A Farmish Kind of Life

Building the life you want is a sure step towards self-sufficiency and independence. But what if you don't know what you want that life to look like? What if the question of "what do you want" is too big to answer? Let's work through the how-to of determining what you want, as well as the importance of being able to say no in order to make that life a reality. Listen to the podcast episode by pressing the play button on the black bar above. I recently shared the following image on social media: decide what kind of life you really want...and then, say no to everything that isn't that. There was a lot of support and cheering to the image, but one gentleman gave this response: Serious question, I’m 49 and I have never figured out what I want to do. What can I do to help the process out, or is this it? If so, I did complete my mission to raise my kids...but I mean [I'm asking] for me. That's a good, valid question. What if you don’t know what you want? What if you’ve never been asked? Or what if you knew what you wanted but now you’re in a different stage of life, looking around with some freedom and thinking, wait. What is it that I want? How do we figure this all out? Sometimes the Big Picture helps, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes when we think about what we want life to look like, we can make it really complicated. We think big picture, and we think far off into the future—almost like we're answering "what do you want to be when you grow up" all over again. That might be the exact approach you need to take, but it can also be overwhelming. Sometimes in order for us to get the concept moving, we have to start small. Maybe what you know right now is that you don’t want to have to get up at 430 am anymore. That simple statement is a really great place to start in order to grab some ideas of what you want life to look like. Making a list helps A great way to attack what you want your life to look like is to make a list. Start with little bits of what you want. Add little bits of what you don't want. (Believe me, once you get started, you won't need any help continuing.) After you've made that list, take a look at the items you want and don't want. Your next step is to determine how you get there. As in, how do you bring about the things/situations you want? How do you get rid of the things/situations you don't want? And remember, this doesn't need to be all long term, especially if that's too overwhelming to think about. You can make lists for today. Tomorrow. Next week. By Christmas. Five years from now. Deciding on the life you want is really just setting goals In a way, it’s like the goal setting conversations I used to do with my teens every Monday. We'd all write down our goals for the week and post them for everyone to see. Not only did it put our commitments out there "publicly", but it also helped us keep each other accountable. Knowing each other's goals meant when we saw each other doing stuff that really wasn’t helping us reach those goals, we’d call each other on the carpet about it. Calling each other on the carpet meant poking each other to say no to the things that weren't pushing us towards the goals we'd set—i.e, the life we wanted. Reaching those goals means saying no - sometimes to a lot of stuff. Recently, a friend from Minneapolis decided it was time to move. The stuff had hit the fan, he felt it was no longer safe to live where he lived, and he announced, “we are out of here”. Saying you want to move is not as easy as just moving. It’s a whole process. It disrupts your life, your work, the plans you previously had. But my friend's end goal was to move as quickly as possible. There were a lot of things he had to say no to in order to make that happen. And a lot of those things frustrated him. But to reach the goal, you have to stay on track. Decide the life you want, and say no to what isn't that. You have to keep asking the question. And it's tough. All through my teens,

It's another random audience questions podcast episode (and blog post) where I pull five questions from my giant mason jar of topics you've sent in. Today's questions are about my favorite podcasts, multi-generational living, my circle of friends, quitting a side hustle, and Ruth Stout gardening. If you'd like to add a question to my jar for a future episode please email it to [email protected] or message me on social media. Listen to the podcast episode by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, and other popular podcast players. 1 - The podcasts I listen to: I'm a regular listener of your podcast and enjoy the wisdom you share with your listeners. Just like you, I like to listen to podcasts while working on our homestead. What podcasts do you listen to? Thank you. Sincerely, Karen Thanks for your question, Karen! I love listening to podcasts. I have many that I listen to, but the ones I try to catch every episode of are: Living Free in Tennesse The Survival Podcast Unloose the Goose Cabinet of Curiosities Lore American Shadows The Box of Oddities 2 - Pros and cons of multi-generational living: I’m a long time listener and I’ve heard you mention occasionally that at some point in your adult life, you, your husband and kids, and your parents all lived together in a multi generational home. Was that experience intentional? I’m curious if you can talk about the pros and cons of that experience and why (to my knowledge) it’s not how things are set up anymore. My wife and I are considering multi-generational living with our four kids (ages 3-10) and her parents. It’s something we’ve always considered, but as we look at the state of the world, we think about making this move a lot more. I’m just wondering if there is a negative side to it. I’m guessing there is. Thanks for considering my question. -Brad Back in the day it was always our plan to buy a piece of property, put two houses up on it, and have a sort of family commune where we all lived together—but how this all panned out for us was a lot different than we planned. Back in 2007 my husband and I sold our little house on main street with the intention of pooling our money with my parents to buy a piece of property. Our house unexpectedly sold in 24 hours, and so we asked my parents, hey, can we crash in your basement for a bit while we work to find this farm? Long story short, a little bit ended up being four years. (Remember the economy in 2008-2009? Yeah. That's a whole 'nother podcast episode.) When we found our farm (the place we are in now) my parents sold their house and moved up to the farm with us. You are correct that we no longer live multi-generationally. My parents ended up divorcing (which had nothing to do with our living arrangement ;)) and are both remarried now. There are lots of pros to multi-generational living, and also some things to be aware of: Pros: Many hands make light work. Super productive. Working as a team. Pooling your resources. Be aware of: People need their space. Set boundaries so resources aren't taken advantage of. Someone's problem is everyone's problem. Possible disagreement over parenting strategies/life choices when other people are always in close proximity. I don't regret our time living in a multi-generational home. I think there are many benefits and things to be gained from it. Just be sure you have good communication and are able to sit down and discuss your expectations/concerns before you get into it, and make sure the communication lines stay open once you jump in. 3. My circle of friends: I sometimes wonder if people in the podcasting world all hang out together. Do you and Nicole Sauce know each other?

Talking to people can be difficult. Conversations in a society where people are divided and tensions are high can be especially tough. Today we are talking about why it's hard to talk to people, and sharing tips to keep your conversations productive. Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at your favorite podcast catcher. How to talk to people begins with how to listen. A discussion/conversation is two people who are listening to each other and responding to each other in a productive manner with the intent to move the conversation along. What we commonly have now are not conversations and they are not discussions. We don’t listen to understand, we listen to reply. Someone makes a point you disagree with, and you’re not listening anymore—you’re formulating in your head what you will say as soon as they take a breath. We don't talk with people, we talk at them. Productive online conversations begin with reading what was actually posted. How many people read a post and then comment, not responding to the actual post but instead respond to what they heard in their head or where their brain went when they read that post? Someone can post about selling apple pies for $10 each on Thursdays from 3-7 pm at the XYZ Farmers Market, and people will ask in the comments: What time is the farmers market? Do you have cherry pies? How much are the pies? Is this the Tuesday or Thursday Market? Which market are you at? I'll take a pecan and a peach pie. Where can I pick them up? Sometimes we use people's posts as a place to put our opinions. I recently posted on Facebook, “If you are on Parler or Mewe, drop your link here so I can follow you”. From that post, I got comments and messages like: I don't have time for social media and I'm not joining another platform. Facebook is evil but I don’t know where else to go. What else are you using? I tried MeWe and Parler. They didn’t work for me. Okay, I get it. I totally do. But my post was simply asking for links of people who were on those platforms—that's all. It's become an epidemic of sorts. Half reading what is written, responding before taking all the information in. And that's just one of the issues. We've become more bold, and we like conflict. I touched on this topic in Social Media Etiquette: Tips from a Farmish Girl . My first tip was, “if you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face at a fried chicken dinner, don’t say it online.” The problem is in current times, I think there are a lot of things that people would say—and are saying—at a chicken dinner that they never would have said before. We want to fight. People want to be mad. And in an ironic way, me even doing this topic proves that. I’m frustrated with people being unable to talk to each other. I’m frustrated that people can't leave stuff alone that doesn’t apply to them. Conflict gives us something to talk about. It’s much more exciting to talk about things going wrong than things going right. Think about it—sitting down to read a book or watch a movie where there is no conflict would be pretty boring. Conflict is what moves the story along. So, conflict is part of the game and will always be part of the game. So how do we handle that conflict in conversation without being jerks to each other, or deciding we’re going to hole up and just never talk to anyone again? Why do people have such a hard time talking to each other? I recently asked on MeWe: “Why do you think people have such a hard time talking to each other right now (in person or online)? What's behind the breakdown in conversation? Why is there so much anger and so little movement forward? What is wrong with communication right now?” A few of my friends were willing to share their thoughts,

Ever been paralyzed with fear about a situation you're facing? Ever been stuck in a loop of complaining about what's happening in life? Let's talk about an important question we can all ask ourselves that helps us live a solution based life. Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, and other popular podcast players. Solution-based life: Stop complaining. There's something that happens when enough people get together in conversation: they eventually find something they can agree to be angry about and then they complain. I don’t have to give you examples of this because I guarantee you can see it going on around you, even if you’re not a part of it yourself. But you probably are a part of it—at least occasionally—because it's so easy to get sucked in. Conversations focused on what’s wrong and what apocalypse is coming next get us all fired up. In a strange way, they even make us feel good—righteous and validated. But they generally don't do anything to change the situation. Information overload In today's world, we have access to information 24-7, sometimes only seconds after something has happened. The problem with everyone having so much access to information is that people think if they know about it, they can do something about it. With our globally connected world, we have come to imagine we can do stuff about the problems happening everywhere. Y’all, we can’t. There are issues in this world that are too big for you to take on. Now, that’s not an excuse to throw up your hands and do nothing about everything, but it is a dose of reality to say this is something I have control over and this is something that's way too big for me. Believe me, the smaller things are where we need to start. Start small. Look around. What can you do? A lot of people have talked about what's coming down the pipe. The phrase "coming economic depression" is even being thrown about. Sometimes the problem can feel overwhelming, as in holy moly, I think there might be an economic depression coming and I don’t know how to deal with that. You need to break it down. What can I do right now? What can I do right here? If you are standing in your kitchen, your yard, your barn, garden, or shed, look around. What can you do right here to make life better today, tomorrow, or a year from now? You have options. Be creative. Dig in. If you are second guessing your financial stability, start small. Trying to attack your mortgage payment might be too overwhelming for your mind right now. Start small. For instance, go through all those extras that are coming out of your bank/PayPal every month—you might be surprised at what you find—and cancel them. Yes, the box subscriptions, Amazon Unlimited, Audible are cool. But does the cost work for you right now? And do you actually even use them? (Ahem, speaking to myself—the gal who has every intention of reading all the books via Amazon Unlimited but never sits down to read. C-a-n-c-e-l.) (Looking for a much deeper financial/frugal living conversation? Check out my book: It's Not About Money...except when it is.) I've heard people are worried about getting chicks next year. But hey, you’ve got chickens and an incubator! Hatch out some chicks and sell them to friends and family. Sure, they might be mixed breed. But if there is a chick shortage, a mixed breed that will lay I-don’t-know-what-color-eggs is gonna be better than not being able to get any chicks at all. People are talking about seed shortages. Y’all, are you saving your seeds? If not, now is the time to explore this. Not only will it help you out, but it might help your friends. You can give them away, sell them, or use them to trade/barter.

It's another random audience question episodes/blog posts where I answer the questions you send me. Today's topics (which are discussed more in depth in the podcast episode) include packaging chicken, the gym vs. the farm, homeschooling, the state of the world (August 2020), and "nice farmgirl nails." If you would like to submit a question for a future episode/blog post, please email it to [email protected]. Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, and other popular podcast players. Packaging chickens "I have a question that I'm not sure if you have answered yet in another episode. When you butcher, do you process them all as full chickens or do you cut everything out separately with the breasts or the legs separately? I ask because I haven't started this whole meat raising thing yet, so I'm used to finding a recipe, then going to the store and buying that specific type of meat. Like, if I need chicken breasts, I buy a package of 4-5 breasts and they are ready to go. How does that work in your world?? Has the way you cook changed since raising your own meat?" —Katie After we butcher chickens, we package them whole—simply because piecing them out would add another step to our butchering set up. It's not hard to piece out a chicken, and if that's something that works better for your purposes, you can totally piece them out before you package them. Generally we will take a chicken or two out of the freezer to thaw, then cut the breasts out for a recipe (like chicken tacos) and then grill the legs, thighs, and wings. Or we will thaw a couple birds, roast them, and then pick the meat from the bone to be used in recipes. It's a little different to get used to how to use your chicken if you're used to being able to buy multiples of one piece of chicken (like legs, thighs, or breasts) but it's certainly something you can adjust to, if needed. Good luck! The gym vs. The farm "I saw your TikTok about being glad to be back at the gym now that things are starting to open up. I’m wondering if you can tell us how you got the motivation to go? Were you just itching for things to open up again, or did you have to drag your butt there? Because I’m in the 'I should but I don’t want to' stage of existence. Also, can you speak to the topic of 'why a farm girl would need a gym membership'? Because part of me feels like I should go but the other part of me says I live on a farm, I do enough physical work.” —Lainey When we think "farm" we often think "big farm". I think it's important to realize that not all farms are the same. While my farm keeps me busy, I don’t throw hay bales or feed bags every day. Farms are a lot of work, but just because you can lift 100 pounds doesn't mean you can run. Just because you can lift 100 pounds doesn’t mean your legs are strong or that you’re flexible. So while farm work can be a workout, it's often times not a sustained total body workout, multiple times a week. That's one reason I go to the gym. The gym is important to me because physical activity is tied to my mental health. Having said that, the Covid shutdowns got me in a funk where having to stay home made it easy to just continue staying home after things started opening back up. What actually inspired me to go back to the gym was seeing a friend asking for childcare a couple hours a week so she could just have some time at the gym. There I sat at home with a pretty flexible schedule—and two teenagers able to go off and do their own thing! It was the boot my guilty, lazy butt needed to get back to the gym. There are days I don't get to the gym. Obviously the farm is in the busy season right now and sometimes it just doesn't work to go....

