Tag Archives: a spiritual life

My Top Ten Favorite Herbs (Part Eight- Lemon Balm)

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in a spiritual life, appalachian life, clean recipes, drying herbs, farm living, garden time, holistic living, homesteading, Kentucky memories, ky author, tea time and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello, from the mountains of Kentucky! It’s been a busy start to July on the homestead. We have been working fiercely in the vegetable garden on dry days because we’ve had a magnitude of rainy days this spring and summer. The garden looks great! Everything seems to be flourishing. We’ve been picking a lot of cucumbers, zucchini, and summer squash. These are our favorites! We love incorporating it with breakfast, lunch, and supper. We can, freeze, and dehydrate squash and zucchini. We harvested last summers’ onions a few days ago to dry for winter onions and planted a new row of onions to eat this summer and fall.

Summer squash
Last season’s onions
Drying last season onions for the winter.
Lemon balm plant

Enough about the homestead, this post is about one of my favorite herbs, lemon balm. Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is an herb from the mint family. The leaves have a mild lemon aroma and a lemony taste. The leaves are used to make teas, medicinal salves, oils, and to flavor foods. Our favorite use of lemon balm is making tea. Lemon balm tea is great to relax after a busy day. It not only has a relaxing element, it soothes as well. We have found that the leaves can sooth a cold sore, and minor scrapes. Sipping lemon balm tea can also help ease indigestion.

Growing Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is a perennial that loves to thrive in partly sunny beds. Forewarning, it It will spread quickly and overtake other plants. We grow it in a huge flower pot as it is a bit of an escape artist and will escape beds and overtake other plants. After the last harvest, the pot is covered with a warm bedding to protect the roots from the harsh winter elements. Some years, it returns and some it doesn’t. However, it is easy to grow from seeds. The plants are also inexpensive at most green houses. It will always return if you plant it in the ground. It can be planted in an isolated bed and thrive for years to come. Like all mints, the more it’s pruned, the thicker it gets. It actually needs pruned frequently in the summer and early fall to prevent it from getting leggy. Pruning is easy. I use kitchen shears to snip the stem between the leaves. Before you know that snipped stem produces two or more new stems that produce more leaves. A good cutting does it well.

Drying Lemon Balm For Tea

Lemon balm is easy to dry. I typically cut small to medium quantities throughout the summer and a large amount with the final harvest of the season. For the smaller amounts, I prune the stems with the leaves in tact, and spread them over a cheese cloth or paper towel in a large sheet tray placed in a well ventilated place in the house. For the larger harvests, I use a large mesh drying rack in the garage. Once the leaves are brittle and crispy, they are ground for teas and spices. I store my teas in glass jars in a dark cabinet. Teas usually maintain their flavor for up to three years before they become rancid. To make a cup of lemon balm tea, add tea leaves to tea bag or tea ball and place it in your desired tea cup or mug. Pour boiling water over the tea ball or bag and allow tea to steep for at least five minutes. Removing the ball or tea bag is optional. Your tea is ready. It is a delicious lemon flavor that we enjoy for the taste and the soothing benefits. I also find true satisfaction with drinking tea made from the plants we plant, grow, harvest, and dry. Self-sustaining is a satisfying wonderful feeling.

My favorite tea mug

Making Lemon Balm Oil

I love to make lemon balm oil for my skin, to sooth sun burns, to massage sore muscles, and more. It’s easy to make. Dry lemon balm leaves and stems until crispy. Once the leaves are dried, add them to the carrier oil in a glass jar. I like to use amber jars. I don’t really measure for this oil. It would depend on the size of the jar. For example, I typically fill the jar or bottle about half full of leaves and then add the oil. I like to use organic fractionated coconut oil, you can also use jojoba oil. Seal the bottle and place in a dark cabinet. Give the jar of oil a gentle shake daily and place it back in the cabinet. After three to four weeks, strain the leaves out of the oil and you are ready to use your lemon balm oil. Keep it stored in an amber bottle to help it maintain its strength. Keep in mind this is not lemon balm essential oil, that is an entirely different type of oil.

Don’t Discard the Leaves

Don’t just discard the teas leaves or those soaked in oil! I use teas leaves that have reached or exceeded their shelf life as a weak tea to water my herbs, house plants, ferns, garden plants, herbs, and flowering shrubs. They’re great to add to the soil near squash and zucchini plants in the garden. Herbs are filled with rich antioxidants that are as good for the soil and plants as they are for us. Older teas and dried herbs can be added to the compost for enrichment.

