End of the Garden

Our bountiful harvest

We didn't have much of a garden this year, but what we did have did pretty good once it started raining.Those pumpkins were enormous! I think one was somewhere around 70 pounds! The other 3 about 20-40 pounds. We got about a dozen watermelons, about the same on cantaloupes. There was only one row of beets and one of onions, but that was enough to keep us well fed for a couple months, as well as several cans of beets for the pantry. A neighbor supplied us with zucchini and chard, another with cucumbers, so in addition to eating fresh and fried squash and greens, I was able to put up a couple dozen quarts of pickles. I am not really a pickle person as far as store-bought goes, but I love my homemade pickles. I love to open a jar of pickled cucumbers or other veggies midwinter, to add some variety to our staples of rice, potatoes, carrots, onions and beans. 

Zucchini, cucumbers and onions ready for the pickling brine

As for the pumpkin, well, the largest went to our local library so they could use it for a fund raiser. If you're near Ash Fork, stop in and guess the weight for 25 cents a guess - the winner gets to keep the pumpkin and the library gets a boost to its budget. This little fellow grew right into the fence. We had to pick him before he got any more attached, but he seems to have ripened just fine.

A creepy halloween mutant

After giving away several more pumpkins, the last few will be eaten for the next few weeks and canned for later pies, breads and cookies. Sadly, we didn't plant any tomatoes. I can always use lots of jars of tomato sauce. Maybe next year...speaking of which, we will be on the road next year, looking for fresh, local produce and experimenting with our homesteading practices in a 28 foot RV and a 14 foot trailer. Should be very interesting. 

Thanks for stopping by.

If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy these:

Farmer's Market

Rose Petal Jam

Tomato Tales

Worms!

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2013/10/homestead-barn-hop-132.html

Farmer's Market

Homemade breads, pickles, cronuts; cucumbers, zucchini.

First, a correction to my last post. Our new homes are a 28 foot RV and a 14 ft. travel trailer. What's a few square feet here and there, anyway?

Kreations by Katy, a member of Mrs. D's Homestead

We've really been enjoying participating as vendors at the Saturday Market in Williams, AZ. Helen Gorney, of Open Studios set this up as a venue for local crafters, bakers, and gardeners to market some of their products. So far, we have enjoyed local apples, pears, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and eggs, home canned jams, salsas and home-baked goodies, gorgeous hand crafts and local honey. Our last Saturday for the season is coming up on September 28th. Hopefully next year we'll see lots more home grown produce.

Lotions, lip butters, soap cozies, rice bags

Mrs. D has picked up a number of new customers for her handmade all natural shea butter and coconut oil lotion bars and lip butters, as well as meeting with loyal repeat customers. Katy's Kreations are attracting positive attention, with the Dammit Doll being particularly popular. (Hope to have some up on the Etsy store soon). Jacob's Store is selling out of his handmade rustic crosses and his new beanbag ice therapy packs. He's also doing a booming business with ice cold lemonade, made with lemons from grandpa's backyard tree, and ice tea. Now to just get him to update his Etsy store.

Yak's lemonade and ice tea venture

Mobilizing The Homestead

It's finally here. We've spent the last year downsizing and preparing to hit the road in our 37 ft. RV and 16 ft. travel trailer. We've butchered the cow, a sheep and a llama. We've given away or sold the chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, guinea, goats and lambs. We are down to 3 horses, 2 dogs, 1 cat and 2 llamas. They will stay with family in Colorado when we are on the road. We will also spend part of the year in Colorado with the animals. 

How do I feel about closing up the homestead and moving on after 15 years? I have such mixed feelings about leaving this place. I've wanted to travel full-time for quite awhile, but the timing wasn't quite right. Now, opportunities have fallen into place and I have made the heartbreaking decision to part with animals and homesteading and stuff, live simply in my travel trailer, visiting friends and family, exploring the country and even seeing more of this great world. I do not leave this place lightly. I have loved it here. I have many friends here. In the meantime, every road trip, even the mini ones just for a day, remind me that travel is another of my passions and since it is harder to travel extensively with an overload of possessions and animals, I gladly, yet reluctantly let go of them. 

Well, you can take the girl away from the homestead, but this girl will still be cooking from scratch, growing what's possible in an RV, canning, sewing, and homeschooling. So really, I'm still me, and will continue to write about these topics, as well as the particular challenges of slow, minimalist travel and simple RV living. Of course, we'll have a variety of locations to share with you, too. I look forward to reporting on locating local, fresh produce, raw milk, home raised meats (more of that once the freezer's empty), and farm fresh eggs.

My homeschooling book is out to the literary agents, with hopes that it will be picked up by someone soon. I will continue to post about our adventures homeschooling on the road. I'll also share about our downsizing efforts and transitioning to an even simpler lifestyle right here. Thanks for stopping by and come back again, soon.