Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Independence Day - Seven Trees style!

Just got 2 cords of firewood delivered yesterday. This combined with what we already have will keep us warm through the up-coming winter. What a good feeling to know we have this crucial part of our health & welfare taken care of.

Check out these Kingston Black apples! Prettier than any fireworks to me. They are an old traditional hard-cider apple and our ancestors used to consider them the best variety. They also figured 6 apple trees per person on a farmstead, to make enough for the year's drinking. We'll stick with our 3 apples trees for cider, sauce and drying. Also notice the giant berry patch in the background. We'll be scrambling to keep up with the blackberries come August, but a freezer full makes the winter so much sweeter. Not to mention jam and mead!
Happy critters sure make a stead independent from eating factory-farmed food. Stella seems pregnant enough that Bob is going home a week early. Next spring we'll have plenty of clean, fresh, healthy milk, and a calf to raise or sell. The chickens also make up a huge portion of our protein independence - eggs and stewing birds are a wonderful treat. And all the critters help us be independent from chemical fertilizers. Their manure and bedding are what makes the next picture so green and lush.
The garden. Last year it was "lawn" with a few raised beds. Now it's practically leaping over the garden fence and knocing on the back door. With some care and labor, we'll harvest and preserve enough food to keep us well-fed for a year, with plenty to share with humans and critters.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Your garden looks wonderful! I have quit drinking milk 'till I can find fresh from the cow/goat/sheep milk or have my own. So sick of buying expensive milk that's full of nothing good for you!