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Old Trees and New Plant
This weekend, I was finally able to find time to clear the trees that had fallen across the trails in our woods. I had wanted to get this...
Ed
May 14, 20233 min read
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Coop Update
With maple syrup season finally in the rear-view mirror, it's time to turn our attention to our chicken project. Maggie has assembled a...
Ed
Apr 6, 20232 min read
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Rest Time is Over
The past couple of weeks, Maggie and I have been enjoying some relaxation and continuing education. Two weeks ago we made our annual...
Ed
Feb 26, 20233 min read
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Winter's Rest
When winter comes to the country, things slow down. In the city, a lot of effort and money are spent in overcoming the roadblocks the...
Ed
Jan 29, 20233 min read
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Red Bud "Tree" Survives it's Second Summer
Two summers ago, I dug up a little tiny baby red bud plant from our Milwaukee area home to bring to the property. Our Milwaukee neighbor...
Maggie
Oct 1, 20221 min read
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Meet "Johnny Oaky" - Our Newly Planted Oak Tree
About three weeks ago, Ed planted "Johnny Oaky" in our front yard by the road. Johnny Oaky is a new oak tree that was a gift from Ed's...
Maggie
Oct 1, 20221 min read
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How 2 Full Crates of Apples were Ultimately Preserved
Pint of Apple Butter (left) and Pint of Apple Sauce
Maggie
Sep 15, 20222 min read
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Our First Batch of 2022 Apples
One benefit of apples is that they can last for a while un-processed. When the weather cools off a bit more, I look forward to pressure...
Maggie
Sep 4, 20221 min read
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Who Knew? The Entire Wild Daylily Plant is Edible!
Last summer, I did learn that the common / wild / invasive Daylily plant is entirely edible (not the more modern and engineered version...
Maggie
Jul 13, 20221 min read
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Steamer Canning Wild Raspberry Jam - So Easy!
I've been doing a bit of pressure canning lately; however, today, I steam canned 12 pints of wild raspberry jam (no pectin). It was...
Maggie
Jul 10, 20221 min read
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Wild Raspberry Time of Year
Ever since Thursday, I've been harvesting our wild raspberries. The bushes are scattered throughout our property (mainly along the hedge...
Maggie
Jul 3, 20221 min read
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Not a Paid Advertisement - HLRBO
This is not a paid advertisement - at all. But I did list our land on HLRBO about a week ago. I listed it as a Bow Season Only Hunting...
Maggie
Jun 8, 20222 min read
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No "English Country Flower Garden" for Me
For fifteen years or more in our city house, I would plant flowers galore in our back yard and in attractive large pots on our patio. ...
Maggie
May 30, 20222 min read
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Who Let the Cows Out???
Five-thirty Friday morning brought some unexpected "excitement" to Blackhammer Acres. About a week ago, our neighboring farmer said he'd...
Maggie
May 29, 20224 min read
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2022 Maple Syrup Roundup
It has been a cold spring, even by Wisconsin standards. We have not even had 'fool's spring' yet. The cold weather has not been kind to...
Ed
Mar 28, 20222 min read
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A Cold Syrup Season
Picking a date to tap maple trees for syrup is tricky. The sap runs on days when the temperature is above freezing but the nighttime...
Ed
Mar 12, 20221 min read
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2022 is the Year of the 'B'
Writing '2022 feels odd', but time marches on. Come March, we will be entering the fourth year of working on our property. It is hard to...
Ed
Dec 28, 20213 min read
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Weather Station
I am closing in on completing what has been a decades-long project. Many years ago, I thought it would be fun to build a weather station....
Ed
Dec 19, 20212 min read
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Earning Money from Our Land
We are not farmers and yet we live in farm country with a mix of both hayfields and woods. We do lease our hayfields to a neighboring...
Maggie
Oct 1, 20213 min read
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Black Cap Raspberry Jam
On her periodic walks this week, Maggie noticed wild raspberries ripening along our fenceline. I had not realized they were there until...
Ed
Jul 4, 20212 min read
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