Ch ch ch ch cherry bounce!!!!

How's this for irony? We fancy ourselves quite knowledgable about homesteading. Well... There's this large tree in our front yard, that we've always been unable to identify. I tryed looking online, but couldn't place it. Once a year it produces tiny black berries that we've always assumed were inedible. Then the other day our friend the farm lady came over a we decided to see if she knew. After popping one in her mouth, "ya that's a wild cherry". Really!? They're only about a bit more than a centimeter long and sure enough they have a tiny pit. We were floored. After all this time it turns out we have a 50 foot fruit tree outside our bedroom window and didn't even realize it. And they're just now starting to ripen. I see lots of jam and cherry bounce in our future. Cherry bounce is of course liquor infused with wild cherry and was apparently quite popular with early Americans. Even Martha Washington had her own recipe. How's that for patriotic?

All goats are mischievous thieves, gate-crashers, and trespassers. Also they possess individual character, intelligence, and capacity for affection which can only be matched by the dog. –David Mackenzie, Farmer in the Western Isles (1954)

Hehe, so true! We'll y'all, no goat babies yet. We're still waiting and watching. We both wake up at the butt crack of dawn and scramble to the bathroom window to look, but nothing. So lame. They're still technically early, and they'd be super early if they got knocked up the last day with the buck. there's just no way to tell. I'm so ready to hop out there and deliver some babies. Hopefully my time to shine will come soon. In the meantime, me and the baby keep truckin' trying to keep up with this craziness.

Oh yea, and if anyone wants some goat babies let us know! We'll have them for sale at around three months old. And tell us about your homesteading adventures! We'd love to hear from other urban farmers! Or urban farmer lovers :)

isn't this cute!?!? Eggplant Parmesan is on the menu tonight! And the countdown begins. Today is the 146th of 150 days gestation period for juggs and sugar. It could be any time now. Just worried that they're not really pregnant and I'll look like a fool. Wouldnt that be terrible! I'd be so embarassed. If that happens, I'll never mention the goats ever again, like it never happened. But I do have all my supplies in order just incase. Juggy HAS to be pregnant. Her heat cycle stopped all together, so it's either pregnancy or menopause and she's too young for that. And sugar bit just looks fat. We'll see! I'll definately give a detailed account of anything that happens. It could be tomorrow, it could be three weeks from now, who knows.

Subsistence Farming in the first world

Written by Mr. Farmer
That oil 'will' peak isn't a theory, the only question is 'when.'. It's almost hard to overestimate how profound the implications will be. Viewed in this light, attempts at self-sufficiency should take on a unique urgency, gardening in particular. In that vain, I'm going to begin to grow two subsistence crops, cassava and moringa. Both are drought tolerant, grow in poor soil, require little care, and are easily reproduced. Cassava is a rich source of starch, while moringa provides a surprising amount of protein, vitamins, and minerals. They are also a great source of animal fodder. The moringa tree is especially interesting, with a stunning array if uses, which I hope to outline in future poosts. Suffice to say it is the ideal post-peak crop, so much so I would honestly recommend everyone have a few growing in their yard. There's a whole lot more I would like to say but it will have to wait. Stay tuned for future experimentation.

Disclaimer by Mrs. Farmer
P.S. We are not nutballs who like conspiracy theories. We're just nutballs with livestock in the backyard, haha. Peak oil is just kinda scarry because it's been getting a lot of attention lately. There's no harm in being self sufficient for any reason you choose, farming is always fun!!!!!

I woke up in a cold sweat

The goats are getting closer to blowing and there is so much to prepare for. They need selenium and vitamin A and D shots at 135 days (this Thursday). And there is so much I need to stock up on. Surgical gloves, antibiotic boluses, iodine, ky, newspaper, udder wipes, a bottle and nipple, molasses, and the list goes on. And that's just for the birth. The kids need all kinds of stuff up to 3 weeks of life, like disbudding, castration, (for males), shots, and so on. I woke up last night and had to google all kinds of stuff for like two hours to calm myself enough to go back to sleep. I feel better prepared this morning though, I just need to organize and start making shopping lists. I got nervous because a goat that has kidded before could potentially have like four babies. So it wouldn't be crazy to think that there will be eight babies, meaning I'll have a herd of 10 goats in the backyard. Oh my god, I'm getting twinges of panic again. Thank goodness I don't have many neighbors. I think I need to cut back on caffeine, after this last cup of coffee, I swear...

OMG, I caught the rabbit

After maybe a month with this stupid rabbit on the loose, I finally caught him! It was so random, I was just doing my morning rounds and I look down at my feet and there he is. Just sitting there staring at me like no big deal. I crouched down, and scooped him up. He didn't even move or try to run, it was so crazy. I like rabbit whispered or something. I think he could sense my garden frustration and took pity on me and turned himself in. It was so like he let me catch him. I was not in control, he was.

So to celebrate I planted some seeds. After I duck proofed the garden naturally because those MFers are wicked garden killers as well. I finally feel in control of the backyard after weeks of chaos. So we have some heirloom peas and beans in the ground. And the plan for this weekend it making some raised beds for the lot. That's finally coming together after weeks of delays... I was starting to feel like a farming failure.

Kidding positions

This is the page I need to master. And I dont have much time left. I need to start keeping a close eye on them for signs if labor around the 22nd of July.

need to know how to deliver goat babies? This book will tell you!!

The bible

want to be the ultimate homesteader? Need to learn how to manage your herd of cattle, sharpen your axe, make some beeswax candles... This book will be your guide! There's even tips on how to save money. And now I finally have my own copy!!! Watch out for more homesteading greatness.

The first canning of the season

blueberry jam! The recipe was easy, blueberries and lots of sugar. My brother said I needed more blueberries in my sugar jam. And my 9 year old sister said, "I won't say anything about it because I can't say anything nice" and after I strangled her I reformulated the recipe. so for the next batch I cut the amount of sugar. 9 cups berries to 6 cups sugar instead of equal parts berry to sugar. I didn't have any complaints after that.