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The 7 Must-Have Beekeeping Tools

(and that time I scalped myself)

I didn’t bother to put on my veil. This was my first mistake.

It was hot and I loved the feel of the light breeze teasing my hair and cooling my neck. I was cleaning around the bee yard and placing pails of sugar water into the hives that nearly starved over the long winter. It was easy work and I was enjoying listening to the song of the bees… – until that rhythmic hum started echoing a little too close to my ear. A bee had accidentally blown into my tangled locks. Of course, it got stuck.

Now, before we continue with this story, you should know that I hate being stung. During my first hive inspection, I flinched so many times my beekeeping mentor had to tell me several times to stop moving or I really was going to get stung.

So, my first instinct was to get that bee out of my hair as fast as I could before it panicked and jabbed me with its stinger in frustration. I had my hive tool in hand so I thought I’d use that to help free it.

Let’s pause for a moment. I decided to use a sharp, metal object to get a bee out of my hair. Yes, you guessed right. This was my second mistake.

I may have freed the bee, but I also scalped myself. I thought I had been stung but when I reached up to touch my head, I found blood. Fortunately, I didn’t cut off any of my hair but my head was definitely cut and remained sore for the next couple days.

So, it will come as no surprise that the very top item on my list of essential beekeeping tools is a full body, bee suit including a veil, which you should ALWAYS wear.

As I mentioned before, I really don’t like being stung (it has only happened twice in four years) so I not only like to feel protected while I work my hives, but I also like to work them quickly and efficiently with as little disruption as possible.

With that in mind, these are my favourite beekeeping tools.

Take a peek inside my toolbox – my favourite beekeeping tools

The Bee Suit (or my superhero, alien costume)

I love my bee suit so much I leave it hung on my coat hanger year-round. Or maybe I’m just too lazy to put it away. But either way I do enjoy wearing it. I feel like a superhero about to embark on an exciting discovery every time I begin putting it on. It’s my uniform and it’s my protection so I invested in the very best.

Although there are many bees suit options out there, I suggest a full body, ventilated suit like mine, which will keep you well-protected and cool even on the hottest days. Many beekeepers simply don a veil or bee jacket. This is fine too as long as you feel comfortable. Whatever you do, don’t wear any dark clothing that makes you resemble a bear. Also, don’t forget to seal your pant legs tight or you may find yourself doing a painful dance around the bee yard.

Warning!

Wash your bee suit frequently. You don’t want any alarm pheromone to build up on your clothes or your hive’s guard bees will likely pay you an unwanted visit.

Gloves

Gloves may make you feel safer when you are working your hives but they are also cumbersome and remove all feeling from your fingers. This could lead to you accidentally squishing a bee.

Instead, you may want to skip gloves or at the very least choose a pair that fit well. Personally, I still recommend buying and wearing gloves – especially if the bees are having a cranky day.

The Smoker

I admit that I didn’t think I’d use a smoker. I just didn’t like the idea of smoking my bees. It sounds cruel. But I’ve changed my mind. Next to my bee suit, my smoker has become my favourite beekeeping tool.

Just a few puffs of smoke will calm, quiet and move your bees out of your way allowing you to do your job faster and more easily. No matter which size or model you purchase, ensure it has a protective shield on the outside. It will save your hands from being burned. Or at least help prevent getting them burned. Somehow, I still manage to touch it on occasion.

Bonus: Some models come with a hook that you can hang on the side of your hive.

The Hive Tool

You can’t work bees without a hive tool. In fact, it is so essential I recommend buying two just in case you lose one in the grass. Hey, it happens to the best beekeepers.

I use my hive tool every time I inspect my hives. Why? Because bees stick everything together with a magic glue called propolis. Without my hive tool it would be extremely difficult to pull the frames or boxes apart. A hive tool comes with a flat blade on one end that I use to scrape burr comb and separate frames and a rounded end that I use to lift up the frames.

The Frame Holder

I’m not sure why more beekeepers don’t use this convenient tool. A frame holder simply hangs on the side of your super. It gives you an easy, safe and out-of-the-way spot to hang a frame when you want to remove one from the box you are working in. I always remove one frame from the outside edge of my hive box before I do an inspection in order to make room to examine the remaining frames.

Pro tip: Make sure the queen is not on the frame you place on the holder. You don’t want her to fly away.

Beekeeper’s Toolbox

My dad made this toolbox for me and I love it. As you can see, there is a place to hang my smoker and I can put all my beekeeping tools in the main compartment. Every time I head out to the apiary, I just grab my toolbox knowing I have everything I need.

Feeders

I made the mistake of not buying a feeder my first year beekeeping. That summer we had a nectar dearth. I had no idea we were having one or what exactly that was but my mentor advised me to start feeding my bees. I now know a nectar dearth is when there is a shortage of nectar producing flowers often caused by an excessive amount of hot, dry weather. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a feeder and when I went to the store they were, of course, completely sold out. I was lucky and my mentor lent me a few.

Learn from my mistake and purchase a few feeders to have on hand when your little bee friends need your help. I have tried many different types of feeders but this simple bucket feeder has turned out to be the simplest to use. I also like the fact that they are placed inside my hives so my colonies don’t fight or rob food from each other.

BONUS ITEM! Beekeeper’s Journal

A journal is not necessary, but it has come in handy as my apiary has expanded. The best way to keep track of inspections, observations and your to-do lists is to write them down. I love this journal.

The truth is you don’t need many tools to be a beekeeper (other than perhaps the ability to laugh at yourself!), but if you want to work your bees more easily, efficiently, quickly and safely, you’ll definitely want to stock up on these beekeeping tools.

Of course, when it comes time to extract honey, you’ll need a couple more beekeeping tools. But that’s a post for another day. It’s time for me to head down to the apiary with my bee suit (including the veil) on and maybe this time I will avoid scalping myself.

So, do you agree? What are you favourite beekeeping tools? Let me know in the comments below.

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7 must-have beekeeping tools — You don’t want to waste money on needless beekeeping tools. So, what do you really need to work your bees quickly, efficiently and safely?

What I Wished I Would Have Known About Livestock Guardian Dogs

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Goodbye Buddy.

February, 2018

“Which one is mine?” I asked excitedly as I looked around at all the fluffy, white Great Pyrenees puppies competing for my attention.

“That one in the corner,” pointed the breeder.

“Are you sure?” I asked, as I looked at it doubtfully.

The puppy was fast asleep. It couldn’t even be bothered to open more than one eye even when I picked him up.

“He doesn’t seem like much of a livestock guardian dog,” I thought privately as I held the sleeping puppy in my arms and looked around at the other much more energetic dogs.

But I, of course, instantly loved him anyway. He smelled strangely of popcorn and his incredibly soft and wild, fluffy fur made him feel and look like a teddy bear having a bad hair day.

As I examined my new livestock guardian dog, I noticed he didn’t have a ribbon around his neck like the others. The owner laughed and shook her head. He had somehow managed to chew it off, she said.

I laughed too. But I should have known – this was a sign of the trouble to come.

I couldn’t take the puppy the kids named “Buddy” home with me that day. We didn’t yet have our Babydoll Southdown Sheep and, as the breeder explained, you want your livestock guardian dog to bond with your animals. So, they kindly agreed to keep Buddy on the farm with their goats and sheep until ours arrived.

I wasn’t sure what to expect the day I went to pick him up. He was now 5 months old and all he had ever known was their farm. The owner had kept his brother and the two were very close. As I suspected, Buddy was not prepared to come with me. In fact, he refused to walk the few feet to my car. Instead, he had to be carried into the backseat. Not an easy feat when your dog weighs around 100 lbs.

When we got home, I had to once again carry him out of the car and it was a long time before he would even move. He acted like he was deathly ill and would never recover. (Buddy has a bit of a dramatic flair.) Of course, after spending a lot of time with him, he adjusted to his new surroundings as all dogs do and eventually, he stopped crying every time I’d leave and he seemed to take to his new role as guardian of the sheep. The key word in that sentence was “seemed”. There were a lot of bumps along the pasture road.

What I wished I would have known about livestock guardian dogs

Guardian Livestock Dogs and Small Trees Don’t Mix

Buddy and the Disappearing Trees

It was calling for an early frost so my husband suggested using the large, brown paper chicken feed bags we had been saving up all year to cover our small fruit trees. It was a great idea. The bags easily fit over the trees completely shielding them from the frost. Problem solved, we thought smugly as we curled up into bed that night and drifted off to sleep without a single worry about those trees.

In the morning, much to our surprise, the bags were mysteriously gone. Upon closer inspection they weren’t just gone, they were torn to pieces. Apparently, Buddy thought we had invented a new game for him to play: Try and tear the bags off the trees.

Not only were our trees left unprotected from the frost, but Buddy wasn’t very careful when he decided to remove the bags, causing damage to the branches.

