Confidence Homestead

They might never know what it’s like to hold the flashlight for their dad, because he isn’t handy but they sure as heck know what it’s like to be in charge of helping him back the truck up to the trailer.

We call these moments character building.

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A few years ago I was told; “Farmers don’t keep their money in the bank … they keep it in the field …”

This my friends is the semen from 4 different normande bulls from France …

We could keep our money in the bank where they control how much we can have access to & when.
We could keep it in the market where there could be growth but there is also risk of losing it all.
Or we could cryo-freeze it; where we can sell the semen and/or use it to breed our registered normandes and keep money circulating through selling off the offspring.

Investing isn’t just what we have been taught … you’ve gotta think outside of the societal norms if you’re going to make it.

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Garden —> August 11, 2024.

The drought had taken its toll.
The vine boars & snails have feasted.
The pepper plants are having a pappergate moment.
But … He continues to give through it.

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I hate to break it to you …
But neither party is coming to save you!

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Garden harvest August 5, 2024

Just popping in to let you know that NASDQ has never been down over a 1,000 points in history …

Keep your money circulating locally in cash or … frozen —> but you do you, I’m no expert.

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I’m still here … infrequently.

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Inspired by

Restoring an Outdoor Griddle …

When someone doesn’t put the griddle in the basement for the winter like they were asked …

I’ve been dreading this moment for months. But he took accountability & decided that he’d help me restore our camp chief griddle - the OG before the blackstones.

1st I sprayed the griddle heavily with dawn power wash & let it sit.

2nd we hit it with the power washer - no cleaner in the machine.

And we repeated those two steps a few times - yes, you read that right. I did no scrubbing or scrapping. That’s why we used the power washer.

Then … the great debate - we sanded it. Heated up the camp stove until it was dried out. Allowed it to cool & used a handheld mini sander with 80 grit paper. I would’ve used the recommended 60 but I used what I had on hand.

Sanded. Rinsed. Dried. Cooled. On repeat until it looked pretty bare.

Finally it was time to season … I used organic extra Virgin olive oil because that’s what I have on hand & despite the ‘you can’t use that oil’ in blogs it worked perfect.

Apply a very thin coat of oil with a paper towel & tongs. Heat up the griddle until smoking and set a timer for 5 minutes. Every 5 minutes I added another very thin layer of oil with a paper towel & tongs until it the griddle was seasoned. —> be careful the griddle is hot!

I still need to get some of the edges & corners with a handheld torch or maybe they will fill in with time.

But for now Mr. Camp Chief is finally ready for another summer of cooking.

Grace - lots of grace given.
And not falling into ‘I’ll buy new’ consumption of our society.

Everyday moments can be very pivotal moments for our Littles childhoods - as they are learning what type of adults they will be from us.

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I’ve gotten real use to this …
And it’s made me even more in love with our lives.

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July 9 - July 17 growth

Watermelon has been tricky for us to grow in our zone. We’ve had one successful melon back in 2020 & it was nearly 25lbs. It literally took the verge of frost and we had 6 plants!

This year we have 3 plants growing vertically & I’ve started to cut off any new melons this week. They aren’t going to ripen in time and the plant will be wasting energy to grow them. — but now I wonder if they don’t be flavorful because they won’t have the yellow field.

Welcome to me writing a post & have inner thoughts …

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Guinea Fowl

We added 8 guineas to be raised with our turkeys for the next 19 weeks. After that they will spend the winter being raised in the alumi coop as it moves around our property go train to their home. And in the spring they will join the tick control flock here on our farm.

Notice in the one photo the current flock. They came in with a flying landing because they heard the little one calling out. But the truth is none are broody & guineas aren’t known for they mothering.

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Tomatoes are starting to brush …

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Thanksgiving turkeys have arrived!

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Pre orders for fresh thanksgiving turkeys opens soon!

It’s zucchini, cucumber & supposed to be jalapeños but they are hot wax pepper season with a little touch of itty bitty tomatoes … and I’m here for it.

Harvest 7/17/24

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Lettuce in July without one speck of bug damage & no spraying … I’ll take it!

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Instant Pot Whole Chicken

1 cup water
Trivet
Whole chicken
30 minutes for thawed chicken & 45 for frozen

I like to stuff my chicken with rosemary, sage, thyme, celery, carrot, onion & butter. Generously season with Italian seasoning & a few dollops of butter.

Season yours as you like.

12:09 — shut the lid & set the instant to manual, high & 30 minutes
12:54 — it beep

It’s so tender & moist.

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7/14/24 harvest

—> my 10 jalapeño plants appear to be Hungarian hot wax!

—> we still have Romain lettuce that’s doing fantastic.

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I can picture it now …

The twins being grown & telling their kids about their first job. The job where they bottle fed a calve named Butterscotch (butters) … it’s going to be their walk to school up hill both ways story …

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Often times when we create conversations about needing to be prepared a lot of people think the extreme cases. … apocalyptic/gov’t raid style control.

But the grid can go down with everyday weather & natural disasters. And control of good can happen with no military style enforcement.

We lost power yesterday for nearly 4 hours over a tree coming down miles away from our home … it effect over 500 homes.

