Hey ya’ll, I’m Jess from Roots & Refuge Farm
Welcome to a place that feels like home. A small farm with a big family. We hope you’ll pull up a chair, grab some coffee and visit awhile.
There was a time that all I wanted in the world was a little farm where I could raise my family and grow our food. Now, that is exactly what exists outside my door. In watching it unfold, a new dream was formed in my heart – to share this beautiful life with others and teach them the lessons we’ve learned along the way. Welcome to our journey, friend. I am so glad you’re here.
*********************
WHERE TO FIND US (Some of the links here are affiliate links. If you purchase through our links we’ll receive a small commission but the price remains the same – OR BETTER – for you! Be sure to check for any mentioned discount codes.)
– Our Website: https://rootsandrefuge.com
– Sign up for our newsletter: https://rootsandrefuge.com/yt-signup
– Join our Patreon to get early access to podcasts and other information, plus monthly LIVES with me and Miah: https://patreon.com/rootsandrefuge
– Abundance+ (Grab a FREE 7-day trial): https://rootsandrefuge.com/yt-wilder-still
– Shop our Stickers & Shirts: https://rootsandrefuge.com/yt-shop
– Order my first book, “First Time Gardener”: https://rootsandrefuge.com/yt-ftgbook
– Order my second book, “First Time Homesteader”: https://rootsandrefuge.com/first-time-homesteader-yt
– Instagram: www.instagram.com/roots_and_refuge
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rootsandrefugefarm
– Email Us: rootsandrefuge@yahoo.com
– To drop us a line:
PO Box 4239
Leesville SC 29070
– To have a gift sent to our house from our Amazon wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/SFA0IZHZRCOZ?ref_=wl_share
– To support us through PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jessicasowards
**********************
PRODUCTS WE LOVE – You’ve probably heard me talk about these things a million times, so here’s where you can order them (and get a discount with my code!):
– Greenstalk Vertical Gardens (Use code “ROOTS10” for $10 off your order): https://rootsandrefuge.com/yt-greenstalk
– Squizito Tasting Room (Use code “ROOTS” for 10% off your order): https://rootsandrefuge.com/yt-squizito
– ButcherBox: https://rootsandrefuge.com/butcherbox
– Growers Solution: https://rootsandrefuge.com/growers-solution
– Neptune’s Harvest Fertilizer: https://rootsandrefuge.com/neptunes-harvest-fertilizer
#rootsandrefuge
43 Comments
Wax? What role does that play with the duck processing? Will there be a video of the duck processing? I’m curious to see what the differences are between that and chickens
What's the status of the treehouse and building your house?
What weather app do you use?
I just dug my sweet potatoes last night. We are freezing tomorrow night. Then one night above freezing, and then five nights in a row of teens and twenties. There’s no surviving that.
I have a few more things to get off today. Our average first frost is oct 6th, so we’re WAY past that. We had a cold wet spring here in Utah, so I’m glad we ran long this fall. I planted much later than preferred, but it ended up working out.
Chill hours for fruit trees are important.
SW Arkansas and it's been 60-85 for weeks. We're expecting 37 F next week. Then no 30's for weeks.
I've been putting out perennials, bulbs, and pansies I started from seed, so that gives me something to look forward to winter and next year.
Everything works together for good❤
😂I also am ruining my good clothes daily…and then rush to the bakery with mud allover before it closes…
I’ve never seen how a sweet potato grows, I love that darling clump of sweet potato family.
You can use green pumpkin in a mock "apple pie." Peal the pumpkin and cut into apple pie size slices. Substitute in your favorite baked apple or pear recipes.
Becky at Acre Homestead ripened pumpkins and squash on her back porch.
Parsnips plus hard force of water is not a good combo.
Many grand blessings everyone everywhere and always.
How do you fix chard? I want to like it so bad, but haven't found a way that it tastes good to me.
You do have high tunnels, you know?? Very rare for snow in high tunnels.
Many grand blessings everyone everywhere and always.
LOL Jess. I always forget to change my town shoes before going to the garden. I have made more garden shoes out of town shoes than I can count. My other take away is that I am not the only one to dig spuds with my bare hands. Certainly not the "lady" my mom envisioned.
I was just outside putting straw mulch on stuff and preparing pots that need to be brought inside. We got a first frost coming next week. It’s two weeks later than usual but I’m still running around like crazy trying to get stuff ready.
I lost my comment. You should get a hold of Michol at Flower Hil Farm in Booneville New York. She is a cut flower farmer.
On man 😢 I just looked at my ten day forecast and I have four freezing nights starting Sunday. So sad . I'm with you .
Yep. Got ruined clothes everywhere.
