The Principles of Permaculture (And How to Make Them Work For You!)
Knowing how to apply the principles of permaculture to your property can make your homestead more productive with less effort on your part. But first you have to understand what the principles of permaculture are and, of course, what permaculture is!
Permaculture has been a buzz word in the homesteading world for a while now. It’s also a practice that’s been featured in various mainstream food and environmental documentaries, and is often touted as the solution to all sorts of environmental problems ranging from climate change to topsoil erosion and desertification to large-scale industrial agriculture.
But permaculture can also be a bit of a tricky concept to grasp at first, mostly due to the academic sounding principles and philosophies that guide it. However. once you understand the basic principles behind permaculture, not only does it start to make sense, it can start to make so much sense that you might wonder why more farmers, gardeners and homesteaders aren’t applying the principles of permaculture to their own properties already!
What is permaculture?
Permaculture comes from the root words “permanent” and “agriculture.” It aims to make food production (aka. agriculture) easier and more sustainable by mimicking the permanent, regenerative systems that can be found in nature.
The idea is that in the wild, ecosystems don’t need any input from human beings. They regenerate all on their own. Permaculture, therefore, aims to replicate many of the natural systems that exist in order to produce more (higher yields) with less human input (aka. time, energy and resources).
In short, permaculture works with nature rather than against it, which is in sharp contrast to conventional agricultural models that require constant management and input (ie. planting, fertilizing, irrigation, herbicides, pesticides, etc.) in order to produce a yield, and typically do a lot of ecological and environmental damage in the process.
But permaculture isn’t just some hippy dippy environmental movement (not that there’s anything wrong with that;) It’s actually a super practical way to design your homestead, your home and even your entire life in order to make things easier, cheaper and less time consuming overall. Because once you do the initial work of setting your permaculture systems up, you get to reap the benefits of those systems without having to constantly manage them, which always ends in higher yields for less work.
Related: How to Grow More Food In Less Space
The origins of permaculture
The term “permaculture” was first coined by friends and coworkers Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in Australia back in the 1970’s. They envisioned a new agricultural design that was both permanent and sustainable, using available resources in a way that offered high output (yields) while producing little to no waste.
Mollison and Holmgren envisioned a set of 12 principles that permaculture practitioners could use to design everything from a small backyard garden to a large piece of property. While many of the principles apply to the initial phases of the design process (ie. designing a brand new garden or homestead), they are certainly beneficial to anyone interested in improving their gardening or homesteading setup, no matter how well established.
The ethics and principles of permaculture
While we often think of permaculture as being directly related to agriculture, it’s actually more of a design concept than an agricultural practice (although it is both).
Permaculture design can be applied to everything from our gardens to our homes to our communities and even ourselves. It’s all based on a code of ethics and a set of principles that can be applied to everything we do.
Earth Care, Fair Share & People Care
Permaculture is based on 3 main ethical standards: Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share
Earth Care is all about making sure that our actions improve (or at least maintain) the earth and the natural environment. So for example, when it comes to gardening that means we are using organic methods to make the land more productive and diverse and steering clear of herbicides, pesticides and GMOs.
In the home, Earth Care could mean using natural cleaning products and practicing good habits like turning lights and taps off when we’re not using them. In the community, Earth Care could mean walking or cycling instead of driving or picking up litter.
People Care is all about making sure the needs of the people around us are met in sustainable, self-sufficient ways. Feeding ourselves, our families and our community members with the food that we grow is one way of caring for people, but it is certainly not the only way.
Fair Share is all about taking only our fair share. In other words, take only what you need from nature and allow renewable resources time to regenerate. Cut down on consumption and waste as much as possible and harness the power of natural energy from sun, wind, rain and biomass instead of relying on the grid to support all of your activities.
The 12 design principles of permaculture
Permaculture follows 12 basic design principles. While you don’t have to follow every principle in order to implement permaculture design on your own property, the more of them you understand and incorporate, the more sustainable, efficient and self-sustaining your homestead (and your life) will be! It’s best to start with the first principle, and then move through each of the remaining principles in chronological order, although it’s not required to implement each one in order
Here’s a summary of each of the 12 principles of permaculture…
1. Observe and Interact with Nature
Observe the land and the systems that are already functioning naturally to help you decide how to make these natural systems work for you.
