WHAT IN THE WORLD WENT ON – April 2024 – December 2024

Please do not mind our adjusted blog title as it just for this post. Or perhaps it may give you a smile or chuckle. When looking back over how long it has actually been since I have completed a blog post, those exact words bounced around my head as my fingers began to commence typing. There is no real way to document all that has taken place since the last time I took to blogging. If I tried, this would be quiet the lengthy read. Bear with me if I seem a little confused as a lot of this blog will be pieced together from farm notes and photos. While it likely still be my longest blog yet, I do hope you enjoy this year in review, of sorts, blog about what in the world did go on at Bain Home Gardens over the last eight months.

April

When April made its arrival, the farm was bustling, despite my surgery in January. This was largely in part due to planting that was done late Fall. For instance, we harvested our first round of garlic scapes and used them in as many dishes as we could. The bonus of two crops from one planting makes me wonder why anyone who could plant hardneck varieties wouldn’t. Ironically, the veggies we paired our scapes with are also ones that yield two different crops from one planting. Carrots are used on our homestead for the tops and the roots. Either we wash and dehydrate the tops to use in soups and stews throughout the year or we feed them to the rabbits. Our onions also pull double duty as we dehydrate them or use fresh in sautés. Having these items growing early, by planting in the fall, meant that we were harvesting homegrown goodies while we waited for our summer crops, which had just been planted, to thrive. Harvest of spinach, chard, mint and radishes kept us content as we watched the first tomatoes and squash babies arrive on their mother plants. Nectarines, peaches, pears, grapefruit and tangelos were all teaming with life. Would it be false hope or would we actually harvest bountiful fruit from our orchard for a change?

Rabbit babies were born to Sweet Pea on the 12th. Their sire was Peter, our Flemish Giant. Sweet Pea and Cher continue to display great mothering skills as they care for their young. These babies would go to the flea market with us later in the year. Their sell would help to make up for the inability to attend famers markets this summer.

Chicks were also chirping inside the Bain home. The Barred rock eggs we secured along with those of our own hatched in the broader giving us 14 little adorable chicks. They were all so stinkin’ cute… and I do mean STINKIN’! We fell in love with one or two in particular who had very curious personalities. We used a new plate warmer verses the bulb this go round and we really do enjoy the peace of mind this tool offers over the bulb. You can find a video on our unboxing and use of it here.

May

May was a real blur. One reason being that the second surgery would be on the 17th. We decided to do the surgery sooner than later since the previous surgery created more of a discrepancy in leg length, making rehabilitation more challenging. Still the farm does go on. So there was a need to do much in preparation. Blackberries were coming in faster than we could harvest and process them. As a result, the native wildlife was able to benefit. We were able to harvest enough to dehydrate for teas and other uses in the future. We sampled some of the elephant garlic heads to get an idea of how close to harvest we really were. They were very large and we were able to harvest seeds for next season. More garlic scapes came in along with beautiful perennial flowers bringing in butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. It really was beautiful outdoors but the heat came just as swiftly as the season did! As we rushed to harvest beet and radishes before they would become woody and bitter we also fought off the horrible amount of gnats and mosquitoes that seem to have made permanent residence on our farm. Cherry tomatoes were fully coming into blush. They teased us greatly. Little did we know it wouldn’t be until June before we would taste the first one. In the mean time we were pleased to enjoy ground cherries. They held up very well despite the early heat wave and became quite productive.

The biggest task we had on hand was butchering and processing several roosters that had become a bit of a nuisance to the hens and us. That was done expediently and they sit now in our freezer.

After surgery there was little I could do besides point and direct. The family really had their hands full managing me (nurses make the worse patients) and the farm! I had ignorantly started two fermenting projects – ginger bug and sourdough starter – that needed attention. To my own defense, I will add that it felt like one of those now or never moments. If I don’t do it now, I never will! Dramatic? True. Factual? Yes! So I did. Thanks to willing friends I was able to make it to my physical therapy appointments several times a week, my follow ups as well. It almost seemed impossible to manage it all but we made it work. We did loose a couple of the chicks for unknown reasons and several of our winter squash transplants, however, we thank God above things went as smoothly as they did!

May brought in the nectarine harvest which was the most disappointing event ever. Pest and disease wiped out what would have been our most bountiful crop yet. Unfortunately, the same pests and disease affect one stone fruit affect all of them. So chances of us harvesting any peaches were slim as well. I will keep you in the same suspense we experienced! Sorry – not sorry!

June

June brought in our first tomato and eggplant harvests of the season. Overwintered peppers also yielded their first fruits making this the earliest we have ever harvested peppers on our farm! Fennel and the garlic bulb harvest was completed. Large heads of both made me feel like I had done something right despite not being able to do much myself on the farm for the year.

Grapes, both table and muscadine, were coming into their color. The chickens did break out and came downhill to sample them. We think they enjoyed them since they took quite a few clusters. The mint went absolutely WILD and we loved it! The smell, intoxicating and so relaxing filled the air on breezy days. The bees loved the flowers and often were very territorial of them. We would have to wait to do any harvesting until they had moved on to the bee balm or sunflowers.

Bread making with our sourdough starter and soda making with our ginger bug proved to be very rewarding. I immediately noticed the shelf life on the sourdough bread to be longer than that of the standard white bread. That alone was enough incentive for me to continue making it. Thank goodness for that lactic acid bacteria!

