev-0-1-1.html

October 21, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Happenings

Homestead Happenings #9

by Margauex October 20, 2023

written by Margauex

In The Garden

I have been trying to find Concord grapes to make grape jelly all week. The one place that got them in sold out in 2 hours before I could make it to the stand. When we first bought our homestead, I planted a couple of grape plants and planted them randomly along some fence line and then promptly forgot about them. Until now. I went out looking for them and they haven’t grown at all. I dug them out of the ground to see what was going on.

Turns out the roots were completely balled up. Clay soil for you. So I dug all the grape plants out, cleaned the roots up, and repotted them in pots in my greenhouse for the winter. I gave them a big feeding of fertilizer and I’ll replant them in the spring as soon as the ground is workable. Fingers crossed they survive all winter in a pot.

I thought my peppers were donezo for the season because of the cooler weather coming in. They were like Surprise! WE ARE STILL HERE AND THRIVING. So that was a nice surprise. Peas are also coming in looking good. I am definitely getting worn out and ready for a winter rest. I did not think that would happen, but this season has been the busiest yet.

In the kitchen

I didn’t get much done this week in other areas because I spent almost four full days processing apples. I got a bushel each of fuji, Honeycrisp, and gala apples. I dehydrated 3 gallons worth of apple slices and made applesauce, BBQ sauce, and apple pie filling. All the scraps were split between making apple cider vinegar and thrown in my steam juicer to make apple juice. I am hoping I did the math right and this will be our year’s supply of apples. I also had enough peppers to make another batch of cowboy candy.

Added To The Homestead

We have added to the homestead this week in the form of two cats. They were feral wild cats that a neighbor’s friend had started feeding. He had to move and his new place didn’t allow animals so he was looking for a new home for them and we jumped at the chance. They are currently in our basement getting used to the new environment. They are still pretty nervous around us but each day is getting a little better. The vet said just keep feeding them and showing them we are safe and hopefully they will warm up to us. Meet Wedge and Salem.

October 20, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Happenings

Homestead Happenings #8

by Margauex October 13, 2023

written by Margauex

In the garden

This week, our local news station made a huge deal about a frost coming in. So I spent several hours harvesting everything I could. My husband came out and helped me get all the tomatoes harvested and sorted. Then we got all our peppers covered. It was so stressful trying to figure out where to put everything and to figure out what I was going to do with all the produce brought in. And then, we didn’t get any frost. So I have a box of green tomatoes slowly ripening in my kitchen, 2 half-gallon jars filled with dehydrated green beans, and a huge basket full of peppers to preserve.

Preserving

I started in with tomatoes this week. Everything got thrown in my roaster oven to cook down. I made crushed tomatoes, pizza sauce, and a batch of ketchup. We use Heinz for dipping sauce, so the canned ketchup is for recipes like meatloaf and sweet & sour pork/chicken. I also blanched and dehydrated all the green beans we had. I’m still working my way through the sweet peppers.

All the hot peppers we have harvested have been divided up to make hot sauces and more cowboy candy.

Raised Bed Greenhouse Covers

With the frost coming, I built a raised bed hoop house out of PVC pipe and 6 mil plastic. Inside I got the broccoli, cauliflower, and onions I started about 8 weeks ago. They are loving it. I have one more smaller one to make for lettuces, spinach, turnips, radishes, bok choy, and arugula.

Prepping for Garlic

I finished up the week pulling everything out of these 4 raised beds to get ready to plant garlic. I decided that I’m planting garlic here for next season. I am having to do too many amendments in the market garden, I have no space for the garlic this season. Next year I’ll have a garlic bed.

October 13, 2023 0 comments

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