Familiarize yourself with your land. Walk it throughout the year, observing such elements as climate, weather, soil types, areas of sunlight and shade, and water movement during periods of rain. Getting a good feel for your property will allow you to decide on the best place for your garden, where to plant fruit trees, where to put your chicken coop or barnyard, where you can add more growing space or increase your yield by utilizing the natural microclimates that exist around your property, and so on.
2. Catch and Store Energy
Collect natural forms of energy when and where they are available to use when needed.
This could also be translated to “catching and storing resources.” This means finding ways to harness and use natural energy and resources like solar energy, wind and rain. Examples include harnessing the sun’s energy by planting in full sun or using solar panels to power your home or equipment. It could also mean designing your home in a way that captures the sun’s heat in the winter while keeping it cool in the summer.
When it comes to harnessing natural sources of water, collecting rainwater or diverting runoff water to the garden are good examples.
Related: Homemade Rain Barrel DIY Project
3. Obtain a Yield
The goal of permaculture is ultimately to produce as much food and as many useful resources as possible from your land.
When we think of a yield in the traditional sense, we tend to think of the annual yield we from our garden crops. But in permaculture, a yield can be anything that is useful in some way (ie. fruits and vegetables, herbs, firewood, nuts, seeds, or even flowers). Even weeds and pests that are typically seen as a nuisance can produce yields of food and medicine, food for livestock (chickens love weeds and bugs!), and organic matter for your compost pile.
Meat, eggs and dairy are also yields that can and should be counted on a permaculture property, along with the fertilizer that animals like chickens, rabbits and cows produce.
Likewise, a rain barrel can produce a yield of rain water, and solar panels can produce a yield of solar energy.
4. Apply Self Regulation and Accept Feedback
Always assess and reassess what is and isn’t working and make necessary adjustments.
Feedback can come from several sources; Our own reflection on our gardening practices, our successes and failures and advice from experts are just a few examples. Permaculture teaches that we need to listen and be open to receiving feedback from all sources, and most importantly we need to be willing to make changes when necessary.
5. Use and Value Renewable Resources
Try to use resources that are renewable over those that aren’t. Don’t take too much, use only your fair share and allow these resources the time the need to regenerate.
The backbone of permaculture is sustainability, so we should always be looking for ways to use and value renewable resources whenever possible. There are many easy and inexpensive ways to do this.
Your property can produce food (both garden vegetables and weeds) that can feed your chickens and your compost pile, and then your chickens and your compost pile will produce fertilizer which can then feed your garden. Perennial plants and trees are renewable, along with the yields they produce. So are the seeds that we collect from our annuals to plant the following year.
Trees provide firewood, which is a renewable source of energy that we can use to heat our homes. Leaves, wood chips and grass trimmings provide a great mulch in the garden, which acts as a weed barrier, feeds the soil, helps retain moisture and provides protection from frost and cold temperatures to our perennials.
6. Produce No Waste
While it is difficult not to produce any waste at all, try to make use of the waste you do create (ie. use grey water to irrigate, repurpose old packaging, fix old tools, compost, etc.)
Some practical ways you can do this include feeding unwanted or unappetizing portions of your harvests (including bugs and weeds) to your chickens and then using their manure as fertilizer for your garden, or feeding kitchen scraps (including meat and dairy) to your pigs.
It could also mean composting food scraps and weeds, using straw or wood shavings as bedding for your hens or other animals and then using it as next year’s mulch, reducing the number of plastic bags of garden soil you purchase by building your own compost, or using wood ash produced by your wood stove (a byproduct of heating your home) to amend your garden soil or to make lye for soap.
Producing no waste also means being conscious of what we are bringing onto our homesteads and making a concerted effort to give everything more than one use. You can do this by reusing any single use items that do find their way onto your property in new and innovative ways, such as using old milk jugs as cold frames or using plastic cups as seedling pots in the spring. Be mindful of any and all waste and let your imagination provide solutions!
Related: 11 Frugal Ways to Use Kitchen Scraps
7. Design From Patterns to Details
Be intentional with the way you design your garden, homestead and property. Observe first and then design your property to take advantage of the naturally occurring systems already in place.
