Showing posts with label backyard farming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label backyard farming. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Joys of a new climate...

We are still getting used to the dramatic difference in climate from Eugene, Oregon to San Miguel/Paso Robles, Cali.  And so far we are really enjoying it.  There have been a few really warm days already, which is new, but we have been dealing with it well.  For example, my hubby found a great way to cool off with his 'redneck' pool/hot tub.  It has been cracking us up, but has also come in handy.


When it is warm, no fire, just a cool tub.  And when it is cool, light up the fire, which we pump water through a copper coil in the the fire pit and back to the tub.  Kind of ingenious, that man is.

The other thing that is so different is when to plant our vegis.  We got going early, planting greens and peas in February.  Look at the peas I just harvested already!  In Eugene, we were lucky if it was dry enough in May to even plant!


They were quite delicious.


Peppers are already coming on, and the tomatoes are doing well, too!


With it being sunny so often, the other thing that is different is how many eggs we get from the chickens!  Again, in Eugene, there was less light and was cooler, therefore the chickens molted and then slowed laying for the winter.  


But here, they are always laying!  I forgot to check for a couple of days and was over run with eggs!


Overall, we are loving the change.  We need rain here badly (or should say needed, as it is now past rainy season here), but we are making the most of it, and loving getting to be outdoors so often.  Dinners are outside, relaxing in the tub or hammock outside, or even my 'mobile office' that I set up outside....


Just me and the dog out on a hill doing our work.  Not too shabby.

Hope you are enjoying your Spring, wherever you may be!

Ash



Thursday, July 11, 2013

Busy times in the Summer!

Man...I have been so busy!  Not just work this time...also fun summertime activities!  But, it has definitely taken a toll on my blogging.  Sorry all my wonderful followers!

So just to prove I have not been completely slacking off...let me share some of the fun with you!

First...I have baking a TON of delicious bread in my new, gorgeous dutch oven!  Best investment ever! 


(You have GOT TO TRY out this recipe.  So easy and really, really good bread!  Find it here at Frugal Living NW!)

Then a couple awesome trips to the coast for fun and work....


The Oregon Coast Aquarium is always a good time!  And these sea lions were cracking us up on the bay!

Our friend's graduation!  Masters degree, schmasters degree.


Lots of times with silly animals!

(What is the cat doing?!)

Delicious food from our little garden...



Dirty Dash Eugene!  I am pretty sure we had THE BEST costumes!  Star Wars, baby!


Whew!  Lot's of exciting events!  

Stay tuned, as I also have to share an awesome table redux.  We took some interesting items to recreate a wonderful and sturdy new outdoor table.

More soon!  

Ash


Sunday, April 14, 2013

Ackk! I am behind again on my Feature Friday. But I still want to feature Fresh From Home!

Man...sometimes I am so bad!  I have no good excuse for being late on this Feature Friday, but good news is that I am finally doing it!  And I am feeling this week like being a super self sufficient backyard homesteader, so thus why I have chosen to feature Fresh From Home - Adventures in Backyard Homesteading!

I first came upon this blog from Pinterest (I know, shocker!) when I saw this hilarious pic...


I am not sure if everyone will think this is as funny as I do, but I swear that my chickens do this with the dog.  They love to wander in the house, and my dog watches them intently whilst they meander through the kitchen.  Silly animals.

So of course I had to see what else was going on at this blog.  And if you are into the homesteading where you are sort of mentality at all, you will enjoy this website.  She has lots of great tutorials and tips on growing stuff....like this post on sprouts...


As well as yummy and interesting recipes, like this one for Springerle Cookies.  


There is something about the old way that food looked like art.  I think about reading Little House on the Prairie and how they would use a strawberry butter mold to make the butter look nice.  A kind of pride in the food.  I think I must try this out.

And then of course she has some great posts on her chickens.  I was especially interested in this post about her bunny living with her chickens!  We have had a bunny, definitely a tame house pet, that must have gotten loose and has come to hang out in the yard.  Maybe it stays with the chickens sometimes...hehe...


Their bunny doesn't even care that the chickens threw dirt on it! So cute.

Anyway, head on over and check the site out.  Fun to check out tips on gardening, all the fun chicken posts, and of course good food and tips!

Happy Feature Friday on a Sunday! 