Research to Read

Lemon balm is a versatile herb that is even recognized by The Cleveland Clinic as a herb that can be used medically This is a very interesting read!

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/lemon-balm-benefits

I hope you took time to read the article. It’s actually quite amazing as most medical personnel do not give credit to the medicinal power of plants.

I hope you have enjoyed this post about one of my favorite herbs and a little update from our homestead. Feel free to leave comments, like, share, subscribe, or follow Also, head over to Apple podcast and listen to my podcast, Homesteading in the Mountains, for more tips, ideas, and information about homesteading and more. Have a blessed week! For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky! Happy homesteading!

Keeping a Garden Journal

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in a spiritual life, appalachian life, garden time, homesteading, Kentucky memories, ky author and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello from the mountains of Kentucky! I don’t know how the weather is in your area, but it’s been really wet in Kentucky. With the amount of rain we’ve had this spring, we’ve been working more in raised beds than our vegetable garden. We did, however, get our potatoes in the ground the week of Good Friday. They’re up and beautiful! If the potatoes grow as well as the vines, we’ll have loads to dig this fall. Our onions are thriving as well, but otherwise, our garden is plowed and desolate of plants. We’re not the only local homestead or farm that hasn’t planted much, which makes me feel some better about the delay. I think this might be the rainiest spring season that I can remember. This is the year of the seventeen year cicada’s as well. Even with the rain, they’re still singing. With that being said, it has been a good time to work in our raised beds, herb beds, flower gardens, and update our garden journal.

Bee balm, hyssop, lemon thyme, garlic and onion chives, and sage.
One of my herb beds. The sage is in full bloom.

I started keeping a garden journal many years ago. I was prompted to do this when we had a crop of beans that was an epic failure. When we realized the beans were tough and not easy to cook, we tried to recall the kind of beans we had planted. After much thought, scouring bean containers, and wracking our minds, we finally recalled the kind of beans we had planted. We had accidentally planted white half runners and greasy beans side by side. This resulted in the beans crossing and creating a leathery hulled type of green beans. Needless to say, we learned a valuable lesson. Don’t plant two different beans near each other and to always record what we planted, the dates we planted, fertilized, weather occurrences, etc. The wondering, worrying, and the unknown nearly drove me nuts! I had always kept a journal for my herb garden and even my flower gardens. They had proven beneficial. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought to maintain a journal for our vegetable garden. So, I extended my journal with a section devoted to our vegetable garden, and most recently added a section for our berry bushes and fruit trees. Each have proven to be a resourceful tool.

Our extended vegetable garden journal has helped with crop rotation, planting times, seed purchases, plant identification, fertilization, and with learning what crops grow well together and those that do not. Keeping our journal has also been a blessing. I like to add notes and pictures as a future keepsake for our children and grandchildren. Our journals can be a diary of our lives as homesteaders for generations to come.

Garden journal

I encourage you to begin keeping a garden journal for all your gardens. Our journal has been a blessing and a fun way to record our family traditions and way of life between the covers of a simple journal that can be handed down for generations to come.

For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky! I welcome comments! Feel free to like, share, and follow. Also, feel free to check out our podcast, Homesteading in the Mountains, on Apple Podcasts. Coming soon… a post of the benefits of red clover!

Preparing for the Storm

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in a spiritual life, appalachian life, faith over fear, farm living, homesteading, Kentucky memories, ky author, my special days, Spiritual life and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Good morning from the mountains of Kentucky. As I writing we are awaiting and preparing for the biggest winter storm for Kentucky this season. Meteorologists are calling it a crippling storm of rain, snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. In the natural we began preparing, we made a quick run to the store to pickup a few things, filled our gasoline jugs with gas for the generators to be ready if needed, picked up extra feed and straw for the animals, and made sure our water reserve tanks were full. I spent yesterday baking extra bread in case we lose electricity. I think we are as prepared as we can be. Now comes the wait.

Radar this morning. Screenshot credited to Kentucky Weather Center.

With that being said, I awoke this morning, looked out the window to see if the expected storm had arrived. The land was and is very still and quiet other than the stirring of our chickens, and a couple crows calling. It’s almost eerie quiet as the winds have made their presence known for the past couple of days and have totally ceased this morning. The roads are very still with no traffic moving at all. It feels like the world has stopped in expectation for the storm that is predicted to hit our little community this morning.

