tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56980160385213837652024-03-14T08:29:50.999-07:00Smith Family FarmMarket gardening, homesteading and regenerative farming. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-17073953259121167192020-02-25T19:20:00.001-08:002020-02-25T19:20:26.019-08:00Are you ready?Something extraordinary is about to happen. Yes, I know the coronavirus is taking its toll on the economy, and if you watch the news you see people in the streets with masks on. It looks bad, really bad. I'm not all that concerned about the shipments of food being delayed since I can just walk to my garden and get fresh food whenever I want. This is one of the many reasons we grow our food. I truly hope this passes with minimal damage.<br />
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Let's remain hopefully and think about the wonderful things we have to look forward to. Spring is an exciting time for gardeners and homesteaders. For us, it means longer days and more daylight. We don't have to keep the wood stove burning as much, so we don't have to keep up with firewood and cleaning out the ashes. That makes my daughter really happy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBxBERIlGqX8FOJr7ggMzEzEvU5wp85abtZS_Ix-esptHCnt95XAMsaedyMMd6Sd8cDaJuB-MGZmfm_8pA2LYxTP3zkEg2mEzFJAV9I1rXB52TrYAWRJDesS_qH1rIDPIWtoPbC_3WsXZ/s1600/IMG_0517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBxBERIlGqX8FOJr7ggMzEzEvU5wp85abtZS_Ix-esptHCnt95XAMsaedyMMd6Sd8cDaJuB-MGZmfm_8pA2LYxTP3zkEg2mEzFJAV9I1rXB52TrYAWRJDesS_qH1rIDPIWtoPbC_3WsXZ/s200/IMG_0517.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Salad mix with row covers<br />
for protection on cold nights</td></tr>
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The crops we overwintered in our greenhouse are starting to take off and we are thrilled to have warmer days. This time of year can bring on some challenges also. Raccoons, foxes, hawks and coyotes are now prowling around, which means our chickens have to be extra careful. We do everything we can to protect them but if they fly over the electric fencing, they become vulnerable, and believe me, a fox will outsmart chicken even on a bad day.<br />
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We are starting radishes, salad mix, salad turnips, beets, pac choy, brussel sprouts and other leafy greens. These cool season crops thrive in the warm days and cool nights.<br />
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We have started our first peppers and tomatoes in our greenhouse but it will be a couple weeks before we set those out. I'm tempted to set out a few early plants but I know what will happen if I do too early. Frost will get them. Our last frost date here in Middle TN is May 1. We patiently wait for May 1, then we have to juggle rain showers. Is the ground too wet, is it too dry to plant? When we catch the weather right we jump all over the opportunity to plant our food.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigofg8H_z6cqOS9n6ZF7nRq_45Slh8wskVS_o0W_esL27tM6D345KQH0muxLwtY7gkxPysgQN80wKw2I6Gqn9vE04Alkealz4bRjNcsdZrOpLPrINS_KpPVMVAgV_A77LTL4sSyPmJyvFx/s1600/IMG_0519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigofg8H_z6cqOS9n6ZF7nRq_45Slh8wskVS_o0W_esL27tM6D345KQH0muxLwtY7gkxPysgQN80wKw2I6Gqn9vE04Alkealz4bRjNcsdZrOpLPrINS_KpPVMVAgV_A77LTL4sSyPmJyvFx/s200/IMG_0519.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Pac choy planted with<br />
compost spread around</td></tr>
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The garden is an extraordinary place on the homestead, it represents life, hope and challenges that await. It's a place where we can make money by harvesting and selling niche crops. Its also a place where failure is always lurking and one wrong move could mean death to the crop for that year. That's heartbreaking, because sometimes you only have one chance to get it right, otherwise you have to wait for next year. A lot of life lessons can be learned in the garden. If you have too many weeds in your garden, your plants will suffer and eventually succumb to pressure. Isn't that true with life?</div>
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This time of year is very inspiring and you don't have to look far for encouragement. Just take time and observe nature, walk outside and listen for birds. Take a moment and just watch them, don't think about anything else except nature. Spring is right around the corner!<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Jason Smith</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><i>Homesteader and Market Gardener</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Email: jason@smithfamilyfarmtn.com</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">YouTube Channel: </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjND</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">S8qU2TzEg</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Website: <a href="http://www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com/">www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-77269964788688872302020-01-21T19:04:00.002-08:002020-01-21T19:04:27.169-08:00Heating your homestead<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzoUY0SvLpZ5Yd_4zR_0I1EQoD51nnUrwRHmvRUmPv1-FHyl2WcDRscPJ2XZe7hkfJO36hmzFmsFEsiWZJfvZ4pTaIXagaTIX7kSfqVDE58D8ARJ4dKs8doXNnfgu3CrBXWXn9HI5mp4p/s1600/IMG_0911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzoUY0SvLpZ5Yd_4zR_0I1EQoD51nnUrwRHmvRUmPv1-FHyl2WcDRscPJ2XZe7hkfJO36hmzFmsFEsiWZJfvZ4pTaIXagaTIX7kSfqVDE58D8ARJ4dKs8doXNnfgu3CrBXWXn9HI5mp4p/s200/IMG_0911.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megan using the wood splitter!</td></tr>
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We love our wood burning stove.. here's why<br />
Free heat!!! We heat our house in the winter with free firewood. People that come to our house have asked us about our wood stove and how it works. Let me be clear, Megan and I are not doomsday people. We just choose a simple more thrifty way of living. We heat our house for free; it just takes a little searching, time and work. No kidding, with two days of work Megan and I can put back enough firewood to heat our house and one of our greenhouses for an entire winter. We live about 30 minutes east of Nashville so wood is plentiful, especially after a storm comes through. I can go on craigslist any giving time, click on the “free” section and find firewood. We can actually be fairly selective about it since it’s so abundant. Sometimes we will find it already cut into perfect lengths for splitting, which saves my chainsaw.<br />
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I call the person that posted to craigslist and ask these qualifying questions.<span id="goog_1550888399"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1550888400"></span><br />
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<b>1. </b>Do you know what type of wood it is?<br />
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<ul>
<li>Hickory (good hardwood)</li>
<li>Bodock or hedge apple (good hardwood)</li>
<li>Cherry (good hardwood that doesn’t smoke too much)</li>
<li>Hackberry (good wood)</li>
<li>Sweetgum (not great, but you can burn it)</li>
<li>Cedar (burns hot and fast, great for starting fires</li>