Although I was concerned about the damage our sheep might inflict upon our fruit trees, I hadn’t considered that a dog might also be a threat. On top of the damage he did that day, he also decided to start burying his bones at the base of the trees essentially “digging them up”.

They are escape artists

The Great White Polar Bear and the Fox

I’m out shopping when I receive a text. Our neighbour’s 7-year-old daughter has spotted a polar bear roaming freely around our backyard. Of course, when her mom peers out the window, she discovers it is Buddy who truly does look like a giant bear roaming around in the snow. He has escaped from the electric fence enclosure. I rush home to catch and scold Buddy, but instead I congratulate him. Footprints in the snow prove that he chased a fox out of the pasture. Unfortunately, he broke through the electric fence to do so. We give Buddy a bone for his bravery and reinforce the fence. No harm done – yet.

Guardian Livestock Dogs Can’t be Trusted with Your Phone

Buddy tries to make a phone call

“Kimberlee, did you see my cell?” asks Jérémie as he frustratingly searches throughout the house.

“When did you last use it?” I ask.

“Well, I had it out in the barn…”, he muses.

Can you guess where this story is going? That’s right. Jérémie finds his cell in the barn…with Buddy.

As you probably already know, livestock guardian dogs are intelligent creatures and Buddy, who realized Jérémie had forgotten his phone, tried his best to text him to let him know he had found it. But it was rather awkward using his large paws and big, black gumdrop nose to push the small buttons and so, in a moment of frustration, he bit down a little too hard on the phone. That is to say, it was completely crushed. And yes, Jérémie had to buy a new phone.

They Have a Sensitive Side

Buddy and His Pet Frog

Upon entering the barn, Jérémie can hear Buddy crying. He rushes over to discover Buddy staring at his water bowl. Inside is a frog happily swimming in his water. You’d think Buddy, an incredibly big dog (he now weighs close to 140 lbs), would simply nudge the frog out of his bowl. But no, he just sits there and cries and waits patiently as we remove the stubborn frog. We go through this routine a couple days in a row before the frog finally gives up and finds a new watering hole.

Guardian Livestock Pups Should Never Be with Other Young Animals

Buddy and the Wagging Tail

The real problems begin when Buddy decides to start playing with our sheep. It all started with Hara’s tail. Sheep’s tails are fairly small, fluffy and they move. To a puppy, who often likes to chase his or her own tail, I can imagine a sheep’s tail looks like an attractive toy. So, one day, when I imagine Buddy’s feeling particularly bored, he bites Hara’s tail. And then rips the tag out of her ear. Alarmed, I separate Buddy from the sheep until he is older

They Are Willing to Take Other Animals Under their Protection

Buddy and His Pet Chicken

Without any sheep to keep him company, Buddy befriends our one-winged wonder chicken. Every day she heads to the barn to hang out with him. Buddy even lets her eat some of his food and they form some kind of alliance, which involves her scratching for bugs in the hay and Buddy watching in amusement. To date, Buddy shows no signs of aggression towards any of our chickens and has yet to chase one. But…

Not All Livestock Guardian Dogs Are Suited for Every Type of Job

Buddy’s Duel with Hunter

Once Buddy reaches the age of two, we decide to test him out with our two rams thinking that now he is older and the rams are no longer lambs, all should go well. Unfortunately, the sheep feel threatened by Buddy and Hunter (our most aggressive ram) starts to violently “butt” Buddy in the head. Surprisingly, Buddy doesn’t fight back until Hunter goes for his food. And that’s when Buddy decides he has had enough and bites him hard enough on the head that I have to bring in the vet to stitch up the wound.

Buddy and the Last Lamb

After Buddy’s duel with Hunter, we decide that he may be better off with our gentler ewes instead. All goes well and everyone seems at peace. But we make a fatal mistake. We have an 8-week-old lamb among our two ewes. In hindsight, the lamb should never have been in the test group with Buddy. And apparently Buddy still has an obsession with tails. He bites the tiny lamb’s tail and I once again have to call in the vet who does an amazing job fixing it. Unfortunately, the lamb dies (not from the injury) but of shock. If you read my previous post – death, tears and life on the homestead – you know how important this last lamb was to me. To lose it, was devastating.

Unfortunately, because of these incidents, we don’t feel confident that we can ever trust Buddy with our sheep. Sadly, we rehomed him last week. It breaks my heart and I still feel tears well up in my eyes every time I think of him. He caused me so much grief but he was truly the most intelligent and sweetest dog I’ve ever known.

But I’m also extremely happy for him. He is now working on a horse farm near Alma, New Brunswick and, according to the new owners, doing an amazing job. He even has two other dog “friends” to work with and the owners have a nearby river on their beautiful property where he can swim.

To be honest, I’m not even sure Buddy would want to come back to our farm where he spent a lot of time by himself because he couldn’t be with the sheep. Although I took him for regular walks and the kids and Jérémie interacted with him on a daily basis, I think he was lonely.

Livestock guardian dogs are supposed to be aloof, independent creatures, but Buddy loved to be petted and have his belly rubbed. He craved attention from us. I think he would have made a better pet or house dog than a livestock guardian dog. Lucky for Buddy, his new owners even let him sleep in their house.

So, this is my ode and goodbye to you, Buddy, my pal, my friend, my “boo bear”. You were and are the very best dog of all and we will never forget you. May you enjoy the rest of your days running wild and free among the horse pastures and never look back.

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Easiest Organic Vegetables to Grow

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I am a vegetable serial killer.

That’s right. I have a brown thumb. My uncle just about summed up my skills when he once commented on my garden – “It’s kind of like survival of the fittest, isn’t it Kimberlee?” Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny Uncle Bob.

So, when I publish a post about the easiest organic vegetables to grow, you know they have to produce like weeds or they wouldn’t survive under my ~~neglect~~ care.

The good news is plants really don’t want to die. Surprising, right? And if you’re brave enough to give gardening a try, you’re going to discover that you ABSOLUTELY CAN plant an amazing and productive garden. You might just have to work a little harder to grow certain veggies or choose to stick to these Top 10 Survivors in my “survival of the fittest” garden.

Easiest Organic Vegetables to Grow

Peas

In my climate, peas are one of the first vegetables I plant in the garden and they are definitely among the easiest organic vegetables to grow. These little guys prefer cool growing conditions and will tolerate light frosts. They will germinate in soil temperatures between 4-24 degrees C. So, can I get a loud Hooray!!! Come on, let’s hear it for peas!!!! If you live in a cold climate, you feel my excitement.

Choose an early season variety and dig these seeds about an inch and a half into the ground. I love that I don’t have to worry about the spring winds whipping them away like the tiny carrot seeds (one reason I don’t plant my carrots early in the season). They stay snug in the soil until it’s time to reveal themselves.

And then they just grow and grow and grow…you’ll need netting or a pea tower for those tall growing varieties.

Tip: You can also plant mid-season and late varieties so you’ll have a continuous supply of peas.

Variety I’m growing this year

Super Sugar Snap Pea
As the name suggests, these guys are sweeter than the regular Sugar Snap and you can eat them pod and all. That is very important to the kids who tend to gobble these up before they even make it to the house.

Easiest organic vegetables to grow — *Don’t radishes make you want to dance?*

Radishes

This is another crop that can be seeded directly in the garden as soon as your soil can be worked in spring. In fact, it doesn’t do well in the summer heat so plant them early. Radishes may be seen as simply a spicy salad topper, but they are amazing roasted in the oven and served as a simple side dish.

They also grow so fast, I don’t think there is time for these guys to perish.

Variety I’m growing this year

Cherry Belle Radish
Plant these radishes today and in 3 weeks you could be enjoying your first crop. Easy and fast to grow, you’ll love these bright red, cherry radishes.

Beans

Beans are so easy, beautiful and fun to grow. And there are SO many choices. Not just yellow or green, but purple and even striped. Have you heard of Dragon’s Tongue Bush Bean with its glorious purple streaks? Or how about the majestic, bright purple Royal Burgundy, which can handle cooler soils? Or “Scarlet Runner”, which will make you sigh in delight as it proudly shows off its eye-catching red flowers that attract hummingbirds. It’s gorgeous, my friends. And every garden needs a little gorgeous. So, plant yourself some beans.

Varieties I’m growing this year

Jacob’s Cattle (Baking Bean)
This is a favourite bean in our area and its perfect for all your baked bean recipes.

Provider (Bush Bean)
I really love this bean. It is very easy to grow and can be planted earlier than other beans, which means I get to eat fresh beans faster!

Rocdor (Pole Bean)
What can I say? It’s a tasty bean and I need something yellow to go with the above green beans.

Carminat (Pole Bean)
And, of course, to round things out I need a purple bean. Although they turn green after you cook them, these purple pods will “WOW” you with their Instagram worthy lavender blossoms. If you can’t find an organic version, try the Royal Burgundy.

