2 part-time homesteaders trying to leave the earth a little better than we found it
Our boar, Alexander Hamilton, got really sick this fall. I went out to the paddock we set up under the ancient gravenstein to feed AH one evening and found him napping. At that time the tree was still raining down sweet snacks. There were a couple strewn about. Odd. But, maybe he didn’t hear the … Continue reading When Pigs Flop; Physical Therapy for our Boar
A tomato plant (the classic annual veggie) typically ripens from seed to fruit in 6-8 months in the PNW. They’re an intensive plant that requires seeding as early as February, babying the seedlings with heat and light, then transplanting to the ground and covering with plastic to protect from cool nights (which stunt their growth), … Continue reading American Guinea Hogs: the perennial pork
After Hypatia (a.k.a. Honeybunny, a.k.a. Mommabear) farrowed her first litter of piglets on St. Patrick’s Day, we gave her some time alone with her new family, separated from the rest of the herd. After about 5 weeks, we integrated momma and babes with the other two adult pigs, Alexander Hamilton and Eliza, which went smoothly. … Continue reading Making Mistakes: Life and Death on the Homestead
The pig has been butchered; cans of pickles, sauce, and fruit are put up for the winter; the wine is bottled; the kitchen is 98% finished with the remodel. Last weekend we finally took a step back from the bustle of autumn to host the second annual Oktoberfest at Bellfern. Online descriptions of the official … Continue reading Oktoberfest comes to Bellfern Homestead
At the beginning of September, over the course of 3 very long days, we butchered our first pig on the farm. I’ve been struggling to write this story because I couldn’t think of a way to make it engaging or funny. But Josh helpfully pointed out that wit and narrative aren’t always necessary. Until 70 … Continue reading Home butchering the homestead pig
“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly first.” -Joel Salatin Whenever Josh and I tell someone that we live on a farm, the polite followup question is inevitably “what do you raise?” I think most people are hoping we’ll say tomatoes, but “pork and chicken,” is what we say. “Raised on grass, organic feed, … Continue reading Growing up as farmers and processing our own pork
Did you know that a chicken can “collect” fertilized eggs for up to a week before she begins sitting on the eggs? And that the 21-day gestation cycle doesn’t start until she begins sitting on them? Which means that there’s a one-week period where that fertilized egg could become either a chick, or an omelette? Our … Continue reading Hatching chicks
I work in a big office environment, where people tap away feverishly at keyboards for 8.5 hrs a day. It’s not quite an information services company, but IT impacts everything we do, and there’s not a single department in our building that doesn’t have a wishlist full of menial, tiresome tasks that could be … Continue reading Automation comes to Bellfern Homestead
The natural progression of homestead animal stewardship usually goes like this: laying hens (females only), then after you build some confidence with chickens, a rooster is added to the mix, then chicks follow shortly. Because poultry is so much fun, ducks and turkeys come next, then meat chickens. Then goats. Goats are the gateway quadruped … Continue reading The Joyful Chicken, Part I
About 4 times a year, I make soap. Making soap is one of my favorite recurring homestead chores, and I deliberately make it in small-ish batches so that I’ll have to make it again a few months later, giving me an opportunity to try a new design, recipe, or fragrance. The main ingredient in my … Continue reading Tallow: a foundational homestead product
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