Quickest, easiest homestead things you do

lonelyfarmgirl · #21 01/26/12, 07:46 AM

Probably the easiest thing I do is bottle feed the calves in the morning. It takes only a couple minutes to mix up the milk replacer in the blender. I have one bottle calf and one bucket calf right now. They are waiting at the fence when its time. Prop the bottle thru the fence hole and set the bucket over on the ground. They suck it down, done. Start to finish, less than 10 minutes.

ronbre · #22 01/26/12, 09:18 AM

I totally love that 5 minute artisan bread recipe..so much I bought the book after seeing it in Mother Earth..Keep in an ice cream bucket in frig. Beleive the recipe is still available on the Mother Earth News site online..just google 5 minute Artisan Bread or varities of that..and you should find it or google Mother Earth News and then search on their site.

If you have problems with broccoli, try Broccoli Raab..it is so much easier and produces all season long..you eat the stems and small tops..all the time..

I love growing a garden, sometimes if things don't work out, I go and reasearch why..like if you have the holes in your carrrots it is probably nematodes..there are things you can do for that..lots of people just plunk the seeds or plants in and don't find out if they are putting them in the proper PH soil or know how to organically pick or prevent the diseases..the only ones that give me fits are the squash bugs but you can trap them under boards..

I also prefer to put in perennial trees, bushes and plants or those that self seed or I can save seed from (OP or Heirloom)..as I'm getting older and also seeds are not only getting ridiculous to buy but they are full of freaky stuff..

BoldViolet · #23 01/26/12, 10:41 AM

Here's the no-knead artisan bread recipe:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-...tes-A-Day.aspx

olivehill · #24 01/26/12, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willow_girl

Oh, I miss being able to do that! PA doesn't allow baiting, so no deer carrots here.

Back home, I'd make carrot cakes all though the fall, 'til we were sick of them! LOL

Any carrots that were too woody to eat went to the horses. They didn't mind.

Not much creativity in PA either? Here they made baiting and feeding illegal several years ago (it's legal again now) and suddenly all those bags of carrots and apples were SQUIRREL carrots and SQUIRREL apples. Signs said so, must've been true.

fffarmergirl · #25 01/26/12, 06:06 PM

I tried the artisan bread recipe and had some trouble with it and never did it again. Now I can't even remember what the trouble was! Maybe it would be worth trying again.

I'm too lazy to bother with pH testing and soil amendments. I try growing things a few different places and if I don't find a place in my gardens that they grow well in, I cross them off my list. I just grow what does well in my soil, it's easier.

I'm tickled pink because lavender is growing for me here. At my old house I couldn't grow it for the life of me.

Broccoli does fine for me but it just got away from me when I got busy - went to seed everywhere so I imagine I'll have lots of volunteers this year. I'll have to try that broccoli raab, it sounds easier.