Keeping yourself safe on the homestead is important! Today we're giving lots of homestead safety tips, and also some tips for safety when you're away from the homestead. I hope you find them helpful. If you have any others to suggest, please leave them in the comments! Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, and other popular podcast players. Safety on the homestead Thankfully, there is no shortage of homestead safety tips, and there are probably a gazillion tips that could be added to this blog post! We could do a whole episode on homestead kitchen safety, homestead barn safety, or homestead equipment safety. Many of the homestead safety tips below could be fleshed out into their own blog post, which means this article is basically a sort of checklist where you can say yep, I’m on top of that, or wait, I need to research that tip a little bit more. And remember, friends—there is a huge difference between being paranoid and being prepared. Homestead safety tips Get a dog. Dogs are nature's alarm system. They are sure to tell you when something or someone is in the yard, in your house, or when something just isn't right. Use security cameras. I wasn't a fan of these when we first got them at our farm because they felt like an invasion of my peaceful utopia, but it turns out they are a really good way to ensure your utopia stays peaceful. (Or to know exactly what happened if that utopia was breached.) Put up gates and fences. Will a gate or fence always stop someone from trying to access your property? Not necessarily. But will it slow them down? Yes, it will. Have a way to defend yourself. Firearms as a way to protect your family and your homestead. If this is something you're interested in or want to know more about, you can visit my other Facebook page Ready Amy Fire Away or join my private Facebook group Amy's Private Range: The Round(s) Table. Teach your kids firearms safety. Firearms safety is important for everyone. Check out this explanation of the basic rules of firearms safety from another site I run. If you’re leaving your homestead on vacation, don’t broadcast it all over social. Don't let people know your homestead is empty or that you've got a friend "checking on it" while you're gone. No one needs to know how great your vacation was until you get back home. Make sure your equipment and tools are in working order. Keep up on maintenance. Fix what needs to be fixed as soon as you realize it's broken. Remember, a dull knife is much more dangerous than a sharp one. Teach the members of your homestead know how to use the equipment and tools. Not only will this increase productivity because more people will have the know how to complete a task, it is also helpful to help get you out of a bind if you find yourself in a mess with a piece of equipment. Have a storm or disaster plan for people and animals. Know what's going to happen in an emergency if one should arrive, not just for the people in your house, but the animals on your homestead. Keep animals safe from predators. Different homesteads deal with different kinds of predators. Be open to suggestions from others in how to remedy those situations. Lock your doors house and car. Yes, even if you live in the country on a dead end dirt road. Take keys out of equipment—tractor ATVs, skidloader, etc. Yes, even if you live in the country on a dead end dirt road. Hang up your keys in the same spot. Always. If there is an emergency and you have to leave fast you don’t want to be hunting down keys in coat pockets, mom’s purse, the table, the bedroom...

Have you heard about the concept of being a gray man? As originally explained to me, “being a gray man” was for a SHTF situation. A gray man is the prepper who doesn’t go around telling everyone how much ammo and food they have stored. It’s the person who has the gear and knows how to use it, but they don’t go out dressed like Mr. (Or Ms.) Tacticool. Being a gray man is about blending into your surroundings. It’s basically, I am confident that I know my stuff, but I’m not going to flaunt that I know my stuff, because in a SHTF situation, that could make me a target. Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, and other popular podcast players. The concept of being a gray man certainly applies to homesteading and prepping; but I’m starting to think it can apply to some of the other stuff going on in the world today—socially and politically. I hope this is something you will do a little thinking about and perhaps apply it to your life as we head into the second half of 2020. The way I see it, America is sitting on a powder keg right now. And I think we have to have a conversation about the fact that your right to say what you think about what you’re doing or where you stand on some issue doesn't need to be some ego fueled messy tirade that’s gonna get you in trouble. Let’s say that as a homesteader/prepper, you have a certain amount of water, food, ammo, and seeds stored. And let’s say that you talk about those things as a way to teach people and help them be better prepared. That’s one thing. But talking about those things as a way to prove yourself as worthy or better prepared or look at how great I am is totally and completely different. Consider your approach I’m in a weird spot as a voice in the homesteading community (and various other communities) because I do want to teach people and I do want people to feel open to discuss things in those communities. But I also feel like I have to be careful about what I say, especially when I’m not in those communities. I’m glad to live in a place where I can speak up and say what I think. But some of us need a reminder that speaking up for what you believe in doesn’t mean you have to be an obnoxious jerk. Some people need a reminder that their method of speaking up and their reason for doing so might make them an obnoxious jerk. And outspoken obnoxious jerks can be targets. When you get down to it, the gray ones are the well prepared, but quiet ones. They’re feisty, but you might not know it. They’re ready to act when needed, but they don’t get involved with the circus. In other words, don’t just jump on the bandwagon and get angry. It means keep your ego in check. It doesn’t mean just sit back and let things happen. It means pay attention and get involved at the right time. I’ve always liked the concept of “it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for.” What does this look like? A couple days ago, I was working in my cute little zen herb garden, and I appeared to be a pretty quiet little farmgirl. But in my ears, I was listening to a pretty harsh, straight to the point, no BS book about using violence as a tool in self-defense against asocial behavior. Sweet little farmgirl, y’all. Watch out for the quiet ones. Grab your "be careful of the quiet ones" shirt at https://www.bonfire.com/silent-majority-1/ When I talk to people about gray man stuff, I find there can be a lot of ego involved. And ego is such a gross word, right? Nobody wants to admit they do anything because of ego. But a common response to gray man tactics is “but it’s my right to…” or “I’m proud of what I’ve created here (or what I believe) and people need to know where I stand…” Okay. I get it. But.

"It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war." Today we talk about the importance of being both peaceful and a warrior...because you CAN be both. Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, and other popular podcast players. LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 98 Farmish Kind of Life Bonfire Store (tshirts!) Ready Amy Fire Away Facebook page Ready Amy Fire Away Facebook group Ready Amy Fire Away Instagram Ready Amy Fire Away MeWe group RESOURCES: Farmish Kind of Life TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@farmishkindoflife Farmish Kind of Life Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife/ Farmish Kind of Life MeWe group: https://mewe.com/join/afarmishkindoflifehomesteaders Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife Signup for my email newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/q6n3t5 Email me: [email protected]

It's our second Random Audience Questions episode, where I answer questions that have been sent in by YOU. Today we tackle: feeding meat birds, "keeping up", firearms, turkeys, and guilty pleasures. Do you have a question to submit about homesteading…or life? Email me at [email protected] or message me at the social media accounts listed in the resources at the bottom of this post. Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, and other popular podcast players. LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 97 057: Feeding Cornish Cross Chickens -- How Much Should They Eat Fried Radishes Recipe 061: Time Management for Homesteaders 064: Homestead Decluttering A Farmish Kind of Life is now on Spotify and TikTok! RESOURCES: Farmish Kind of Life TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@farmishkindoflife Farmish Kind of Life Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife/ Farmish Kind of Life MeWe group: https://mewe.com/join/afarmishkindoflifehomesteaders Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife Signup for my email newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/q6n3t5 Email me: [email protected]

Ever felt guilty for eating that piece of cake? Ever felt guilty for indulging in that one opportunity? Today we talk about both food and life in general as we explore the concept of eating the cake while you can still taste it. Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, and other popular podcast players. RESOURCES: Farmish Kind of Life Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife/ Farmish Kind of Life MeWe group: https://mewe.com/join/afarmishkindoflifehomesteaders Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/farmishlife YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife Signup for my email newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/q6n3t5 Email me: [email protected]

Today I am deep thinkin' about tribes, support systems, and groups of friends. Life is a process of growth and change, so let's talk about how to find your tribe, what the actual purpose is of that tribe, and what to keep in mind when you feel like it's time to step away from that tribe. Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, and other popular podcast players. Links mentioned in episode 95: Sauerkraut recipe I use: https://foodfitnessfamily.com/fermented-foods-part-1/ Latest Farmish Life in Five video: https://youtu.be/uRGhhnpx86w Resources: Farmish Kind of Life Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife/ Farmish Kind of Life MeWe group: https://mewe.com/join/afarmishkindoflifehomesteaders Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/farmishlife YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife Signup for my email newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/q6n3t5 Email me: [email protected]

Today is the first official Random Audience Questions episode, where I answer questions that have been sent in by YOU. Today we tackle: sunburn, wearing skirts, mean roosters, preserving vegetables, and vegetarian/vegan friends. Do you have a question to submit about homesteading...or life? Email me at [email protected] or message me at the social media accounts listed in the resources at the bottom of this post. Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, and other popular podcast players. Links mentioned in Episode 94 057: Feeding Cornish Cross Chickens - How Much Should They Eat? 015: Keeping a Rooster Resources: Farmish Kind of Life Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife/ Farmish Kind of Life MeWe group: https://mewe.com/join/afarmishkindoflifehomesteaders Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/farmishlife YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife Signup for my email newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/q6n3t5 Email me: [email protected]

When you hit a stage of life where things are ending or changing, we often ask ourselves (author included), okay, now what? And it's easy to fall in to the trap that says there isn't anything next because we're too old or that season has passed. Come on, you guys. We always have options. There is always a next phase of life and we can do just as much with it as we did with the last one. Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, and other popular podcast players. Your homework after listening to Episode 93: Make a list of who you answer to. Ask yourself what you really want to do. Ask yourself why you've stopped growing or digging. What's holding you back? Links Mentioned in Episode 93: Why Now? Why Not? - Wildefern Farm We Drink and Farm podcast Resources: Farmish Kind of Life Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife/ Farmish Kind of Life MeWe group: https://mewe.com/join/afarmishkindoflifehomesteaders Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/farmishlife YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife Signup for my email newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/q6n3t5 Email me: [email protected]

I happened to mention in last week's episode that my kids don't have a bedtime, and I got a lot of questions about it. Our life here tends to go against the grain of mainstream "normal" in a lot of ways, and let me tell you—it can be tough to go against the grain sometimes! Today, we dig into some uncomfortable truths about the concept of "normal": what it actually means, how it serves us, how it trips us up, and how we're often unwilling to give other people the same acceptance for their "normal" that we demand for ours. Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, and other popular podcast players. RESOURCES: Farmish Kind of Life Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife/ Farmish Kind of Life MeWe group: https://mewe.com/join/afarmishkindoflifehomesteaders Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/farmishlife YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife Signup for my email newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/q6n3t5

No podcast episodes, YouTube videos, or blog posts for a month? AMY, WHAT IS UP?? Here is my explanation of where I've been for the last month. Let's dig deep about the path you're on—not only as a homesteader, but as a person. In this episode, I give words and voice to some things that a lot of people are currently thinking about... Listen to the podcast by pressing the play button on the black bar above. All episodes are linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar. You can also listen and subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, and other popular podcast players. Links mentioned: Dandelion Jelly recipe: https://www.homestead-acres.com/how-to-make-dandelion-jelly/ Resources: Farmish Kind of Life Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/afarmishkindoflife/ Farmish Kind of Life MeWe group: https://mewe.com/join/afarmishkindoflifehomesteaders Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmishkindoflife/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/farmishlife YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/farmishkindoflife Signup for my email newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/q6n3t5

**My thoughts were also recorded more in depth in a podcast episode, which you can find by pressing play on the black bar at the top of this post, or by finding episode 90 of the Farmish Kind of Life podcast in your favorite podcast player/podcatcher.** I was listening back to episode 89 of the Farmish Kind of Life podcast (about the power of raising and growing your own food, even if it's small scale) and it hit me: I’m talking about how every little step towards self-reliance is a step in the right direction—a step away from the system. And then I started thinking of society as a system. Social media as a system. The mainstream media as a system. And then through my earbuds while I did chores, I heard myself talk about taking back control of things that are yours to control, and not giving up that power to people who shouldn’t have it. And then I thought about society and social media and the mainstream media as the system, and I thought about how much all of that fuels our emotion. And I thought about how much control they get to have to be in charge of our emotions like that. Hear me out. Because I think we need to make some changes. If you need to step away, do it. But... I’ve talked a bit about how it’s important to step away from what you need to step away from when you feel you need to do that. And I still think that’s important. I briefly took social media off my phone. It was an interesting experiment -- but it also brought up a lot of issues. Stepping away is still an option. Saying peace out and just hanging out in your barn is still a valid solution. But it hit me what if that’s not the only solution? What if right now, the point is that we get to figure out that we don’t have to let the system control our emotions? Stick with me here. A point for my conspiracy theory friends What if making things yucky out there is part of the plan? What if getting the peace makers to say peace out, I can’t deal is part of the plan? What if making social media a negative, dramatic place to be is part of the plan? What if making people angry and panicky and annoyed and frustrated and on edge is part of the plan? I mean, it's just a thought... A point for those people who need to be reminded a little something about the Karens and the Facebook Nazis People who post stuff or say stuff and get you riled up really don’t care that at suppertime you’re still fuming, or that their post made you freak out at your husband or kick your dog or yell at your kids. They. don’t. care. Seriously. Read that again. They don’t care, and we’re sucking all that stuff into us and letting it ruin our entire day. What if us being able to stand in all that stuff and say, “you don’t get to ruin my day” is really about taking control and having power? I don’t mean we yell just as loudly as everyone else about whatever we think. Because when everyone is yelling, no one is hearing anything, and then they just want to yell louder. But what if this is the chance for us to show how much control we actually have over our own life? And yes, having control can sometimes mean you choose to say “I turn everything off. Right now”. That IS showing you have control over your life. But what if having control over your life is also being able to stand in the midst of opposition or disagreement or chaos and say you don’t get to control how I feel, you don’t get to ruin my day, you don’t get to force me to get up on the wrong side of the bed. And I do not want to be sing-songy. At all. That’s not me. But maybe this is a time for us to realize how much we do control in our own life. And take back the control of the things we’ve given up. Like, our emotions. Like our mood. I walked outside the other day and I looked up at my barn and I was like “wow. Have you seen my barn?” My barn stands here while I’m all angry off at the world and moping around. My amazing barn that I’m so blessed to have that is filled with kitten...

As more people consider self-sufficiency and self-reliance, I am asked the question, “but is it worth it?” I find the question often comes when people realize it requires some money to step into this lifestyle. If you’re gonna get chickens, you need a coop. If you are getting baby chicks, you need a brooder and heat lamp. If you’re gonna have a raised garden you need supplies to build that. An acquaintance asked the other day, “with all the stuff you have to invest to get started, is it actually worth it?” Valid question. **My thoughts were also recorded more in depth in a podcast episode, which you can find by pressing play on the black bar at the top of this post, or by finding episode 89 of the Farmish Kind of Life podcast in your favorite podcast player/podcatcher.** The reality is that at some point you realize it’s going to cost something to do this self-reliance thing—be it time or money—and you may end up questioning if it's worth it to raise/grow your own when you can get it at the store for way cheaper and way less work. I took the words out of your mouth, right? So is it worth it? It really boils down to where you’re coming from and what your goal is. Here are my thoughts. The first year of anything new is usually the most expensive year. Whether we’re talking about a building a chicken coop, fencing a pasture, or building raised garden beds, getting the infrastructure in place will cost money. But, once it’s done, that part is done—until you decide to expand or improve or change something. So yes, the first year is expensive, and you should be honest about that going in. Deciding to raise your own means you're switching from a conventional diet. I can’t raise a chicken for cheaper than I can buy a conventionally raised chicken in the store. I go to the store and see a 5 lb chicken for 5 or 6 bucks and I’m like how can you do that? Last year it cost me over $8 to raise a 5 pound bird—and that was only the cost of the chick and the feed. And that’s just regular ol’ feed. I remember a couple years ago when a dozen eggs at the store were 88 cents a dozen. At the time, I was selling mine for $2.50 a dozen because to sell for any less than that wasn’t worth my time. So when you get caught up in stuff like that, it can feel like it’s not worth it. But, sidenote: the fact that larger corporate farms can sell their stuff for that cheap should make us stop for a second and say hmmmm. Another side note: I get that some people are living a really really frugal life out of necessity, and they have to make choices based on that. They're either scraping by because that’s what their income dictates, or they're scraping by because they are trying to reach some goal and they’ve cut out a lot of stuff to get to that goal. And I can’t fault people for buying the cheapest thing possible because friends, I have been in that place. And I can’t fault people for making the economic decisions they have to make when they are in a place where they’ve got to make those decisions. That’s called being responsible. So if you are someone who is scraping by and I tell you hey, raise your own meat birds, it only costs $8 or $9 a bird to grow them out (not including heat and your time or any processing costs if you don’t do it yourselves..) you’re gonna look at me and say, “I can get a whole bird for $5 at the grocery store.” And you're not wrong. But if you are in a position where you’ve got some wiggle room, I think it’s important to look at your options. Because here’s the thing. When we’re talking about cost and if it’s “worth it”, we have to… Compare apples to apples when talking about if it's worth raising and growing your own food Deciding to raise your own food puts your food in a different category than what you might be buying at the store. So you have to compare those prices accordingly. Y'all, I couldn’t afford to buy the sort of pork that we raise if we didn’t raise it.

