Here are some of the developments on our homestead this winter.
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17 Responses to Homesteading Update
its possible to grow nut trees and garlic in commercial square foot plots for sale at local stores or farmers markets, spinned organic sheep or rabbit wool, organic cotton, making goat cheese….there’s many ways to make some income on the homestead.
We are always looking for new ways to bring income in and it is difficult to generate income from the homestead. We hope to make a video about this soon.
pocketsofthefuture
January 30, 2012 at 4:57 am Reply
Hope you don’t mind my asking but do you homestead full-time or do you work as well? My wife and I are both teachers so we combine homesteading with working from Oct. to June each year to get an income/pay the bills etc. I cannot imagine being able to exist financially on your own land unless you do it commercially.
P, thanks so much for sharing with me. I have the book you mentioned. Have you ever tried making your own chedder?
Please know I admire you and your lifestyle
John
I think in California you can get raw milk still but I heard they just past some sort of law making it more difficult. Va is pretty regressive. Right now we don’t have much interest in selling food as they make it too much of a hassle. We also make feta and it will get better with goat milk. We have some recipes on our potf website under the howto’s category. We will eventually get more cheese making links and info on that page. The book we use is called Home Cheese Making by Ricky Carrol.
pocketsofthefuture
January 30, 2012 at 6:47 am Reply
P, how wonderful. I live in Los Angeles and dream of living like you do. How difficult would it be for you to sell your cheese?
That’s a small step I want to make for myself, making cheese but I know the USDA makes it very difficult for small food providers.
John
P, how wonderful. I live in Los Angeles and dream of living like you do. How difficult would it be for you to sell your cheese?
That’s a small step I want to make for myself, making cheese but I know the USDA makes it very difficult for small food providers.
John
They both calved within 3 weeks of each other. So we were getting about 9 gallons of milk at first. We bottle fed both calves for about 6 months and were making 5 gallons of mozz at a time. We also gave some milk back to the family we bought Pez from and the purchased her calf Patrick. The calved about a 1 1/2 ago in late October and Nov of 06. We are getting about 3 gallon’s a day now and that is probably slightly less then we need. Our goats will kid in march.
pocketsofthefuture
January 30, 2012 at 8:01 am Reply
We make mozzarella and panir once a week or so but we are getting less milk. I have been planning to video both of those activities but we just haven’t been able to. We also make kefir with kefir grains everyday which I will also eventually video. When we purchased Pezra she was at the end of her milking cycle about a year after she calved. We didn’t know it but she was pregnant so as she begin to dry out we purchased her sister Phoebe who was also pregnant.
pocketsofthefuture
January 30, 2012 at 8:48 am Reply
Do you ever make cheese with the milk from the cows? Do the cows supply milk to both their calves and your family?
John
We just bring the new hens in now and hope they are healthy. That is one reason people raise there own chicks. so they can have a closed flock. We have over 30 now. I counted a week or so ago but forgot the exact count. The new hens are 18 months old.
pocketsofthefuture
January 30, 2012 at 10:00 am Reply
Hurts my back just looking at that large block of ice! I look forward to see how a heater will work out for you in the future. Glad you got ahold of some more hay. Do you do any special precautions when introducing new hens? Quarantine? Lime the chicken coop? How many chickens total now? How many eggs on average? Great price for the hens. How old are they? Thanks for the update.
It has so far. Our bamboo is good up to -10 or -15. Since it was transplanted late in the summer and suffered a drought we were concerned but most of it appears healthy.
pocketsofthefuture
January 30, 2012 at 11:19 am Reply
its possible to grow nut trees and garlic in commercial square foot plots for sale at local stores or farmers markets, spinned organic sheep or rabbit wool, organic cotton, making goat cheese….there’s many ways to make some income on the homestead.
