Hello, fellow homesteaders and curious minds! This week at Backroads Homesteading, we've had a whirlwind of activities.

Farewell to the beloved country

How To Split Wood With A Wedge: Tips And Tricks From The Experts

How To Split Wood With A Wedge

Splitting wood can be a daunting task, especially if you have large and tough logs to deal with. Fortunately, there is a tool that can make your job easier and faster: a splitting wedge.

Follow @gardeningwithpeace #farmlife #organicgardening #homesteadlife #alliums #selfsustainable #homegarden #seedsnow #terracegarden #gardenlove #gardenersworld #ilovemygarden #mygarden #gardener #gardeningismytherapy #beautifulgarden #groworganic #mygardenthismonth #garden #livingofftheland #gardeninglife #raisedbedgarden #gardendesign #instagardenlovers (at Peace Gardens) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfsj45SA3iC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Rabbit or Dolphin Tail? . . #whatscooking #whatscookinginmybountifulkitchen #castiron #castironcooking #meatsear #backyardbounty #livingofftheland (at Grimsby, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfSBJV5uudZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

scavenging in my work bag for things i’ve forgotten to eat during my lunch breaks that have accumulated over the past week or so cuz i’m too tired to go downstairs for food #huntergatherer #livingofftheland #foraging #offthegrid #homesteader

Repost from @bilbrey_farms

"Food is a weapon. It’s more important than ever to start gaining skills in homesteading and gardening. Food security, knowing how/where your food is raised, and knowing the quality of that food is becoming ever more important in today’s world. It gives a sense of independence knowing that you are eating the best food possible and reducing your dependence on a large food system.

This does not mean you have to have 10, 50, or even 100+ acres to start homesteading, growing, and acquiring these skills. You can start small with containers or a raised bed, by growing a few tomatoes or some cucumbers, or even starting with a few chickens for eggs. The important thing is to start the journey.

It’s a lifestyle choice that grows overtime. As it grows, we will strengthen the local food system and future disruptions will be less of a burden on the local community.

#foodrevolution #livingofftheland #garden #gardening #gardener #gardenersofinstagram #gardenlove"

These thriving grapes have been such an unexpected gift from our land. From weaving with the vines, to rolling sushi in the leaves and of course making jelly and juice for the kids, we’re always finding more uses for this amazing berry. It’s nice to have such a late harvest fruit too, that nicely balances our processing times across the seasons.

The hunt begins . . . . . #morels #livingofftheland #forest #mushrooms #funji #homecooking https://www.instagram.com/p/B_px__5ljsJ/?igshid=1gfsjagarao0

Homemade Apple Jelly with no Added Pectin

|   S Y B I L    B i s h o p   |

I skipped her teen phase since, after five years of writing for the Bishop family, I’ve become disconnected with them. I want to start over with the next GEN and thus why I have chosen Sybil. She’s by far the most complex out of Elias and Isolde’s children and I’d like to focus on developing her more as an YA. I have an idea of how I might start out writing her story and she’s already shipped with someone which also helps a bit in outlining her future!

I’m pretty proud of how she turned out :) I also got to use the *ANNA SSFF Challenge skinblend by @gruesim finally, as well! So, that was very exciting!!!

Blessed Mabon!!!! Spent the morning with the little foraging and processing Rosehips. 🥀🥀🥀 There are two different types of Rosehip pictured; The smaller fruit is from a Dog Rose bush and they can be dried whole, just cut the end and the stem off. The larger if the fruit is from a Japanese Rose and to process them, they need to be cut in half and the seeds/hair removed; the hair is like Fiberglas and gloves are recommended, but not needed. 🥀🥀🥀 Typically I’d be air drying them which would see me cut the Dog Rose fruit after 3-5 days to remove the seeds/hair, but because I’m using a food dehydrator, it will do the job for me! 🥀🥀🥀 Before using any herbs/plants they should be thoroughly rinsed off!!! 💦💦💦 If you’re using an oven to dry out the fruit, use low heat and bake for roughly 3.5 hrs; I suggest checking on them and turning them periodically. 🥀🥀🥀 If using a food dehydrator, use the “Herb” setting or 95F/35C. 🔥🔥🔥 Rosehips are a great source or vitamin C and is commonly used in tea! ☕️☕️☕️ #rosehip #foraging #fooddehydrator #homegrowntea #teaingredients #wildcrafting #witch #witchlife #gaiaprovides #theoldways #mabon #mabonactivities #raisingwitches #livingofftheland #cptsd #cptsdrecovery #complexptsd #thisiswhatmentalillnesslookslike #spooniewitch #parentingwithcptsd #parentingwithmentalillness #dryingrosehips #cultivating #witchywednesday https://www.instagram.com/p/B2xbH94HIa0/?igshid=rnja5s8gx5vf