Today's episode is my answer to a reader question I received, and I thought it was so timely, I moved it ahead of some other podcast/blog post topics I had planned. (If you have a question or topic you'd like me to tackle on the podcast, drop me a line at [email protected]) "Amy - How do we deal with friends and family who disagree with us and are so polar opposite from us about this whole Covid thing? I feel like this is just pitting everyone against each other and I just want to turn everything off and to go sit out in my chicken coop. But is that the right answer? I have seen you post on social media about how important it is to continue to be positive and post positive things on social media. So explain to the class how it is that you aren’t just sitting all alone in your barn and drinking beer until this passes. - Jeremy" In episode 88, I tackle: things to keep in mind when communicating with people who disagree with you understanding when stress, fear, and exhaustion are talking and listening knowing when it's time to step away for your own sanity how to continue communicating (on social media) without losing your mind why it's important to continue to be a light for others. Listen to the podcast episode by pressing the play button in the black bar near the top of this post, or find episode 88 of the Farmish Kind of Life podcast in your favorite podcast catcher. Subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, or other popular podcast players. All episodes of the podcast will also be linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar.

I recently received this question in my inbox, and it was the perfect mash-up of many questions I've received in the last couple weeks regarding my thoughts on the uptick of sudden interest in homesteading and self-reliance skills due to the current health and economic issues we are facing. The email said: Hi. Curious what you think about all the people who are buying tons of baby chicks and all the seeds suddenly trying to prepare to feed themselves. Does that make you mad? Does this create shortages for you? Or are you just happy people are getting in to it? If so, do you think it will last? After thinking through my answers, I decided I'd turn them into a post here. My thoughts were also recorded more in depth in a podcast episode, which you can find by pressing play on the black bar at the top of this post, or by finding episode 87 of the Farmish Kind of Life podcast in your favorite podcast player/podcatcher. Am I mad about people's sudden interest in homesteading and self reliance? I'm not mad that people are getting into homesteading and self-reliance stuff. I don't have a monopoly on it. I don't own the concept of being farmish. And any homesteader or self-reliance supporter who acts like they do, should have their motives questioned. You're not creeping on my turf by wanting to bake bread or get chickens. In fact, I welcome you to the club. Does people's sudden interest in homesteading and self-reliance create shortages for me? Personally, it's harder to find some baking supplies and ingredients, like flour and yeast. But that also means I get to be creative—like Ma Ingalls, you know? Homesteading is all about using what you have. And when you don't have something to use? You find something else to take its place. Or you change what you're doing. Lately, I've been grocery shopping once a week. In and of itself, that's not really that big of a deal. The issue is that if I can't find something during that grocery shopping trip, I have to wait until the next grocery shopping trip. I'm not going to drive to several stores looking for something that I don't really need. If I can’t find something, I’m not going back tomorrow to check again. I'm also not going to order a bunch of ingredients on Amazon that I don't really need because I think it's most responsible to not overload an already stressed system with "wants". Because of this, there are a few things we've not had in our house for about a month. And it's fine. What's funny is that social media is a buzz with posts like our kids will remember this quarantine as the time mom baked from scratch and we sat down as a family and we had real food for the first time because we had time to cook. But my kids will remember this as the time Mom made fried chicken using a pre-made envelope of batter instead of making her own because she was trying to save the flour we had for making bread. And it's fine. Shortages affect people differently. While they're not necessarily fun to deal with, I do think they allow us to be creative in ways we might not have explored had there not been a shortage. It's all about perspective. Am I just happy people are getting into homesteading and self-reliance? I'm very happy people are taking interest in more self-reliant living! I just hope that people who are buying up the flour, the yeast, the baby chicks, the seeds, (or whatever you're seeing shortages of in your area) are putting the stuff to use. I hope that if they don't know what they're doing, that they ask. That's why I (and other homesteaders) am/are here. I think it's very important that homesteaders pay attention to how they are talking about (and to) people who are new to homesteading and self-reliance. The reaction should not be “OMG, all these people are getting into it and they don’t even know what they’re doing and they’re going to waste everything and screw everything up!” Will there be people who waste?

When it feels like the world is crumbling around you, and so many people need help, how do you know who to help first? Who is the most important person to take care of? You might be surprised to find out it's not anyone out there. Nope. The most important person for you to take care of is the person reading this blog post. *Hear this topic much more in depth by pressing the triangle play button near the top of this post!* My inbox has seen a lot of emails lately from well meaning folks asking how to figure out how to help all the people, and also how to deal with the overwhelming sadness and frustration that comes with not being able to help everyone who is currently struggling. A word of caution before you go out and try to save all the people: the most important person for you to take care of is yourself. Self-care is different for everyone... Taking a break to drink some tea and relax in a bubble bath might be your thing, but that's not necessarily what we're talking about. Self care means a lot of things and it's different for everyone. Tea and bubble baths make really good graphics for social media, but those aren't things I would choose if I need to take care of me. Maybe self-care looks like dancing in the kitchen to swing music, planning a bigger garden, stepping away from social media, walking on the banks of a river, or deciding to remove yourself from certain commitments, conversations, or obligations. ...but "taking care of you" doesn't just refer to popular self-care methods Self care has become quite a buzz phrase, but it really should refer to taking care of yourself in all the ways—physically, mentally, financially, spiritually—your whole person. While bubble baths, a glass of wine, or good music might be helpful in some ways, we need our entire being to be filled up in order to help others best. The truth is, we can't always help.... I have had so many people ask me for flour and yeast in the last couple weeks. People know I do a lot of baking and probably have some flour and yeast on hand, and they want some of what I have. Listen. There is nothing I want more than to give everyone in the world flour and yeast—or at the very least, spin myself into overdrive and bake for them. But if I gave flour and yeast to everyone who has asked me for it in the last couple weeks, I wouldn’t have any left here to use for my own family. In a from scratch family, flour doesn't last that long. 25 pounds of flour lasts my family about 2 weeks. And if I baked for everyone who has asked me to bake for them (which I would love to do) I would use up the resources I have here—and then be in the same situation as everyone else who is looking for flour and yeast. That doesn't fix the problem at all. It just changes who is dealing with it. It's hard to want to help everyone. We're taught from an early age that we should help whenever we can, and when we can't, we're just being selfish. However, the current situation many of us find ourselves in has us questioning what is the best way to help in such an overwhelming situation when resources are short. I have friends whose small businesses will probably not recover from this. That's not being dramatic—that's a level headed assessment they've made. I have friends who own businesses who are currently trying to figure out how long they can pay their employees, and what to do when they get to the point they can't anymore: do they let them go and hire them back? And will there even be an opportunity to hire them back? You and I hear these things and want to help everyone. We want to send them scads of money that we might not even have. It's hard to want to help everyone and not know how to move forward. We just see there is a problem and know we want to fix it and overwhelm ourselves in the process. ...but we are most helpful to others if we help ourselves first. So what can we do? Put on your own oxygen mask first.

I think we can all agree that chickens are great. And while some people get chickens simply because chickens are awesome, today I want to talk specifically about getting chickens for the purpose of laying eggs. There are several things to consider when choosing what kind of egg birds to get! Let's talk about 5 common mistakes people make when choosing which egg bird breeds to bring to their homestead. *Hear this blog post as a podcast episode by pressing the triangle play button near the top of this post!* 1. Don't choose an egg bird because the breed is "cute". Or beautiful. Or trendy. Just because the breed looks good on Instagram doesn't mean it's going to be what you want for your homestead. Many years ago, before we were at the farm, I decided at one point I wanted Silkies—because Silkies are cute and fuzzy and basically a cross between a bunny and a chicken, right? However, Silkies don't lay a ton of eggs, the eggs they do lay are small, and it takes them longer than most chickens to even start laying. A couple years ago we were due to replace our flock of laying hens, and since Brahmas were taking the internet by storm (thanks to a video of an enormous Brahma rooster...) I decided that Brahmas were what I wanted. However, I once again failed to fully research the breed and we ended up short of the eggs we were hoping for from the amount of chickens we were feeding. 2. Don't decide on a certain breed of laying hen for their supposed “personality”. Everyone claims that Buff Orpingtons are a calm, friendly, and social breed—so that was one of the breeds we started with many years ago. We must have got a bum flock, because our Buff Orpingtons were anything but calm, friendly, and social. Be careful when people describe an entire breed based on personality. A breed may tend towards certain behavior, but individual chickens may vary. I would be more apt to choose a breed on how likely they are to sit on eggs or how long it takes them to start laying than how likely they may be to take a treat from my hand. 3. Don't fail to consider where you live. There are chickens that tolerate heat much better than they tolerate cold, and vice versa. There are chickens who are better suited for free ranging and foraging than others. Again, it's a "generalization", but certainly something to consider. Look at the climate you live in, as well as how your property is laid out for feeding, and take those things into consideration when choosing the best egg bird breed for your homestead. 4. Don't overlook how many eggs the breed actually lays. How many eggs does your family need? Are you selling eggs to family/friends/neighbors? How many eggs are you hoping to get per week? There is a lot of math involved in getting chickens, and one of the most important is to know that different breeds lay different amounts per year. If you want a lot of eggs, check out breeds like Leghorns, California Whites, or Barred Rock (as well as many others). Conversely, if you don't want/need a lot of eggs, keep in mind that you probably don't want a coop of 25 of these hens—or you will quickly become overwhelmed (or need to find more egg customers!) Likewise, if you do want a lot of eggs, make sure the egg breeds you're choosing lay a lot of eggs. If you're hoping for dozens and dozens a week, you're going to need quite a few Brahmas or Silkies (for instance) to make that happen. Remember to compare stats among hatcheries and in articles that fellow backyard chicken mamas and papas have written. Take into consideration that while some hatcheries may state a certain breed lays a certain number of eggs per year, actual homestead stats may differ. Do your research. Note: For those of you who want a whole rainbow of egg colors to do "eggscape pictures", understand that some of those beautiful egg colors come from chickens who don't lay very often at all. While there is nothing wrong with various colors of eggs,

Although it's never enjoyable to go through hard times or times of crisis, they hold many lessons for us to learn. The trick is to find something useful about the tough times and not waste the potential lessons. Today we're talking about 10 lessons that I think people can learn in times of crisis. *Hear this blog post as a podcast episode by pressing the triangle play button near the top of this post!* I want to believe our current society can have just as much oomph as generations who came before us and dealt with whatever the crisis was of their time. Sure, some folks will need a kick in the pants to get there—but as my great uncle who lived through the Great Depression often told me when he was still alive, there were those people who needed a kick in the pants back in the 30s and 40s, too. A crisis has a way of shaping the people of its day, and I think our current health and economic situation has the potential to do the same. And if this ends up being one of those things that "makes it into the history books", the other thing that will make it into the history book will be how we, as a people, responded to it. Currently, I see a lot of bickering about what the American government is or isn’t doing, or how they're handling things, if they are or aren’t shutting things down, or what the status of Covid testing is. I offer this: how about we let our government officials do whatever they are or aren't doing and we, as a people, apart from our government, start getting to work to help each other. It sounds like a great idea. And it also sounds like something that's happened before. I think the reason we refer to the Greatest Generation as such is because they pushed up their sleeves, got to work with what needed to be done, and made it through. And in the midst of that, there were so many lessons that were learned in their day to day life while going through the hard times they lived through. So what lessons can you learn in the middle of hard times and crisis? 1. What You Know What skills can you share? I spent this past weekend teaching a lot of people how to make bread, answering questions when their first attempt didn’t turn out, and tweaking recipes for people who didn’t have certain ingredients. Bread baking is a skill I have and information I can share with those who need it. But let's look past skills that are often classified as homesteading skills. This isn't just about how to start seeds or how to bake bread. The skill you can share with people may be how to stay calm. It may be how to comfort others. It may be how to entertain kids when you’re about to pull your hair out. It may be medical skills. It may be budgeting skills. It may be "I play guitar really well and so I can hop on a live stream and make people smile". 2. What You Don't Know Ever heard the saying you don’t know what you don’t know? In times of crisis, there will be things that happen that you have to respond with um, I’m gonna have to look that up online or I’m gonna have to phone a friend on this one. I’ve been on video chat a few times with my friend Tom over at Small Scale Gardening asking him about my seed starting set up to make sure I’m doing it right. I’ve been talking to my friend Nicole from Living Free in Tennessee about some financial strategies. Hard times are the time to take note of what you don't know, admit that you don't know it, and then find someone to teach you those things. 3. Where the holes in your preps are You can prep all you want but you really don’t know how well you’ve prepped until it’s tested. In this current situation, I’ve heard lots of homesteaders say we were fine for ourselves but realized we hadn’t prepped for our animals long term. Another Minnesota homesteader explained it like this: prepping to be snowed in for a week and having enough feed for that, is totally different than prepping for a shortage of feed. This feels like preparing for a snowstorm and then coming...

