We have a few acres of questionably fenced pasture, that our neighbor had used to run beef cattle on an irregular basis. Because the grass can get quite long if it is not grazed, we occasionally consider additional animals to help manage that pasture. Cows are a little large for us, goats are a challenge to fence, and pigs generally do not graze. That leaves sheep. Last year had a little bit of a sheep theme to it. We traveled to Lafarge to attend the Ewetopia woolen mill's o

Yesterday, November 8, brought the first snow of the upcoming winter season, putting a bow on the 2025 garden. There is still work to be done, but the garden will largely stay untouched until next year. Our weather station reported snow had fallen The snow brings an opportunity to reflect on the hits and misses in the garden this year. Hits Landscape Fabric . We have tried several approaches to controlling weeds over the years, including no-till, mulch, and nonwoven landscape

We have two large black walnut yard trees, and every year they drop dozens of walnuts onto our lawn. Last year, one broke a windshield on our car. On a bit of a lark, I thought I would try harvesting walnuts this year. They literally fall out of the tree, so how hard can it be? As it turns out, it is a process. The walnut, which is what we are probably all familiar with from holiday nutcrackers, starts out encased in a green sticky hull. This hull turns black over time, creat

Looking at the calendar recently, and our to-do list, it struck me how little time we have until winter arrives. There is one week left in October; how did that happen? We have been making progress on our end-of-season projects, but there is still a lot to be done. Part of the work is preparing for spring and next year's garden season. With the garlic bed filled with chicken manure and the last of the bean succession crop gone, the end of October is time for planting garlic c

One of my many side projects has been to identify the different plant species on our property, as botany has always been an interest of...

Several years ago, we successfully grew shiitake mushrooms using oak logs. Ironwood is also used to grow these mushrooms, so 2 years ago...

We are at the mid-point of closing down the garden for winter. We are spreading a giant piles of woodchips across the beds, mucking out...

We are in the midst of mite treatment for our three beehives, so it seems like a good time to summarize our 2024 honey season. To start,...

Last week, we harvested our garlic. We succession-plant bush beans, which was one of this weekend's tasks. The variety we plant mature in...

The average precipitation for Richland County is about 5 inches. Last summer, we were lucky to have gotten an inch of rain in June, and...

I walked all the way around the hay field and checked out all of the tried and true black cap plants near our house. This is all that I...

Ever since I was a kid, I loved to collect things. Bottle caps, rocks, beer cans, were all fair game. As an adult, my collecting became...

We have an area no larger than an acre near our house and the road. The soil in this area is very sandy and there are "lots" of pine...

We are always on the hunt for local open houses and events, to learn more about small-scale agriculture in the Driftless Area. I recently...

Walking our front pasture this past Saturday afternoon with Ed was glorious. The weather was almost spring like, it was bright and...

Since we first started our homesteading adventure, we have given each year a theme. While work overlaps from year to year, we find that...

With the year winding down, it is time to take stock and review. I enjoy thinking back on each year. I find my memory is not as good as...

Every year, it seems like a race to complete projects before winter settles in. Despite a couple of cold spells, our autumn was mild....

Our two new barn cats, Smudge and Maple, were released from their training crate a couple of months ago, and they have quickly found...

As we approach August, we are starting to count the days until we try and extract honey from our hives. I opened each of our three hives...

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...

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...

The past couple of weeks, Maggie and I have been enjoying some relaxation and continuing education. Two weeks ago we made our annual...

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...

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...

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...

Pint of Apple Butter (left) and Pint of Apple Sauce

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...

Last summer, I did learn that the common / wild / invasive Daylily plant is entirely edible (not the more modern and engineered version...

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...