A Tuesday on the Homestead

It has become apparent over the last few years that December through mid-February are our off-season months where things slow down a little, we get a bit more sleep, and the days are filled with more school books than shovels. And, like clockwork, mid-February came upon us, bringing a flurry of activity around the homestead with it.

Sourdough pancakes with sour cream and raw honey was followed by mixing up a couple of big loaves of sourdough bread. I don’t follow a recipe but it is very close to this Quintessential Sourdough Farm Loaf from Traditionally Fermented Foods. Much like this All-Day Sourdough Sandwich Bread, I start it first thing and by bedtime this naturally leavened bread is cooling.

It’s seed starting day – at least one of them – so after clearing the table we start filling pots with potting soil. Tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplant, and basil go in and join the lettuce, collards, and cabbages that are already on the south-facing window shelves Stewart put into the kitchen just for this purpose.

The pumpkins that we harvested last fall are starting to show some wear and tear down in the root cellar so I’m slowly putting those up into longer storage by pressure canning them. Looking at this task with the seeding, peeling, and canning looks like an all-day job from a distance. But with great helpers, within an hour the canner is heating up.

Annabelle washes up the morning dishes while the boys and I are planting and chopping. Outside Stewart is working on fencing in a new growing space to keep our free-range layers out. So Ruthie is, of course, following him around and helping to build one of my favorite parts of our homestead: another homemade gate.

It’s a cheesemaking day as well so I warm the milk slightly, stir in the culture and rennet and let it sit for a bit before cutting the curd. A lot of gently warming and stirring is followed by draining and pressing.

Afternoons are for school so after a bit of outside time for the children, Ruthie and Joshie take a nap while the boys hit the books. Annie and I work on her addition and reading and penmanship and I catch up on the last of the book edits. And then it is time to think about supper.

Afternoons are also for wrapping up the morning’s work. The jars of pumpkin come out of the canner and the bread is shaped as the rain continues off-and-on throughout the afternoon. More dishes and questions about math and telling Joshie not to touch things makes up most of my afternoons. By evening chores the sun is going down and the the eggs and evening milk come in. Bread is taken out of the oven and the little ones slip into pajamas.

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The morning documented above was actually last Tuesday morning. Today, another Tuesday, there is more cheese to make and jars of pumpkin in the canner and we are going to try, Lord willing, to direct-sow a bed in the garden this afternoon.

So, I guess Tuesdays are Tuesdays on the homestead.