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