Birthday gift let's not waste it.

in #homesteading5 years ago

Yesterday was my birthday so we went out for a bit. I wanted to visit a local dairy co-op where a farmer and a chef joined hands to make a small scale dairy shop.
Milk from ten cows is being brought to the store everyday and processed into different products such as yoghurt and ice cream.
Their products taste just great and the business is doing very well!
I like to support initiatives like this even though I have my own dairy animals. I was allowed a look in the kitchen and talked to the staff for a bit, processing diary is one of the things I would like to venture into more.

Once home I was gifted with a new apron (very much needed) and a bag of grass seeds.
I’ve never bought a bag of seed for the pasture in my life but I’m not such a purist as to waste it. I will use it on the old pig pen which will be turned into the baby goat area. Grass is already starting to come back but it wouldn’t mind a little help.

Anyway I’ve promised you last time to take a look at some of the plants I have indoors so here we go.

83847134_475932266439579_3764201160320221184_n - Edited.jpg

These are the blueberry cuttings I took last week. I’ve been wanting blueberries around my whole property but I don’t really have a knack for taking cuttings. This method however is a foolproof one and you can see it’s already coming! (a vid on the whole process will be released at the Warfsterveld Homestead youtube channel once the buds are fully open).

Furthermore this purple pepper is almost done flowering and I’m sad I didn’t have any insects here for pollination.

82721666_897349067387421_2176791890647580672_n - Edited.jpg

Maybe I’ll do some research on keeping a couple pollinators indoors. I’m not so much a bee person but I’m open to keeping other little critters.
One of the benefits of our house is that we have plenty of rooms to dedicate to plants only.
I would love some bumblebees or maybe butterflies. I have raised several insects as a profession so I have the knowledge of raising them indoors. We’ll see in due time.

82550835_2464917720492608_1965102358606118912_n.jpg

This banana is waiting for warm weather so we can plant it outside. Next to it you can catch a glimpse of the first sweet potato slips that were ready for some soil.

I’ve also sown several veggies last week for fresh winter greens. We are just waiting for them to start growing, they will stay indoors under the growlights.

Sort:  

This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community for curators, and upvoted and resteemed by the @c-squared community account after manual review.
@c-squared runs a community witness. Please consider using one of your witness votes on us here

Maybe I’ll do some research on keeping a couple pollinators indoors. I’m not so much a bee person but I’m open to keeping other little critters. This is fascinating to me! I was just pondering today how I could possibly pollinate the morning glory that sprouted on my kitchen window. I would have never thought that keeping pollinators indoors could be an option! Thank you for sharing 🌱

Happy Birthday! I'm wondering if something like a tiny makeup sponge or brush would work for pollinating? If there is more than 1 plant, you'd make like a bee and get one's pollen on the brush and dust it onto the other's flowers and vice versa.

That would work also. I do prefer insects, they have the knowledge to do it just right!
I would just keep them over winter and release them again in spring. Sometimes butterlfies make their way to the attic on their own. I should direct them to the right room!