Wild Moon Cottage is a small working homestead in the pristine Ozark Mountains. We have dairy goats, poultry, organic herb and vegetable gardens, a start of a tiny fruit orchard, several black walnut trees, wild berries and fields of wildcrafting goodness. We raise our own milk, our own eggs, much of our own medicine and food. I do laundry by hand, make my own vinegar, candles, soap, bread, cheese ........ For a living I am an artist and herbalist. My goal for myself and our homestead is to be as self sufficient and self sustaining as possible.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Coming of Green

Today is one of the most beautiful days I've ever had the honor of being a part of. The sun is renewing the wick in all of us, nourishing every fiber.



3 loads of laundry done and out to dry. I used the electric machine because I'm a bit behind on laundry. Chickens out scratching and sun bathing, Lydia the duck swimming in the pond. Little daffodil like flowers blooming everywhere. February 19th looks a lot like Spring.

I've been working on 2012 garden plans since before last Fall. We have a lot of work ahead and I am so excited for what's to come. Medicinal gardens near the front of the cottage. Kitchen garden and some medicinals off the side, out the kitchen door, where the Summer kitchen and dinning will be and near the outdoor laundry area. Vegetable garden to the south, planted around the Sumac patch. Orchard and grains to the north. More berries and fruit planted in and around the Spirit Garden, also to the north. The wildlings will all be cared for in their already chosen spots.

To add to our gardens, pantry and medicine chest ...

The Ava Organic Garden club had an excellent seed swap. I took some of my seeds to share and trade and came home with way more than I intended or expected. In several cases it was only 1 seed but it's a seed of something i don't have with a good chance to grow. To add to my seed box I got

moon flower
lemon squash
mesculin mix
Navaho robin Egg flour corn
saffron
purple beauty bell peppers
purple basil
Aztec blue dent corn (wanted to try for a long time)
rosa bianca eggplants
orange Bell bell pepper - 1 seed
long handled gourd - 1 seed
Mexican Sunflower (butterflies)
new zealand spinach
wild tobacco
collective farm woman melon (wanted to try for a long time)
long thin cayenne
lettuce mix
black mustard
purple wing lettuce
bloody butcher dent corn (wanted to try for some time)
white carrots
pleurisy root
red lettuce
loofa gourd
golden honey watermelon
mimosa
giant lambs quarters
bushel basket gourds
cosmic purple carrots
Di Toro Roso pepper (hot)
red mustard
ashwagandha (winter cherry) - very interesting

It was like winning the lottery and it's a lottery that continues to win year after year :)

On top of all the seeds I also got 2 starts each for Black Currants and Goji Berries.

And, on top of all that, a friend had placed a large order for fruit, nut and berry trees and bushes and let some other folk go in as well. the order had come in and she had our trees and bushes at the seed swap. For under 10.00 I got ...

3 each
short leaf pine
witch hazel
pawpaw
green hawthorn
spice bush
hazelnut
pecans
beauty berry
service berry
red currants

I am more pleased and thankful than I could ever say.

What could be added to that bounty? More baby buns and more on the way and Thistle is getting closer to giving birth too. Life is a wonderful thing :)

The rabbits have continued to be one of the best things for the whole. Their energy is enriching and healing and so they are medicinal, they make us pause and smile and so they are entertainment, They are easy to tend and care for and so they make life easier, they give rich organic matter for the gardens and so offer health, they have proved valuable in trade and money and so they help provide for us all, they are meat and have been two dog meals and so they give us food.

I have been thinking about adding a larger sized rabbit as well, to provide more meat for the life taken. I will never be a good killer, it will never come easy, I will never be ok with it, I will always loath it. But some of us need the meat and if we are to have it then I will do what i must as well. The banty roosters are delicious but to take 2 lives for one or two meals when 1 life of a larger rooster would provide 3 meals doesn't work out well for me. The rabbits are the same, at this time they are only adding to the dogs food but 1 rabbit per 1 dog per 1 meal doesn't work out at all. We'll see what happens. Nik has come up with an ingenious guillotine plan ...

And now I'm off to the good stuff! planting trees :) :)

1 comment:

the wild magnolia said...

Your fur baby is so sweet. I love the wild moon cottage and all your farming and gardening and ll you do.