time for a milk bath!

milking 5 goats a day gives us too much milk. i'm writing over at not dabbling today about what i'm doing with all that milk.

august blog party: call for submissions

It's time again! The next blog party, graciously hosted by Kiva Rose at Bear Medicine Herbals is going to be on cordials, elixirs, and other yummilicious ways of preserving the summer herb harvest (I think this can include herbal honeys, meads, ferments, jams etc as well).

Submit your posts to Kiva by July 31 for an Aug 1 party date! Happy elixir making!

new giveaway at herbal roots zine!

isn't this butterfly sweet? sign up for a chance to have it flutter into your life at herbal roots zine.

not buying it - week 16 - 18

i fell behind posting so i'll try to catch up...been a lot of weaknesses these past few weeks. still overall, spending less than usual.

clothing
-using old pants to make field bags for the kids for nature hikes
-patched 2 dresses that had holes in them

food
-harvesting food from the garden: zucchinis, onions, potatoes, garlic, carrots
-eggs and milk from our backyard
-yogurt and cheese made from milk

household
-reusing plastic bags for trash bags

utilities
-shutting down power strips whenever possible
-making sure lights and fans are off when we are not in the room (kids are bad about this upstairs and it's driving me crazy!)

gifts
~hand made card for my mom and son's b-days
~wrapped gifts using packing paper (gifts were purchased)

exercise/self improvement
-hooping
-weeding
-knife throwing
-walks in the woods

homestead
~mom and dad picked up a ton of quart canning jars at a garage sale and gave them to me
~was given a wooden bookshelf that we are stripping and refinishing for jaden (we are hoping to move her out of our room and into her bigger sister's room soon)

education
~requested books from the library to get started on our summer semester of school
~sewing bags for the kids to hold nature study equipment (journals, paint, charcoal, pencils, containers for storing specimens, etc)

weaknesses
~took wwoofers out to dinner a few times (sushi once, american cuisine once)
~purchased gift cert and subscription for beading for my mom's b-day
~purchasing a bow for son for his b-day
~purchased ice cream cake and cheesecake and candles for b-days
~purchased a blender (tried finding at thrift store first)
~purchased new phone for home (ours died)
~bought some shirts, pente board game, baskets and wooden bowls at thrift shop (kids have destroyed all my nice clothes, bowls are all chipped and breaking, baskets are for making gift baskets for my business and for stashing things here)
~purchased 3 more dairy goats, excellent milkers at low prices from a reputable source
purging
~throwing out the over abundance of cardboard boxes (recycling and using for paths)

independence days - year 2 week 9-11

this year i'm feeling very challenged about gardening and everything else...too much going on and not enough time for it all! i restarted the id challenge to get me going and guilt me into being busy in ways i need to be.

want to play along? visit sharon (the creator of this great challenge) to read all about it!

running behind on these! this is weeks 9 - 11. everything is growing slowly this year. it's been cooler than normal.

1. plant something
~echinacea pallida seedlings
~nettle seed

2. harvest something:
~milk
~eggs (chicken and turkey)
~various leaves for making my morning tea: chamomile, sage, bergamot, thyme, oregano, echinacea, motherwort, dandelion, lemon balm, peppermint, spearmint, basil
~grass from the lawn to mulch plants
~potatoes
~carrots
~zucchini
~flowers to make pretty bouquets for the house
~green beans
~onions
~tomatoes
~garlic

3. preserve something:
~apricot preserves

4. Reduce waste:
~use canvas bags at grocery store
~re-use egg cartons for our nest run eggs
~use plastic shopping bags for trash bags

5. Preparation and Storage:
~weeded
~continued digging water pond
~mulched the plants with grass clippings
~drying garlic for storage
~purchased 3 more dairy goats

6. build community food systems:
~sold eggs, yogurt & milk to local people
~worked on august issue of herbal roots zine to teach children about using herbs medicinally and for food
~worked on willoughby farm master naturalist intern project, pulling invasives and id-ing trees
~bartered milk for produce at market
~taught a friend how to make cheese and yogurt
~taught a friend how to make soap
~monthly herbal study group was held, topic was plantain

7. eat the food:
~herbs for tea and flavoring food
~zucchini, green beans, a few tomatoes, potatoes, onions, carrots
~applesauce from last year's stash
~garlic

please don't forget!

after tonight, herbal roots' blog will change to: herbalrootszine.blogspot.com

be sure to check back tomorrow morning to see who won this month's pendant giveaway and to sign up for the new giveaway.

a lawn mowed today keeps the weeds at bay

i'm posting at not dabbling today about a method of mulching that works for me.