Good morning, from the mountains of Kentucky! It’s a quiet morning on the homestead! The sound of crickets outside the window, the calm stillness in the air, the hum of a tractor in the far distance, and the crows from the chicken coop stir a desire deep within me to reflect on our bountiful blessings from God. I am thankful for our salvation, our family, our health, our church family, and for His amazing grace. As the sun rises, the world outside our window comes to life… what a beautiful fall-like day we have been gifted!
Early morning visitor!
With the recent surge in heat we have been experiencing, the fall-like temperatures are a welcomed change. This change has brought many of the summer leaves down early over the course of the past few weeks. The crunch of the dry leaves beneath my feet this morning feels as if it were late September in the mountains. I am reminded of time this morning and how precious it truly is. Time is something that we often take for granted. Many of us count down the days until Christinas, a birthday, summer vacation, the birth of a child, a holiday, graduation, and even retirement. Just as many of you are guilty, I too, have counted days until an event or date.
During the quiet morning meditation, prayer time, and Bible study, my heart aches for a friend who received the news that no one wants to hear… you have cancer. I know God is bigger than cancer and He can perform miracles that man cannot. This news made me think even more about life. It is truly as described in the Bible as vapor on water. In other words, it is temporary and we have it for a borrowed amount of time.
This thought lead me to be even more thankful for life and the time that I have been blessed with and a question on my thoughts. What are we doing with this time? Once time has passed, it cannot be reclaimed… it’s gone. This lead me to the urgency, even more than before, to stop counting days down until some big or even small events. I am reminded to cherish this day, make the most of this day, live it to its fullest, be thankful for what the day brings, and be content with this specific day and know that tomorrow is a new day and then today becomes a yesterday… a day that is past and finished.
Early morning fog in the mountains.
I hope this short post inspires you to slow down, stop wishing your life away, take time to enjoy the day to its fullest, and cherish the days one by one we have been given. Remember, each day is a day that we are gifted. As the Bible tells us in James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Feel free to like, share, or follow. Also, head over to Apple Podcasts and check out our latest episode on Homesteading in the Mountains. God bless, from the mountains of Kentucky and happy homesteading from our homestead to yours.
Good morning from the mountains of Kentucky. The sunshine has been a welcome sight this week. The heat has been extreme but I’m not going to complain. I’m glad it’s not raining! The heat presents a challenge with collecting herbs from the garden. Herbs should be pruned in the cool of the morning, and this week the mornings are still quite warm. But today, it’s tolerable and I’m anxious to spend a little time amongst the herbs I love so good. I enjoy cooking with herbs, making teas, baking with dried herbs, making oils, ointments, and using them medicinally. They’re also beautiful in bloom!
Come and take a walk with me in our herb garden. We have herb beds, potted herbs, and herbs in the garden. Let’s start with lavender! The lavender that’s harvested today will be dried for tea and some of the blooms will be used to make lavender butter. Vegan Lavender Butter: A Sweet Herbal Treat From the Mountains… one of our favorites on homemade bread and great on pancakes. This butter can be made with plant butter as the recipe explains or regular dairy butter. I like the dairy free butter and my husband prefers dairy butter. It’s great either way! To make lavender tea. I dry the blooms and leaves and store in glass jars to later be steeped into a delicious tea. My Top Ten Herbs (Part Four Lavender) sew
Pots of common lavenderPots of Spanish lavender Common lavender plants in theherb bed. Also shown is rosemary, oregano, and sage.
Rosemary is one of our family’s favorite herbs. I like to dry rosemary to make rosemary salt, spray for my hair, dried stems for a savory addition to meats, and sprigs for bath water. The rosemary that is harvested today will be used to make rosemary spray for my hair. My Top Ten Herbs (Part Six; Rosemary Recipes included)
Potted rosemaryRosemary and lavender in early spring.
Rosemary is an aromatic herb that is a versatile herb we use for a wide-variety of things from cooking to spray for linens. I also like to add a few sprigs of rosemary to my bath water. In the following link I give more useful information about this wonderful aromatic herb. My Top Ten Herbs (Part Six; Rosemary Recipes included)
Orange mint used for hot and cold teas
The orange mint I harvest today will be used for teas. This aromatic herb makes a delicious cold or hot tea. To dry the mint, I clean the cut leaves, pat dry with a towel, and allow to air dry until crispy. The dried leaves are then stored in a glass jar in the pantry. I always label and date the lid for quick identification and freshness. Dried herbs typically last two to three years in the pantry. Once the date has exhausted, I like to make a weak tea to water plants with and then compost the leaves. I think you’ll love this fresh tasting mint.
Sage is another favorite herb of ours.
The sage that is harvested today will be dried and added to my sage jar in the spice cabinet. Fresh dried sage is delicious and there is no comparison to store bought sage! Once you’ve tried fresh sage, you will not want to go back to the sage on the store shelves. Yes, it’s a more work, but well worth it!
Oregano is grown in large quantities
My Top Ten Herbs (part five-oregano) this link will take you to a post with some valuable and useful information and oregano recipes. The oregano harvested today will also be added to our spice cabinet.