Tomatoes

Even if I lived in a 100 square foot skyrise apartment building, I would find a way to grow a tomato plant because nothing compares to the taste of homegrown tomatoes. And they are so easy to grow. Well, you might want to stay away from those “upside down” tomato planters. They dry out easily. Best to plant your tomato in a large pot or in a garden. Tomatoes need an even supply of moisture. A thick layer of mulch will help hold in the moisture and prevent weeds from growing.

Just like beans, there are so many colours and sizes it will make your head spin. The most important consideration in our climate, other than taste, of course, is if there is enough time for the fruit to ripen. You’ll also have to choose between indeterminate and determinate varieties. I prefer determinate because a cage is usually enough to support them. The downside is all of your tomatoes will ripen almost at the same time. However, we have such a short growing season in our climate that this doesn’t really matter to me. If you choose an indeterminate, you will get tomatoes over a longer period of time, but prepare to prune and stake!

Varieties I’m growing this year

Mystery Keepers
This is the best storage tomato in my opinion. They ripen from the inside out so they can stay sitting on your counter for months after harvesting them before they turn red.

Sungold
I grow these cherry tomatoes every year because they are extra sweet and taste like tangy candy. I eat them right off the vine and throw them in salads.

*Yellow pear tomatoes make a fun shaped addition to your salads.*

Yellow Pear Tomato
These darling heirloom tomatoes produce the cutest, pear-shaped yellow cherry tomatoes that look like little fairy bells. Try them…just because!

Loose Leaf Lettuce

There is no reason you should have to buy salad greens if you don’t want to. I haven’t taken an official poll but these have to be the easiest of all crops to grow. Every two weeks I simply sprinkle a few teaspoons of seeds in my garden and lightly cover with soil. This will guarantee a fresh, continuous supply of leafy greens for all your salad needs.

Warning: Although leaf lettuce is easy to grow, slugs also love it. So, wash your greens carefully! I learned this lesson the hard way. Slug salad, anyone?

Variety I’m growing this year

Mesclun Gourmet Greens Mixture
Get ready for the most beautiful salads ever! This one package of seeds contains seven different tasty salad greens in varying shades of colour and texture – Arugula, Endive, Red Kale, Red and Green Romaine, Salad Bowl and Lolla Rossa Lettuce.

Carrots

Did you know carrots will grow even in sub-par soil? And that’s why I love the carrot.

Now, if you are a gardener, you may be thinking,” you’re wrong!”. Many sources will tell you if your soil is too heavy or rocky, you’ll need to plant your carrots in a raised bed. But if this were true, I would have never been able to grow a single carrot.

Although they do prefer a lighter soil so they can grow to their full and long potential, I have had success growing decent sized carrots even in my clay soil. In fact, I even managed to grow a carrot in my garden path. So, don’t be afraid to plant carrots.

Varieties I’m planting this year

Purple Dragon Carrot
I prefer a plain, old, regular orange carrot, but the kids get a kick out of the purple ones and they say they taste better. These carrots are actually orange inside with a yellow core.

Danvers Half long Carrot
If you have shallow soil like me, you may want to try the Danvers Half-Long carrot. They are about 6 inches long and have that perfect sweet, crunchy carrot taste.

Nantes Scarlet Carrot
This is another excellent carrot variety that has survived in my garden. Dependable, nearly coreless, sweet and stores well – What more could you want in a carrot?

Beets

As a northern gardener, my vegetable plot would not be complete without beets. This is a frost tolerant vegetable that definitely ranks high among the easiest organic vegetables to grow

The only problem is that I often forget to take them out of the ground until they have grown past their optimal size – making these roots a lot tougher than they would be otherwise.

If you can remember to harvest them on time and keep sowing every few weeks throughout the spring and summer, you can enjoy beets into the fall.

Varieties I’m planting this year

Boro
This will be the first year I plant this variety. They are touted as the sweetest beet variety. We will see.

Detroit Dark Red
This is an heirloom variety grown since 1892 that is still popular today. It’s the perfect all-purpose beet!

Herbs

If you enjoy herbs, then pick up as many as you like because there is a very good chance none of them will die. I have yet to kill an herb. Basil, dill, parsley, oregano, fennel, rosemary…they all grow really easily. In fact, if you are nervous about starting a garden, why not start with a simple herb garden? You don’t even need to plant a garden because they do really well (and sometimes better!) in containers

Onions

Onions have survived since the Bronze Age so it’s not surprising that they are easy to grow, right? Although I’ve never planted onions by seed, I do plant onion sets every spring. And by mid-summer I have good sized bulbs. It’s as easy as that!

Garlic

The most difficult part about growing garlic is not growing it. It’s remembering to plant it. Or motivating oneself to plant it at the end of the growing season. In our climate, you have to plant cloves in the fall and then you reap the rewards the following year.

*The only pumpkin I’ve ever grown. It didn’t even turn completely orange.*

What about zucchini, cucumbers and squash?

Now this is really embarrassing to admit, but zucchini, cucumbers and squash are also supposed to be among the easiest organic vegetables to grow. And yet I have not been able to successfully grow any of these. But that hasn’t stopped me from trying. Here are this year’s victims.

Let’s take a moment and pray for them before they meet their death in my garden…or not! Fingers crossed!

So, do you agree? Are these the easiest organic vegetables to grow or do you have one to add to the list? Let me know in the comments below!

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I’ve gone nuts for soap nuts!

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Who wants to try making their own soap from nut shells? Anyone? Anyone?

Ok, so maybe it’s only me who gets a thrill from trying out these kinds of crazy, homemade cleaning recipes but doesn’t this sound like a lot more fun than just buying a bottle of soap from the store? Anyone can do that, right? But who is going to go to the trouble of extracting saponin from shells and then use that to clean their home?

Only the really, really, really cool (or nutty depending on your point of view) homesteaders. And, although I know you want to be a cool homesteader, there is another reason you should consider making soap nut cleaner.

Soap nuts are incredibly inexpensive. I can make a bottle of cleaner for less than $1. They are also completely bio-degradable, environmentally friendly and work like magic in the laundry, as a dish soap or even as an all-purpose cleaner.

Now, you may be wondering why I suddenly decided to write a post about soap nuts.

I am preparing for the upcoming Mother Earth News Fairs. Sadly, the one in Tennessee has been postponed until next year due to the current world situation. But don’t despair. There is a Skills for Self-Reliance Mini-Course going on RIGHT NOW that you should definitely check out.

It features seven pre-recorded workshop videos from some of their most highly attended FAIR workshops. Topics range from elderberry and raising chickens to fermenting kraut and getting started off-grid.

The next fair will launch in June in which I will be presenting a 30 minute “Green Your Cleaning Routine”.

In case you are curious, here is a shot of where I will be filming my presentation.

And here is a photo of the other side of the room. (Note: We will not be filming from the other side of the room.)

During my presentation, I will be sharing some of my favourite, natural cleaning ingredients and easy, DIY recipes such as this one.

How do you use soap nuts?

Soap nuts come from a tree called ‘Sapindus Mukorossi’ (the Soap Berry tree). But they are actually not nuts . They are berries that are harvested from September to February each year. Although it takes 9 years for the tree to begin yielding fruit; once it starts producing, it can be harvested for 90 years!

The soap nut grows on trees native to India and Nepal. Unfortunately, they don’t grow here in Canada or I would immediately plant one in my backyard. I can’t think of a more environmentally friendly cleaning product than a nut I personally plucked from a tree.

Nevertheless, you can buy these soap nuts at the Bulk Barn and package them in a reusable bag and then throw them in the compost when you’re done. Zero plastic. Zero waste. There are also many great sources of soap nuts. If you live in the United States, Amazon sells these award winning Naturoil soap nuts. In Canada, Amazon sells these organic soap nuts in 250 gram, 500 gram or 1 kg reusable bags.

For cleaning purposes, we use the shell of the soap nut. The shells contain a natural cleaning agent called saponin, which acts as a detergent. These natural surfactants break the surface tension of water. So, for example, if you were to use soap nuts in the laundry, they will free dirt, grime, and oils from your clothing and keep them suspended in the water so they can be easily rinsed away.

The nuts themselves are naturally anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-microbial. They’re also naturally organic and I can tell you why.

Soap nuts smell like vinegar and if you were to errr…accidentally put one in your mouth or maybe put one in your mouth on purpose because you were writing a blog post about them, they taste like soap. Absolutely bitter and disgusting. Fortunately, Google tells me they are not poisonous although they may make your tummy upset so try your best to resist sampling them.

Anyway, I don’t imagine any human or animal would enjoy the taste of soap nuts. Except maybe owls. Here’s a fun fact: Did you know owls can’t smell? And that’s why these great hunters will eat skunks. See, wasn’t that fun? I thought so.

Now, let’s move on to the real fun. Making a cleaner out of shells!

Soap Nuts All Purpose Cleaning Base

You could simply combine soap nut shells with water and start cleaning but saponin is released faster when the shells are heated. So, I boil the nuts to make a concentrated liquid that I can use as a base to clean everything from my dishes and laundry to my floors and bathtub.

