The Importance of Setting Homestead Goals – Pantry Chat Q & A
[Music] Hey guys it’s Josh and Carolyn with Homestay and family and welcome to this Week’s episode of The Pantry chat and Welcome to 2023. yeah exciting happy New Years and welcome to a new year yeah I Hope you guys all had a wonderful Christmas season and a good New Year’s And Um man it’s it’s time to dive into 2023 Can you believe that it kind of feels Like it snuck up on us for as long as The fall felt last year then it’s like Boom here we are what was the shorts the Summer went long I mean summer went into Mid-october that’s really strange for Here yeah and then it was like boom Winners here yeah um now we just have a Solid winter and Cranking right through that yeah so Today we are just chit chatting we’re Answering some of your questions and We’re talking about Our planning for the upcoming year here And what we’re going to be looking at Doing Um you know not the least of which is That we are now solidly on the 10 week Countdown For baby to arrive that kind of marks The spot for me always I’m always like You know everything else life just takes Over until about the 10-week countdown And then I go oh yeah I have to actually
Get out the baby clothes and start Thinking about the fact that baby is About to arrive because those last 10 Weeks can go fast when you get to them How you doing how you feeling But big I feel big I feel very big Um this is a extremely active baby lots And lots of kicking which is fun in one Way and very uncomfortable in another Way he just seems to have a very Powerful kick sounds like he’s gonna be Out and running he’s going to be a Powerful guy when he gets out Taekwondo He’s doing something in there so yeah in General doing really well we have a home Birth planned we always hold those plans Loosely because of weather we’re out a Ways we’re 11 miles off the highway and And uh yeah but our midwife’s pretty Hardy we’ve got very Hardy North Idaho Midwives and uh you know everything’s Looking on track for home birth at this Point so that’s really exciting but you Do you do have to hold these things Loosely because you never know if a Medical issue creeps up if anything Starts looking at all not right then That the home birth plans change almost Instantly Um but for the moment we’re on track and Moving right along Trying to get out the crib and uh yeah Dress her and start getting the room set Up all of the clothes and everything so
Yeah I hope he’s a quiet one at night I I’m not really encouraged right now I’m Not guessing no I’m sorry sleepless Nights I think you have to get your Hopes set or the reality set on the fact That you probably just aren’t going to Sleep And then if he is quiet and he’s one of The few that likes sleeping We have had a few of those we have had a Few who stepped through the night like Right from the beginning pretty much and Loved their crib baby after my own heart Yeah but I’m I don’t think if you get Your hopes set on that you’re asking for Trouble I tackle just about anything Well until I start losing a lot of sleep I can take rod and roll with a lot but Once the start losing the sleep that’s Where it becomes a struggle I think we Sound like older parents we are older Parents yeah baby I’ll be great I just Don’t want to lose the sleeve Oh boy well you can tell what’s on our Mind at the moment Well what have you been up to here we Are the beginning of a brand new year Yeah Um you know pushing a lot of snow Yeah Yeah and uh it’s been a very wintry Winter and a lot of snow and I’m doing Some reflecting on 2022 and the things We’ve accomplished and starting to go Okay what’s what are the goals this year
What what are we going to get done Um probably realize that I’m gonna have To moderate we did a lot last year even For the travel that I did getting school Traditional skills up and going and let Me travel again this year though not Quite as intense of a a schedule but We’ve still got the homestead to go so You know kind of a little more mental Work yeah and besides having a nice Christmas Even season having a week off It was nice it’s very nice taking a Little bit easy and playing in the snow A bit and uh just just gearing up here 2023 is going to be an interesting year And so Um certainly school traditional skills Is going to be growing we’ve got some Fun things for Homestead Family planned Hey we’ve got some on-site events can we Even tease that out we should go for it I think hey Um Joel saliton is going to be coming to Our farm here Riverbend actually to two Farms we’re doing a back-to-back consult With Joel and he’s going to come and do A tour here and give us a consult here At Riverbend and another Farm in the Area and we’re gonna be inviting some Folks like you to come join us in part Of class it’s going to be a paid event Um so anyways we’ll we’ll have more of That coming soon on the details on that But that’s exciting yeah and it’s very
