My Boreal Homestead Life

Having a widespread range, it can be found growing in the grasslands, open forest, mountainous regions and even in the urban flower beds.   Not only does it grow wild, but it is a cultivated flower that adds interest and compliments many a fresh cut or dried flower bouquet.  Naturally, it is a lovely white but in cultivated varieties it can be found in white and soft pastels to brilliant shades of yellow, red, orange, and gold.  But the interesting thing about this plant is that regardless of the color, they all have the same medicinal attributes.  This wonderful plant I am talking about is Yarrow AKA Common Yarrow, Achillea millefolium.

Tomatoes are a member of botanical family Solanaceae which make up a group of plants better known as nightshades.  Surprising to me, there are over 10,000  recorded tomato varieties with more being developed all the time as home gardeners breed new varieties.  So with this many varieties,  it can be hard to decide what variety is going to work in my garden.  

I certainly understand the importance of modern medicine.  But I am also of the belief that if I can prevent, help or heal my body through natural remedies I am better off.  And in wanting to nurture this belief,  l have been exploring the various medicinal herbs that up to present day, the application knowledge that was used to develop home remedies was only passed down from generation to generation or shared between cultures.  Although traditional medicines would more than likely have been created from foraged medicinal herbs, I decided that in addition to foraging, I would grow what I could.  And in doing so get to know the herb and it's growth habits, it's medicinal uses and how to store it.  I thought I would take you along as I add some new herbs to my Apothecary.

If you have done any research into keeping poultry and other animals, the use of deep bedding as made popular by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms is sure to come up.  Although he has a plethora of articles, books and videos discussing the use of deep bedding, there is also other content creators and influencers who are mimicking his methods.   Although I can not disagree with the principles of the method,  I find that they are forgetting one key component for cold climate dwellers, extreme cold air temperature and its influence on the success of the method.

I have done the research, done the legwork and spent the money to bore a well that will hopefully give me the water security I desire.  But as it is known that all water is not created equal, I wonder how my water will compare to the provincial  averages.  The only way to know for certain is to do a water analysis by a water testing service.

If you have adopted homesteading, urban homesteading, apartment homesteading, homestead living or a homestead farm as your way of life. or can identify with the grouping, you will know that there is always something to do.  There is always a list of things that needs doing that might include pen cleaning, fence fixing, baking, canning, stocking up the pantry and planning.  With the start of a New Year I thought it might be interesting to explore the homestead happenings thus far this fall and early winter season.