Ingredients

1/2 cup soap nuts

3 cups water

Instructions

– Pour the water into a medium saucepan and add the soap nuts. Bring to a low boil and then reduce to a simmer with the lid on for up to an hour or until the nuts become soft and start to break apart.

– Stir and mash the berries occasionally.

– Remove the pot from the heat, strain out the soap nuts and let cool before pouring into your container.

How long does soap nut liquid last?

It has a two-week shelf life or at least a month in the fridge. You can add a teaspoon of citric acid to the recipe to help make the juice last longer.

How do I use soap nuts in the laundry?

If you do your laundry using hot water, you can place 5 or 6 soap nuts in a mesh bag and throw them in the laundry. If you use cold water, make the above liquid and use 1 or 2 tbsp. In both cases, I would add ¼ cup of washing soda (sodium carbonate) to your wash cycle. And then add ¼ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle to remove any soap residue.

Washing soda will “soften” your water (especially important if you have hard water). It binds to the minerals in your water and allows the detergent to be absorbed into fibers properly to clean clothes.

Warning: Washing soda is not the same as baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Although both natural substances are made from a mineral called trona, washing soda has a higher PH level, is a more abrasive cleaner and doesn’t dissolve as well in water compared to baking soda.

How do I use soap nuts to clean my dishes?

Pour the above mixture into a soap dispenser and use a few squirts in each sink full of dishes.

How do I use soap nuts as an all-purpose cleaner?

Mix the above liquid with an equal amount of water and start cleaning.

How do I use soap nuts to clean my bathroom?

Mix equals parts of the soap nut cleaner recipe above with equal parts vinegar to help remove mineral deposits. Use to clean the tub, shower stall or toilet.

And that’s it. Have you or will you try making soap nut cleaner? I wanna know. Leave me a message in the comments below.

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Death, tears and life on the homestead

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April 9, 2020…

He didn’t need to utter a word. I could tell by the pained look on my husband’s face that something was terribly wrong.

“It was a stillbirth.”

I cried.

I cried harder when I walked into the barn and saw the perfect, little, brown Babydoll lamb lying motionless in the hay.

April 12, 2020…

“Come, quick!,” yelled my husband. “It’s happening.” I ran like a crazy fool to the barn only to just miss the birth of twin lambs, Henry and Henrik, from our second ewe, Hanley.

We watched as Hanley eagerly began showering her first lamb, Henry, with big, sloppy kisses.

But she didn’t seem to notice Henrick, the second lamb still lying in the hay. So, wearing gloves, we brought the other newborn to her nose. She half-heartedly licked Henrick a couple times and then turned away. From then on, she wanted nothing to do with him.

We waited until morning hoping she would allow Henrik to nurse. No luck. So, we filled a bottle with colostrum and began feeding him.

But it wasn’t easy. Every time we went out to the barn, it was like playing a game of “Where’s Waldo”. Once Henrik got stuck behind the hay feeder and then I found him curled up with the male sheep in another pen.

Fearing for his safety, that evening we snuggled the lamb into a cardboard box and carefully placed him next to our bed, hoping to make those midnight feedings a little easier on ourselves.

Sometime between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. the next morning, Henrick passed away.

More pain. And more tears as I write this wondering if there was not something more I could have done to prevent his death.

I know, you’re probably thinking they are just lambs. But my heart broke anyway.

After five months of waiting, I was eagerly anticipating our first births on the farm, this grand milestone of achievement as a shepherdess.

Death was certainly not in the script I had imagined.

But I should have known better. Nothing I have done on the farm (or in life) has gone according to my carefully made plans.

The truth is when you sign up to become a farmer, the agreement clearly states in big, bold letters that you are also signing up for death.

We have lost ducks to foxes and chickens to a ferret. We have had chicks drown in their own water and we had to kill our previous rooster when it nearly clawed out one of neighbour’s children’s eyes.

I have lost hives to human error and the long, cold Canadian winters. And, of course, there are the multitude of plants that have perished under my care.

And then, there are the purposeful deaths. This year, we will be raising our own meat chickens. And these ram lambs I wept over may (I say “may” because I have not yet been able to eat anything I’ve raised) have one day ended up on my dinner plate. Males have a tough life on the farm.

So here I sit writing to you…contemplating life and death, which are never too far from each other here on the homestead. And, although it is to be expected, it’s not easy. Taking a life or witnessing a death never is.

And this heartache makes me want to scream and cry and pound the dirt, throw my hands up in the air and give up.

But I haven’t yet and I don’t think I ever will. Because homesteaders and farmers, we are not only tough, but, we are full of eternal hope and gratitude.

We learn from the painful experiences and we assure ourselves that next year will be better.

We give thanks a million times over for all the blessings we do have and then we dry our tears and we grab our feed buckets and carry on to the next task knowing there is no other life we would rather live.

And so, I have said my goodbyes, I have buried the losses and I will press on taking joy in watching Henry annoy my ewes as he happily frolics around the barn showing everyone just how high he can bounce.

There is still life on the farm, my friends, and it is beautiful.

Help! The lambs are coming…

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A beginner’s guide to preparing for your first lambing season

Have you ever read a blog and thought: Wow, this person really has it together! Well, this is not that blog.

This is the blog of a homesteader…

who doesn’t know for certain if her two ewes are pregnant.
who doesn’t have a clue how to actually deliver a lamb.
who is not even sure she can actually get her hands up in there and assist.
And who is now wondering how the heck she got into a predicament in which this is what she has to fret about!!!

So, in case you’re wondering, yes, I may be slightly panicking about the impending lambing season. But, as with most things on the homestead, I can usually find someone much more experienced than I who is willing to share their hard-earned, homesteading wisdom. Enter Michelle Schubert.

A few weeks ago, I interviewed Michelle, owner of Bergamascos’ Babydoll Brigade in northern Scott County, Kentucky, about preparing for lambing season. Michelle has witnessed the birth of more than 123 lambs on her 15-acre farm where she and her husband sell sheep, lambs and fleece including beautiful, hand spun and custom dyed yarn.

*Michelle Schubert with her flock of Babydoll Southdown Sheep on her farm in Kentucky.*

So, how did Michelle become a shepherdess? Her tractor died.

“Our second summer here, our tractor quit running and we spent many hours every day pushing a lawn mower trying desperately to keep up with the fast-growing grass,” she recounts. “A friend suggested we get sheep.”

“After a bit of contemplation and research, I said to myself, ‘Sounds like a plan.’ Initially, I was just going to get the sheep to mow the grass, but quickly decided I would turn it into a business since I prefer to work for myself and from home.”

Michelle hasn’t looked back since. Every day starts with a smile.

“Their smile is contagious. If you’re having a bad day, just get outside and spend a few minutes watching and interacting with your Babydolls. Your mood can’t help but improve. I find myself looking out my windows several times a day and sitting outside just to watch them as they meander the hills and valleys of my small piece of tranquility.”

Although Michelle is not a vet or a medical professional, as you can imagine, she has learned a lot about preparing for lambing season over the past nine years raising Babydoll Southdown Sheep.

“Lambing season is typically exhausting but so worth it,” she exclaims.

The only downside is that those sweet, smiling Babydoll lambs wind up leaving the farm much sooner than she would like.

So, are you ready? Let’s start preparing for lambing season together.

Tell me about the first birth on the farm?

Michelle’s adventures in lambing began with one ewe who was “maybe” pregnant. She still fondly remembers the afternoon Haven was born. She rushed to get a pair of binoculars and watched in awe and anticipation as Pop gave birth to a healthy lamb on pasture on March 30, 2012, at 2:31 p.m. without any issues.

Is my ewe pregnant?

I feel a lot better about not being able to tell if my ewes are pregnant after confirming with Michelle that it is indeed difficult to determine until they are getting close to labor.

“It is tough,” says Michelle. “I go by when I put them together and when I separated them. And, of course, a lot of them, I witness the breeding happening so I use that date. If most of mine have lambed and I have stragglers, I’ll draw blood for a pregnancy test.”

Sheep have a gestation period of about five months. So, if Hunter and Henley (my two rams) did their job this summer, my ewes will be ready to give birth in about a week.

Within days of the birthing, you may notice the ewe’s udder fill out, which is a sure sign that your ewe is pregnant and will soon be giving birth.

Should I be feeding my ewes anything special?

Michelle cautions against overfeeding your ewes. “You don’t want them getting too fat, which can cause bigger lambs and possible birthing issues,” she warns. “I don’t change what I do as far as feeding unless a ewe is feeling too thin. Then I sneak her extra palmfuls of grain.”

What supplies should I have on hand?

Initially, Michelle bought many of the recommended supplies for preparing for lambing season, but she has never used them and, of course, they quickly expired. The only items she now brings with her are gloves and a pair of scissors.

“Other than trimming a couple of cords, I’ve never needed to do anything else during lambing,” she says. If there is an emergency, Michelle will bring her ewe to the vet.