Ash




Friday, March 22, 2013

Feature Fridays break...instead how about some garden fun and update to DIY Plant Markers!


I have been trying all week to get this blog post up!  So, I am taking a little break from my Feature Fridays to share this post.  Maybe not quite as exciting, but it is good to mix it up sometimes, right?

I am getting pretty excited about my little garden this year.  We have started with new, raised beds using cinder blocks.  I have one that is always shaded by a big pine tree, so that one is going to be the greens bed.  We have planted some yummy early greens in that bed and they are peeking their little heads up now!


And in the back there....that is my update to my shrink-dink (shrink plastic) plant markers!  I am so excited!  You may recall a post I had done before with a tutorial on making shrink plastic plant markers and attaching them to spoons?  Well, they were fun, but pretty basic.  I have had a lot of fun with new versions this year!  One of my friends helped me.  I wanted ones that even told the name of the seeds I was using.  I have to say, I am pretty proud of us. Hehe.  Check these out!


Each one is different and a lot of fun....arugula.... 


Cartouche style spinach....


Some Flashy Butter Oak Lettuce....


Mild Mesclun Mix....


London Springs Lettuce Mix...


This one is pretty cute  - see the little 'p's in there?  Because they are Sugar Snap Peas! hehe


And Oregon Sugar Snap Peas!

We made them a little small, so if you are making your own, err on too large.  They shrink a lot!  I would start with something at least 4-5 inches wide and a proportional height.

Finally, just for a giggle...look at this silly chicken.


I kept wondering how they were hopping the fence.....

Happy Friday!

Ash

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Farm dreams and inspiration...

I have been dreaming of a tiny farm for some time now, and hope to make those dreams come true soon.  But in the meantime, I have been collecting ideas and inspiration and have to share some cool things I have found....

First, I will definitely need one or several of these...

And maybe a few of these....


And of course I will have to have more of these....



(Those are Lavender Orpingtons!!  I def want a few of those.)

And speaking of chickens, I will have to build a fun new coop for all the ladies....maybe like this one?


Or maybe this one - more simple and rustic?


And then of course, I really want both an outdoor kitchen area and an outdoor shower/tub area.  The kitchen could be something simple like this to start....



And then maybe turn into something bigger and better, like this....

(Found on Pinterest and unable to link back to original.)

But the kitchen would have to have a little entertaining area....

(Found on Pinterest and unable to link back to original.)

As for outdoor bathing...I kinda love these...



And having one of these to go daydream in would be heaven....

(Found on Pinterest and unable to link back to original.)

Yes, there is so much to dream about, as well as the actual farming, of course!  I am super excited for that piece, too.

Now off to go set up my raised beds while the sun it trying to shine in the Pacific Northwest....

Happy dreaming!

Ash

Friday, February 22, 2013

Feature Fridays and Fresh Eggs Daily

Today I have been thinking about farming and thought I'd share something farmy with you.  I have also been thinking a lot about my chickens, as I lost my first chicken recently.  I have no idea why, as the others appear to all be fine, but I have been a bit of a worry wart since the incident.  So, I guess farming and chickens have been on the mind.

So when I found this lovely blog, Fresh Eggs Daily, I knew I had to share it with you all.  It is a fun blog that talks about the fun of owning chickens and gives a lot of tips and tricks for the funny little girls.

For example, she has a great list of things not to feed to your chickens for various reasons.  


This is a very good list, and goes further into the details than other lists I have found.  Very helpful!

I also like that she shares photos documenting each week on the farm.  I love to see farms and the funny animals that live on them, so it is super fun to see what goes on...like the end of January on her farm....


Very cool.  Someday I will have a couple horses.  I hope.

And to top it off, she shares DIY's and recipes.  I really need to try this clover french bread recipe!  I love that she is a reader of Mary Jane's Farm, which is one of my new favorite magazines, and where she got the basis for this bread.


If you are feeling a little like checking out some farm living, like I have been, go check out this fun blog and say hello.  And if you are thinking about getting chickens, do it!  They are so much fun and you get the awesome reward of delicious, rich eggs. 

Ash








Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Little upcycled gift

Today, I needed a birthday gift for a friend of mine.  I wanted it to be fun and unique but also fit her lifestyle and morals, of course.  Soo, I made this little planter of celery!



