Permaculture Homestead & Farm Design Gallery | High Sierra Permaculture

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:: How to solve problems without burying your head

:: How to solve problems without burying your head in the sand ::
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It’s not possible to solve a problem on the level that created it said our old friend Mr. Einstein.
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And our personal reality is a direct reflection of where our attention is.
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I’m my experience, we can be aware of the current situation, only holding it lightly, instead of being gripped by fear and worry.
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And I’m this place is where solutions arise.
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This pandemic will reside, the economy will rebound, humanity will survive. And if we shift from a problem-focused mentality to a solution-focused mentality it will happen 10x as fast.
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Now it certainly eases the difficult times of one is prepared - with seed, herbal medicine, nutrient dense foods from your garden, well water, off-grid power, a self-sustaining business etc.
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So, in challenging times I encourage people to empower themselves with knowledge, the kind of knowledge that makes turbulent times easy: Permaculture.
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If your attention is on negative news etc you can position yourself better by taking the time to learn valuable skills instead.
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And together we can make it all fall away 🙂
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#permaculture #selfsufficiency #growyourown #coronavirus #off-grid #sustainable #sustainableliving #yurt #healthyfood #mindset

:: Producerism vs Consumerism :: . I made this ben

:: Producerism vs Consumerism ::
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I made this bench in less than 30 minutes with free materials around instead of driving to a Target and buying one.
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Producerism is sustainable, self-reliant, can generate income and much more.
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Sure we all sometimes have to buy things, because the materials are not available or the skills require an expert.
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But the more we shift towards using our time to produce - goods, food, clothing and the like, the bigger the impact we can have.
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So, what’s one thing you would like to TRY to produce yourself?
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#permaculture #selfsufficiency #sustainableliving #selfsufficient #sustainable #diy #recycledmaterials

Caught off guard with the snow storm because I tho

Caught off guard with the snow storm because I thought it was too warm to actually stick!
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Oh well, extract our Subie that slid off our road and then hunker down for a snowy night next to the woodstove 😉
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#yurt #yurtlife #homestead #permaculture #tinyhouse #sustainableliving #mountainliving #snow #snowday #yurtliving #yurts #tinyhousemovement

Yurt in the woods. . Fall is very much here, morni

Yurt in the woods.
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Fall is very much here, mornings are cold and the woodstove crackling plus the smell of coffee are my favorite.
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But we still wait for the rains to come and end fire season so we can rest peacefully.
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#mountainlife #homestead #tinyhouse #yurtlife #permaculture #yurtlife #sustainableliving

Flashback to 3 years ago, building our yurt! Swipe

Flashback to 3 years ago, building our yurt! Swipe left for the finished view.

Hard to believe we’ve been living here for 3 years now. It feels like home, so cosy and all uniquely ours.

To know we built each part of this home - the floor, the walls, the inner workings of a home, milled wood, reclaimed the kitchen from a tear down, made light fixtures - it’s the most special place to look around and see all the places our hands touched.

As we wind down into the cold winter months I am very much looking forward to taking some much-needed downtime next to that fireplace.

#yurt #tinyhome #alternativeliving #permaculture #homesteading #vanlife #tinyhouse #offgrid

Luffa! Did you know you can grow your own sponges?

Luffa! Did you know you can grow your own sponges?? This was a really fun crop to grow this year for the first time - and now we have sponges for dishes or exfoliating.

Now, I didn’t know these were a vegetable until recently not a sea sponge... never really stopped to think about it I guess. But these cool vegetables are in the cucurbit family (where you’ll find cucumbers and other squashes and gourds). They made a beautiful wall of vines along the fence, they love to climb. The most gratifying was to peel open that first one to see what was inside and lo and behold - a luffa sponge!Maybe the giddy excitement was because it’s not a common garden plant we’ve ever grown before, but I’m pretty happy with how they turned out.