Gloves come in handy if you need to help the ewe and can prevent “bottle babies”. Ewes identify and bond with their lambs through the scent that is produced within the placenta and contained in the amniotic fluid.

“I wear rubber gloves (sometimes even fresh clothing) to keep my scent off of the lamb,” she explains. “Even for the first couple of days, I wear gloves if doing anything with the lamb, especially if there are more lambs being born around the same time that I’ll be handling.”

If all goes well, these are all the supplies you really need when preparing for lambing:

A lambing book to keep records such as the date, sex and number of lambs born.
Latex gloves
Scissors to cut cords
And, if you’re like me, a copy of Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep. If something goes wrong. I’m hoping I can read and assist at the same time. Sounds doable, right?

You may also want to have on hand:

Milk bottle and lamb nipple as well as colostrum and lamb milk replacer
Lube
A digital veterinary thermometer
Dental floss (may be needed to tie off a bleeding umbilical cord)

Should I bring my ewes indoors to lamb?

Although every shepherd will be preparing for lambing season a little differently, Michelle has never locked a ewe in a pen/jug when she feels lambing is close or even during lambing. Instead, her ewes can come and go from the barn as they see fit. In the evenings, she says, they decide on their own to make their way closer to the barn where they usually sleep.

“Often, in the middle of the night, they’ll go out for a couple of grazing sessions,” she explains. “Hence, come lambing time, I don’t change their routine and they are still free to come and go as they please.” As a result, Michelle has had lambs born on pasture and in the barn without any issues.

If she does see a ewe in active labor in the barn and it is late at night, she will go ahead and close the gates to the pen until the ewe lambs.

Do I need a special birthing pen?

Yes, you may want to consider sectioning your barn into smaller pens, encourages Michelle. “I have noticed many of my ewes will go to the furthest corner pen when it is time to lamb. We now call it the maternity ward and have it ready with fresh straw when lambing time arrives.”

Usually, the ewe keeps herself and her lambs inside, or away from the flock for a few hours, says Michelle. “By afternoon, mom and lamb(s) are venturing outside and within 24-hours, the lambs are checking out the grass and doing a little nibbling alongside their dams.”

Can ewes share a pen?

They need to have enough room to be able to get away from each other, cautions Michelle. You don’t want a lamb wandering over to the wrong ewe or a ewe stealing someone else’s lamb.

“My barn is set up with five roughly 10 x 10 areas and one larger area,” says Michelle. “The ewes tend to separate themselves from the others when they are getting ready to lamb.”

Do I have to be present during lambing?

Not necessarily, says Michelle. “Many, many lambs are born without any intervention from humans. Most of my lambs wind up being born in the early morning between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. Of course, when it’s lambing time, I’m checking on them to see if any ewes are in labor. If I see a ewe in labor, I pull up a chair and have my camera ready. I have managed to witness the birth of almost every lamb born here.”

Will I have to help deliver the lamb?

Michelle doesn’t intervene unless she feels the ewe or lamb are having issues. “I, personally, feel it is best to reign in our desire to “help” and rush the birth,” she cautions. “Don’t interfere unless absolutely necessary.”

How long do I wait before assisting in the birth?

How long labor lasts varies and is largely influenced by age, according to Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep. “First-time ewes usually take significantly longer than older ewes. A good rule of thumb is to allow half an hour to an hour after the water bag breaks, or up to 2 hours of labor, before you jump in. Wait a little while longer for first-time ewes: up to 3 hours.”

**As a general rule, according to Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep, let the ewe do her job until any of the following:**

The lamb’s one front leg and nose are both showing but the other front leg is nowhere in sight.
There are two right or two left legs showing (indicating twins are trying to come out at the same time)
The lamb is showing but the ewe isn’t making progress.
The ewe is obviously becoming weak and tired, and nothing seems to be changing.
She has been in obvious labor for a couple of hours with no sign of change.

Do I need to dry off the lamb and iodize its navel?

“No,” says Michelle. “Instead of using a towel to dry off the lamb and wipe the membranes from the lamb’s mouth and nose, she lets the mother clean her lamb. “I feel it is part of the bonding process,” she explains.

If the ewe doesn’t start to clean her lamb, Michelle will move the baby to her nose so she sees it.

“That is usually all that is needed,” she says. “If she’s had twins, she may get confused and pay more attention to one over the other. I’ve had situations where the second one slides right out and mom is so busy cleaning the first, she doesn’t even realize she had another. This is an instance when I would move the lamb to her nose. Or, if you’ve had to help with the birth, best to put the lamb by her nose right away.”

Michelle has also never iodized the lamb’s navel. “Maybe I’m lucky,” she points out. “But I’ve never had any issues with a lamb’s naval.”

Will I have to cut the cord?

“The cord breaks when the ewe moves away from the lamb or the ewe chews the cord,” explains Michelle. “Occasionally, they will leave it too long and it drags on the ground. In this case, I shorten it. It can be done with any scissors you’ve cleaned well with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol.

What happens if a lamb does not immediately get colostrum?

“Don’t panic,” says Michelle. “I’ve had three children. I know from personal experience, labor and delivery are a ton of work for both mom and baby. Sometimes, in my opinion, the lambs are tired after making their way into the world and need time to get it together. I do not feel a lamb is going to die if it doesn’t make it to the teat five seconds after it is born. I think that as long as they are up and nursing at some point within the first six hours (the absolute longest), they’ll be fine.”

Should I strip the waxy plug from the udders?

“No, I don’t,” says Michelle. “I think letting the lamb do this helps them gain strength.”

What happens if a ewe rejects her lamb?

“I HATE having bottle babies,” she exclaims. In fact, Michelle has only had one lamb be rejected by his mom and it was several hours after he was born. “The mother cleaned him, the lamb nursed and then what the heck happened, I have no idea,” she recounts. “He became a bottle baby but did continue to live full time with his mom and his sister. His mom just refused to let him nurse.”

**Here are some common reasons for lamb rejection, according to Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep:**

The ewe has a painful or sensitive udder from mastitis or an overabundance of milk.
She has delivered one lamb in one location, then moved and delivered the other, forgetting about the first.
Some ewes cannot count to two; they may be willing to accept twins, but as long as they have one, they are happy and do not seek out the other.
The lamb has wandered away before the ewe has had a chance to lick it off and become bonded to it.
The ewe has sore or chapped teats, or the lamb has sharp teeth.
Because of a difficult lambing, the ewe is exhausted and not interested in her lamb.
The lamb is chilled and abandoned as dead.
The ewe has new-mother syndrome: young, first-time moms may be nervous, flighty, confused, or just frightened by their lambs.
The lambs have been swapped: if two ewes lamb near each other at the same time, one ewe occasionally adopts and bonds to the other’s lamb, but the other ewe does not accept the first ewe’s lamb….”

“I really do wonder if a lot of the rejections are due to too much human interference during the first 24 hours or so,” says Michelle. “There is plenty of time after the first couple of days to snuggle newborn lambs.”

What is the best advice you would give to someone preparing for their first lambing season?

“Let the ewes do their jobs,” emphasizes Michelle. “When humans get impatient and interfere with the process it can cause problems with ewes rejecting lambs, etc. My personal opinion is that all of this suggested human intervention may be the cause of so many instances of abandoned/bum lambs.”

She also suggests reading as much as you can about preparing for lambing including what to expect, what may go wrong and how others tackle lambing season.

“Then do what feels right for you, your ewes, and your lambs. I prefer a more” natural” way of doing things here at the Bergamascos’ Babydoll Brigade Farm.”

Are there any books you recommend reading?

Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep is an excellent book to read while you are preparing for lambing season.

Note: “Keep in mind,” she says. “Not all the advice in regards to quantities would apply to smaller breeds such as Babydolls.”

Tails, castration and tagging

Now, you may be wondering about the exciting topics of tail docking, castration and ear tagging. Due to the fact that this post is already getting rather long, I will link to those posts here once I have them finished.

Ready, set…lambs

So, who is ready to kiss and snuggle adorable newborn lambs? Me!!! Now, excuse me while I once again go check on my ewes’ lady parts to see if we are getting any closer to that terrifying and exciting day.

Share your tips!

Are you preparing for lambing season or do you have any tips for preparing for lambing season? I would love to hear them! Please leave them in the comments below.

Want to read more about raising sheep? Check out my previous posts:

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Six secrets to choosing the best beehive for beginners

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So you’ve decided to get into beekeeping, but now you are faced with the big decision – What is the best beehive for beginners?

Choosing a hive will likely be the costliest decision you will ever make as a beekeeper. However, it is almost impossible to find a group of beekeepers who will all agree on the same setup. Why?

Every beekeeper lives in a different climate. Every beekeeper has different goals. Every beekeeper has different preferences.

And once a beekeeper invests money into their setup, it’s rare for them to change it. It would be too costly.

