Saturday, February 27, 2010
Sweetie & Iona
Our two newest editions to the Wallace Homestead. I will post how both came to us this week in a bit, but wanted to get the pictures up while I can get to them.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
I haven't been posting, but things are happening
Where to start....I don't even know where!
First of all, I had a birthday...it was harder than I thought it would be. The numbers have never really bothered me in the past...I guess it was the gray hair I found! There are many things to accomplish in this life, some important, some trival. Salvation is critical, looking good in a bathing suit, not so much. A close family is paramount....caught up with my scrapbooking...not so much. I could go on and on. The truth is I would like to accomplish the BIG and the little.
Right now my BIG goal (outside of my faith and walk with God-which are still #1). is to figure out how to find a way to be at home full time with my family. It's come to my attention (and I actually already did know this) that out of the 70 families in my homeschooling group, I am the only one to work full time outside of the home. Add to that, the recent conversation in my home about how many "full time" jobs mom has, and that currently my "hobby" is sleeping......
So I'm taking on another job this summer hoping that this may be how I get to finally get to come home. I have been toying with the idea of being a "CSA" a community supported agriculture farm. I am not quite ready to take subscriptions, but found a neat idea about a "debit" CSA. In a normal CSA, you take the money ahead of time and the members get about 1/2 bushel of fruits and veggies every week--whatever is in season. A debit system is that the money is still payed in, but the produce is priced and they choose what they want for the week and it is debited from their account.
I've been praying about this alot. I know it seems alot to take on, but I'm not sure if I can go half hearted. If someone else is counting on it maybe I can succeed.
Our CSA would not just be produce....I've been thinking that I would add egg shares and as we get the other animals there would be herd shares as well. (In Ohio, you are not able to sell raw milk, but you can buy a "share" of an animal and then the milk is from "your" animal--so then it is legal.) I've already had a good friend offer to get 5 gallons of cow milk per week, so I've been looking for a Jersey Cow. Looking at the amount of mowing we may need to do...Man is more open to a herd of goats (goat milk, Goat milk cheese, and goat milk soap!! anyone?) The meat rabbits are on track to be bred next week so by mid summer we should have rabbit meat (already have 1 customer for this...my landlady!!). We are now consistantly getting 13-18 eggs a day and have 8 more birds that will add to the laying in mid May. 12 more laying chicks are coming on March 22, and our Buckeye Brood is coming in April. (these we will breed to sell the chicks as they are very difficult to acquire and are in high demand).
And I will be getting 2 bee hives in Mid May. I will put the deposit down on those in the morning. I nice guy down the road from me is splitting off his hives and is going to set me up with everything I need to get started, including a mentor!! WOOT! So here's to getting over my fear of bees....SOON!
But back to the CSA....I think I will have a lot to choose from considering the only seeds I haven't gotten is Jicama (do you know where to find seeds for that?) Man thinks I should just grow and market the excess at the local farmers market, but I think maybe some of our homeschooling friends might be interested in having stuff straight from the farm, and then I don't have to spend hours every weekend away from the farm. Although I loved hanging out at the Sunbury Farmers Market the summer we did it previously (2007). My thought was to have a newsletter every week with recipes of the different veggies in the box. A farm "open house" where we will have a bbq with all the members. (Saturday is already our "pick up" day for Man's business and we have been toying with having brats on the grill so they can have some value added and bring the kids to see the animals etc.) It's been suggested to me that I could also include in the boxes: Jams, honey, homemade bread, homemade soaps.
So what do you think....
First of all, I had a birthday...it was harder than I thought it would be. The numbers have never really bothered me in the past...I guess it was the gray hair I found! There are many things to accomplish in this life, some important, some trival. Salvation is critical, looking good in a bathing suit, not so much. A close family is paramount....caught up with my scrapbooking...not so much. I could go on and on. The truth is I would like to accomplish the BIG and the little.
Right now my BIG goal (outside of my faith and walk with God-which are still #1). is to figure out how to find a way to be at home full time with my family. It's come to my attention (and I actually already did know this) that out of the 70 families in my homeschooling group, I am the only one to work full time outside of the home. Add to that, the recent conversation in my home about how many "full time" jobs mom has, and that currently my "hobby" is sleeping......
So I'm taking on another job this summer hoping that this may be how I get to finally get to come home. I have been toying with the idea of being a "CSA" a community supported agriculture farm. I am not quite ready to take subscriptions, but found a neat idea about a "debit" CSA. In a normal CSA, you take the money ahead of time and the members get about 1/2 bushel of fruits and veggies every week--whatever is in season. A debit system is that the money is still payed in, but the produce is priced and they choose what they want for the week and it is debited from their account.