Another stellar sunset at the shack. Time to cook the crabs we caught for dinner #livingofftheland #theshack #eyrepeninsula #southaustralia (at Chinaman Wells) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxEuguBHOck/?igshid=qwh2lsu2r4sh

#livingofftheland #gatorselfie #hotblondesoftheeverglades (at Everglades National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcnX18VuM2r/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Cherries are ready, 3 trees worth 😀

Taking Shape

So it’s been about 2.5 months since we closed on our land. Closing went well, the owner financing is going well, and cleaning up the property is going amazingly. 

When we first closed, we walked into a property that was so grown over with vines, invasives and scraggly brush, that it was hard to see the beauty in it. There was a huge hole where the old house was, full of junk and house materials. There’s dumped trash in several wooded areas. There’s a barn that has good bones, but definitely needs to be made more stable. There’s brush piles from past logging operations, and there’s washed out roads. A lot of work for sure. We saw potential and we knew how beautiful this property could be... that’s why we bought it. 

We’ve taken the last couple of months and worked extremely hard to start shaping the land to what we envision. We started with a chainsaw and quickly realized it was not the most efficient. A friend of ours brought his skid steer out for the day and did 10x more work than what we could do in the same amount of time with a chainsaw. This past weekend that friend brought his skid steer out again and we rented one. The difference is absolutely AMAZING. We certainly feel like a skid steer is in our near future, just gotta find the funds! 

Here is a before and after of what we did this past weekend...

Now that we see the land shaping up, I’ve started thinking more about our financials and how land equity construction loans work. I talked to a guy at Farm Credit and he explained the process to me and advised we get a CPA. We used to have one and then I started doing our taxes myself because we didn’t have anything all that complicated. Now that we own this land and the tax code has changed, I really need some advice from a CPA on the smartest avenue for us. Do we pay down the land and create some equity there, or do we pay down the house and create equity there? Either way you can’t lose, I just feel like our house will hold value a little better than the land will. I think we bought that land for a lot more than what it will appraise for, whereas our house is inside city limits and in a good neighborhood. The only thing risky on that path is the housing market and what it will decide to do in 5 years when we decide to sell. 

We’ve also really been thinking about ways to improve the value of the land. I think we are doing well so far with cleaning it up, landscaping it, and making it look nice. We already have well and septic on the property, so that’s a plus. We already have a fence around most of the property, it just needs to be finished and improved. There are spots that need some work. Dumping spots need to be picked up, bare dirt from clearing needs to be seeded to prevent erosion. I think this land would do well for hay... we just don’t have the equipment for it. Maybe soon? 

Moving out there is 5 or more years away, but I already can’t help but to plan the house and decorate in my mind. It’s so much fun! I know everything I pick out now will probably be out of style by then! We picked out our house plan (for now)...

I love it so much! We still don’t know where the house will be, but once the land shapes up a little more, I think it will become more obvious. 

I’d like to move the barn down to the lower access (there’s a lower gated entrance), so that Martin can use that entrance and that area in general as farm/utility. The house will be built up the hill, just not sure where exactly yet. I definitely want a big garden and garden shed, but I don’t know where that will go either. It would be beneficial to put it near the house, but I also don’t want it to be right in the back yard or be an eye sore or anything. We’ve started looking at driveways and entrances, types of fencing etc... and we both love this one...

The only thing we’d change is the white. We really want our fencing to be black, and the gate would also be black, and also probably metal. Love the brick columns. What’s neat is we plan to use the brick from the old house chimneys for the entryway columns. 

I’ve also already started thinking about what animals we want. Martin of course wants cows, but I think I would like chickens, goats, ducks, and maybe or pig or two :) We’ll see. 

We have a lot of work to do still, but especially after this weekend, seeing all the progress that was made with the skid steer, we are both SO excited for what’s to come. Stay tuned.