Welcome to our page where we will talk about farming, gardening, and all things dirt - learning to thrive right where we are. Come join us!
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This is a site to help Alaskans work together to not just survive in Alaska but to thrive. Posting pertinent information for all Alaskans on farming locally, buying local, living frugal, etc.
In this season of daily harvesting, canning supplies everywhere, ferments bubbling away on every spare inch of counter space, and the eternal hum of the dehydrator, this could not be more fitting!
It’s chaotic and it’s messy but it’s my very favorite time of the year!
Can you relate??
Know what season it is?!? ((I’ll give you a hint - it starts with an “F”))
No - not fall, silly! It’s fermenting season!!
Here is what’s on our ferment list this year (recipes coming to the website soon):
🥕 basic multi-veggie ferment with lots of ginger (most veggies are homegrown but I did have to bulk buy a couple of things from Azure Standard)
🥕cauliflower with carrots, ginger, and garlic
🥕curried cauliflower ferment
🥕 fermented carrots with dill and garlic
🥕 a little sauerkraut with apples
🥕 beet kvass (the beets are coming from Three Ladybugs Farm) so grateful for local veggies when my garden struggles!
Plus we will pickle some beets and some red onions just for fun.
Do you do any fermenting? What are your favorites?
I spend a lot of time bragging on your farmer but I want to toot my own horn for just a minute.
Most folks don’t know what goes on behind the scenes of the farm so I thought maybe an inside story would be fun.
Guys, the work is endless. Especially this time of year.
For instance, right now - I head out to the orchard at least 3 sometimes 4 or 5 times to take care of quality control.
Want to know what that means? That means I trudge my way all the way out to the golden raspberries and sample them.
Let me tell you just how seriously I take this job.
Folks, I try golden raspberries from all of the rows and most of the bushes.
All because I don’t want you to get a bad berry.
We don’t want the farmer to look bad, don’t you know?
So - I tirelessly sample berries all summer long.
Just for you.
And for the farmer.
Just because I care.
I’m telling you - he’s got it good with me around!
As they say: It’s a tough job but somebody’s gotta do it!
The bulk produce order is finally ready! This time we will be offering peaches, san marzano tomatoes, peaches, and green beans. The order MUST be in by Wednesday at 4 pm so place your order QUICK! Plus there are limited quantities so you don't want to miss out!
ORDER DUE: Wednesday August 21 by 4 pm
ORDER PICKUP: Friday August 30 from 10-3 at the farm
All other details can be found here: https://commongroundalaska.com/product-category/organic-groceries/
Also available for purchase at pickup: assorted non-bulk organic produce, milk kefir, homemade, fresh milled bread, sprouted Ezekiel bread, calendula salve and chapstick, and more!
My garlic bed! Yes!! There is garlic in there but the VOLUNTEER calendula (self seeded from last year) has taken over!
When God gives you an abundance of calendula - you learn all the ways to use it! (And I’ll be moving my garlic bed next year because clearly we need all of this calendula for something and it’s so hardy!
🌼 Calendula tea
🌼 Calendula infused oil
🌼 Calendula lip balm
🌼 Calendula salve
How do you use ?
What are you harvesting today?
Today’s project: Start processing 100 # of tomatoes from - they have the most beautiful tomatoes and they are only $3.50/lb for canning tomatoes and $5.00 for the others - and yes - they are !
Keep watching because I’m going to share my very favorite tomato preservation hack later!
Every year we grow strawberries in gutters along the fence for kids to pick as a reward when they are done in the orchard (they are rewarded for not eating berries in the orchard - it’s hard to resist!).
This year we planted the yambu variety instead of the usual seascape.
We’ve been so impressed! They are some of the most delicious, sweetest strawberries - and they stand up really well to rain!
Plus, they are supposed to be a perennial! They are hardier than seascape (honeoye is their mom).
We will be planting more of these around the farm for sure!
We will also be preselling them in our annual fall presale happening in October. 🙂
Just a farmer and his chickens. 🥰
One of my favorite things about this guy is his kind and gentle spirit. Even animals are drawn to him.
Every once in awhile, we like to buck the system (even our own system) - and today is that day!