Lemon thyme with a few onion chives sharing the photo
Lemon thyme is great in desserts, in meat marinade, and it makes an attractive addition to the herb garden. The bees love its blooms… almost as much as I do. The lemon balm that is harvested today will be added to our spice cabinet to use when baking lemon brownies, scones, and added to teas.
Potted basil! Basil is a favorite of all our family.
My Top Ten Herbs ( Part Two Basil) basil is one of our favorite herbs. I love to add it to salads, eggs, in spaghetti sauce, pizzas, and more. The link above provides a multitude of information on the herb, how to dry it, and a few recipes. The basil I harvest today will be dried and added to our jar of dried basil for spices. I may add a few fresh leaves in our omelets this morning!
Anise
This anise is loved by the pollinators! The hummers love it as well. It also makes an excellent tea!
Chive blooms amongst the mint. More blooming sage in one of the beds.
The bees love the blooms of the anise herbs.
Echinacea in full bloom!Yarrow blooms!
Yarrow is an herb that all farms need to grow. It produces beautiful flowers and is a beneficial medicinal plant. It’s quite tasty in salads as well. My Top Ten Favorite Herbs: (Part-Seven: Yarrow)
Chives, holy basil, garlic chives, anise and bee balm. My favorite for tea!!! Chocolate mint!
More yarrow with a few sprigs of chocolate mint peeping through. Young oregano plant amongst sage. They pair well together.My favorite birdhouse that houses martins. Yarrow blooms are seen peeking out in the background.Bee balm in full bloom. Bee balm makes a great first aid ointment. Herbs cut from the walk this morning.
Other herbs that we grow that is not pictured in our walk include, tarragon, a couple of varieties of thyme, more basil, oregano, chamomile, mullein, and a few more varieties of mint. We also love to harvest from the wild around us.
I hope you’ve enjoyed our walk through the herb garden. The garden brings me joy, relaxation, a closeness to the earth, In upcoming days, I will take you on a walk through our vegetable garden. Feel free to comment, follow, or share. For now, God bless from our homestead in the mountains of Kentucky. Happy homesteading!
Hello, from the mountains of Kentucky! How is the weather in your neck of the woods? It’s a bit soggy on the homestead and has been most all spring and now still soggy into the first weeks of summer. This brings me to the purpose of this post, challenged on the homestead.
Rain is one of the biggest challenges we have faced this year. As a result of the continuous rain, we are quite a bit later than usual getting all of our garden planted. We’ve had potatoes out since Good Friday. We have been eating spring onions and have finally planted the cabbage, kohlrabi, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, watermelons, cantalopes, and cucumbers planted. The zucchini is blooming and the squash is coming along nicely but some of the tomato plants are struggling. We’re taking extra care with them to nurture them through the strange weather patterns to ensure we have tomatoes to eat and preserve.
With the excess rain we’ve also had numerous thunderstorms that have brought straight line winds so fierce they uprooted very large trees. Unfortunately, the largest tree fell across our driveway one tree ended up across the driveway and fell into our potatoes. We were blessed it wasn’t a tree that fell on our house. But, it sure wreaked havoc on the potatoes. Now weeks after the tree fell and the branches and limbs have been cleared away, the potatoes vines have all greened back out. We’ll see how potatoes beneath ground endured the damage when we dig them in the fall.
Rain has also caused quite a bit of flooding, which has resulted in the creek banks washing out. To help anymore erosion, we’ve planted a weeping willow tree, which roots deep, which should help protect the bank from further damage.
The abundance of rain turned a small stream to a river! Building up a retainer wall to help guide the runoff water to the creek.
With all the rain, ditching to prevent flooding has been more frequent than most years. The mowing has been a challenge this year as well. It feels like a never-ending job of mowing and weeding on days it’s not raining. Dry days are filled with diligent work mowing, weed eating, and weeding in the garden. Rain and wind has created most of the challenges for us this year, but along with the tremendous amount of rain, we have had to baby plants to prevent them from rotting in the ground. It feels strange to not be picking vegetables this time of the year.
The weather has created a challenge with our chickens as well. They do not like to get out to pick in the green grass when it’s raining. With the lower picking and sunning also comes a decrease in eggs. This leads to more laying mash, handpicking greens for them between rain showers, and providing them ground oyster shells to keep them healthy and maintain egg production.
Once the unusual amount of rain subsided, the challenges of heat arrived with a vengeance. We were able to fence the cucumbers, finish the second raised strawberry bed, and plant six long rows of beans and more peppers before the extreme heat arrived. As the heat index rose, we’ve had to decrease the amount of time spent planting, hoeing, and tilling. That work has been replaced by late evening watering the garden by hand. With temperatures up to 96 and the heat index even higher, it’s taking a toll on our beans. But I think they will survive. It has truly been a roller coaster of unusual extreme weather. Finally, the heat index lowered and it looked like rain was in the forecast again. We were able to get twelve rows of corn planted minutes before the rain arrived again. With the late corn, we have hopes that maybe we have missed the majority of the storms that include wind that often damages our corn. We are hopeful we’ve endured the majority of the storms this season and our corn will grow free from wind damage.
