Several years ago, we successfully grew shiitake mushrooms using oak logs. Ironwood is also used to grow these mushrooms, so 2 years ago...

After years of harvesting honey, we have accumulated a considerable amount of beeswax. While looking through a bee supply catalogue, I...

While not always possible, we're trying to build out our remaining projects using recycled / repurposed items. Ed recently had a couple...

Being relatively new to canning and storing food from our garden, we've now realized that we've been over canning each season (despite...

We are in the midst of mite treatment for our three beehives, so it seems like a good time to summarize our 2024 honey season. To start,...

Time to start thinking about winter. We use straw as bedding for our chicken coop and for the nesting boxes. During the spring and...

Pretty sure there's just one of my new hens that's laying blue/green eggs - but it's fun to see!

I've gathered eggs using my shirt as a "pouch"; I've gathered eggs using the pockets in my sweaters and jackets (which can be dangerous...

Last week, we harvested our garlic. We succession-plant bush beans, which was one of this weekend's tasks. The variety we plant mature in...

On Wednesday of this week, I traveled an hour plus to get our last three pullets of the season: a Russian Orloff (front), a Blue Maran...

The second time was the charm. The first attempt at trying to integrate new pullets to our existing flock was terrible (all kinds of...

I'm in the process of learning about all of the medicinal benefits of herbs and other greens. I've bought reference books that outline...

Boy - did I make a series of mistakes in judgement! Thank goodness I was able to course correct and all is well (at least for now)....

Ed and I've been talking about getting a couple of pullets again this spring so that we'll have eggs over the winter. (Only first year...

It took nearly 3 months, but the 2024 version of our garden is finally completed. The extra time this year was spent installing a fence...

Unfortunately, all three of our hives failed to make it through the winter. I pulled all three apart last weekend to look for clues and...

We've said this before, but Ed and I are always trying to do our menu planning around the foods we've grown and preserved. The past...

I went to a neighborhood "barn sale" this past summer and met a neighbor for the first time. She and her husband were new to the area...

It's a relatively cold, rainy, and overall blustery day here in Wisconsin. Ed took off work mid-week this week in order for us to catch...

After allowing our 5 gallons of honey to settle for a week, it was time to bottle. We bought a mix of 1-pound and 2-pound bottles and set...