The month of February on the farm has been pleasant for this time of year. We have started a few of our seeds inside, accomplished a couple projects to improve the farm, plan to incubate eggs soon, and will be researching how to save more seeds this growing season. With the baby expected to arrive in less than 6 weeks, we have been very focused on school and many house projects, along with planning and organizing for this next busy growing season.

Over the last few years I have added many new challenges. One of these includes growing open-pollinated plants from seed. These plants “breed true” and are roughly identical to their parents. The seeds can be saved and planted the next season. We love the flavor, higher nutrients, and easier digestibility they offer, but I find them harder to grow than hybrid plants. They require a lot more fertility through the growing season than the hybrids I have planted in the past. At times, finding the right plants for our area has been challenging. Over 75% of our plants in the summer of 2019 were open pollinated varieties and that summer proved to be our best harvest season. During the growing season, I added more compost than in the past, sprayed plants with fish emulsion every few weeks, and diligently kept up with the weeds although they did get away from us at times. I also used Epson salt on some of my magnesium loving plants a few times during the summer. I have heard and also experienced that open pollinated plants tend to not be as productive as hybrids, so I was shocked at the abundance we harvested and how healthy the plants looked.

I did still have issues with a few varieties of our plants. Our cucumbers did well at the beginning, but I had picked bugs off the plants every day until I didn’t have an hour to spend in the task. They were destroyed by cucumber beetles soon after I quit. I’m hoping to find a better way to grow them this summer. I’m constantly learning more each year about organic gardening and open pollinated seeds, but there is so much knowledge to be gained. I was recently motivated even more to start saving more seeds after a conversation with some missionary friends who served in Bolivia for many years. They were concerned that they were unable to purchase or find any open pollinated, heirloom seeds. Thankfully these seeds are becoming more available and popular in America.

Aiden and I are planning to hatch out chickens again this year, and we will be adding something new to our hatching routine – turkeys. Since we started raising chickens and turkeys several years ago, our family has noticed the price of birds has increased significantly, and some prices have more than doubled. Last year we started thinking more and more about breeding some of our own heirloom birds to alleviate some of this cost and to keep heritage birds from going extinct. We also hope to eventually have turkeys that are hardier and fit our pasture-based farm. In the past we have purchased hybrid, broad breasted turkeys, and hybrid chickens to grow on our farm for meat. They both have large breasts and have been very good to raise and eat. I learned recently that these birds are so large they are unable to breed naturally. In other words, I couldn’t buy a female and a male and expect to get babies. We purchased several heirloom turkeys last summer and raised them on our pasture. Sadly we only have 1 female and 2 males remaining. We are praying they survive and will work with them to start our breeding program.

By supporting these heirloom varieties of plants and animals, I believe we are promoting food freedom and protecting our food supply. Unless something changes, we all risk rising prices of food, and increased chemical and drug use, since big corporations (even certified organic) are controlling more and more of the market. I’m so thankful to those people who are protecting our independence by growing heirloom plants, trees, and animals, and sharing or selling with ignorant people like me. When we can take a seed or animal, breed it on our farm, grow it out, and savor the nutrient dense, flavorful food it produces, that is true freedom and food security.

We lost both of our bee hives this winter. While we have had a significant loss of money with this steep learning curve, we have no intention of giving up. We are not the only ones facing the challenge of keeping bees alive in Nebraska. I have heard many stories of beekeepers giving up or leaving the state with their bees. We will continue to seek the Lord’s wisdom along with other bee keepers (especially those that are raising bees naturally without any treatments). My husband plans to build swarm hives soon with a goal of capturing native bees. He will also be changing the style of our hives in hopes of protecting them from cold and condensation in the winter. They will be allowed to make their own comb (rather than using plastic to build on). This should help our bees return to their natural size over time. Bees have been bred to be larger in size with the goal of each bee producing more honey. One new problem that has arisen with these larger bees is esophageal mites. According to Micheal Bush (a beekeeper in Nebraska that we follow) the mites were only able to get into the esophagus after the bee size was increased. That is just one reason we will be working toward getting back to a natural bee size.

The younger kids and I started onions, flowers, and peppers from seeds in the house. Everyone had a great time helping with the planting and we had less mess than I expected in the end. Annika (age 6) already has an entrepreneurial spirit and a love of flowers. She loves to cut flowers and makes arrangements for our table during the growing season. She is hoping to sell some flowers to the grandparents this summer. Asher (age 5) and Abigail (age 2) loved helping with the process too and everyone was so excited to see those tiny plants emerge a few days ago! We purchased organic seed starting mix instead of making our homemade starter like last year. I used all of my compost last summer, and due to my poor planning, it probably would have been frozen anyway. I’m hoping to have more compost ready soon. I have a lot to learn about speeding up the process of making compost!

The Lord has really put it on my heart to empower others about how our food has changed over a short period of time. We are reaching more and more people with our website and newsletter and LOVE to hear your stories about how natural, clean foods have changed your lives. Please help spread the word and keep those stories coming! Since winter has arrived, we look forward to the work that lies ahead and to blessing others with our products. Homesteading and farming are not simple tasks, but when you enjoy the work you are doing and get to feel a great sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, it is completely worth it. This winter we pray that you are encouraged to start learning and planning to grow great food, find and get to know a great farmer to buy from, slow down and enjoy each day, and be blessed with abundant health.