It ain't all home grown

You may be asking yourself: "What if I can't get a certain food to grow in my yard?"

Well, this happened to us this year. We planted strawberries and harvested a grand total of 3. But, we love strawberries. So, we keep a fresh produce budget for when we see a good deal on a large amount of unprocessed fruits and veggies. We were at a nearby produce stand, Greg's Produce Barn (great food, great person who owns it), and they had 8 pounds of strawberries for $10!!!! What a deal! So, we bought 8 pounds and came home and canned them into jam. This is our lovely 9 year old daughter, Selah, mashing the berries. You couldn't find a better person for the job. She works willingly and cheerfully at whatever task she is given. She is such a blessing. 

You know what else is a blessing? Smearing homemade jam on toast in the morning! 

Sustainability: A way of living

I found these videos in my archives.  At the end of summer of 2013, a friend of mine gave us a bunch of peppers.  So many that we could not eat them all.  So my wife,Teresa said we could freeze them and use them in dishes over the year.  Well we took the seeds out for the replant for the summer of 2014, and was a great opportunity to teach the kids to harvest the seeds.  Real sustainability will come from harvesting your own seeds from the vegetable that you grow.  Of course you have to start somewhere.  So to get started I usually buy my seeds from the local seed and feed store.  And as you learn you can start putting up your own seeds.  I actually will start this in the summer harvest of 2015.  I hope to have all my vegetables grown from the seeds I harvested from our growth.

Also I have started videoing and have posted to youtube videos of Teresa cooking and prepping these foods. 

The video is at youtube under Michael Ryan "saving seeds for replant"

Train up a child...

The Bible says that if we train up a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not depart from it. We believe that this begins at birth, so from as young as they are able to, we  have our children working alongside us, helping and learning. It's not just about how to hang drywall or cook, but rather, how to run a home, and be obedient, and enjoy time together that does not revolve around games or play or electronics. So, mothers and fathers, do not squander the time. God tells us to number our days, and we shouldn't waste a minute that we can redeem for Him. 

The incredible, edible peanut

One of the most anticipated times of harvest for my family is peanut harvest time. We watched with very little patience as the tops slowly turned yellow and signaled their time of peak perfection. My son, Benjamin, and I went out to pick the hopefully bountiful harvest in the heat of the day. We sent up a prayer for some relief from the heat and was instantly answered with a quick, summer rain. The hard, unyielding ground softened, and the legumes were easily picked. And washed at the same time! 

My wife, Teresa, set out to boil these delectable snack items, and by bedtime, we had us a warm, healthy snack. All in in all, we had 15 quart bags to freeze. Next year, we'd love to have more, but this year definitely outdid last year's harvest of six bags. 

The bonus came in the form of my middle child, who is 6, learning that the harvest must be done when the plant is ready, rain or shine. Perhaps that lesson is even better than the taste of those peanuts...but maybe not!

Michael 

In the beginning...

This blog will be about sustainable living. Right now, my family and I live on one acre in the middle of town. We do all that we can with that single acre. This blog will about what we are doing now, and our quest to honor God with all we do. We also are avid hunters, love to can our own food, and vehemently support gun rights.

Our ultimate goal is to own multiple acres and plant full gardens, hunt and raise animals on our own land. We also homeschool, so we will be showing you ways to incorporate the little ones into your homesteading. 

Follow us in our journey to live off the land and do it with as little money as possible. Watch us turn our $2 in a safe into acreage and a home we will build with our own two hands. Actually, our own 10 hands. LOL