<li>Pine (Soft wood)</li>
<li>Bradford Pear (avoid)</li>
</ul>
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<b>2.</b> How long has the wood been sitting?<br />
If it been sitting for more than 3 months uncovered then it has probably started to rot.<br />
<b>3.</b> Is the wood in a location that is easily accessible?<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCpryfgnciHvUR_NmATnR0KcQe-fygDbTdWwKVog-J_fIni7FqM4XXRxJRZaQxUOcweh1RQXyIhica2gIE1VyxkIZFEziAZ3plvD8u8tJcacAhgXCyd-Ok_MyNoKoPJSiIBsi3HwsAlKjW/s1600/File_000.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCpryfgnciHvUR_NmATnR0KcQe-fygDbTdWwKVog-J_fIni7FqM4XXRxJRZaQxUOcweh1RQXyIhica2gIE1VyxkIZFEziAZ3plvD8u8tJcacAhgXCyd-Ok_MyNoKoPJSiIBsi3HwsAlKjW/s320/File_000.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver pipe is used for heat and black pipe goes through<br />
wall and pushes smoke outside</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We usually spend one day loading then unloading when we get back to the farm. The next day we rent a wood splitter for the day which usually cost about $80. Not bad in my opinion. Get ready for a workout on splitting day. We split, and then stack in one day. We make it family affair and have fun working together. Remember firewood needs to season before you burn it. We let ours sit for about 1 year before we burn it. Always keep the firewood covered.<br />
Our house has central heat/air. Our wood stove is in our basement, we designed it this way because heat rises. However, we took it a step further and built a small catchment box around the wood stove that traps heat. We bought metal pipe they use for ductwork and tied it into our return line on our central heat/air unit from the wood stove. We simply cut a 12 inch by 12 opening, large enough to place a filter when the heat draws off the woodstove. When we turn the unit to fan mode it pulls the warm air from the catchment box and distributes it evenly through our house using the vents your regular heat/air comes out. After winter is over we just place a cap over the pipe that feeds into the return and it shuts this off allowing your regular airflow to continue when you turn the air condition back on.<br />
You can take it a step further if you want to invest in a thermoelectric generator also called a seebeck generator which converts heat directly into electrical energy. You can buy these to go on your wood stove. Happy homesteading!<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Jason Smith</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><i>Homesteader and Market Gardener</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Email: jason@smithfamilyfarmtn.com</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">YouTube Channel: </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjND</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">S8qU2TzEg</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Website: <a href="http://www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com/">www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-76006011913760436312019-05-23T19:07:00.000-07:002019-05-23T19:07:49.407-07:00Generate income from your homestead<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Additional income from your homestead</b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Homesteading is about being self-sufficient, right? Creating income</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">from your homestead is how we get one step closer to financial freedom</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and self sufficiency. Most homesteaders use their land to produce for</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">themselves and their families and that’s great. But let's take it that a step further</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and think about the things you have around your homestead/small farm and</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">figure out ways to generate additional income. If you are a homesteader you</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">probably have developed a product, or skills specific to your area and climate.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Someone is probably willing to pay for that knowledge. Here are a couple ideas for </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">you to start brainstorming. </span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-93540b60-7fff-1960-18da-6f6c3a900152" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Market garden</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Manure/compost</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Micro green business</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Eggs</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Small scale woodworking</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Market garden</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Do you have a garden? I can’t imagine a homestead without one. It doesn’t</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">take much to start a garden. You can grow niche products in very small</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">areas, like leaf lettuce, salad turnips, bok choy, herbs, beets, carrots, dwarf</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">tomatoes, microgreens, Asian greens, mustard greens, cabbages.. the list</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">goes on and on. These are vegetable that don’t require large plots of land to</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">grow. You can grow a lot of food in a very small space. Locally owned</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">restaurants, friends and neighbors are looking for locally sourced food. It last</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">longer and usually taste better. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Manure/compost</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">If you have chickens or other livestock, this is should be easy. Each day when we</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">take care of our </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">chickens we take a paint scraper and scrape up the manure in</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">the chicken </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">coop. We put it in a 5 gallon bucket and usually within a week we fill two</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">5 gallon buckets full. Think about that.. That’s 520 gallons of chicken manure alone</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in a </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">year that goes back into building soil for a garden. Manure mixed with grass</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">clippings, leaves, table scraps, coffee grounds and whatever else you can</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">compost makes for some very fertile soil. Sure, it takes a little time to compost down</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">but the wait is certainly worth it. Do you have any neighbors that garden? If</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">you're in an urban setting I’m sure your neighbors would love a couple</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">buckets of this locally sourced compost for their garden beds. Charge them for</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">each 5 gallon bucket. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Micro greens</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Most folks run when they see micro greens. They probably think, that’s sounds</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">complicated. Trust me, it’s not. If you can grow a garden then micros are a walk</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in the park. Micro greens are nothing more than sprouting seeds in a tray. The</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">two most popular we grow are sunflower shoots and pea shoots. Restaurants</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">love them and you don’t need a lot of space to grow a good amount of these.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">This past year we actually built some shelves on casters in our basement and</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">with some supplemental lighting we were in business. We were able to keep</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">about 50 trays going all winter for our restaurants. We generated a couple hundred</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">bucks per week growing these and selling to restaurants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre;">Eggs</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">If you have chickens this is the most obvious source of income from them. I will</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">caution you though, make sure you understand your investment in chickens and</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">what you are charging per dozen for eggs. Chickens are more expensive than</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">people think, especially if you are buying organic non GMO feed. I see folks</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">selling their farm fresh eggs at $2 and $3 per dozen and I question how</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">sustainable that is long term. We use them as a value added product with our</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">market garden. Chickens do a lot for our place, they eat our table scraps, bugs,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">give us manure, and obviously eggs. Understand your finances when it comes</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to chickens, or any venture on your homestead for that matter. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Small Scale Woodworking</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We live in Middle Tennessee, so we are very blessed with eastern red cedar.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Luckily for us, their is a mill close to us where we can buy rough cut lumber.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Megan and I make tables, benches, desks and bookshelves with cedar. I would</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">say to start small, all you need are some basic power tools to knock together some</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">birdhouses. Most folks probably think… I have no carpentry skills, we didn't either.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">And the first one you build will not look like what you had envisioned or sketched</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">out on paper. Each one you build after that will get better and better. Find some</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">simple birdhouse plans on the internet and give it a try. Let your neighbors know</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and ask them if they’d be interested in adding some birdhouses in their yard.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-BA_Rmul4tvqqHEIq6e4-qDuXsadNLJlfFzMch6lWPKX4JJ_4TpCPH22lI_LkLQPREz2Q8A0zUfN655tLGQijuFHipVbsqJgTcYbB0yUERxPtwoCM2Fwe02Q8xda29hiL0oZPUOvVgi4/s1600/IMG_0377+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-BA_Rmul4tvqqHEIq6e4-qDuXsadNLJlfFzMch6lWPKX4JJ_4TpCPH22lI_LkLQPREz2Q8A0zUfN655tLGQijuFHipVbsqJgTcYbB0yUERxPtwoCM2Fwe02Q8xda29hiL0oZPUOvVgi4/s200/IMG_0377+%25281%2529.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Small desk we built using<br />eastern red cedar</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Workshops</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Are you skilled at something on your place? Do you have specific knowledge</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">about something unique on your place? If you do, then I’ll bet there's someone</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">out there willing to pay for that knowledge. Especially, if you can give them a hands</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">on demonstration in a forum where they can ask questions directly to you. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Look around your homestead and figure out ways to generate a little income.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">As homesteaders, we want to be more self sufficient. I’m always looking for new</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">ways to generate additional income from our land without destroying it. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Have questions? Email me: jason@smithfamilyfarmtn.com</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Jason Smith</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><i>Homesteader and Market Gardener</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Email: jason@smithfamilyfarmtn.com</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">YouTube Channel: </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjND</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">S8qU2TzEg</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Website: <a href="http://www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com/">www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com</a></span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-29067968342734147342019-05-04T08:33:00.003-07:002019-05-04T08:35:12.135-07:00Develop a gardening system for successIts all happening now, the warm season is here and your mind is racing with things to plant or try. Let me offer you a couple suggestions... plan your garden and work the plan. If you have the space, you should make a couple different garden spots. If you visit our farm you'll see garden spots in what seems to be random places. But believe me, it's not random at all. Each spot we chose was very well thought out and carefully planned.<br />
You might try to categorize your garden. Have a salad garden, a summer garden and a eat and store garden.<br />
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<b>Salad garden:</b><br />