With that thought, I began to think about our spiritual preparation. The word tells us that Jesus is returning to take those who have prepared through accepting Him as their savior, and are ready to go home to be with Him for eternity. But yet, many are not preparing for His returning as they are preparing for this winter storm. This leaves me to ponder and reflect on my own efforts. Am I doing enough? Am I preparing daily for His returning? Have we heard of His returning so often that we are taking it nonchalantly? Am I spreading the word enough about His returning? These and other questions and thoughts stirred my mind.

As the new year is still fresh and new, instead of making resolutions that are often not kept, or insignificant, I feel compelled to take the time to ensure daily preparations for His returning. To spread the word to others about this glorious day just as the meteorologists hype the public up about the physical storm that awaits us. They are blasting the news on television, the radio, through text messages, and social media. Should we not be doing the same thing? Indeed we should! For His returning will be a glorious day for those who are ready. We, as Christian’s, must help spread the word, He is coming, in effort to help everyone be prepared and ready for His coming!

Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (KJV)

Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (KJV)

Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (KJV)

Snow in the mountains!

The snow has begun to fall on the homestead and in within a matter of moments has covered the tops of buildings and sticking to the trees. I am so very thankful today to be prepared both physically and spiritually. Be safe, stay warm, prayers for all during this uncertain weather event, but most of all, prayers that everyone will be ready for His returning. God bless from the mountains of Kentucky. Feel free to like, comment, and or subscribe.

Seeded artisan bread baked yesterday in preparation of the storm. Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread: Homemade Crusty Vegan Bread

The Gift of Time

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in a spiritual life, appalachian life, drying herbs, farm living, God’s time, Kentucky memories, ky author, memories and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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 winter thriving 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 that our 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.

Journey Through the Mountains

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in a spiritual life, God’s time, homesteading, Kentucky memories, ky author, memories, my special days and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

The View From This Side

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in a spiritual life, appalachian life, homesteading, in time of need, Kentucky memories, ky author, memories, my special days and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

Why We Homestead

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in appalachian life, clean eating, drying herbs, farm living, garden time, homesteading, Kentucky memories, ky author, memories, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

Fresh baked banana peach bread
Fresh baked crusty seeded yeast bread
Two loaves of fresh baked sandwich bread.

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!

Entertaining Angels Unaware

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in a spiritual life, appalachian life, faith over fear, God’s time, homesteading, Kentucky memories, Spiritual life and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello, from the mountains of Kentucky! I hope the weather where you are is a bit dryer than it is here. Rain has once again returned to the mountains making it difficult for garden work, vegetables ripening, and also for picking. Uncertain weather can be challenging for homesteaders.

Tomatoes and beans from our garden. I find so much peace while working in our garden.

However, the rain has been a blessing in other ways. My eighty-six year old mother was hospitalized over a week ago, and I’ve spent the majority of my time with her. The rain falling outside the hospital window reminds me that God is aways in control of all things. Had my mom’s hospital stay have been during a hot and dry season of summer, I would have been worrying about the garden work. With the rain falling, I was reminded that I couldn’t have picked, even if I were home. This thought provided me some peace, and allowed me to focus on the most important thing, my mom. For now, the veggies can wait.

My time spent at the hospital has been nothing short of miraculous. I am amazed all over again at the diverse population of people that I have and continue to come in contact with within the hospital. I have had lengthy conversations with a few, encouraged others, have been encouraged, prayed with some and others have prayed with and for me. I have encountered beautiful and friendly smiles, have laughed with one or two, and shared my heart and warm hugs with others who were grieving. Through the encounters of others, I am reminded that God places people with us, around us, and near us, when we need them.

God’s beautiful creation. We can beauty all around us, if we have eyes to see.

One gentleman who was at the hospital with his wife who was in very serious condition, shared his testimony. He said he was worried and felt helpless. His wife wasn’t getting better. He explained, “I said, Lord, I just need a little hope.” He said, as soon as he had said those words, a nurse came into the room and introduced herself as, Hope. She explained that she would be his wife’s nurse for the day. He finished his testimony by saying, he just looked and whispered a thank you prayer to the Lord. He truly is an on time God. He’s ever-present.

