Homestead Happenings #2: Late & Great

Who is surprised that in the second week of what was supposed to be a weekly list, I'm already a day late? Not I. Last week was full in so many ways. Here's what was going on in our world:

• Alex spent the week in Arizona and Mexico on business. It was a long trip that included a number of life birds for Alex, a visit by javelinas to the hotel parking lot, and a few great lunches of steak and leek tacos.
• Meanwhile at home it snowed, rained, iced, snowed, and rained some more.

• Lil and I trekked to Wayne county, Ohio to check out an Amish farming supply store. Spring is coming and our cell trays will be ready!
• I ordered sweet potato slips from Southern Exposure and New Sprout Farms.

• I collected and delivered a little more than two dozen fertilized eggs to 4th Street Farms. They're going to hatch them to add to their flock. I can't wait to see the chicks!
• I attended Michael Pollan's talk in New Albany, thanks to a generous friend who invited me to go with her. I might share my own food rules someday, but I generally like the cut of this man's jib. I agree with CMH Gourmand's review that the talk included "just enough facts with humor without being preachy, just pragmatic information that hopefully will make a difference."

• We hosted a Sunday snack fest, I mean Super Bowl party. We fried chicken wings and Blue Jacket Dairy cheese curds and served these alongside chips and dips. The kids were impressed with Lil's Minecraft-inspired fruit salad. I was impressed with this buffalo cauliflower recipe, a spicy and satisfying alternative to the meat.

Homesteading Bath & Body - Handmade, Low Impact Routines

One area of homesteading I rarely write about is personal care. It's a bit of a taboo subject and I'm a little shy about body talk. But what you put on your body has such a huge impact on personal and environmental health, not to mention a homestead budget, that it's time to address the ring around the tub, so to speak.

Once, we were traditional Americans who showered once a day with body wash, shampoo, and conditioner, and followed up bathing with lotions, deodorants, and the like. We needed the conditioner to soothe the dry hair, lotion to cure dry skin, and lots of time to clean the bathroom. Now our routines are much more minimal, our skin is happier, and we spend a lot less time dirtying and cleaning the shower.

I didn't realize until taking pictures for this and upcoming posts that removing manufactured bath products has another advantage: there's no marketing. My daughter isn't reading the back of a shampoo that promises 'perfect' locks or 'happiness' or any other values that realistically don't come from a bottle. I inadvertently removed messaging that is often anything but supportive.

Simple Bathing Routines

• Shower every other day....ish... A few days ago I asked Alex "When did I last take a shower? Was it Tuesday or Monday?" It's a good sign if I have to ask that the answer is go bathe. But in all seriousness, unless it's the height of summer and we're muddy up to our knees, there's not much reason to shower daily. Showering less frequently saves water, lowers our gas water heater bill, and prevents over-dry skin.
• Ditch the bathing soap Soap for hand washing before meals and after chicken chores? Yes. Soap from head to toe every shower? Nope. I only lather up when there's visible dirt on my Chaco-clad feet in the summer or if I'm feeling particularly sweaty. Otherwise, I let the warm water wash away debris and let my microbiota keep me clean.
• Go No-poo I'll detail this in another post soon but basically, we don't use shampoo anymore. Lil and I use a baking soda solution and vinegar rinse instead which have resulted in less hair loss, better hair body, and no more expensive bottles. Alex soaps his scalp because he has no hair.
• Make your own I now make our soap from animal fats and craft my own deodorant. Both are fairly easily made from ingredients I usually have on hand and I can customize them to our family's preference for low to no scent. Again, I'll share recipes soon.
• Use edible oil moisturizers Take a look at the ingredients in your favorite lotion. Likely it contains alcohol (which helps the moisturizer feel less greasy but dries at the same time) and/or petroleum. Thanks to not showering and using so much soap, I don't need as much moisturization as I used to, but when I do want lotion, I use straight food-quality oils. I like sesame seed and almond oil for all-over body lotion (not make your own - I'm working through a bottle of Weleda Baby Lotion I bought over a year ago) and coconut oil for problem spots like hands in winter. I like the simplicity and toxin-free nature of single ingredient lotions.

