Hi Mamas! I’m Amber (aka Rogue Mountain Moments) and I’m going to be your overly chatty and long-winded hostess foe Homestead Mamas this weekend. I live with my hubby of 20 years, Zach, and our two daughters Fiadh and Esmé (ages 2 and 15) on a 160 acre ranch in the mountains of Southern Oregon. We also have a 21 year old son who’s currently breathing smoke down at Twentynine Palms, CA where he works as a Combat Photographer for the United States Marine Corps.
As I was saying, we live in the mountains and the ranch is perched at 5500 feet. That means short summers and long winters with lots of snow. We’re also completely off the grid and the road we live on is unmaintained by the county- so it’s up to us (erm, I mean Zach) to keep the 2.1 mile road plowed and accessible. Winters feel long, but we stay cozy tucked up in our cabin. On the other hand, summer on the mountain more than makes up for it.
Over the next couple of days, I’ll tell you about our micro-herd of beef cattle, our old gentlemen horses, the labs, my naughty chickens, the garden, some plant dying projects and whatever else pops up.
I was just out in the garden thinning out my little kale and spinach seedlings and thinking about what it’s like to grow a garden at 5500ft. It can be frustrating when it snows in June and the first frost cam come in September. I planted SIX different successions of basil this season, because each batch got nipped by the cold. My first dahlia bloom just opened yesterday and our hardly Alberta-bred squash plants are finally starting to bear a little fruit. This year we opted not to plant a single tomato and save our valuable space for the crops that DO grow well for us. We’ve found that root crops are best and that we can grow lettuce and greens all summer long- the cool nights prevent them from bolting too quickly.
We also opted to grow our garden in raised beds, which helps us protect the plants from rogue deer, naughty chickens and gophers. We scored about 6 big wooden pear packing boxes from a local orchard and the other 6 through a trade with a friend. They make perfect raised beds- with the added benefit that the sides are boldly emblazoned with the word “SABROSO” which means DELICIOUS and is the perfect declaration for a garden, IMO.
We fill those boxes with homemade dirt: manure, wood chips, food compost, chicken poop, grass clipping, old straw bedding and any other random organic material that finds its way into the pile. We flip it a couple times a year and by spring we have lovely new rich soil for the garden. These days we’re harvesting taters, onions and carrots, waiting for those darn dahlias to bloom and hoping the squash gets with the program. There’s fresh greens for supper and roots for the pot, so I’m certainly not complaining. But gosh darn if I don’t get a little jealous when I see your harvest pics glowing with stacks of brilliant tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, zinnias, eggplants and more!
I am not well traveled. I’ve never flown on a plane. I’ve never been north of Ohio or west of Texas.I’m not as well traveled as some may say one should be, but this piece of land has housed all of my fondest memories…
Do you ever worry that your kids will miss out because of this homesteading lifestyle choice? This fear crosses my mind time to time. I’m sure many, if not most of you, could agree that it can be extremely difficult to get extended time away from the homestead for more than a full day, especially in the busy summer months when daily chores demand our regular attention…
Sautéed, Pureed, Roasted or Raw.
Asparagus is perhaps the most versatile vegetable of all…
Asparagus, a perennial plant. One that requires patience, persistence and perseverance. Taking three years from planting to first harvest, asparagus can really test those three “p”s. But, once established, those three “p”s really pay off. An exquisite, delectable, versatile vegetable…
“In some Native languages the term for plants translates to ‘those who take care of us’ … the land knows you, even when you are lost.” – Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass…
Babies, Business, and Bumper Crops: How I am Learning to Homestead with Babies in Tow
Have you ever had one of those days? You know the days when you are cleaning the baby’s diaper, milking the cow, scooping poop in the barn, wiping noses, and cleaning more poop off of kids’ shoes…
Hey there, Homesteading Mama’s!
I’m Rachel from @frontier_homesteading. My husband Ryan, three children and I have been homesteading for about 10 years now, first in Wyoming and now in Alaska.
We currently have milk goats, pack goats, sheep, a pig, a cow, chickens, rabbits, bees and a dog. Seasonally, we also have more pigs, meat chickens and turkeys….
Stained glass windows date back to the 7th century. With the earliest known reference dating
from 675 AD when workmen were imported from France to Britain to Glaze the windows of a
monastery…
Homesteading and growing food is not the easy way out of this life, i would say it is the hard way as there’s nothing convenient about it. It’s a lifestyle, a life change not a trend or hobby. Well, that’s my opinion any way…
