Author Archives: Gwen.

The moment Bellfern began

I know, I know, it’s the most boring email exchange ever. It’s so innocuous, so bland, so void of significance. But you know what it is? Of course you do. It’s the first email exchange (a hundred would follow) between me, Josh, and our realtor about Bellfern Homestead. But of course it wasn’t Bellfern Homestead yet,Continue reading “The moment Bellfern began”

Homesteading is not as sexy as it sounds

Maybe you have a fantasy about homesteading someday, and you have a vision of yourself wearing flannel and Carharts harvesting mountains of winter squash for your root cellar, and hosting apple cider pressing parties with your neighbors. You envision raising pastured cattle, who happily much on your luscious green grass, and you imagine quaint daily choresContinue reading “Homesteading is not as sexy as it sounds”

The fruits of winter, part 1: winter jam with quince

Around late August you’ll read a number of smug blog posts by me and every other homesteader and gardener glorifying the harvest of summer. You’ll see baskets mounded with zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, and squash. There will be photos of quart jars filled with freshly canned applesauce, pickles, tomatoes. Maybe an article about freezing pesto in iceContinue reading “The fruits of winter, part 1: winter jam with quince”

A rough start to the new year

Sigh. Josh and Gwen have been busy since the New Year. We’ve been quiet because for a few weeks there wasn’t much to report, and then all of a sudden too much, and we were too crabby to talk about it. This happens to be the coldest winter since we’ve lived in Washington, with mostContinue reading “A rough start to the new year”

Raising meat chickens: the nitty gritty

I wouldn’t deliberately choose to process chickens in a cyclone. It’s just that when you raise meat chickens, you’re working on a timeline. There’s a lot to line up: you have to consider the day the chickens were hatched, and calculate 7-8 weeks to determine the butchering window. And when you’re a part-time farmer, weekendsContinue reading “Raising meat chickens: the nitty gritty”

It’s the rainy season.

As the summer ended, we felt that we knew the homestead pretty well. We knew where the pasture was thick and healthy, and we knew where it transitioned into sedge–an indicator of a low area. We had a mental map of the labyrinth of electric fence wire in the pastures, and how to direct currentContinue reading “It’s the rainy season.”

Turning apples to gold

Josh turned 41 last week. What do you get for the guy who loves growing stuff, but already has 10 apple trees, 3 pear trees, 3 cherry trees, and more plum trees than we can count? More fruit trees, of course. We’re continuing to get to know our property and all of the things thatContinue reading “Turning apples to gold”

The simplest solution is the best solution

There are numerous ways to solve almost any challenge, but the simplest approach involving the fewest steps and the least energy, materials, and time is always the most effective, long-term, viable solution. -Ben Falk, The Resilient Farm and Homestead Our neighbors invited us over for dinner last weekend, where we enjoyed a feast of theContinue reading “The simplest solution is the best solution”

Food for thought: antibiotics vs. organic meat

We had a pig scare today. Big Boy stopped eating last night, and he laid down to sleep while the other 3 (Tugboat, The Corporal, and Number Two) fought over dinner. He’s a pig, so dinner should be the absolute best part of every day. Something was wrong. I went to bed feeling anxious, butContinue reading “Food for thought: antibiotics vs. organic meat”