We are opening for u-pick tomorrow and you're invited to make an appointment! (Remember, you MUST have an appt to come pick - more on that in a minute.)
https://commongroundalaska.com/product/currants-raspberries-saskatoons-u-pick-wednesday-august-14/
Here's our usual protocol:
✅ A text goes out first to our Lady Homesteaders group. (More info can be found here: https://commongroundalaska.com/product/lady-homesteaders-of-alaska/
✅ About an hour later, a text goes out to our group of texting subscribers (You can start to receive our text messages by texting your name to 206-759-8575)
✅ About 2 hours later, if there are still picking spots left then we send an email to our email subscribers. (You can subscribe to our email list on our website commongroundalaska.com)
BUT TODAY! We're bypassing all of that (just this once - sorry subscribers) and we're opening the appointments to our FB and IG followers! WOOHOO!
Want to be one of the 15 groups that comes to pick at the farm tomorrow?
Here is the short version of the details:
🫐 OPEN: 2-6 pm Wednesday August 14 (Please don't arrive early or plan to stay late. The hours are 2-6, simple as that.)
🫐 Picking: Raspberries (golden and red), currants (red and black), and the last of the saskatoons
🫐 Bring containers to take your berries home in (pick in our containers - take them home in yours)
➡️Please don't bring your dogs to the farm
🫐 Each reservation is for one family. Bringing a friend? We LOVE that! Just please make two reservations so we know we have ample berries for everyone!
🫐 Your $10 deposit is non-refundable but you DO get it back when you show up to pick. No show - no refund. :)
Get the rest of the details and grab your ticket here:
https://commongroundalaska.com/product/currants-raspberries-saskatoons-u-pick-wednesday-august-14/
I know some of you are wondering why we sell appointments and I'd LOVE to explain!
Our farm is nowhere near big enough for the demand so we very carefully measure (aka guess to the best of our ability) how many groups each harvest can support without running out. We typically open for 30-40 groups but tomorrow (Wednesday) has a little lighter availability so we can only open for 15. We'd really hate for someone to drive all the way out here and have to turn them away because we've run out of fruit - thus the reservation idea to keep that from happening.
We charge the deposit to ensure more folks show up. It has been a major bummer in the past when we've held spots for 40 people and only 20 show up - that means that all those folks who didn't get a spot but were serious about coming missed out! Such a bummer - plus these are perishable products so when it's time, they need picked!
So that's why we do things the way we do. :)
Hope to see you tomorrow!
THE SHORT VERSION: OPEN: 2-6 pm Wednesday August 14 (Please don't arrive early or plan to stay late) Picking Raspberries (golden and red), currants (red and black), and the last of the saskatoons Bring containers to take your berries home in (pick in our containers - take them home in yours) Please....
Have you heard that the Alaska Homestead Academy now has a community? We can talk freely over there about anything having to do with homesteading and Alaska living! Next up: the app! Until then, we're having some good conversations in the community and we're adding at least one class per week!
https://alaskahomesteadacademy.com/
Today: Record salmon canning class for Alaska Homestead Academy, mill flour and make bread, and opening for u-pick (all spots are taken but be sure to sign up for our email list if you want to know when we will open again!)
Such a fun time of year! What are you working on today?
GAH! I can hardly WAIT for our visit with Joel Salatin tomorrow! Want to talk with him yourself? It's not too late!
Join AHA (Alaska Homestead Academy) for the 7 day free trial and bring your questions for Joel Saturday August 3 at 10 am. Once you join, the info will be sent in an email about how to join the conversation. ((hint: there's a free 7-day trial so you don't have to pay a dime to join right now))
https://alaskahomesteadacademy.com/
What exactly is AHA? I'm so glad you asked! We're changing things up and making it better right from the start!
🎥 Video classes and courses on all subjects having to do with homesteading.
📖 Online articles and tutorials also teaching how to live the modern homestead lifestyle
📓 An online magazine featuring articles from Alaskans across the state sharing how they are living a more sustainable life, close to the land
🤝 An online community where you're free to discuss all things pertaining to livestock, gardening, herbalism and natural health - amongst other Alaska lifestyle topics!
🧒Kidsteader games, puzzles, articles, and videos (launching January 2024) that you can print or share with your kids so they get to enjoy learning, too!
📲 Coming in September - an iPhone app so you can enjoy ALL of the content with one click on your phone. Engage in the community, watch videos, and read articles right from the app! Android app is hoping to follow in October or so.
🎤 Monthly virtual live Q&A calls with the experts to get all of your questions answered.
🎙️ Quarterly Live Roundtable Discussions with local folks who are living this life - talking about what's going good and what needs to improve - an opportunity to get the hive mind together and solve problems! These will all be themed.
Finally, 🎉 Quarterly potluck gatherings that include live teaching from Alaskans who are rocking this lifestyle!