The salad garden will include early season crops like lettuces, radishes, beets, carrots, scallions Asian greens and salad turnips. These all have shorter days to maturity and grow well in early spring. You don't need a lot space to grow a large amount of food either. A 6 ft by 8 ft area can grow a lot of food. I have designed a plan for you to reference below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7y7yrqL19nGMgjZ7UmwyQUZnVk2M6VxVV096gA7GPkQs1M9RGXyWp19MBDySbju3bhzd3D8q4Y2-ThbqYbUUv7i39yrgubJt94_Et00oCIQap_haua2XMYbbyrUhLcdYBJb28X3QI0Ctr/s1600/IMG_0567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7y7yrqL19nGMgjZ7UmwyQUZnVk2M6VxVV096gA7GPkQs1M9RGXyWp19MBDySbju3bhzd3D8q4Y2-ThbqYbUUv7i39yrgubJt94_Et00oCIQap_haua2XMYbbyrUhLcdYBJb28X3QI0Ctr/s200/IMG_0567.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salad mix</td></tr>
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<b>Summer garden:</b><br />
Here is the one that gets everyone excited. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, melons, zucchini, summer squash, and the list goes on. A nice summer garden can keep your family in fresh produce for weeks. You can also can or freeze if you have too much. I consider it a bonus, it is literally like put putting money in my pocket. Last year we had an abundance of cherry tomatoes so we washed and froze them. Megan used them through the winter to make pasta dishes. Spaghetti squash with a marinara and cherry tomatoes is so, so good in winter. Too me, that's comfort food. A 30 ft by 40 ft area can yield a lot of produce for a family, if planned correctly.<br />
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<b>Store and Eat garden:</b><br />
This is where we plant potatoes, corn and all the winter squash you can imagine. We plant corn, then butternut and spaghetti squash next to the corn. The winter squash will vine out and cover the ground around the corn and choke out the weeds. Butternut and spaghetti squash will keep for 8 months, if it is stored properly. You can freeze corn on the cob, or you can cut it off and place in freezer bags and eat throughout winter.<br />
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Careful planning can make a huge difference, not only in the quality of your garden but also the quantity. Megan and I have been growing vegetables year around on our farm in Middle Tennessee for many years. We want to share our knowledge, and hope people can draw some inspiration on what we have learned over the years. We currently operate an on farm market with seasonal produce. Please share this with anyone you think might benefit from it. <br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Jason Smith</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><i>Homesteader and Market Gardener</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Email: jason@smithfamilyfarmtn.com</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">YouTube Channel: </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjND</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">S8qU2TzEg</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Website: <a href="http://www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com/">www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com</a></span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-58219935147792497472019-04-20T09:55:00.003-07:002019-04-20T19:51:46.486-07:00Making time to homesteadTIME!<br />
I wish they made more of this. <span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">You have to make time for this venture. Include your spouse and kids. I really feel that homesteading is a noble thing that is very underrated. Kids love playing in soil and getting dirty. Allow time for them to play and get dirty. And then sit back and observe them, and watch the gratitude they get from just being outside. Maybe you can find some happiness in watching your kids be happy. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7wS0yprttyoRchCwcIcI1Hd91JYUmCQcSz4ZFdNGcnGQ3EsAmpfdergHsXNknxUdiW-LEpHvH3ls-YaAVNdp07Z-44MrPX0GtrYZ5omaCZbocSFufbowggo-BkxbpwRsBekIJOupya-8a/s1600/IMG_1838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7wS0yprttyoRchCwcIcI1Hd91JYUmCQcSz4ZFdNGcnGQ3EsAmpfdergHsXNknxUdiW-LEpHvH3ls-YaAVNdp07Z-44MrPX0GtrYZ5omaCZbocSFufbowggo-BkxbpwRsBekIJOupya-8a/s200/IMG_1838.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early spring baby romaine<br />
lettuce head</td></tr>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6d3647b-7fff-b533-29fb-7592f78279c0"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When can we find time to homestead? Before work, after work and weekends. If you really want to do this you will make time. Don’t neglect your spouse and children, you need their support to be successful in this venture. Family first, then homestead. I have seen families ripped apart because folks don’t have their priorities in order. If your loved ones feel they are second place to your homestead, they will resent it. Trust me, it is possible to keep everyone happy. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t move to the country on a whelm and think that the homesteading gene within you will come alive just because you are in the country. If you truly want to homestead, you will find a way to do it no matter where you are. Take time each day to read and learn a new skill. Reading will give you the basics, but taking time to actually do it will be the true test. I can give you detailed instructions on how to care for chickens or how to grow vegetables but until you actually do it yourself, in your climate, and in your yard, then you will never master it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make time to learn and understand your land. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Observation is a powerful tool on your homestead. Take time to understand your micro climate. Look at your land and understand the layout, and where the sun hits throughout the day. How the wind blows across you land and how water drains. Take time to understand where the warm and cool spots are on your land during the seasons, especially fall and spring. Make time for this, it doesn’t take long. Wake early one morning, 5:30 am, and watch the sun come up. Do this for each season because you can make decisions on where you plant crops for the micro climate you live in. Observe where the sun hits your land first thing in the morning. Ask yourself, should I put a garden here or a wind break? How much sunlight is this spot going to receive throughout the day? If it’s 10 hours of direct sunlight then you might want to plant tomatoes or peppers there, but not lettuce. Take time to observe, make your plan, then work your plan.</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6d3647b-7fff-b533-29fb-7592f78279c0"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Homesteading is very rewarding but like anything you want master it takes time and the willingness to fail, then succeed. Be the master of your homestead, make time to understand your layout. Email me with question and share this with anyone you think might benefit from it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Jason Smith</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><i>Homesteader and Market Gardener</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Email: jason@smithfamilyfarmtn.com</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">YouTube Channel: </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjND</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">S8qU2TzEg</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Website: <a href="http://www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com/">www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com</a></span></span><br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-64141056375231369222019-04-13T20:04:00.001-07:002019-04-13T20:04:56.519-07:00No till gardenDo you understand the power of a chicken? We have learned to love and respect our flock, they do some amazing work for our farm. And they love doing it, I have never seen a chicken that did not enjoy scratching and pecking in the soil. Chickens can do a lot for your homestead and they are very entertaining. But, I want to go into detail on one thing they did for us this winter. They prepped a garden spot for us.<br />
