Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Homesteader Homemaker Happenings

(old photo, but this one is back in it's home for the garden season)

First, welcome to my new followers.  I hope you are enjoying my blog, where posts are reality (the good and the bad), and photos are never staged.

Good Golly!  We are so low on our stock of greens.  I may have to buy some until my seeds are planted.  Don't want to, but we need our greens.

Thursday night my "till man" was too tired to till.  Shoot.  Couldn't plant the potatoes and popcorn.  Dang it.  He was too tired to weed whack my raised beds.  Couldn't plant my greens.  Dang it.




However, I tended to the herb garden and worked outside for 3 early hours, starting at 7am.  Daughter had a friend over, and all the kids slept in while I worked.  Even Jesse was caught snoring.

I thinned my over grown lemon balm.  Got my rosemary, basil, parsley and cilantro planted.  I'm not replanting lavender.  It is so tricky to start from seed and the stuff in stores is not the real deal.


My chives are already going to seed.  Oh my.  So are a few of my green onions, which had hoped for.  My chives are looking much better this year, so I may make chive oil for cooking.

I planted the very last 4 flowers in the flower bed.  Got out my solar garden light, flipped one rain barrel, and remembered to fill it with enough water to avoid the wind knocking it down. 


I showered and had hoped to put bedding on the line, but it seriously looked like rain.  I did, and it dried thankfully (even though we got sprinkles).

I filled the dehydrator with lemon balm, and my kitchen smelled so good.  I'd have also made a tincture but I didn't have any vodka on hand.  I'll just wait for the over flow of lemon balm later this summer and make it then I guess.

I decided to go to town for two garden hoses I very much needed.  The boys cut my hose in half when they plowed over winter (never got to putting it away for winter - my bad).  One hose was just a hot mess - end broken off.  Hubby "MacGyvered" it, and it just kept causing me trouble.

5 comments:

Carol said...

You sure do have a lot of things going on. I am amazed at the items you use at times. I don't think I have ever heard of lemon balm. I will have to look it up.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Carol, just don't plant lemon balm in your garden. It spreads like wild fire and has roots like cement. Plant it in a raised bed or container or area where you don't care if it spreads. I love it, but hate that I planted it in my herb garden. I have to dig roots every spring.

Faith said...

I love the McGyver reference.....I'm old enough and then some to remember that show. Can you elaborate on the seeded lavender vs store bought? What is the difference. I have some Lemon verbena that I've been cutting to keep the plant from getting leggy. I have a dehydrator, is air drying ok too? Take a rest you are way so busy...love to be your neighbor, you sound fun and lively....I could use that once in a while.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Faith I buy my medicinal seeds organic, for purposes such as making 4 thieves vinegar, which we take internally. Not all lavender is the same. Most plants in stores are for fragrance. Air drying is fine for herbs. I do have 2 indoor drying racks as well as my dehydrator. I just had a ton of lemon balm and was quicker in the dehydrator.

mamasmercantile said...

I have bedding to dry today thankfully it looks like a a nice day. I must admit in bad weather I nip to the launderette and dry it there. You are one busy lady.