Mccraw Homestead

09/25/2022

11/02/2021

Some of our fall garden.

07/09/2020

This thing grows FAST!!!!!
These pics are only 3 weeks difference.

06/29/2020

Before and after:
Metal roof
Completely new hardy board bay window
All new windows
Fresh paint

06/29/2020

When mamma brings in a haul, you gotta put on your thinkin cap.

06/29/2020

Picked up some antique windows so we can start building the greenhouse soon. 👌

06/29/2020

Learning to can food is fun. Also, helps to have stockpiles of ready-to-eat meals.
So far we’ve done:
-candied jalepenos
-Chicken stock
-beef stock
-Irish stout beef stew
-red Thai chicken curry
-Cajun red beans and andouille
-dill relish
-Italian tomatoes
-garlic dill pickles
-bread and butter pickles
-chicken enchilada soup

06/29/2020

Our first bee was finally spotted...

06/29/2020

Got some lighting up in the garden.

05/27/2020

Apparently if you use the greens of store bought green onions, you can just plant the white bulbs and they will regrow.

05/27/2020

The evolution of a cucumber... this is roughly 3-4 days difference between crystal posing with the babies and the full size cucumbers ready to harvest.
Plus, the herb harvest is coming in pretty strong.

04/30/2020

checking in 💚🌎🌿

🎨seanyboydraws

04/29/2020

I feel like I turned around and everything turned on their warp speed.... multiple cucumbers and tomatoes blooming, peas and beans vining up the trellis and we moved the Red heads, Eleanor Rigby and McKenzie, our to the Raptor Roost.... what an experience to witness these living things grow!

Crystal 🍒🌿💕

04/29/2020

Green beans on the move.

04/28/2020

04/27/2020

Today’s Garden going ons! Things are growing crazy fast and blossoms are a-blooming. Squash, Garlic and Burpless Cucumbers.

04/26/2020

Joey McCraw ideas for the feeders.

04/24/2020

Chicken run... done.

04/23/2020

Working on a chicken run addition to the coop.
This gives the 4 of them a daytime perch and 48 sq. Ft. Total And they’ll have an 8sqft dust bath.
Now to end the night with a little scrap wood and pruned rose bush fire pit, breakfast for dinner, then showers/bed.

04/21/2020

just bumped up our herb game.
Adding: more basil and thyme, as well as chives, sage, lemon balm, chamomile, Thai mint, chocolate mint.

04/20/2020

We did something wrong, as our potato plants began to wilt and die (which is the signal to harvest your spuds)...
however we dumped them out and found zero taters....

Lesson: Learning the difference between “determinate” and “indeterminate” potatoes.
Apparently only “indeterminate” breeds are suited to grow in tower formation.
And we had “determinate” seed potatoes. 🤦🏽‍♂️

04/18/2020

Received our 2 new trees for the backyard.
1: dwarf sweetheart cherry tree
1: dwarf lemon/lime tree

04/16/2020

The boys putting in the hard work it takes to give mamma the backyard she wants.

04/13/2020

Lots going on!!
Working on the backyard... got the birdbath area designed. hung the mattress on the shed and put a flowerbed under it with bougainvillea to grow and cover the springs. Put daylillies on either side of it.
Getting the yard ready for gravel and mosaic rock sidewalks. Celery is growing from leftover stalks.
Sourdough starter is killing it... we’ve made about 5 loaves now.

04/05/2020

Today’s quick project. Oryon’s old mattress is now my colorful trellis for my vining Bougainvillea. Chickens are all well. Compost is mixed and ready. Garlic, snap peas, and raspberries are all sprouting new leaves...... 🌷🌵🌸🌳🌺🌱🌷

Crystal

04/04/2020

Joey, I’ll take one of each.... but definitely an “M”

04/03/2020

Got a tree ordered that grows lemons AND limes!!!!! Whattt!??! Also a cherry tree. Both dwarfs.
Found some squash, zucchini and jalapeño buds.
took our first harvest from our garden for dinner (basil, thyme, rosemary, mint).
Found our first garlic sprout this morning!!! Talk to me goose!

J

04/01/2020

Yesterday evening cheese results and a water ballon fight.... today’s chores.... homeschooling, karate class, and our first attempt at sourdough bread.

~Crystal

03/31/2020

Morning work while the kids are homeschooling: stock (we cook EVERYTHING with Joey’s stock. We’ve been saving scraps of onions and carrots and other veggies and meat scraps, for about 3 weeks), a pork butt (which will basically keep us fed for about a week of dinners, tacos and bowls with rice and pulled pork sandwiches etc) and we finally got the milk for cheese. Today we’re making Paneer (similar to cotija). Next week we’ll go for mozzarella (I had to order stuff for it)

~Crystal

03/30/2020

Today has been overcast and rainy. NOT how momma is put in a good mood for sure.... but we did our start our sourdough starter, Fiona. Here’s to 75 years of homemade bread. If it was up to Joey the whole front yard would be wheat and we wouldn’t ever buy flour, but I vetoed that...... no cheese today because I forgot to add the ingredients to the list for the grocery run..... A mix of Throat Comfort and Breathe Deep Tea by Yogi Tea to keep the fam healthy today is brewed in the coffee pot.....

~Crystal