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Thank you for joining us on this crazy journey! Our family- Kate and Marius plus our four kids, have always enjoyed living a homemade life whenever possible. Moving 1000miles north in 2017 to Northern BC, Canada upped our game even more. We live on a 34 acre homestead and get a kick out of things like raising our own meat, dairy and vegetables. Theres plenty of failures, you’ll be sure to see those here too. We’re a homeschooling family who believes life is the best teacher but we do hit the books in winter. You can find lots of real life confessions, recipes, how to’s and “The Schat Show”. Family health, natural health, cooking, natural food, whole food, recipes, parenting, kids, children, babies, faith, family life, work life balance, survival, wildcraft, keeping a family milk cow, home dairy, chickens, eggs, meat chickens, raising meat, raising pigs, fencing, dogs, cats, garden, gardening, winter gardening, short season gardening, northern living, life in winter, outdoor adventure, nature study, plant identification, rural living, food preparation, heating with wood, firewood, child training, homeschooling are all topics you will find here
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I’m so glad you’re here, I hope you stick around!
24 Comments
You guys are the bees knees ❤️
We are planting our first big garden ever this year! I agree it has been amazing to seen local food get some love during this time. Our local farm store has had to limit some items to one per customer because they are getting so much business! I’m curious to see how many people go back to business as usual after all this is over. I hope a lot decide to keep using the local food supply.
My garden will be bigger this year for sure. I started seeds, normally I would buy starts. I feel more panicky like I am going to have to feed and teach the rest of my family how to garden, can and bake. I did not grow up this way, but took on this lifestyle. My family thought I was crazy but I always enjoyed this lifestyle and now I get to share it!
Increasing our planned garden space, and when we found discounted poultry (ducklings!) at the feed store, we snatched those up without a second thought. Also adding meat rabbits sooner than we planned to, but right now it’s all about what you can provide for yourself.
Yup. Me! We just purchased laying hens, started seedlings for a hefty garden, and now I’m looking into a dairy cow. I’m vlogging it all on my channel. I Needed the push of a world wide pandemic and crumbling economy, unfortunately. I do wish I had done this all along for all my life. But we will make the most of a hard situation. Thanks for the video, Kate, please put out more for beginner gardeners, tips and tricks, homestead basics, etc… so many will look to you!!
I love your social distancing gals! Thank you so much for the shout out! We love you both <3
It has definitely changed how we are planning our homestead this year. We are expanding the garden quite a bit, will be canning, freezing and fermenting a ton more (if I can get more jars and freezer bags!), we are raising more meat chickens, and possibly 2 pigs. We raised pigs once before and it was hard for me to process them, but we can’t afford to keep buying pasture raised meat from the local farm. My husband is learning to hunt this year and hopefully will be able to get a deer.
I have increased my garden size and am planting more preservable crops. I have bought more storage variety crops and will seed save like a gangsta. I am considering getting meat chickens for my urban homestead. I've only had layers up til now. I'm also going to purchase a few fruit trees. It's all been on my wish/goal list, but now it's moved to a "necessary" list.
Onions, it seems it's all about the onion for me. Especially winter storage varieties. Also looking to improve our apple storage. Oh and I love you both so much xo mom
We already had an ambitious garden plan this year, but are looking for ways to tuck food producing plants wherever we can. Also, considering getting some meat birds for our urban homestead. We already have laying hens. And are kinda betting that the city is going to be occupied with things other than code enforcement. Also have bees on the way.
I love these sister chats. Mine is 700 miles away. I am excited to see people getting back to the basics.
Here in Michigan, 5B, I am pushing boundaries in all directions. I'm filling the raised beds and then planting in the woodchips between them. I'm seeding spring crops NOW and hoping for this mild early spring to continue. I'm planting beans NOW in the hoophouse, to see if they'll sprout or rot in these almost-warm-enough temps. I'm getting a bit lax with my kids'lessons, and letting them roam the woods instead. I'm reaching out to those neighbors and old friends with whom I've been out of touch. I'm working with our gardening neighbors so we can all be more productive without all growing the same crops. I'm getting a new pasture fenced in, hopefully for some goats. I'm thinking about more hens, more fruit trees, and the possibility of adding foster children to our family if things go really poorly in our community. I'm going out of my comfort zone, in the hope that we are more comfortable in the near future.
Yes! Was going to do a ton of flowers as we’re having a baby mid gardening season, but now it’s back to as many veggies to store for next winter as possible. Will do a crowded garden to keep down on weeds 😉
We are in Texas and there is garden panic buying here already. It was also very hard for us to find a milk cow because they are going fast!
I love the new trend but fear that once (if) things are settled down to normal, people will drop their new hobies for convenience. 😔
And yes we have tripled what we had planned in both vegetable and meat plans!
I love you two! We are urban homesteading until we can buy land (and a dairy cow!) and I am definitely planting extra veggies in our garden because of what’s going on. It’s also a nudge to keep working on all the skills we need to be more self reliant. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!
Absolutely! When the covid-19 started here I promptly informed everyone I could on fb and in person or over the phone to buy seeds! That if anyone didnt have a yard, use containers, if that cant work at least to some beneficial herbs in your windows….ANYTHING!! Personally, i tried to stock seeds and start things I knew would keep longer ie: butternut squash/pumpkins, potatoes,onions along with along that I can either freeze, can, or dry. How can anyone not have this as a priority for the summer?!!!
Yess. Definitely sticking with the tried-and-true vegetables this year and controlling my yearly urge to plant a mad variety of absolutely everything. 😂
I think it will be a made dash and everyone buying up seeds. We are already seeing that here. Even lots of online seeds companies are out of stock. We are growing 1. Veggies that we have had luck with in past and liked. 2. Focused more on preserving.
I wasnt going to plant one of my garden plots this year but i think ill be maybe planting my potatoes and cold crops in it .
Love that you’re sharing your chats!
Last year was our first with a little raised bed for veggies, but it didn’t do well. I got very sick in the spring and it wasn’t able to be maintained through the summer. This year was going to be more experimental and fun, but as it turns out, it’s going to have to be more practical and fun. Pickling cukes to both eat and pickle, lettuce because we go through a lot of it. Bush beans. A big container with grape tomatoes for the kids. Basically just perishables that we usually count on but may not be able to buy.
My mum grows potatoes, so we’ll get some from her, although I’ll likely also plant some myself. I may either take over part of her raised bed or ask her to plant a few things. There will definitely be some sharing between her, my brother and sis-in-law, and us.
We do one "big" thing a year to improve our little half acre lot each year. Our garden was "fine" so this year's plan was to get dirt and do some nice flower beds out front where we can't do a lawn. Now, it's basically screw flowers unless they are medicinal and just grow all the food.
Yes for sure, I got the cold seed starts in earlier and am planning more foods in ADDITION to all the flowers I am doing. My biggest issue right now is that we have a lot of deer, and I don't have a fenced or plowed garden plot so I'm stuck doing pots on my porch and deer resistant plants in beds close to the house until I solve that issue
I am rethinking my garden…making it more of a survival, must put in the work type deal. Doubled the amount of potatoes. Extended my garden spot by another 10×25 ft. Also starting more of my personal plants. Azure Standard, where I usually get some of my plants, is already almost sold out. Thankful for many local farmers who start seedlings for me to purchase. I am loving the challenge this is bringing to my life!
Could you do a video of how you store your grown vegetables for the winter?
I’m growing more vegetables this year, we actually took over almost all the flower gardens