We set out to put together a STELLAR program and I think we're killing it so far! There are currently four expert videos in the portal with many, many more to come!
👀 Want a sneak peek of what's to come? Currently in the works are: food preservation classes, more herbalism classes, cooking with whole grains, seed saving, gardening, cultured milk like butter, yogurt, and even cheese, and that's literally just scratching the surface. It literally gets better every single day!
We can't wait to have you join us!
https://alaskahomesteadacademy.com/
Released! For another day of foraging fresh grass 🌱 and tasty bugs🦗!
Do you have a favorite spot in your garden?
This little garden bed is my favorite. It holds all of our winter supply of kale (which has been mostly harvested and put in the freezer), Swiss chard, lettuce, nasturtiums, and borage. It’s like the little raised bed that could! So much good food coming out of here - and it’s so pretty!
The nasturtiums and borage are helping to draw in pollinators to the rest of the garden and our summer salads are beautiful and delicious with them added, too!
It all just makes me so happy. 🥰
TO DO LIST:
1️⃣➡️Join The Alaska Homestead Academy FREE 7 day trial to secure your spot for the LIVE Q&A with Joel this Saturday at 10 am. https://alaskahomesteadacademy.com/
2️⃣➡️ Log in to Alaska Homestead Academy (AHA) and watch the new AHA exclusive video with Joel Salatin.
3️⃣➡️ Mark your calendar for Saturday August 3 at 10 am and prepare your questions because, as an AHA member, YOU get to talk with Joel yourself!
In this incredible interview, I got to interview Joel Salatin about several topics having to do with living in Alaska like food security, building community,...
Learning a new thing: Ezekiel bread! Recipe, including sprouting instructions coming soon.
It’s pretty tasty!
U-pick yesterday was soaking wet, freezing cold, and oodles of fun! We have some seriously dedicated picking customers!
So grateful today is at least supposed to be dry. 🌥️
If you are interested in u-pick honeyberries, Saskatoons, cherries, apples, currants, and raspberries - be sure to sign up for our email list at https://commongroundalaska.com
Rookie Mistakes: we all make them - even when we are experienced!
Yesterday I was unloading my dehydrated lemon balm from the dehydrator and putting it in a jar, which I had on the edge of my counter.
When I put it there, I thought to myself that was a bad place to put it but it seemed convenient so I went ahead and left it there.
My mistake.
All that lemon balm ended up in the trash along with the remnants from my jar when I accidentally knocked it all off the counter.
Such a bummer.
But an important lesson.
Take the time to do things right the first time or you may pay dearly. 🙈
New video dropped in Alaska Homestead Academy - this one is foraging in Alaska for medicinal plants.
Such a great class!
Join the academy this week and you can talk with herbalist Darryl Patton in a live Q&A - ask him all of your questions!
alaskahomesteadacademy.com to join
Are you interested in learning more about herbalism in Alaska? We've got you covered over at Alaska Homestead Academy!
Sign up for your free 7 day trial here: https://alaskahomesteadacademy.com/
We invited Darryl Patton, the Southern Herbalist (and former Alaskan) to teach us some of what he knows about herbalism both in the garden and in the wild.
Darryl has been teaching about plants as medicine for decades and when he starts sharing his wisdom, you know you're in for a treat!
Darryl's teaching style is very folksy and story-like which makes the learning process so enjoyable!
Also joining us to talk about herbalism is local forager Elaine Martin. She is a powerhouse when it comes to finding what food and medicine Alaska can provide for us. Her talk, which will drop on Wednesday, is so informative! You don't want to miss it!
We have an entire herbalism course that's finishing up this week being followed by a live Q&A with Darryl this Saturday!
Currently in the Academy is part 1 of the herbalism series that talks about things you can grow in your garden and use medicinally. Dropping later this week is part 2 which includes two videos about foraging for medicinal plants in Alaska.
Aren't sure if AHA is for you? No worries at all! You can sign up for the 7 day free trial, attend the Q&A, and then decide!
Mark your calendars for this Saturday at 10 am if you want to ask Darryl your own questions about herbalism in Alaska.
To get that free 7 day trial, here is the link: https://alaskahomesteadacademy.com/
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
If you had just completed a 4000 SF garden bed full of rich, living soil, and you wanted to harvest something this year? (yes, I know it’s mid-July) what would you plant?
They have access to frost cloth to extend the season a bit and they can sprout the seeds prior to planting to speed things up.