Blessings everyone everywhere and always
It took me a long time to realize that not everyone has a separate wardrobe of "work" clothes! Good thing is there is an endless abundance of new work clothes coming into play since I, like you, nip at for just a minute and end up ruining my clothes!
Critical visitor=panic cleaning before guests come over 😂😂
I get so many sets of clothing filthy. Even when I am wearing my out clothes. We had frost about a month ago. My peppers in the polytunnel are still going strong. They are slower to ripen but they are still blooming and very healthy.
It’s going to be 80 degrees here in north central MD on Saturday, but the low for Wednesday is 31! 🎢
Right there with you on that gotta get ready for that frost. You ain’t too far from me. I’m in Thomson ga and I been put plants in my little greenhouse. Yeah collect my bell peppers getting my frost fabric cover out lots to do before frost comes
What a beautiful video!! I love how you say Happy birthday to the new seedlings 🥰 I am a better person because of YOU 😇🤗
I’m in MN…winter temps are arriving this weekend! I’ve got giant kale and chard plants…hoping they’ll persevere as long as possible.
So wild! We’re in Vermont and still haven’t frosted! We SHOULD get one on Tuesday! 🫣
Funnt how you just got the same shock that I got shortly before watching this! We have a low of 32 next Tuesday… Wild because we're in the mid to high 80s this week (North Alabama).. It's funnt how we talk about how unusual it is to still be so warm, but we're still shocked when we see the cold coming! 🤣🤣
Our first frost is coming tonight and I am stuck at work. So yes I am stressing big time. We have been working to get everything ready for the winter, but I still have plants that need to be transitioned from pots to in the ground. Even though I know it is coming I still get very sad and a bit weepy when the first frost hits.
Our forecast for this Friday here in Portland keeps flip-flopping between 32°F and 33°F so we are very much feeling the crunch of preparing for that critical visitor this week. Especially after taking the last two weekends off to celebrate my birthday and visit with family. So much to harvest and preserve, still. So much beauty to capture in photos and videos that will hold me over through our dark and soggy winter. And, yet, so little time. 😞 But I sure am ready for a rest. And for the free time to paint, crochet, and read real books once again!
Asparagus, The Weed of Roots and Refuge Farm should be a sticker and tee shirt! ❤❤
Havent dug my sweet potatoes yet either got to get it done before Tues
We had that sudden hard freeze last year; we went from 86f to 18f! Yuck.
😮looked at the weather for next week, and it will be 36 on Saturday and 32 on Sunday but also rainy, oh my got a lot to get ready for putting up for next year. We use our other side of our garage. Not bad for 65 yr old with 3 arthritis and 72 yr old husband for helping, we both enjoy it so much. Keep us going we love it😊. We live in Greeneville Texas. So far the only thing that hurts us alot is the heat,and it was bad this year
Thank you for your time,enjoy talking with you
Bless you and your family
Sweet Jess, After 90 days, I harvested my Beauregard sweet potatoes so I wouldn't have to deal with extreme bugs/mole pressure, or having the potatoes too big. For me, this was perfect timing! You're going to have a lovely sweet potato harvest.
We can feel winter knocking at our door. The colorful leaves are falling to the ground to there final laying place…and our temperatures dropping toward our first freeze. It's that time of year when I say good night, and good bye to my garden until spring 2024 planting.
This video helped me so much! it popped up just at the time I was going out on my balcony to take out as much of my garden as I could. It was so much easier when I was listening to you. There are still a few Tomatoes hanging on and I can't bear to take them down yet. It has frosted on the ground but it's warmer on the fourth floor . There will be a couple of warm days this week so I'm leaving them on for now.
Where do you get the chicken & dumpling cowpea seeds from?
Our first frost will likely be this weekend. When I saw it I felt "grief and relief."
When will there a new, Wilder Still uploaded? Can you film the turkey or chicken processing for the abundance platform since YouTube's not a good place for that type of instructional content?
I'm tired out just listening to all you have to do before the frost
I'm feeling the same way:( It took out by health peppers plants this morning.
Dewormer and excellent source of nutrients for the animals. This Saturday is the next full moon. Feed animals natural “dewormer” sources Thurs-Mon.2days before, day of, 2 days after—this will take care of parasites reproduction……
I'm already thinking about Thanksgiving as well! Side note, I've not been to a chicken processing day yet, but it's happening soon! Also, I thought the majority would say that the last thing that they would want to eat on that day would be chicken!? I think I might want a big pig roast on chicken processing day, personally, but I love chicken all the time 😁 Especially if I was able to share it with you!
You can ripen green pumpkins they just take time,they need to be somewhere they get as much sun when it's available but out of the frost..maybe a spot in the hightunnel? Some say having a very ripe pumpkin or two on close proximity helps or even the humble bananas really any fruit which has the active compound I've forgotten name of..but they will ripen on their own with just sunshine