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I ordered our first chickens on a whim - it was an impulsive decision that was brewing in my head for a few months after we bought our homestead. Who knew you could order chicks online with the click of a button?. My goal was simple - I wanted farm fresh eggs and this was the first step to accomplish that goal, right? I've always heard of Tractor Supply and chick days, but until that April day, I've never really thought about purchasing anything from Tractor Supply - I never needed to [this has changed, SO much].
I scrolled through the breed varieties that they offer on their website, the chicks were sold from Hoover's Hatchery, I had a lot to learn and I'm grateful they offered a lot of info. When you search for "chicks" on their website [www.tractorsupply.com], you can filter options by "purpose, sex, bird breed, life stage, price". Most chicks come in quantities of 10 per order and they vary by price depending on the breed. There is an assortment of chicks that are considered egg layers, meat chickens or dual purpose. You can also select a few varieties and compare them amongst each other. When you decide on the breed that works best for your family needs and climate, you will be asked to select a sex. Most of the time, the slightly cheaper option is to order them "unsexed", however this can be risky because you can end up with an uneven ratio of males + females, the sex of the chick is not guaranteed. If you have the option of selecting females, which you would need for eggs, you have about a 90% chance that they will all be females.
After going back and forth between comparing the breeds - we decided that we would order 10 FEMALE White Leghorns and 10 UNSEXED Cinnamon Queens. 
The above graphic gives you an idea of the reasons we decided to start our chicken journey with the two breeds. Both of them are laying big and beautiful eggs and I'm very happy with my decision to get them. At the time of purchasing the female White Leghorns cost us $3.49 each and the unsexed Cinnamon Queens cost us $2.69 each, we lucked out and all 20 were female! I'll be sharing our journey with our chickens in the near future! Do you have chickens? What breeds do you have?
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 Homesteading can be defined as a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. Here on our homestead we are just dipping our toes as it’s our very first year. Our children [Jack,5 & Emilia, 3] are involved in everything we do. I think the opportunity to see that they have the ability to grow their own food or build things with their own hands is extremely beneficial to them. They hear many of the topics we discuss, what our goals are and how we want to achieve them. Some of the homesteading activities in which our kids have participated in with us include: growing produce in our garden [tilling/planting/weeding], harvesting our produce [collecting in baskets/separating veggies/organizing them], preserving our produce [pickling/drying/freezing], building things around the homestead [poultry tractor/brooder], raising waterfowl + poultry [ducklings/chicks/poults/keets], harvesting our meat birds [scalding/plucking/gutting/portioning], sheering sheep [learning about how + why].. etc As much as I am growing and learning through homesteading, so are our children. What do you do with your kids on your homestead? 
Time is flying by, faster than ever before, the long awaited 2021 is nearly here. Twenty twenty has been an extremely eventful year for us personally, however - it goes without saying that the world has changed in ways we never thought it would. A quote I see floating around, "we're all in the same storm, but some of us are in different boats". Never assume that your own journey is the same as someone else's. As much as the above is true, I think it's also important to not discount your own [our own] journey - y[our] own success, even if it came in a year that will be remembered for many damaging and sad memories.
Some days, it's hard to believe that we are here. In 2020, we sold our very first house and bought our 1800s farmhouse. We worked diligently to source our own products before we even found contractors. Fixing up a fixer upper sure proved to be a challenge, mostly because Adam and I didn't do too much of the work ourselves - we needed plumbers, electricians, roofers, structural specialists, tilers, + more. Amongst the pandemic we were met with product tardiness, contractors quitting on us or not showing up at all. Permits took much longer, it really felt like the world was shutting down - how would we finish our home? 
Thankfully, we were able to finalize the reno and move in within 5 months - and I mean, new plumbing, new electric, new roof + all new interior. It was well worth the time it took - especially considering we opted for moving forward without a general contractor, but it couldn't have been done without my husband, my dad, my brother & his father in law. Overall, connections within the family were how we were able to find most of the right people to get the jobs done.