I've been praying about this alot. I know it seems alot to take on, but I'm not sure if I can go half hearted. If someone else is counting on it maybe I can succeed.
Our CSA would not just be produce....I've been thinking that I would add egg shares and as we get the other animals there would be herd shares as well. (In Ohio, you are not able to sell raw milk, but you can buy a "share" of an animal and then the milk is from "your" animal--so then it is legal.) I've already had a good friend offer to get 5 gallons of cow milk per week, so I've been looking for a Jersey Cow. Looking at the amount of mowing we may need to do...Man is more open to a herd of goats (goat milk, Goat milk cheese, and goat milk soap!! anyone?) The meat rabbits are on track to be bred next week so by mid summer we should have rabbit meat (already have 1 customer for this...my landlady!!). We are now consistantly getting 13-18 eggs a day and have 8 more birds that will add to the laying in mid May. 12 more laying chicks are coming on March 22, and our Buckeye Brood is coming in April. (these we will breed to sell the chicks as they are very difficult to acquire and are in high demand).
And I will be getting 2 bee hives in Mid May. I will put the deposit down on those in the morning. I nice guy down the road from me is splitting off his hives and is going to set me up with everything I need to get started, including a mentor!! WOOT! So here's to getting over my fear of bees....SOON!
But back to the CSA....I think I will have a lot to choose from considering the only seeds I haven't gotten is Jicama (do you know where to find seeds for that?) Man thinks I should just grow and market the excess at the local farmers market, but I think maybe some of our homeschooling friends might be interested in having stuff straight from the farm, and then I don't have to spend hours every weekend away from the farm. Although I loved hanging out at the Sunbury Farmers Market the summer we did it previously (2007). My thought was to have a newsletter every week with recipes of the different veggies in the box. A farm "open house" where we will have a bbq with all the members. (Saturday is already our "pick up" day for Man's business and we have been toying with having brats on the grill so they can have some value added and bring the kids to see the animals etc.) It's been suggested to me that I could also include in the boxes: Jams, honey, homemade bread, homemade soaps.
So what do you think....
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Seeds are coming in!!
I think I have gotten almost every seed under the sun for the garden this year....here's the list:
- Root Veggies
- Purple Top Turnips
- Laurentian Rutabagas
- Tendersweet Carrots
- All American Parsnips
- Red Cherry Radish
- Sparkler Radish
- Walla Walla Sweet Onions
- Squash
- Howden's Field Pumpkins
- Black Zucchini
- Early Golden Sumer Crookneck Squash
- Table Ace Acorn Squash
- Butternut Squash
- Beans
- Blue Lake Green Beans
- Early Contender Green Beans
- Golden Wax Beans
- Henderson's Lima Beans
- Miragreen Peas
- Pinto Shell Beans
- Dark Red Kidney Shell Beans
- Corn
- Peaches & Cream Sweet Corn (bi-color)
- Red Ruby Sweet Corn (red)
- Rainbow Inca Sweet Corn (multicolor)
- Robust Yellow Popcorn
- Tomatoes
- Dr. Wyche's Yellow
- Sungold Select (orange cherry tomatoes)
- Brandywine
- Bloody Butcher
- Burpee Long Keeper
- Jersey Giant (paste)
- Red Zebra
- Yellow Mortgage Lifter
- Red Pear (cherry tomatoes)
- Tomatillo Verde
- Peppers
- Emerald Giant Pepper
- Italian Pepperoncini
- Curbites
- Snowball Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Royal Marvel Brussel Sprouts
- Fast Vantage Cabbage
- Miss Pickler Cucumbers
- Early Spring Burpless Cucumber
- Leaf
- Buttercrunch Head Lettuce
- Black Seeded Simpson Leaf Lettuce
- Red Lettuce
- Vital Green Spinach
- Tendercrisp Celery
- Soft Fruit
- Bristol Raspberry
- Heritage Raspberry
- Sugar Baby Watermelon
- Chichiquelite Huckleberry
- Concord Seedless Grapes
- Hale's Best Jumbo Cantaloupe
- Ka-bluey Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Potatoes
- Red
- Idaho
- Other:
- Jumbo Virginia Peanuts
- Mammoth Sunflowers
- German Millet
- Hard Fruit
- Honey Crisp Apples
- Rhubarb
- Jicama
- 2nd Blueberry variety
- Mulberry
- Spaghetti Squash
- Asparagus
- Red Apples
- Pears
- English Walnuts
- Artichokes
- Eggplant
- Chard
- Kohlrabi
- Okra
- Boysenberry
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Blackberries
- Strawberries
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Mulberries
- Hostas
- Peoneys
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)