Life can toss many situations at us that will force us to be stuck at home. It could be a long term illness, the weather, the choice to stay home more in order to save money, or many other things. Today I'll share 9 ways that you can use technology to ward off isolation in times such as these. *Hear this blog post as a podcast episode by pressing the triangle play button near the top of this post!* If an isolation situation happened 100 years ago, people were isolated in the most dire sense of the word. You could only socialize with who was in the same room/house with you. If you were lucky, you could get a letter off to Uncle Joe—but it might take weeks to hear anything back. We sometimes take for granted all the options available to us today to connect with others via technology. If we use these options for good, they can provide a positive uplifting connection in uncertain or stressful times. Note: I know there are people who try to stay away from using too much technology. Every family is different, and certain individuals might have a hard time with how they process to much time online. I would caution you to not let fear control your choices: your kids will not automatically turn into zombies who won't do anything else if they're given more than the "recommended" amount of screen time. My kids are living proof of that. However, having said that, do what works for your family. *Did I miss something? I only know what I know. If there is an app or website I missed that you think should be included, drop me a line at [email protected].* 9 Ways to Use Technology to Increase Connection: 1: Video Chat There are many options available for video chats: Facetime, Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, SnapChat, etc. I've seen people use these tools to have mock dinner parties, to join each other for a morning cup of coffee, or to have an evening cocktail with friends. Also, many music schools have moved to video chat type music lessons. It's neat to see how people are making use of technology to keep their conversations going! My favorite app for this is Marco Polo. You can do chats one on one or you can form groups where multiple people can contribute to the same chat. (Only one person can chat at a time, however.) Great way for quick, informal connection! Coffee is always better when you're with a friend...even if you're on a screen! 2: Live streams Livestreams are easy to do on apps like Facebook or websites like YouTube, and I've seen a couple neat ways that people have used them to connect to each other. I've seen local musicians do a live stream concert from their living room (and then attach a venmo or paypal link if you want to donate some money towards the gig.) I've also seen a lot of churches move to live streaming recently—even my little church in my little town has started putting things out on Facebook Live. I enjoy doing live streams on YouTube and plan to increase my frequency of them. Wondering how a YouTube live stream works? I'm on video, and you (and everyone else that's watching) is in a live chat—you are NOT on video. I can only see what you're typing, which means you can ask me questions or comment to what I'm saying, and I see it in real time. Subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell if you want to know the next time I'm going live. (Bonus: if you miss the live stream, it's still recorded and you can watch the replay—although obviously, the replay doesn't allow you to contribute to the live chat.) 3: Catch up on podcasts/YouTube/blog posts to learn a skill If you find yourself with extra free time, why not use it to learn a skill you've been wanting to learn? Learn to sew, crochet, knit, bake bread, build a gate, eviscerate a chicken, butcher a pig, or make egg nog. Having time on your hands is a great time to put those hands to good use. What kinds of things do you want to learn? I love recording podcasts for you!

I've always kept a freezer list/pantry list of what's on hand here at the homestead. But what about keeping a pantry journal — a list of what we actually use? It was first suggested to me in my Grow a Year's Worth of Food interview with Melissa K Norris, but then Nicole Sauce of Living Free in Tennesee recently talked about it again in Build Your Pantry the Right Way and my brain just happened to be in the right place to hear the logic of it. ***Hear this blog post as a podcast episode by pressing the triangle play button near the top of this post!*** What is a pantry journal? Lots of people write down when they are out of a certain item—that’s called a shopping list. But do you know how often you buy peanut butter? Cat food? Do you know how long a jug of laundry soap lasts for you? How about a 25 lb. bag of flour? Putting those items on a grocery list is great because it means you will remember to buy or order it. But it doesn’t tell you how often you need to buy those items. It's important to track what you have and what you need, but it's also important to keep track of how often you need to replace it. Why you should keep a pantry journal There are four reasons that keeping a pantry journal can be helpful. Visual representation of what you’re using: I’m a visual person. My husband knows this, my kids know this. If mom needs something explained, it needs to be visual. In order for me to really get a grasp on how much we are using and at what rate we are going through it, I need to have a visual representation and record of that. Helps you decide how much you need to store: The most helpful use of a pantry journal is in your prepping. You can’t know what you need until you know what you use. By keeping track of what you use in a week, a month, or a year, you will be better prepared to, well...prepare. Tells you how short you are if there is a "panic": Fear does crazy things to people. And while there are some folks that will hoard in an emergency just because, there are also some people out there who, when faced with an OMG we’re out! situation, don’t really know how much they will need to get by and totally overestimate—not because they’re a jerk, but because they really don’t know. Helps you know how much you can give to someone else if they are short: In a panic or another emergency situation, you will know people who run out of stuff and they may ask if you can spare something. Can you? If you don't know how much you need to have on hand for your own use, how will you know what you can give to others? How to keep a pantry journal The how to of keeping a pantry journal depends a little bit on how your brain works. It also depends on how big your family is and how old or helpful your family members are. One option is to start by documenting every time you deplete something. Just tossed a bottle of laundry soap? Write it down in this month's journal page. Went through four loaves of bread this month? Write it down. The drawback of this, especially just starting out, is that if you happen to run out of vanilla this month and you just started keeping track, it will appear as though you went through a bottle of vanilla in a month—which may or may not be true. Another drawback is if you have family members who aren't on board with (or don't remember to) write things down as they are emptied, your documentation won't be accurate at all. A second option is after shopping, write down everything you bought in a spreadsheet—then mark the items off when they are depleted. This method is potentially more accurate but clearly takes a bit more planning and work. I love spreadsheets, but I find that anything that is stored in my computer gets forgotten about when I'm in the kitchen. Again, I'm a visual person. I need to see it in front of my face at the time that makes sense for me to do something about it. Note: If you're going to write things down after a shopping trip,

Have you ever walked through the grocery store and looked at all those pre-made items like mayo, ketchup, and sour cream? Have you ever wondered how you could DIY your pantry and start making those things yourself? I had the opportunity to talk with Kris Bordessa recently about how to DIY your pantry -- and her book Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living. (That's an affiliate link, friends.) Kris was so fun to talk to (listen to the actual interview by pressing the play button at the top of this post!) and she blew my mind about how easy some of these pantry items are. Y'all, why are we buying this stuff pre-made at the store? Why should you DIY your pantry? The great thing about DIYing anything is that it's a step towards self-reliance. "It's really an awareness thing," says Kris Bordessa of Attainable Sustainable, "and getting to the point where you realize oh, I can probably figure out how to do this at home." Homemade mayo and homemade salad dressing? Yep. Simple. For me, the choice to DIY my pantry is because I hate going to the grocery store. The less I go, the happier I am. By learning to make my own pantry items, my grocery list is much shorter. It's a move from buying pre-made items to buying ingredients—and those ingredients often help you make multiple items. Kris says, "People eat every single day. For a lot of people, that (means going to) the supermarket. What's going in your cart every single week that you could replace, that you could do at home instead of buying?" Choosing to DIY your pantry also means you will use less single-use plastic. Which works out great because condiments in glass jars look way cuter anyway. ;) Additionally, if you DIY your pantry it will save you money, and let's be honest -- what you're making is going to taste better, too! DIY your pantry by starting with condiments Condiments are a great place to start your DIYing, because you can make them regardless of where you live. Garden space or permission to have chickens doesn't matter. I have enjoyed making my own chicken broth, salad dressings, BBQ sauce, mayo, relish, and ketchup for awhile now, but after talking with Kris, I was inspired to try making my own sour cream. She shared with me two recipes: a simple homemade sour cream, and a thicker creme fraiche style sour cream. Both are easy and only take two ingredients! Easy! Homemade sour cream is SO easy, and so delicious. Two ingredients!! I'm already making my own ketchup, so Kris also inspired me to start making my own mustard. Who knew THAT was so easy?? Again, the most basic way to make it is only two ingredients! No lie—and the recipe is in her new book! Bring out the brats we made from our home raised pork. Let's turn these jars into mustard! I'm continuing to make my way through her new book, and have plans to tackle homemade Caesar dressing, hummus, apple cider vinegar...the list goes on! Too busy to DIY your pantry? When I talk to people about moving towards a more from-scratch based life, the common response (from a place of excitement or frustration) is Gah! We have to make everything from scratch! No, friends. You don't. Going from zero to 60 is a good way to end up in burnout mode. "I'm a big proponent for doing one thing at a time," says Kris. "Is there one little thing we can tackle each day that will start working us towards (a DIY pantry)? Find something you use a lot that you could replace easily." Hear that? Kris says it's okay to slow your roll. It's good to DIY your pantry, but don't feel you have to DIY your pantry all at once! Do what you can, do what you have time for. My dog even hops up in the chair to check out Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self Reliant Living Need help to DIY your pantry? *Remember, you can hear our actual interview by pressing the triangle play button near the top of this post!*

Homesteading is no place for cowards! Here are five reasons you will need to bring some courage with to the homestead—and if you're already living the homesteading life, this list will help you realize you're tougher than you maybe thought you were. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) #1 You have to be brave enough to learn new skills. I remember the first time I canned a batch of spaghetti sauce. I knew nothing about canning—so little in fact that I didn't even realize the difference between a pressure canner and a water bath canner, and I assumed that any canner full of anything was going to explode all over my ceiling. After I successfully canned my first batch of spaghetti sauce, there was still fear when I popped open that first jar. Was it going to kill us? Were we going to die from a spaghetti dinner? Y'all, I've come a long way. Whether you show it or not, learning a new skill can be scary. I still remember learning how to use the chainsaw, maneuver the skid loader, and drive the tractor. I also remember that I wasn't completely excited to learn any of those skills. But it's important that you learn the skills that are needed to run your homestead because it brings efficiency to your homestead. When it was only my husband who knew how to run the bigger stuff on the farm, it really slowed us down. I mean, if my husband buries the skid loader in the back field, who is going to drive the tractor to pull him out? ;) Learn to use the things on your farm -- even if it's scary! #2 You have to be brave enough to move forward, even with conflicting advice. There are a lot of what ifs as a homesteader. And if you're a smart homesteader, you will ask a lot of questions of other homesteaders. But here's the thing: you can get a lot of conflicting advice and opinions about so many things on the homestead. I mean... Should you feed chick starter? Should you use heat lamps? Should you keep a rooster? Should you sell your chicken eggs? Should you disbud your goats? Should you free range your chickens? Should you use black plastic for weed control in the garden? Should you raise animals for your friend? Should you butcher your own meat? You have to be brave enough to choose an answer and move forward. While it is good to put some thought into what you're trying to figure out, if you don't pick one or spend too much time in "I don't know, what do you think?"— that's called analysis paralysis. And it gets you nowhere. Be brave enough to pick a path and move forward so you can continue growing and building and experiencing life as a homesteader! # 3 You may have to kill an animal. If you raise animals on your homestead, death is part of the equation. I still remember the first time I had to euthanize an animal. The chicken was really sick, really miserable, and no one else was home. My options were to let the chicken suffer until someone else (read: husband) got home or I could do it myself. I did it. And then I cried. The biggest hang up I hear about when it comes to raising animals for meat is the killing. Many people say they are fine before the animal is dead, and fine after the animal is dead, but it's that moment of taking the animal's life that a lot of people struggle with. And that's very normal. And very okay. Because you're human. Consider this: maybe you're not culling/butchering/euthanizing your own animal, maybe the animal in question is a predator you need to protect your animals from. It's fine to say when the predator wanders into your yard that you're going to just take care of it. And some people will and it's not an issue at all. But some people have second thoughts. See? Life on the homestead is scary—for so many reasons. #4 Actually, the fact that you even have animals on the homestead requires bravery!...

One of our favorite ways to prepare a chicken is to smoke it, so I'd love to share with you the steps we use to brine and smoke a chicken for our dining enjoyment. Bonus: this recipe will also work for a turkey! (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) Why do you brine a chicken before smoking it? I mean...can't you just toss a fresh chicken in the smoker and let 'er go? Well, I wouldn't. It won't be as tasty—and it's probably going to be d-r-y. Brining is the process of letting meat soak in a water/salt solution before you smoke it. The meat soaks in the liquid and salt during the brining process and it helps to keep the meat moist while smoking. There are many brine recipes out there, and once you figure out what you like, you can add many spices and herbs to your brine—however the salt and liquid are essential to the process. Our brine is very simple. It's just a gallon of water, 1 cup of canning salt, and 3 Tbsp minced garlic. How to brine a chicken before smoking You can brine a whole chicken or pieces of chicken. Our most recent smoking episode had us brining the breasts, legs, and thighs from four large chickens. The reason we did pieces is 4 whole chickens will not fit in our smoker, but 4 pieced out chickens will. Here's how we brined the pieces, which also works for whole chickens: Heat 2 quarts (1/2 gallon) of water to boiling. Add the salt and garlic, stir, and let cool a bit. Add the water/salt/garlic solution to a food grade bucket. Add 2 quarts (1/2 gallon) cold water and stir to help bring the temp of the brine down even further. You don't want to put your raw meat into super hot water. We don't want it to cook, we want it to brine. If you find that you don't have enough brine for the amount of meat you're using, just increase the brine recipe—doubling or tripling as needed. Place the meat (pieces or whole bird) into the five gallon food grade bucket. Cover the bucket and place in the fridge. Let sit for at least 24 hours. You can also let your meat sit in the brine longer if you wish. When you are done brining the meat, take the meat out of the brine, rinse briefly in cold running water, towel the meat off (clean flour sack towels or paper towels) and then let the meat sit on drying racks for a bit to further dry off. Although this dry time is optional, a dry surface on your meat will help the smoke flavor adhere better to the meat. How to smoke a chicken after brining We have a Masterbuilt electric smoker. We have no complaints about it other than the size! It has served us well. We plan to build a smokehouse in the future to keep up with all the smoking we do here of our home raised meat. Your smoking situation may differ, but with our smoker: We turn the power on and set the temp of the smoker to 180 Set the timer on the smoker to 24 hours -- we do this because we have found if the smoker takes longer to get the meat to temp for some reason, (if it's a cold day, etc), the smoker will turn off when it hits the time you've set it for. So we set ours to 24 hours and watch the temp of the meat, not the timer on the smoker. Fill the wood tray with wood chips. We give the smoker ten minutes or so to warm up. Load the smoker up with meat. Insert a meat thermometer into the meat. Set the alert temp on the meat thermometer. (Our meat thermometer has a poultry setting of 175 degrees.) Let the smoker do its thing. After an hour of smoking chicken, we bump the temp of the smoker to 200. Every hour of smoking requires another load of wood chips to the smoker. Be attentive to your smoker. When the temp of the meat is correct (175-180 on our meat thermometer) it's time to take the chicken out. Remember it will be hot as you're loading up your tray with all the smoked goodness! The breasts, legs, and thighs of four large chickens (6-7 pounds each) took 2.