Think you could get broccoli or cauliflower to ripen? How about cabbage?
Lettuce obviously but that doesn’t store well. Kale, radishes, and Swiss chard are on the list.
Can’t wait to hear your suggestions! I thought this was a super fun question!
MEAT CHICKEN UPDATE: We’re learning more and more every year!
This year we are growing out a handful of turkeys, 100 freedom rangers, and 30 Dirt Parrots (crazy name but they are awesome little heritage birds).
They are growing a little slow but overall they are doing amazing! They have lots of field to forage in and we move them to fresh grass every few days so they don’t get bored. Life isn’t half bad for a chicken here on our farm!
However, a couple of days ago, Gene was outside and saw a FOX walking across the wide open field heading to the chicken run! He hollered and ran it off - so now we’re on high alert!
A couple of helpful things we’re learning. First, we are feeding Fred Smith’s milled grower feed. It literally only has the grains in it, and they are cracked for the chickens to be able to digest it easier. Plus we ferment all of their feed so we are confident that between the “no fluff, no artificial anything” feed and all of the grass and bugs (plus garden scraps) they are getting, they are eating good and are super healthy!
I was feeling convicted about using the pelleted feeds with all of the extra stuff in them that I couldn’t pronounce. I don’t feed processed food to my family (for the most part) so why would I do that to my chickens that I’m raising for food?
As a matter of fact, we’ve learned the grains are still viable because as the chickens drop some out of the feeders, they are sprouting in the barn! So what they don’t eat in the feeder, they are enjoying as sprouts! Talk about a win!
So far, so good!
MEAT CHICKEN UPDATE: We're learning more and more every year!
This year we are growing out a handful of turkeys, 100 freedom rangers, and 30 Dirt Parrots (crazy name but they are awesome little heritage birds).
They are growing a little slow but overall they are doing amazing! They have lots of field to forage in and we move them to fresh grass every few days so they don't get bored. Life isn't half bad for a chicken here on our farm!
However, a couple of days ago, Gene was outside and saw a FOX walking across the wide open field heading to the chicken run! He hollered and ran it off - so now we're on high alert!
A couple of helpful things we're learning. First, we are feeding Fred Smith's milled grower feed. It literally only has the grains in it, and they are cracked for the chickens to be able to digest it easier. Plus we ferment all of their feed so we are confident that between the "no fluff, no artificial anything" feed and all of the grass and bugs (plus garden scraps) they are getting, they are eating good and are super healthy!
I was feeling convicted about using the pelleted feeds with all of the extra stuff in them that I couldn't pronounce. I don't feed processed food to my family (for the most part) so why would I do that to my chickens that I'm raising for food?
As a matter of fact, we've learned the grains are still viable because as the chickens drop some out of the feeders, they are sprouting in the barn! So what they don't eat in the feeder, they are enjoying as sprouts! Talk about a win!
So far, so good!
Wouldn't it be super cool if there was a site that is like School of Traditional Skills* meets Abundance +* but specifically for Alaskans?
That is EXACTLY the goal of Alaska Homestead Academy! It's brand new - just launching - and it's off to an incredible start!
Currently there are a couple of new videos (including part 1 of the Herbalism class {In the Garden} by Darryl Patton) plus every full length class we've recorded in the past.
STILL COMING IN JULY:
🌿 Part 2 of Darryl's Herbalism class (In the Wild)
🌿 An interview with local homesteader Elaine Martin about Foraging in Alaska
🌿 A live Q&A with Darryl Patton where you can ask all of your questions about herbalism directly! .. and more!
COMING IN AUGUST: JOEL SALATIN!
👨🌾 A class JUST FOR ALASKANS with Joel Salatin! We will be talking about so many different topics relating to living in Alaska and how to best navigate these crazy times as a homesteader. Things like food security, self reliance, community sufficiency, and how we can use our current times as a strength for ourselves
👨🌾 A class of creative, inexpensive ways to bring food security to your homestead.
👨🌾 Closed Loop Homesteading - is it possible in Alaska?
👨🌾Dairy, meat, & veggies - Oh my! Tips to grow your own or locally source them
👨🌾 Pitfalls & strengths of the current raw milk legislation (and what we're seeing that is going on behind the scenes)
👨🌾 Live Q&A with JOEL SALATIN - if you're a member of the Academy, join us and bring your questions! He's excited to hear from you!
🍅 Beyond Jam: A deep dive into canning including safety, best practices, and recipes!
