Real-Life Homesteading: Flocks, Failures, and Fermentation
Honestly, it’s been a minute since I sat down to write an update. Mostly because if I’m not chasing down a rogue waterfowl, I’m usually buried in a spreadsheet trying to figure out where to squeeze in more perennial fruit bushes.
We’ve officially crossed the line from the beginner “let’s just try to keep things alive” stage into the chaotic, beautiful mess of intermediate homesteading—real infrastructure, deliberate genetics, and mad-scientist kitchen experiments. Here is a look at where the chaos stands right now.
Poultry Politics & Waterfowl Soap Operas
We are completely past the phase of buying random, cute chicks at the farm supply store. These days, we’re running a deliberate breeding rotation with three specific heritage breeds: American Bresse, Bielefelders, and Black Copper Marans..
We just hit a massive milestone, too: successfully hatching out our very first first-generation crosses (our Bresse rooster over our maran/bielefelder/bresse hens). Those pullets are thriving, so we officially retired the old roo and integrated a fresh American Bresse rooster to head up the breeding program.
Of course, it wouldn’t be our homestead without some absolute drama in the pastures:
- The Turkeys: In 2025, we added a breeding pair of Spanish Blacks. Tom (named after Tom Bombadil) is an absolute unit—majestic, iridescent, and constantly strutting his stuff. His mate, Martha? Bless her heart. She is quite possibly the dumbest animal we have ever raised. She regularly wanders into danger and is completely oblivious to Tom’s elaborate courtship displays. As a result, our incubator is currently sitting empty.
- The Waterfowl Crew: This year we decided to absolutely drown ourselves in new projects, adding Pekin ducks and two breeding pairs of geese (Buff & a Toulouse, and Embden pair). Unfortunately, we lost the Buff female during transport. As for the survivors? The geese are sweet but a tad standoffish. The Pekins, on the other hand, are just antisocial, mud-making food hogs. They’re chaotic, ravenous, and honestly, incredibly fun to watch.
Welcome to the Apiary: Learning by Fire (and Wind)
Outside the poultry yards, we decided to invite a few thousand more residents to the property. Yup, we got bees.
This is total uncharted territory for us. I’ve spent years buried in apiculture books and courses, but theory doesn’t do much when real life hits.
We’ve already survived our first real rites of passage: a few stings and a severe high-wind event that completely flipped over one of our newly established hives. Righting a stack of boxes swarming with thousands of disoriented, furious bees during a severe thunderstorm will absolutely test your nerve. The good news? The colony survived, everything is now heavily strapped down, and we’re cautiously optimistic we won’t screw things up too badly. Our efforts to spot the queen in each hive are ongoing…
Building the 40×35’ Perennial Fortress
Our main structural focus this season is the 40×35’ garden plot. Tired of sharing our hard work with the deer, we finally put enclosed the whole perimeter in exclusion fencing to 8′.
Inside the fence, we’ve officially converted the entire space to raised beds and Hügelkultur mounds.
For anyone unfamiliar, Hügelkultur involves burying rotting logs/sticks, organic debris, compost and other amendments right under the soil layer. It acts like a giant underground sponge, holding moisture through dry spells and building a massive network of beneficial mycorrhizal fungi over decades.
Our core goal here is long-term perennial food security—stuff that yields year after year without us constantly breaking our backs tilling the soil:
- The Berry Patch: Honeyberries (Haskaps) are officially in the ground, our lingonberries show up as bare roots shortly, and I’m currently testing my absolute patience by trying to start lowbush blueberries directly from seed.
- The Returners: On the bright side, our red onions and Egyptian walking onions (the ones that grow bulbils on top, fall over, and replant themselves) came back beautifully from last year.
- On the Horizon: We’re already prepping a heavy cattle-panel trellis system to introduce table grapes next spring. Asparagus is in the works and I’d love some alpine strawberries and columnar apple trees!
Also, we ditched the rototiller in the garden space and replaced it with a broadfork.
The Indoor Lab: Fermentation Frenzy
When we aren’t outside building fences or uprighting bee boxes, the kitchen has turned into a bubbling science experiment. We picked up a copy of Sandor Ellix Katz’s The Art of Fermentation over the holidays, and the pantry hasn’t been the same since.
We’ve completely ditched traditional vinegar-and-boiling-water canning for raw, wild lacto-fermentation. It’s easier, healthier, and the complex flavors are unmatched.
- Garlic Dill Pickles: We finally cracked the code on a wild brine that replicates the crisp, cold, salty punch of store-bought Claussens. Massive win.
- The Staples: A continuous rotation of aggressively sour krauts and wild sourdough starters bubbling away in the dark.
- The Beverage Station: Jars of fizzy water kefir and an active ginger bug for homemade probiotic sodas.
Between the buzzing of the bees, the honking of the geese, and the literal bubbling of jars on the counter, the property feels incredibly alive right now. It’s a steep learning curve, but every project gets us a step closer to a true closed-loop system. Wish us luck—especially with those blueberry seeds! Pictures forthcoming.