First of all, look for the patterns found in nature: water, sunlight, wind, slopes, shady areas, etc. How can you use these patterns to design or improve the functionality of your property? For example, for the best yield, you’ll want to plant sun-loving plants like tomatoes and peppers in full sun. But tender greens grow well in partial shade. A slope on a hillside can mean erosion during the wet season and could be a very difficult pace to grow food, but if designed correctly with swales and berms, this could be the perfect place to plant fruit and nut trees along with other edible perennials.
Another important pattern to look for is how you and your family use and interact with your property. What areas of your property do you naturally visit the most? The least? Design your property so that the things that you use or need to visit the most (ie. your herb garden or your chicken coop) are closest to where you go in and out of your house, and things that you need visit the least (ie. your orchard or forested areas) are farthest away.
8. Integrate Rather Than Segregate
Set things up to work together and make connections between different elements of your homestead so that they can benefit each other through their interactions with one another.
For example, you might want to integrate your chickens with your vegetable garden by placing your chicken coop next to your vegetable garden so that you can easily toss your chickens weeds and excess produce to eat, and then easily shovel fertilizer from the chicken coop back to your garden beds. By integrating these two elements rather than keeping them segregated from each other, it makes your workload easier and produces a symbiotic relationship between your chickens and your vegetable garden.
Companion planting also falls under this principle. Growing vegetables, herbs, fruits, nuts and flowers together (either in your garden or in a food forest) rather than separated in market-style rows can help to deter pests, suppress weeds, attract pollinators and even provide shade or support for other plants. Some companion plants are even said to improve the flavour of others, such as companion planting basil with tomatoes.
9. Use Small and Slow Solutions
Focus on establishing plants and systems that take time to set up and produce up front, but will produce massive yields later on. Likewise, when changing anything on your homestead, start by observing and making small changes over time.
take your time, observe, accept feedback and adapt as you go, and don’t dedicate all of your time, energy or resources to a big change that might not work out. Again, the goal is to mimic nature, and nature adapts and changes slowly.
This principle can apply to big things changing things like your soil’s PH balance or planting an orchard, but it can also apply to trying out new vegetable varieties or adding new garden beds.
Want to try a new variety of vegetable, but you’re not sure if it will thrive in your garden or if you’ll even like it? Try growing just a few plants next year while dedicating most of your growing space to tried and true crops. That way you’ll still get a good harvest of things you know you like to eat, and if the new variety doesn’t work out, it won’t be a huge loss. Don’t have time or money to build all those raised beds this year? That’s ok. Build what you can and save the rest for next year. Use the extra time to gather your building materials (you might even be able to get them for cheap or free!) This is more sustainable in the long run, and sustainability is the backbone of permaculture.
10. Use and Value Diversity
Plant a variety of different crops and raise a variety of different animals (if you choose to raise animals). The more diversity, the healthier the ecosystem on your property and the better chance you’ll get a harvest even if one or more crops fail.
Growing and raising a diversity of plants and animals not only makes things more interesting and provides you with a more well-rounded harvest (and diet), it also helps to maintain the health of your garden and property and improves the efficiency and output of your homestead, as well as helping to ensure that if one crop fails, you’ll still have others to fall back on.
As the famous saying goes, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” And never plant just one variety of tomato;)
11. Use Edges and Value the Marginal
Utilize as much of the space on your property as you can. The edges of your property are great for planting fruit-producing shrubs and bramble or trees for harvesting wood. Don’t neglect or overlook the far corners of your property.
As you walk around your garden and property, pay close attention to areas that are not being used. A couple prime examples of this are fence lines and shady areas. Could you use your fences as vertical support to grow pole beans, peas or squash? As for shady areas, there are numerous varieties of vegetables and herbs that grow very well in shade and partial shade. Adding in those varieties could substantially increase your harvest.
If you have pastured and forested areas on your acreage, consider the edge of your pasture where it meets the forest. Edible weeds like nettles like to grow in this area, and so do some fruit trees and berry bushes. Livestock like cows and pigs (but also chickens, geese, goats, etc.) also like to hang out along the forest edge because it provides a variety of different forage, as well as shade. Forest edges are also great for hunting and harvesting firewood.