We faced the challenge of losing one of our mommy bunnies this season. It was sad as she was a favorite. But, on a happier note another mommy bunny gave birth to ten more baby bunnies with eight of them still thriving. We also lost two of our best laying hens, but gained twenty two doodles. The Lord has a way of easing the loss with the gain and miracle of new life. Just when I was ready to replace our precious barn cat, Harry, who we lost in September, with an adopted cat from the pound, a new feline showed up one evening. He was desperate need of a home. He is now a happy and healthy kitty on our homestead who loved doing his part by catching ground squirrels who quickly can become pests in the garden.
Meet peaches, our newest addition to the homestead. Meet owl one of the many new doodles.
The challenges of homesteading are real, but so are the victories! On the upside, the rain has helped our herbs flourish. I’ve already been drying basil and eating herbs for a few weeks. I will harvest sage, oregano, basil, lavender, a couple variety of mints, and lemon balm this week when the heat decreases. Again the rain has increased the growth in our cucumbers, squash, and zucchini and has been good for our flowers as well.
Our roses bloomed more this year than any other.Iris’s are still blooming! The flocks are loving the sunshine!The bees love our sage blooms!
With homesteading comes both challenges, rewards, failures, and success. But most of all comes the rewards of satisfaction in planting, harvesting, preserving, and eating our own food, loving the land that the Lord has provided, sharing our bounty with others, and caring for the animals that we’ve been blessed to care for are the best rewards. Homesteading rewards far outweigh the challenges, and it’s nice to remember that with challenges comes the rewards of learning and overcoming hardships.
Our garden is later than usual coming in… but we are overcoming the challenges the weather has presented this season.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this short post and enjoyed learning more about our life on the homestead. Feel free to subscribe, like, comment and share with others. For now, God bless and happy homesteading from the mountains of Kentucky.
Hello, from the mountains of Kentucky. The leaves have fallen, the mountains are bare, now void of their glorious fall attire. I tend to get a bit emotional this time of year as the vibrant colors of summer and fall disappear. This year more so than ever before. I have fallen into the yearly routine of Christmas shopping for our family, preparing to end another semester, while preparing for a new one. Life has been hectic, which helps me deal with the many emotions that flood my mind and fill my heart. I have found that a little quiet time with Jesus, a good cup of chamomile tea, and a spiritual read helps calm my racing mind and allows peace and precious memories to ease the pain.
Even still a busy week faces us on the homestead. It will be busy both inside and outside our home. As I prepare for our Thanksgiving dinner with family, I find myself reflecting on the empty spot in my life. I find myself missing my mom more each day. I look around my home and I see small reminders of her everywhere. From her delicate teacup that I cherish, to her favorite lamps that now adorn my nightstand and fireplace. From her favorite blanket, to her beloved Afghan. From the plant sent from friends in her remembrance, to her favored china cabinet that holds her favorite dishes, now in my living room. From her Bible on my shelf, to the handwritten notes she journaled daily. From the pictures she left behind, to her smile in the memories I will forever cherish in my heart. However hard it is to deal with loss, just as the peace lilly thrives and blooms, so must we.
My peace lilly a friend bought me after mom passed.
As the cold weather approaches, we are also busying ourself outside with cutting the last of the lavender, to be used in homemade body butter, as sachets, for tea, and for lavender cookies. Vegan Lavender Butter: A Sweet Herbal Treat From the Mountains… Extra sprigs of rosemary are cut for rosemary oil, cooking, and for shampoos. We are zipping up the covers on the raised herb beds to ensure the lavender, rosemary, and other perennial herbs last as long as possible this winter, while also ensuring their return next year. We had hoped to leave the ferns on the porch through Thanksgiving, but bitter cold temperatures are on the horizon, so they will make their usual journey to the basement for their winter stay. The ferns do well in the basement through the winter. I water them a little about once a month and bring them out in the spring. I usually give them a quick trim, and before long they are thriving and full of life.
Three year old fern thriving has been weathered over each winterthriving in the summer heat.
With my mind occupied with memories with our mom, I find it difficult to grasp just how quickly time passes. I feel as though we were planting a garden a short time ago. It seems as only a couple months ago we were taking down Christmas decorations, and now here we are preparing to put the Christmas tree up. Where does the time go? In the Bible, life is compared to a vapor on water. It’s true. Life has a way of vanishing right before our eyes. As I pondered the gift of time, the Lord impressed upon my heart that time was a mystery to His children. I was reminded that His time is not our time and our time is not His time. I know He has a plan for our future and His plan is perfect and we must trust His time, not our own. Sometimes we find ourselves trying to perfect His plan due to lack of understanding. My prayer is to acknowledge His plans, trust His Will, press forward, embrace each day, love deeply, reflect on the wonderful memories of my mom that I cherish in my heart, and live each day embracing life as my mom would want me to, for I know He has a plan. We must keep pressing forward.