#luffa #permaculture #homestead #offgrid #homesteading #growyourown #organicfood #groworganic

:: Nature Eyes :: . Little ones see so much becaus

:: Nature Eyes ::
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Little ones see so much because they don’t have the conditional blinders that life tends to give us.
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He saw a double rainbow while I missed it on my mission to get somewhere else, though the photo didn’t pick up the second rainbow.
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The only way we will improve our lives and this world is to do the hard work of removing our blinders and doing our best to show the next generation openness, inquiry, self-reflection and connection.
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No amount of gardening, activism or meditation will have as big of an impact.
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This is his planet and home now and I’m committed to making it better for him.
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#permaculture #homestead #fatherandson #truewisdom #parenting #nature #sustainableliving

:: Fall Is Here :: . It’s time to harvest and pr

:: Fall Is Here ::
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It’s time to harvest and prepare for the winter.
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I’m paying for not honoring the seasons last year and working tirelessly through the winter - but not this year.
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I’ve grown smarter - or maybe lazier.
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Either way fall is my favorite season on the land with the colors, the cool air and the early darkness offset by the glow of a woodstove.
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PS @earthenartistry makes much of our pottery, isn’t it awesome??
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#homestead #sustainableliving #permaculture #gyo #growyourown #organichgardening #pottery #potterylife

Grow 365 days a year... . Visited the manufacturer

Grow 365 days a year...
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Visited the manufacturer of these geodesic greenhouses to see options for cold climate winter growing.
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Orientation, thermal mass (koi pond here), and circulating air are key to regulating temperatures in a structure year round.
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#growyourown #permaculture #gyo #organicgardening #sustainableliving #homestead #homesteading

Big harvest day! 🌱 Onions, spaghetti squash, ka

Big harvest day! 🌱 Onions, spaghetti squash, kale, basil, chocolate mint, strawberries, ground cherries, calendula seeds and dried flowers.
Not pictured was 20lbs of tomatillos and tomatoes! .... now - need to dry the herbs, process the tomatoes, store the onions and eat the strawberries!

#permaculture #harvest #organicgardening #homesteading #homesteadgarden #growyourown #rootcellar #canning #homestead #offgrid

:: Exercise = Product :: . Permaculture seeks to p

:: Exercise = Product ::
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Permaculture seeks to produce instead of consume.
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So one of my exercise routines all year long includes preparing the years firewood - 4 chords of it.
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I thin the forest of unhealthy or dead trees, making room for new growth.
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Limb, buck and split the rounds to dry in spring and summer.
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Not only does the work keep me healthy it heats my home in the (second) most sustainable way - directly from the land.
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The more yields we get from any activity the less of an impact there is on the environment, the more time and money is saved.
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And yes it is ironic that I melt all summer preparing wood to stay warm in the winter 🤣
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#permaculture #sustainableliving #beard #woodheat #beards #goodlife

I get surprised when people propose building machi

I get surprised when people propose building machines to suck excess carbon out of the atmosphere (carbon is the main gas that causes atmospheric warming) when trees already do that, require no operator and produce food!
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#permaculture #sustainableliving #growyourown #organicgardening #sevengenerations

It’s always a good day with you polish up the ca

It’s always a good day with you polish up the cast iron! These babies might take a bit more work than the modern pans - but I love them and would never go back.

In fact, whenever I’m away from home cooking on Teflon skillets I burn or make the food weird with them because I’m so used to the cast iron. Anyone else have that experience?? #castiron #castironskillet #castironcooking #permaculture #homesteadcooking #homesteading #offgrid #homestead #homecooking

Summer garden in full swing. A blessed place to gr

Summer garden in full swing. A blessed place to grow food, tap into nature and be mindful of what it takes to nourish our bodies.

There’s tons of winter squash, zucchinis that grow so fast they turn into baseball bats if forgotten about for a few days, beans taking over the trellis, monster tomatoes that are allllllmost ripe, strawberries and more kale that you could possibly eat. And tons more.

What’s growing on your garden this year?! What are you most excited about?

#permamculture #groworganic #organicgardening #homesteading #offgrid #permaculturegarden #gardeningwithkids

This is what garlic looks like when a whole bulb i

This is what garlic looks like when a whole bulb is planted. Each clove grows into its own new bulb. Typically, when garlic is planted, we use a singular clove, not a whole bulb.
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For some reason, a bunch of garlic was still in the ground from last year. I think the tops broke off, leaving behind the bulb.
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However it happened, we had lots of garlic pop up with no effort! Score, I’d say! Though they are smaller when grown so compacted like this, it’s still a beautiful reminder of how nature does its job to grow, with out any additional effort.
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#permaculture #homesteading #garlic #groworganic #growyourown #offgrid #organicgarden