July

July was so hot. I think I remember reading that the summer 2024 of was the hottest on record for our region. This was not surprising as many of the crops suffered as a result. Keeping the animals cool and happy was our next challenge. We mottled through it – all sweaty hands on deck!

An exciting development was the invasion of the Black Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars in our high tunnel! Fennel that we had been allowing to go to seed for saving was absolutely full of caterpillars! Later in the month our daughter spent quite a bit of time gently catching and releasing the young butterflies. It brought all of us such joy to aid these graceful creatures.

The first harvest of figs came in heavy as well. We didn’t harvest as we should and lost quite a few, unfortunately. We did, however, make a few jars of jam and experiment with fig and onion focaccia bread. It was the best! We are looking forward to the 2025 harvest to make this tasty bread again!

Our first ever table grape harvest would be this month. It was a very nice harvest! We were able to make quite a few jars of jam and of course we ate plenty of them fresh as well. This would not be the first, first harvest of we would have this 2024 growing season! Later in the month we harvested our first edible peach! It seems it was a rather late harvest for our peaches but given what we had seen with our nectarines, we were happy to get to eat even one! This peach would be our second, first harvest of 2024. In fact, in typing this year in review blog, I’ve realized just what an epic year we actually had on the farm this year! Despite two major surgeries and financial set backs we have truly been blessed! So much so that I literally just had to take a moment to say a prayer of thanks.

August

August was beyond hot. Sweat, shower repeat was the tone of the entire summer. By now I was moving more independently and had gained a little more freedom with my family. So I opted to get up early with my handy dandy Brian and do as much as I could be for tiredness or heat, whichever came first, set in. This month we lost our beloved Barry, the sole Barred Rock cockerel from our March hatch. We believe it was the heat coupled with the fact that he may have not been drinking as he should to avoid the bigger chickens in his flock. It was very sad. These things happen so quickly that watching the flock and our rabbits like hawks became our go to over the next month or so. At least until the temperatures were not so harsh we would be outside several time throughout the day refreshing waterers and adding ice as needed. I had become a little paranoid! You, of course, understand why.

We finally got around to processing the garlic we had harvested months earlier. It all went into the freezer in food saver bags until we were ready to begin dehydrating for spice blends. It was rather poetic as the garlic we would be planting for summer 2025 harvest arrived in the mail. Around the same time we were able to harvest a good bit of our muscadines at once. These were used to flavor sodas and kombucha and we actually just juiced some to drink. Hoping for another bountiful year next season as wine in on the to-do-list!

The goldenrod flourished this year more than it ever has and as a result huge weedlike stalks of it towered over raised beds and inground beds all over the farm. We decided to harvest it early this year. We would leave only a few plants to come back to and harvest the flowers from later. The leaves were harvested, washed and then dried and stored away for the dreaded cold and flu season.

Planting was rather interesting as we replanted squash and cucumbers for Fall harvest. We also were planting brassicas for Winter and Spring harvest. When you are growing year round, it does all tend to run together!

Our third, first harvest was pears! Our two pear trees, though young are doing very well and one of them yielded us 5 pears for the 2024 growing season! We were beyond excited and pleased. These, like our muscadines were used to flavor sodas and kombucha.

August would give us one more surprise before she left. In speaking with a friend outdoors I happened to look up and realize that one of our three lemon trees actually had fruit on it! When did that happen? When did it even flower?! Well! At first we only observed one. As we moved around the tree we quickly saw there were more! Would this be they year that we FINALLY HARVESTED OUR OWN LEMONS?! Here is a video of our discovery.

September

September was a pretty chill month. The most interesting thing was the arrival of two new kitties. Two boys just randomly appeared on our farm. They appeared to have been cared for. They were just a tad hungry and in need of human attention. We believe that someone dropped them off as we are outside frequently and hadn’t seen them previously. In addition to that, our cats are very territorial and tolerate no uninvited guests. We ended up keeping them both. We reached out to the community for assistance and we were donated a cat tower, litter box and other supplies. We named them Timothy & Paul. Paul has a more laid back disposition. He is very curious and very verbal. We enjoy conversing with him as it seems he is very well aware of what is being said. Timothy is much more wild and stubborn. Paul earned a spot indoors while Timothy gained respect from the outdoor cats and now fits right in!

As for produce, there was very little being harvested during this sort of transition month into the fall garden. The peppers did not get the memo. We did not complain as we enjoyed using thing in various dishes.

It was around this time that we found our citrus trees full of bird poop! It was interesting as we seldom see birds on the trees themselves. Further examination revealed it was actually a worm! This little guy is another variety of swallow tail caterpillar our farm has been blessed to observe. These caterpillars which will eventually become the Giant Swallowtail butterfly, partial to citrus leaves. As you may notice in the photos, there will be evidence of munching but they will not decimate them a healthy tree. takes around 9 -18 to fully grow from egg to chrysalis stage, depending on temperature and food availability. Once in the chrysalis, it will then transform into a butterfly within a week or two.  Ah, the circle of life is absolutely amazing! We feel privileged that these beautiful butterflies visit our farm and utilize its organic produce as their personal nursery each year. We hope to continue to plant more native flowers that will encourage these visits year after year.

