Getting Off The Grid - Learning To Live The Life

This past week has been about the garden and the fields, Blackberries and snakes, Making things from scratch at home that I had never thought about doing before. 

Although I needed to go out to work, the making a living job, I postponed it to get the homestead under control.

The Homestead :

All it has to do is rain once and the grass grows twice as fast, faster than I can keep it up. Usually I can get buy every 10 -14 days but lately its been every Saturday. Except this week, I put the outside work off till a weekday and I rested up and cleaned the inside of my house.

While I rested I was also at the computer, researching and ordering. Getting things moving from an idea to the real thing. 

I need to make this homestead an earning homestead. 

And so it begins.......

I had help and he tiller the garden and got the grass turned under once again and he hilled the tomatoes.

I mowed the entire homestead, well except the woods :)

The Garden and Homestead:

The squash are in full bloom and the cucumbers are too.

I have baby tomatoes on the second round of plants in the garden, the first round is still giving me a few tomatoes a week, they are in the flower bed.

I have sweet green bell peppers from blooms to picking size. I picked my first a couple days ago, 8 of them.

The okra is growing but I know it`ll be another month before it begins to bloom and bear. 

I am in blackberry heaven, I have been picking about a quart a day, some days more, but a couple days ago I got a surprise, a snake laying on a tree limb, we were eye to eye and I was lucky and eased away, It was killed and we do not know what type it was, never sen one like that before. With that being said I am not picking as many now that I won`t get up in the bushes like I had been. I know snaked hang around blackberry bushes waiting for small game or birds.

I have began to pick and dry sage and all the basil are in full bloom and that is when its best to pick and dry. I have about ran out of chamomile, its had season. I am still getting a few honeysuckle blooms, a cup at a time, making the infusion for more jelly.

The stockpile :

About the only thing I am able to put up in jars right now is honeysuckle jelly.

I am picking and freezing the blackberries, I will home can most of them and I am collection them till I get a few gallon to do a one day massive canning session. 

I did get a quart bag filled with chopped bell pepper from the garden :)

The Learning :

This past couple of weeks I have learned so, so much. And, I have began to do what I have been learning. I have this interesting in making my own .... everything. Not just to stockpile for that just in case time, but to sell to others, make money doing what I love to do, create good products.

I made my first batch of soap, its thin and small bars but I am happy with the results. I will admit that an episode of the Beverly Hillbillies came to mind, Ganny making lye soap by the cement pond :)

I am making more unscented soaps with no added colors because so many people have sensitive skin. Later I will make some that smells good.

I am hoping this is the beginning of a new business from home and I will have my own soaps and more, all I have to do is mix it up and wait.

That is about it on what is going on with my homestead, how are you doing with yours?

By Andria Perry

Photos By Andria Perry

Getting Off The Grid - Living A Double Life

The double life means I am half way in between two worlds,The world of off the grid ans free and the world of go buy it and forget about using what is free. 

Some days its hard to not just give up and move back to the city and live paycheck to paycheck. To forget about all the work involved in growing, the back pain and bug bites.

Then I taste something you cannot buy, something I made that no one makes, and I think " I got something no one else has, I can survive if I ever have to, alone, with my knowledge."

The Homestead :

I look out the window and I often wonder how did I get here? Then I remember I prayed about it and that is how I got here. 

The work is continuous. The grass is always in the garden and the plants share the space.

I still have to get the dogs another area fixed with fencing, Its getting hotter by the day and they need the complete shade. I am sure the cay will not like them getting closer to his area.

The Garden :

Yes this time of the year is all about the garden! I am excited to say that the second round of tomato plants are now blooming. The first round is still giving small tomatoes and hanging in there. The third round of tomato plants are ready to be re-potted, I did many of them but its a big job and will take a lot of time, I will get there.

The bell pepper has babies. The eggplants look better but still are struggling in the garden.

All the okra, squash and cucumbers are growing well, even in the grass.

I have some of the herbs I planted coming up, I am sure its parsley even though the marked got blown away.

I have began to gather blackberries, a half pint or pint at a time.

I also gathered more chamomile blooms and honeysuckle. 

The stockpile :

I have not made anything the past week for the stockpile, however, I have bought more 1/2 pint canning jars, since $2.00 coupons are out and a dear friend have me plenty. Just over $3 a case is awesome for jars.

But I did go fishing, had a meal and froze a meal. I guess that counts. I intend on filling the deep freezer with more fish, however, I would live to learn how to preserve fish by drying or canning. 

Click here to learn : How to clean bream  

The Learning :

With all the rain I have seen many new mushrooms that I do not know. I take a picture and I watch for the spore pattern, of its dark never eat those. I did not get to see the pattern because I forgot it outside and the wind blew it on the ground. I have seen many "no no`s" like the red mushrooms and the solid white death angels that I look at but I don`t touch.

The thing with mushrooms they are here one day and gone the next. This makes it hard to identify which is which.

What do I need to learn? besides how to preserve fish, How to manage kudzu! This evil vine is taking over a piece of land. No not here at the homestead, thank God!

By Andria Perry

Photos By Andria Perry