Organization is important on the homestead, and if you're anything like me, it helps to write things down. Here are 9 lists I keep to help with my homestead organization (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) Note: You'll find I haven't created these lists for you—I don't have anything for you to download and fill in. The reason why is that everyone's set up is different and the way I keep track of things might not be the way that works for you. If you're absolutely in love with the idea of me creating a set of lists for you to fill in, email me at [email protected]. If I get enough requests, I'll pull up a chair to the computer and design something awesome. Otherwise, just take a gander at the very much pen and paper examples of what I use in my own home. Homestead organization list #1: what's happening this week/month/season? While it can be easy to look at a calendar and know what's happening this week, it's good to sit down and connect with your family about what's going on longer term. It is good to figure out what needs to be done at what point, and then work backwards to figure out when you need to start those projects! Is this the month you have to butcher the chickens? Move the wood pile? Clean the back of the barn to get ready for a new animal? Go through your pantry and figure out a new way to organize it? Maybe this is the season to watch the grapes and find that perfect moment when they're ripe but before the yellow jackets attack. It's hard to have all hands on deck when not everyone knows their hands are needed. It is so helpful to sit down with family members and make a "what's happening" list so everyone is on the same page. Homestead organization list #2 - what you need to remember for next year This is a list you make this year (as the year progresses) to help remember things you will need for next year. I usually keep this list in my farm journal. Did you end this gardening season realizing you need new tomato cages? More tomato cages? Do you need to replace the solar fencer? Do you need to start your seeds earlier? Later? Did the netting around the main garden get a huge rip in it after the last storm of the year? Do you need to fix the floor in the back chicken coop before you can put birds in there again next spring? It's no fun to be standing in the garden next year and realize oh, that's right. We were gonna... This list is very helpful to compile all the things for next year's homestead so you won't be behind. Homestead list #3 - future plans/goals This is the long term list of things that will take more time, money, or require that something in your life changes. You may know you want to add a porch to the front of your house, but it may need to wait until your old windows are replaced and paid for. You may know that you want to build a bigger chicken coop, but that might need to wait until you fence off the back pasture. This list is for things that will take more budgeting, planning, time, and/or muscle. And it will keep your homestead more organized if you write these things down! Homestead list #4 - costs associated with what you're raising/growing Sometimes people make this list because they plan to sell what they raise or grow, and want to know they're charging enough to make a profit. But even if you don't plan to sell what you raise or grow, there are two reasons you should still keep this type of homestead organization list. First, it helps you know if it's a cost efficient adventure for you, or if you need to change something up regarding your feed, etc. But secondly, people who are interested in homesteading and raising/growing their own food will often ask you about your costs when they're in their research phase. If you don't keep track of your homesteading stats, your answers won't be as helpful to them.

Winter is hard. It's long. It's dark and cold. I mean, at least where I live. Winter can be difficult as a homesteader, especially if you are north. There's no dirt. There's no grass. Everything is frozen. Nothing's growing. And if you have animals, you're shoveling show or chipping ice to get to them. Like I said, winter is hard. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) This is the stuff that people don't talk about. We talk about how to deal with winter for our animals, but we rarely talk about the reality of winter for the actual homesteader—at least not how it relates to mental health. I’m not saying this isn’t an issue other times of the year. Mental health is always important, and there are many stressors on a homestead that can make mental health an issue year round. And yes, mental health is an issue across the board, not just for homesteaders. But today we’re talking about the reality of winter, and the special situations we can find ourselves in as homesteaders. Why winter is especially hard: three reasons 1. If you're having a hard time in the winter, you will often be told you just need some sun. Clearly the short, dark days affect us physically, and Seasonal Affective Disorder is a valid thing. And sometimes sun and Vitamin D are the answer. But I often think there are deeper issues about winter on the homestead that people fail to make a connection about. For instance: 2. Many people say winter is the time to take a break. The earth is taking a rest and it’s what we should do, too. The problem is that sometimes taking a rest and not having enough to do is bad. Staying busy keeps you out of trouble. Trouble doesn’t always refer to jail. Sometimes trouble refers to places in your head that you shouldn't be spending time in. The "break" of winter gives you time to sit—and think—and spend time with mental demons that you're able to keep at bay in the much busier spring, summer, and fall of homestead life. 3. Related, sometimes the “rest” of winter gives us enough pause to bring issues to the surface that need to be dealt with. Financial situations. Relationship issues. Commitments we’ve said yes to that we need to let go. Parenting drama. And it’s good to deal with issues. But in the quiet and dark and cold of winter, sometimes those issues can feel suffocating and overwhelming. Sometimes the homestead is the place that saves you. There is life. There is nature. There are miracles everyday. In winter, you have to look harder to find those things. Some people welcome the quiet and peace and break of winter, but if you're not in the right brain space, it's not quiet or peaceful and it's not a break—at all. I bring this up because: I really struggled this past winter. At a low point, I brought it up on my farm page on Facebook. And although I didn't give voice to how deep in a hole I was, I did receive many comments and messages. Because of all the resulting conversations and the different ways people approached my post, I decided I would make a blog post/podcast/video about the topic. I don't think we talk about it as much as we need to. When the winter is hard, it's so common for people to say you just need sun or that things will be better when you can see the green grass. But I think for many people it's deeper than that—especially homesteaders who are used to being so busy—and a lot of my Facebook messages and emails tapped into that. We had some great, honest conversations. Why it’s hard to talk about what to do when you're struggling: In all honesty, different things work for different people. And regardless of what will help you, you have to be in the right frame of mind to hear it. So while someone can suggest all the things that will actually help, if you're not ready to hear it or are too far into a pit to listen, it doesn't matter. Even so,

What happens when you need to make the decision to take a break from homesteading? What happens when you have to start over as a homesteader? Let's look at some reasons you might consider starting over on the homestead, and why it might actually be a good thing. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) Starting over on the homestead can happen for many reasons. - finances - natural/personal disaster - a move - farm-wide/flock-wide illness - major change or problem on your property - the stage of life you're in - your current set up isn't working - because you simply need a break I bring this up because sometimes you have to make a hard decision. And what I’ve found in the homesteading community is sometimes there are a lot of people who are faced with a hard decision and don’t want to talk about that hard decision because they are afraid of what other homesteaders might think or might say. There are a lot of you should or you coulds that tend to fly around when people need to take a break from or start over on the homestead. And although they’re often meant to be helpful, they’re often not when you’re in that situation. Why am I bringing up starting over on the homestead? Well. I didn't really publicize this, but we actually butchered all the farm animals on our homestead late last fall (2019)—egg birds, ducks, everything—with the intention of starting over in the spring. This wasn’t an easy decision. We've never not had animals on our farm. So, it’s not as if I walked out to the barn one day and just decided on a whim, “off with their heads”. Having said that, it really did make sense for us. -- We don't overwinter pigs. We buy feeders in the spring and butcher them in the fall. So pigs weren't part of this decision. -- We do overwinter ducks. But we were planning on switching from Pekins to Muscovies in Spring 2020. Knowing that, we decided it didn't make sense to pay to feed them over winter to then butcher them in the spring. -- We obviously overwinter our egg birds. However, we had a really tough run with our Brahma egg birds. I think it may have just been this particular batch of birds, but they never really laid well for us at all. We're talking 3 eggs a week from 12 hens at peak. We knew we would be replacing this batch of chickens come Spring 2020, so it didn't make sense for us to continue to feed them through the winter. **Everyone runs their homestead differently. I know some people don't agree with culling birds that are no longer producing, and allow them to live out a long happy life on their homestead. Our homestead runs with the rule that if you're here, you need to be providing something for the money I'm putting into you. To each their own. Pros of starting over on the homestead: Even though it wasn't an easy decision to make, getting rid of everything gave me the opportunity to do many things. I could: - Assess what our farm is for. I had the brain space to think about whether our homesteading why, purpose, or direction had changed. - Figure out our homesteading priorities. Emptying the barn gave me a chance to step back and say, “hey, wait.” People often move to the homestead with many plans, and sometimes move forward with those plans because it's the next thing on the hamster wheel. Oftentimes you’re so busy, you don’t have time to step back and consider if it’s actually the next best step. - Go back to the drawing board. I got to ask myself if we are doing the right things for our homestead—feed-wise, seed-wise, etc. I was able to make a list of what needs to be fixed, changed, built, moved, or taken down without having to deal with animals in the process. - Re-ignite my love of homesteading. Sometimes you need that time without animals to remember why you love having them on the farm. Sometimes you need that year without a garden to remind yourself...

If you're like me, you know that bacon is the stuff that dreams are made of. I really believe that through the power of bacon, we can make the world a better place. With that in mind, I'm gonna show you how to make homemade bacon in five lil' steps. BACON. (Mmmm. Bacon.) (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) Now—to be clear—this is how we go about makin' homemade bacon at Clucky Dickens Farm. If you do a google search of how to make bacon, you will come up with lots of different recipes. Our process requires uses a wet cure/brine and we utilize a smoker. Everyone has their own thing and their own preferences. The great thing about making your own bacon is the more experience you have with making it, the more tricks you will figure out. Step #1 to homemade bacon: find a pig belly Bacon comes from the belly of the hog. It's the underside of the pig. Some pigs are better for makin' bacon than others. A really long-bodied pig is going to provide you with a much longer slab of belly meat than a shorter-bodied pig. If you don't raise your own hogs, you'll need to find some pork belly from someone local or a butcher. The availability of this will totally depend on where you live. We raise our own pigs because a) pigs are awesome, b) we're lucky enough to have a place to do so, and c) well, bacon. Little tip: We've made homemade bacon for several years now and what we've discovered is it is best to make the bacon before the pork belly cuts go into the freezer. In years past, we have frozen all the cuts from the pork belly to make bacon at a later date. No, no, no, grasshopper. This year we took the pork belly and immediately started this process at the very end of the butchering/processing excitement. You can really tell the difference in the taste of the bacon. (Although if you do already have the pork belly frozen and want to make homemade bacon, don't let this stop you. It's still going to be awesome.) Step #2 to homemade bacon: brine/cure Some people refer to this part as brining, others refer to it as curing. Whatever it is, it's the longest part of the bacon process—unless you count raising the pig. We've experimented with several different brines/cures but here is what we've settled on using thus far: Homemade Bacon Wet Brine: (Printable recipe at bottom of blog post!) To one gallon of warm water, add... 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 1 cup salt (canning salt or kosher salt, not iodized salt) 1 tsp pink curing salt/Insta Cure #1 (not #2) (We have also used this recipe using 1 Tbsp of pink curing salt. It's all about your comfort level with the whole nitrate argument.) Mix until dissolved. Place your nicely trimmed pork belly chunks into a five gallon pail. Pour the brine over the meat, and keep adding more brine made with the above portions until the meat is completely covered with liquid. (It usually takes us 2 gallons of brine to cover the meat in a five gallon bucket, but your experience may be different.) Fill a plastic bag with water and set it on top of all of this. The water filled bag will prevent the meat from shifting or floating to the top of the bucket. It is very important that the meat stays completely submerged in this brine for 10-14 days—not just for flavor of your homemade bacon, but for the safety of your gut. Cover the bucket and set in the fridge for 10-14 days. This works especially great if you have an extra fridge (like—ahem—a beer fridge). You do not need to stir what's in the bucket. Just let it sit undisturbed. Be patient and dream of homemade bacon. Note: Look ahead in your calendar and figure out what day you're going to tackle the next three steps. It's going to take some work and attention so you want to make sure you've got a day you can make it happen. Step #3 to homemade bacon: smoke 10-14 days later, you're ready for the awesome and the magic!

Want to use less stuff? Let's dig into a different way to look at the issue: the actual reasons using too much stuff started, why it happens in areas of our life we're not even aware of, and how that may be the key to helping us use less stuff. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) This article is not about seeing if you can fit all your trash from the year in a tiny little box—this goes deeper than how much we're throwing away. This is about what comes before worrying about how things are packaged or what we're going to do with it all when we're done. Why do we use too much stuff? Because it's there. And it's cheap. I don't need coffee—really, I don't—but I drink a lot of coffee. And I got okay with drinking a lot of coffee because it didn't hurt at all to buy it. The "problem" is that now I've found some really great coffees (small business, small batch roasts like Holler Roast) that I really like that are more money than what I can get at the grocery store. And to buy that really great coffee would cost me a lot more money for the amount that I drink. What are my options here? I have two: buy cheaper coffee or drink less coffee. And the answer to this question is really what's underneath our issue of using too much stuff. In the past, things were more expensive and less readily available because giant corporations weren't the ones producing the things. Things got cheaper when we wanted the convenience of readily available options. And I don't just mean available for you and me, I mean for everyone. You know how a l-o-n-g time ago it was only the wealthy that could afford meat? And now, hundreds of years later, we have fast food joints pumping out more burgers and chicken sandwiches than we know what to do with? That's how we ended up with feedlots and giant chicken houses and cheap meat. It was the only way to supply for the demand. You know. We needed (cough) more stuff (cough). More stuff for less money. Years ago, this wasn't anything I considered when I questioned how to afford my favorite small batch coffee or locally raised meat. I just fell into the if I'm going to be able to afford to have all the things I want, I need to buy the cheaper versions frame of mind. Yeah, it wasn't fair. Yeah, I wished I could buy the better stuff and support my local peoples. But I "couldn't". But with age comes wisdom. And along the line I realized it's easier to afford the better stuff—the stuff that's priced at the true cost, not the cheap-labor-crappy-food-giant-corporation-version cost—when you're scaling down to what you actually need. Side note: I understand that some of you are in a stage of life where you have to buy the cheapest thing available. I've been there, too. I know what it's like to walk into the grocery store with $10 and wonder how to make it stretch. Please take what you can from this topic that works right now, and save the rest for when you're in a different place financially. Some people pay more for organic because they feel like they are voting with their dollars. Regardless of how you feel about the validity of the organic label, chances are that if you pay more for what you eat, you’ll be more careful with how you use it. I can spend $7 on a quart of conventional heavy whipping cream or I can spend $6 on a pint of organic heavy whipping cream. If I buy the organic, you better believe I'm going to use it sparingly. Which is really how I should be using it anyway. And maybe that's the point. Things are so readily available, and in the grand scheme of things, cheap, we sometimes pour/cut/use/eat more than we really need to. Read that again. Use less stuff? Ok. But I still expect what I want to be available... Have you ever been at the store when the shelves are bare? When they're out of an item? When a shipment didn't come in?