4 hours isn’t a big deal yet people were very overwhelmed …

Last year a water main break in town left people without water … the community was demanding the natural guard to be called in to help. They couldn’t find places to purchase bottled water. You could feel the fear from others.

Think back to the mandemic … you’re ability to buy food was controlled. Food was on the shelves, you had the money but you couldn’t buy it in the name of public safety.

What skill do you find is the most important to be able to provide for your family when things ‘go south?’

For us ….
It’s the skill to access water without needing a large water storage & the ability to purify it.
The skill to grow & preserve food from seed.
Energy source - even if it’s limited to what it can run.
The skill to protect.
Community. You can’t survive on your own. People to trade, barter & move cash with; ones that are god fearing Christian’s & have your back.

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put a huge dream & a pray in our girls hearts …

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Joel Salatin says that each new farmer has 6 years to make it …

2 years of honeymoon
2 years of reality
& within the next 2 years many burn out, sell out and/or just straight up give up

We started back on April 28, 2020 with 6 layers & a small garden.
Here we are in year 4 … living in reality & getting close to the burn out, sell out and/or just straight up give up year is setting in …
But something in the orange tells me we aren’t done!

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July 2, 2024

Meet … our new bottle calf.

Sometimes when mama can’t/won’t do her thing to feed a calve, then you’ve gotta pull them in hopes to save them.

We have a local high school friend that needed some extra hands with bottle feeding & halter breaking as it’s an uncommon need on his farm … so, she became the twins first job!

Deciding on a name … Butterscotch or Honey.

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Neither of us knew how much we needed this life ….

Time stood still
Just like a photograph
You made me feel like this would last forever
Looking in your eyes
I see my whole life

They say you know it when you know it, and I know
Promise that you’ll hold me close, don’t let me go

Take my heart, don’t break it
Love me to my bones
All this time I wasted
You were right there all along
You and I stargazing
Intertwining souls
We were never strangers
You were right there all along

I lose my mind
When I’m around you, how I come alive
When I’m without you, I can’t help but feel so lost
I wanna give you all I’ve got

Stargazing —> Myles Smith

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First garden harvest of 2024!

I wish I could bottle of the excitement of our 4 Littles during harvest season. They are still so full of genuine awe, wonder & thrill without one ounce of worry or complaining.

7/9/24

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4 days of growth …

Gardening is just some unexplained wild to me. From seed to harvest … it’s a God thing!

3lb 1.8oz zucchini

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Meet Miss Roxy

From the same original farm as Miss Margot, Miss Roxy is 75% Normande & due to calve in November - her calf will be 88% registered Normande & I’ll claim it, we are praying for a heifer - a bull could potentially be up for sale & would make a great addition to any farm looking to start a breed to herd.

I can’t say that we know much of what we are doing. But we know that sitting back & waiting isn’t going to get us anywhere. And we have a pretty solid ‘you’re crazy but I’ve got your back’ foundation.

A registered Normande herd of that produces enough milk for all the dairy needs for a family while also having excellent meat is the goal … all while preserving the breed.

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You can’t talk about freedom & rights without talking about food.

Food sovereignty is a food system in which the people who produce, distribute, and consume food also control the mechanisms and policies of food production and distribution.

Have you been paying attention to the attack on food sovereignty … especially within the last 4 years?

It’s not anything new … rules, regulations & permits. Asking permission to move varying foods from small farm to consumer has been around for quite some time. But the rules and regulations were built on gov’t created problems with sometimes local permissions being put into place without any known food-borne concern & without the knowledge of the local people … it’s been a slow chipping away at food sovereignty for generations.

It’s never been about food safety & protecting the consumer …

Because when you control the food … you control the people.

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We farm without a tractor …
… it’s on the list.
Just like many things.

But in the meantime we roll nearly 800 lb round bales & lift the round bale feeder over it once we secure it in the pasture.

We make do with what we have … our very own muscles while we prayed & wait for what we need … a tractor.

You can ‘grow’ in the waiting.

What are you circling in prayer?

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Garden —> 6/26/24

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Won’t. He. Do. It!

8 months later then planned …
… BUT GOD…
We couldn’t wait to see how He would honor this specific prayer …

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Another morning when science class is just everyday life …

Part of farming is knowing what’s a friend or foe. Sometimes we’ve gotta keep the scary to us critters around because they can be beneficial.

Dark Fishing
Dolomedes tenebrosus

The Dark Fishing Spider is a special spider from the Pisauridae family.

During copulation, females of the species practice sexual cannibalism on their male counterparts. Research shows that the males’ self-sacrifice through consumption by the female increases the chance of survivorship of future offspring

Around June, the female spider lays around 1,000-1,400 eggs in a sac that is attached to her body. A few days before hatching, the female joins the egg sac or case to a surface and builds a nursery web around it. —> yes! She is carrying an egg sac.

After hatching around July, the young ones become dependent on their mothers and stay in a nursery web for a little time.

The Dark Fishing Spider plays a vital role in controlling insect populations, contributing to the balance of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Their hunting skills extend to both land and water, showcasing their adaptability and importance in nature.

Although she has a venomous bite; it’s only for her prey. For humans it’s equivalent of a bee sting. She isn’t a feisty spider & will often stand still in fear before running off.

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