#Homemade gardening

[lovehina019]

[bekkathyst]

Fairy Garden Party

[heydrangeas]

hey. hey. did you know if you buy a rotisserie chicken ($5-10 depending on where you get it) you can dig into it like a rat, then strip and save the rest of the meat, then make as much stock as you can fit in your largest pot by simply simmering the bones with herbs and veggies or veggie scraps for 6-8 hours, thereby easily doubling the value of your purchase and making the best soup base ever?

[homemadehorrors]

Hey, did you know ladybugs are free? You can take as many as you want!

[allthingssoulful-garden]

Done with the first batch of tayberries.

Just started cooking the jam, so it's still pretty runny, but I couldn't help trying it for breakfast.

[lemonade-balm]

I made a pie with berries I grew!

[homemakinghippie]

[thehousewitchery]

Chicken Casserole 🥘 Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food - Jim Cassada and Tipper Pressley

[jennifersblog-en]

Would you rather call it cottagecore or self-sufficiency? A short essay on rural life and self-reliance.

Good afternoon!

I originally intended to write about cottagecore, which is pretty much what surrounds me in this rural region. However, I have a love-hate relationship toward these social media aesthetics, which are first and foremost photography aesthetics and themes with ugly names. This said, in a context of domestic abuse, I mostly count on myself for many of my needs. It is true that self-sufficiency and food self-relience tend toward the Cottagecore sub-culture, and it is tempting to go in that direction, but it would be first and foremost lying to myself, and then to others. Therefore, I prefer to face my own reality by talking about my life journey, rather than to sweeten my speech.

I prefer to be clear, in a situation of abuse, when somebody else is controlling the budget and poverty is a reality, complete financial and material autonomy is more than a fantasy, it's a need.

Facing reality: you don't need to aim for complete self-sufficiency 

In fact, to be honest, you'll never make your own medications. What is complete self-sufficiency? A myth.

This said, my aim is to improve my self-reliance, which relies on a few hobbies, such as gardening, and I invite you to do the same.

Although my production of food is far from being all-year-round, or even enough for canning and preserving, my first attempt has provided me with fresh fruits and vegetables almost every day of Summer. In terms of fruits, I have only grown strawberries and raspberries, as well as the old apple tree planted decades ago by the late owners. I have grown a wider array of vegetables, such as tomatoes, peas, snow peas, and yellow and green beans. A little bit of my protein intake came from lima and borlotti beans, and I had five fresh herbs to choose from. My biggest failures have been my onions, garlic bulbs and radishes; they were disappointingly lost to rot and drought before harvest.

Overall, this was not bigger than a balcony garden, which proves that you don't need a lot of space to feed yourself if you aim for a percentage of your plate, rather than the usual message of the internet, which is complete self-sufficiency.

Growing food can be the cure to food trauma and insecurity

If, like me, you've been traumatized by food shortages and a lack of financial freedom, growing your own food can be the necessary cure, and at relatively small costs.

At the very least, you'll control some of the food you'll have later in the season. If you're lucky, you can make preserves, or meal-prep and freeze.

Baking and bread-making

This is something I was already doing, and there is something special about having a dessert or a slice of fresh bread, still warm from the oven.

All winter long, I try to do something inspired by the Swedish fika concept, and use these months to plan ahead for Spring.

Needle arts are far from dead

From cosplay to insta-worthy embroidery, the needle arts are far from dead, despise their temporary rejection at home, as shopping malls and hypermarkets became my own parents' stress-relief and boredom-killing hobby. From a personal point-of-view, their consumption habits were far from my values, and I have come back to sewing and knitting to supply a percentage of my wardrobe. I've also tried to make very simple jewelry.

The initial cost is not always cheaper to make your own, because you will possibly choose a thicker, high-quality fabric, that will hopefully last longer, which is where you can really save. 

I often like to remind myself that this is not child labour, but my own labour; and it makes a world of a difference from a moral standpoint.

♫ These boots were made for walking, and that's just what they'll do ♬

When I have decided to get back in shape, I didn't have the financial means to pay a subscription at the gym. However, did you notice the free sports you can start doing today? 

I have started walking almost every sunny day, and it has greatly improved my cardio-vascular health, as I was enjoying the scenery and leaving my problems at home, behind a closed door.

When bad weather forces you to stay inside, there are still many Youtube channels to watch, and I have even found a few workout television shows on major channels. They tend to be at 6am, though, and they have to be recorded to watch them as a hobby, instead of a morning chore.

Which comes to a conclusion: dis I really ever intend to write about the Cottagecore movement and its photography aesthetic, or simply about real life and self-care? I'd say the latter, for this is what feels better, and always will.

[lovehina019]

[bekkathyst]

Wild Blackberry & Orange Cupcakes

For my daughter's fairy garden-themed party, I made one of the activities decorating some cupcakes. I bought powdered foods (beetroot, turmeric, spinach, and spirulina) to color the icing because I much prefer the softer, natural colors to normal food coloring. I think they ended up looking super cute!

She had so much fun decorating with me, her aunts, and my cousin. I also baked her a little heart cake that she could go wild decorating, and her love for red currants definitely shone through in her design. I made the muffins and cake the day before and then made the frosting right before we started decorating. Some toppings aside from the icing: edible wafer flowers, more blackberries, red currants, dried rose petals, dried lavender, and some little culinary gold flakes.

Definitely a really fun activity, and I will try to do this again for her next party! The cleanup was worth it.

[samirafee]

#STRAWBERRIES🍓& BLUEBERRIES🫐

@samirafee

[homemadehorrors]

Thinkin about this handsome lad...

[allthingssoulful-garden]

Elderflower syrup in the making.

[thestudentfarmer]

A little while ago I made some fridge pickles

These guys.

Well they've sat a little longer than need to so tonight we popped them open to try~

They were a little salty, not super crisp. But firm. Taste wise will make again. Has been like by all, so will use the recipe and time wait again.

The jalapeno was similar texture. Good taste.

The onions honestly I feel shone through in texture and taste. I want to amend 2 jars of that for snacking, with jalapeños for hot dog and sandwhich topping, haha.

🌱🥒Happy homesteading and Happy pickling/fermenting! 🥒🌱

12 5 2023

[homemakinghippie]

About Me 💕

Hey! My name's Anika and this is my space for sharing about being a homemaker! My husband is in the army for now, but soon we'll move to my family's homestead. I have one son and I'm a crunchy/granola/hippie type of homesteading mom. I prefer things that are all natural, organic, and homemade. I love holistic health, sewing, gardening, baking, and all things home.

I run this mostly on queue to keep consistent. I love my life with traditional gender roles but I understand not everyone wants to or should live this life.