The great thing about raising meat chickens is that we have a lot of chickens in our freezer—which means we often having chicken for dinner! Because of that, we've often got chicken carcasses or frames leftover to use. We're all about using as much of the animal as possible, and the best way to make use of a chicken carcass is to make homemade chicken broth. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) The process of making homemade chicken broth is so simple. We do this whether we are piecing out a whole chicken for chicken on the grill or a fried chicken dinner. We also do this if we have roasted a whole chicken for dinner. If you have chicken (or any bird, really) you should absolutely be making your own homemade broth. The great thing about homemade chicken broth... Know how your grandma doesn't measure when she cooks? The great thing about making homemade chicken broth is that I don't really need to measure. I make the broth with what I have. If I have two chicken carcasses, that's what I use. If I only have one, I use that. If I've roasted a chicken and deboned it, I toss the carcass and all the bones in. The thing with chicken broth is that most of us are making it to use in other recipes. You can always doctor it up later if needed. For me, the whole purpose for making chicken broth is to get one last thing out of the chicken carcasses instead of just tossing them in the garbage. Ingredients for homemade chicken broth What you will need for homemade chicken broth isn't complicated: chicken carcasses, some veggies, some spices, and enough water to cover everything. How to make homemade chicken broth? You take all that goodness, put it in the pot, and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for several hours. Take the large chicken/bone/veggies pieces out. Strain what's left of the broth. Cool. Done. Seriously, that's all it is. Super not complicated. There's a more detailed printable recipe at the bottom of this post for those of you who like measurements. But understand the measurements are totally just a guideline. Use what you have, leave out what you don't. Tips for making your homemade chicken broth While you can cut up carrots, celery, and onions to make this broth, here's another option. We have a container in the fridge where we toss the ends of and peelings from vegetables we've used in other recipes. If you're making homemade chicken broth, you can totally add these veggie scraps to your broth. While I do add spices to my homemade chicken broth, I don't add salt to my chicken broth. Instead, I add salt when making the meal I use the chicken broth in. What to do with your homemade chicken broth? You can just eat it straight. It's really super tasty and rich. :) You could make some homemade noodles and whip up a batch of chicken noodle soup. Chicken broth is also great to have to add to chicken/pork/etc in a slow cooker/Instant Pot recipe instead of water. We generally freeze our homemade chicken broth in quart or gallon sized bags. After the broth has cooled, I measure it and pour it into a bag, ensuring enough space is left for the liquid to expand as it freezes. I lay the bag flat on a cookie sheet in the freezer and let it freeze. Freezing them flat means they will take up less space in the freezer. If you have a pressure canner, you have the option of canning your broth. Homemade Chicken Broth A super simple way to make use of the entire chicken -- make chicken broth! So easy, you will wonder why you ever thought to buy broth at the store. 2 chicken carcasses3 to 4 carrots, cut in large chunks3 to 4 celery stalks, cut in large chunks1 to 2 onions, quartered1 tsp rosemary1 tsp thyme1 tsp garlic10 black peppercornsenough water to cover all ingredients in the pot Place all ingredients in large pot.

Making plans and setting goals for the homestead can be exciting, but also overwhelming. Let's talk about how to work through three stages of homestead goal setting to help you most effectively plan your next year of homesteading awesomeness. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) These stages of homestead goal setting will work if you're brand new to homesteading or have a new property, but will be a little different and more specific if you've been at it for awhile. With a little experience under your belt, you may find different ideas for stage 1—and more realistic admonishments in stage 2. The first stage of homestead goal setting is brainstorming! My friend Tom Domres from Small Scale Life calls this stage "The Insanity"—and that's a great way to describe it. Because this is the stage for all the ideas. All of them. This is where you dream about all the options you have—while silencing the inner critic. This is when you toss a bunch of things at the wall—because some of them will stick. It's where you think about all the things you've ever wanted to do along your homesteading journey. It's time for dreaming about things like why yes, I'd love to grow horseradish and garlic and comfrey and plant more apple trees and... And wouldn't it be a great idea to build a smokehouse? And you know what chickens I've always wanted to raise? Black Copper Marans. Those chocolate brown eggs... And I've always wanted to make a huge fenced and netted free ranging area outside the meat bird/turkey coop. This is such a fun stage! Here is an example of the giant sheet of paper I keep on my office closet door where I do my homestead brainstorming and planning. (This one was the beginnings of my brainstorming for the 2020 homestead. Oh, if we only would have known what was coming...) It's fun to do this stage with someone else, perhaps your spouse. Just make sure you're both in stage one and that neither of you move into stage 2 until stage 1 is exhausted. Stage 2 of homestead goal setting? It's the Come to Jesus Talk. If stage one was the sweet, dreamy little angel on your shoulder telling you that you can do everything your little homesteader heart desires, stage two is the devil on the other shoulder telling you that you will get absolutely nothing done. Stage 2 is the necessary opposite of Stage 1. This is where you get really honest about: — the resources you have available, whether that's time or money — what you're willing to do — the stage of life your family is in — and all the other stuff that's happening in your life that has nothing to do with homesteading. The problem is that the new year comes in the winter. And this is the time in Minnesota where all we can think about is when the snow will finally be gone and it will be above freezing outside. Because of this, we tend to storybook things a bit. The bugs weren't that bad last year. And I know the garden got away from me, but that's because... (fill in excuse that you're pretty sure won't happen this year. Maybe.) We're stuck in our homes waiting for the growing season and baby chicks and we tend to gloss over the reality of some homesteady stuff that made us curse, cry, and emptied our bank accounts last year. **Not my blood, thankfully.** Hindsight should be 20-20, but sometimes the staring at the frozen tundra makes us look back over the past year with rose colored glasses. I'm talking about things like, Amy, seriously. You tell yourself 14 times that you need to go out to the barn before you actually go out to the barn because you’re so busy with your writing. Or, Amy you have never once in your life planted all the seeds you order. Or, Amy, you already tried fermenting feed last year and you couldn't keep up with it. Or, Amy, remember that one time you had 23 dozen eggs in your garage fridge and couldn't find people to buy them all?

Christmas traditions can be a very special part of the holiday season. However, since Christmas traditions are often specific to a family, we're often unaware of the great things that families outside of our own are doing to celebrate the holidays. Today we're talking about fun things that other farmish folk families do in honor of the Christmas season. Who knows, you may find something new you'd like to start with your own farmish folk! A very special thanks to all the readers and listeners who answered my quick call out on my Facebook page, my MeWe page, and via my newsletter. Thank you for being willing to share your Christmas traditions! Some of my own Christmas traditions... The funny thing is that sometimes you don't know you're creating Christmas traditions. When the kids were little, my hubby would take one kid and I'd take the other and we'd go Christmas shopping. Then we'd meet for lunch, switch kids, and continue shopping. The boys could shop for their brother and the parent that wasn't with them, and hubby and I could shop for each other. We didn't think we were making a tradition. It was just a time saver. Until December of 2011. We were freak-out deep in moving to the farm—our closing was December 27th—and Hubby and I had taken care of most the shopping early and also online. On a quick shopping trip a couple weeks before Christmas to grab toilet paper and dish soap, our oldest (then 8) asked, "um, aren't we going to do that Christmas Shopping Day thing?" In my haste I told him everything had been taken care of, and we could grab something for Dad/Brother online. My tough 8 year old sat down in Walmart and cried, saying, "but the Christmas shopping day is our tradition!" Y'all there was no time to make the Christmas Shopping Day happen, but we made it happen. I still don't know how we got it to work. But we did it. Because apparently we'd created a tradition without realizing we'd created a tradition. Another of the Christmas traditions we have is to make a birthday cake on Christmas Eve night and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. This tradition has somehow managed to persist since the kids were little, even though we have differing faith beliefs in our household. Christmas traditions from readers and listeners: "I have several Christmas traditions that we do. One is every since I married my husband 20 years ago, just the two of us take a moonlit and sometimes snowy Christmas Eve walk down our lane in the woods. Another is Christmas morning, after Santa gifts are done, we have a big breakfast of creamed dried beef, toast, hash browns and eggs. When my kids were younger we would watch all the Christmas cartoons and have popcorn while snuggling on the couch, and put milk and cookies out on our special Santa plate for Christmas Eve. There are many more traditions we have but those 3 are out favorite." -- Midge "I get our kids each an new ornament for the tree based on whatever they are interested in that year. We have everything from Disney characters to Scooby Doo—and of course some farm animals—on the tree. I also write the year and which kid so we know years later. This year we laid them all out in order and looked at them before placing on the tree. The kids are 10 and 4 — it was something I started without realizing and they love it!" -- Robyn "A Christmas tradition for me was doing somewhat of a Secret Santa, but for ugly pajamas. Everyone that would be spending Christmas Eve with us would draw names on Thanksgiving and whatever name you got, you tried to find the ugliest pajamas for them to wear on Christmas Eve at our family party. This would be a fun and funny way to spend Christmas Eve. Alas, that tradition isn’t followed anymore by my family as that tradition, as well as the farm, stayed with the ex. Hope you’re well. And Merry Christmas to you and your family." -- Alvin "We put put a piece of straw in an empty manger each time we do a good deed for others to make a ...

I am frequently asked questions about homesteading with kids, especially little ones. My family came to homesteading later in life—my sons were turning 8 and 9 when we moved to the farm. So while I can answer some questions of the the ins and outs of homesteading with kids, there are also some phases of life we didn't experience on our farm, because we weren't here yet. Thankfully Teri Page from Homestead Honey (author of Family Homesteading: The Ultimate Guide to Self-Sufficiency for the Whole Family) does have experience with that and was willing to sit down and talk with me. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) Teri and her husband started homesteading in 1999, pre-children. So from the very beginning, their kids were immersed in the lifestyle. For them, it wasn't even a question of are we homesteading with kids? It was more this is our life and the kids were along for the ride because homesteading is what their parents did. What are the pros of homesteading with kids? We all know that when electing to live as homesteaders, there is so much stuff we have to learn. As a homesteading family, you get to learn that stuff together. Your kids will see you learn, fail, adjust, and make decisions. There are a ton of life lessons that happen on the homestead that are hard to get elsewhere. I also think kids have a much deeper understanding of the circle of life and what it requires to get food—vegetables or meat—from the land to their plate. They have a much deeper comprehension of that process and how much works goes into it. Teri agrees, and offers that homesteading with kids is really all about the values you want to share with your kids— you're out in nature, connected with plants and animals and something bigger than yourself. You are teaching your kids how to be self sufficient, work hard, and respect other beings. As Teri sees it, the homesteading lifestyle is an outward expression of those values. Teri says, "the homesteading lifestyle is about creation—making and doing—and it's the ultimate gift I can give to my kids." What are the cons of homesteading with kids? There are things that can be tough about homesteading with kids. For instance, growing up on a homestead that raises animals for meat brings with it many challenges in dealing with the reality of life and death—both for the kids, and as the parent witnessing the emotions the kids may experience. When involving kids, sometimes the reality of what is and isn't possible on the homestead can also be a tough discussion. Sometimes money is tight, space is limited, or schedules are full. "My kids' wishes and their desires (of what they want on the farm) doesn't always mesh with the adults' desires," says Teri. "If it were up to my kids, they'd have baby chicks every day of the year! I mean they are adorable, but sometimes reconciling the reality of this is what we can do and this is what we can't do can be tough." Having a life off the homestead can sometimes be tough as well. "I love traveling and I love being able to take the kids out on adventures," says Teri, "but it's so hard to find house sitters and animals sitters and it can be hard to get away for periods of time to do some of those adventures. It doesn't happen as often as I'd like. Especially now as the kids are getting older, I feel like the time we have with them to do those kinds of things off the homestead is really fleeting. When we talk about are we going to get cows again, are we going to get goats again, there is part of me that is really hesitant because I know that not only do I want to do those (traveling) adventures, but my kids are also getting into a phase of life where they may want to choose their own adventures." "How do you know what tasks are age-appropriate when homesteading with kids?"

You're doing a few/some/all of the homesteady things, right? Then why does your aunt/brother/neighbor think you're not doing enough? Let's dig into how the homesteader label can help, how it can hurt, and how to respond if someone says you're not really a homesteader. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) Sometimes the topic for my podcasts or blog post come directly from my listeners or readers -- such is the case with this email I received from a listener named Amber after a frustrating conversation at a family get together. Read Amber's email below. Maybe you can identify with it or have had a similar experience: "Dear Farmish Amy, I don’t really feel very farmish, but I want to be farmish. I’m 32 and live alone in a little house on a couple acres with a dog and two cats. I don’t have chickens yet but I’m working on it. I cook from scratch as much as possible and last year learned to can tomato sauce. I have a super tiny garden. I hang my clothes out on the line. I DIY whatever possible. I’ve learned to knit. I am just now trying to make sourdough starter for the first time and I’m also considering trying to do kombucha. I’m writing because of something a relative just said to me. She said someday if I ever moved to a bigger place in the country I’d be a big girl homesteader, and the conversation that followed made it feel like she was implying that right now, everything I’m doing is pretend or not enough. I know you have talked about urban homesteaders, and I have many urban homesteader friends, but I’m actually not urban, I’m out of the city on a couple acres. I thought I was on the right path, but now I can’t help feeling like there is more to do and more to add. Is there something that defines a person as a homesteader? Is my aunt right? Am I just playing pretend? If so, at what point is it no longer pretend and can I consider myself an actual homesteader? Thanks for your podcast, so glad to have stumbled upon it and I’m binging my way through all your episodes. Love, Amber" Oh, friend. What you are doing is very real. You’re the one weeding the garden. You’re the one cleaning up the tomato splotches from canning. And anyone who says you're just pretending needs to come help you do some work. But this whole homesteader label thing. It always gets me wondering... The homesteader label - does it help us...or not? What is the big deal with this label? To be honest, this homesteader label didn’t exist when we were looking for our farm. I think it’s really something that’s grown out of the internet and social media and people needing to figure out how to group themselves with other like minded people. After all, labels can help when they help you find your people. But labels can also be super restrictive and judgey and not helpful at all. What do you think defines you as a homesteader? At what point do you feel like you could call yourself a homesteader? Is it right now? Then claim it. Is it when you reach a certain future point you've determined in your head? That's okay, too. But be careful. Because when you dig in to a strict definition of what makes a homesteader, it can get a little complicated. Does the fact that I live on five acres with a big red barn mean I’m a homesteader? If I didn’t have the big red barn but I had chickens in a lean-to off my garage would that make me a homesteader? And if I only had chickens but ate fast food seven days a week, would I still be a homesteader? If I can one batch of tomato sauce, am I a homesteader? If I bake five loaves of bread a week, does that make me a homesteader? Or am I only a homesteader if I have animals? But what if I have animals, but I don’t grow vegetables and I don’t cook from scratch and I don’t DIY and I don’t...am I homesteader? Was my uncle who raised pigs and chickens and had...