Big teaching moment and uh so it’ll be Fun we are also looking forward to doing Something that we have not done before Yeah and that is it we’re going to be Speaking at a conference that’s right Brand new home brand new home state and Conference in the west yeah in the Western United States Haven’t had one out here and so uh our Good friend Melissa K Norris is heading That up what’s that called again I Believe it’s the modern homesteading Conference but I could be wrong I I’m Not great with the names yeah some of You I’m sure already have heard about it And if not look it up check it out oh We’ll put a link down it’s gonna be the I think it’s going to be the Homesteading event of 2023 in the Western United States and we’re actually Speaking three different times at that Conference so that’s going to be really Fun so we really hope you guys will be Able to join us come out and see us and Shake hands and I’d love to get to see You guys in person that’d be a lot of Fun yeah sure would yeah and maybe you Feel you can come out for that and get With the tool for Joel because Joel will Be speaking at that Joel Salton we’ll be Speaking along with Daniel saliton and a Whole lot of other great folks yeah yeah Lots of fun things yeah we’ll have to Get some more details on that out here
Soon we will good so yeah you’ve been And you’ve been playing in the snow This has been an interesting winter Weather-wise just even the last few gosh It has been from the beginning it Started really early we got snow Probably six weeks earlier We really had not much fall we went from Summer to Winter within a couple weeks Yeah and then we’ve had some of the Coldest weather that we’ve personally Seen yeah in North Idaho Um days in the negatives and uh it was Cold highs in the negatives yeah with Highs that’s definitely we know our Canada friends there you guys are used To this yeah they’re laughing yeah but Um but we’re chilly but then it warmed Up and then we have some warm weather Right behind that and so you know it’s It’s just been kind of all over the Place and it feels like a mishmash of a Year I guess to start off with so so You’ve been trying to keep up with that Around the homestead which creates a lot Of messes when it’s that cold and that’s Snowy and then you go to warm and It’s just you know it’s a mess one way To mess another way and I I heard a Great thing the other day I read it Actually at the chiropractors office When I was in there And it said it’s best to choose to have Joy in the weather
It was specifically about the snow have You read this I saw this yeah because if You don’t you’ll have less Joy but You’re still going to have the same Amount of snow and it made me just Really think about that but yeah we Might as well just go ahead and say boy It sure is beautiful it sure is fun to Get to have the different seasons isn’t It and what a good life principle right Not just you know life’s gonna throw at You what it throws at you you don’t get To choose a lot of that but we can Choose how we respond yeah our attitudes Are a lot of it that may be a good theme That may be a good thought for 2023 I Think so I think the 2023 may be Throwing a lot at us and uh you know you Know us we’re gonna we’re gonna tackle That with the positivity and solutions Yeah yep absolutely and remember what we Can change is our attitude and our Focus Right and the way we choose to look at It yeah choosing Joy nope absolutely Yeah all right ready to get into a few Questions okay that sounds good Um before we jump into that I actually Have two different things that I wanted To share I was really excited to get my Hands on Melissa K Norris’s brand new Book it is just out look at this book This is a serious book it’s called Everything worth preserving the complete Guide for food preservation at home
And this is a really really fun book This is actually a book I can see that I’m going to pull out over and over Again because it’s organized by the type Of produce and how you preserve it That’s nice so the preservation method Instead of the preservation method so That when you get it really is so when You get your peas in the snow peas start Coming in you can come and say okay what Can I do with all these peas to preserve Them and it has all the information here On all the different methods fermented Sugar snap peas yeah that sounds good Doesn’t it And the recipes look amazing so there’s A lot of really good stuff in here if You have not grabbed your copy yet I’ll Put a link down in the description for You but you do want to go ahead and get This on your shelf it’s going to be a Really good one that is pulled from over And over again and then the other thing I wanted to share is that we have our Brand new issue of the first 2023 issue First 23 issue of in the homestead Kitchen magazine out and in this one we Kind of went a different direction we’re Completely focused on fats in the Kitchen and this is something as a Homesteader you don’t get a lot of Support in studying I gotta say you know If you want to learn how to preserve Something or how to cook something you