12. Creatively Use and Respond to Change
Find a way to adapt to the changes instead of fight them. Grow things that thrive in new environments. Start at square one again. Observe and then design. Always work with nature, never against her.
Every gardener knows that no two growing seasons are the same. Nature is always changing, and as homesteaders and gardeners, we’re constantly having to adapt and respond to this change. The climate is changing, new pests can emerge seemingly out of the blue, seasons change, and of course the weather is always unpredictable!
Maybe you’re noticing that your summers are getting hotter and drier. This might mean that lettuce and brassicas bolt earlier in the season, so you might want to adapt your gardening plan to plant these crops in your fall garden instead when the weather will cool off. At the same time, you might consider planting more tomatoes, peppers, melons and heat-loving plants in your summer garden.
Understanding, adapting and planning for the inevitability of change is another key aspect of sustainability and a way of life for those following the principles of permaculture. How we respond to that change is laid out for us in the previous 11 principles of permaculture: Observe nature, diversify, use creative solutions and work with nature and both you and your homestead will thrive!
For a more comprehensive understanding of the 12 principles of permaculture, check out David Holmgren’s book Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability.
For a practical guide to designing a home-scale permaculture garden or homestead, I recommend Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway.
Permaculture zones
A permaculture homestead can typically be divided into five zones. These zones provide a design template that can be personalized to suit you and your unique property, as well with how you interact with it. No two zone maps look exactly the same, because it all depends on your individual needs and goals, along with your behaviour and your property.
Ideally, the five zones are set as concentric circles with your home being the centre point, or “Zone 0.” Immediately next to Zone 0 is Zone 1, which would be the next most highly trafficked area, and then Zone 3, Zone 4 and finally Zone 5 is the zone you visit the least (typically the farthest zone from your house).
As with all things permaculture-related, the point is to “work smarter, not harder,” and permaculture zones help you do just that. Think of each zone as containing tasks that need to be completed or resources that need to be accessed. Those tasks that require daily attention or resources that you use most often should be located as close to your house as possible. Conversely, those tasks or resources that require the least amount of attention should be located farthest from Zone 0.
Here is a breakdown of the permaculture zones and suggestions for what should (or could) go in each one.
Zone 0
Your house. This is considered the nexus or centre point of your homestead, even if it’s not at the geographical centre of your property, because this is where you spend the most time.
Zone 1
This zone requires the most thought because, aside from Zone 0, it’s the one you will frequent most often. Herb gardens, potagers (aka. kitchen gardens) and small chicken coops are often found in Zone 1.
Other ideas for Zone 1 would be recycling bins, worm compost containers, and perhaps a small greenhouse with seedlings that need to be tended to frequently. Small animals like rabbits could also benefit from being in this zone.
Zone 2
Tasks that need to be completed a few times a week are located in Zone 2. Large annual gardens, market gardens, greenhouses, berry patches, compost piles, sheds and barns are well suited for Zone 2.
Livestock are typically best suited for Zone 2. While some (like a small number of chickens or rabbits) might end up in Zone 1, typically most livestock will be houses in Zone 2.
Zone 3
Zone 3 is also called the “Farming Zone.” Elements in this zone will still find their way on your “to do” list, but on a much less regular basis. Pastured land, grazing animals. animals, beehives, mushrooms, grains such as wheat and corn, and fruit and nut trees would all be good choices for Zone 3.
Zone 4
Some uses for this “semi-wild” zone include fishing and hunting, foraging for wild edibles, forestry and wood harvesting.
Zone 5
This zone is the “true wild” and is typically used only for observation, conservation, reflection, and learning. If you’re lucky enough to have a wilderness zone on your property, you might consider building a small cabin or packing your tent up for an overnight camping trip to Zone 5!
Zone 6, 7, 8, 9 and so on…
While there are 5 “true” zones in permaculture, the zones could technically keep going forever. So long as you start at zone 0 and then work your way out, you could look at your larger community, your county, state or province and so on as zones. Maybe you forage for food in parks in your community.While that’s not technically on your property, it can still be considered a zone.
