On our Own Homestead

12/10/2024

Very early in 2024 I planted a bed of Winecap Mushrooms. It's been our first mushroom planting adventure and we thought for sure that the spores got washed out through the rainy season.

BUT... we had some pretty cold weather for Florida and with that, some woke up! I almost missed them!

12/06/2024

Living in Florida, we can grow pretty much all year round. This is our cold-weather growing season, and after catching some holiday sales and buying a few more Vego beds, it's time to plant potatoes and garlic!

12/06/2024

So I own a Kitchen Aid and I also have the Pasta Attachment. I used it once. Unfortunately it was a hot mess because I forgot the dough had to be refrigerated and everything was just messy. Enter Black Friday Deals and I decided to invest in a Pasta Maker (I paid $99 at the time of that sale but they are $155 regular price. We do eat a LOT of pasta at home!

Now let me tell you that it took 15 minutes from the time I put the first ingredient into the Pasta machine until the time it was in the pot on the stove! I really couldn't have loved the experience more!

Everything is dishwasher safe, but I hand washed everything and nothing stuck to the parts and the entire cleanup took me 2 minutes! Also Bonus points: There are only a tiny little bit of dough left by time the machine shut off because it was done! So yeah - NO regrets! It's a marvelous appliance!

PS: I just discovered the Pasta Machine is back on sale LOL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MCYJN9X

11/27/2024

We have a Frog Hotel Tennant!

11/22/2024

When its cold in Florida and you just need a place to go...

11/20/2024

It's our Winter Season and with that we get to grow cooler weather crops! PS: If anyone has secrets on how to get your bananas to bloom, I beg you to tell me LOL (They get fertilized every 30 days and watered really well!)

11/20/2024

My Herbalist friends know.. this is one of my favorite plants on the planet and my life line when it comes to staying off Anxiety Meds. I present to you: Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)!

And now we dry the roots, and process them into powder once they are bone dry before turning them into a tincture that prevents my anxiety attacks, curbs nervousness and allows me to calm my mind to not stress over things when really needed ❤

They have been sitting on our covered deck for three weeks and are almost dried out now. We're going to process them shortly.

11/20/2024

Mayak (or Soy) eggs over rice

Recipe I used:
1 cup of soy sauce
1 cup of dashi stock (You can also use Water but I have Dashi Stock at home)
1/2 cup of sugar
Scallions
1/2 onion
1 tbsp of Garlic
1 tbsp of Sesame Seed and a bunch of eggs.

Hard Boil eggs, mix everything else together until sugar is dissolved and marinate eggs for a day or two in said stuff. Boom - DONE! Serve over rice or however you want to eat these!

11/20/2024

This past weekend, it was high and dry time for me to re-pot some of the seedlings that had been growing in my greenhouse. That should allow them to get nice and big for spring planting.

Being in Florida allows us to grow essentially 365 days of the year, but some things do better in the hot summer moths, and some things we now grow in the winter.

11/20/2024

At our place, where Chris goes... Rorschach follows! LOL

09/02/2024

YAY - first year they are producing!

First year they produced! For all of you out there trying to grow figs and didn't know either - Figs will only produce on NEW growth.

08/23/2024

Poor Gandalf - Romeo is NOT his middle name...

Meet Gandalf, our 6-month-old Bielefelder Rooster whose job is supposed to be to provide us with fertilized eggs so we can have more chickens, except .... he...

08/18/2024

The Lessons they never seem to learn LOL

Frodo Loves to roll in Turkey or Chicken p**p. He doesn't however, love the inevitable consequences!

08/17/2024

Awww they are finally becoming besties! Pippin and Rorschach