Can go gosh you can go to Pinterest or You can go to allrecipes.com pull up Tons of recipes right but when it comes Down to actually using fats healthy fats And producing them on the homestead There’s not a lot of information out There so we dive into that in the Magazine we cover things like pork Roulettes making pork roulette so Preserving meat in its own fat we cover Rendering we cover compound Butters we Cover all sorts of really really good Stuff in there and so anyways you’re Going to want to check out that that It’s a digital magazine but I’ll put the Link down in the description to get also Very cool yeah it’s going to be okay Yeah really excited okay so let’s jump Right into some questions we have quite A few of them today Let’s see this one is from Jill Palmer On no more stinky chicken coops Jill says wonderful information thanks For sharing it all would there be any Benefit to inoculating the deep litter With mushroom spawn while it’s still on The floor of the coop or does that cause The deep litter to break down too Quickly wow that is a really cool Question I really like that and I I Can’t speak to that with a lot of Authority Um haven’t tried it and I haven’t talked To anybody that’s tried that Harvey and
I sure didn’t talk about that I think It’s a cool idea I think that it’s worth Trying I’m and I’m going off top of my Head here I can’t think of a negative to That I’m not sure how the environment deep Down would be because you’re starting to Lose the carbon and that mycelium is Going to thrive on the carbon so it’s Going to need to probably be up higher Those things are going across that the Higher carbon area of the soil which is Going to be up top in this environment And I guess my one concern is the Chickens might scratch it up just in There they’re working in in the area but I think it’s really uh I think that’s a Really cool idea as far as it causing The deep litter to break down too Quickly That’s a personal preference really I Don’t I mean there’s there’s no two Really no too quick in that environment It’s not like that’s a thermal Composting or something where you’re Worried about burning off nitrogen or Whatever so that’s more just you know How much do you want to manage if it Works the way you’re thinking it might Then yeah you might have to cycle Through your shavings in the coop a Little faster I’m gonna guess it’s a Little bit of a challenging environment With the manure coming down and the
Carbon mix and the chicken scratch you Know I’m gonna guess that’s just gonna Be a little bit of challenging to get it To be productive But I think it’s a it’s a Well Worthwhile experiment do you think There’d be enough And a lot a lot of moisture All because under the surface there is You know there’s enough yeah Um you know I think that’s fine Um so I don’t know I think that’s an Experiment I think it’s a really I think You should try it I think it’s worth Trying and then please let us know so You know I’d like I said I have my Reservations just without direct Experience that that uh it may not get Going great but I think it’s worth Trying so there you go check it out let Us know there you go Um okay wow chorus bradlin Cox 6187 on How to make your own lacto-fermented Sauerkraut can we put sauerkraut in the Same refrigerator as my sourdough Starter or raw yogurt good question like That yeah you know you’ve got a lot of Information floating around out there That you need to keep your ferments so Far apart so they don’t start Inoculating each other And in the kitchen This can be true especially if you have Open ferments going let’s say kombucha
And and sourdough starter it’s best if You give them a few part feet away from Each other because they will kind of Start taking over each other yeah Exactly swapping Critters Um and you know honestly I’ve done all Sorts of ferments right next to each Other and cultures in the kitchen and Not had a problem with it but if you do Have any sort of a challenge with Starting Cultures of any sort Some kitchens are more challenging than Others to start cultures in then keep Them further apart now that said when You put something like a vegetable Ferment into the refrigerator That’s once it’s done with its active Ferment period and you’re going to lock Down that cap so that means you don’t Have an open ferment just sitting there It shouldn’t be a problem Um same thing with your sourdough Starter when you put that in the Refrigerator that should be locked down Because you don’t want it to dry out Yogurt also so as long as it’s locked Down the the lid is on all the way or It’s in an airtight container of some Sort which all of these things should be In when they go to your refrigerator you Shouldn’t have that cross-contamination Problem at all So in the refrigerator I don’t think
It’s a problem if it’s out on your Counter actively fermenting and bubbling And spewing things into the environment Then you do probably want to keep them Separated a little bit very cool yeah Good okay let’s see Jaina on my pantry is overflowing ass I Love the bottles you have cider in where Did you get them oh well those are a Girl style bottle the the flip caps with The seals reusable Lids those are very Very nice they’re certainly easier to Bottle than using you know little caps In the bottle crimper and everything Though they’re a bit more expensive We actually got a lot of R’s from a shop Up across the border in Canada that’s Where we’ve got a lot of those but you Can search those online I’m pretty sure We we have a lot I haven’t bought any in A while we you can get them on Amazon Yeah so and we could probably even Provide a link right down below so Um for some of those yeah the fun thing With those is that you can get them all Different sizes and so we have nice Little ones that we actually do single Every person in the household has their Own kombucha bottle oh yeah that gets Refilled kind of squarish ones yeah they Come in different you know colors glass And you just look at the swing top Bottles and different sizes but those More girl style kind of those are a