As I am preparing the dough for our weekly bread, I find myself reflecting on days gone by when I helped my mom bake cookies for Christmas. I think I was five years old when we baked cookies for everyone, or so it seemed to a wide eyed five year old with visions of Christmas morning growing closer. Mommy always had a way of making the holidays special every year. As the years passed and our mother aged, she wasn’t able to cook and host big dinners any longer. Then a new tradition was birthed. She would take turns going from one siblings house to the other on Thanksgiving. It was a full day for her, but one that allowed her spend time with each of her children and their family. The day came when she was no longer able to drive and visit as much as she wanted to or had before. It was time, yet again, for a new tradition that lasted for more almost ten years. We would take Thanksgiving to her. She never went without, my sister, brother, and myself always brought her a smorgasbord of food from each of our dinners. We would visit and usually have a cup of coffee and reminisce with her while she ate her fill of her favorites. She always had had enough leftovers to last over the course of the next week. I laugh as I recall how she would run out of desserts first. She definitely had a sweet tooth.
Yes, Thanksgiving will be different this year. I will miss her as I prepare the dishes, adding extra love to ensure the sweet potato casserole is prepared just the way she liked it. As I scour my recipe books for a new and tasty dessert that she would have enjoyed. I will miss going to visit her. It will not be same not enjoying a cup of coffee while she enjoyed the dressing and the dark meat from the turkey. Dessert will not taste the same knowing she will not share it with me. But, just as the working of the dough brings life to the yeast, so must we keep working and looking up to Him. Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread: Homemade Crusty Vegan Bread He is our high tower, or refuge, and our all.
The beginning stage of the dough. Stage two rising.The finished product; seeded crusty artisan bread.
Even though the loss and void in my heart are vast, I am thankful thatour mom is no longer sick. I have the confidence knowing that she made it home to be with Jesus, and that we will see her again where we will live for eternity in Heaven where sickness does not exist. Even still, my heart aches for her each day. For now, I’ll cherish the memories of days gone by and keep working for the days to come. They say that time takes care of the pain. I haven’t found that to be true yet. But, I do know that my time is not God’s time and His timing is perfect, just as His plan for us is perfect.
In memory of our mom. Artist credit goes to my niece, Sabrina Smith.
God bless from the Mountains of Kentucky. This post is dedicated to the memory of our precious mother. We love and miss you, mommy. I pray that each of you have a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving.
Hello from the mountains of Kentucky! Fall has arrived and with fall, comes cooler temperatures at night and in the mornings. With fall also comes a beautiful array of colorful leaves, mountain sceneries, and fall flowers. The beauty of our mountains is better experienced than described. Come along with me as I take you on a photographic journey through the mountains.
Taken while traveling to see our granddaughter.
I enjoy the drive and the scenery along the curvy mountain roads as we travel deeper into the southern Appalachian Mountains to visit one of our granddaughters.
The deeper south… the bigger the mountains. Another view of Pine Mountain. Traveling deeper south.
The deeper we travel in the mountains, the more amazed I am with each mile. God’s hand and miracles abound everywhere. The picture above is a view of Pine Mountain. The view is stunning in all seasons.
Brilliant red leaves on the homestead.
A glimpse of some of the beautiful colors in our own yard. Beauty abounds everywhere in the mountains in the fall.
Fall blooms!Kentucky’s famous Cumberland Falls during mid fall. Photo Credit Marvin Meyers.Another view of Cumberland Falls. Photo credit Liz Hubbard.
Cumberland Falls is a state park that boasts of its beautiful natural water fall, hiking trails, hidden caves, a gift shop and picnic area. It is located near a beautiful Inn where great food and lodging are available. The Falls are famous also for the moon bow. The bow appears at night certain times of the year.
Laurel Lake Photo credit Denva Hoskins.
Laurel lake is a great place to fish, ride boats, relax on a pontoon, or ride jets across the water. It’s a common tourist attraction that brings people from far and near.
University of the Cumberlands. The campus is beautiful year around.
University of the Cumberlands is a private college that is nestled in the southern region of the state. Students from all over the world attend college here. The campus is beautiful regardless of the season.
View from the top of the mountains! Ride the trails and the scenery is gorgeous! Another beautiful view of the mountains.
Whether you ride a mountain trail or country road, or stop along the side of the road to enjoy the beauty, the view is breathing!
The backroads in the mountains.Beautiful fall colors from our driveway.Even the streams (creeks as we call them) are beautiful this time of year.
Creeks as we call them are staple for our homestead. We use it to water the garden, water the animals, and the grandkids love to play in the water. In the picture above it appears very small. However, when it rains a lot, it gets quite rapid. On the south side of the creek, there’s a hole deep enough and wide enough for the kids swim and fish in.
A glimpse from of the mountain tops behind our home.My drive home!
Whether you going or coming, the Kentucky mountains are beautiful during the fall season. I hope you have enjoyed God’s beautiful country in this small photographic journey through the Kentucky mountains. God bless! Feel free to like, subscribe, or comment.
Good morning, from the mountains of Kentucky. I hope you are having a wonderful day wherever you are. I am writing this morning from what has been my view for the past three weeks, the hospital. I may have mentioned in previous posts that my elderly mom was admitted to the hospital in July. She came in with multiple lingering complications, and a few new ones. She is eighty-six and a fighter, and a prayer warrior. Faith has been a part of what has carried her through the rough times of her life. I have learned much through staying with her during this extended three week stay.
ER visit that started this journey.
