Lucky Rose Homestead

10/07/2024

Just some pictures from today's journey around the yard.

13/05/2024

Some people collect cards, I collect seeds. I am always finding new varieties to try and specifically like trying different tomatoes and peppers. I also save seeds and end up with some fun hybrid plants. I like using a binder with clear inserts pages to store my seeds. The binder keeps the seeds in a safe, dark, place. Then the clear inserts make it easy to see the seed varieties I have, and I can just flip the page over to read the information. The binder also has a strap that makes it easy to transport when I go to seed swap events, and a mesh pocket that I use to store my seed supplies.

06/05/2024

Today's fun. Pickled eggs. The chicken ladies have been laying well so we have an abundance of eggs. This batch just got made and will now go into the refrigerator. Since these are a refrigerated item there is some flexibility on the recipe.

I usually start with a standard brine and then I add things based on what I have in season and available. This batch has onion chives and garlic chives added. I also like adding turmeric which makes them a pretty golden color, and I usually add extra spices like red pepper flakes, chili powder, etc. Don't ask me for measurements. I rarely measure them. I just add things until my intuition tells me to stop. 😅 You just have to do what works for you and your spice tolerance.

06/05/2024

I love walking around the yard and seeing all the plants waking up for the season. It feels like seeing old friends again, after months of missing them. ❤️ I wasn't able to start any seeds this year because I had surgery scheduled, so I will need to buy started plants for my annuals, but my perennials are definitely my favorites.

31/10/2023

Happy Halloween! How cute is this drink from Retro Eighth Coffee & Açaí ? I decided to take a quick walk this morning to get my caffeine fix before I have to rush around trying to get all my Winter prep work done. Why is it snowing already? I am not prepared. I still have squash in the garden, and plants that need to be cut down/removed, and heated waterers that need to be installed. 😅 Are you ready for the snow? I definitely am not....

04/08/2023

Why grow basic zucchini when you can grow something fun? This is Zucchino Rampicante and it looks like it belongs in a Dr. Seuss book. If I could only grow one squash variety, this would be it.

Why do we love it?

-Dual purpose squash that can be used as a Summer and/or Winter squash.
-Super prolific and we easily get 20-30 squash off each plant.
-Low maintenance. We plant this in open areas and just let it do its thing. I don't stress about watering it, and it's aggressive enough that it tends to overpower weeds.
-Pest and Disease resistant. *Knock on wood* but out of all the squash varieties we've grown over the years this one never seems to have issues.
-Really large squash with minimal seeds. The seeds it does have are condensed to the bulb area in the bottom.

One thing to watch out for, this variety tends to be a pretty aggressive plant. It will get very large and will take over the space it is planted in. I have seen people grow it vertically on a trellis and we tried a few times, but it produces so many large squash that it gets very heavy and it was hard to find a trellis, or tunnel, that could support the combined weight. I grow this almost as a cover crop to take over areas in my yard where I don't want other things growing, or can't access other things easily, etc.

23/07/2023

Hard boiled some quail eggs today. These are really fun for appetizers, on top of ramen, as an easy snack, on top of salads, for pickled eggs, etc. They are also great as a raw feeding item for other animals.

22/07/2023

As a neurodivergent person, my brain is usually very scattered. It starts off as going outside to do the chicken chores. Then I walk past and see something random in one of the garden areas that I need to do. That turns into picking random things I find that are ready, but obviously I didn't bring anything to put it in. More often than I care to admit, I end up using my shirt to carry in eggs or produce. Chaos gardening at its finest. 😆

21/07/2023

❤️ Raspberry Chocolate Jam ❤️

20/07/2023

Just finished canning a batch of Raspberry Chocolate Jam using some of our fresh raspberries! I thought I would share the recipe in case anyone else is looking for some inspiration for a fun way to preserve their current raspberry harvest.

Ball Mason Jars Home

19/07/2023

It's raspberry season! We have an abundance of raspberries on our little homestead, which is a good thing because the kids and animals love them.

Fun fact: We've had our current raspberry patch for over 10 years now. It started as a couple plants and eventually took over that whole area. We find new raspberry plants popping up all over the property, some we leave and some we have to remove. They sure are determined little plants.

30/05/2023

Making some carrot babies today (hopefully). My first round of seeds dried out, because carrots hate me, but we are trying something new this year. I've tried many methods over the years, and I never seem to do well with carrots, but I must enjoy the torment because every year I order more carrot seeds. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤣

04/05/2023

My camera never captures the pretty blue color of the eggs, but I was packing up eggs today and had to take a picture of this one. It's a light blue egg with olive green speckles.

25/04/2023

Using those extra eggs from our ladies! Today we did two quarts of pickled chicken eggs, and one pint of pickled quail eggs because I had some brine leftover. Now they go into the fridge and we wait a couple weeks until they are ready. I think the waiting is the hardest part. 😆

23/04/2023

Eggs, eggs, and more eggs! 😆

20/03/2023

Washing eggs, because in our yard Spring = mud....

03/03/2023

Making some hard boiled eggs today in the Instant Pot. It's definitely my favorite way to make them. Probably because it's easy, and a very hands off method. I can just "set it and forget it" and they always turn out great. 😆