Common Ground Alaska Farmstead

04/12/2024

Chuck roast slow cooking on the wood stove.

What meals do you cook on your wood stove in the winter?

27/11/2024

(A thought I shared with my Lady Homesteaders today)
Today is all about preparation but as I was getting the turkey in the brine this am I was thinking about how I need to not just prepare food and my house, but I also need to be preparing my heart.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

🦃 Will the food be amazing or will the turkey be dry and the pies undercooked?

😂 Will the house be filled with laughter or will we allow the troubles of this present world spill into our celebration?

For some, the holidays are a really difficult time. I get that!

Although this is the first holiday we've had with all of our kids at one table (which means more to me than I can even express), I also have some "life" happening that's really tough - and the worries that it carries with it seem to be ever present in my heart and mind.

All morning I've been circling in my mind from how excited I am to have everyone together and how lovely everything is turning out to then start thinking about hard things like family issues, Alaskan food security (doesn't everyone stress about that at all hours?), and the hate and lies that are so prevalent on social media.

Once I start worrying, there seems to be no end!

🧂 Is the brine too salty?
🎲 What if no one wants to play games or do crafts? Will everyone who is coming be super bored?
🚽 What if I forget to clean the bathroom?
🥧 What if the pumpkin pies don't set?
🦠 What if we get sick?

And back to that original question -
🦃 What. If. The. Turkey. Is. DRY?!?! 🦃

But then I was reminded of the wisdom of Philipians 4:8-10 -

☀️ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. ☀️

My job tomorrow is to have my house and food prepared, yes.

➡️ But my job is to also have my heart prepared to love on the ones who sit at our table and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

➡️ My job is to direct conversations to the true, honorable, and lovely and to encourage my people.

Something crazy is bound to happen. The pie crusts may shrink and the filling will spill over and the whole thing could be a mess - that's just part of imperfect holidays and making memories.

🥰 But more important than leaving with a full belly, I want my people to leave tomorrow with full and thankful hearts and the memory of a day well spent where they felt loved and cherished. 🥰

(And I sure do hope that darned turkey isn't dry!)
- pic of the brine for good measure.

26/11/2024

I received this Pumpkin Pie recipe in an email today and as soon as I read it, I knew I simply HAD to add it to our Thanksgiving menu!

It's from Good Housekeeping Magazine, the November 23, 1889 edition. I LOVE a good, old recipe (135 years old, to be exact) that uses real ingredients!

(But I can't help but feel sorry for the poor hen - 9 eggs! She does not get a Thanksgiving break!)

Are you adding anything new to your menu this year?

15/11/2024

The next course coming up in Lady Homesteaders is “Demystifying Tallow” taught by Caiti Alexander of Body Co.

I’m already learning so much! Did you know that you can make tallow from any ruminant animal, not just cows?

Also, some is better for frying eggs - not all is good for making skin care products.

Incredible!

So many misconceptions and so so much to learn - it’s fascinating!

What questions do you have about tallow?

Wanna watch the class? Join here: https://alaskahomesteadacademy.com

It’ll be done editing and on the site soon!

Also, thank you to Jody's Greatroom for letting us rent your kitchen!

12/11/2024

We're sure having a fun time over at Lady Homesteaders of Alaska! If you've been thinking of joining, this is a great time to do so!

Here's a photo of our schedule for this week. Last weekend we met in person and planted our indoor herb gardens and learned all about how to care for them.

We'd love to have you join us!

https://alaskahomesteadacademy.com/

OH - and our next in-person meeting is actually our Christmas party which includes the coolest white elephant gift exchange plus we'll be making fire cider, beeswax wraps, and wool dryer balls (which also make amazing and cheap gift ideas). Don't miss out!

12/11/2024

Have you heard? Our annual plant presale is back on and we have some new plants to offer!

New this year:
🫐 Blueberries
⭐️ Golden Raspberries

Also, an update on the strawberries. You may remember that we included the variety Yambu last year but I wasn't sure if they were going to work.

HOLY MOLY! They are the most incredible strawberry!

They are a super sweet, large berry and they are hardy to zone 3. PLUS (and this is one of their best qualities) the plant grows up rather than out so the berries don't lay flat on the ground. Rather, they kindof hang from stems that are in the air - making them hold up so well in the rain! Don't miss out on Yambu strawberries this year - they are incredible!

Of course, we also have the usual: honeyberries, saskatoons, bush cherries, asparagus, raspberries, and seascape and honeoye strawberries, too.

Save $ and reserve yours ASAP!