I also met an older lady the other night in the waiting room. After chatting with her for a few minutes, I discovered she was there for her brother whom only had an estimated few days of life remaining. I noticed a young man who seemed to always be near her and who talked with her. I assumed he was her son or grandson. Later that night when the waiting room had emptied, other than my husband, myself, and the elder lady, I noticed the young man was gone. I asked her if he was her son or grandson. She smiled and said, “I don’t know who he is. He just kind of took a liking to me and had been hanging out with me.”

God provides friendship and companionship in different ways. He knows just what we need and when we need it.

I felt a warm feeling of comfort from the Lord. Instantly, I thought about how the Bible speaks of entertaining angels unaware. Had we entertained an angel unaware? Had He placed someone who could bring comfort in the time of need? Either way, the company of the young man was a blessing to the elderly lady. As suddenly as the young man had appeared, he was gone, just as the nurse, Hope, didn’t return after that night.

Even if he wasn’t an angel, he provided comfort for a lonely soul in the time of need just as the nurse named Hope, provided comfort for the man whose wife was so ill. God sees us where we are and meets us there with His presence or someone he temporarily places in our lives. Remember, to be kind and be thoughtful, to others. You may be their temporary angel, or you could be the one who is entertaining angels unaware. God’s ways are not our way.

Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. KJV

I hope you have enjoyed this post, and it brought you some peace and comfort. God truly knows exactly what we need and when we need it. Remember, He is alive, and miracles still happen. As I write this post, I am encouraged. My mom has been moved from ICU to a regular room. She is making baby step improvement. The testimonies of others helped lift me up. If you have an encouraging testimony, don’t be afraid to share it. There are people all around us who need encouragement. Feel free to comment, like, and or follow. For now, God bless, from the mountains of Kentucky.

Homesteading in the Mountains

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in appalachian life, clean eating, drying herbs, farm living, garden time, holistic living, homesteading, Kentucky memories, ky author, Spiritual life and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello, from the mountains of Kentucky! It’s been a dry hot month in our area of the world. With May being extremely wet, we anticipated June to be dry, but not this dry. The lack of rain has presented challenges for our vegetable garden. We’ve hand watered a couple of times a week and babied all the veggies with hopes and prayers for a good harvest. How’s the weather been in your area?

Foggy morning in the mountains.

We are often asked what it means to homestead. Homesteading was our grandparents way of life, their parents, and even their grandparents. We grew up learning how to farm. So, to our family, homesteading means that we can be self sufficient. Self sufficient means growing, harvesting, and preserving our own fruits and vegetables. We eat from our garden throughout the year. We enjoy fresh vegetables in the summer and fall, and preserve vegetables, soups, and vegetable juices for the winter and early spring months. We make use of hydroponic gardens year round. I like to grow salad lettuce year round in the hydroponic garden. It’s easy, clean, and ensures fresh lettuce at your fingertips. The staples we cannot grow are bought in organic bulk supplies.

Early summer vegetable garden.
Small hydroponic lettuce garden.

Homesteading also means we eat cleaner and healthier. We accomplish this through bypassing as many store bought prepackaged foods as possible. We enjoy baking our families breads, cakes, pies, and cookies, instead of buying unhealthy food that is filled with an abundance of sugars and unhealthy preservatives. One of our favorite homemade bread recipes can be found in the following link. Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread: Homemade Crusty Vegan Bread We also preserve fresh fruits to ensure we have jams and jellies for toast and biscuits. We enjoy foraging berries for dishes and jellies. There’s nothing much better than homemade jam spread on homemade bread for breakfast. Canning My Favorite Peaches

Homemade crusty seeded yeast bread
Canned strawberry preserves

Fresh eggs are gathered daily for breakfast and for baking. Fishing, to us is more than a pastime. Fish is caught from the lakes and rivers for the freezer to use later for fish dinners. The mountains provide an abundance of squirrels, rabbits, and deer for meat that is frozen for roasts, chili, and others dishes. We do not raise cattle, but buy fresh beef and hog meat yearly from friends that provides for the year.

Farm fresh eggs
Canning and preserving peaches.

One part of homesteading that I enjoy immensely is growing our own herbs. The herbs ensure we have spices, teas, tasty leaves for salads, and herbs for medicinal remedies. The herbs provide beautiful blooms that bring in an abundance of pollinators for our garden. The diverse mint that we grow makes great hot or cold tea, is a wonderful additive to cookies and hot chocolates, and can help sooth a bee sting.

