Fall Deer Browse: Land, Life and Equanimity
I am writing this letter to you during Fall equinox, the mid-point between the summer and winter solstices. Equinox is when night time and day time are approximately equal, depending on our latitude. So far this fall has been a happy time for humans and critters alike. We usually associate fall with harvest time. Indeed…
Little Boy With Big (Life) Questions
At age 5 our son River just completed his first week of kindergarten at the local small town, rural public school. It’s an emotional time for everyone in our family as we adjust. Its also a proud time for my son. When I pick him up from school he takes great pride in sharing stories…
Now is a Great Time to Start a Homestead Seed Business (or Gig)
There has been no better time to start growing, saving and selling or sharing seeds from your homestead garden. I’m talking this season, next season and the coming years ahead. Seeds are at the core of what it means to be human. Most modern humans forgot this truth about seeds generations ago. And… Our culture…
Winnowing Seed (Give) Thanks to the Wind
Its mid August and our family is still collecting seed crops from our gardens. Some plants are just starting to make seeds while others have been done for months. Still others are just now starting to flower! We are harvesting and processing seeds as we go. Flower seeds and veggie seeds. Tree seeds and herb…
Screening Seeds from Bits of Leaves, Stems & Chaff
Bringing seeds in from the garden is a regular family activity during the late summer and fall time. Most plants want to make flowers to reproduce while the days are long and the air is warm. The bees, flies, wasps, moths, butterflies, hummingbirds and many others are very happy to oblige! I absolutely love watching…
Threshing Seeds to Release the Magical Seeds of Life
I’ve been enjoying collecting seeds from many of our garden plants this season. It’s early August and we still have several months of seed harvesting to go before frosts, cold weather and shorter days bring a close to the season. Here we are in the cross-quarter days between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox. Even though…
Summer Deer Browse: Protecting Trees When Other Food Is Drying Up
Summertime for gardeners is associated with a time of lush growth and the onset of berries, veggies and fruit. In our climate summertime is also associated with heatwaves, dry fields and vegetation, regional wildfires and often drought. Our summers get little rainfall when there is any. As the grasses and other annuals make seed and…
Big Sun. Big Moon. Big Fire.
On Summer Solstice I woke up very early to drop off Ann and River at the Airport for the first flight out of town. They were going to go visit family across the country. I had a week to myself and I was looking forward to extra downtime and connection with nature. That very morning…
Befriending Broadleafs: Our Garden’s Beloved Shade Makers
In recent seasons I have been gaining more love and respect for our broadleaf herbaceous friends. Besides having epic statures and stunning leaves, they have been helping us in our gardening efforts. Specifically I am encouraging broadleaf plants in our gardens. Broadleaf refers to plants that have fairly wide leaves, or at least noticeably wider…
Homesteading is Zone Zero for Social Change
Some of us moderns who crave deeper connection, deeper meaning, find ourselves drawn to homesteading or living more naturally as a direct response to the times we live in. We are craving a more nourished life. We are craving a better lifestyle. How is better defined? What are we really doing here? Like Neo in…
Spring Deer Browse: Observing the First Bites of the Season
This week I am starting to notice new seasonal signs of plant leaves and buds being eaten by deer. I am on the lookout year round for signs of deer browse because it helps me learn their habits, especially as it relates to our trees, herbs and gardens. Throughout the season I carefully watch our…
Are There Any Reliably Deer Resistant Fruit Trees and Shrubs?
Deer resistance is a term used to describe plants or trees that can hold up to some amount of deer browse. Resistant is the key word because it implies that a tree is not deer proof. The thing about trees who make edible fruits is that they tend to also have some degree of edible…