There are no hard and fast rules about what constitutes a permaculture zone. And the idea of zones can be applied anywhere, even to an individual person! A good friend of mine who practices permaculture once told me that he considers his consciousness to be Zone 0, his thinking mind to be Zone 1, his physical body to be Zone 3 and his environment to be Zone 4. As with most things in permaculture, how you apply the design principles are highly personal, adaptable and up for interpretation:)
What about you? Do you practice permaculture principles on your own homestead or in your life? What does this look like for you? Let me know in the comments below!
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Did you know you can now buy pumpkin spice ramen noodles, pumpkin spice Pringles, pumpkin spice macaroni and cheese, pumpkin spice sausages and even pumpkin spice dog treats?
It’s not exactly a stretch to say that we’ve taken the whole pumpkin spice craze a little bit too far.
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#pumpkinspice #psl #pumpkinspicelatte #fallvibes #fromscratch
I’ve been feeling pulled to slow down and retreat into my home lately; To turn off the news and social media and focus on the tangible things like lighting the wood stove, preserving the mountains of food still coming out of the garden, and slowly stirring a pot of soup as it cooks on the stovetop.
With everything that’s going on in the world right now, I know I’m not the only one feeling pulled toward hearth and home. This is a heavy time for all of us. No one person is meant to bear the weight of the world on their shoulders, but I've heard from so many people lately who say that's exactly how they've been feeling.
If you read my post from a few days ago, you know I’ve been feeling like that too, but luckily, I've learned how to soothe my soul in difficult times.
And so that's what I've been doing lately...
I've been focusing on the tangible things that I can control, like cooking meals and preserving food.
I've been lingering a little longer in the morning, taking time to sit by the river or sip my coffee in front of the wood stove before hurrying on with my day.
And I've been making a conscious effort to turn off the noise of the outside world and give my family and my own emotional health my full attention.
If you've also been feeling that pull to turn off all of the noise and immerse yourself in more nourishing, productive activities, I want to tell you about a collection of resources that will help you do just that.
The Simple Living Collective’s Autumn Issue includes seasonal guides, tutorials, e-books, recipes and more to help you slow down and reconnect with what matters this season.
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And much more.
If this sounds like it’s exactly what you're in need of right now, check out the Simple Living Collective and get the Autumn Issue for just $25. But this issue is only available until tomorrow, so don't wait…
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to grab it now before it disappears 🍁
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As for how to use them, try adding fermented #jalapeños to homemade nachos, tacos, chilli, pizza, salads, burgers and anything else you can think of that could benefit from a little spicy heat (and a healthy dose of probiotics;)
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Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/fermented-jalapenos/ for the recipe!
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I laid in bed the other night and couldn’t sleep.
I know that probably doesn’t sound out of the ordinary, especially considering the collective stress we’ve all been through over the past year and a half. But if I’m being totally honest, I’ve done a pretty good job of not letting it get to me.
I used to have really bad anxiety, and I made a conscious effort to learn how to manage it in (mostly) healthy, natural ways. I practice a lot of gratitude every day, and overall I’ve learned to deal with stress, anxiety and negative thoughts pretty well.
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I’ve been seeing more and more calls to “choose a side.” I’ve witnessed my own close friends on both sides of the debate hurling insults at each other, defending their ground, and refusing to listen to each other’s valid points and concerns.
I’ve even witnessed a widening crack in the homesteading community, despite the fact that so many of our core values and beliefs align and are unique to us.
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(Continued in comments…)
🍁 There's something almost magical about the changing of the seasons, and especially the transition from summer to fall.
For us homesteaders, summers are often chaotic and offer lots of projects and distractions to keep us busy, but fall beckons us to slow down and focus on what we want out of this life and what sort of changes and transitions we need to make to get to where we ultimately want to be.
This latest issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine reflects this spirit of change and honours the many transitions that this season brings.
From transitioning our homes and gardens for the fall and winter to transitioning our kids back to school, we're covering a wide range of topics to help you to make the most of this season before we transition to the next.
And speaking of changes and transitions, I'm very excited to announce a brand new format and vision for Modern Homesteading Magazine.