October

October was a fun month. The weather was really all over the place with large gaps between the highs and the lows. The cooler nights decreased pest pressure which was a welcomed assist! There were not many cooler nights, in fact the fall garden now began to yield squash, cucumbers, green beans and lettuce. I’ve determined that fall harvested green beans are definitely the tastiest. Next year we will plan to plant them in the high tunnel to extend our harvest just a few weeks longer. We also harvested quite a bit of our arugula along with other greens for fresh salads throughout the month. One of our hold our peppers, Datil, finally gave their first harvest of bright orange peppers! These peppers are habanero hot and are absolutely gorgeous. We froze most of our harvest to use for food preservation projects during the winter months.

October also was the kick off of our fall microgreens session. We always find ourselves very impressed by the incredible ways our members utilizer their weekly deliveries! This session was no exception!

The girls really appreciated the break in the extreme temperatures and as a result they rewarded us with plenty of butt nuggets. We did not offer an egg subscription this year due to my recovery but the girls didn’t get the memo! Our customers surely loved the abundance as we did!

The biggest event of October was our annual CNG inspection. For the first time we used community members to do our inspection and it worked out far better than I expected. I feel like this option is a great way to increase community awareness of what CNG is and for the community to get to know our farm and practices up close and personal. It is one thing to read about a farm and how they handle things on a daily basis but it is something else entirely to see in person. We find also that many visitors love to offer some type of assistance in the form of farm labor in exchange for education on where their food is actually coming from. We call that a win-win!

The chickens were not included in our recertification this go round. This does not mean that we are not still caring for them organically. No! They still eat the same USDA Certified Organic feed. However, their runs and coops currently require some maintenance and even more expansion. Chicken math is a real tough subject! We hope to get this done while the temperatures are cooler over the winter.

November

This month we had the privilege of inspecting fellow CNG farmers Hawkins Homestead Farm. We always enjoy visiting with other CNG farms. The education and edification we experience as we grow each others knowledge and encourage each other to continue the road less traveled is priceless! Let’s faces it, there are certain issues only other organic farmers are truly going to understand!

This month we did mate a few of our rabbits. The hope is that they will have they most adorable kits by the end of December. Spending time with the rabbits is very enjoyable this time of year. Their winter fur is so luscious and fluffy! It makes them so cuddly and I honestly wish that they looked this way all year long! It does mean that we must line them up for more spa days during the winter months as their manure can get entangled in the fur easily. Caring for long hair rabbits is more labor intensive. However, any rabbit can require time and effort. If your are privileged to adopt one of our buns, please know that we firmly believe in education and not watering down the facts – rabbits are not easy pets! They can, however, be the best cuddle buddies if, you, the owner, do what is needed. We have been making notes here and there on the details of owning a rabbit. As time allows, this endeavor is under construction to give our readers a complete a guide to owning a rabbit. Stay tunned for that.

December

If you have traveled this far through the past into the present with us then you are truly vested into our blog. For that we thank you!

This month is always an exciting one for us because it is our wedding anniversary. We prefer to call it our familiversary, as it was the beginning of the beautiful chaos we call family! This month on the 11th we celebrated 25 years of togetherness. It has been quite the journey! Just looking at the past 8 months is wild! Now, multiply that by 25! We are beyond thankful and privileged that out of all the other hearts on the planet our hearts found each other and in time began to and continue to beat in concert.

The month has only increased our joy as we have two more first harvests – fourth, first harvest of tangelo oranges & fifth, first harvest of lemons! It has been well worth the wait. While we are STILL waiting on the remaining lemons to turn fully, we have enjoyed the thrill of climbing the ladder and harvesting our very own lemons. This variety was gifted to us from a friend who really enjoys growing plants from saved seeds. When we got these lemon trees they were small enough to fit into a solo cup! It is hard to believe!

We have one more potential first harvest on the horizon – grapefruit. These will be small as the tree is small itself. Currently there are three fruits hanging and slowly turning yellow. Will they mature before 2025? Well they have 7 days. Literally, time will tell! It is our hope that this is only the beginning of a long history of the Bain Orchard growing in all her glory with citrus, stone fruit and apples, for years to come.

When I finally set my heart to get this blog done, I had no idea how it would go. Now I must say that this has been quite the interesting blog to type. There were a lot of other exciting events on the farm that I realize I am leaving out. That is okay, as they are etched on my heart. There were also quite a few sad occasions. How we focus on these events will determine our joy and peace. Perception is everything! Please remember that it is our God-given right is to be joyful. How we maintain that joy, how we feed and water it, that is up to you and I. Today and forever I chose joy. I pray you do as well.

As I finalize the conclusion of this blog, this year is, in fact, ending as well. Let’s have a joyful 2025 growing season, taking all our learning from 2024 and the years before along with us. After all, knowledge is the best kind of baggage. As the past gives way to the present which shines hope on the future, please do not forget to get those hands into the dirt and grow. Love and blessings – from our family to yours.

The Goings On – February 2024 – March 2024

Yellow dust fills the air. Clouds come and go. The temperature is pleasant. Wind gusts surprise me as they suddenly pound Hoopty’s walls. Just as sudden as they arrive, they disappear. Flowers are visited by ravenous bees as they zoom from stigma to nectaries. Finally, the life, color, and light we have longed for all winter long has announced its return and, with it, a new season.