Many people think I'm a gardener but here on the homestead, the chickens, pigs, ducks, turkeys, and other animals are really my forte. When it comes to gardening, I'm little more than a toss some seeds at the ground and hope for the best kind of gal. So the concept that one could grow a year's worth of food in their garden is mind blowing to me, and I had to find out more on how to make this happen. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) I recently had the opportunity to talk with Melissa K Norris of Pioneering Today, and she taught me a lot about the prospect of growing more food on my property and helped banish the feeling of overwhelm (meaning, hyperventilation followed by I-give-up) that often happens when I try to dig into this. Melissa's new book The Family Garden Plan: Grow a Year's Worth of Sustainable and Healthy Food digs into how to increase your harvest and maximize the space you have using organic and natural methods to raise a year's worth of the fruits and vegetables your family enjoys by using her super fabulous step-by-step plans and charts. Okay, but be honest. Can you really grow a year's worth of food in your garden? While Melissa says it's totally possible to grow a year's worth of food, she is also quick to point out that even the pioneers—who many of us aspire to be like—did not grow 100% of their own food. Melissa suggests starting the process of growing a year's worth of food by planning to grow a year's worth of one particular crop. You can grow other crops—and she highly recommends it—but she also advises that you start slowly. Begin with one crop, the one your family eats the most of, and year after year you can add more and more crops to your year's worth of food plan. By trying to grow a year's worth of food in this way, you won't get overwhelmed and quit. This approach is attainable. It's do-able. And it's realistic. When planning to grow a year's worth of food, how do you figure out how much you need to plant of what crops? It's not as much as work as you think, Melissa says. It is, however, important to figure this out for your family. For instance, my family goes through a lot of tomatoes, peppers, and squash, but doesn't use hardly any green beans or radishes—which might be the complete opposite of what my neighbor is raising and using. If you actively plan your menus on the homestead, you're already ahead of the game in figuring out this puzzle. You know which individual fruits and vegetables your family consumes. If you're not a menu planner, you can start keep tracking now. Start keeping track of what fruits and veggies your family eats every single day. Tally it for a month, then multiply by 12. With that final number, you can start to figure out what things you will need to plant in your garden. After determining if those fruits and vegetables you're eating actually grow where you're living, and whether or not preserving those items is realistic for you, you can go about doing the math to figure out how many plants will need to be planted to net you what your family needs. And how in the world do you do that? Actually—Melissa already did the work for you. And I told her I loved her. Because friends, math is not my favorite subject or my strong point. Melissa has—among many other things—a chart in her new book, The Family Garden Plan, that will help you figure this out! How much does each plant give you on average when it comes to needing your cups? If you need 100 cups of green beans to get you through the year, how many green bean plants does that require? My gal Melissa has got it figured out for you. If I'm going to grow a year's worth of food, is this going to take a ton of space? It will obviously depend on the crop you're choosing. For instance, root crops take up more space than if you are doing something that can ...

We raise all of the meat we consume—except for beef, which a friend raises and we exchange pork and chicken for. But what surprises some people is that we also butcher all our own meat here at the farm. Is this the next skill you're ready to add to your self reliance and self sufficiency bag of tricks? Let's talk about the reasons you too might want to butcher your own meat. (Don’t want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) Butcher your own meat? Growing up, it was my normal. While I didn't grow up on a farm, I did grow up in a family of hunters. We usually had several deer to process every year, and people would come over and we’d have a big gathering to get the job done. I remember my sister and I standing on chairs pushed up to the table so we could reach to help with the process. It was our normal. If you wanted meat in the freezer, this is just what you did. So after growing up, getting married, and eventually moving to a farm, it was never a question of who would do the butchering of the animals we raised. My husband (also a hunter) and I both knew how to do it, so we decided to take on the job ourselves. For what reasons do people not want to butcher their own meat? There are a few common reasons that people give for not wanting to butcher their own meat. It’s a lot of work/time. And this is absolutely true. It is time consuming and a lot of work—especially if you're butchering a larger animal. They don’t know how or are afraid they’re going do something wrong. When you don't yet have the skill set, it can certainly seem overwhelming! But a great piece of advice my husband gave me was that even if you cut in the wrong spot or separate a cut of meat "incorrectly", the meat is going to taste the same. Too emotional/ I can't kill an animal I raised Some people want to raise their own meat for a multitude of reasons, but aren't able to complete the end of the process because they can't wrap their head around killing something they have raised. I also know some people who say I could butcher my chickens if I didn’t have to be the one to kill them. Once they are dead, then I could continue the process. Once the animal is dead, it's easier to separate themselves from the process. Too bloody, don’t want to deal with the mess. If you butcher your own animals on site, there were certainly be a "mess" to deal with—and some people don't deal well with that part of raising animals for meat. 7 reasons to butcher your own meat 1 - You don’t need to haul animals anywhere. Once our animals get to the farm—or are born on the farm—they never leave the farm. We do not have a livestock trailer here and it’s been a long time since we’ve needed to borrow one. We get our feeder pigs small enough that they actually can go in extra large dog kennels in the back of a truck. It's a very closed system, and we don't have the extra stressor of having to load/trailer the animals to an off site butcher. 2 - You’re going to get all the parts you want in the way that you want them. There are some butchers out there who can cater to the specific things you want—and that's awesome!—but it's generally not the norm. If you're looking to keep parts of the animal that aren't what people usually request (organ meat, fat, bones, carcass, etc) it's not always easy to get it back. Additionally, some folks want specific cuts or things done that aren't what the butcher usually does, and it messes up their efficient system when they step out to fill your specific request. By butchering your own meat, you guarantee you will get what you want in the way that you want it without any specific instructions. 3 - Less expensive to butcher yourself After the initial investment of tools, choosing to butcher your own meat at home is absolutely going to be less expensive. Time is money, and in this case if you've got the time to butcher,

Gift giving at Christmastime—or any other time—is meant to be a joyous occasion, but often ends up with a lot of chaos and stress. We hold on to traditions that no longer work and often spend more money than we should. In today's podcast episode, I share some ideas and stories with you from our own creative gift giving—both for simplicity and frugality's sake—that will hopefully inspire you to do something different this year as a Christmas gift giving challenge. (Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!) Summary of today's episode: Weird traditions that we hold on to/things we do: Staying involved in big gift exchanges after the family gets too big Feeling like we have to purchase a gift for someone "because it's Christmas" Buying gifts for people who need nothing Buying gifts that people do not need and will not use Forgetting why you're giving a gift Realities to think about: Christmas changes as we get older. There is a huge difference between gifts as a kid and gifts as an adult One click shopping has changed what "it's the thought that counts" means. Ideas for how to change your Christmas: cut down your gift list exchange names put an age limit on extended family gift exchanges cut yourself out of extended family gift exchanges completely—seriously, you can do this “something you want, need, wear, read” give experiences instead of things Secret Santa "White Elephant" things that only fit in a stocking Our favorite ideas for exchanging (stories in the podcast!): Only exchange second hand gifts Only exchange homemade gifts Refill the stuff the receiver uses all the time (groceries, lumber, feed, etc.) Links referenced in today's show: Episode 064: Homestead Decluttering – The Why and How Farmish homesteading group on MeWe A Farmish Kind of Life on Facebook A Farmish Kind of Life on Instagram A Farmish Kind of Life on Pinterest Subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, or other popular podcast players. All episodes of the podcast will also be linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar.

There are several myths or beliefs about homesteading that tend to persist in the mainstream. If you’ve been homesteading a while, you’ve probably heard a lot of these things—and can chuckle about the fact they aren't true. And maybe—if you're honest—you can maybe remember back to when you were asking some of these same questions because you didn't realize these things were myths! (Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!) Summary of today's episode: Here are 25+ myths or beliefs about life on a homestead that I've encountered, in no particular order: Roosters only crow in the morning. You need a rooster to get eggs. Goats will eat anything! Why do you need a male animal if all you want to do is milk the female? A rainy day is a day off. Life in the country is slower paced. All corn is sweet corn. Chicken lay eggs in the morning. Chickens lay eggs in a nesting box. Chickens will be friendly if you feed them treats. Brown eggs come from farm chickens, white eggs come from store. A small homestead/hobby farm doesn’t take much time. A small homestead/hobby farm/farm will pay your mortgage. Your homestead activity/needs will be completely financially sustained by what you grow/raise/create on your homestead. You must get up early to do farm chores. You can be completely self-sufficient on your homestead and raise everything you need. You can’t eat fertilized eggs. You’re not a real homesteader if you work off the homestead. All homesteaders are (conservative Christians, hippies, homeschoolers, prepping for the zombies, etc.) "Must be nice you got your land for free..." Homesteaders never leave their homestead. You’re cheating if you use modern conveniences for old fashioned living. "You must save so much money by raising your own food!" You can’t homestead on less than 120 acres (or whatever their magical number is). You can’t homestead if you don’t have both a garden and animals. "Funny, you don’t look like a farm girl from a music video..." “You’ll get caught up. Just work a little harder.” “Just find someone to watch your farm if you want to go on vacation.” “I wish I could do what you do, but I just don’t have time.” Links referenced in today's show: Episode 021: There Are No Dumb Questions About Homesteading Episode 064: Homestead Decluttering - The Why and How Episode 015: Should You Keep a Rooster Episode 006: Does Homesteading Save You Money? Farmish homesteading group on MeWe A Farmish Kind of Life on Facebook A Farmish Kind of Life on Instagram A Farmish Kind of Life on Pinterest Subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, or other popular podcast players. All episodes of the podcast will also be linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar.

Decluttering as a homeowner is important, homesteader or not! But homesteaders are a tricky bunch—as frugal people, we tend to save a lot of stuff so we can reuse as much as possible. In today's episode, we tackle the topic of stuff and how it can be a problem on the homestead. I also offer tips on a few pretty simple ways for how to deal with the stuff that might be taking over your home, your homestead, and your productivity. (Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!) Summary of today's episode: Why should you declutter your homestead? Too much stuff leads to overwhelm, which leads to inactivity It gives you more space so you can take on more projects or add to the homestead in an organized way Helps you figure out what’s important and a priority on your homestead It can save you money - if you’re disorganized, you can’t find stuff, so you buy stuff you don’t realize you already had. If things are organized, chores take less time—decluttering effectively manages your time for you. How to declutter your homestead: You have to be in the right mood, for sure. But don’t let “I’m not in the mood” be a deterrent for weeks on end. Often suggested method #1: Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo ("does the item bring you joy?") Often suggested method #2: Have you used it in six months? Often suggested method #3: 30 day challenge to remove a bag or box worth of stuff from your house everyday. The super not-fancy-just-be-an-adult method I use -- Pick a spot, work on it, move on. Grab a few boxes or tables: Don’t need, do need, think about it. Divide items into the boxes, then deal with each box. Make it a team effort only if it’s helpful. Links referenced in today's show: It's Not About Money...except when it is by Amy Dingmann (that's me!) The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo Episode 061: Time Management for Smart Homesteaders Farmish homesteading group on MeWe A Farmish Kind of Life on Facebook A Farmish Kind of Life on Instagram A Farmish Kind of Life on Pinterest Subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, or other popular podcast players. All episodes of the podcast will also be linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar.

The homesteading community is so important, right? Sure. But do we understand why it's important? Or what the biggest threat to it is? In today's episode, we talk about the one thing I think hurts the homesteading community most, and could be the death of the homesteading community if we allow it to happen. Hopefully, this episode will help you steer clear of a certain mind trap we can sometimes get stuck in when we're on the quest to become more self-sufficient and self-reliant. (Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!) Summary of today's episode: It's common for homesteaders to talk about not wanting to be around people or that they don't like to talk to people. Ironically, these homesteaders are often the same people that are super active on social media. We are created for community! We are wired to be in relationship with each other. People want to talk with other folks who are living the same lifestyle as they are. Just because we're learning self sufficiency, it doesn't mean we don't need each other. We learn how to handle all the things alone, but that doesn't mean we're left alone. The homesteading community is important because there are a lot of skills to learn, and the community is where we learn those skills. The homesteading community is also important because it's your support system made of people who understand what you're trying to do. The most detrimental thing to the homesteading community? It's when we start to believe we don't need community, or that we can do it all alone and don't need anybody else to teach or support us. Your job in the homesteading community is to figure out the skill you want to learn, then learn the skill, then teach that skill to someone else. However, there are a few things the homesteading community can sometimes get wrong: 1) being adamant there is only one way to do things, 2) criticizing other homesteaders for the way they choose to run their homestead, and 3) trying to be a homesteading purist. We need to stop assuming that the hermit feeling the homesteaders on the prairie had was something they wanted. It's entirely possible that the homesteaders on the prairie would be jealous of the community we have available now and would ask us why are you trying to do this alone? Links referenced in today's show: Recipes on A Farmish Kind of Life TSP episode #2500 A Farmish Kind of Life MeWe group A Farmish Kind of Life Facebook page A Farmish Kind of Life Instagram account Subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, or other popular podcast players. All episodes of the podcast will also be linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar.

In a perfect homesteading world, gardens would always flourish, barns would always be full of thriving animals, and the kitchen would always kick out a steady supply of wonderful goods to keep everyone going. But since we all know there is no such thing as a perfect homesteading world, let's have a little chat about something we all deal with: homestead failure. (Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!) Now, on a certain year, your gardens might be the best they've ever been. No kidding. Virtually weed free and so productive. That might be the year that your hustle isn't to keep up with weeding, but instead to get the amazing bounty into the house and processed before the next basket of goodness comes in. I mean...there are so many baskets of goodness... So, that means it's a good year on the homestead, right? You've succeeded. You showed this homesteading thing who the real boss is. Yeah, you're winning. You rock. I mean, unless you look in your barns. Oh my word, that year you had the awesome gardens? That year you wanted everyone to come and see the fabulous produce you were pulling out of your ears? Yeah. Don't let those people go near your barns. Homestead failure. It happens. See, I know what happened. Because I've been there, too. The same year that you're pulling the most amazing harvest ever from your garden...your pasture is overgrown with weeds taller than you. Let's be honest—you couldn't find a cow if you had one out there. And don't forget that one of your chicken moms killed each and every one of her chicks as they hatched. One of your pheasant moms abandoned her entire clutch of babies. You had to cut your out-of-control rogue chicken flock of 60ish laying hens and their rooster friends by 2/3. You lost an entire incubator of pheasant eggs. And the worst part? You cringe to even admit this, but you forgot to order meat birds. I mean, who forgets to order meat birds? So, sure. People can drive up to your farm and gush and ooh and aah about your amazingly lush, weed free gardens that are literally exploding with produce, but you're really hoping they don't go anywhere near your barns because friend, they are all sorts of chaos. And you don't want them to see that. Why? Because even though you succeeded in the garden, you're sorta feeling like a homestead failure. Homestead failure. It's part of the game. As a homesteader, you need to realize that there isn't time for everything, but that there is a time for everything. (See the difference?) As a homesteader, you have to understand and accept that every year will be different. That you will be a homestead rockstar at some things and a homestead failure at others. Next year, you might have amazingly productive barns, but also have a garden that struggles to pop out enough tomatoes to fill the canner even once. The year after that, you might not even plant a garden. Because, Life. The year after that? You might decide to fill your barns with llamas. Or shut down your chicken coop for a whole season. Every year is different, and you can't always predict what will happen. You will be a homestead rockstar. And a homestead failure. And it's completely okay. Homestead failure keeps us humble. I can plan all I want and have things worked out to perfect "T", and it doesn't matter. Come to terms with the fact there is so much about homesteading that is out of our control. We really can't do it all, as much as we may want to. There is only so much time. And yet, the crazy thing is that next year...you might be surprised at how much more you can do. Every year is different as far as what you can handle. What seemed easy last year isn't easy at all this year. What you fly through this year might be impossible next year.