So, what is the best beehive for beginners? Here are my six secrets to choosing a hive:

How to choose the best beehive for beginners

Secret #1 – Combine the best of both worlds

Instead of using a Langstroth or a Warre hive, why not combine the best elements of both?

When I was doing my beehive research, I stumbled upon The Beecentric Hives built in Edmonton, Alberta by Dustin Bajer. He took the most beneficial aspects of both the Langstroth and Warre hives and combined them into what I think is the ultimate hive. Unfortunately, at the time, he didn’t ship his beehives so my dad volunteered to come up with his own version of the Beecentric Hive. Here’s how you can easily put one together:

Secret #2 – Use All Medium Langstroth Supers

I use standard Langstroth brood boxes and supers (supers are boxes containing honey). Although they are available in deep, medium and shallow sizes, my second secret is to use only mediums. This makes it easier when it comes time to split hives (making a second bee colony from your existing hive usually to prevent swarming or as mite control). I can easily transfer frames of brood and honey from one box to another saving me time and the expense of keeping different sized boxes. I have heard from some beekeepers that if they could start beekeeping all over again, they would choose all mediums for this reason.

Bonus: Medium boxes are lighter! They weigh between 40 and 50 lbs as opposed to 79 and 90 lbs for ten-frame deep supers. I like to think of myself as a strong woman, but it would be impossible for me to handle 100 lb boxes without doing some serious damage to my back.

Secret #3 – Use 8-frame equipment

Most brood boxes or supers contain 10 individual frames. However, I chose boxes that fit 8 frames. This may sound like a bad deal but I prefer the narrower supers that house only 8 frames. Why? I was inspired by my mentor, George Wheatley of Doré Products in New Brunswick, who has been keeping bees for 40 years. His bees fare better in 8-frame equipment throughout our bitterly, freezing Canadian winters.

You may have heard of bees starving over the winter in 10-frame equipment even though there is still honey remaining in the last two outer frames. For reasons I’m not 100 per cent sure of, bees often opt to move up to the next box stacked on top before consuming those last two frames of honey. It may be that the bees can’t break out of their warm cluster to reach those outer frames. I believe the narrower 8-frame equipment is better sized to the tightly knit, overwintering cluster of bees.

The 8-frame equipment is also better sized to me. Because there are 8 and not 10 frames per box, these supers are even lighter than the medium deeps I mentioned above. Medium 8-frame supers clock in at 35 lbs (16 kg) or less. So, for anyone out there who was thinking they couldn’t get into beekeeping because of the heavy lifting, you’ll need to find another excuse.

*A slatted rack has many benefits including raising the brood box from the hive entrance.*

Secret #4: Use a slatted rack

When I say the word “slatted rack” even among some beekeepers, no one seems to know what I’m talking about. I think this piece of equipment is one of beekeeping’s best kept secrets.

A slatted rack, like the name suggests, has wooden slats that run parallel to your frames. It fits on top of your bottom board, raising the brood box (where the Queen lays her eggs and raises young bees) from the hive entrance. Why is this beneficial? During the dog days of summer when you will often find bees congregating outside the hive because it is too warm in the hive, the extra space the slatted rack provides allows the bees to hang out in the safety of their home and fan cool air into the hive.

My queen also lays her eggs all the way to the bottom of the frames using a slatted rack. Most likely because even on cool days, the eggs and larvae are still far enough away to be protected from the drafty entrance.

During the winter, the extra air space the slatted rack provides also acts as an insulating layer between the cool bottom board and the brood box.

*All my beehives have a screened bottom board with a removable insert to help control varroa mites and increase ventilation in the hive.*

Secret #5: Choose a screened bottom board

There are two types of bottom boards – solid and screened. All my beehives have a screened bottom board with a removable insert, which you can coat with a sticky substance such as cooking spray. The purpose of the screen is to allow Varroa Mites, tick sized parasites that feed on bee blood, to fall through the wire mesh as the bees clean the hive and groom each other.

The insects then get stuck on the insert allowing you to estimate how many mites are in your hive. Varroa mites can easily take down a hive. If you have too many, you will need to treat your hive or risk losing it.

Secret #6: Cover your bees with a Warre Hive Roof and Quilt Box

If you have been researching how to choose the best beehive, you have probably stumbled upon the Warre Hive. This vertical top bar hive has a unique sloped roof that fits over what is called a “quilt box” (basically a box filled with wood shavings). Although I use wood shavings during the summer, in the winter I also add a piece of Rockwool insulation to keep the bees extra toasty. The quilt box not only insulates the hive, but it prevents moisture from building up and dripping down onto the bees and killing them.

The bottom of the quilt box is made of wire mesh. This allows air to flow, but it also gives the bees the ability to add or remove propolis (what I like to call “bee glue”) to regulate the airflow themselves.

Buyer beware: When you are inspecting your hive, you can easily set your equipment on top of a traditional, flat Langstroth telescoping outer cover. You definitely can’t do this with a sloped roof. Instead, I use an extra super to hold my equipment.

I hope these tips help you in your quest to finding the perfect home for your little bee friends. I would also suggest joining your local beekeeping association and speaking with other beekeepers in your area who will be able to provide even more insight on how to choose the best beehive for beginners or perhaps even let you try out a top bar or another different style of hive.

Happy bee house hunting!

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Want to read more about bees? Check out some of my previous posts…

The Bees are Coming…
Why You’d Make a Great Beekeeper (and the benefits of beekeeping)
How to Catch a Swarm of Honeybees…
How to Find the Queen Bee…
Healing Honey Hand Salve (and how to render beeswax)

If you have more questions about choosing the best beehive for beginners, please leave a comment below and I will be happy to help you.

Keep Kids Entertained and Learning While Stuck at Home

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I’ll admit I panicked a little. Ok, a lot. Ok, I might have stomped my feet and pouted.

I’m a planner so when it was suddenly announced that schools were going to be closed for an indefinite period of time, I didn’t feel prepared. Now, this shouldn’t have come as a shock but, at the time, there was only one case of COVID-19 in all of New Brunswick.

So, while most people in our province immediately rushed to the stores to stock up on toilet paper and bottled water, my first thoughts were:

1. Buy more chocolate.

2. Raid the dollar store for craft supplies. Because what the heck am I going to do to keep my kids entertained, active, learning, off screens and most importantly — from uttering the dreaded words: “I’m bored”?

A friend once told me, “Only boring people get bored.” And while this may be true, it is nice to have a few boredom busters up your sleeve when your kids insist on wearing their cranky pants.

So, what’s my secret? Keeping a schedule. Whether you’re under mandatory quarantine or simply avoiding the crowds, here’s a few suggestions to create a routine to keep your kids entertained, active and learning.

Keeping a Routine with Google Calendar

As many of you know, I like to make plans and detailed to-do lists. So, of course, once I found out the kids would be at home over the next few weeks, I quickly made a daily routine using my favourite scheduling tool – Google Calendar. Here’s how I patterned our day:

1. Schedule what you need to do first

First, I entered all our “fixed” activities such as when we sleep and eat as well as the mornings I work from home teaching English online. Basically, all the things we “need” to do.

2. Schedule what you want to do next

Teaching the kids at home

Next, I blocked off time for things I would like to do such as home schooling. The kids were so excited when I told them they could continue their studies. Ok, maybe not. But I am thrilled!

IXL Learning

There are many online learning options available. I enrolled the kids in https://ca.ixl.com/, which follows our provincial curriculum and offers training in both English and Math.

ABC Mouse

ABC Mouse is another great option for ages two to eight and the first month is free.

Ted Talks for Kids

If you’re looking for some educational screen time, I love TED Talks. Here is a list of talks to watch with kids.

Outschool

“Outschool” has 8000+ video chat classes for K-12 science, art, mindfulness, English, social studies, life skills, and more!

Masterclass

Older kids may enjoy Masterclass, which has many easy-to-watch 12-minute lessons.

YouTube

There are several great educational YouTube channels. I love the Encyclopedia Britannica’s channel where your kids will find answers to everything from: “Why is the Mona Lisa so famous?” to “Is Pluto a Planet?”

Free books

I also stocked up on grade level activity books and books from the public library. If your public library is still open, stock up now or go to your virtual library and take out ebooks or audio books.

Bonus: You can download unlimited audiobooks and ebooks from “All You can books” for free for 30 days.

Reading lists by grade level

You can find lots of book ideas organized by grade level from Mensa Kids and Goodreads.

Learn a new skill

This is also a great time to extend upon your child’s special interests. Jack loves learning about animals (especially sharks) and Ella likes to make slimy, squishy things in the name of science. What does your child want to learn more about and be sure to sign out extra books on those topics or check out related online learning through sites such as “Outschool” or “Masterclass“

Hint: Now is the perfect time to start your seeds indoors and is a great learning activity that will keep your kids entertained.

