The Grafted Branch Farm

Behold the rare and exotic tree-dwelling woodland chicken, seen here in her natural habitat. Can you spot her? Beware, do not stand below this peculiar breed, lest you fancy a cracked egg mask for your hair. I hear it's very moisturizing!

We moved the flerd to a really sweet patch of field yesterday with food for multiple days (hopefully) but last night got a really heavy rain so now there is a nice little water feature between them and their field. So I improvised a tarp shelter and gave them some [very] wet hay to hold them over for a bit. Lots of rain in the forecast this week so we'll just be over here taking it one day at a time, as per usual, trying to feed 116 hungry mouths.

Remembering the crooked finger debacle of 2020 while we play with my uncle's old circular saw mill. But isn't rough sawn cedar oh so beautiful?!

When the world feels like it's just a pile of dead brown leaves, look closer.

Growing up, I was never a huge fan of the taste of black walnut but I'm willing to give it another chance seeing as we have quite the haul from just one tree in our yard. Come at me with your favorite uses for black walnut, whether they be culinary, medicinal, practical, anything. They were created for a purpose and I am determined to no longer take for granted any provision from the creator.

It was the perfect day for a walk in the woods. Shabbat shalom!

Conversations overheard on the homestead... Me: "What are you working on this afternoon?" Him: "Gotta finish unloading the trailer." Me: "Need my help with that?"... Him: "Well I don't NEED your help but having your cute face around is always nice." Me: "Hey, I'm more than just a cute face." Him: "Yeah, you're a good cook too!"

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will shepherd them, will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:17 CJB Feeling blessed that water is so abundant here, it is literally bursting out of the ground.... We have been led here, to springs of living water, and all those who drink of it will never be thirsty. "...but whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty again! On the contrary, the water I give him will become a spring of water inside him, welling up into eternal life! John 4:14 CJB

It's overcast and spitting rain today, but we are toasty inside enjoying the beginning of woodstove season. I pray that all of you are able to take a moment and soak up the peace of his rest. Shabbat shalom

So many frustrating things happening all at once but it was a good day nonetheless. We explored our local and extended community a bit more today and discovered: -a beautiful and quaint public garden maintained by the town's FFA club... -our local farm supply store is bomb and beats out the big chains on most everything -the downtown hardware store may be difficult to navigate at times but it has what you need -mid-western charm is a thing and today we met no less than three lovely shop owners who prove it -we already feel a deep connection to our place and feel invested in making it better, we don't know how that looks exactly but we're dreaming about old-fashioned general stores with fresh eggs, milk, produce, bread and bulk dry goods to fill in all the gaps of good, wholesome things people really need. P.S. What kind of bean is this? We found it in the community garden and went all .

When it comes to self-sufficiency, food storage through the winter is of paramount importance. It might be hard to see here, but we are imagining an old-fashioned root cellar with a stone wall facade dug into this north-facing hill behind the house. It will take an excavator and a whole lot of concrete to set it up but once in place, it will stay cool in the summer and just above freezing in the winter, with hopefully the right amount of humidity to keep things like potatoes,... carrots, and cabbage fresh through the winter months. Obviously we don't have a place to store food, not food to store, this winter but we are thinking ahead to an abundant garden and all the provision it will bring. In the meantime, the chickens and ducks are back here now, hunting and eating more worms and slugs than they probably know what to do with.