Little more geared towards Brewing Specifically and uh yeah yeah it does Work out really well because they do Block a little bit of the light the Amber color specifically does Um they we do have green glass bottles Over there and unless they say UV Blocking they are not actually easy on Brown if you want UV blocking the blue Is pretty but it doesn’t do anything for The light so it just protects it for a Little bit longer yeah Uh okay let’s see six Pam Howard 5852 on my pantry is Overflowing what’s the difference Between freeze drying versus dehydrating On the shelf life Ah that’s a good Question So freeze drying uses a freeze drying Machine and that’s where it is Under vacuum and this is a key component Under vacuum it’s alternating dropping The temperature down really low like Into the negative 40 range and then Raising it up to a fairly warm State Think 120 degrees it’s a pretty broad Range that it’s going back and forth and It’s under vacuum and it’s sucking out The moisture freeze-dried foods freeze Dryer will remove about 99 of moisture When it comes to Foods dehydrator on the Other hand is some form of blowing air Possibly hot air or warm air over food In order to remove moisture also kind of
The same principle it doesn’t have the Temperature fluctuation and it’s not Under the the vacuum chamber where it’s Really sucking stuff out so you’re Getting closer to about a 95 percent Dehydrate duration that’s better than I Was thought I was remembering that’s Good it’s actually not too bad in that Case and it depends on how dry you want Something you have a lot of flexibility When it comes to dehydrating versus Freezing freeze drying is gonna it is What it is it is what it is yeah whereas Is dehydrating you have a lot of Flexibility what that means though is That with removing so much of that Moisture from the freeze-dried food it Really does extend the Um the shelf life so as long as it’s Properly stored which would mean kind of In a vacuumed or sealed airtight Container and out of direct light then Um and it’s an it’s not a high fat item That’s kind of a key component to this If it has a lot of fat in it it won’t Last as long but you can get up to 25 Years they say with pretty much full Nutritional density out of a Freeze-dried food that’s phenomenal that Is not exist just in just about any Other type of food preservation why you Need 25 years I’m not sure but that’s What they say that’s what they say so You know I like to look at it and say
Well if you can get 25 years then you Should be able to get to the next Harvest cycle with a really good Nutrient density right that’s what that Says to me Um the dehydrator on the other hand uh Has great uses wonderful love our Dehydrator and we use it all the time Even with the freeze dryers on hand but Uh but it does start to decline in Nutritional value much more quickly and It’s one of those things that you really Need to be replacing your dehydrated Food every year in order to keep some Semblance of nutritional density so big Difference in uh shelf life on the two Yeah but you know in a lot of ways There’s similarity in the preservation They do end up being fairly different Products though well they really do and You’ve got more flexibility with the Dehydrator and the type of product you Can create flexibility on when you stop Dehydrating right and so what what kind Of consistency how you use it yeah you Know where the freeze dryer pretty much Just takes all the moisture out yeah and You’re generally gonna you know fully Rehydrate it but I heard some of that Fruit some of that fruit is was Raspberries are really really good right Dehydration needed so I actually have a Video comparing the two of them out Where I took the same food and I
Freeze-dried some and I dehydrated some So that you could look at the difference Between the two so we’ll put a link to That in the description for you very Cool good okay What about this one tackling the Giants On my pantry is overflowing how do you Grow the mushrooms do you grow them from Seed where did you get them from I’m Interested thanks yes mushrooms actually Don’t grow from seeds they produce Spores which turns into a mycelium and The bulk of what we call a mushroom is The mycelium which is actually under the Soil surface so the mushrooms are just The reproductive product of that Mycelium to come up and release spores So that it will spread essentially so It’s those spores that spread it but When it comes to like you want to use Mushrooms and and plant them somewhere You’re going to obtain the mycelium Generally from somebody these days you Can order it online I would suggest if You do that that you go to one of the Reputable guys that are out there Teaching on it Trad cotters who comes to Mind there’s another guy named Peter They’re the two main mushroom guys out There in our world in the homesteading World that are teaching us that are Going to be very reputable and I’m not Sure that both of them sell one of them Does so I’m not remembering the details