Registering for surgery the day before

New Year, New Hip

Gratitude fills me as I meditate on how God so lovingly & patiently  guided us through the entire process of hip replacement surgery. To be such a little speck of dust and still be recognized by the Most High is sobering.

As I type this blog, I’ve arrived at six weeks post-op and have been released from therapy. My mobility is improved. Arthritic pain is gone. We consider this surgery a blessed success.  Prayers that the next hip surgery is as successful.

Will recovering I’ve had to take a huge step back from the farm. To say this has been challenging is a terrible understatement! All of the creatures on this homestead – feathered or furry – are MY babies. Although I’m not responsible for much of their physical care, I do feel wholly responsible for  them. After all, this was MY dream! Then I am reminded that this family made my dream OUR dream. It was together that it came true and it has to be together that we maintain it. Keeping these reminders close to my heart eases the worry, soothes my mind.

One fur baby, in particular, was quite disturbed about the absence of Mama Farmer. Only able to view me grom his ourdoor enclosure on the way to and from physical therapy appointments for a total of eleven days, Brady became very, how should I say, concerned? He’s too greedy to stop eating completely. However, he did eat far less than usual, leading to visible weight loss. We had decided that it was best for me not to spend in direct contact time with Brady until, at the very least, my drains were removed. I was sent home from the hospital with two. Brady being the curious, rambunctious large dog he is, one can easily see how things could easily go south – QUICK! It was so hard for me to be away from my darling baby. Several nights, he brought me to tears as he howled throughout the night. However, eleven days post-op, Brady and I got the reunion we both needed! He gave me the biggest embrace – pure happiness.

Salvaging Winter’s End

While many view winter as a time to rest reset for the coming season. We do not rest much at all. However, resetting is very necessary. This is one task we take under slowly as winter moves along. With my down time being a peak time we would normally complete these tasks, we are yet again behind. Since we have decided to forgo our regular summer market, some things are off the to-do list.

  • Hatching Summer Chicks – To keep our supply of eggs fresh, we have a yearly rotation. Although anything can happen, this does help ensure we have plenty of layers to keep up with our growing Eggs by BHG membership. It’s basically out with the old and in with the new. We didn’t get this project started as early as we had hoped to. The earlier, the better! Why? This hatch seems to be primarily males, unfortunately. Since the females lay the eggs, they are what we need. Starting earlier would have allowed us time to do another hatch that would be laying by summer at the latest. We did purchase a dozen Barred Rock eggs from a local farm and added about ten of our own eggs to fill up our incubator to try again. We prefer about ten new hens each year and cull about that many chickens yearly as well. This keeps our chicken math simple, well as simple as chicken math can be!
  • Breeding Our Rabbits – Last year, we decided we wanted to breed our rabbits twice a year. One in late December to be ready in spring and again in late September to be ready in early winter. This twice a year breeding yeilds the most adoeable cuties of which we sell. We put these funds right back into our fertilizer team, updating their enclosures, water bottles, and puechasing feed and grooming supplies. While the surgery did not stand in the way of this, the need for the surgery did. Many days, I was stuck in bed on pain meds threw my entire routine out of order!
  • Certifications, License, Permits, and Renewals – Most of these are done at the beginning of the year. This is why most businesses start the calander year in the red, and we are no exception. While things like our growers permit require no money, other things such as this website renewal run upwards of $300/year! Since hubby works during business hours, it is my responsibility to get such paperwork and fees taken care of, but yet again, quite a few of these off-season tasks have not yet been completed. Most concerning is our recertification for  Certified Naturally Grown. We have spoken to the team, and they’ve been so willing to work with us to make things easier. We are happy to be a part of the CNG community.

What’s Been Planted

That is the question! At this point, it is likely simpler to express to you what we have not planted as we have started so many seeds and already have begun to set out spring plants. Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in small quantities have been set out in raised beds. In the next few days, we will be clearing rows to set tomatoes and cucumbers out in Hoopty.

Fennel, lettuce, and various herbs have also been set out. Unfortunately, our trays of kohlrabi, collards, and cabbage sat in the trays so long that they became stunted. We had to toss those trays into the compost. Since our spring is basically a preview of summer, it’s unlikely we will have enough time to restart these items. We will add those to the list of other items we will not have the privilege of growing this season. Among these are onions, leeks, and rutabagas. Although it is a little late, we will try to get some mustard greens started in the next few days, and hopefully, we will get at least one harvest before the hear sets in.

What’s Growing On

Although I am getting around well, I am not secure with my temporary, new gait. So anytime I am anywhere outside of the home you will like see me using my rollator. As I toured the high tunnel for the first time aft the surgery I was so impressed with how well every thing was growing. I had immense pride in the family for maintaining things so well. I did not want to leave! We recently began harvesting our snow peas, cauliflower, broccoli, and Swiss Chard. These fresh veggies have been a welcome treat for lunch and dinner.

We have also enjoyed growing, harvesting, and eating mushrooms from our NorthSpore mushroom kits. They grow so fast that it’s hard to keep up! We feel that one day this will be something we will offer to the public. However, right now, we are enjoying cooking them in various ways ourselves. We have learned so much about how mushrooms grow in this short period of time. Perhaps next year, after I’ve completely rehabilitated, we can make this available to our local community. You may check out some of our learning over on our YouTube channel.

