We’re three months into 2022 now, but for many of us gardeners, the year has just begun, with warm weather and Springtime in the air it’s time to get busy and get planting.
Tag Archives: Homesteading
Keepers of the Old Ways – Survival & Homestead Expo
On January 28-29th at the Panhandle Pioneer Settlement in Blountstown FL, we had the great fun of going to the Keepers of the Old Ways Expo, there we got to learn about the old ways of life, how people cooked, hunted, foraged, clothed, built and so much more.
In the process we got to interview Willard Smith, founder of the Pioneer Settlement. Willard spoke to us about the importance of the old ways of life, and why we must cherish the things that got us to where we are today.
Continue reading Keepers of the Old Ways – Survival & Homestead ExpoWelcome to our Aviary!
Kai: Here is a tour of our aviary/coop! It’s home to our chickens, quail, and pigeons. I am excited to have added all these wonderful birds to our mini homestead, as I feel my personal connection and place in the permaculture world is really through the animals. I have watched birds and nature far longer than I have propagated plants, so working with animals feels a lot more natural to me. I should also mention that our Pensacola permaculture endeavors are in a city-chicken approved area, so our miniature homestead is not rural, believe it or not. It really doesn’t take much space to get started with chickens/permaculture gardening if you get creative! .
I hope to capture our progress as we move further into spring, as I am hoping to hatch some chicks this year. But for now, enjoy the tour!
Winter Veggies to Grow in North West FL
Arianna here bringing you an assortment of veggies that I have found to be abundant and useful to grow during the winter time here in North West Florida. NW FL is a unique zone where temperature can flux between hot and cold, making it sometimes difficult to grow certain varieties of plants. But once you learn the right plants to work with, it is much easier to have a productive garden that grows delicious veggies for you all year round!
Your New Friends: Chickens
Kai: Our chicken keeping experience has been both fun, challenging, and surprising, especially with the appearance of a neighborhood rooster that showed up not long after we got our first two girls, a Brahma, and a Wyandotte. Later in the year, we felt we could afford to expand, and adopted two other ladies, our beautiful easter egger chickens. Throughout all of this, that little neighborhood rooster stole our hearts, and has kept the girls safe from hawks despite his size. In thanks, we’re keeping him warm this winter, and he has been paid in many treats.
While we’re still mastering even the basics of chicken keeping, I think we’ve learned a lot in just one year. We still hope to expand in this area of permaculture, but for now, we shall take care of our small flock. If you are a bird lover, or just want an interesting addition to your backyard garden, I highly recommend this pleasing, and colorful domestic fowl. I feel like they are a great tool to help children learn about animals, nature, and the “backyard” ecosystem. Be sure to get hens from a crazy chicken lady if you want a sweet bird you can pet and hold!
The book is written by me, and illustrated by Arianna and I. Digital effects were created by Avery.
The Your New Friends series was created for the love of good things and pleasant learning experiences. I offer this digital book for free because I believe in home education.
Awaken the Wild Soul 