Because we have a local source so that’s The other thing you can do we’ve got a Great local Source at least for the type We’re using right now kingster 4A we Will probably get into others eventually But we’re just really getting this going And and doing it like low management Just like put it out there forget about It see what happens Um but you just that’s our favorite Style of everything well that was what Was so cool about the mushrooms this Year is you know and that’s what’s cool About perennial systems you put them in There they grow and they don’t take the Work year after year that an annual Garden takes so they’re very essential To a resilient Homestead but the Mushrooms come into this place as well While you can Farm them and do a really Intense thing you can get them going in Areas and generally you take wood Shavings or hardwood wood shavings we do Them in the walkways of our Gardens Between the beds and you just put that Down into the wood shavings and mycelium And you let it do its thing and it takes Off and Starts to grow and eventually when the Season is right and different mushrooms Are different we actually had the Kingston for it coming up All summer and fall you know yes Constantly we were amazed at how many we
Had and so anyways the conditions have To be right but it’s it’s pretty simple So look locally to see if you have Anybody and if not just find a good line Online Source but it’s the mycelium that You’re looking for to inoculate as a Term so we’re not really planting seeds We’re inoculating a very carbon Rich Material like wood shavings with Mycelium There you have it there is something Really special about going out to the Garden to go harvest broccoli and other Things like that and then like oh look At all the mushrooms we have to harvest Today as they were popping up in between The other plants and right along the Roads it’s kind of a fun thing to do I Think everybody really enjoyed that just The experience of having the mushrooms Out there but then getting to bring them In and eat them and preserve them and no Work no work to maintain them and so you Know this is kind of the second question That’s touched on this so I’m going to Suggest it’s a good experiment it’s a Good 2023 project doesn’t take a lot of Work once you get the mycelium we’re Going to be doing this in an area that Has some fruit trees in it because that That mycelium benefits the fruit trees It’s got heavy wood shavings but it also Will turn the wood shavings into rich Soil yes and uh we have a guy up here
Permaculture guy that’s done this Demonstration across his little farm and It’s a phenomenal in converting into Soil so it can help you build soil as Well that that takes a lot more a little Larger scale but definitely something For you to check out and learn about Because it’s it’s a food source that you Can get going you can build soil and Create yourself a great food source by Just putting it in the ground and pretty Much letting it go that’s fun when you Can get those stacked functions like That Let’s see what about this okay Um Tracy Becker 6669 on home remedies For congestion can you reheat the Leftover liquid and use it again wow you Better give us a little context there Yeah so this is the an herbal remedy for A deep chest congestion and it works Really well to loosen everything up and Get things coming out and doing what They’re supposed to do Um it is a type of steam so you have a Liquid you get it nice and hot and then You put your head over it you know with A towel over it Um so she’s asking if the liquid can Then be reheated and used a second time And yes it can but it will be Significantly Less potent and there are a couple Reasons for that but the main one is
That the herbs in it and the apple cider Vinegar that are in that both dissipate With the steam yeah so so the the Essential oils that are in those herbs Are coming out in the steam that’s just What they do and so every time you go to Use it you’re going to have Significantly less so if you’re really In a position where you’re just super Pinched on the budget and you just have To make less work then yes you can but It’s just not going to be as effective That second or that third time and so if You can I really recommend just making It fresh every time cool yeah you can go Dump it out in your compost pile Afterwards you can dump it in your Garden it’ll be good for everything so You don’t have to feel like you’re Wasting it and just pouring it down the Sink because I know that does feel a Little wasteful but It’s best if you just make it fresh yeah You want to tackle this last one before We move on to share yeah talking about 20 we can both answer our favorite way Yeah so Alyssa listen Alyssa D Walters I Think sorry uh Alyssa and Walters I Don’t know anyways on Pantry chat is Overflowing what is your favorite way to Make venison you can you tackle that one First and then you know what I use Venison just like I use beef honestly I Pretty much just