We currently have Swiss Chard and eggs in abundance. Our Eggs by BHG subscription will close at the end of the month. Now is the time to grab your subscription! If you are local to the Wiregrass Area, do check out our Shop Page. We are also currently packaging up our tea blends as the stock had sold out. As the season progresses, we will be adding carrots, Snap Peas, and all the other homegrown goodness our farm has to offer.

Home Is Where The Farm Is

Over the last month or so I have come to realize just how much I love our homestead. Being here, where God has helped us to create a haven is a privilege. Although it has its ups and downs, here is where I feel peace. Here is where I find rest. Not just physical rest from work because lets face it, the homesteading lifestyle is not one of ease. I do, however, find rest from anxiety and worry. I find therapy with each cuddle I steal from a bunny or nose bop from Brady. Each seed I plant represents belief in a promise that if I do my part He will do the rest. Believe, I do. So to my Hoopty and to my raised beds I go, even if I have to roll for now. The chickens care not, neither do the rabbits, or rows of vegetation growing around me. They require no explanation as to where I’ve been or even how I am doing. Like Brady, they are simply happy I’m home.

Be well – from our family to yours.

The Going Ons – November 2023 – January 2024

Have you ever felt lost? Have you ever existed in a world that feels as if its left you behind? If you have, you are in good company garden buddy. Over the last couple of months, we have had our engines roaring & wheels spinning on high only to find the world kept right on spinning without us. While we worked to catch up, it seemed as if the start line reset as the finish line fell further into the distance rather than closer. If this is or ever has been your circumstance, please keep reading.

Off Season Or Planning Season

A smile forms on my face nearly every time I hear the phrase “off-season” in connection with food production. Some do earnestly take a break from the dirt underneath their nails and on their floors. We have no hard feelings at all towards anyone who does have an off-season. For us, however, there is no off-season.  Though it may not be harvest season, it tends to be a season of planning.

Soil samples are taken from various areas of planting and sent off to be tested. This helps to ensure a more successful growing season as we know exactly what inputs are needed, if any, for our soil. If there are any imbalances, we plan accordingly for the next growing season. High nitrogen areas would perhaps be planted with heavy feeders such as corn. On the other hand, low nitrogen plots may benefit from nitrogen-fixing cover crops. It is all planning, which in turn leads to a rabbit whole of researching, surfacing only for coffee and bathroom breaks.

Seeds are sorted and reorganized from the busy nature of the growing season. This can be a “where’s Waldo” kind of a situation. From the chest of drawers & book shelves to purses & wallets, seed packets can be found just about anywhere in the Bain home. Often, I have no memory of placing them in their precarious locations, but it had to be me. Once I’ve collected all I can, I decide what’s to be planted again and what’s going to the bunny/chicken garden. If it grew well, do I have enough seeds to grow it the next few seasons? If not, it goes on a list to purchase. I also check sell by dates. While seeds do not expire, some seeds in particular have marked decreases in germination rates past the sell by date. Among these are onion and corn. Also, most pelleted seeds need to be used within a year of purchase. Just a side note, if you have a particular stock of seed that is aging, try soaking them in water prior to sowing. This will help to prime the seeds, so to speak, and perhaps increase your germination rates as we have noticed it has for us.

Often, the list of seeds I actually NEED to purchase versus what I WANT to purchase is not very large. See, over the years, I’ve established quite the collection of seeds. My mother would save seeds from flowers she loved for years at a time. Thanks to that practice, I knew that seeds remain good for many years. So even if I didn’t prefer the plant that grew from certain seed, or it didn’t grow for me, I still saved it. Years later, I’ve planted the exact same seed that gave me subpar results initially only to find great success later. More skill, more patience; seems the first fail was simply user error. How about that!

Once seeds are secured from several organic sources, we begin to pull out trays for planting. Cleaning, counting, and inspecting to ensure we have the appropriate supplies to grow what we’ve planned to grow for our family and our business. Catching the planning theme yet? I have watched as fellow garden buddies & YouTuber in the farming community completed these tasks so expeditiously while I stumbled and fumbled my way through it, late as can be. But who’s comparing them to me? ME!

There’s much more planning involved and done by yours truly, although Mr. Bain Home Gardener is a great sounding board for ideas and plans. He often thinks outside of the box. Being his best friend and him being mine, we often think similarly. There are times when a shared thought of his takes us on a full adventure complete with illustrations and diagrams. I enjoy these mental escapades with my dearest. These mindscapes of sorts are therapeutic. We celebrated 24 years of marriage in December. I often tell Terry that I married him for his big brain. Even I, however, never imagined it to be utilized in such a way. Wow. We have a farm.

Life Beginning, Ending, and Dormant

Winter has become quite the convoluted season for me since I begin to educate myself on the way our food grows. It used to be the dreaded season. It surely was not my favorite! Now, though, I have a newfound respect for it. Winter is weird like that for me.  Often, spring is viewed as the beginning of new life. But here’s something you may not have thought about. Some perennial and some biannual plants must undergo some type of vernalization (period of exposure to cold) to begin to flower, to grow that new life. This generally takes place in the winter.