I have learned from the view from this side of the bed that my mom is an independent lady, who currently needs more help than she’s required in the majority of her adult life. She is a fighter who needs to be encouraged to keep fighting. She is brave, yet still has moments of fear. She has faith in Christ, yet the enemy has no mercy on the elderly, and inflicts fear at times with a vengeance. It’s difficult for her to accept help, yet gives grace to others freely. She is still my mom, yet needs me more than she ever has. Yes, I have learned by watching her struggle with simple tasks that once were easy, she is still a strong lady, but still needs assistance, compassion, understanding, patience, and encouragement.
Returning from a procedure to remove fluid from her lungs.
I have also learned from the view from this side that it takes a large village of professionals to care for a small frail lady. Skilled surgeons made critical repairs, while anastheoligists held my mom’s life in their hands. Compassionate nurses have held my mom’s hand, adminsitered meds, and cared for her with tender voices that soothed and comforted her, to techs that bathed and dressed her with dignity and gentleness. Radiologists that found veins through ultra-sonic views when the RN could not find a vein, to the physical therapy teams who have helped her to her feet, and are teaching her to walk again. Pulmonologists who removed excessive fluid from her lungs, helping her to breathe, while we patiently waited and breathe freely. I’ve learned to not take the simple things such as the ability to brush my hair, teeth, or feed myself so casually. These simple tasks are important… when these skills are stagnant, one feels helpless.
I learned and observed case management teams who shuffle appointments, referrals and deal with the headaches, red tape, and the hoops that insurance companies can the hurdles the companies create for the patients and family. I have witnessed this team make the patients and families lives a bit easier by handling all the minute details. I’ve experienced Chaplins who pray compassionate prayers and prayers of faith with the patients and the family. My view is filled with the wonderful people you meet along the way while you, the family member, does just what you are do… wait patiently for news and updates while supporting our family member who is on the opposite side of the view.
I have encountered countless physicians who explained diagnosis after diagnosis, procedures, expectations, and prognosis with a plan for the future, while gently encouraging my mom that God is always in control. While the teams of cooks prepare her food, maintenance ensures a clean room. Receptionists who guide, assist, and answer questions to offering a friendly smile. Coffee shop baristas that make that perfect cup of coffee, to the volunteers who bring snacks, prayer clothes, and offer a heartfelt prayer. From my view this was only a few of the many individuals who have whom I have met on this extended journey, and whom have worked so diligently to helping my mom make recover. I have leaned that there are many more pieces to this medicinal puzzle, too many to list one by one.
Having an x-ray in the room.
The view from my side looks much different than the view from her side. While I see the team of professionals working to provide the care she needs, my mom views them as annoying at times, blessings at others, familiar faces, and sometimes uncertain faces behind protective masks. I see the reality of fragile lives hanging in the balance. While some are hearing annoying bells and alarms, professionals are hearing urgent calls that a patient is in trouble. While she naps periodically throughout the day… I wonder what the future holds. Yes, the view from my side sees many individual diverse pieces to a puzzle that fits strategically into a position that is unique to his or her talent all working to toward the same purpose to help others heal and recover… and to comfort and support those of us who wait patiently on this side.
Eating breakfast in the hospital cafeteria while she has PT.
I felt the need to share this part of my heart with you today. I will leave you with the following; don’t take life for granted. One day my mom was doing laundry like any other day and the next day fighting for her life in ER. God has a purpose and a plan, we just have to trust him. Life is fragile and every day is a gift. When we are strong we are still weak. We can’t do everything by ourselves, and it’s okay to accept the help of others. Be kind and considerate as we do not know other’s stories or what they are going through. Smiles are free and contagious. God provides strength when we feel we don’t have any left. Take life one moment at a time.
God bless, from the mountains of Kentucky. Feel free to like, subscribe, comment, follow. As always, may the Lord bless you abundantly.
Hello from the mountains of Kentucky. I hope August is off to great start for you. It’s been a busy one for us as we head into harvesting season, and with my mom being in the hospital for past two weeks. I’ve spent much of my time with her and let the family tend most of the harvesting. However, I have been enjoyed picking beans, canning a couple dozen jars of those, preserved some pickles, and pickle relish. In reality, the harvesting and preserving has just begun. Now, onto the topic at hand, why we homestead.
Spreading two-year old manure over the garden.
I am often asked why we homestead. I wanted to share a few of the reasons why we chose and enjoy our way of life. Homesteading was a way of life for our grandparents, and great grandparents. Our parents also raised large gardens and homesteaded to an extent. It’s a way of life that we find rewarding in many ways. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s work that comes with great rewards.
We homestead because we are blessed with land that is rich and fertile. The soil is perfect for growing a garden. We enjoy growing corn, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers of all kinds, cucumbers, onions, zucchini, squash, cantaloupes, carrots, radishes, lettuce, kale, and other seasonal vegetables. We love having fresh organically grown fruit and vegetables in the warmer months and preserved vegetables for the winter months. Either way, growing, harvesting, and preserving our own produce ensures we are eating healthy food that is free from artificial fertilizers, and or pesticides.
Early spring garden.
