Tag Archive
Mushroom Mulch
I cannot believe that it is mid-August already! My spring/summer garden is done. I have a few peppers still growing, but other than that it is done and mowed under. Now ironically in the dog days of summer, I am preparing for my fall garden. We live about 45 miles from Monterey Mushroom Farm in Madisonville, Texas. If you are from... »
Responsibilities on a Farm
Growing up on a working farm is a much different experience than growing up in a suburb or city. As a child, I lived on a farm and for a period of time in the suburbs of Houston. Depending on where I lived, I had different responsibilities. Some of my fondest memories were from my... »
Finally Back to Writing
I did not intend to be gone for so long. I had to take off two weeks for the Grimes County Fair and all the events before and after that required so much of my attention. Then the house, yard, and garden had been neglected for at least a week. It took forever to get on top of my housework,... »
Spring has Sprung
The signs of spring are everywhere. Rebirth and newness are evident all over creation from the first wildflowers to the newborn calves in the pastures. The landscape has turned green seemingly overnight. I so love springtime! The skies are clear and blue. The warmth of the sun is rousing ... »
Genetically Modified Food
Genetically-modified food. It is the new catch phrase, but what does it mean? And, what does it mean to homesteading families like mine? Simply, genetically modified foods have undergone a change in its DNA. There are two main kinds of changes: cisgenesis and transgenesis. Cisgenesis occurs when genes are transferred artificially with plants or animals that could procreate naturally. An example of... »
Semper Gumby
This winter has been extreme for almost all parts of the United States. Whether you have had heavy snowfall, blizzards, freezing nights, and/or massive rainfall, gardeners must take into consideration the weather for a successful harvest. Valentine's Day is usually a day when people prune rose bushes and plant potatoes in Southeast Texas. ... »
Fall Is Almost Here!
A poem about autumn called "The Mist and All" begins, "I like the fall, The mist and all." That is exactly how the weather has been lately. After an extremely dry and hot summer, I am so excited that fall is almost here. Rain started falling last week. It was not hard and was not accompanied by thunder and lightning,... »
It’s a Jungle Out There!
Life does not wait for you and neither does your garden. So, I dedicated a large portion of my day to tend to my garden. It was starting to look neglected after our hospital visit. The corn had to be harvested, other vegetables needed to be picked, etc. Jake joined me in the... »
Cucumbers
Cucumber plants like to climb. We have tried various things for them to climb like cyclone fencing and tomato cages. These items served their purpose, but we have the best luck with a piece of cattle panel. We had to buy a cattle panel for an unrelated project. It... »
Squash, It’s What’s For Dinner (Again!)
I really like the movie, "Forrest Gump," with Tom Hanks. One of my favorite scenes of the movie is when Bubba is listing all the ways one can prepare shrimp. During this time of the year, we have yellow crookneck squash in abundance. We give some away, but still seem to eat squash once a day. Therefore like Bubba, I... »
Mulching Your Garden
Many years ago I went to a friend's home and saw her vegetable garden. It was completely covered with grass clippings. My first thought was "Why?" Why would anyone purposely place grass and weed seeds in his/her garden? My friend explained the beauty of mulching to me. Putting a heavy layer of... »
All Cooped Up
After days of a soaking rain, I was anxious to see how my garden was doing. Throughout the three days of endless rain, I occasionally noticed one of my Production Red chickens in my garden plot. I did not give it much thought at the time. The saturated ground gave a little to each of my steps. My shoes were soaked... »
Swiss Chard
This past fall I decided to try planting a new vegetable: Swiss chard. I had been reading up on gardening from Carla Emery’s Encyclopedia of Country Living book, which is my go-to book on anything related to homesteading. Anyway, I was intrigued by Swiss chard because it seemed very versatile. You can eat the greens in... »
It’s Garden Time Again!
Wintertime is so mild in southeast Texas. We enjoyed fresh vegetables all winter long, but now the seasons are changing and spring has sprung. The first thing the kids and I did was pick the remaining vegetables from our winter garden. On Valentine’s Day, we filled a huge red wagon with cabbage, carrots, shallot onions, Swiss chard, broccoli, and spinach.... »