Make a mess (aka cooking)

Cooking may not be an official subject at school, but there is a lot kids can learn from whipping up a batch of their favourite cookies or even homemade yogurt. Bonus: The probiotics will help boost your immune system! Older children can even make a simple meal such as this one. Check out this post for a guide to cooking skills by age.

Time to be Creative

Next, I blocked off another hour for crafts and creative play. My kids love to draw, paint and create a mess. Here are some ideas to keep your kids entertained:

“Save your sanity” supplies

I may not have stocked up on toilet paper, but I definitely stocked up on craft supplies from the dollar store. I may or may not have spent over $50.

Markers, crayons and paint supplies
Grade level activity books
Stickers, “make a funny face” books and a few treats as rewards for completing their school work
Balloons
Bead kits
Puzzles
Melting beads
Bouncy balls
Playdoh and clay
Origami paper
Craft kits
Notebooks (especially for older kids who may want to journal their thoughts)
Mini trampoline (Unfortunately, they didn’t have one. But I would have bought one if they did!)
etc.

Slime

My daughter is so obsessed with slime and making other gooey things that we bought the book – “Mason Jar Science”, which has lots of sticky recipes to keep your kids entertained. Here are also a few fun, easy projects you can make with items from around the house.

Story Rocks

Although our kids love story time, they also enjoy making up their own stories. One fun way to do this is using story rocks. Find some rocks or other objects the kids can use to paint pictures on and place them in a box. Everyone can take turns choosing a rock and incorporating it into a story. You can also simply have fun counting the rocks and making piles of numbered groups or pulling a rock out of the box and seeing how many things in the room are the same shape or colour.

Get out the sillies!

I blocked off another hour simply for rough housing and play. Here are some ideas:

Game on!

We have a library of board games and puzzles we purchased over the years at thrift stores that have been gathering dust. Our plan is to take one out a day and battle it out. The winner gets to choose the following day’s game.

Danceathon

Music may just be the ticket to lift the mood in your home. Now may be the time to sign up for that free month on Spotify and take advantage of their music playlists.

Make a fort

Grab some boxes, blankets, pillows and couch cushions and make a fort.

Get moving

Active for Life is an awesome website that has tonnes of ideas to get your kids moving based on age and skill.

Bonus: Exercise helps boost the immune system!

Need more screen free acitivities?
Check out this list of 27 screen free activities for kids.

Get out of the house!

Just like at school my kids are enjoying at least an hour of forced time outdoors. If you happen to live on a homestead like us, this is a great time to clean out the sheep (goat, donkey, etc) pen. Or maybe just enjoy a nature hike followed by a campfire and roasting marshmallows.

Reading and snacks (aka: quiet time for parents)

If you can encourage even the youngest ones in your household to settle down with a book, the afternoon is a great time for a cup of tea while the kids hopefully munch on snacks and enjoy some quiet time.

Clean up and chores

The last hour of the day before supper is reserved for clean up and chores because supermom can’t do it all. Even the youngest in your household can help with chores. Here is a great list of things your kids can do by age.

Pop pilates

This is not for the kids, but for parents. Since most gyms are closed, you might want to consider heading online for your workout. I love the pop pilates workouts from blogilates.com. She has a monthly calendar so all you have to do is follow along with the exercise routine of the day.

I hope this schedule will help you craft your days while at home with the kids. If you have any other ideas, please let me know and I will add them to the list.

Now, it’s your turn. You know your children best. Head over to Google Calendar and create your own sanity saving schedule to keep your kids entertained, active and learning.

Why You’d Make a Great Beekeeper

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Benefits of beekeeping

Do you like to eat?

Yes? I knew it. You were meant to be a beekeeper. Loving food is a sure sign that you should keep bees.

What? You don’t agree? Well, without bees to pollinate our crops, a third of our food would disappear.

And let’s be honest. Who wants to eat nachos without salsa or toast without jam? That would be tragic, right? And that’s why we desperately need bees and people who love food to be beekeepers.

Still not convinced? Here are my top 10 benefits of beekeeping and why you should keep bees or have a beekeeper like myself install a hive in your backyard.

Top 10 Benefits of Beekeeping

Happiness

Do you like to be happy? Aha! I’ve found another reason you’d be a great beekeeper. We’ve all heard that “more stuff” doesn’t bring happiness (at least after you’ve met your basic needs). So, what will really make you smile? Experiences. Interesting experiences will boost your happiness and bring more meaning to your life. That’s right. Bees will do all this for you. Because I can’t think of a more amazing and mind-expanding experience than opening a hive of bees and watching thousands of these important pollinators at work. I can guarantee it will be an experience unlike any you’ve had before.

Stress Relief

Feeling a little stressed out? It seems that every time I turn around someone is touting the benefits of mediation from reducing stress to improving sleep and increasing happiness. So, of course, I tried it. And guess what? It doesn’t work for me. But that’s ok. I can do something just as good for my health – open a hive. If that doesn’t force you to live in the moment, I don’t know what will. So, you want to be more mindful? You want to focus? You want to achieve mental clarity and stay calm? Open a hive containing 60,000 bees. Trust me. You won’t be able to focus on anything except your every movement, the busy hum of the bees and the intoxicating smell of honey and beeswax.

In my opinion, there is no better way to be in the here and now, fully engaged in the activity at hand. And it all ends with honey. Now that is my kind of meditation. We homesteaders don’t have time to waste. We like our meditation to be productive. So, take a deep breath, centre yourself and get a hive of bees.

Fun

Can you think of anything more fun and exciting than dressing up like an alien and watching bees dance? Ok, maybe you can. But beekeeping is a lot of fun. Really! Once you get over the fear of being stung, you will realize that bees are actually very gentle, curious and fascinating creatures. In fact, the more I study them, the more I am amazed. In case you are curious, yes, bees can dance. This is one of the ways they communicate to other bees where and how far a source of nectar is located.

Honey…and lots of friends

You thought this was going to be first on my list of the benefits of beekeeping, didn’t you? But here’s a little secret of mine. I actually don’t like honey. That’s right. I have seven hives with plans to expand even more this spring and I’m not crazy about honey. But I do like to bake with it. Honey is the special ingredient that makes the most delicious and moist breads, cakes, muffins, pies and jam.

But it turns out that most people do love this liquid gold and are eager to get their hands on a jar of local, raw honey. In fact, you will be excited to discover that honey from your own hives actually tastes different and much more delicious in my humble opinion than what you can buy in the store. Just like the veggies that come from your own garden. So, don’t be surprised when your extended family, friends and neighbours suddenly take new interest in you.

Bonus: This sweet treat is one of the only foods that never spoils. A pot of honey found in an ancient Egyptian tomb was proved to be as wholesome as fresh honey.

Of course, honey has many other uses than just as a food, which brings us to the next benefit of beekeeping:

Your Health

Having local, raw honey is like having your own secret superpower. Do you have a cough or sore throat? Honey can help treat it. Do you have a cut? Honey can help heal it faster. Do you suffer from seasonal allergy symptoms? Honey can help reduce your symptoms. Honey is a powerful remedy.

That being said, I wouldn’t advise eating jars of it unless you are Winnie the Pooh. Honey is still sugar. But it is healthier and easier to digest than cane sugar. It contains high levels of antioxidants that fight oxidative stress and inflammation as well as trace amounts of vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, enzymes, amino acids and flavonoids. To be honest, I have no idea what a flavonoid is, but apparently honey has it, and it’s good for you. So, go ahead and add a heaping spoonful to your cup of tea.

Caution: Honey is not suitable for children under the age of one.

Honey Wine (Mead)

Did you know you can ferment your own sweet honey-based wine using raw honey? I didn’t. I had never even heard of mead until I went to speak at a Mother Earth News Fair. Jereme Zimmerman gave a talk on using wild yeast to create wild-fermented mead and my mind was blown. Check out his book, Make Mead Like a Viking. Or better yet, visit him at one of the upcoming fairs and try your hand at making mead during one of his workshops.

Beeswax

Forget about commercial products! You can make your own cosmetics, salves, creams, lotions and lip balms with wax from your own bees. Of course, you can also make candles, beeswax wraps, deodorant, soap and so much more. If you are a DIY like me, having your own source of beeswax is a must and a huge benefit of beekeeping.

A Productive Garden

Are you a gardener? Then raise your hand if you like having a productive vegetable garden? A backyard beehive is your answer to a great harvest. Bees pollinate blooms within a five-mile radius of their hive. Without them, your garden may look healthy and lush, but you won’t be harvesting basketfuls of your favourite veggies. And if you happen to have a fruit tree or a berry patch, the more bees that visit your plants, the better the size and amount of fruit they will produce.

Bees are the easiest livestock to keep

So far, my bees have been the easiest livestock to care for on the homestead. I don’t have to feed and water them every day. I don’t have to clean up after them. I don’t have to trim their hooves or keep them contained. And for several months of the year, I don’t have to do anything at all. Most of the work is done in the early spring when you are first getting set up or splitting hives and requeening. During the summer, most of the work is simply ensuring the bees have enough room to expand and that there are no diseases in the hive. Work picks up again in the fall when it is time to harvest honey and close up the hives for the winter.