As we celebrate two years in publication and 24 monthly issues on topics ranging from organic gardening to herbal medicine to raising livestock to fermentation and just about everything in between, the time has come for the magazine to expand, diversify and transition from a monthly publication to a seasonal one.
This will also be the last issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine that we're offering for free.
If you're already a paid member, nothing will change and you'll continue to enjoy full access to our entire library of past, present and future issues.
If you're not a member yet but you'd like to continue to receive each new issue and get full access to our entire library of past issues, you can still do so for the super low introductory rate of just $7.99/year.
A huge thanks to @planttherapy for sponsoring yet another issue!
Plant Therapy's fall collection is out now, along with their vast selection of essential oils, home and body care products, CBD oils and more! Shop now and get 10% off site-wide when you use code HOMESTEAD at checkout.
I hope you enjoy everything that this issue has to offer, and that it inspires you to make the most of the season.
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to become a member or subscribe and read your first issue for free!
Fun fact: The word “ferment” comes from the Latin word “fervere,” which means “to boil.”
During fermentation, wild yeasts and bacteria feed off of the sugars in food and produce carbon dioxide, which is what makes the signature bubbles in fermented foods.
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Get all of these recipes and learn all about the wonderful world of fermentation while you still can by subscribing to Modern Homesteading Magazine. Right now you can subscribe for free and you’ll still get the weekend to read through this issue before the Fall issue drops next Monday.
Or, if you want unlimited access to this issue, along with every other issue of the magazine, you can still become a member for the super low introductory rate of just $7.99/year!
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to subscribe for free or become a member and get unlimited access to our entire library of issues packed with helpful information, resources and exclusive recipes!
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I’ve been keeping a secret…
For the past two years I’ve worked hard to bring you monthly issues of Modern Homesteading Magazine.
Over the course of the past 24 issues, we’ve covered everything from gardening to canning, sourdough bread to backyard chickens, home dairy to herbal medicine, permaculture to fermentation and EVERYTHING in between.
But it’s time for the magazine to step into some bigger shoes, which means we’re transitioning from a monthly publication focused on one specific topic per issue to a seasonal publication which will focus on multiple seasonally-themed topics per issue.
This also means that each issue will be packed with even more great content tailored for homesteaders from all walks of life.
Since the August issue was a week late due to some personal and family issues, and since this next issue is packed with even more great content, it will be coming to you in a few days from now.
That being said, it will also be the last issue you’ll be able to read free of charge. So, if you STILL haven’t subscribed, head on over and click the link in my bio or go to thehouseandhomestead.com/magazine to subscribe for free and you’ll still get to read the August issue (all about fermentation) as well as the Fall 2021 issue (when it comes out) ABSOLUTELY FREE!
Membership prices to access our entire library of issues will also be increasing soon so now’s a great time to lock in at the super low introductory price of just $7.99/year. That gets you full access to every single issue, past, present and future, including the ability to download, save and print each one.
Big, exciting changes are coming this fall! Be sure to subscribe and/or become a member now and be the first to know when the brand new Fall 2021 issue drops in just a few days!
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to subscribe or become a member now :)
Fall is just around the corner, and that means so is cold and flu season.
This is the time of year when I like to mix up a big batch of elderberry syrup to help support our immunity and keep us healthy throughout the fall and winter.
If you've never made your own elderberry syrup, it's SUPER easy. All you need are some dried elderberries (or fresh if you've got 'em), honey, and a few other herbs and spices.
OR you can make things even easier on yourself and grab a dump-and-go Elderberry Syrup Mix kit from @farmhouseteas!
Whether you opt for plain ol' dried elderberries or the Elderberry Syrup Mix, right now you can buy one and get one for 20% off, plus get free shipping over $59 anywhere in the U.S.
Stock up on elderberries now and use code IMMUNE821 at checkout to get your discount!
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to order your dried elderberries and get your discount, and/or to get my full recipe for homemade elderberry syrup (or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/homemade-elderberry-syrup-recipe)
Happy fall y’all 🍁
Not a bad start to our carrot harvest if you ask me!
One of the things I love about growing food at home is that we get to try all sorts of varieties that we would never find in a grocery store, like these deep purple carrots from @westcoastseeds.
There are so many interesting heirlooms (and hybrids!) out there that just aren’t grown for commercial sale.