I can picture some people reading this and wrinkling their nose. Skipping shampoo and showers sounds like we must smell and look quite dirty. But I don't think that's the case, or at least no one has said anything to that effect in person.

There might be some scientific basis to the idea that our bodies regulate germs and sweat better without the 'help' of soaps. Much like we're understanding more every day about the importance of gut bacteria, researchers are also beginning to study the microbiome of human skin. They're finding that the bacteria on our skin surface may be critical to preventing infections and healing wounds.

I wouldn't recommend transitioning from standard bath and body products to minimal all at once. We worked in changes over the past few years, allowing our bodies to adjust slowly. Over the next few posts, I'll detail our DIY recipes and tips for use. In the meantime, anyone want to confess: what's your bathing routine?

No-Till Garden Beds By Hand With A Broadfork

You've pulled out your summer crops. Now what? It's time to prepare the beds for a fall crop, cover, or mulch before winter.

I use a broadfork and Garden Claw to gently aerate and cultivate the soil. No-till methods like this are found to enhance the productivity of the soil, and besides, tillers are jerky, smoky, heavy pieces of equipment to wield.

If needed, I start by pulling large weeds by hand. I try to not let beds get too weedy but sometimes it happens, as you can see in the sunny early-morning garlic bed pictured above.

I begin working the soil with a broadfork borrowed from City Folk's Farm Shop. I plunge the tines into the soil and gently press down on the cross bar. Then I rock the broadfork back to lift the soil gently as I pull the broadfork out. I don't turn the soil here, I just use the tines to aerate sections.

Next I quickly rotate a Garden Claw (available for purchase at City Folk's) to the right and left over the surface of the whole bed. The point of the claw is to break up large clods and loosen any smaller weeds. I keep movements gentle here so as to not compact the soil.

Before I plant seeds or transplants, I go back over the bed with a hand cultivator or rake to remove the loosened weed roots and/or smooth the soil into rows. As needed, I add compost and/or organic fertilizer to build the nutrient potential. At all times I maintain the edges of the bed, piling up loose soil back onto the center as needed.

I've seen the results of this no-till, hand-powered method at Swainway Urban Farm, where the naturally raised beds are now so loamy you can plunge your hands in the soil with almost no resistance. I love the quiet, gentle work of using hand tools to re-build my beds between seasons.

No-Till Garden Beds By Hand With A Broadfork

You've pulled out your summer crops. Now what? It's time to prepare the beds for a fall crop, cover, or mulch before winter.

I use a broadfork and Garden Claw to gently aerate and cultivate the soil. No-till methods like this are found to enhance the productivity of the soil, and besides, tillers are jerky, smoky, heavy pieces of equipment to wield.

If needed, I start by pulling large weeds by hand. I try to not let beds get too weedy but sometimes it happens, as you can see in the sunny early-morning garlic bed pictured above.

I begin working the soil with a broadfork borrowed from City Folk's Farm Shop. I plunge the tines into the soil and gently press down on the cross bar. Then I rock the broadfork back to lift the soil gently as I pull the broadfork out. I don't turn the soil here, I just use the tines to aerate sections.

Next I quickly rotate a Garden Claw (available for purchase at City Folk's) to the right and left over the surface of the whole bed. The point of the claw is to break up large clods and loosen any smaller weeds. I keep movements gentle here so as to not compact the soil.

Before I plant seeds or transplants, I go back over the bed with a hand cultivator or rake to remove the loosened weed roots and/or smooth the soil into rows. As needed, I add compost and/or organic fertilizer to build the nutrient potential. At all times I maintain the edges of the bed, piling up loose soil back onto the center as needed.

I've seen the results of this no-till, hand-powered method at Swainway Urban Farm, where the naturally raised beds are now so loamy you can plunge your hands in the soil with almost no resistance. I love the quiet, gentle work of using hand tools to re-build my beds between seasons.

Seasonal Snaps {Autumn Equinox 2013}

  This big oak may look like nothing much has changed since the Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, and Summer Solstice snaps, but it did have an exciting moment. During a thunderstorm in July, lightning arched off the ground and struck her trunk, sizzling a family of squirrels and leaving a scar across the bark.