🍅 Preserving the Harvest: Favorite ways to preserve foods we grow and forage for right here in Alaska!
🍅 Must-have food preservation tools (and some that are pretty cool and serve multiple purposes!)
🍅 Fermenting basics for common alaskan foods
🍅 Homemade yogurt
🍅 Fun and unique ways to preserve your harvest
🍅 LIVE Q&A with Tandy Hogate to talk about all things food preservation!
Plus a sneak peak to others coming to Alaska Homestead Academy:
🌻 Holistic Hilda of the Wise Traditions Podcast (the podcast for the Weston A Price Foundation)
🍓 Dr. Sina McCullough (Co-host of Joel Salatin in the Beyond Labels podcast and brilliant nutrition specialist)
🐮 Shawn & Beth Dougherty of Sow's Ear Farm - they also wrote the book The Independent Farmstead which is one of the best books on homesteading of our time. It's practical, in-depth, and it contains so much wisdom!
And - we're JUST getting started! There's so much more coming up! Be sure to grab the 7 day free trial and check it out:
https://alaskahomesteadacademy.com/
PS - we absolutely LOVE the folks at School of Traditional Skills and Abundance + and we subscribe to both because their content is second to none! Be sure to check them out, too!
Okay folks. Seriously - if you didn’t get this email today, you gotta read it. I have gone back and read it several times and chuckle every time.
Bonus: if you read to the end there is a PS with a spoiler alert.
Check it out!
You know we have been building the Homestead Academy for a bit. Well, the people we hired to build it for us sent me this and asked me to send it out. It cracked me up so I decided I would send it here!
📣 I have an announcement! (again) 📣
Starting mid-July, we will be bringing up ORGANIC bulk peaches, pears, and other fruits and veggies for canning and preserving.
These will not be locally grown but we are being very selective in what we are bringing up so as to not compete with the local food options.
So, if you’re looking to do some bulk preserving and you’re looking for a resource for quality, organic produce, we’ve got you covered!
Pricing and pickup information is coming soon. However, I do need something from you.
What would you like to see offered? We are doing peaches and pears for sure. Maybe apricots? Green beans? What else?
📣Announcement Time! 📣
The GREAT ALASKAN FARM TOUR (Yes, we DID get permission from Justin Rhodes to borrow his name) is a reality!
It's finally time to start scheduling farm tours - and I could not be more excited!
But before we even get into the nitty gritty, I want to say that you don't have to be a full fledged farm to qualify. What we are looking for are folks we can interview who are willing to show us what you do, what you grow, what you produce, either just for your family, & friends or for the public. We want to learn and be inspired by you!
So - to nominate yourself or another farm, simply fill out this google form and we will call and talk about how we can best serve you and get you on our filming schedule! https://forms.gle/989vydG9oQ7QNUFU6
Here's the deal, though. We are just going to film what is beautiful and what you allow to be on camera. I'm not going to secretly film the dust on your hearth or the pile of tires behind your barn, unless you want me to. ((grin))
What we do want to get footage of is - first, your story. How did you learn to do what you do? Why do you love it? What can Alaskans learn from you? Second, we want beautiful, fun and engaging video and still photos of all that you do.
And it doesn't all have to be fancy! Heck, most Alaskans don't prefer fancy! It just needs to be real.
Who qualifies? Do you grow livestock, worms, flowers, berries, veggies, or ferel Alaskan kids who have a garden? You're in! Do you make foods with Alaska grown products? Are your tomatoes the talk of the town? We want to hear more! The sky is the limit - let's make it AWESOME!
Not sure? Let's chat through it because I want to get at least 20 places filmed before winter sets in.
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Released! For another day of foraging fresh grass 🌱 and tasty bugs🦗!
New video dropped in Alaska Homestead Academy - this one is foraging in Alaska for medicinal plants. Such a great class! Join the academy this week and you can talk with herbalist Darryl Patton in a live Q&A - ask him all of your questions! alaskahomesteadacademy.com to join
Sitting at my Grannie’s antique table enjoying my view and practicing gratefulness for our many blessings.
🍎🍁Making applesauce is super simple - and the process makes your house smell like a perfect fall day! First, peel and core your apples and cut into chunks. Next, add just a tiny bit of water to your pot and add honey or sugar and cinnamon to taste. Simmer for a couple of hours until the apples are tender. Use a potato masher to mash the apples down - but not too much! You want to leave some yummy chunks!This is a great time to do a taste test. Does it need more cinnamon or sugar? Add it now! Once it’s sweetened and seasoned to perfection, fill your jars and water bath process. 15 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts. Enjoy this yummy taste of fall all winter long!