What’s your favourite vegetable that you’ve grown that you can’t find anywhere else?
Got plums???
This plum jelly is a super easy way to use up any plums you have WITHOUT having to pit them.
(This is obviously especially useful if you have a clingstone variety, because let me tell you from experience, it is NOT worth your time to try to pit those babies!)
But since all you need for this jelly is to extract the juice from your plums, you don’t need to worry about removing the pits. Just toss ‘em in the pot whole!
This plum jelly is also spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Perfect for fall -it basically tastes like what cozy feels like!
Not to mention, it also makes the perfect Christmas gift. (Yup. I said Christmas! But if you wanna give away homemade preserve for Christmas, you’ve gotta start planning that now!)
If you've got plums and are looking for a delicious way to use and preserve them, click the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/spiced-plum-jelly/ to get my full recipe and preserving instructions!
Happy anniversary to the love of my life @thehumblehandyman
Over our 7 years of marriage and 10 years together, we’ve experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows.
We’ve travelled the world together. We’ve accomplished countless goals together. We’ve learned to grow food and live a more sustainable life, not because we have to, but because it feels right in every fiber of our being.
We’ve created a beautiful baby girl together, and said goodbye to 4 angel babies. We’ve yet to meet our rainbow baby, but I feel in my heart that there’s a soul out there who’s meant to live his earthly life with us. I’m not ready to stop trying.
We’ve built a beautiful home (if not from scratch, pretty close!), and while we’re so, SO grateful for our current home and situation, we both still love to dream about the day we drive up on that 5 or 10 acre farm, keys in hand.
I know we’re only 7 years in, but I can already picture us 20, 30, 40 years from now, giving the younger kids some simple life advice on how to make a marriage work:
#1: Communicate. About everything. Share your wildest dreams and your darkest secrets. Share a bank account! A strong marriage is based on absolute trust. Communication is necessary for trust to exist.
#2: Work toward common goals. Get on the same page about what you want out of life, and if you disagree on some things, find middle ground. Marriage is about compromise, but we also only get one chance to do this life and I don’t know about you, but I’ve got lots I wanna do and I wanna do it next to the person I love most.
#3: Laugh. Cry. Comfort each other. Share all of the raw human emotions with each other. Celebrate what it means to be spiritual beings having a human experience, together.
This is what’s worked for us so far anyway, and I can say for a fact that we’re stronger together and as individuals for it.
Thank you for being the best husband and father Evelyn and I could ask for. And thanks for knowing how to build and fix just about everything. Many of our projects would never get off the ground or our bills would be much higher if I wasn’t married to @thehumblehandyman, and for that I’m eternally grateful 😘
When you grow your own food at home, you tend to end up with the very GOOD problem of having too much fresh food ready all at once.
This is definitely the case in our house right now, which means our canner has taken up permanent residence on our stovetop and I've been admittedly pulling some late nights trying to get everything preserved.
Tomato sauce is a top priority for us when it comes to canning because it's such a staple on our pantry shelves. From pizza and pasta sauce to soups, stews and casseroles, we use tomato sauce for so much of our home cooking, and for this reason, having a good, basic tomato sauce on hand is an absolute MUST!
The recipe I'm sharing with you today includes instructions on how to can homemade tomato sauce with a water bath canner or a pressure canner (because tomatoes go both ways;) so you always have the makings of a delicious meal on hand!
Click the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/how-to-can-homemade-tomato-sauce/ to get the full recipe and canning instructions:)
What's your favourite way to use tomato sauce at home??
We have begun mulching our garden walkways and some of the beds with either straw, wood shavings or chipped tree trimmings. We put our kitchen scraps in a compost pile and use all our animal manure on the garden and fields. I’ve begun shredding all our paper for a compost pile too. We haven’t produced our own usable compost yet, but it is one of the next things on our list. We bought an old farm, so it can be challenging to work with what is already here rather than being able to put things where you would prefer them. I have learned that having vegetables in two different places is inefficient and creates more work. We’ve come a long way and have a loooong way to go, but life is a journey.
It sounds like you are well on your way then, Kelly!
It is definitely an ongoing journey. 🙂