Author Archives: Sandy

Dang, it’s cold!

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Sandy

Derek here. It has been a while since either of us posted. It has also been cold (at least for the Puget Sound region) over the last week – getting down into the low teens or even lower. Unfortunately, this … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, General, Livestock | 2 Comments

The garden in November, plus yummy bread

Posted on November 22, 2009 by Sandy

I’ve been hibernating. A thoroughly enjoyable eight-week leave from work ended a few weeks ago, but the hibernation began well before that.  There is no excuse other than I didn’t feel like tackling the fall garden tasks even though I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Homesteading | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Last tomatoes and summer garden notes

Posted on October 18, 2009 by Sandy

For the last month or so, in spite of the fact that I’ve had ample time on my hands, I’ve been pretty terrible about taking care of fall gardening chores.  Most of my beds contain the bedraggled remains of summer … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Is it jam or is it jelly?

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Sandy

As I’ve mentioned previously, we’ve had a really nice crop of grapes this year.  I lost the label for this particular grape variety, but it is a light red, almost pink, seedless grape that clearly does well in the Pacific … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Roo – Isn’t he pretty?

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Sandy

Last March, we bought four baby chicks, mostly because the kids really wanted baby chicks.  We had enough room in our coop/chicken run to increase our flock from five to nine, so we went ahead with the chicks.  Originally, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Homesteading | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Summer in a jar

Posted on September 20, 2009 by Sandy

As we head into the tail end of September, the harvest continues going strong.  Today, I harvested a good amount of Italian sauce tomatoes and found enough additional produce and seasonings to make a batch of tomato sauce.  Above, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Homesteading | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Pickle help needed!

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Sandy

OK, about a month ago I started a batch of deli-style pickles, following (to a T) the recipe in the Ball Complete Guide to Home Preservation book. The pickles are supposed to sit in the brine for at least three … Continue reading →

Posted in Homesteading | Tagged , | 8 Comments

This is what an Italian prune should look like

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Sandy

One of the best things about having a small home orchard is being able to eat tree-ripened fruit.  Even when I shop at a local farmers’ market, I find that the fruit is often a bit on the green side, … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy usage | Tagged | 3 Comments

The fruits of my labor

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Sandy

As the summer winds to an end and I have time to reflect on my gardening efforts over the last few months, I’ve come to realize that there are some things I enjoy growing much more than others. At the … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Flock integration and deli style pickles

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Sandy

  Last spring, we bought four new baby chicks (three Golden Sex Links and one Golden Laced Wyandotte). The baby chicks have grown quickly and it’s about time that we integrate them into our existing flock of five hens. Integrations can … Continue reading →

Posted in Homesteading | Tagged , , | 5 Comments