FROM SCRATCH CLUB

So the next step of my bee saga begins…Actually working with bees. Mid- April I got an email from my source that my bees would need to be picked up on May 5. When I read the email I was immediately perplexed and a bit panicky because for some reason my planner said “late May: [...]

Last time I posted, I talked about incubating chickens and how to candle them. 21 days came and went and on that last day I had the privilege of watching 16 chicks hatch out of their shells. Seven of them were from Brown Betty Farm and fellow From Scratch Club blogger Liz, and the other nine were from [...]

It’s almost spring, and you know what that means – baby chickens! This year for the first time ever I’m incubating eggs and will watch my own chickens hatch. Today I’ll share segments from my personal blog, The Village Homestead, about how I set up the incubator and sourced my eggs, as well as how [...]

Today I went out to the farm where I will be keeping my bees this year. I went out there to get milk but happened to see the owner working outside so we chatted for a bit. We discussed how as soon as the weather looks like it’s going to stay nice, I’m bringing my [...]

*Reader alert: The following story involves some general information on poultry processing (no gory details or photos, though). If you’d rather not hear more about how the meat my family eats came from real live animals, some of whom grew up in our backyard, stop here. If you do eat meat, however, I would encourage [...]

How Does Your Garden Grow? Sizing up our land and making the most of 1 acre. My husband is a cultivator; it’s in his veins. By the time most people begin their Spring cleaning he is out tilling the ground and planning the upcoming year’s garden. When were looking to build a home all he [...]

UPDATE SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2012: THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. The winner of their choice of Keeping Bees or Keeping Chickens or Home Dairy or Canning & {reserving by Ashley English is: LUCKY #3: KIMMER: “Took the poll, recipes, local food and vendor information, all make me read the blog, the local look at food, gardens, [...]

:: My girls on a fall day, loving our backyard :: It’s here. Moving Day. As you read this, I’m watching four super-strong men load all of my worldly possessions into a moving truck. I’m selling my house today, and tomorrow I’m buying a different one. My new house isn’t too far away – two towns [...]

{Our main garden in quiet rest} After the big fall harvest my garden, my husband, and I am ready for a break. We begin to put most all things outdoors to rest, batten down the hatches, and embrace winter. Our minds take a respite during the month of November and December from gardening but once [...]

Although it was a good year, 2011 went by in a bit of a blur for me. This year, I am hoping for a more manageable pace that will support a healthier, more peaceful year for my family. I don’t usually set goals each new year, or make resolutions, but I came up with a [...]

I’ve moved a lot in my life and although it can be scary and stressful it also means a fresh start. That’s how I feel at the beginning of each new year. There are always a lot of unknowns but the simple fact of it being fresh and new makes it seem like there’s a [...]

Hi! Liz here, one of a few of FSC’s aspiring farmers. You might already know this about me, but in addition to our backyard hens, I also raise a small flock of sheep. We keep them down the road from our home at the Foster’s Sheep Farm. They will hold the third annual Shearing Day Open [...]

For a few years now I’ve wanted to see Joel Salatin speak (see endnote for bio). I always assumed it would be in an auditorium and very impersonal. The best I could hope for was maybe one day I’d be able to go to Polyface Farm and have a tour and maybe I’d be lucky [...]

So in the first two parts of this DIY series, I’ve shared some of the how-to and what not to do’s of keeping backyard chickens. You may be wondering, though, why bother with backyard hens? Or maybe, like the folks at All Over Albany, you’re thinking that backyard chickens seem like a lot of work. To [...]

In the spring of 2009 I decided it was high time I got myself a flock of chickens. For years I had contemplated this endeavor, collected flyers from Agway and Cooperative Extension, and had even gone as far as hoarding old building supplies for a coop, some of which are likely still in my parent’s [...]