Homesteading
How to Prune Raspberries
We have several different varieties on our homestead, so that we have raspberries all season long. Each variety needs to be pruned once a year, but the methods for pruning of Summer-Bearing Raspberries and Ever-Bearing/Fall-Bearing Raspberries are very different. The timing is important to get the most from your raspberry plants. Tips: If you are planting two… [Continue Reading]
Making Plans for a New Year of Homesteading
One of the joys of homesteading, making plans for a new year. I get so excited in January. This is the time we make our big plans for the rest year here on Mama’s Homestead. My husband and I get the kids involved in the planning, so they will be able to do these things… [Continue Reading]
Hardening Off Seedlings
Hardening off seedlings is a time to transition seedlings you have started indoors before planting them in your garden outside. If you were to take the seedlings you start indoors and plant them directly in to your outdoor garden, they may be severely stunted or they may not survive at all. Your seedlings need to slowly adapt… [Continue Reading]
Starting Seeds
Over the past few weeks, we have been starting seeds to later plant in our vegetable garden. The kids love to get involved with this process. They help plan, plant, and water the seeds and excitement boils when the seedlings start to pop through the soil. So far, we have started tomatoes: Roma, Big… [Continue Reading]
How to Prepare Your Garden Soil for Planting
The best way to prepare a garden for planting is to improve the soil by adding organic matter. When you improve your soil, it will be easier to dig and turn, have more nutrients for your plants, and hold moisture better. Your garden soil will be full of living organisms and nutrients that will promote… [Continue Reading]
Choosing Your Vegetable Garden Location
6 Things to Consider When Choosing a Location for Your Vegetable Garden: Garden Size- How big is your vegetable garden going to be? If you know the answer to that question you are off to a good start. If you have not answered this question, you will need to work backward. Ask yourself three things:… [Continue Reading]
From My Homestead
Farmhouse Meatloaf
I have been asked for a gluten-free version of my meatloaf. I didn’t have one, so I came up with one. Here it is! I love it! Plus, it’s way healthier than my original recipe, which is also delicious.
Blender Salsa
Easy, Fresh Blender Salsa Recipe for Kids.
I wanted a way for my kids to make salsa on their own, so I came up with this easy salsa recipe they can make in the food processor or blender. It takes less then a half an hour to put it together.
Homemade Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
We used to buy instant oatmeal in those little just-add-boiling-water/ or microwaveable packets.
I taught my kids how we made oatmeal when I was a kid. They couldn’t believe the difference in the flavor. The stuff in the packets doesn’t come even close. This is made with real fruit, real sugar, and nothing artificial.
Mama’s Taco Seasoning Mix
I have been using this Taco Seasoning Mix Recipe for many years. We never buy the packet from the store. It is MSG free and so much healthier for my family.
Homemade Beer Bread
This beer bread recipe isn’t exactly that easy, but it is very close and way cheaper. I make this recipe when I need a quick yeast bread that doesn’t take all day to make.
Homemade Meatloaf Recipe
When I was a newly married woman, many years ago, I was told every family needs their very own homemade meatloaf recipe. I found a recipe in my first cookbook, a “Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.” The meatloaf recipe said”Create Your Own Meatloaf” and boy did I. After lots of trial and error,… [Continue Reading]
Kidsteading- Teaching My Kids How to Homestead
Blender Salsa
Easy, Fresh Blender Salsa Recipe for Kids.
I wanted a way for my kids to make salsa on their own, so I came up with this easy salsa recipe they can make in the food processor or blender. It takes less then a half an hour to put it together.