I’m currently doing a healing protocol that includes drinking a quart of bone broth/meat stock every day. Who knew getting healthy would be so tasty!?!?
HOW MUCH GARLIC TO PLANT IN YOUR ALASKA HOMESTEAD GARDEN FOR FULL SUSTAINABILITY One thing we are super passionate about right now is making our Alaska garden as sustainable as possible. We have lots of fruits and berries that are perennials in the orchard but now we're starting to work on our perennial (or self-sustaining) vegetable garden. There are tons of options that are Alaska hardy, including garlic! Now they aren't technically a perennial because you do have to replant every year. However, you if you plan properly, you can buy seed garlic once and never have to buy it again. Here's our formula: First, I know that we go through about 2-3 bulbs of garlic per week in our family. That includes enough for overflow things like our veggie ferments, fermented garlic and honey, fire cider, and plenty to share with friends. That means I need to harvest at least 156 bulbs to sustain our family. However, if we also want to have plenty to plant next fall, we need to make sure we plant plenty of extra for that. If we need an additional 156 cloves to plant, and if we can safely assume that each bulb has an average of 10 cloves on it then I need to plant an additional 15 bulbs to supply our family for the following year. And, as always, I plant extra. 🙂 Don't you?
Three Bears Alaska Inc. on KGB has a good thing going and you do not want to miss out!!Please share - this is super cool! The 4-H meat they purchased at the livestock auction this year is ready! Not only is this @buyalaskagrown , these critters were raised by local kids!They have all the parts including the heart, liver, hocks, tongue, etc. plus the usual roasts, steaks, etc.But here’s my favorite part. I had no idea they do this. They don’t take the cost of the animal into account in their pricing. These critters don’t come cheap. However, in their commitment to community, they price the meat exactly the same as what’s already in the case.For example, their Alaska grown family packs of burger are only $5.39/lb!Incredible.This is about the most premium meat money can buy - yet it’s affordable. Get to the KGB Three Bears today!
Abbi says: Honeyberries are ready!! The bad news: If you don’t already have an appointment to pick this weekend, we are sold out. The good news: There’s lots more fruit coming on! Be sure to sign up for our texting service to be informed of our u-pick dates and other news on the farm. It’s easy! Just text your name to (206) 759-8575 and you’ll automatically be signed up! ((We promise not to spam you - we don’t have time for that and know you don’t either!))
Ever wonder what it's like to raise 100 meat birds? Here's a quick snippet of my morning chores. It's too fun to call it work!
We love the idea of free range chickens but we just have so many predators around (including an ermine that nested UNDER the chicken house - but that's whole other story) so we decided to get some movable fencing so our meat chicks can have the freedom of moving around and scratching, etc with safe boundaries in place. They LOVE it! And so do I! Honestly, there's a lot of hype around Premier 1 Supplies fencing but I'm sold! Especially for animals you grow out in the summer only like chickens and pigs. I love that we can make it any shape we want, we can move it around obstacles or place we don't want them, and it's super simple for just one person! One more thing I love ... We're considering expanding the orchard ... again. Big Surprise, huh? Haha! Well, I love that they are getting the ground all ready and fertilized for us while living their best life. :) It's a win-win! For now, the chicks are in new digs and we're all happy. :)
We love the idea of free range chickens but we just have so many predators around (including an ermine that nested UNDER the chicken house - but that's whole other story) so we decided to get some movable fencing so our meat chicks can have the freedom of moving around and scratching, etc with safe boundaries in place. They LOVE it! And so do I! Honestly, there's a lot of hype around Premier 1 Supplies fencing but I'm sold! Especially for animals you grow out in the summer only like chickens and pigs. I love that we can make it any shape we want, we can move it around obstacles or place we don't want them, and it's super simple for just one person! One more thing I love ... We're considering expanding the orchard ... again. Big Surprise, huh? Haha! Well, I love that they are getting the ground all ready and fertilized for us while living their best life. :) It's a win-win! For now, the chicks are in new digs and we're all happy. :)
