You know it’s spring when you look outside and see chickens all over your yard, surrounding your house! They are just excited to get out of their coop as we are to get out of the house and enjoy the fresh, warm spring air!
The rabbits are breeding so well because it’s the perfect temperature for them. The melting snow is making everyone happy and now the fun, and projects, begin!
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Family Visiting To Meet Floralee
We had fun with several different family members that came to meet the new baby this month!
Bulk Food Storage
One of the big challenges with our tiny house is the lack of food storage space. We can store extra clothing and seasonal items out in the barn all year, but we really have been in need of a root cellar to store bulk food and garden produce.
We’ve been waiting to purchase food in bulk until we make a root cellar or add on to the tiny house one last time. However, with inflation and food shortages hitting our country right now, we decided to take the plunge and buy a lot of basic kitchen items in bulk (flour, dried beans, oats, sugar, etc.)
We are currently storing the bulk of the food in five-gallon pails under our kitchen table. It’s not ideal, but it’s one more layer to our food security that we are glad to have.
Currently, we are meat sufficient, meaning we have enough meat (rabbit, venison, fish, eggs, and chicken) to last us about a year. Now, we are closer to being pantry sufficient I’ll call it. And, hopefully, after this year’s garden and orchard harvest, we can be more sufficient in our fruits and vegetables.
I have finally purchased a water bath canner and will be sharing the first things I am canning with it next month! Then hopefully a pressure canner and a freeze dryer will be purchased soon in the future. And we are also thankful to have two large freezers added just a few weeks ago to also preserve more food.
When the learning curve feels too steep, I have to keep reminding myself, that it’s a journey, and the more you practice these new skills, the more naturally it will come.
Being prepared is so important to us, and after years of only purchasing enough groceries to survive for one week with each trip to the store, this bulk food storage is definitely a big mindset shift for me. But, it is encouraging me to be even more creative with our meals and I love the challenge!
Meat Chickens and Supplies Purchased
On that same note, we have purchased 55 meat chickens to raise this summer and stock our freezers. The majority of the chickens are for our family, but we are selling a few as well. If you are interested in fresh pasture-raised chicken, let us know and we can add you to the list.
The chicks will be arriving at the end of May and will be butchered in July. This first year will be our first year doing it, so we will be learning a lot in the process. Hopefully next year we can expand more and offer more fresh pasture-raised meat to the community for purchase!
Purchasing An Oven
For over a year now, since we moved into the tiny house, I have been cooking without an oven. It really hasn’t been bad at all thanks to my instant pot and our electric stovetop (both gifted by family members…thanks!). I recently wrote this blog post all about it!
However, I really want to start making my own bread, and as our family grows, an oven is feeling more and more like a necessity. We had a little extra money this month and went ahead and purchased an oven. I am elated, to say the least!
We were originally waiting to purchase one until we added on to the tiny house again because at that same time we will be moving the bathroom and then that opens up space to expand and re-do the kitchen. However, selling our wood cookstove (the original idea for an oven) opened up more space to put in a small oven.
I can’t wait to start making more baked goods again and experimenting with more recipes!
Sourdough Starter
On the note of the oven, I started making a sourdough starter so that I could start making bread right when it arrived!
The starter is doing quite well but I am still learning so much about how to maintain it and cook with it. After lots of practice, I am sure to get the hang of it.
At our old house I had a sourdough starter for a bit but with the move, learning about it felt too overwhelming. I had yet to make a successful loaf and I didn’t have the time to devote to practicing so I discarded it.
This is essentially my first time with one, so we’ll see how this goes.
Starting Seeds Indoors
Late March is typically the time to start seeds indoors here because of the last frosts we get. We can expect to have frost all the way through May, sometimes even in June!
However, with the baby arriving right in the middle of March and recovering from the birth in my postpartum season, it was much too difficult to add in starting seeds.
The only thing I was able to do was to start some onion seeds in the middle of April. I’m not sure how they will do with it being such a late time to start them, but I thought I would experiment still and see how it goes. Next year I hope to not be pregnant again in March and have more freedom to start seeds indoors!
Making Laundry Soap
If you know me then you know that I love to use Young Living products around the home. They have great options for natural alternatives, and I love the Thieves line. However, they are starting to get a bit more expensive, so I am slowly transitioning to making my own natural household items.
I’m starting with laundry soap. After I found this recipe I couldn’t believe how cheap and easy it is to make! You have to try this.
Check back to see what other household products I make next in the coming months.
Making Beeswax Candles
This is something I have always wanted to do and I finally bought all the supplies for it – canning jars, wax tips, beeswax, a melting pot, and essential oils.
It was my first time making candles and I quite enjoyed it! I probably won’t be burning them much in the summer months, but I can’t wait to have them on hand for the winter months.
Disc Golf Course Set-Up
Landon set up his disc golf course on our land now that all the snow is melted! It is temporary for now as he is figuring out exactly how he wants to have things but it has been fun for him to play the course and for me and the kids to walk around it with him.
Farm Stand Open For Business
At the end of the month, after one last (hopefully!) snowfall, we set up our farm stand again on the corner! If you want regular updates and more information on it be sure to follow our Bethsaida Homestead Facebook page.
We’ve already been selling out of our eggs so it certainly is first come first serve! We can’t wait to keep providing fresh eggs for the community this year.
Phew, things are getting busy here now that the snow is melting away. I’m sure next month will be filled with lots of updates so check back again then!
And thanks for reading! As always, feel free to leave a comment below and connect with us!
Kelsey at GoodPointGrandma
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