Joseph of Swainway Urban Farm grew six rows of vegetables in the tree's shadow which unfortunately were flooded during the same storm. Their growth remained stunted through the summer and yielded primarily produce for our two families.

Sorghum is the last remnant of a failed squash and grain garden in the front. Squash bugs and weeds decimated the squash plant; we're making do with an alternate harvest of corn.  

Plantings close to the house include Lil's flower garden, the apothecary with plants like the Toothache plant, and several fig trees. The blueberries that flank the walk suffered from lack of water in the spring but hopefully will make it through to next year.

The orchard trees are looking a little bigger than before. Comfrey and brambles are filling out in between the rows. Alex and Lil are sizing up the existing apple tree in this picture.  

Finally, the view where most of the action is - you can see tall sunflowers and rows of vegetables (albeit gone-by plants) that were just barely planted in the summer.  

Inside the hoop house, we're hanging on to a couple tomato plants that are still yielding ripe fruit for fresh eating. Ever-bearing strawberries are remarkably still producing fruit, a couple a day. The rest is planted with fall root and leafy green vegetables.

We will write a wrap-up of the season's successes and failures in the garden and the hoop house soon.

How is your garden looking this first day of fall?

Dried Corn and Stalks - Alternate Harvests

When my mother wanted us to grow sweet corn this year, we whined. "The deer will tear it down!" "Don't you know sweet corn is one of the most difficult crops to grow successfully?" "If the deer don't get it, raccoons or geese or rats will!"

But we planted anyways because we promised to grow something for each member of our immediate family and this was a year of experimentation.

And guess what? The corn grew! It was more than knee high by the fourth of July. Later, the stalks tasseled and set ears. Lil and friends ran through the rows and crouched behind stalks as if in a giant corn playground.

Alas, we never harvested sweet corn at the right time. It was under ripe before our family trip to the Eastern Shore and starchy after. We whined again. "If we were home, would it have tasted good?" "Was it the variety?" "Ah, well, maybe corn-fed venison will be a better harvest."

A month later, the corn patch still had no visitors from hungry wildlife. "Did the raccoons stay away because the corn is near the road?" "Or maybe does the Nasturtium we planted discourage deer as promised?" "I guess we should harvest it."

We cut all the cobs off the stalks and scythed the stalks down. We marveled at all the biomass grown from one handful of seeds.

The sweet corn ears are drying on our hardware cloth shelf in the hoop house next to strawberry popcorn. If they dry to completion, we'll try milling the sweet corn into corn meal. If the cornmeal doesn't work, we know some chickens who would likely eat it.

The stalks are drying on the paved walkway to the house (classy, we are) because they can be a secondary harvest. Tied up with twine, they'll be festive autumn decor.

Mom, thanks for the push to try growing sweet corn. It didn't produce what we wanted, but we harvested what we could. Don't be surprised if your porch is soon visited by the corn stalk fairy!

International Homesteading Education Month

Mother Earth News and GRIT may have invented International Homesteading Education Month a few years ago but we'll celebrate it anyways. We love all kinds of holidays, even created ones, so we are all in for a month of learning and sharing. Each member of our family adopted a learning goal for this month. Mine is to understand how to make cold-process soap. I'll attend a class at City Folk's and hopefully make my first successful batch by October 1. Alex wants to up his archery skills. He plans to build a backyard target and practice with the bow more often. Lil wants to practice sewing by making a quilt.

Beyond our own goals, we want to share what we already know. Our calendar is filled with educational events that we're hosting/co-promoting. Take a look at the schedule below - we would love to learn with you!

Managing Your Online Presence - Tuesday September 10 from 1 - 2 pm. -  This webinar is designed to help farmers and producers increase their brand awareness to gain additional business. Register for free online.

Bread Basics - Tuesday September 17 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at The Seasoned Farmhouse SOLD OUT

Mark Shepherd talk - Wednesday September 18 from 7 - 9 pm at Unity Church - Be inspired by a permaculture farmer during this talk featuring Mark's recent experience applying his Restoration Agriculture concepts to communities in Africa. $10 suggested donation.