I have been having too much fun with things that would otherwise be thrown away and spray paint.  I turned a large tomato can into this fun little planter by popping a few holes in the bottom and hitting it with the ol' spray paint!  Then tying a little ribbon on for added flair.


Then, to top it off, I have tried the craze I have seen everywhere on pinterest of growing celery from the  discarded cut off bottom part thingy.  (There is likely a real name for it, but heck if I know it.)  I LOVE this craze.  I go through quite a bit of celery, and I always buy the organic kind, one because I prefer that and 2 because I know I will soon be growing a little plant of my own.

If you have not yet seen it, it is great.  Cut on the bottom of the celery, set it in a dish of water for a couple weeks (changing and adding water as needed) and viola!  Roots start to grow and from the center you start to get a great little celery plant!  Then once it gets to about this point...



I stick it in it's own little pot and watch it grow.  In a couple more weeks, I should be able to even harvest a few (all be it, small) stalks if I so desire!  For a great walk through, check out this blog post over at 17 Apart.

And like I said, I think it makes an awesome gift. 

So go have fun growing little celery plants!

Ash

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Sad news on the urban farm....lost my first chicken

Sad news.  Yesterday, we lost our first chicken on our little backyard farm.  I have to say that I have been pretty lucky, as our chickens have been happy little chickens for some time, and I am actually a little surprised it took us this long to lose a hen.


I went out yesterday morn and found Peeper Planes (the red one above) laying in the run.  No apparent cause, and from talking with other chicken experts, sometimes they just do that.  I am watching the other girls carefully, just in case.  They appear to be fine so far.

I dunno about others with small flocks, but it is pretty easy to get attached to the little birds.  I was kind of surprised how much it upset me.  I was not a total wreck, as I know I would be if the dog or cat were to pass on, but it still got to me.  She was a pretty cool chicken, one of the older gals that I had definitely made more tame than the newer ones.

I felt as though I needed to share.  I think it is important to remember that life is short, no matter chicken or person, and that I appreciated the eggs she gave and watching her be a little goofy chicken.  And important to remember that this stuff happens sometimes.  (And especially if I want a bigger piece of land with more chickens!)

Bye bye, Miss Peeper Planes.  Thanks for everything!

Ash

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Blueberry picking...

The other day my friend and I went to pick some blueberries before they were all picked and gone.  While we had to do a bit of searching, we both did pretty good!

It was a little farm that is just near Mt Pisgah in Eugene.  My friend knew about it, and I was surprised how close to town it was!  How come I didn't find this out sooner?


Lots of berry bushes...


Mmmmm....


The view....


You are mine, blueberry!


See, there were still a few.

And my friend gave me the best berry freezing tip ever.  It seems so simple, but it was something I never thought of.  She spreads the berries on piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet and freezing the berries for about 20 minutes.  Then you put it in your freezer container and the berries won't stick together!  Duh! Maybe you already knew that, but it was one of those ah-ha moments!

Get out there and enjoy some of the summer harvest!

Ash

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Feature Fridays and Little House in the Suburbs!

This week I have to feature a blog that I go to all the time for tips and advice for backyard farming, Little House in the Suburbs.  I first stumbled onto the site when I was searching for advice on my loud little chickens.  Sometimes my girls get a total bug up their...ahem...feathers... and I was curious if I was doing something wrong.  I found that other people also have issues, and that girls just tend to want to squawk their little heads off when they lay an egg.  I guess if I was laying an egg that size everyday, I'd be pretty proud, too. (Or something like that.)

Anyway, Deanna and Daisy basically have everything you'd want to know and learn about working with a backyard farmyard, aka, urban farming.  Like these FAQ/Chicken Myths post that I love.  Or patterns for crochet dishcloths like this cute Cabbage Patch one...


And I think you know by now how much I love reusing and recycling and they have a whole craft section on this.  I LOVE this garden bench made from an old bed frame.  I am working on my yard this summer and think this might be just the thing I need!


And all kinds of DIY's, including body care products, cleaning products, or things for the house and garden, like this little rainbow trellis!



You can also check out their recipes, and tips to simplify.  Oh, and you can subscribe to their newsletter, and get info about all of the above as it comes out!  Last but not least, make sure to check out their Linky Party!

Hope you check out Little House in the Suburbs and find it as useful as I have!

Have a great weekend!

Ash