MasterVeggie
January 30, 2012 at 3:58 am
We are always looking for new ways to bring income in and it is difficult to generate income from the homestead. We hope to make a video about this soon.
pocketsofthefuture
January 30, 2012 at 4:57 am
Hope you don’t mind my asking but do you homestead full-time or do you work as well? My wife and I are both teachers so we combine homesteading with working from Oct. to June each year to get an income/pay the bills etc. I cannot imagine being able to exist financially on your own land unless you do it commercially.
ivankinsman
January 30, 2012 at 5:00 am
I just found your videos a few days ago and, they’re very enjoyable…..Thanks for posting them.
bigwinner31
January 30, 2012 at 5:54 am
P, thanks so much for sharing with me. I have the book you mentioned. Have you ever tried making your own chedder?
Please know I admire you and your lifestyle
John
Trash732
January 30, 2012 at 6:15 am
I think in California you can get raw milk still but I heard they just past some sort of law making it more difficult. Va is pretty regressive. Right now we don’t have much interest in selling food as they make it too much of a hassle. We also make feta and it will get better with goat milk. We have some recipes on our potf website under the howto’s category. We will eventually get more cheese making links and info on that page. The book we use is called Home Cheese Making by Ricky Carrol.
pocketsofthefuture
January 30, 2012 at 6:47 am
P, how wonderful. I live in Los Angeles and dream of living like you do. How difficult would it be for you to sell your cheese?
That’s a small step I want to make for myself, making cheese but I know the USDA makes it very difficult for small food providers.
John
Trash732
January 30, 2012 at 7:11 am
P, how wonderful. I live in Los Angeles and dream of living like you do. How difficult would it be for you to sell your cheese?
That’s a small step I want to make for myself, making cheese but I know the USDA makes it very difficult for small food providers.
John
Trash732
January 30, 2012 at 7:36 am
They both calved within 3 weeks of each other. So we were getting about 9 gallons of milk at first. We bottle fed both calves for about 6 months and were making 5 gallons of mozz at a time. We also gave some milk back to the family we bought Pez from and the purchased her calf Patrick. The calved about a 1 1/2 ago in late October and Nov of 06. We are getting about 3 gallon’s a day now and that is probably slightly less then we need. Our goats will kid in march.
pocketsofthefuture
January 30, 2012 at 8:01 am
We make mozzarella and panir once a week or so but we are getting less milk. I have been planning to video both of those activities but we just haven’t been able to. We also make kefir with kefir grains everyday which I will also eventually video. When we purchased Pezra she was at the end of her milking cycle about a year after she calved. We didn’t know it but she was pregnant so as she begin to dry out we purchased her sister Phoebe who was also pregnant.
pocketsofthefuture
January 30, 2012 at 8:48 am
Do you ever make cheese with the milk from the cows? Do the cows supply milk to both their calves and your family?
John
Trash732
January 30, 2012 at 9:46 am
Thank you for your supportive comment.
pocketsofthefuture
January 30, 2012 at 9:53 am
Hey P, Hang in there, you’re doing good things. You sound a bit discouraged but nothing good comes easy
Trash732
January 30, 2012 at 9:56 am
We just bring the new hens in now and hope they are healthy. That is one reason people raise there own chicks. so they can have a closed flock. We have over 30 now. I counted a week or so ago but forgot the exact count. The new hens are 18 months old.
pocketsofthefuture
January 30, 2012 at 10:00 am
Hurts my back just looking at that large block of ice! I look forward to see how a heater will work out for you in the future. Glad you got ahold of some more hay. Do you do any special precautions when introducing new hens? Quarantine? Lime the chicken coop? How many chickens total now? How many eggs on average? Great price for the hens. How old are they? Thanks for the update.
dionysusstar
January 30, 2012 at 10:50 am
It has so far. Our bamboo is good up to -10 or -15. Since it was transplanted late in the summer and suffered a drought we were concerned but most of it appears healthy.
pocketsofthefuture
January 30, 2012 at 11:19 am
does your bamboo make it through the winter?
bluzy25
January 30, 2012 at 11:56 am