Garden
How much does it cost to raise your own eggs?
We didn't get hens for eggs originally. But now that inflation has driven the cost of store-bought eggs so high, we're saving about $70 a year by having them.
Time to Get This Garden Started
After a rough hot/cold winter that killed 3 separate rounds of seedlings, I'm trying again to get the vegetable garden started before spring.
Early Start on Spring
Mid-winter has too many cold-hot swings to get seedlings started in my unheated greenhouse, so I use milk-jug greenhouses to get a jump on spring. Here's how.
Raised Bed Chickens
In winter we open the vegetable garden to the poultry. The chickens have already cleaned the artichoke beds and are taking a dust bath and fertilizer break before moving on.
The Decisions Ducks Make
A week of rain, 3 inches of cold mud and slop. The ducks couldn't be happier.
The Greenhouse is All Potential
The greenhouse is empty in summer but in fall all the tender plants migrate back to it. It's dirty, sad now, but this weekend it'll be clean and in full leaf.
Sort of office mates
Working from home a lot of people get interrupted by dogs, kids, and the occasional leaf blower. Me, I've got an entirely different problem outside my office.
Batch 21 Begins
Batch 21 of my fermented hot sauce begins! This year it's a 100% cayenne/Thai pepper hybrid. We start the ferment today with 12 ounces of fresh peppers in brine
The Tomatoing Begins
Our first two tomato harvests gave us 40lbs of Chef's Choice, Heinz, Roma and Tiren tomatoes, which are about to be processed and jarred as sauce to take us through the winter.
How to Tell When Onions are Ready to Harvest
Knowing when to harvest onions for peak flavor can be tricky, but with a few tips from a real onion farmer, they're super easy to perfectly pick and store.