Backyard Season Extension - Saturday September 22 from 2:30 - 4 pm at Swainway Urban Farm - Keep your plants productive through early winter with small-scale season extension techniques! In this workshop, we'll discuss row cover materials and install a low tunnel over a raised bed. We'll share DIY ideas and best practices for reusing materials year after year. You will also learn potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. Cost: $20 or two people may register together for $35 Register at City Folk’s Farm Shop, by calling 946-5553, or by emailing shawn@cityfolksfarmshop.com.

Dehydrating Basics - Tuesday September 24 from 6:30 - 8 pm at City Folk's Farm Shop - Dried fruits and vegetables retain many of their nutrients, take up very little space, and keep indefinitely. If you enjoy cooking with a vegetable or fruit dried, this is the simplest way of food preservation. We'll compare DIY and manufactured dehydrators, sample dried goods, and share tips for using dehydrated foods. Cost: $20. Register at City Folk’s Farm Shop, by calling 946-5553, or by emailing shawn@cityfolksfarmshop.com.

Salads and Dressings - Sunday September 29 from 3:30 - 5:30 pm at Franklin Park Conservatory - Unleash the power of a beautiful salad and you’ll discover new delicious ways to serve nutritious vegetables at every meal. We’ll go old-school by making Caesar Salad with croutons and dressing from scratch, mix up a modern beet, goat cheese, and greens with mustard citrus vinaigrette, and taste an overnight-marinated kale dish. Every participant will make a dressing to take home. $30 members; $35 non-members. Registration details on the Franklin Park website.

Home Ec Columbus - Monday September 30 from 8-10 pm at City Folk's Farm Shop - Bring a dish to share (or not) and join our casual group of food lovin' folks. Free

Sharing this with you now since Seasoned Farmhouse classes tend to sell out quickly! Puttin' Up Apples - October 23 6:30 - 8:30 pm at The Seasoned Farmhouse - From Granny Smith to Gold Rush, Paula Red to Pink Lady, Ohio apples are some of the best in the world. You can put up these nutritious fall fruits to enjoy year-round with just a few simple techniques. Learn the secrets to keeping apples fresh for up to nine months, how to dry apple chips, and make a jar of applesauce in class to take home. Rachel will also share her great grandmother's time-tested recipe for apple butter. $65.

What are your educational goals for September?

Sharing Our Space

Harmonious Homestead was settled by generations of creatures and people before us. If we steward it well, our land will provide for many future families. Put in a historical perspective, "our" land only belongs to us for a moment and is acted upon by many other creatures while we're here.

And that's why we share it with sustainably-minded folks who want to help this space reach its potential.

Eve, whom Rachel met through a parenting group years ago, located a top-bar hive of bees here in the spring. The are thriving, visibly pollinating the vegetable plants and ground-covering clover. If she visits when we're here, she answers our questions about beekeeping and shares in our wonder about all the aspects of the life of bees we can't know.

Joseph and Jen, the growers of Swainway Urban Farm, had a few excess seedlings needing a place to put down roots in June. We offered up our front yard which Joseph tilled and planted in six sixty-foot rows, seen below just after planting. The 'Swainway Annex', as we're calling it, is growing food where there once was grass. We intended to experiment with dry farming two rows of tomatoes but the weather (a rather fickle homesteading partner) had other ideas and the rows are flooded at the moment. Hopefully the sun will dry up the water and ripen the fruit soon.

Our families contribute moral support, creative and hard-working ethics, and occasional planting and harvesting help. Shawn and Gerry at City Folk's Farm Shop provide materials, hoop house help, and a venue for classes. Friends bring good cheer when they cavort in the natural playground and admire the chickens. Neighbors support us with inspiration, watchfulness and gifts of their excess.

We always envisioned a communal homestead. When we work together like Eve's bees, we learn, find joy, and reap rewards that would not be possible if we toiled alone.

We want to share our space with you too. Please come see the goings-on at 1224 E Cooke Rd Columbus Ohio 43224 this Saturday, July 13, from 3-5 pm.