I’ve also come to appreciate witner for the way it affects the life cycle of many of the pests we deal with. Most insects go through something called diapause. This is just a fancy way to say they go through a period of dormancy. For most bugs we deal with, it begins when the temperatures are below 50°. Dormancy means they are not actively reproducing and wreeking havoc on our crops. So more cold days during the winter usually gifts us with less (even by a little) pest pressure the following growing season. Wrapped up in all the other tasks to be completed spraying BT hasn’t been sprayed as it normally would have through the Fall & Winter. It protects the leafy greens from worm. Thankfully, the pest exclusion system seems to have done its job & pest pressure thus far, is at a minimum.

The planting of dormant bulbs of and corms is yet another task we plan around each winter. Onions, garlic, Dahlia, and Gladiolus are among the sleeping plant life we place in their forever homes between October and January. Then we wait.

Winter is also a preferred time for us to hatch out new chicks. The plan is for them to begin laying by June or so. Prior to that time, we hope to butcher older members of the flock, replacing them with these new pullets. This cycle of life and death keeps our numbers manageable (chicken math is tricky) and keeps our egg supply constant. While we do hope to attain more acreage in the future, for now, we work with what we’ve got. With it, 25 – 30 hens are the max for us. For now. This latest hatch is just as adorable as they are noisy! 14 hatched, and of those 14 one died though she tried her best to live. The remaining chicks are being closely watched by Brady and Gizmo. Thai and I also spend a good bit of time socializing them, which inclues “oohs and aaah and baby talk” as we fawn over their cutness. They grow so fast! Already, they have feathers coming in!

New Year, New Hip

January 26th, I will undergo a total hip replacement. If you follow us, you are aware of the congenital health issues I live with. My family and friends are the absolute best! I may be a little partial, but just this week alone, I have received text messages from several checking in and verifying the date so they can be there to assist and/or pray on my behalf and assist the family while I’m recovering. To have a circle so willing to sacrifice time and energy, expecting nothing in return is truly priceless. I never want to take such love for granted. It is like looking at the very face of God through the hands of others. I treasure these extentions of God’s love. It is, in fact, this love that finds me when I’m feeling lost. This love reveals a truth I, we, sometimes forget we are never truly alone. The one who causes the earth to spin takes notice of each of us, and who better to pay attention to us.

How this surgery will affect our family farm remains yet to be seen. It is hoped that it will allow me to get back to the things I love. I’ve never enjoyed laying around. Our daughter often scolds me for pushing myself to hard or not wanting to sit down. With life’s uncertainties, I feel one should accomplish all they can, reasonablly, while they can. If you’re like me, one you are seated, it’s over! One thing is certain, life is moving, and we have to keep pace with it one way or another. We do accept the things we can not change, but for those situations that we can affect change for, WE WILL! When it seems the world spins without us, we recognize our own strength and adjust our perspective. When we feel lost, we grab the compass and eagerly search for our true North. Once found, we are home, and you can be too.

The Going Ons – September – October 2023

At last, the air is feeling as it should. The temperatures have dropped, and it is officially SWEATER WEATHER! As I pull out the turtlenecks and hoodies, I reflect on 2022. There was much more abundance and less complications. We are behind yet again, and it’s all on me.

These Hips Do Lie

I mentioned health issues in the previous blogs. Specifically,  spina bifida, which comes with a host of other issues. One currently being monitored is my bilateral hip dysplasia, which isn’t all that uncommon. It basically means that my hips grew abnormally. This condition is graded in stages 1 – 4, 4 being the most severe. To help you better understand, my hips are at a stage 3. Stage 4s are usually only seen in developing countries. Follow?

As a result of the dysplasia and other congenital deformities, arthritis and pain are just a part of who I am. Hubby called me tenacious smany years ago when we were dating, and it is a fair representation of who I am. I’ve desired to be at the helm of my own ship, not cocaptain to pain and my many imperfections. So, I’ve worked with orthopedists, neurologists, and physical therapists over the years. With their help and the awesome support system I’m blessed to have, I’ve been able to manage these symptoms and lead a fairly average life. Recent event though have required some, how shall I say, reevaluating. Th3 hip pain is with juzt cause as there is much degradation shown on x-ray images. Thus, my awesome team of doctors have determined that these hips need to be upgraded. Tentatively, the most problematic hip would be taken care of first, likely in late spring/early summer 2024, followed by the next hip the following year.  Since recovery will likely take longer than most, due to my medical history, we are having to seriously plan and adjust to make sure the farm doesn’t suffer while the BHG team aides me to recovery.

Adjustments To Our Services

They say nothing good comes without some sacrifice. Unfortunately, this seems to have merit within evaluating what we can and can not do the upcoming year. With heavy hearts, we have to let you know that we will not offer the Flowers by BHG for the 2024 season. I am the primary arranger of the bouquets, and there is no way to really know how well things will go. Also, most of our flowers are not consistently ready until late spring. Additionally, our 3-6-5 by BHG will not be available for 2024. Not all is lost. Howeve

Our Eggs by BHG will be available but offered separately in the spring of 2024 as a stand-alone service.We felt that the family could handle this as they have already shown their aptitude for caring for thr flock, knowledgeable of egg shell law, and efficiency at washing and packaging our eggs.

If our flowers are something you look forward to each yearnwe have a little light for you too. We will make our flower bouquets available on our shop page as we have them for those interested. This takes pressure of me and allwos me to work as I have the strength to do so while recovering.

