Life on the Homestead

Greet Our Goats

Greet Our Goats

We started keeping dairy goats in the winter of 2018. Our goal was to get comfortable with raising goats so that we could begin to provide for ourselves in ways that were still bringing us to a grocery store; dairy in the form of milk, cream, cheeses and yoghurt. We jumped in with both feet and bought two pregnant does who gave birth on Christmas Eve. Over the past 3 years we've now had over twenty kids born, each one cuter than the next!

Today, we still have one of our original nanny goats, Willow (a Pygmy X Alpine, aged 4), and one of our first doelings, Belladonna (a pure Nigerian Dwarf, aged 2.5). This year they both blessed us with 3 kids each! It has been a huge learning curve but one that has been nothing but rewarding.

Fun fact -  Since raising goats alongside our chickens we have had a drastic reduction in predator loss of our birds. Goats make great small livestock guardians!
 

Bunny Buddies

Bunny Buddies

For the past 8 years off and on we've had bunnies on the Homestead. Typically we kept them as pets and harvested their droppings to use as compost for our gardens.  We now also raise rabbits for meat. We maintain a few breeding does as pets and continue to use their waste for excellent compost. We raise them in a colony setting in keeping with our ideals to raise everyone as close to their natural world as possible. In the summertime the rabbits get moved around in tractors, keeping them safe from predators but constantly on fresh grass.
In the winter, the tractor (or mobile hutch) gets parked over gardens so their waste gets directly deposited onto the soil, and as the spring thaw occurs the soil receives immediate benefit. Our current does are Snowshoe,  Speckles, and Chilla. 
 
Fun fact: one of our original pet bunnies, Black Widow, went rogue a couple of years ago and since has been free ranging the back acre pasture along with the birds and goats. We regularly find her in the goat barn, hopping through the pasture or laying in the sun in the sandy soil by the beehives. 
She is living her best life!

The Buzz About Our Bees

The Buzz About Our Bees

The journey with beekeeping began in 2017 when Sandra decided to get over her lifelong fear of bees by taking a course in beekeeping. Sandra and Martin were so lucky to study under Brian Lacey and the late Brent Halsall. It was a life-changing experience that we will never forget or be without gratitude for. Keeping honeybees, of course, would also allow us to fill another hole in our desire for a self-sufficient life; besides maple syrup we could add another source of sweetness and one with amazing medicinal value.  All of the humans on this Homestead participate in beekeeping; even the youngest, Jackson. We are always learning; beekeeping is an ever-changing activity that constantly provides you a new lesson, just as you think you’ve got a great grasp on it all.  Last year we raised up 5 hives and with conservative collection and extraction of honey for ourselves, (we never want to overstep our boundaries with these valued members of the homestead) we ended up with 20 litres!

Fun fact: Honeybee colonies are a very matriarchal and feminist group. They are led by a queen and all of the workers, foragers, and nurse bees are female, while the male bees (also known as drone bees) are simply there for mating with the queen. Drone bees do not have stingers nor do they collect pollen or nectar. Come winter the female bees typically kick them out of the hive until new drones are born the following season. 

Check Out Our Chickens

Check Out Our Chickens

As soon as we knew that we had space on workable land, we knew that as homesteaders, having chickens was a must. If you've ever began a homesteading journey of your own, you know the term "chicken math". This means you start with 6 and somehow your flock turns into 60 because you just can't stop exploring all of the beautiful breeds. We raise chickens for eggs and meat and are always striving to raise them in the most natural yet safest of ways. All of our birds are pastured and free to roam. This means they always have full access to grass, bugs, foraging (weather dependent, but even then it's their choice to stay inside or head out), sunshine, water, and unrestricted movement. We have now been raising chickens for almost ten years.
Fun fact: We do supplement their diet with grain. However, for the past 6 years we have hand-mixed organic whole grains that we then ferment to increase probiotic content, therefore promoting overall health and digestibility in our birds.

Growth in the Garden

Growth in the Garden

Both Sandra and Martin have always been exposed to gardening vegetables and flowers. Martin grew up on his family's farm where his mother and grandmother were avid gardeners. Sandra grew up spending a lot of time with her grandparents, who had beautiful vegetable and flower gardens as well as fruit trees. Sandra also went on to study horticulture at the collegiate level and tries to actively enrich her knowledge of herbs and medicinal plants.  Both of our families participated in food preservation to different extents and that certainly left an impression on us as well.  In the past we have run CSH (community supported homestead) programs where we provided the community with weekly boxes of all products raised on our Homestead. Today we continue to grow as many produce and medicinal plant varieties as we can in order to continue working toward the goal of being as self-sufficient as possible. 
 
Fun fact: We are still providing homestead goods to the community this year. Please check back into our shop page regularly for item availability. It will consistently change as we move through the seasons. 

Mighty Microgreens

Mighty Microgreens

Micros are one of the newest hobbies on the Homestead. Martin began dabbling in growing microgreens when he worked for Butterfly Sky Farms in 2016, where he raised salads and microgreens for many of Ottawa’s restaurants and health-conscious take-out spots. When the farm moved, Martin didn’t go with them and instead he started to grow micros for us at home.

Last year, he began experimenting with different varieties of greens, as well as different growing techniques. Now, after finding a groove that he is quite happy with, he and his two friends, Rob and Robyn, are in the process of launching a new business in eco-friendly microgreen production; bringing high-density nutrients to all of us in ways that are inspired by and respect the earth. You may find microgreens for sale in the shop and as the program gets underway, you will also be able to request recurring orders so you can regularly take your nutrition to the next level.   

Fun fact: The guys are spread out between Osgoode, ON and Quyon, QC and hope to provide coverage for all the places and spaces in between. They are currently in the process of renovating two shipping containers to create a growing centre and home base for daily operations.