Good day and Welcome to my blog, My Boreal Homestead Life!
I have been living this life for over 30 years in my present home and was dabbling in it prior to that while I lived in the city. As I believe that one is continually learning, I can not claim to be an expert. But what I can say is that I do have a lot of practical personal experience that has come in handy. I will be sharing that practical knowledge, experimentation and learning opportunities on this blog in hopes to encourage, educate and entertain.
I remodeled an abandoned home and yard, I also garden, can, ferment, bake, raise livestock, raise poultry, raised sheep, raised pigs, sell farm products and try to live a simple life whilst working casually in town.
Follow along with My Boreal Homestead Life and enjoy as we explore a Homegrown, Homestead life, in a Modern World.
Current Blog Post...
What???!! There are benefits to quack grass?!
July 21, 2024
I have always viewed quack grass as something to feed livestock with and although they enjoy it, rhizome's included, it was not something that is commonly given unless it was in the bales or pastures. In the yard, it was only ever something to make the yard green. Other than that, it was something that I called the bane of my existence. It's propensity to thrive in all growing conditions is the very thing that makes it one of the harder “weeds” to get rid of in places that I don't want it. But maybe, just maybe, I have been looking at quack grass all wrong.
Most recent posts....
Stinging Nettle - Why Am I Drying This "Weed"?
June 5, 2024
When one thinks about stinging nettle most folks don't usually seek it out, will avoid it like the plague and work to eradicate it. Whether it is growing in a location that is accessed a lot or in the garden, there is certainly times when this “weed” needs to be removed. But if one remembers that a ”weed" is really any plant that is not growing in a location that is desirable, and not dismiss it as useable or beneficial, one's view towards stinging nettle changes. Although I avoid it as well when working around the place and dig it out of places that I don't want it because it does “bite”, I also leave it be so that I can dawn gloves and harvest it. But the reasons why I would harvest it at all and why I am drying this “weed” might surprise you too.
Seasonal Yard Clean up - Why I don't do much Fall Yard Clean up
May 19, 2024
I recall a couple years ago in the early fall going out to the municipal compost pile with my Dad to drop some dried leaves, grass and spruce cones off. While there I started looking around, as one does when they go to any dump, and noticed the volume of flowers that had been dumped off. They were still in full bloom but despite this fact, had been yanked out because folks were in full on fall yard clean up. Granted there could be other reasons I suppose, but given that the majority of people do a fall yard clean up, it stood to reason that these flowers were yanked and dumped was because of fall yard clean up. I recall saying to my Dad how this concept just doesn't make sense to me. Since that time, I have explored, researched and pondered this phenomenon in an attempt to figure if there was something I was missing. Which time of year is best?
It's Spring on the Homestead - And About To Get Busy
May 13, 2024
Whether a person lives in an area that gets a ton of snow or in an area that gets no snow, the transition from winter to the spring season is one that is anticipated every year. It is a time where life returns to the land and a person takes on a whole new sense of purpose and anticipation. But the age old battle between Old Man Winter and spring is not one that is easily won and Old Man Winter likes to flex his muscles. As winter slowly but surely softens his grip, from what was frozen ground just weeks earlier, things awaken and come to life. And so do I! I start to make plans and the to-do list grows, with maybe loftier goals than what is reasonable, and things start to get done, one item at a time.
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Preserving Potatoes - Best Ways to Preserve Potatoes
May 5, 2024
Whether a person buys potatoes from a local farmer, buys them in the store or grows their own, long term storage ability is dependent on the variety and the conditions under which the potatoes are stored. But like most homes, I do not have the perfect condition in which to store them. Although I do not bad, the potatoes I harvest in the fall will start sprouting and shriveling as it gets closer to spring, about 5 - 6 months post harvest. But rather than disposing of what I have left, I figure that it is better to preserve the potatoes in some fashion. And so, each spring I decide on how I will preserve potatoes long term.
The Potato Trial - In Search of a New Potato Variety that Works for Me
April 28, 2024
Potatoes are one of the easiest, cost effective, beneficial, productive and nutritious vegetables to grow. But storing the harvest can prove problematic at times and so alternative methods like pressure canning and freezing have to be used to preserve the harvest. However, if conditions are right the potato will store for months with little to no degradation of the vegetable. But not many people have the perfect conditions, myself included. I do not bad, but I do need to store them for upwards of seven months and so I decided in 2023 to trial some new varieties that I would not find in a store in hopes of finding a better storage potato than what I have. And, have some fun with it along the way.
The Tomato Trial - Results of 2023 Tomato Trial and What's New for 2024
April 21, 2024
For years I only planted tomatoes I could get in the local stores or nurseries. But I got tired of the same varieties and when I found something I liked, they were not always available year to year. So I started starting my own using seeds I could find in the stores. Then about three years ago, after tiring of the paste tomatoes I could get my hands on and trialing a few different paste type tomatoes, I dove into the world of tomatoes. And what a world it is! In 2023 I grew a number of new varieties as trials and in 2024 the world of tomatoes is getting bigger for me. There was certainly some surprises in the trial, the amount of harvest being just one of the surprises.