Blog
Last Jewelweed Harvest
We have rain predicted for the whole weekend with a drop of temperatures, so we took a trip down to the bottom of our mountain today to see if we could find any Jewelweed still in bloom. I've made a lot of Jewelweed oil for soaps and salves but I needed to increase...
Soap Sale Tomorrow and A Challenge for November!
My next soap sale starts tomorrow, October 1st at 8:00 a.m. EST Everything will show out of stock until 8:00 am tomorrow morning. This is a limited release of about 300 bars of soap. This amount of soap tends to sell out in just a few hours. My fall soaps are ready...
Roots & Seeds!
Are you gathering roots and seeds? Now's the time! We've been saving seeds from our garden; squash, loofa gourd, tomato, tomatillo, mullein, comfrey, and more! We can save seeds from our garden because we plant heirloom varieties. Each year we have stronger and...
Keko – My warrior!
We have a multitude of dogs on this farm. Some protect our critters, some protect my family and myself and some do both. However we have a few *ahem* older dogs who really need to retire...even if they don't think so! Adding a new working dog is a bit more...
It’s SOAP time!
Soaps will be on sale again Tuesday September 8th at 8:00 am EST! They are just about ready! I made a little more than I planned - about 300 bars! Let's talk about what will be available and what won't! It's fall and I like to make soap that goes along with the...
How to Water Glass Eggs!
I did a post previously on freezing eggs. But what if you don't have freezer space, or if your power goes out? Or a myriad of other reasons not to freeze your eggs? Easy peasy! Water glass them! Water glassing eggs has been done since pioneer days. It's easy,...
Make This if Your Garden is Winding Down!
The weather has turned a bit here in Tennessee. The Summer Garden is winding down and it's time to start pulling spent plants and plants we just don't want anymore (can anyone say zucchini?) and begin planting for a fall garden. Think, greens, brassicas, lettuce. We...
How to Make a Jewelweed Tincture!
Recently I talked about gathering Jewelweed....hopefully some of you were able to find this wonderful plant. Now...what do we do with it? Come with me as I work up the Jewelweed that we gathered! In this post I will cover making a tincture and soon we will talk about...
Well I Never Thought We’d Have To Do THIS!
You have to be prepared to handle emergencies on the homestead! Sometimes they involve people but often they involve animals. Learn how to give shots, treat wounds, do an episiotomy for an animal struggling during birth, how to turn babies, pull babies, castrate,...
Slaughter on the Homestead! I’m Heartbroken & I’m Steamin’ Mad!
We went out to do morning chores earlier this week and were devastated to find young chicken bodies scattered from front yard to barn yard to garden. There were 7 in all and my favorite chicken, Izzy, is missing along with two turkeys and a few other hens. Izzy breaks...
Making A Basic Soap – Beginner’s Recipe!
I've been asked by several to share a recipe for a basic bar of soap and I'm happy to do so! This recipe and instructions are excerpts from my book "Soap Making Made Simple!". Making your own soap at home is not hard. Most people are afraid of the lye but if you...
I’ve been quiet because of this….
When I'm quiet here, it usually means that I'm busy with something important. This is what I have been doing! You are looking at over 600 bars of soap - it's the most I've ever made in a month! Yes, soap will be loaded back into inventory on Monday and ready for...