Cook it however we’re gonna cook Something and we’re gonna have spaghetti Then we just use ground venison in the Spaghetti if we’re gonna have tacos we Just cook up a roast and shred it and You know make it into tacos so I do tend To season it a little heavier than I Would a regular beef cut but aside from That you do have to be aware that it Usually has a little less fat so you Usually have to compensate for that in The cooking yeah but as far as the Recipes I use it for I cannot just use The same old recipes okay well I’ve got I’ve got three ways oh good okay canned Out of all the canned Meats to me Venison is one of the best just the Flavor of it consistency of it Um in a good Hunter’s pie Is really really good as far as the meat In that style of of pie I don’t know What else to call it but you know Cooking really really good and then What’s a lot of fun is probably one of My favorites because this is more of an Interactive and that is when we take and We do this on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s and we take a full leg roast and We kind of do a spit a hanging spinning Spit by the fire and we roast it next to A fire not over and have it on wire Where it turns and we slow cooked that For hours that way and then peel it off As the kids are ice skating and the
Adults are standing around the fire Talking so that that’s probably my Number one yeah those are all really Good ways to make venison so I gotta Agree in that in the Hunter’s pie we Pretty much just make like a shepherd’s Pie but we replace it with the venison But it’s good but it’s really good that Way I gotta agree with you I might spend A little more time thinking about that Because I sit in the tree stand for Hours upon hours or hike through the Snow day after day sometimes yeah and uh So I’m maybe spend a little more time Dreaming about what you’re going to do Which way and and the kids and I talk About that a bit absolutely I like Venison I just don’t have special Recipes particularly that we use for it So well and it does a lot of it just you Know it goes to the freezer we’ve got a Big house we have a lot of people to Feed and so a lot of it goes into the Daily flow and you replace it for beef Or whatever and it works great it does It’s good stuff and we’re always Thankful to have the extra meat yeah we Are so we wanted to really quickly touch On planning for the 23 year and we have Not actually done it yeah we’re just Totally transparent here yeah we’re just We’re just starting ours but I’ve got Some thoughts yeah probably got some Thoughts absolutely and you know you can
Go back we have multiple Pantry chats Where we really talk about diving in to The planning for the year but at the Heart of planning we find that sitting Down at the beginning of the year Listing out the projects that both of us Are thinking talking about listing out The calendar the big calendar dates Trying to get those nailed out listing Out things like when are we going to Bring the poultry in if we’re ordering In poultry you know do we have the seeds That we need for the garden what are the Dates we’re going to put you know main Crop garden and when are we going to Start seeds when are we going to butcher When are we going to butcher those are Animals how sometimes we do it ourselves Sometimes we send it out yeah and Looking at all of those different kind Of main pieces of the year really helps Us to get a framework for the year that Make sure that everything kind of fits In Um there’s a lot of projects that can Weave in and out between things you know They don’t really have a timed date Attached to them or or specific amounts Of time but then there are these other Things that you know you need to know if You’re getting meat chickens on this Date you really can plan out pretty much Exactly when you need to Butcher and you Should have those on the calendar now
Before everything else starts happening Around the year and you go ahead and go Purchase your meat chickens and get them Ordered to come on the time when it Works for you to be able to then butcher That many weeks later depending on what Type of chickens you’re getting so that Just has really helped us to create a Framework for our Homestead year well And help the homestead year flow instead Of just going at it and kind of we’ve Got these ideas in our head and we just Go at it and we order chickens when it’s Time to order chickens and that you know All these different things so that Really helps you stagger things out it Then helps you do you know tackle bigger Projects most of us don’t have the ideal Property and we are developing a piece Of property and so for me right now in This type of season we are a lot of our Homesteading activities were still doing These things but they’ve become pretty Routine yeah so they take less less Effort to you know do the garden Planning figure out the butchering how Many chickens are we ordering this year You know a lot of those different things A lot of those Um take lots of brain space at this Point to me and in my perspective they Roll Along And it’s the projects that we’re doing And how do we fit those in to where they