:: 7 Days A Week :: . That’s what it takes and s

:: 7 Days A Week ::
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That’s what it takes and still it’s not enough.
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My bathroom is still not finished, bedroom not yet sided, new chicken coop I started in January still not done, compost needs turned.
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Yet today I work to thin dead trees from the land for firewood - the most sustainable way of heating a home.
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This life is not for everyone, that’s for damn sure. But a common theme I hear from those that do is they couldn’t see living any other way.
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I agree.
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#Permaculture #sustainableliving #homesteading #selfsufficiency #offgridlife #homestead #woodheat #happyness #forestry #simpleliving

:: Beneficial Insects :: . Let nature help with th

:: Beneficial Insects ::
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Let nature help with the work.
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For example this yarrow attracts lady beetles, lacewings and other insects that eat garden pests such as aphids.
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Insectary plants are a cornerstone of the ecological garden!
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#permaculture #gyo #sustainableliving #organicgardening #growyourfood #growyourownveg

Let’s create forests, soils and clean water. . G

Let’s create forests, soils and clean water.
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Give me a heck yes in the comments if you are with me 🙏 🤜 🌱 💧!!

:: Muliti-use Plants :: . While chamomile has been

:: Muliti-use Plants ::
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While chamomile has been used in traditional medicine for centuries to calm anxiety and ease stomach issues, it does much more in the garden.
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We grow it as a insectary attracting beneficial insects.
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We grow it for biological diversity and pest repellent.
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It accumulates Phosphorus in the soil.
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Plus it’s a wonderful addition aesthetically.
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#permaculture #gyo #growyourown #organicgardening #sustainableliving #herbalife

It’s easy to love this yurt. There’s a lot of

It’s easy to love this yurt. There’s a lot of light, open space and something about the round space that just feels so inviting.
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...But some mornings, you wake up to find a bear had torn through the screen door (thankfully the main door was closed) and one of the windows. And then you realize it’s nothing more than a glorified tent with nice inside walls!
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——> swipe left for bear marks
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We sleep in the attached room that is a regular stick built structure, so while we did hear something, it didn’t register it was a BEAR trying to break in to the yurt.
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A bit surprising because usually bears only poke around if no one is home, but maybe since the door was shut to the addition they didn’t smell us. 🤷‍♂️
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But don’t worry mom and Dad, we’re adding some extra protection so they don’t *actually* get in.
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#yurt #homestead #offgrid #homesteading #tentlife #tinyhome

Nearly “pest” free garden this year. . At leas

Nearly “pest” free garden this year.
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At least relative to the first two years of lots of bugs eating our plants!
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Mostly because of soil building - here I’m using woodash from the woodstove to add nutrients to our soil.
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#permaculture #growyourown #organicgardening #homestead #gyo #sustainableliving #healthylifestyle

“My turn!” He says, taking over the watering j

“My turn!” He says, taking over the watering job. He talks to the “cute little flowers” and to the Big Big Big strawberries he finds. He’ll kneel down and say “hiiiii bugs” toddler lisp and all.
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Nature kid - through and through. His interest in the names of the flowers and why this and why that in the garden make it an extra layer of joy to be blessed to live this life out on the land.
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Maybe someday he’ll grow up to hate it and this way of living and want to move to the big city, who knows. But right now, I appreciate his intrigue in the natural world and how much he enjoys being part of it.
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#naturekids #permaculture #organicgardening #growyourown #permaculturekids #tomatoes #homesteading #offgrid

What a difference a year makes. Last year our gard

What a difference a year makes. Last year our garden was not tended to nearly enough. We had a young toddler, a new business and no family nearby to help out with the day-to-day. .
It was tough to have this big vision and permaculture goal, but not be able to get there. But, that was simply the reality in the moment.
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Flash-forward to this year. We still have a toddler 🙃, our business and life obligations - but we’ve dialed in practices and time management to make it possible to have a successful garden.
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Part of this meant letting go of things. In the garden, that meant spending time cultivating things that produced the most yield and that we liked the most. We set aside some things that were just nice to have or complicated.
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We also are finally seeing the literal fruits of previously planted perennials and are focusing on that more this year as well.
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I can’t tell you how it feels to come out to a garden that might not have everything planted but is vibrant and alive with food, versus a full yet flailing garden.
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Just a reminder that you might not be able do it all, but instead you can do some things, well.
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#permaculture #growyourownfood #organicgardening #growyourown #sustainableliving #homesteading #permaculturegarden #kale #homesteadgarden #offgrid