Welcome to the Common Ground Alaska online plant store! We ONLY sell plants that are tried and true for our area. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Keep checking back for seasonal plant sales for truly Alaska hardy plants. Thank you for supporting Local! FAQ

09/11/2024

What a fun day ahead! First, the lady homesteaders are coming to the farm to talk about growing a winter herb garden.
Then, I get to talk with the De-Vine garden group in wasilla about common mistakes folks make when buying orchard plants and aftercare.

Next month, we have our lady homesteaders Christmas party where we will make homemade wool dryer balls, fire cider, and beeswax wraps. Plus the coolest gift exchange ever.

Don’t miss out! You can join lady homesteaders here: https://alaskahomesteadacademy.com

08/11/2024

Crowdsourcing: What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish? Bonus points if you post the recipe. :)

06/11/2024

It's ready! Here's your BUY ALASKA guide for your Thanksgiving meal!

You can get just about everything you need for an incredible meal - all grown or made right here in Alaska! Check it out and be sure to share!

Can you even believe we're almost officially to the holiday season?

04/11/2024

Finally putting this old workhorse to bed for the season.

She was busy all summer and fall but I finally canned my very last jar of apple pie filling which was the final thing on my list to HWB.

The pressure canner stays within reach year round because I randomly can up soups and broth. Plus we have a beef coming later this month and part of it will be canned for sure.

It sure feels good to finally be done with the bulk of preserving! 🥰

Job well done, old girl! I’ll see you again in July!

31/10/2024

Last chance: If you produce food that would be tasty on someone’s table for the holidays (turkeys, chickens, duck, goose, sourdough bread, veggies, fruit, pies - you name it!) please comment below and I will include it in our blogpost this week.

Please comment with what you have, your location, and how folks can find you (phone, website, whatever). I won’t include you if I have to dig for the info. I just don’t have time.

If you commented on my post last week, I have that info so no need to repeat. Just making sure I got everyone.

One last thing: this is forward facing and public. We have an audience of about 22K so please no phone numbers in code or whatever. This post likely isn’t the place to advertise if you want to stay private. 🙂

24/10/2024

What a gem of a grocery store!

I stopped at Bushes Bunches Stand today because I happened to be in Palmer and I have to say - grocery shopping was so fun!

This round I got some mushrooms, purple cauliflower, pasta, and of course some fruit danishes for the farmer. 🥰

If you’ve never stopped here I would encourage you to put it on your must-do list! So fun!

23/10/2024

You are so beautiful - to me!
You’re everything I hoped for -
You’re everything I need!
You are so beautiful - to me!

Pears canned in an extra light syrup with a couple of splashes of pineapple juice - one of my favorite foods in the whole world! 🥰

22/10/2024

I'm writing a post and doing a podcast next week on what you can buy locally to fill your holiday tables.

Who has Thanksgiving turkeys for sale? Ducks? Geese? Chickens? Sheep? How about veggies? Fruit? Locally made breads? Pies? Who has food we can feed our family with this holiday season? Help me make this list complete. Happy to include all areas but when you comment, please include the area you are and maybe your farm link or something so I can get folks directly to you! I'm not going to go searching so send all the details!

Feel free to send via PM if you prefer.

Also, we have an audience of about 22K so I'd like to include everyone we can so there's plenty to go around. :)

22/10/2024

Lady Homesteaders of Alaska just keeps getting better!

Not only are we offering the usual monthly hands-on, in-person classes, we've added a weekly virtual meet and greet, a quarterly presentation style class, PLUS an app with new monthly video releases and a community!

We also are breaking up some of the classes between beginners and more advanced so everyone can learn at their level!

It's been so much fun learning together and growing this community and we have room for you!

Join now to save your spot for our November classes!

https://alaskahomesteadacademy.com/

21/10/2024

Who is going to this? We have our tickets! It’s going to be fascinating!

20/10/2024

Grab some taters! Alaska grown and inexpensive!

17/10/2024

A story from several years ago on the farm:

I have to tell you the story of our valiant hen. A neighbor dog got into the greenhouse last night, it killed all 12 hens that were in there except the mama with chicks who had a small cage around her.

When I heard what was going on, the boys ran outside and the dog got scared off. When they got into the greenhouse, they saw that the chickens were all dead except the mama. Her cage was broken into.

Meg went down to get her to bring in the house for the night and see how many chicks were left. When she got down there, there were no chicks in sight and the mama was silent. She reached down to pick her up and the mama growled and pecked at her hard!

She realized mama was missing all of her tailfeathers except one.

When she picked her up, there were all 8 babies. Safe and sound.

She had gathered them all underneath herself and silenced them and was going to give her life for her chicks. ❤