Are doable and and we’re not setting Ourselves up to fail And yeah we’re still trying to move Ahead on our goals we’re also not Inadvertently forgetting something to The last minute we’ve had years where it Started to get cold and we’ve gone oh no We have not gotten firewood done you Know that’s not good that does not help Anybody’s stress level it doesn’t help To stay ahead of the curve when it comes To homesteading and so if you sit down And you’re looking at those dates right Now at the very beginning of the year And say hey where is the ideal moment to Get firewood on the calendar and get it On the calendar now then you can get all Those pieces in flow I’ve got one lesson Learned from this last year okay garlic We need to start putting garlic on the Calendar we literally were like that was A you know we’re gonna do it we’re gonna Do it we’re gonna do it we didn’t put it On the calendar we know generally we Want to do it in October uh you know Early October and we didn’t get it on we Never we’ve and we never have scheduled That which is kind of silly now that I’m Sitting here thinking about it Absolutely you need to put Garlic on the Counter because we got it in barely Before the ground froze hard like as in 12 hours before the ground froze type of Yeah and what were we doing we were
Pushing stuff aside and Russians like oh My goodness we haven’t done this our Last chance is now instead of having a Calendar and calendared yeah and that Was a big stress point right in there so Absolutely We’re definitely guilty of all of this And so every year we’re learning about More and more things and it’s helping us I think to to just smooth the year out And to not be in such a last minute Jam Things are going to happen that are Going to cause that last minute Jam no Matter what every single year yeah but We don’t need to do it voluntarily by Not being planned ahead so we don’t have A lot of time left and we haven’t done All our planning yet so let’s do a Little quick planning and I’ll ask you What are a couple of your big hopefuls So so bigger projects we know we’re Doing Gardens we’re not doing any major Changes the gardens right viruses are Going to grow a little bit so I’m a lot Of these basic activities are pretty Status quo minor adjustments so but we Are especially these first several years Of tackling tackling larger projects on The homestead in the house what are a Couple that are high priority for you That you’re hoping to see happen this Year this year for me one of the things That’s my goal is to keep working on Extending the Harvest of things like
Fresh greens into the off season so that Might mean bringing in more cold frames Or making more cold frames and being a Little more thought out about starting Seeds indoors even in the middle of Summer to put out for fall plants so That we’ve got some plants that are up To size and can can go so that’s kind of A big piece for me okay what’s one for You wow what’s one for me Um I’ve got several what’s the top one Um wow probably uh continuing to extend The barn we spend a lot of time on the Roof here with the snow and managing Manure and wood shavings and we’ve made A huge step this year Um but we quite and but our beef herd is Growing a little bit and we still have Some things so kind of getting that Barn To its final stage we’ve been working on It for several years I’m hoping to wrap That up this year do an addition on one Side and finish some stalls on the Interior to kind of have that Infrastructure in and done and we can Still play with it but it’s there so That’s one of my top ones oh I like that One you got another one that’ll be good Uh continuing work on The Root Cellar Eating their root salad She didn’t say finishing The Root Cellar I was for sure you’d put that in that’s What she’s hoping she’s hoping The Root
Cellar is done I am hoping for that and Well we’re in agreement on that one We’re hoping for that but it is a large Project it’s a large Root Cellar and We’re trying to do all the materials we Have which then we bought Stones big Stones least expensive we could get to Do the walls we’re going to do the roof With trees which means I’ve got to cut Them down Mill them a little bit get Them in place and that’s that’s A lot to do but there you go so there’s There’s a couple good projects for this Year and that’s the way we do it we just Sit down we record them on paper and Then we look at them and kind of go What’s realistic what can we actually do What what’s high priority what moves the Whole Homestead forward versus just you Know this is Carolyn’s Little Pet Project versus you know and some of Those make it in there too right we like To of course keep ourselves uh engaged And enjoying what we’re doing but um but We just go through that and we start Prioritizing it and then you take the Ones that you think you can do take your Wish list might be big Whittle it down What you think you can do and then start To put in order operations and you go at It All right we encourage you guys to do The same put in the comments below Um what big projects you’re working on
This year what are you doing what are Your goals your hopes and dreams for 2023. share share with everybody so guys It’s been great to hang out with you Have a wonderful beginning to the year And we will see you soon goodbye goodbye