We love to can, freeze, and dehydrate. Canning green beans is a favorite! Canning Green Beans the Time-Tested Way (updated) our family enjoys fresh tomato juice to make soups, pasta dishes, and more. If you’ve not tried home canned tomato juice, you don’t know what you’re missing. Canning Tomato Juice the Easy Way! Updated Information! Feel free to browse my website for canning pickled tomatoes, pickles, relish and more. Preserving veggies also reduces our grocery bills, and again, allows us to have our own homegrown organic veggies at our fingertips year round.
Our family also enjoys growing our own fruit. We have blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry bushes. We also grow strawberries and various types of melons. and have apple and peach trees. We also love growing, cooking, and preserving rhubarb. We love preserving jams, jellies, and pie fillings from the fruit and we can be found picking and eating it fresh.
Drying chocolate mint for teas. Blackberry jam made from wild blackberries our grandson picked.Fresh strawberry jam.
Homesteading is more than growing, harvesting, and preserving our own food. It’s about working the land to help it provide for us as well as our animals. It’s about taking pride in the land that the Lord has blessed us so abundantly with. We love to share our bounties with others and we enjoy bartering. If we have an abundance of cucumbers and someone else has an abundance of peppers, we may trade produce with each other to help the other person out.
Homesteading also allows us to be more self-sufficient by growing and harvesting our fruits and vegetables, raising our own chickens and ducks for eggs and meat, and growing and tending our herb garden to make teas, spices, and medicinal oils and poultices. it’s a way of life that allows us to share our bounties with our family, friends, neighbors, and church family.
Farm fresh eggs
Homesteading is a tradition that’s been passed down from generation to generation. Our parents and grandparents shared their knowledge of working the land with us as children, young adults, and they’re still sharing their words of wisdom with us through conversations, written journals, and precious memories from the past. My grandfather taught me much about fertilizing the land with natural fertilizer such as, rabbit and horse manure, compost, egg shells, and more. He taught me how to reduce waste and turn peelings, coffee grounds, egg shells, tea leaves, and veggie and fruit scraps into rich fertilizer by creating compost from all natural food scraps, dried leaves, wood chips from the chicken and duck run, and nature. Compost creates a rich fertilizer for the garden, and fruit trees.
Herbs are another large part of our homestead. Our herb garden expands each year with new herbs that we find useful for making great tasting teas, spices, and for medicinal uses. We enjoy growing a variety of basil, mints, oregano, chives, sage, lemon balm, bee balm, hyssop, yarrow, dill, echinacea, lavender, rosemary and more. Chocolate mint and peppermint are two of our favorite herbs for making hot and cold tea. Oregano, basil, and sage are among our favorites for spices. Chives make a great addition to most meals, and fresh dried sage makes Thanksgiving stuffing even more delicious. Head over to my podcast, Homesteading in the Mountains on Apple Podcasts to learn more about growing herbs, cooking with them, and using them and discover how I use them for medicinal purposes.
A few clippings of sage to dry and add to the spice jar.
Homesteading is something we take pride in. We also love to bake all of our breads from scratch. Our daughter bakes sourdough bread, white yeast bread for sandwiches, rolls, buns, and more. I like to bake artisan breads. We both enjoy baking biscuits and cornbread. Regardless the bread, cakes, or cookies, they’re delicious and do not contain all the added preservatives as processed bread. Either bread is a healthier choice that we enjoy with soups, as toast, for sandwiches, with meals, and if there’s an end piece left when baking day rolls around, we use it to make croutons for delicious soups and salads. The grandkids all enjoy the breads and the sweet treats. Baking helps keep our family healthier by consuming less processed foods. We also like to avoid food dyes, preservatives, and enjoy using organic flours and yeast to bake with.
Homesteading, has health benefits through consuming less processed foods, eating primarily organic foods, decreases our grocery bills, increases our income through selling produce and eggs. Increases our health through gaining exercise working the land all while being more self-sufficient, and proud of our hard work, our land, our harvest, and the fact of taking Better care of our nutritional needs and our families. Homesteading also allows us to work independently. I am a college professor and am on campus two days a weeks. I host a podcast and maintain this website as well as being an author of various books with one in works. I am also a doTERRA essential oil dealer. My husband is retired from welding for a major coal company in our area. Our daughter who shares the homestead with us homeschools, is self-employed as a Plexus consultant, and also an author. Her husband is self-employed, which helps him have time to work the land as well. Any way you look at it, homesteading is one of the most rewarding ways of life. We give our Lord, Jesus Christ, all the glory and praise for His blessings and the land and wisdom that He provides us with.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. I look forward to reading your comments. Feel free to like, comment, share, and or subscribe. God bless, from the mountains of Kentucky!
Good morning from the mountains of Kentucky! Cold air invaded the mountains last night. It was a chilling 28 degrees when I awoke this morning. I was thankful that I had covered my ferns up last night. We have several mountain winters in March and April in Kentucky. With so many of the trees and bushes blooming early this year, it’s difficult to determine which winter it is. I’m not sure if this cold snap is redbud winter or dogwood winter. Nevertheless, hope remains as these small winters only last a day or two and then it’s mild weather again.