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If you follow us you know that we move our chickens however, this winter we put them on a spot and let them stay there all winter. They ate all the grass, weeds and they scratched down to the soil. We moved the chickens in early March and waited. As the sun came out and warmed the soil, weeds started to emerge. Grow weeds first, then kill the weeds and plant your garden.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weeds began to emerge<br />after a couple weeks</td></tr>
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Then, I took the flame weeder and torched the weeds. I love this tool, and I have never met a weed that stood up to my torch.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torched the weeds that<br />emerged</td></tr>
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Now, you basically have a sterile seed bed. Remember, each time you till, you bring up new weed seeds.<br />
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After we waited for about 2 to 3 hours the next step is to add compost on top of the sterile seed bed. This way we are building soil vs. breaking it down by tilling. Then we plant the crop in the composted organic matter.<br />
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The chickens were on the same ground all winter, dropping their manure, scratching and spreading it around. The soil underneath the compost has plenty of natural fertilizer because the chickens. They were also digging through the soil and eating grubs and other bugs. This is what chickens love to do. Our chickens are vital to our farm, they also helped make the compost we use for our gardens.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spread compost 1 to 2<br />inches thick with<br />garden rake</td></tr>
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No excuse not to have a garden this year. You don't need a tiller, cultivators or other big tools to make a garden. Now you have a no till garden, so I would challenge you to grow a little food for your family. Plant things you love to eat. If you don't have chickens put a dark colored tarp down on the spot you want a garden on. Then leave it for 3 weeks, uncover it and let the weeds start to come up again. Then, take the torch to it, this is the fun part for me. It's that easy, now you have a garden and you didn't have to break your back trying to dig up the back yard. Good luck!<br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Jason Smith</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><i>Homesteader and Market Gardener</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Email: jason@smithfamilyfarmtn.com</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">YouTube Channel: </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjND</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">S8qU2TzEg</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Website: <a href="http://www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com/">www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com</a></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_i2RbzRReakWx6xQq9eHYBdkHgh0d2H4_PCWpBdrlJkV8cjhM6Vvd7Y7p-6lfQRvTh7ibRVMF13YnKBuL2HTTuUhIBVTuSia0_71XLu6WTdeeoWDCGjWspsJ-tkyYojxcm3C6B55RhQR/s1600/File_007.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_i2RbzRReakWx6xQq9eHYBdkHgh0d2H4_PCWpBdrlJkV8cjhM6Vvd7Y7p-6lfQRvTh7ibRVMF13YnKBuL2HTTuUhIBVTuSia0_71XLu6WTdeeoWDCGjWspsJ-tkyYojxcm3C6B55RhQR/s200/File_007.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-50631330028284815432019-04-05T20:07:00.000-07:002020-02-25T12:42:00.899-08:00It's about to happenSomething extraordinary is about to happen. After a long cold, wet winter, nature is coming back to life. Spring is an exciting time for gardeners and homesteaders. For us, it means longer days and more daylight. We don't have to keep the wood stove burning as much, so we don't have to keep up with firewood and cleaning out the ashes. That makes my daughter really happy.<br />
<br />
The crops we overwintered in our greenhouse are starting to take off and we are thrilled to have warmer days. This time of year can bring on some challenges also. Raccoons, foxes and coyotes are now prowling around, which means our chickens have to be extra careful. We do everything we can to protect them but if they fly over the electric fencing we have, they become vulnerable, and believe me, a fox will outsmart chicken even on a bad day.<br />
<br />
We are starting radishes, salad mix, salad turnips, beets, pac choy, brussel sprouts and other leafy greens. These cool season crops thrive in the warm days and cool nights. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salad mix with row covers<br />
for protection on cold nights</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We have started our first peppers and tomatoes in our greenhouse but it will be a couple weeks before we set those out. I'm tempted to set out a few early plants but I know what will happen if I do too early. Frost will get them. Our last frost date here in Middle TN is May 1. We patiently wait for May 1, then we have to juggle rain showers. Is the ground too wet, is it too dry to plant? When we catch the weather right we jump all over the opportunity to plant our food.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigofg8H_z6cqOS9n6ZF7nRq_45Slh8wskVS_o0W_esL27tM6D345KQH0muxLwtY7gkxPysgQN80wKw2I6Gqn9vE04Alkealz4bRjNcsdZrOpLPrINS_KpPVMVAgV_A77LTL4sSyPmJyvFx/s1600/IMG_0519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigofg8H_z6cqOS9n6ZF7nRq_45Slh8wskVS_o0W_esL27tM6D345KQH0muxLwtY7gkxPysgQN80wKw2I6Gqn9vE04Alkealz4bRjNcsdZrOpLPrINS_KpPVMVAgV_A77LTL4sSyPmJyvFx/s200/IMG_0519.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pac choy planted with<br />
compost spread around</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The garden is an extraordinary place on the homestead, it represents life, hope and challenges that await. It's a place where we can make money by harvesting and selling niche crops. Its also a place where failure is always lurking and one wrong move could mean death to the crop for that year. That's heartbreaking, because sometimes you only have one chance to get it right, otherwise you have to wait for next year. A lot of life lessons can be learned in the garden. If you have too many weeds in your garden, your plants will suffer and eventually succumb to pressure. Isn't that true with life?<br />
<br />
