On March 20, 2021, a batch of new chicks arrived on the ranch! Being that we have yet to find a breed that fits what we’re looking for in a sustainable homestead flock, we decided to try two new heritage breeds: Delaware and Australorp (the blue variety.) We are also using some techniques to brood [...]
Every autumn the age-old question “Are you ready for winter?” starts to pepper local conversations. Being ready for winter in our remote mountain area means different things for different people. Some things need doing every year; others don’t, so our list changes from year-to-year. For 2018 it includes the following: Cut, chop, and stack firewood- [...]
This frittata is one of my go-to dishes for its simplicity, versatility, and utter deliciousness. Whether for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner, a couple ingredients or chock full, it’s another great use of eggs when we’re swimmin’ in them. The variations are limited only by your imagination: bacon with cheddar, ham and Swiss, pork [...]
As mentioned in an earlier post, we love eggs. And one of our favorite ways to enjoy them is hard cooked- for snacks, as a quick light meal, in egg salad, etc. So for us one of the main selling points of the All American Sun Oven is the ability to hard cook eggs without [...]
We’re starting a new blog theme called “Homestead Tools”. This is where we will periodically share with you the tools that are must-haves on our off-grid homestead. To kick it off, we introduce the All American Sun Oven, considered the ultimate solar appliance with good reason! Those who know me know that I am a [...]
Off-grid… off-the-grid are terms heard and read frequently these days. What is a grid? What does living off-grid mean? And why do it in the first place? Being off-grid is by no means a new concept, although it is fairly new in the consciousness of most in these days of mass media. Think about [...]
"Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning..." - The Farmers and Gardeners of Terre Vivante This is a wonderful book of fruit and vegetable preservation secrets collected from readers of the French organic gardening magazine Les Quatres Saisons du Jardinage (Four Season Gardening). The methods described date back literally hundreds of years, but are still in [...]