We had big plans for 2020 - truthfully, we achieved more than I bargained for. My main focus and goal was our house, that was the most important. Our property of 15 acres had been neglected for almost fifteen years when we bought it, so it was a huge undertaking to clean it of the brush, roots + rock that have made themselves feel at home here. For the first time ever, we worked really hard physically to clear the property beginning in early February and we managed to get it done! Much of it was a grand effort from all of our family members - everyone helped out here or there but also, huge thanks goes to my Dad and his tractors!
We had hoped and talked about "one day" having chickens + other livestock.. but without delay, I bit the bullet, ordered my poultry + waterfowl and BOOM. Before we knew it we managed to successfully raise + harvest 40 cornish cross meat chickens, 10 white broad breasted turkeys + 3 pekin ducks. Our homestead remains home to 7 pekin, 10 cinnamon queen hens, 9 white leghorn hens, 1 easter egger rooster, 10 guinea fowl, 9 mixed breed sheep, 2 barn cats + our beagle, Mia. How the heck did we pull that off?! The desire to raise our own meat + the connection to our land. Our family goes by the quote "chciec to moc" - if you want it, you can do it... or "where there's a will theres a way".
This summer, we also extended what was left of a garden plot - 40ft x23ft, and I was able to feed my family for nearly six months without purchasing vegetables from a grocery store. I have never truly gardened before - this was my first year, and I fell so deeply in love with the dirt I can hardly wait to get back in the spring. I learned to pickle, water bath can, + preserve much of our harvest.
We're a day away from 2021 and we’re checking things off our list of dreams one by one. Within a few days, we should finalize our barn renovation. 2020 has encouraged us to grow, without limitations. It has sparked and curated a hobby + a new lifestyle. We already have plans for 2021 - adding piglets within two weeks or so, adding trees to our orchard - and berry bushes, and bees! One day I hope to add a family milk cow, but for now, I look forward to our very first sheep lambing season where I will learn to milk my sheep. I came across a quote from a fellow instagrammer today, that could not be more perfect for closing out this post - “We’re spoiled + we know it, we’re thankful + we boast it.” CHEERS to 2020 + every year moving forward. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TO!
The only radish variety I have been familiar with, up until now - is a vibrant + crunchy spring radish, always expecting just a little bit of heat. Growing up, we would eat them raw as snacks or we would slice them thinly and eat them on sandwiches. In early 2020, I was placing an order with Baker Creek Seeds, and I was intrigued by the following.
CHINESE SHAWO FRUIT: A unique bright green radish from North China. It's known in Beijing as a fruit radish because the roots are crisp and sweet it is similar in texture and taste to pear. Baker Creek says it grows well only in cool weather and is great for a fall planting. To get the sweet fruit like favor it must be grown in the right conditions, otherwise it can be considered to be quite spicy.
JAPANESE MINOWASE DAIKON: It's a popular old Japanese favorite, the giant white roots grow to 24 inches long and 3inches wide. This radish was sweet and very crisp, They were really nice in size. PUSA JAMUNI: This radish is a soft lavender-to-purple color from pith to skin and is exceptionally spicy - almost like horseradish. A nutritious root crop and Baker Creek recommends this variety sliced thin and eaten raw or pickled. This heirloom occasionally produces a few white-rooted radishes - but and I would say my harvest was about 50% white-50% bright purple, but I didn't mind because they were just as beautiful. This radish is an antioxidant packed variety from India + apparently It’s best grown in the fall. These seeds were originally supposed to be for my Spring 2021 garden, but sometime in the summer - I accidentally left my box of brand new seeds outside.. they all got wet and sprouted! Instead of tossing thousands of seeds in the garbage, I took a risk and put them all in the garden.
Thankfully, they all thrived in the cool fall weather and in a few short months - they were ready to harvest. Here they are in their glory, showing off their stunning colors.
I absolutely loved the raw + crunchy flavors of the Chinese Shawo Fruit and the Japanese Minowase Daikson. Both of them were truly mild and sweet. The Pusa Jamuni however, was far too spicy for me personally, I wish I had the chance to pickle these beauties but instead, I roasted them all for recent dinners. When roasted at 350F with some salt, pepper + olive oil, the "spiciness" totally goes away and these radishes are delicious. I will most definitely be growing these the same. Have you ever tried these varieties? Let me know!