This time of year is very inspiring and you don't have to look far for encouragement. Just take time and observe nature, walk outside and listen for birds. Take a moment and just watch them, don't think about anything else except nature. Spring is right around the corner!<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Jason Smith</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><i>Homesteader and Market Gardener</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Email: jason@smithfamilyfarmtn.com</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">YouTube Channel: </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjND</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">S8qU2TzEg</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Website: <a href="http://www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com/">www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-78459073459309297152019-03-30T12:26:00.000-07:002019-03-30T12:26:10.611-07:00Homesteading: Staying Healthy!Staying healthy is the most important thing you can do for yourself, your family<br />
and your homestead. If you are not healthy, then nothing else matters. Take a<br />
hard look at what you are putting in your body. You are either feeding disease<br />
or good health.<br />
<br />
Megan and I don’t want to depend on western medicine. Prescription drugs<br />
don’t cure illness, they only help us cope with the disease. You have to find the<br />
root cause of the disease and most of the time it's probably lifestyle choices.<br />
In the corporate world, it's easy to get caught up in the hype of going out,<br />
drinking and eating with co-workers. Make wise choices when these situations<br />
occur. Bad eating choices lead to health problems, which leads to dependency<br />
on pharmaceutical companies and doctors.<br />
<br />
Homesteading is about self sufficiency, right? The least you could do is take<br />
care of yourself. Your family and homestead need you to be healthy. Look, I’m<br />
not saying western medicine is bad. But take more holistic approach. I mean,<br />
if you fall down and break your arm, obviously you need to do see a doctor.<br />
My point is don’t put stuff in your body that makes you sick. We weren’t born<br />
craving skittles, tobacco and alcohol. You don’t need these things to live.<br />
<br />
I think the problem in the English culture is that people just want to take a pill<br />
and they think the problems will go away. Instead of finding more natural<br />
methods to deal with pain and whatever is ailing you. I’m not saying, never<br />
have a beer or glass of wine, but limit it. Don’t do it every day. Maybe one<br />
time per month. And I don’t mean sit down and drink an entire bottle of wine<br />
at one time. A glass or two at most.<br />
<br />
I cringe every time I see someone post a study claiming it’s good for you to<br />
drink wine or beer every night. Everyone's genetic makeup is different I get it,<br />
but I highly doubt consuming alcohol daily is healthy. You need to feel good,<br />
mentally and physically to get projects accomplished on your homestead.<br />
You need to be able to think through processes quickly then have the energy<br />
to actually perform the labor.<br />
<br />
Each homestead is very different so, no book can give you all the answers.<br />
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Your homestead will not succeed if you are run down, tired and not healthy.<br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Jason Smith</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><i>Homesteader and Market Gardener</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Email: jason@smithfamilyfarmtn.com</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre;">YouTube Channel: </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjND</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg">S8qU2TzEg</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Website: <a href="http://www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com/">www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com</a></span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1957 Gwynn Ln, Lebanon, TN 37087, USA36.268855599999988 -86.4254811.094525599999987 -127.73407399999999 61.443185599999993 -45.116885999999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-34377652107962340582018-06-27T18:04:00.002-07:002020-01-04T18:51:53.225-08:00GMOs, Salt, Sugar, Meat, Dairy?? Which one sucks, and which is bad for you? I'm not a scientist that studies food and the effects of GM (genetically modified), Salt, Sugar and Dairy. I guess the jury is still out on these things in our food but I do know that a plant based diet makes me feel amazing and I have energy throughout the entire day. I don't get tired and sleepy at 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon. I think it's common sense that plants promote good health. Fruits and vegetables are good for you, it's that simple.<br />
<br />
Here is my issue with our food system and the crap they are putting in our food. The food we buy changed without us even really knowing or even sharing our opinion. Why would we think its okay to add a bunch of processed sugar and salt into our food to make it taste good? Maybe its because the food companies want you to become addicted to what they are selling you? If you keep buying it then they have control over you. Most people that consume sugary/salty foods are probably addicted and don't even realize it. They think, well, this is my reward for a hard days work or putting up with someones BS they work with.<br />
<br />
We need more transparency in our food labels. I mean have you looked at a label lately? You need a PhD. in Food Science to read those. How is the average person supposed to make sense of all that stuff? Maybe they should make a label system with green, yellow and red. green = good, yellow = caution, red = this shit will kill you if you eat too much. I don't particularly care to be the food industry's guinea pig. So, we chose to eat differently.<br />
<br />
I recently read a study that Kellogg's invited in Michael Moss, author of Salt, Sugar, Fat to try some of their most popular foods without the salt, and the foods tasted terrible. One of the executives even described the food as tasting like metal. Do you think its intentional that food companies are injecting our food with salt and sugar? I wonder if the executives of these companies would even eat this stuff?<br />
<br />
Those candy bars, potato chips and sodas are not only addictive but they are making people sick with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and low sex drive. Obviously, high blood pressure and high cholesterol lead to heart disease which kills you before you get to enjoy retirement. The industrial food system is controlled by a handful of companies and do you think they are looking out for the best interest of the general public or profits? Hey look, I love capitalism and I love making money, but do you think these mega companies give a hoot about the average consumer? I doubt it, they answer to shareholders and boards. If it increases the bottom line then they do it. Choose wisely when you are buying food.<br />
<br />
Jason Smith<br />
Market Gardener, Farmer<br />
jason@smithfamilyfarmtn.com<br />