The smell of yesteryears lingers in the air as the garden was turned this week. The smell of fresh soil always reminds me of growing up only a few miles from where we live. Papaw plowed with a mule and plow from morning till evening. He would wipe the sweat from his brow, fan with his hat, rest a bit and return to his work. The smell of the rich dirt lingered in the air just as it does here today. The chickens are enjoying the freshly plowed ground as well. They love to scratch and search for worms in the loose dirt.
As I prepare breakfast this morning, I am reminded of eating oatmeal with my Papaw. I felt an unction to prepare a hardy bowl of oats, as he called them. I like to use a half cup organic oats, filtered water, fresh honey for the sweetening, and whatever fruit I have available. This morning I added a half of an organic banana, and some organic blueberries. I include a tablespoon of organic walnuts, a teaspoon of flaxseed, hempseed, and chia seeds. White serving I drizzle with almond milk and a tiny bit of honey. I toasted a slice of my homemade seeded bread with breakfast this morning. It’s a hard breakfast that will sustain me until late in the afternoon.
Delicious plant-based breakfast for a busy day!
I’m excited about planting this year. The manure has been spread and the first turning of the garden is complete. Seeds have been sewn in miniature green houses, and in the hydroponic garden. Fresh vegetables are a joy in the summer months. Fall is a time of harvesting and preserving for the winter months ahead. It’s not for the faint of heart, but for those who enjoy eating what they’ve grown from seed to nourish their bodies.
Spreading natural fertilizer.
Gardens can be as large or as small as you want them to be. For us, a large feeds our families all summer and sustains in the cold months. We usually have an abundance to share with neighbors, extended family, and church family. It seems the more we give to others, the more it grows.
Organic lettuce in one of the hydroponic gardens seven days after seeing the seed.
Eating healthy is a large part of being healthy. Eating organic, plant-based, and clean is a foundation for overall health. Get up and get moving! Being active helps prevent and fight many diseases that plague people across the world. Make it a point to know the ingredients in the food that you put in your body. Know the vocabulary of hidden toxic ingredients. Do your research, and start small and make changes weekly. For example, I no longer buy bread that is deemed healthy, but is it really when you can’t pronounce fourteen of the twenty seven ingredients. I choose to bake bread formy family on Saturday mornings. My recipe has four ingredients, of which one is water, and I add various organic seeds for the crunch and fiber. The following is a link to my bread recipe. It’s easy, doesn’t require an abundance of time and tastes delicious. Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
Living a clean and holistic life is very gratifying. The rewards are great and exceeds the long days and time spent prepping, preparing, and growing, foods that nourish your body, not poisoning them a little at a time with toxic ingredients found in processed foods.
The first turning of the garden!
I would like close with a great book suggestion for young readers, as a read aloud, and great for the primary classroom. It is written by our daughter and it’s beautifully written and illustrated. Check the book out at the following link;
God bless from the mountains of Kentucky! May your day be filled with joy, hope, the love of Christ, and good nutritious foods that can help heal you from the inside out. Feel free to leave a comment, like, and or follow by blog for more posts on clean and holistic living.
First turning of the garden complete! Awaiting a second plowing and plants!
Good afternoon from the mountains of Kentucky! Today feels like spring in the mountains. Easter Lillie’s are bloomed, some of the trees and bushes are budding, and I see green plants emerging through the flower bed covering. I am excited about spring as it always feels like an opportunity for new beginnings, time to plant, and time to enjoy the beautiful mountains that we are blessed with.
Summer in the mountains!
For those of you who are serious tea drinkers, and for those who enjoy a cup of tea from time time… you’ll enjoy my series, Tea Time Tuesday. It will be a reoccurring blog post that will include random topics ranging from making teas, uses of teas, to recipes that include tea in them, and occasional recipes for goodies to eat while drinking tea. I will also review books I’ve read while enjoying a cup of tea. While some posts might be simple ramblings or inspirational words. However, today’s post is about a topic that is worthy of conversation. Loose tea verses tea bags.
I’ve been an avid tea drinker for years. I like almost all flavors of teas. But, I do have a few favorites. I love a good chai tea with oat milk, and lavender. I drink peppermint tea almost every day. I like black teas and love a good chamomile tea with either honey or lavender and sometimes both. Regardless the tea I drink, I prefer loose leaf to tea bags. The tea that I grow and dry does not even compare to purchased teas, but there are times when I buy loose leaf, especially black tea and chamomile tea. So, why do I prefer loose leaf to bagged tea? Loose leaf is more flavorful, I don’t have to worry about how long it’s been shelved, I don’t have to wonder if the bags are good quality or could they be toxic. There are so many different reasons, but flavor and the ability to use a tea ball of loose leaf tea a second time, which is a great money and tea saver, especially if you purchase tea. If you don’t like a tea ball, you can always purchase organic tea bags that you can fill yourself. The organic tea bags are great for tea on the go. They store easily in my lunch bag that I carry to work.
I’m curious about your preferences. Which do you prefer bagged tea or loose leaf, and why? I would love to hear from you. For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky. I think I’ll enjoy a cup of tea and porch sit a little while on this beautiful spring-like day!
