By Angie Mentink

Today as the snow covers the ground again and the temperatures are frigid, it’s hard to think that spring is almost here. Outside chores were done as efficiently as possible and the wood is being added to the stove at higher frequencies. We enjoy extra reading time on these cold days. We have experienced extreme temperature changes in the last several weeks. I do worry about the effects on our animals and fruit trees, but I also realize that my worry will not change the weather, so instead I am thankful. We all enjoy the warm weather, the sunshine, and getting back in the dirt. It has been beneficial for all of us. The animals look great, but we are wondering if we lost a beehive after the quick warm up to the 70’s and then back down to freezing. We will know more when it warms up again.  There is excitement as we think about what we will be planting and the projects we hope to accomplish. We are constantly praying and seeking guidance and wisdom. Spring is a time when we set very high goals and sometimes think we can accomplish more than our time allows. Unfortunately, something always suffers in the heat of the summer. Last year it was our potatoes.

Our pigs have recently been moved to a large area that will become our sweet corn patch. We are putting them to work for us. They are loving the grass left over from last year, but especially seem to love rooting around in the weedy areas.  They are healthy and happy and we couldn’t be more thankful. They are all showing great parasite resistance, without the use of drugs, and are growing well. Praise the Lord. We are praying they sell well and plan to give away a lot of free samples. I have heard many people complain recently that pork from the store has no flavor and we are sure that once people try pastured pork they will never go back! When figuring the average price of pork in the store (bacon, hams, pork chops, sausage, etc.) our price for the hog plus processing is about what one would pay for conventional pork if not less. There is significant savings comparing the organic pork in the store and we set a much higher standard in raising our pork. Unfortunately, the organic standards set by the federal government seem to cater more and more to big corporations and continue to compromise on quality. I know there are a lot of organic farmers going beyond the recommendations, but we don’t have any way of knowing at the store since we don’t actually meet the farmer. We also anticipate butchering some of our hogs to sell at Farmers Markets this summer and will have cuts available by the package, but it will be much more expensive since it’s a lot more work and expense for us.

We plan to expand our fruit orchards and wood chip gardens, putting a lot of focus on perennials. I’m looking forward to my new garden by the house for plants we use more frequently. The garlic and Honeoye strawberries are coming up in the garden along with some herbs. It will be fun to see what made it through the winter. We started Alpine Strawberry seeds in the house for something new. These strawberries will reproduce true to seed, so they are not a hybrid. The berries are smaller than your supermarket strawberry, but packed with flavor and nutrition! I have done a lot of research in the last few years about hybrids versus heirlooms and have found it very interesting that so many of our true heirlooms have better disease resistance, flavor, and higher nutrients. Often we don’t see these in the supermarkets because they don’t ship as well.

We intend to plant peanuts along with more recommended  permaculture type plants for the first time. On our list is American Cranberry Bush, Service Berry, Seabuckthorn, Nanking Cherry, Siberian Pea Shrub, and Manchurian Apricot. The goal with some of these plants being great food for us, the bees and wildlife, nitrogen fixing for other plants, and to maintain a more sustainable food source. We pray that our wood chip garden does better this year. We had great success with our second year at our old place, so we are very hopeful. Another goal is to experiment with a hugelkultur bed.  We will start by digging a hole, then piling some of our decomposing tree limbs into the hole, and finally covering it back up with the dirt. The sticks should break down slowly releasing nutrients for our plants and also act as a sponge hanging onto water and releasing it as things dry out. This should require less water.

We are blessed with the opportunity to rent more land from Cory’s dad this year. Our plan is to plant most of it to alfalfa, and some to peas and oats to make hay with it. We would love to grow peas, but the expense of fixing up Larry’s combine and buying a new head is holding us back. Maybe this will work another year. Our plan is to square bale it and then grind it with our beyond organic corn for feed for the pigs and chickens. It will be a bit of an experiment, but we enjoy trying new things and are always searching for a better way to do things.

Some house projects include reseeding our yard since the septic system installment tore it up, new siding (most of the wood siding is rotten), new sidewalk, and finishing up some projects in the house. I don’t think that ever ends!

In the last year we have been doing a lot of experimenting with homemade noodles. Our daughters especially, have successfully made numerous batches. After praying, and a lot of research, we decided to make a big purchase in a Phillips pasta maker. This will allow us to make spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, and lasagna noodles from scratch. It may take a while, but eventually it will pay for itself. We love it so far! Kailey made pasta salad with the penne noodles and it tasted fabulous. We were looking for something that would save us time since this is a very time consuming endeavor for such a large family.  The dry ingredients are placed in the machine, it’s turned on, and then you add the liquid ingredients after closing the top lid. As soon as the dough is ready it starts coming out of the machine, and you cut the noodles as the machine pushes them out. It was very efficient and couldn’t be easier! Now we have to be careful that we don’t eat too much pasta! We are hoping to post a video or blog post soon.

As we start this spring we look forward to blessing others with our products and the work that lies ahead. 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. We are all in agreement that we could put hay up all day and feel better than if we head to the city for a day of recreation or shopping. As spring approaches we pray that you are encouraged to grow great food, find and meet a great farmer to buy from, slow down and enjoy each day, and be blessed with abundant health!