luna acres

Success and Failure - Mushroom logs were a big hit. We sold all the ones we had back in August, all of which fruited at least once. Next year we need to do a bunch more, several varieties and sizes, and keep a separate stock pile for ourselves. Success and Failure - The straw baskets we did in early spring were doing great to start off, until the water problems started. When the well began messing up and we couldn't water them regularly there was nothing we could do. I think they are a bit too labor intensive, and that next year we should put more concentration on the logs. Success - The demand. Everyone at the market we sold at were interested in the mushrooms, we had customers asking for them every week. Hopefully next year we will have them to sell more often, if we focus on logs and keep a watchful eye on our own stockpile. I think this concludes my little success failure series.  It has been a crazy year, I can only imagine what next year will bring our way. Live simply, Angel...

Raising the rabbits has been pretty fun. I love the babies, they are just so cute. I love watching them grow bigger each day. I love dragging myself out of bed in the morning, and as soon as I get down there they are all hopping towards me, waiting for food and fresh water. I can't go long without smiling. While processing day is always hard, I know that they lived good lives.  Failure - Late start breeding. We didn't have a litter to sell until July. Next year we will start breeding in January with a heat lamp in the big hutch, giving us late May to early June rabbits for sale. Success - Demand. We sold all the rabbits we had to offer within two weeks of having them available. Next year we will up the price from $7 a pound to $8 a pound.  Both - The rabbit tractors we used in the front yard worked pretty well, except for several escapes. Next year we need to make bigger tractors to allow for a 6 inch run of fencing along the edges to prevent digging out.  Failure - How m...

 Success - Onions. We got about 150 onions, yellow white and red. Failure - Storage. Most of them rotted before we could eat them.  We need to work on a better drying rack, location, and dry cold storage for after that. Failure - The pumpkin vines all got a blight and died before any pumpkins formed. :( Failure - Watermelon and two other kinds of melons all grew but the fruits never reached maturity. Success - The small warted gourd mixture I planted went crazy. We sold a few,  decorated with a bunch, and are drying out some to try to make little bird houses and things. Success - The six tomato plants we bought as transplants did really well. We didn't stake them up very well, but they gave us more than we could eat anyways. We sold some of the extra, but I really wish we had tried to can or freeze some. Failure - The direct seeded tomato plants didn't do much, just a handful of cherry tomatoes,  although they were delicious. Success - The yellow squash and zucchini ...

Failure - Starting the baby birds in our bedroom! What a mess! The same tote brooders will work just as well in the barn with secured lids. Success - The totes themselves, two separate ones for the chickens and ducks. The ducks make such a mess with the water! We let them visit for days outside while they were still young. When we moved them outside to the tractors they got along just fine. Success - We used dog crates as little chicken tractors in the front yard until we got the big coop built, it was a good temporary solution that could be used again if needed. Success - The coop we built from timbers and cattle panels has worked really well. It is sturdy, easy to move (we have to give it a little push up hills with the four-wheeler) and is now, after a few lessons, pretty secure. It has been covered with plastic for the winter, and it is nice and toasty inside. Failure - Escapes. Both the coop and run had gaps in the bottom of the wire along the ground where chickens escaped and wer...

Success - We put up the greenhouse, anchored it down well, put up shad cloth to block the hottest sun, and used metal barrels filled with water and painted black for stability plus heat. So far it is holding up well. Failure - The irrigation. Hand watering with a hose is not enough to maintain straw baskets. Next spring we need to invest in a modest sprinkler system with a timer.  Neither - The ventilation. We used a big exhaust fan with an extension cord we just set up and moved when it wasn't necessary. It was a bit too big for the space, plus protecting it from water was a challenge. My grandmother has an old smaller fan built into a garage we plan to try to transfer and set up for next year.

April showers seem to be here to stay, making us a big wet mess- but we're adapting. chicks. I'm not sure what breed they are yet, but those two little ones are growing very slowly. The Pekin ducklings seems to protect the smaller Rouens constantly, even from my camera cloudy onions (and weeds) hello there bunnies bunnies bunnies flowers, in an amazingly rocky flower bed Live simply, Angela and Jonathan

There's been lots of little projects, growth, achievements... the garlic grows more every day our white rock chicks are getting fat the pekins are obviously much bigger than the rouens the little layers bunny pile but the biggest step of all... we finally have a greenhouse. at long last Live simply, Angela and Jonathan

Well spring is definitely here! The trees are blooming, flowers and grass growing. Oh, don't forget the rain. Our first litter of rabbits are growing fast, already out exploring with their mom. The ducks and chicks are quickly outgrowing their brooders. Today we moved the ducks into their new yard pen until we get the coop finished. The chicks are definitely jealous, but their time is coming soon.  Life is busy busy busy, and it couldn't be better. baby bunnies are growing fast Rose and Hopper are enjoying their time together. I think Hopper is quickly becoming a bit of a farm mascot. Rose the ducklings settling into their new home the chicks are definitely jealous Live simply, Angela 

We welcomed three precious rabbits to the farm this week. They are all girls (does, in the farming world) but three different breeds (all known for their meat) in three different colors. They don't have names yet, but they certainly need them since they will probably be around for the next 5 years. They are all still young, so we will wait a few months before we get a boy (a buck.) I have enjoyed the past several days, waking up early and going out late after work to check on them.  It's a pretty good feeling to have something depending on you. pretty brown lady, she is a Dutch cross white with grey ears, tail, and nose- she is a New Zealand / Tennessee Redback cross this fancy girl is a pure Dutch- she is certainly the prettiest Apologies for the red eyes and low quality photographs, but I am finding that life is too short for editing. Until next time, live simply, Angela and Jonathan

our view of fall Hello there! This a pretty big step, the first post of a real blog, for something tangible. I'm Angela, and my boyfriend Jonathan and I, along with some help from our families, are working to create a beautiful and sustainable homestead in the mountains of Virginia. We just returned home from spending seven months on a livestock farm outside of Richmond. We learned about raising sheep, cows, chickens, turkeys, pigs and rabbits, plus even more about sustainability, taking care of the land, and eating fresh local food. It opened our eyes to the things we eat, and more importantly the alternative choices that are available. Farmers markets are everywhere, it's a little bit more expensive, but the quality is worth it. We love knowing where our food comes from, and even more so eating produce that we grew and meat that we raised. It's an incredible lifestyle, a simple and frugal one, that we have fallen in love with. We want to mold and shape this little piece o...