Good Monday from the mountains of Kentucky. I awoke early this morning to make time for prayer, reading scriptures, and a little quiet time before preparing for the busy day ahead. There’s something about the early morning hours that brings a sense of renewal to my spirit. The stillness of the still dark sky, a quiet house, and the ability to meditate and truly listen for the Lord’s voice. Having a healthy relationship with God is part of being physically happy and being spiritually happy, which helps us be better prepared for the day or days ahead.
Our pastor’s wife once spoke on the voice of God. It was inspiring, reassuring, and confirming. The voice of God can be heard, sensed, and felt. It can be heard through His word, anointed preaching, the stillness of the night, a distant cry of a Hawk, in our thoughts, through words of wisdom given from others, and many other ways. His voice can be loud, soft, bold, and it can also be sweet and tender through prophetic words. We cannot put limitations on God. He is the Great I Am. He is the Alpha, the beginning, the first, the Omega, and the last. He is everything in between. We must recognize Him and reverence Him for who He is. To hear Him, and or recognize Him, we must calm the voices in our heads.
God’ promises are the same today as they were yesterday!
We are in a spiritual warfare with the enemy. The only place he can access is our thoughts, which if we allow his ideas and discouragement to linger, can become toxic. At this point we have allowed the enemy’s voice to overpower His voice. I have learned to pray for a watchman over my heart and mind. The enemy has no right to invade our peace. We must command him to go in the name of Jesus! He trembles at the name of Jesus! Speak the name of Jesus with boldness. You have authority of the enemy. I have countless testimonies about the voice of God but will only share a few of those with you today.
Years ago a friend of mine was having a difficult season in her life and was praying for answers. She prayed, trusted the Lord and waited on Him. One evening as she was checking her mail as she did on any given evening, she asked the Lord for confirmation that He would work this situation out. She needed help. She needed answers. And an answer came. She described how a gentle soft wind suddenly swept over her. She knew in her heart the gentleness of the unexpected breeze was God reassuring her that it was going to be okay. She worried no more but waited on the hand of God to move in what seemed like an impossible situation. And… He did.
He is with us even in the eye of a storm!
During a horrific spring storm a couple of years ago. The trees were swaying in the wind, rain was pouring down, and the creek water was rising fast. The sky was dark and we were under dangerous storm warnings. I was at home alone and was walking the floor praying for protection for myself, my family, for our homes and for our neighbors. I began speaking the name of Jesus. I quoted scriptures and continued to pray as the storm around our homes was raging. It felt as the storm was mocking me and trying to intimidate me and dissipate my faith that the Lord would take care of us. As I quoted Psalms 91, while peering through the window of the back door, I saw a sight that stopped me in my tracks and words. Hovering ever so gently near a set of wind chimes was a tiny hummingbird. Beyond the porch the winds lapped, the rain poured and the creek waters raged. The wind chimes were stilled and tiny bird hovered gracefully. I knew at that moment that the Lord was saying, “I’ve got this, trust me. I will care for you as I care for the fragile hummingbird. Trust me.” I snapped a quick picture of the hummingbird and as quickly as it arrived, it was gone. I relaxed as I knew the Lord was in control. The storm finally ceased leaving behind little to no damage. Since that day, when the enemy tries to scare me or intimidate me, or make me doubt, I think about the tiny hummingbird and words of comfort that I felt. We now have feeders gracing our porch to feed the tiny birds that God used to show me that He was in control of all. He is our protector, our guide, and God almighty!
Taken through a screened window during a raging spring storm. The creek was a small stream minutes before this picture was taken.
Many years ago, when we were praying about buying our home, there was chaos surrounding the situation. Some family members wanted to sell their parents home place, while others didn’t. I knew the home that had been their home was supposed to be our forever earthly home. I prayed and was continually being pulled to and fro. First we could buy the home and then others would change their minds. I continued to pray for His will. I felt compelled to visit a church one Sunday evening that I visited occasionally. Not really knowing why I felt lead to go, I went. During the worship service an elderly lady came to pray for me. She had no reason to know that I was praying about the home.
As she prayed for me, I felt an instant comfort and a closeness to the Lord. She spoke in my ear and said the Lord told her to tell me that even as soon as the morning, He would move in this that I had before Him. The peace resonated throughout my being. I can’t really recall what happened in the remainder of the service, or what the sermon was even about. I was enveloped in His presence and already planning how I would prepare for the move! The move to our new home. The next morning a family member who was an heir of the land we wanted contacted us to let us know they had made the decision to sell the home. A few months later we were living in our new home where after twenty seven years, we still reside today. God is faithful!
Early spring garden on our forever earthly land. God is good!
The voice of God can be soft, gentle, loud, clear, concise, and sometimes He uses the simple things such as the hummingbird to speak to us. Nevertheless, we must be willing to hear and receive what the Lord is telling us. Once we recognize it, we have to stand firm in our faith that He will do what He says He will do. Keep in mind the Lord spoke to people throughout the Bible through animals, nature, audible voices, angels and much more. We are no different than those that heard the Lord’s voice all those years ago. We, too, are His children. Finally, God don’t change. He was, and is, and is to come. He is the Great I Am.
God’s creation. Fall in the mountains.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my testimony’s about God’s voice. Feel free to comment, like, and or follow. I am excited to share more testimony’s of His voice next week. For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky.
A Healthier Me...Homesteading Simple & Clean 