INGREDIENTS:
1 LB GROUND PORK 1 HEAD OF CABBAGE 2 CUPS FINELY GROUND BREADCRUMBS 2 EGGS 1TSP SALT 1TSP BLACK PEPPER 1 CUP OF COOKED RICE (ROOM TEMPERATURE) 2 SMALL ONIONS HANDFUL CHOPPED FRESH PARSLEY 28OZ FAVORITE MARINARA 2TBSP EXTRA LIGHT VIRGIN OLIVE OIL AROMATICS: CELERY STALK, LEEK, DILL, PARSLEY {OPTIONAL} 
DIRECTIONS:
1. Wash your cabbage - remove any dirty or ripped outer layer leaves, remove the stalk from the center. 2. Fill a large enough pot with water + submerge the whole head of cabbage, cover and place on high heat. 3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook the cabbage until the leaves become tender. 4. While you wait for the cabbage, make your filling: chop up your onions and sauté them in the olive oil on medium high heat until they soften up, set them aside to cool. 5. In a large bowl combine ground pork, fresh parsley, breadcrumbs, salt + pepper, and eggs. 6. Once your cabbage leaves are tender, separate them away from the head. Using a paring knife, cut thick stem in the center of each leaf, almost in a triangular shape. 7. Preheat your oven to 375F, prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish by spreading 1 cup of your favorite marinara sauce on the bottom of the pan. 8. Prepare the rolls: Lay cabbage leaf on flat surface with the cut out portion towards you, place 1/4cup - 1/2cup of filling in the middle of each cabbage leaf (depending on size of leaf). 9. Starting from the bottom, roll the leaf up halfway, then fold in the sides, and finally roll it all forward until the leaf completely covers the filling. Repeat with all of the remaining cabbage leaves + filling. 10. Place the gołąbki in the baking dish seam side down. Arrange them together nice and snug next to one another. If you'd like to add extra flavor, arrange the optional aromatics in between gołąbki. Pour the remainder of the marinara over the rolls and bake for 45min-1hr or until cooked through. Serve while warm with mashed potatoes or bread! Enjoy
When we purchased our house, this bathroom felt like a blank canvas. The walls were bare + the floor was literally plywood. There was a tiled shower space - big beige tiles, not my style, but the size was great - it's a really big bathroom. I envisioned a corner tub from the get go, a double vanity + the toilet already had new water pipes installed in the appropriate location. It was a matter of making it my own.
I've left links under the photos, but there a few things like the door + it's hardware that are antiques. The space is still missing just a couple of finishing touches, but I'm confident that with time, it will all come together.
LINKS!
Let me know what you think of the renovation in the comments below! I know it's not everyone's style, but I truly love it.
TIMELINE OF THE RENOVATION:
DECEMBER 2019
closed on the house researched contractors got estimates picked out flooring/tile dad bought a tractor looked for inspiration on pinterest + instagram used free online programs to design kitchen [ikea] dad started clearing the property using a brush hog JANUARY 2020 construction began new: plumbing, electric, [some] windows purchased: appliances, flooring, tile, bathtub, vanities FEBRUARY 2020 new: heating + cooling system, roof, gutters property clean up, garden prep MARCH 2020 [hey covid] new: insulation, basement concrete, sheetrock installed: bathtub purchased: kitchen cabinets, butcher block cleared fields from rocks listed our "first house" for sale by owner APRIL 2020 new: red oak flooring, primed all walls planned to transform old water well house into chicken coop picked the stain + stained the floors fixed up coop door MAY 2020: new: bathroom + laundry floor tile, driveway qp, kitchen door, garden fence painted coop painted+ installed front door finished all exterior construction fixed front porch installed kitchen cabinets, sink + appliances, half bath wallpaper installed chicken run planted full garden back deck demo built back deck painted interior [benjamin moore chantilly lace] JUNE 2020: WE MOVED IN! 
All in all, the project itself moved fairly quickly - especially since we subcontracted individuals for specific projects, but with covid - quarantines + lockdowns, things took a bit longer here and there.
We've officially been in our home for six months, we still have a list of things that need to get done - but eventually it will all come together. Stay tuned for future posts + keep an eye out to see how the house turned out! |
