Putting By in the Freezer

With winter approaching, I am preparing and putting by. Today I took advantage of what is known as the 10 lb meet sale at my local supermarket. The sale works based on quantity. If you buy 10 lb packages of meet, you get a steep discount. This go round I bought ten pound packages of Chuck Steaks, Chuck Roast, and Ground Beef.

When I got home from the market I divided the ground beef into 1lb sections, bagged, and vacuum sealed them. I then cut the roasts into roasts that will fit in my crockpot, bagged, and vacuum sealed them as well. Finally, I put each chuck steak in its own bag and vacuum sealed them as well. Owning a vacuum sealer is very important to preserve the quality of the meat and help prevent freezer burn.  I buy my vacuum sealer bags on Amazon because I can buy them in bulk cheaper.

Tiny House Homestead Podcast 26

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Check out this episode!

Podcast Title: What's Happening Around Here

Podcast Episode 26 Show Notes

This episode covers….

Where have I been? What's been happening on the homestead? Catch up with me today as I share about some projects around the farm, my entries in the Oklahoma State Fair 2015, and learn about Cervical Disc Displacement. Welcome to tiny house homestead!

The Demise of a Home

Things have been humming around here on the homestead. The crew has been working for the last two weeks to tear down that old trailer and I thought I would share some photos documenting the process. 

It still astounds me to imagine anyone living in this trailer. Keep in mind someone actually lived in this just a couple of years ago. Mind blowing.  I often wonder what it looked like when it was brand new. Was this the dream retirement home for an older couple? Maybe a starter home for a new family? How did it come to fall into this condition? I hail from Philadelphia where we have houses older than our country. This house was built maybe in the late 1970's or early 1980's. To me a home should stand for 100 years or more before it falls into serious disrepair. In a way it is sad to see it only as a "disposable" home and to be counting the days until it is just a distant memory. 

Summer Solstice 2015

Sunday the 21st is the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.This means the United States and Europe are experiencing summer, while South America, Africa, and Australia are experiencing the Winter Solstice. What is a Solstice? Well, in the summer it means the longest day of the year (the day with the most sunlight) and the shortest night. Conversely, the Winter Solstice has the shortest days and longest nights. As an American,  it is strange to think of my counterparts in Australia experiencing cold weather while we are sweating our way through the day. 

How to Eat an Elephant

It is finally happening!  That rat-trap of an old trailer is going away! The demolition crew has been out here dismantling it for the last two days. Yesterday I realized they had begun work when they had used a saws-all to remove a window and left it leaning up against the tongue of the trailer. I was even more pleased when I got home from work this evening to see more progress had been made. I figured a photo is worth a thousand words so I snapped a few pics to share.

 If only you could smell this place, you would have a better understanding of how icky this thing is. In fact, I had a wardrobe box that had pillows stuffed in the bottom that I have chosen to burn because the pillows now smell like that trailer and I don't think soap, bleach, and hot water can undo that stink! 

The Beauty of Rain in the Morning

I thought I would try to capture the incredible beauty of the rain in the forest this morning. I went to put the dog outside on the zip line and the light from the rising sun lit up the drops of rain on the leaves like diamonds on a movie star walking the red carpet. It is impossible to describe how beautiful the forest is after a night of rain, but I tried desperately to capture the beauty of the moment with my lens. These photos just could not do it, but I am going to share them anyway. Have a Saturday filled with moments of awe and beauty.

Tiny House Homestead Episode #25

Podcast Title: Running Water and Rat Trap Removal!

Podcast Episode 25 Show Notes

This episode covers….

Today I share that Tiny House Homestead has received enough indonations to install the well pump and such to allow for running water for the homestead! I also share about progress made that includes hauling off that old rat-trap of a trailer! Come share the excitement with me! Welcome to Tiny House Homestead!