Given the approximate timing, we have decided to offer a Winter 2023 (December 18th – January 29th) & Spring 2024 (March 18th – April 29th) microgreen session. The family is already in training for these sessions to ensure your microgreens continue to be top noch!

We will take summer and fall off to recuperate, recalibrate, and hopefully resume the Winter 2024. We just want to emphasize the word tenative! The Winter 2023 session of our MICROgreens by BHG is now open for those interested.

Lost Time & Lost Plants

As aforementioned, limitations in my mobility have really cramped our farming style here at BHG. We have lost time crucial to ensuring our spring & and summer crops are successful. This includes putting beds and rows rows to sleep. That in itself can be time-consuming. One has to remove existing plants, ammend soil, then cover with leaf (which needs to be raked up first) mulch or weed barrier fabric.

Also, our bulbing plants, like garlic, are planted this time of year (October 1st for the last couple of years) to allow for cold stratification over the winter. This year, we ordered more garlic than we ever have! It is important to plant a few weeks before the frost so plants can get themselves established before dealing with harsher winter temperatures. So far, we have only planted a fourth of what has arrived in the mail. The delay? Well, we need to prepare the location. This area was covered with soybeans during the summer as a cover crop, for soil enhancement, and a small section for eating. However, when time came to mow and tarp the plot, issues ensued! The short version – it did not happen. So the area is more than a bit out of control and is in need of some serious taming before we can plant anything! We saw the chickens scouting for bugs this week. Hopefully, they took care of any pests for us. That is one less thing to worry about!

Days confined to the bed also affected our seedlings. These tender babies need more care than larger established plants. Water but not too much; light but not too much heat; cool but not freezing! You get the idea. Well, Mama Shena was not able to do these things, and as a result, we lost some important trays. Our artichokes died. We lost our Brussels Sprouts as well. These were most disappointing because timing is everything with artichokes and Brussels Sprouts in our particular zone. We may try it again, although chances for success have dramatically decreased.

Preparing for Tea Season

What is tea season? Well, for us, we use the winter and fall months to process our summer and fall grown herbs for teas and spice blends. Although we grow year round, we have less activity in the winter because, as of yet, we are not enrolled in any Farmer’s Markets outside of the summer. This time of year, it is also much cooler, so it is not uncommon for our dehydrator to run nearly nonstop with various tea ingredients. We have a few gallons yet of Roselle to process. We have completed Goldenrod. Mint and lemon balm are yet to be harvested. This makes me nervous as there will be some just above freezing temperatures this week! Hopefully, we will be spared frost and be allowed to gather these goodies soon.

We call this time of year tea season for another reason. As the cooler wind blows, it beckons one to sit with a warm drink, hoodie, and book on the weekends. Why not a nice herbal tea? For our fellow tea lovers out there, we will be releasing our roselle tea in loose leaf packages. These will be added to our store sometime in the month of November.

Our tea garden has grown to include various herbs over the last few years, and we will continue to expand. It has become our little apothecary of joy. For instance, I tasted a stevia leaf for the first time this month. It was so sweet! Green but SWEET! I’m hoping this plant especially survives the winter and returns in spring.

Are there any particular herbs you’ve been looking for? We are happy to include them in our growing plan! Just let us know.

Figgy

This is the first year that our fig tree (aka Figgy) began bearing fruit around the same time as other fig trees in our area. It is normally later in the season before we can enjoy the fruit deliciously sweet fruits . This year, we rejoiced as our bounty came in earlier & in abundance. Oddly enough, Iggy also decided to give us a second harvest of fruit. This second round is not nearly as sweet as the first round but still delicious. We are new to fruit trees, so we are curious. Is this a normal occurrence? No complaints from us for extra fruit, of course, just broadening our understanding.

Harvesting & Planting

We made time to harvest our sweet potatoes from our Ollie raised bed. Given the fact that they were fairly neglected, we are happy with what we were able to glean.

All roselle has been harvested and almost all has been processed for storage. This was an intense undertaking as it is twice the amount we harvested last year! Yet again, we were caught red-handed. That never gets old!

Garlic, peas, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Swiss Chard have all been planted. Still carrots, beets, fennel, cilantro, collards, mustards, spinach, arugula, kohlrabi, celery, onion, and leek – to hit the popular veggies – are yet to be planted. Since it is fairly late into the season we, we likely will not get a large harvest until spring. And that is just fine. Taking each day as it comes, with all its amazing drama, joy pain, and mischief, means our schedule may not look like the average farmer’s, but then again, have you met the Bain family? Not on purpose, I assure you, but we are an out of the box family for sure! We really would not have it any other way!

Fall is going to be as busy as ever! We better get to work! Catch us on our on the next adventure!

The Goings On – July 2023 – August 2023

Life never ceases to amaze us. Things have been so extremely busy lately between preparing our daughter for her final year of high school and doing college prep, doctor appointments for me and the dog, and keeping up with our ever-growing chicken flocks and rabbit tribe – WOW! With all the upside-downs and slippery slopes, it’s no surprise we made it through July with no newsletter! Now it is September! To save ourselves some stress we thought it best to just combine the last couple of months into one concise blog. Read on!

Brady-Smore Bain

On July 22nd Brady hit his 7th month of his life. As I look at him, it’s so hard to process that much time has passed even though he is quite the large lap dog. His puppy ways are fighting against adolescence. He has become a tad bit more stubborn, which is to be expected as we muddle through this next phase.

