The White Family Homesteaders

     So if you haven't heard we've been accepted into our local farmer's market.  It's pretty big news like scream it from the roof tops news.  Someone pinch me, because I'm not sure all this is real...did we really sign up to grow food for others?  Yes we've talked about it before, about maybe having a little stand to sell our extra vegetables but who knew it would be this season. Oh so many strawberries.      After we first put in our application I began to think about what makes a farm or homestead.  I began to feel like maybe we aren't ready for this step or if people will take us seriously.  When I think of a farm or homestead I think of people raising beef or the massively huge vegetable and fruit producers who have workers because there's so much to pick and plant.  But here on our homestead it's quite literally a mom and pop homestead.  We provide food for ourselves and any extras we give to friends and family which includes eggs and

     Drum roll please...the greenhouse is finished, not just a few more things to do but all the way done.  I've been filling it up with my plants and I look around and I'm still in shock that we built it from some pieces of lumber.  The hubby did most of the work but without an awesome assistant he still might be working on it, just kidding. I never imagined us actually building one, we have what the old owners left behind and I was alright with it.  Now looking at my oh so beautiful barn style greenhouse I can't believe I would have settled for less. The old one was like a quarter of the size, leaking all over, dark and squirrels were constantly sneaking in.  Here's the  link  to the plans we used, thanks  Ana White  for the awesome plans. It's a beauty and filling up fast.      The last few touches were completed this week...spray foam insulation, shelves, door trim, and door threshold.  We bought a few cans of Great Stuff spray foam insulation for a fe

     An important aspect of being a homesteader I believe is being able to or at least not afraid of trying to repair broken down equipment.  It's not only something that needs to be done on the homestead but just in adult life in general.  This week Papa saved us a lot of money by fixing the weed wacker, pressure washer and air compressor.  First we went down to the garden to clear up the rows in between the beds of all the obnoxious weeds but the darn weed wacker just wouldn't run right...so off to the side it laid to be checked out later.  When I was working on cleaning up the greenhouse door we set up the pressure washer to easily get off most of the chipped paint but the once so powerful pressure washer wouldn't stay on, and out came the regular hose.  Then when I was sanding and scraping off the debris and gunk off the door I was using the air compressor for easy air clean up but then I smelt plastic burning so I shut it off until Papa could look at it.      When Pa