🌻 Gardening friends - is this summer getting you down? I hear you! That's why I recorded this video - it's intended as a message of hope - and it includes marching orders! ☀️ This weekend, I was looking over my garden and was trying to figure out what to do. There are lots of bare spots where seeds didn't' germinate and some plants just aren't thriving. 🦋 So rather than let it get me down, I came in the house, grabbed out my seed packets, and started researching. It seems the average first frost in the valley is September 16. So based on that, we have almost 70 days of gardening left! So I went through all of my seeds and picked some things to plant. Yep, I planted seeds in my garden in Alaska in July. Here's what I did: 🥬 Cabbage - I have a cabbage from Foundroot that only takes 60 days. So I planted plenty of that. We will just do more ferments for our winter enjoyment! 🥕 Carrots - My carrots are 70+ days but they can actually do okay in a frost so I'll let them get as big as they can before harvesting. I use carrots in our ferments, in homemade soups that I can up using our harvested meat and veggies, and also we put some in cold storage. 🎈Radishes - I always plant several batches of radishes so we have lots of fresh plus lots for our ferment. 🥬 Swiss Chard - I love putting some greens in our soups in the summer so I'll just blanche and freeze more chard for our soups! It's also good in scrambled eggs. :) 🥬 Lettuce - Although we can't preserve it, Gene just loves fresh salad so I planted more lettuce because it loves this weather! 🌱 Peas - I hadn't even planted peas yet because they are going in an area of the garden overhaul that isn't done yet so I found some bare spots and planted them! 💪🏻 I garden like our life depends on it (even though we have a Three Bears 12 miles away). I don't have to but I choose to have that mindset. That gives me a sense of urgency and it also helps me get creative when seasons d
Have you ever gone foraging in Alaska? Alaska offers so much to us that is pure and good and FREE! But you have to know what to harvest, when to harvest it, how much is enough, and what to do with it. That’s why we invited our friend Betty Carrington to the farm to teach a class on foraging. Betty has been foraging in Alaska for decades and she’s more knowledgable than anyone I’ve ever known. I absolutely love listening to her share her wisdom. Join us for our foraging class while we wander the orchard and the wood behind our house and learn so much from my dear friend Betty. Class is Friday June 2. Tickets are limited and can be found on our website.
Tech wasn't on our side for this FREE class earlier so I decided to just record it here for you all. Let's talk about planting your Alaska bushes and trees including spacing, soil prep, and more! If you'd like to learn more, Gene is teaching an orchard Masterclass on June 3 and we'd love to have you! Join him as he tours the orchard and shares everything we've learned about planning, planting, and maintaining our orchard for maximized production. The class costs less than one apple tree but it could save you hundreds! https://commongroundalaska.com/product/alaska-orchard-masterclass/
An illustration on why to harden off your plants plus some info on how to harden them off. Basically, just like your skin is likely tender and couldn’t withstand a whole day in the sun without burning, your plants can’t either. If you take a vacation in a sunny place in the winter, you either get a base tan in a tanning booth (which kinda hardens your skin off for the vacation) or you take it slow or use cover for the first part of your vacation. Why? So you don’t fry your skin and ruin your vacation. Same with plants. They are tender and sensitive just like the pasty skin of an Alaskan after a long winter. 🤣 So, just like you have to take precautions or take it slow with the sun on vacation, your plants need you to take it slow when you harden them off to spend the summer outside. 🙂 How to harden? Put them outside in small incremented times and gradually increase as they seem able. Slow it down if the sun is intense and hot. 🙂 Also, just a reminder. We recommend waiting until June 1 to put plants out permanently. Especially frost sensitive plants. 🙂
CAN YOU PLANT YOUR ALASKA HARDY TREES AND BUSHES OUTSIDE NOW? NO!!!! Here’s why: Nurseries start early to get plants green and lush early so what you see is a plant that is out of dormancy. That means that the sap is running through the plant again. Sap is similar to water in that when it freezes, it expands. If you put your tree or bush outside now, and if we have another killing frost (which is very likely), it will hurt or could even kill your plant. Plus, these lush, green leaves we work so hard for will die off and that doesn’t do the plant any favors either. Our advice, you can sure start hardening your plants off but until you’re sure that your specific area will no longer get a killing frost, it’s best to have them inside at night. Once the plants are outside for the summer, they will naturally know when the weather starts cooling down and the days get shorter and they will naturally start to go into dormancy. Once they are dormant, they should do awesome no matter how cold it gets but since they are out of dormancy now, please, please don’t put them outside to stay yet. If you are curious about growing an orchard in Alaska, we have a couple of offers for you! We have a FREE class all about planting your trees and bushes in your Alaska orchard - you can register here: https://calendly.com/tandy-storyandscript/planting-your-orchard-bushes-trees?month=2023-05 We are also offering a three-hour Alaska Orchard Masterclass all about planning, planting, and maintaining your Alaska orchard which you can find here: https://commongroundalaska.com/product/alaska-orchard-masterclass/ Happy planting (after that last frost)!
