Gardening · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

Trespassers Will Be Composted

Last fall, I saw a cute sign at a local plant nursery, but it was so expensive I nearly blanched. I was wandering through Amazon, rotting in bed, when I saw this one: It was twice the size and perhaps not as rustic-looking, but it was an affordable luxury that I treated myself to. At… Continue reading Trespassers Will Be Composted

Gardening · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

Going To A Native Plant Sale

With our move at the end of March, I missed out on having anywhere ready to plant in the spring. But with fall looming, I was ready. While this plant sale wasn't for West Virginia - it was held in Northern Virginia, let's be real: Until 1863, it was part of Virginia. So a lot… Continue reading Going To A Native Plant Sale

Homesteading · Preserving · Recipes · Urban Homesteading

Canned Apple Butter

Apple butter takes planning - you will need hours to cook it down, but as long as you keep an eye on it, you can get other things done at the same time. I go for a big pot of it so that I can have seven jars for the winter. I used "seconds" for… Continue reading Canned Apple Butter

Gardening · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

Wrapping Up August In The Garden

It's hard to believe it is already September 3rd. The boys have been back in school for weeks. The last half of August cooled down a bit, with temperatures in the mid to high 70s during the day and nighttime temperatures in the high 40s to mid 50s. I got so much work done in… Continue reading Wrapping Up August In The Garden

Homesteading · Preserving · Recipes

Canned Sliced Dill Pickles

There is a satellite location for a local farm, just down the road from us, that runs a market in season in Shenandoah Junction, WV. I often get deals on produce considered "seconds" - maybe a bit ugly, but it preserves just fine, for a bargain. I stopped in today and they had the end-of-season… Continue reading Canned Sliced Dill Pickles