Pie Crust Cinnamon Rolls
Pie Crust Cinnamon Rolls! When I was a young girl, I remember being in the kitchen while my mom was baking pies. I’d get so excited when she take a knife and cut the edges of the crust all the way around each pie. That one inch of dough would be re-worked and rolled out… [Continue Reading]
“Gingerbread Girl” Sugar Cookie Cut -Out Photo Gallery
Some of the girls were very creative in their decorating, but some of them made what looks more like ‘abstract art.’ Here is the “Gingerbread Girl” Photo Gallery:
Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs
This Sugar Cookie Cut-Out Recipe is perfect for a child’s cookie party. The dough is virtually indestructible. My oldest daughter had a baking birthday party for her 11th birthday. She had five girls over for the evening to make their very own cookie creations. They all made and decorated two ‘gingerbread girl’ shaped cookies, one… [Continue Reading]
Maple Syrup Snow Candy
With all the talk of maple sugaring time around here, I thought I would share something fun my kids and I did during our last big snow. We made Maple Syrup Snow Candy. My youngest daughter is big onto the “Little House on the Prairie Series” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She has read the whole… [Continue Reading]
Raw Cookie Dough, That’s Safe to Eat
I remember, as a child, helping my mom bake chocolate chip cookies. I couldn’t resist licking the bowl, the beater, and the spatula, eating the uncooked cookie dough. Back then, the eggs came straight from our chickens in our chicken coop. There didn’t seem to be as much concern of getting food poisoning from… [Continue Reading]
Fudge Brownie Cut-Outs
Fudge Brownie Cut-Outs is a really fun recipe for kids! My kids love to grab the cookie cutters after I make these brownies. They can hardly wait for them to cool, before they are choosing their favorite shapes. Bake them, let them cool, then cut fun shapes for any occasion with cookie cutters. You could… [Continue Reading]
SunWatch Indian Village/ Archaeological Park
SunWatch Indian Village/ Archaeological Park…an awesome homesteading field trip! So many interesting things the Indians of Sunwatch Village left for us to learn from. We took home a whole different perspective of homesteading.
Carillon Historical Park
A perfect place to go to learn about the past! Carillon Historical Park was founded by Colonel Edward and Edith Deeds. It is situated on 65-acres between the Great Miami River and a glacial moraine. It has 25 historical buildings and hundreds of artifacts shown throughout the park. The park is filled with Dayton’s history… [Continue Reading]
Cooking with Kids, Create Your Own Omelet
We rarely get a “fancy” breakfast around our house, because everyone seems to grab something quick and goes on their way. This omelet recipe gives the kids a chance to slow down a little and think about what they are having for breakfast. It is also perfect when your kids have sleepovers and you need… [Continue Reading]
Cooking with Kids, Apple Crisp
This is a fun, easy recipe for kids! Cooking with kids is one my favorite joys of homesteading and living a simple life. Spending time in the kitchen with my family brings back memories of my childhood. When I was a child, I loved to be in the kitchen with my mom, especially while she… [Continue Reading]
Homemade Hummingbird Food
Hummingbird food is easy to make! Each year, about the beginning of May here in Ohio, we put out homemade hummingbird food that attracts Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds to our yard. Ingredients for Hummingbird Food: 1 part sugar 4 parts water Examples: 1 cup sugar/4cups water 3/4 cup sugar/3 cups water 1/2 cup sugar/2 cups water 1/4… [Continue Reading]
Feeding the Birds
Enjoy feeding the birds with your kids! We put out a variety of foods for the birds to enjoy, including: a good bird seed mixture, suet cakes, sunflower seeds (black-oil), thistle seed, fruit, and a hummingbird feeder with homemade “nectar”. We also try to give the birds a water supply: a birdbath and a pond…. [Continue Reading]
Bird Watching Activities for Kids
Bird watching can be a fun activity for kids! I remember when I was young, my parents helped me make a bird feeder out of a cardboard milk carton (showing my age a little). We would cut a square from the bottom of the front out of the carton. Then we poked a hole through… [Continue Reading]
Let Them Help You with the Harvest
My kids love to help me harvest all the fruits and vegetables we plant in our gardens and orchard. While picking, it is hard to fill a basket. It is so tempting for them to pop a juicy, delicious raspberry, blackberry, or strawberry into their mouths. Believe it or not, it’s even hard to keep… [Continue Reading]