Potted peppermint grown for tea.

Essential Oils, Tea Bags, and Bee Stings

Foraging mullein.
Drying mullein for tea.

We enjoy foraging for various plants to use for food, teas, and medicinal purposes. We harvest mullein, pictured above as tea to help alleviate coughing and congestion. We also enjoy bartering with friends and neighbors. If we have an abundance of corn or beans we may barter with friends for a vegetable or fruit that we don’t have.

One post cannot cover it all! This is a brief glimpse into our lives as homesteaders. I guess the best description is that we enjoy being self-sufficient, and being able to sustain our farm that provides for our family. We enjoy the simple things in life, family, friends, gardening, preserving, and nature. We enjoy church and our church families. We love the Lord, His ways, and serving Him. We believe in working for what we have, enjoy thrifting for antiques, repurposing things from the past, reading, and writing. We enjoy holistic living, cooking, baking, and taking care of our animals, and sharing God’s love and His goodness with others. Head on over to Apple Podcasts to listen to my podcast, Homesteading in the Mountains, to learn more about our homestead and homesteading projects.

For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky. Feel free to like, comment, and or follow. I enjoy hearing from my readers. Let me know if you would like to read more about our life homesteading in the mountains.

Living Holistically in the Mountains

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling499B in appalachian life, clean eating, drying herbs, essential oils, farm living, garden time, holistic living, homesteading, Kentucky memories, Spiritual life and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Good afternoon, from the mountains of Kentucky. I hope your week is going well. It’s been a busy one this week in our neck of the woods. Spring is usually busy with planting, foraging, preserving, harvesting and drying. We’ve managed between long bouts of rain to plant our squash and zucchini, tomatoes, kale, cucumbers, and peppers. The garden is taking shape. Yet, there’s a lot more to plant. A lot of work with great rewards.

We’ve planted and foraged mullein to dry for tea. We’ve found mullein tea good for our respiratory problems, common colds, flu, and bronchitis. It’s a staple in our household. The tea can be made a few different ways. The leaves can be cleaned and dried for steeping hot tea, or the leaves can be cleaned and added to filtered water and placed in a covered glass container in the fridge for cold tea. A little honey in either and we’ve found it to be a tasty bit of nature that has wonderful results. (More to come about the use of mullein.)

Harvesting the bottom mullein leaves.
Iris blooms are my favorite!

Our flowers and herb garden is flourishing this year. I’ve harvested chocolate mint, peppermint, and strawberry mint twice already. We keep fresh mint for cooking, be stings, and for baking. Dried mint is used for steeping delicious teas. Peppermint tea has great medicinal qualities for digestion issues. It’s a great addition to green tea as well, and is tasty in a cool glass of water from our Berkey. Yesterday, was a day for clipping basil, more mint, and chive blooms for seeds. I also harvested tarragon and bit of lemon basil. Our herbs are doing exceptionally well this year. I am a believer that when nature produces an abundance of something, it will be needed in weeks or even months ahead. We enjoy sharing our harvest with the elderly who can no longer garden and those who do not have land for gardens. We are believers of tithing our blessings with others. It seems the more we give, the more our gardens grow and produce.

The basil is thriving!
Fresh strawberry jam!

Yesterday was spent preserving strawberry jam. It’s easy to make and delicious to eat! I will post this recipe soon. I couldn’t wait for weeks to eat the jam! So, I opened a jar this morning and had it on fresh-baked bread for breakfast.

Freshly toasted baked bread and homemade jam!
Home baked seeded yeast bread.

Our kitchen today is an aroma of drying herbs, yeast bread cooking, and banana bread baking. Oh, and lemon essential oil diffusing in the diffuser. Lemon essential oil is great for focus, clarity, and helps deter ants, while making the air smell clean and fresh. Essential oils are part of our daily life. We use them for medicinal purposes, to make cleaning products, to add to recipes, and to help us relax at night. We are firm believers that God created nature for mankind to enjoy and along with the enjoyment, to use for the physical, medical, and even for spiritual needs.

Chocolate mint hanging to dry.

For now, God bless, from the mountains of Kentucky. Happy foraging, planting, and preserving! Feel free to follow and or leave comments or questions. Have a wonderful Thursday!

Our roses are beautiful this year!