Announcement #4 - Most of the presale plants have arrived, they are repotted, and they are happily coming out of dormancy and growing in the greenhouse! The bare root plants (strawberries and raspberries) won’t be here until May but everything else is here and growing! If you preordered plants, you should have gotten an email from me. If you don’t see it, please check your junk mail. I did have some email addresses that were entered incorrectly at checkout and I tried to fix all that I could figure out but some I wasn’t sure about. If you didn’t receive an email regarding your plant preorder, please let me know. If you didn’t get in on the preorders but you’re interested in plants - we’ve got you covered! We are having an open house to come visit the orchard and see all that we have going on happening on May 20 from 10 am - 6 pm. We will have apples, cherries, Saskatoons, currants, raspberries, strawberries and more available at the open house. Want to know what’s awesome about our apples? They are grafter right here on the farm and we winter them over for a year before we sell them - that proves their alaska hardiness! Plus - we only graft apple varieties that will ripen in our climate. 🙂 Preorder pickup times (no need to make an appointment, just come when you’d like during these hours) are: Thursday, May 18 noon-6 pm Friday, May 19 noon-6 pm Saturday, May 20 10 am - 6 pm Sunday, May 21 2-6 pm Monday, May 22 noon-6 pm Tuesday, May 23 10 am - 3 pm Wednesday, May 24 - CLOSED Thursday, May 25 noon-6 pm Friday, May 26 noon-6 pm Saturday, May 27 10 am - 6 pm Sunday, May 28 2-6 pm We are located at 6189 S. Carat St in Big Lake. Hope to see you all in May!
ANNOUNCEMENT #2: Free classes this summer at the Big Lake Library! The Big Lake Library has offered the use of the library on Thursdays for us to offer FREE classes! All classes are on Thursdays at 6 pm. We are open to your suggestions and can possibly add more classes if there's something we're missing! Thursday, May 11 at 6 pm: Cheap Raised Beds that WORK! Thursday, May 25: Companion Planting Thursday, June 1: Preservation Basics Thursday, June 29: How to make Kombucha and Jun Thursday, July 27: All things berries including how to make pectin, preservation methods, and more! Thursday, August 24: Pantry stocking basics Clarification: These are not our masterclasses which are held at the Big Lake Lions Club. Those are not free and they are 3-4 hours. The library classes are one-hour long classes learning the basics and building community. Hope to see you there!
WE HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! ((actually, we have four of them so we will post a new one every day.)) Today's announcement: Our Summer Classes are LIVE! Hear all about them in the video! Here's the short version: June 3: Alaska Orchard Masterclass: Everything you need to know about growing plants, bushes, and trees in your orchard. This class is fully comprehensive. Location: Common Ground Alaska Farm in Big Lake June 24: Canning Masterclass - Everything you need to know about canning fruit, veggies, meat, and meals using hot water bath and pressure canning techniques. Also includes pickling! Location: Big Lake Lions - also available to watch as a live-feed. July 8: Fermenting masterclass: This 4-hour MASTERCLASS will teach you all of the why's and how's of fermenting - and you get to make one to take home! Location: Big Lake Lions - also available to watch as a live-feed. July 22: Alternate preserving and storage: In this class we will go over other aspects including freezing, dehydrating, cold & dry storage, plus we will include preserving dairy by making cheese, yogurt, and more! Location: Big Lake Lions - also available to watch as a live-feed. August 5: Sourdough Masterclass - Again, this is a masterclass so come ready to learn everything you can about starting, maintaining, and using your sourdough. Plus, we will give you some starter to take home so you can get started right away! Location: Big Lake Lions - also available to watch as a live-feed. Finally, ((I'm SUPER excited for this one)) on June 17 we are offering a FULL DAY Intensive learning retreat where you will have a condensed version of each of these classes PLUS an orchard tour and a garden tour. PLUS an Alaska-inspired lunch. AND you'll get some pretty cool goodies to take home with you. This is going to be a blast! It's right here on the farm and we had to limit seating to 32 people. So there you go! That's announcement #1 for the week. And there's so much more to come! THANK YOU for
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U-Pick apples, cherries, haskaps (honeyberries), saskatoons, and MORE! From our farm to your table.
Formerly Alaska by Nature.