Homesteading will definitely keep you busy! But in order to run an effective homestead, you need to manage your time effectively. So let's dig into some tips about homestead time management. (Did you check out the first part of this episode about time assessment? It's a good place to start!) (Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!) Summary of today's episode: Write down your to-do list on paper or a dry erase board (daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally) Have a family meeting so everyone is on the same page. (Did you forget about something else that was on the schedule already?) Realistically prioritize your to-do lists Keep a freezer inventory list, and check off what you use when you use it. Make a master grocery list that's in the order of the store you primarily shop at. ...or order your groceries online and schedule pick up for when you're in town. Plan your meals out. Seriously. Keep a rainy day/snowstorm list made up of those inside tasks that should be saved for when you can't be outside. Understand your house will be messier in the middle of harvest season. It's okay. You can't be two places at once. ...but also understand that if your house is impossible to ever keep "picked up", you need less stuff. Keep a farm journal. It saves you time in planning. Make your day as long as possible...without being ridiculous. Determine what your priorities are on the homestead. ...and then realize what needs to go because it doesn't line up with your homesteading priorities. (TV? Volunteering?) Routine, routine, routine. Do what needs to be done first. Save the things that can be done when it's dark for when it's dark. Farm out what you can. Ask for help when you need it. Tap into people's strengths and skills and give them the tasks they are best suited for. Learn skills that make things run more efficiently - it's the whole reason I learned to use a chainsaw. Fix what's broken. Replace what's not efficient. Upgrade/automate when possible. Streamline your systems. Put away your tools! Stay on top of the issues so they don't become bigger issues. Use available technology and modern improvements to tools. Don't get caught up in doing things the old fashioned way. Pay attention to and be honest about where your time is going. Use a timer if you have a problem with rabbit holes. Multi-tasking doesn't always save time. Understand each season on the homestead has it's own chaos and calm. Don't kid yourself that life will calm down in the next season. You. cannot. do. it. all. Make sure to take time for you. Links referenced in today's show: 060: How Much Time Do You Actually Have for Homesteading? Episode list of the Farmish Kind of Life podcast The Survival Podcast episode 2500: The Audience Speaks My Three Things from Living Free in Tennessee Homestead Menu Planning Tips How to Do it All Subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, or other popular podcast players. All episodes of the podcast will also be linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar.

Time management is definitely important on the homestead. But before we can talk about how to manage our time, we have to assess how much time we realistically have to manage. That’s what I’m talking about in today’s episode. (Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!) Summary of today's episode: Not everyone has time to bake a batch of bread—simply because they're not home long enough to do it! Not every family has time to sit down and eat a meal together. Modern homesteading means there is sometimes a disconnect between the homesteading life people want to have, and the reality of the actual hours they have at this point in their life to devote to the journey they envision. Homesteaders who work full time outside the home certainly deal with their own set of challenges, but sometimes people who don't have as much time are actually more efficient with their time. Oddly enough, being home (or being a full-time homesteader) gives you so much flexibility with your time that you can actually end up being less efficient than you thought you'd be. Your normal is your normal—and that makes it hard to objectively (without tools) assess your time use and where your pockets of wasted time are. When you are busy, you should look busy. If someone was to peek into your life at that moment, they should be able to tell that you're busy just by watching you. Use the tools in the links below to figure out what hours in your day are left after the "essentials". You can also set a timer for 10-15 minutes, and then write down everything you did in that 10-15 minutes. Then repeat. You may be amazed to find out what your time is actually spent doing, or what you're not doing when you know it's being tracked. Time savers can save a lot of time, but not if we're just using them to fit more stuff in. Technology can be amazingly helpful, but it can also be a major time suck. Links referenced in today's show We Drink and Farm Things minisode #20: Drink and Live a Frugal Farmish Life It's Not About Money...except when it is (my frugal living book) 059: Homeschooling: Our Journey with Self Reliant Education Off Kilter Brownies (grain/gluten free brownies) Tool #1: Time Calculator Tool #2: Where does the time go - find out if you dare Tool #3: Where does the day go? Tool #4: Time tracking tutorial Subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, or other popular podcast players. All episodes of the podcast will also be linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar.

Homeschooling is sometimes considered the self reliant way to go about education. We've been a homeschooling family since 2007 and are often asked about our journey of homeschooling on the homestead. Why did we decide to homeschool? How did it work for us? What were the pros and cons? Is there anything we would change? That’s what I’m talking about in today’s episode. Note: The actual "how-to" of homeschooling depends on your reasons for choosing homeschooling, your educational beliefs and goals, and also what state you live in! If you'd like direction with that, feel free to email me: [email protected] (Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!) The (absolutely cliff notes version) summary of today's episode: What made us decide to homeschool? My husband's work schedule—and also because I just wanted to. Why did we continue to do it? The longer our kids weren't in the public school system, the harder it would have been for them to go into it. The longer we homeschooled, the more our views conflicted with mainstream education. What curriculum did we use? We are much closer to unschoolers than "homeschoolers" and therefore learned mostly from real life experiences and interests on our own timeline. And yes, unschooling works. My 16 year old passed the exam to start full time college as a high school junior. What are some things to set up for kids to learn about on the homestead? Life on the homestead is just what happens on the homestead, and you do not have to set that up curriculum style. You won't even realize all the things you are teaching your kids just by them being involved in the things that happen on a homestead. What would I change if I did it over? When you're in charge of your kid's education, there are so many things you can worry about and I realize (now that we are so close to the end) that 99% of what I worried about or cared about never really mattered and caused me a lot of unnecessary stress. Pros of homeschooling - Flexibility with time Family time, family time, family time! You can learn about something as long as you want or can move on because you already understand it. You have time for super big, hands-on projects. My kids have had a lot of time to build in the garage (welding, building guitars, etc). They've also had huge amounts of time to hone certain skills. You generally don't get super skilled at a musical instrument in 20 minutes a week. My kids can and do spend hours a day working on this stuff. Cons of homeschooling - can be a lot of work, mental stress You have to provide opportunities, people, and other teachers (when necessary) for your kids -- which seems obvious, but it can be overwhelming if you are hyper focused on "I am self sufficient!" and try to do everything yourself. Although it's "self sufficient", it can also take a village. People will still critique what you do and don't do -- even within the homeschooling community. You will not get away from that. It can sometimes be hard to find your people within the homeschooling community. You can put a lot of blame on yourself when your kid is struggling, especially if someone else feels they should already be at a certain point in their learning or development. Links referenced in today's show. Off Kilter Brownies (grain/gluten free brownies) The Hmmmschooling Mom website Life of Fred (math) Story of the World (history, great projects!) Colton's music page Simon's music page Why kids need to see you fail Why you're not always the best teacher for your kids Support my content through Patreon Subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, or other popular podcast players. All episodes of the podcast will also be linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of ...

To be an efficient homesteader, it's important to pay attention to what's going on around you...and then prepare accordingly. But what exactly should you be paying attention to? What should you ignore? And how do you use that information to prepare accordingly? That's what I'm talking about in today's episode. (Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!) A few thoughts from today’s episode: There are people in society—both homesteaders and non-homesteaders alike—that don't pay attention to what's going on. Some people do pay attention, but don't think far enough ahead to see how one thing affects the other. (This conversation originally started with people being concerned that farmers wouldn't be able to—or didn't—get their corn in at the begining of this last growing season, and how that would—or will?—affect future supply and prices.) We have to be careful what we're paying attention to and who we are getting our info from. When you get information from any kind of media, one side is often blaming the other for what is happening—even when they're talking about the same thing. Do not get sucked into this. You cannot effectively prepare for the future when you're caught up in who is to blame. Take the info you hear with a grain of salt, read between the lines, figure out how it actually affects you -- and then prepare accordingly. "Prepping" is a thing now, but understand, so much of what is done as "preppers" didn't used to be called prepping. Prepping doesn't always mean ammo, water, and bug out bags. It can be as simple as knowing Christmas is coming and you should really get started on knitting that blanket so you don't get behind. Things we should always be working on, not just because we're afraid it was a bad year of gardening or we've heard drama in the news -- Grow food, raise food, store food. Plan for next year's garden and next year's barn Greenhouse, cold frames, bring your planters inside Consider what animals you have on the farm and be realistic about what you need/can afford to raise/feed Ferment animal feed, grow fodder Be careful that your foray into self-sufficiceny and self-reliance in certain areas isn't actually costing you way more than it needs to Learn to barter and use it as much as you can. You will stretch your resources! Learn a skill. The more you know how to do, the more prepared you will be for whatever is coming your way. Learn about food and how it works in your body -- understand fat, protein, and carbs Eat what is actually available and makes sense to eat. Most of us are eating more than we need simply because it's available. Links referenced in today’s show: Holler Roast Coffee My (brand new!) Patreon page Episode 55: Smart Homesteaders Fix the Problem Learn Homesteading Skills: my favorite blogs, podcasts, and YouTube channels Subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, or other popular podcast players. All episodes of the podcast will also be linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar.

Feeding Cornish Cross chickens the right way is so important. If you overfeed them, you will end up with leg issues, heart attacks, and early death. So how much food should they eat? What does it cost to raise a Cornish Cross from day old chick all the way to freezer camp? Let me share with you the stats and tips I've learned after seven years of raising them. (Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!) Amy, hold up. If Cornish Cross need such special care, why raise them? Why not raise a bird with more room for error? We've tried other meat birds, but choose to raise Cornish Cross because when all is said and done, we get the most bang for our buck with this breed. Dollar in, dollar out, it's the most efficient bird to raise for the meat you get. If you're trying to figure out what kind of meat bird is right for your homestead—because Cornish Cross aren't always the best choice—you can check out my book Choosing the Right Meat Chicken for Your Homestead, which compares five different chicken breed options that are often suggested to raise for meat. New to feeding Cornish Cross chickens? If you are new to raising and feeding Cornish Cross chickens, you may not realize how different they are from other chicken breeds. Cornish Cross birds are bred to grow fast. If you don't feed them correctly, they will grow too quickly and that's when you start to see sloth like birds that do nothing but sit and wait at the food pan for their next meal—partly because they're lazy, but also because they can't walk due to leg issues. You will also have chickens die off early because their hearts can't keep up with the growth. The best way to explain Cornish Cross is by telling you about a dog we used to have when I was younger. He used to bring us his food bowl when he was hungry. We thought it was cute, so we'd refill it. Every. Single. Time. You can imagine what happened. Cornish Cross are like that dog because they will try to convince you every time they see you that they are hungry and need to eat and if you don't feed them right now, they are going to die. And so the first time you raise them (just like our first time raising them) you may find that you're going through a ton of food—and totally overfeeding them. Which means they grow too fast. They have lots of issues. They die early. So let's talk about a better way to feed them. Suggested stats for feeding Cornish Cross Let's be clear: you cannot free feed Cornish Cross. You have to pay attention to how much you are feeding them. According to the back of the 50 lb bag of meat bird feed that we purchase, it states that (in a perfect world) in 8 weeks, 10-12 pounds of food will raise a Cornish Cross to a 5 lb. dressed product. (Dressed means feathers gone, insides gone, cleaned, bagged, ready for the freezer. Basically, what you'd be buying at the store if you went to purchase a whole bird for supper.) So. 1 bird. 8 weeks. 10-12 pounds of feed = 5 lb dressed bird. Which means—using the 12 lb per bird amount—50 birds would require 600 pounds of food total over the course of 8 weeks, or 12 (50 lb) bags of feed total. Doing the math, if it is suggested that 12 bags of feed will raise up 50 Cornish Cross in 8 weeks, that means you're feeding a little more than a bag a week to a flock of 50 birds. But is this realistic? Well. Let's see what we did. Our stats for feeding Cornish Cross (CC) In full disclosure, our stats are from CC raised in a very (very) large coop. My commentary on free ranging/chicken tractoring CCs is at the end of this blog post. We started with 50 chicks. One died the day after shipping. It is not uncommon for this to happen. We raised 49 birds all the way to butcher day. I fed 900 pounds (or 18 bags) to 49 birds in 8 weeks and had an average dressed weight of 5 lbs. 900 pounds is 300 pounds above what the suggested feeding is for...

Chicken butchering day is quite an event here at Clucky Dickens Farm. When we butcher, it's usually no less than 50 birds at a time. I'd like to share with you the open air chicken butchering set up that we've come to use after several years of chicken butchering experience. (Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!) First of all -- if you aren't quite sure how to butcher a chicken, let me explain how to do that. If you already know how to -- let's take a look at all the items we use (in the order they are used) in the processing of our birds. Ready? Chicken Butchering Set Up Item #1: Kill Cones Also known as restraint cones, these are cones that the birds go into upside down, head first. The cone part keeps their wings from flapping, and you pull their head down through the hole in the bottom to cut their jugular. You can buy kill cones or you can make them yourself from heavy plastic or a similar material. If possible, it's nice to have adjustable cones (or make inserts that will go inside of them) so you can use the same cone for butchering different sized birds. Remember, there is a big difference in the size of an egg bird, a Cornish Cross, and a turkey. With a large cone, the egg birds might fall through into the bucket below. With a small cone, Cornish Cross birds will not fit to the bottom of the cone to pull their head through. Normally you would attach the kill cones to a wall or a fence post. We built this stand out of recycled materials around the farm and it has worked out well for us. It is sturdy and the ledge on the bottom holds the buckets at just the right height to catch the blood with minimal mess. You may also like: 10 Tips for Home Butchering Chicken Butchering Set Up Item #2: Propane cooker and large stockpot (aka turkey fryer kit) After a bird is dispatched but before you pluck it, you have to scald the bird in hot water (145-160 degrees) to help release their feathers for plucking. A turkey fryer kit is the perfect set up to get this done. In the photo, you can see a green stake to the side of the fryer with a wire coming from it. That green stake is to hold the display from a digital thermometer (and the wire is from the display to the actual thermometer in the water). It is very helpful to have a thermometer so you can monitor the temp of the water. It will be obvious the water is cooling down if the feathers aren't plucking as easily...but it's nice to know the water is cooling down before the chicken plucker informs you there are issues. ;) Pro tip: Know that if you're doing a lot of birds, you may have to add water as your chicken butchering event goes on. All the dunking and swirling of the birds usually means there will be some water lost. If too much water is lost, the thermometer will no longer sit below the water level, and your birds won't be able to be dunked as completely. Pro tip: Also, remember if you add water, you'll have to wait for the water in the fryer to get back up to temp—especially if you are filling from a cold hose. This is okay, though. It gives people a chance to catch up on their chicken butchering job or take a swig or two of coffee. Chicken Butchering Set Up Item #3: Chicken Plucker Here at Clucky Dickens Farm, I've never hand plucked a chicken. I give props to those of you who have. We have used many kinds of chicken pluckers since we began our chicken butchering adventures: everything from a small drill style chicken plucker to this large drum style plucker my husband built. It's similar to a Whizbang...but with a few modifications like a chute out the bottom for the feathers to collect into the tote. It keeps the mess in one area instead of having feathers spread all over the yard. A somewhat similar chicken plucker would be the Yardbird. If you're looking to build your own drum style chi...