Training is going well. Did you know that service dogs must learn a minimum of 30 commands? Brady is knocking them out one by one. In fact, as soon as he hears the treat bag he heels. It’s quite the spectacle. I assure you you’ve never seen a “shake” performed in such an adorable manner. However, mamas tend to be partial. We hope to get a video of him showing off his newly acquired skills in September.

Brady gave us a big scare when a large golf-sized spot began to grow under his neck over a hot July weekend. By Monday morning it was pushing tennis-ball size! As soon as the vet was opened we called and got worked in. It was an infected cyst. It had to be surgically drained. Brady spent the night. It only took a nice long nap and a bowl of food to reset him back to his normal shenanigans. Him is a tough boy. Mama on the other hand is not so tough and cried all the way home from the office. Isn’t it amazing how quickly we become emotionally connected with our fur babies? I think this is what God purposed for us when he created them – a loyal, loving bond.

Gigantor Squash & Small Pumpkin

Farming with friend’s and family makes the process that much more enjoyable. For us, the exchange of seeds and seedlings with our garden buddies is a fun way to keep growing exciting. This year we were able to see results from one of the beautiful winter squash and pumpkins we received from fellow growing enthusiasts. We should have placed hammocks under these large winter squash which we believe to be a cushaw variety. One harvested itself due to its own weight being more than the vine could bear. This is to be expected being that these Squash weighed 8 – 10 lbs! There was no need to be too upset as we could use these immature ones as summer squash. Those would be the green ones in the gallery below. Afterwards, we made a hammock for the one that was hanging higher. It just so happened that the others were lying on the ground and needed no support. Those would be the tan to orange-looking ones in the photo gallery below. We enjoyed cooking two different recipes with them. Both were delicious and fed the family all week long! If you are looking for crops to feed large a family we suggest growing a few cushaw plants. We harvested 4 off one plant. Next year it would be very nice to get at least 12 for the season. This would give us one a month as the year progressed. That is ideal, however, we will not be sure until we know just how well these hold up to storage. We will let you know. If you would like to see a bit more about our harvest and cooking of these beauties check out this video.

Oh and there was mention of pumpkins. Since we had such a good harvest last year, which we have not even begun to use, we were planning on leaving it off the planting list this year. However, when friends offer you free organic seedlings you just do not say no. We did have to pull them far earlier than we wanted resulting in harvesting a few that were still green. It is my belief that the green ones can be used as a summer squash. If so we will be using them as such.

Hoopty Empty Yet Flourishing

As you open the door to Hoopty you are teleported to another world. It is humid & lush with growth. The tall, dark green leaves of the roselle reach for the sky but are unable to get there due the weight on their stems. The beautiful other-worldly looking calyces are growing quickly. It is time to begin harvesting. With temperatures upwards of 110° – 120° during the day, this must be done early in the morning or late in the evening, that is if one wants to do so safely. While the roselle enjoys the extreme temperatures, not much else does. The only other surviving plants in the high tunnel are a few perennial herbs, some basil & zinnias, and about 6 or so eggplant bushes.

Dormant rows in Hoopty that have been allowed to lay fallow over the summer will soon be awakened for Fall Planting. Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Kale, Arugula – to name a few – should all be planted by the time we type up our next blog.

A Second Chance Fall Garden

This Spring and Summer held many challenges for my own personal health but also that of others in the family. This kept me away from the farm when the farm really needed my attention. We didn’t harvest nearly as much as we usually plan for our own food storage and preservation. This the whole reason for living the homesteading life – to feed our family clean, fresh produce! Since our Summers tend to be long in that the temperatures usually take a while to drop, we are replanting staple Summer grown foods. It is almost like we get a second chance to get it right! Among these second chance crops are squash, zucchini, okra, and cucumbers. We decided to really give it a shot and even restarted eggplant, tomatoes, and some melon varieties as well. Time will tell if we will find success or not. However, it will never be said that we didn’t try!

What Can I Purchase From Your Farm?

If you had asked us that question just a week ago we would have said: “weeds”! Truthfully, the heat has killed much of the produce that was growing and the pests have taken the rest. This is to be expected this time of year. Egg production has risen and fallen several times. However, we are able to keep eggs in stock for now. This is largely in part to the girls of the February hatch-out having begun to lay. The roos are absolutely stunning! I just can not bear to part with any of them, so we are working on integration now. So far, so good! If you will recall, when we had multiple roosters hatch before, we allowed them to grow up together, and they naturally adjusted to each other, developing an interesting method of “managing” the ladies. One key is to make sure there are enough hens per rooster. Right now, our numbers are balancing out perfectly. Soon, though, we will need to thin our flock by removing hens and roos coming out of their prime. This makes sure we have a steady supply of eggs and the ability to sustain our own flocks by using our own fertilized eggs to grow.

As far as the growing, our roselle leaves are listed under leafy greens on our shop page. These are a great addition to salads or good all on their own. Our tea stock is increasing as we harvest roselle leaves and calyxes and dehydrate them. Eggplants will be listed as they are harvested. If you are looking for other items, please check back in a couple of months as many new items should be ready for harvesting.

Thanks for bearing with us and our delayed blogs. We ask for your continued support by liking and sharing our blogs and our videos on our YouTube channel. It is such a small thing but it helps! Till next time…