I wish you could smell this via IG🌼camomile 🌼 so sweet and delicate. Like honey and nectar. We’re harvesting these flowers for teas this year.
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The scent is unparalleled to the store bought dried version. The act of doing it, reverent and so connecting to this primal task of saving abundance for a later season.
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In our Permaculture garden there’s a million things we •want• to do, and only so much time and energy to do it. So each year we add a few more things to the repertoire - this being one of them. What’s extra is that this plant came up from one in its place last year so there was no extra work involved this year!! Gotta love perennials (or plants that resow to act like #perennials)
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#organicgardening #permaculture #growyourownfood #sustainableliving #growyourown #camomiletea #camomile #wildcraftwildling

When your berry harvest exceeds the containers you

When your berry harvest exceeds the containers you can find in the garden + a sneaky toddler hand ✋🏻 who ate his weight in strawberries and somehow there’s still this many left over. 🍓
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#growyourownfood #organicgardening #sustainableliving #growyourown #permaculture #strawberries #homestead #offgrid #homesteading #homesteadinglife

Finally spring is here! A month overdue. . The ext

Finally spring is here! A month overdue.
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The extended spring is a double edge sword - delaying the inevitable fire season but also fueling vegetative growth more than normal, increasing dry season fuel loads.
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But hey, now it’s time to get back to planting!
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#sustainableliving #permaculture #growyourown #homestead #organicgardening #selfsufficiency #mountainliving #sierranevada #growyourownfood

Free firewood! 🔥 . Local friends (Nevada City C

Free firewood! 🔥
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Local friends (Nevada City CA) now is the time to get your firewood for next winter.
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You can have as much oak or cedar firewood as you want!
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I’ve been felling trees for land management so half the works already done.
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Bring your saw, truck and buck and load!
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You can have some home made kombucha too.
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Bonus points if you want to talk Permaculture or ecology while you’re here 🙂
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#homestead #permaculture #sierranevada #nevadacity #ecology #sustainableliving #homesteading #selfsufficiency

He’s taken quite an interest in the greenhouse.

He’s taken quite an interest in the greenhouse. Helping water and move plants. He loves picking all the flowers in bloom and carrying them around. .
Today, he pulled this parsley out of the greenhouse and wanted to transplant it to the garden, after he “planted” this beheaded yellow flower in it.
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I love seeing his relationship with nature mature and deepen each day. Start ‘em young, right 🌼
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#permaculture #naturekid #kidsinthegarden #childhoodunplugged #homesteading #growyourown #organicgardening

Happy Mother’s Day to all out there - especially

Happy Mother’s Day to all out there - especially to the best three I know (sorry, I’m biased)!🙂 @kmglassett @earthenartistry and Mother Earth.
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#mothersday #growyourown #organicfarming #permaculture #organicgardening #naturekids #homestead #nature #sustainableliving

Today our youngest gardener planted: one green str

Today our youngest gardener planted: one green strawberry (picked from the patch), three onion bulbs and a kale transplant. He did not forget to put the tag to mark what it was - and when I asked him what it said, he replied, it says “I love you” 😭
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#permaculture #homestead #organicgardening #groworganic #naturekids #homeschool

What’s the advantage of having more land than yo

What’s the advantage of having more land than you can deal with?
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Resources!
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Here is some Oak log perennial bed edging leftover from forest thinning.
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25 asparagus’s (asparagi?? Plural?) just planted behind this rhubarb 🙂
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#permaculture #gyo #organicgardening #homestead #organicfarming #growyourown #growyourownfood #sustainableliving #ecologicalgardening

3 year land-anniversary today 🌱❤️ So thankf

3 year land-anniversary today 🌱❤️
So thankful for the beautiful place we call home. The oak woodland, the meadow, the garden, our home.
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It certainly hasn’t been an easy or restful journey - carving out a homestead onto bare land (with an infant/toddler) - but it sure had been rewarding.
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The majestic beauty of this view never gets old. Here’s to celebrating another year and many more to come!
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#permaculture #homestead #yurt #homesteading #view #organicgarden #permaculturegarden #offgrid

Fresh raw homemade goat cheese. This was the first

Fresh raw homemade goat cheese. This was the first time ever making cheese - and given it’s our favorite food, I can’t believe we hadn’t tried this sooner!
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As intimidating as it seemed, it was actually super easy and is even better than store bought chèvre.
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Pair it with some homemade herbed crackers and prickly pear jam and it’s a sure winner!
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#goatcheese #permaculture #fermentation #homesteading #homestead #chevre #handmadecheese #herbs

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