Lately: The October Edition

Lately :: a brief smattering of what’s been happening here on the homestead and our other content from around the web.

I was watering the fall garden yesterday and wondered when it was that I last updated you all on our “lately”. It was one of those brief moments in the day when it is quiet, or rather the noise-makers were either sleeping or far enough away to bring it into the din category. Either way, I had a second to think and breathe and get dirt under my fingernails and amongst the sea of chaos running through my head the word lately bobbed up.

So, a garden-homestead projects-freelance roundup-gratuitous baby pictures update.

Summer wound down as much as it does here in Texas. (It’s going to be 99 today.) With the generally cooler temperatures everything has picked back up again. Work, garden, life, school, homestead projects. Life is so very full and beautiful right now and if someone knows where the pause button is could you please show it to me? Especially since these boys recently ticked another year over on the calendar and refuse to stop growing up on me. The girls too!

Garden

We continue to harvest dried black-eyed peas, blue-speckled tepary beans, and Pigeon peas. Mint and tulsi are also in need of a second round of harvesting. (Stripping the leaves from the stems is a great job for a toddler.)

Our tatume squash have flowered again and there are at least a handful of squash growing as we speak. Same goes for the melons and tomatoes. The Swiss Chard has finally started to fizzle out, but the fact that it survived the summer heat – more gracefully than I, probably – left me incredibly impressed.

Stewart prepared another area in the chicken field and planted some lettuce, chard, kale, and cilantro. They’re all very small and I re-planted some areas this week that didn’t germinate. Beets are also growing as part of the fall garden, their red stems and green leaves awaiting thinning.

Homestead Projects

As we slowly build this little homestead of ours, projects ebb and flow with the tide of work and resources. Work means resources, projects need time and resources, and time is one of our most precious commodities around here. And so, with the cabin finished up, Stewart has been turning to other projects on the homestead.

This week he’s working with a backhoe to create swales and ponds, root cellars and outhouses. Can anyone guess what else he’s got up his sleeve from the above pallet-laden photos?

I’m okay with interrupting this for the sake of these cheeks. You?

Freelance Work

I’ve been bobbing around the internet, blessed to work for some really nice people. It’s been too long to say much about all of these, so here’s a categorized list of what I’ve been writing about:

Fermentation

• How to Make Sauerkraut (and an intro to Lacto-Fermentation)
• Fermented Raspberry Sauce (Stewart and the children ate the last of this straight from the jar it was so good)
• SaladKraut and Other Tips for Streamlining Ferment Routines
• Finding Real Sourdough: Am I a Purist
• The Quickest Path to Kefir Cheese
• Lacto-Fermented Watermelon Rind Pickles (These were so good!)

Cooking & Recipes

• From the Griddle: Naan (and coming together around homemade)
• Tomato-Basil Meatloaf Muffins (and ground beef recipe ideas)
• Pork Chops with Fresh Black-Eyed Peas and Onion Gravy
• Late-Summer Vegetable and Rice Soup with Ginger and Lime
• Cinnamon Coconut Milk Ice Cream In a Bag
• Gumbo Fried Rice
• Our (wheat-free) Pantry Ingredients and the Meals We Make From Them
• Accidental Barley Graham Crackers: Lessons in Baking Without a Recipe
• How to Eat Beans Every Day (21 ideas and recipes to keep it interesting)
• Simple Thai Basil – Coconut Chicken
• Rice & Bean Resistant Starch Salad

Sustainability

A Tough Look at the Real Cost of Food

Alright, alright one more of Ruthie.

Mmm egg yolks.

So, that’s what’s happening in our neck of the woods. Now, what’s new with you? Homestead projects, re-skilling, new adventures, everyday joys? Do share!