www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-24680352762291562402018-05-28T20:10:00.000-07:002018-05-28T20:10:30.641-07:00Why organic gardening is awesome!I have done both and trust me raising food organically vs. with chemicals is much simpler. Personally, I think growing food using chemicals is a sign of weakness, laziness and it means the soil is unhealthy. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Organically grow baby romaine</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">heads. </span></div>
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When your soil is healthy you invite beneficial insects and bacteria. Over time, they come and help your garden. I see this year after year in my garden. Honestly, the first year we started it was a real struggle. Nevertheless, it has gotten a lot better each year.<br />
<br />
When you garden organically you are partnering with nature. Most conventional farms are trying to beat or destroy nature with pesticides, herbicides and insecticide. Over time, these chemicals breakdown the structure of the soil leaving it depleted of minerals vital for growing nutrient dense food. What also happens is after a good rain, the run off from the conventional farmers fields that has been fertilized gets into our streams, rivers, then lakes. If you live here in middle Tennessee, then you may notice the huge algae blooms in our area lakes. These algae blooms are feeding off the fertilizer being dumped into the fields that find their way to our waterways.<br />
<br />
Weeds and insects become immune to the chemicals sprayed over time, much like we become immune to different strands of the cold. Weeds and insects adapt. That forces the conventional farmer to rely on the chemical salesman to come up with some new chemical harsher than the last since the weeds and insects have become immune to the same chemicals being sprayed year after year. We grew food long before chemicals. Not sure why we need chemicals to aid us now. I hear this comment all the time... "well, we need to feed the world."<br />
<br />
Here is the reality of the US, feeding the world. Today, we only export 20 percent of the food we produce in the US. Of that 20 percent, 19 percent goes to countries like India, China and Korea, where they have an upcoming more affluent middle class. We are exporting beef, chicken and pork. So, its not like we are feeding the hungry. One percent of our exports goes to countries that are hungry and actually need food. That's not necessarily the US's fault, most of it is political from within that countries government. Nevertheless, some countries choose not to eat the food produced in the US from our big industrial agriculture system. Do you blame them? <br />
<br />
Jason Smith<br />
Farmer, Market Gardener<br />
www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-78073174784699449292018-05-20T18:22:00.000-07:002018-05-20T18:22:08.921-07:00Free range chickens, really?What do you think of when you see the words "free range" on your eggs? I think of happy hens roaming in a field, scratching, pecking, taking dust baths and laying in the sun. Over the past week I have done some research, read many articles and I have come to the conclusion that the words "free range" are merely marketing ploys designed to mislead consumers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our chickens set up. </td></tr>
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By definition, free range means the animal has access to the outdoors part of the day. Access to outdoors can be interpreted generously or quite narrowly. It seems that large producers follow the letter of the law, and not its spirit. They put a small opening in the large confined areas where the chickens have access to go outside. My issue with this is that the majority of these chickens will never see outside, because the opening is so small they will never be able to navigate their way through the mess to even find it.<br />
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We have had chickens for years now and they're an important part of our farm. They do a lot work for us and they have fun doing it. The most obvious benefit of our chickens is, they give us eggs. However, they do much more than that. They eat ticks, they mow down grass and weeds, and they eat our vegetarian table scraps. Let's elaborate just a little more on each of these. The eat tons of bugs. Most people don't realize but, 50% of a chickens diet is actually grass. That's right, they eat clover and mixed grass. Also, each day Megan saves the table scraps and cuttings from fruits and vegetables we cut. When we go to gather eggs in the afternoon they get an awesome treat when we toss out the table scraps. So, instead of tossing our table scraps in the trash, then hauling it off to the dump our chickens take care of that. This reduces the amount of trash we are tossing into a landfill.<br />
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If you have ever been around chickens and observed them you would know they are social, inquisitive and loving creatures that enjoy scratching, foraging and sunning themselves. Hens can live for up to 10 years, and I'm no expert on chicken life but chickens in a large confinement operation with little or no access to outdoors will dramatically shorten that animals lifespan.<br />
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The next time you're at the supermarket buying eggs and you see the words, "free range" or "happy hens" remember they are painting a picture of something that probably doesn't exist. We need to understand where our food comes from and what is being put in it. It's up to you to take responsibility and educate yourself about what you are putting in your body. Find a farmer close to you, build a relationship with them and put your money back into the local economy. <br />
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Jason Smith<br />
Farmer, market gardener<br />
www.smithfamilyfarmtn.com<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-37376778147367938322018-05-13T20:17:00.000-07:002018-05-13T21:04:58.773-07:00Smith Family Farm Blog (May 13, 2018)<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We planted corn and okra yesterday. I consider these row crops and I direct seed them. Since corn and okra grow tall and relatively fast then we don’t feel the need to to start in trays like we do tomatoes. Transplanting would be a nightmare in my opinion for these crop. So, we direct seed then keep the weeds down with a flame torch until the crops get tall enough to choke out the weeds themselves. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We also transplanted planted tomatoes into the ground and started sunflower</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">shoots. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The tomatoes </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">we planted are </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Cherokee Purples, which </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">are a very</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">popular heirloom </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">that grows well in middle </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Tennessee. We also harvested</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">leaf lettuce, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">radishes </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">and </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">salad turnips. The past </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">couple days have been</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">very hot for this time of year. We </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">were in the mid </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">90s </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">yesterday. My</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">romaine lettuce started to wilt, but thank </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">goodness we had the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">overhead</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">irrigation </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">to cool the crops off. I'm hoping to grow </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">the sunflower shoots </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">in</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">record time for next weekends market. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">I had people asking </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">for them this</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">past </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">weekend and I didn't have any due to poor planning. Trust me, </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">that will </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">never happen again. Sunflower shoots grow quick and bring a premium.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megan on the right hand side and Mallory on the<br />
front of my kayak admiring the beauty of this<br />
limestone formation. </td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">On Sunday, which was Mother's Day we took Megan kayaking on a creek</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">close to our house. We had </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">an awesome time, then we came home and went</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">back to our tree fort and observed many different birds. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Love nature and the</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">chorus it sings, you just need to slow down and listen. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Middle Tennessee has</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">some amazing geological features. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Subscribe to my youtube channel to learn more about small scale farming: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_6SzCMTTkjNDS8qU2TzEg?view_as=subscriber</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0957 Gwynn Ln, Lebanon, TN 37087, USA36.269362 -86.42738650000001110.7473275 -127.73598050000001 61.791396500000005 -45.118792500000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-21764298057280362762018-05-06T17:27:00.002-07:002018-05-06T18:18:51.433-07:00Big Ag can take a hike<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nothing but rain this weekend. I'll bet we had 3 inches of rain yesterday. So, what did we do? We built an outdoor cat condo. And of course, our cats love it. Makes me happy when our animals are happy.<br />
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We had some scrap treated wood and we built the 4ft x 4ft space to fit into our window so the cats can just walk out.<br />
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Couple of things that got my attention in the news this week, romaine lettuce being recalled and 17 tons of ground beef being recalled due to plastic pieces being found in it. I mean how does that even happen? Someone please explain this to me. </div>
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The romaine lettuce with E coli is a huge problem. My issue with this is that the majority of all romaine in this country is washed in the same sink. So, if that one sink or packing house is contaminated then you can bet a lot of people are going to get sick. And, its going to have a huge impact on the popularity of all romaine lettuce. Big Ag is not the answer to feeding our nation. I'm sorry, but bigger is not always better, especially when it comes to our nations food. As you can see, from this past week, our big beef industry and the romaine lettuce industries both failed the American public. Makes me wonder.. what else is in our food? I know whats in mine. Do you? Buy local food, go visit the farmer and if you like what see then buy.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698016038521383765.post-28183279727355438242018-05-05T21:39:00.002-07:002018-05-05T21:48:44.918-07:00Role of a Small FarmerSmall Farmers Role in the Future:
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As the number of small farms continue to decline bigger demand for specialty crops will arise:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIisUJfdFw6_tRAKn-tcMZ5KlAM7xPozd5Z1fZu1Im_dG0nem0_U2vL4bRvNmq6WRtK7is7zbQl6xVTzIqzCTv1LLVnCXLccCUoNpPNPzcSU8H224QdNEq-W3yCxC8nR0E-PpUZl_eLJv/s1600/File_007.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIisUJfdFw6_tRAKn-tcMZ5KlAM7xPozd5Z1fZu1Im_dG0nem0_U2vL4bRvNmq6WRtK7is7zbQl6xVTzIqzCTv1LLVnCXLccCUoNpPNPzcSU8H224QdNEq-W3yCxC8nR0E-PpUZl_eLJv/s320/File_007.jpeg" width="240" /></a>Here’s why… more sophisticated economies like the US seem to be moving away from mass production and moving towards individuality. Consumers don’t just want what everyone else has, they want something catered to them.
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The mass production of food will continue to be in high demand because of world population growth nevertheless small farmers can fill the niche market by providing specialty crops in small amounts to local markets. After speaking with several restaurant owners I found one common theme. They said, “My supplier only sells to me in large quantities.”
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The role on the small farmer will have to be much different than it used to be. Farmers will need to be marketers, salesman, growers, harvesters, packers, processors and bookkeepers. Farmers need to be vertically integrated in the supply chain to assure the farmer has representation. This requires a new way of thinking. Farmers used to only be concerned with planting, growing and harvesting food. The new economy requires farmers to be knowledgeable at many levels, not just growing and harvesting. Farmers will need to be resourceful at many levels of the supply chain.
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Consumers want something fundamentally different from the food produced by today’s industrial food system and they are willing to pay for it. They also want farmers that are environmentally minded and have social integrity. Small farmers should focus on producing high value-food rather than low cost commodities.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0