Bees are a great conversation starter

Beekeeping is the most popular topic on my blog. It is also a fascinating topic for discussion whenever I first meet people. Let’s be honest. Most people think I’m crazy but they are always eager to learn more about bees and the benefits of beekeeping. And, of course, if I have honey for sale.

There are many, many more benefits of beekeeping. But I’m wrapping this post up because I’m now eager to go outside and check on my own busy bees. How about you? Do you want to venture into the heart of a hive? Are you eager to try beekeeping? Let me know in the comments below or feel free to ask me questions. I’m sure you’d make a great beekeeper!

PS. Beekeeping is not dangerous (unless you have an allergy)

If you have an allergy to bee stings, beekeeping can be dangerous. Fatal reactions are rare but it can happen. One of the first things I suggest you do before getting into beekeeping is to ensure you are not allergic

Otherwise, you will discover that honeybees are not aggressive. They are actually very passive creatures. But they will defend themselves if they feel threatened. So far, I have only been stung twice in four years. Stay tuned for another article on “how not to get stung”.

Want to read more about bees and the benefits of beekeeping?
Check out some of my previous posts…

The Bees are Coming…
How to Catch a Swarm of Honeybees…
How to Find the Queen Bee…
Healing Honey Hand Salve (and how to render beeswax)

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Why should you keep bees? What are the benefits of beekeeping? Here are the top ten benefits of having a hive in your backyard. You may be surprised - there are many more benefits than just honey!

52 skills to put under your tree

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Searching for the perfect Christmas gift for that wannabe homesteader in your life?

Does your New Year’s resolution involve learning new skills?

Are you ready to embark on a challenge?

Check out my book – 52 Homestead Skills.

You may have noticed that I haven’t been active on my blog. After working with Mother Earth News to turn my “52 Homestead Skills in a Year” challenge into a book, I have been travelling across the United States to speak about homesteading at the Mother Earth News Fairs.

Seeing my book for the first time.

I wrote this post when my book was first published, but decided to wait to send out this announcement until the book was available in Canada. Although it is not on Amazon.ca in printed form, you can get a kindle editon in Canada here. It is also available in both formats at Amazon.com or at Mother Earths News.

Inside my book you’ll find all the deets on every one of the 52 homesteading skills I naively committed my family and I to undertake in a 12-month period, including all the “behind the scenes” stories on how easy and smoothly it all went.

Okay, maybe it didn’t go that smoothly. This book could have easily been titled “52 Homesteading Debacles!”. So why would you want to read all about my great farming flops?

If you’ve ever been afraid of making mistakes or have ever felt intimated by your lack of farming know-how, this book is for you.

“The hardest hurdle to starting (homesteading) is that people want to be perfect at everything out of the gate. When in reality, the fun and sense of accomplishment is not in being perfect, but in trying and learning, and celebrating that! You did in one year what it took me some 20 years to work my way through.”
– Jennifer Kleffner, Miles Away Farm

Although I had read many gardening, farming and homesteading books, up until I started this challenge, I hadn’t done anything more than learn how to kill a bunch of plants in our small vegetable garden.

I had no idea what the heck I was doing. I had no idea where to begin or what to learn first.

If you feel this way too, you’re not alone. The important thing is that you don’t let these uncertainties stop you from living out your own homesteading dreams.

So grab a copy of 52 Homestead Skills, a pen and paper and begin mapping out your own journey.

If I can go from knowing absolutely nothing to learning how to preserve my own foods, keep bees, spin wool, raise chicks, use a scythe, plant fruit trees, compost, garden and so much more, I know you can too.

52 Homestead Skills is divided into months and projects so you can follow along week by week or use the book as a jumping point to begin your own homesteading adventures.

52 Homestead Skills would make a great Christmas gift for that wannabe homesteader in your life.

Why should you set out to learn so many new skills?

As a beginner homesteader who didn’t grow up on a farm, I knew next to nothing about farming.

So how would I know what I would be good at or what I would truly enjoy doing without trying out a bunch of skills? So I set out on this challenge to get a taste of all kinds of homesteading endeavors. What did I discover?

I admit I have not knit a single thing since I took a course on knitting. Not only was I terrible at it, but I also didn’t enjoy it as much as I loved spinning wool, a skill I continue to try and perfect today.

Through this challenge I also discovered that I am not interested in selling vegetables so I only keep enough for our family. But I love to sell eggs and honey and am in the process of expanding my bee business.

After milking a goat and talking to farmers about the commitment involved, we decided to hold off on the purchase of a dairy animal. But I still enjoy making my own yogurt.

I learned so much. Not only about homesteading, but about myself and my capabilities. I know that you too will benefit from a similar challenge especially if you are also new to the homesteading game.

My book displayed at the Mother Earth News Fair bookstore alongside some other great new titles. Check them all out!

Is this book any good?

I know you’re wondering. Well, here are the reviews I’ve received to date on Amazon.com.

#1 – Great information, well written and presented.

I bought this book because I am planning to retire to a twenty six acre farm in about five years and I thought I would find it helpful to get some advice from someone who had done the same. I found the book to be well written, the information well presented and over all an enjoyable read. Not all of the skills need to be learned in the order presented and some may not be relevant to your unique situation but generally most are completely relevant to new off the grid homesteaders. I recommend this book to anyone interested in starting a small farm or just wanting to increase their self sustaining skill set.

#2 – Common sense but good reminder you have it?

A lot of common sense stuff but also, “why didn’t I think of this ” too!

#3 – Awesome read

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I was expecting a matter of fact book, yet what I received was a wonderful narrative of a real person learning how to master homesteading. The book is funny, honest and informative. It is now my favorite book.

#4 – Skills and humour

This book was a totally delightful read! Teaching homesteading skills with an honest been there, done that, learned something and survived it sense of humor! She did an AWESOME JOB with this book. I hope she will do a Volume 2 with some more of the skills she’s learned that’s sprinkled with down to earth humor!! I would snap it up in a heartbeat!!

#5 – Disappointing

Wasn’t much there. I was hoping for details and they were lacking.

#6 – Practical and basic homestead skills.

Love the projects and the author’s sense of humor.

#7 – Fun!

Almost all the skills are skills that I already do, or want to learn. Nice job.

So there you have it. What do you think? Will you give it a read? If you do purchase a copy, please leave me a review. I would love to hear what you think. Thank you so much!

PS. Thank you to these readers who took the time to enter a review on Amazon.

Signing my book at the Mother Earth News Fair.

How to use this book

Start by thinking about and writing down your goals. Make a list of when and what you want to accomplish as well as the resources you’ll need to make it happen.

We focused on skills that would save us money like making our own bread, yogurt and soap, for example, as well as starting a garden and growing our own food. We also took on skills that could potentially bring in an income like raising chickens and selling eggs or beekeeping and producing honey.

Yes, planning is time consuming, but without taking this step, you are at risk of overwhelming yourself with too many homesteading projects. My long time readers know that I speak from experience.

By writing down your goals and organizing them by season and month and week, you can achieve more (and save your sanity) by spreading your projects throughout the year and not just in the busiest of farming seasons.

So now it’s your turn. I am so excited for you to begin your adventure. I hope your 2020 New Year’s resolution will involve learning a few new skills.

Your support means THE WORLD to our family.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
We appreciate each and every sale.

THANK YOU!

Thank YOU, my dear reader, for supporting and encouraging me along the way.

I would also like to thank the many, much more skilled and talented farmers, friends and family members, who helped me write this book:

George Wheatley of Doré Products, beekeeper extraordinaire who never tires of my 1,001 questions. Right, George?

Cindy Cormier of Nirvana Nutrition, my dear friend, amazing baker and faithful recipe tester.

Rachel Dalton of Brigadoon Fiber and Alpaca Farm, for teaching me to spin wool and sharing her wisdom.

Shannon Jones of Broadfork Farm for taking the time to read every gardening related excerpt in this book despite the fact that it was one of the busiest times of year for their organic vegetable and cut flower farm.

Guy Goguen, for saving my trees from my poor pruning habits and sharing his 40 years of experience trimming trees at Le Verger Goguen.

Tiffany Thorne of Thornehill Farm for allowing me to try my hand at milking her goats and for not laughing when I wasn’t successful.

Rebecca Martin, Christian Williams, Jean Denney and Jean Teller of Ogden Publications who believed I could write this book before I even believed it myself. Thank you for putting your trust in me, bringing this book to life and letting me be part of your amazing and talented team.

And last, but certainly not least, my partner in crime, Jérémie Bastien, and my two favourite helpers, Ella and Jack Bastien, for not only putting up with my crazy ideas, but jumping in with both feet right alongside me – always supporting, and cheering me along the way. I will forever be grateful.

PIN IT FOR LATER!

(and that time I scalped myself)

Take a peek inside my toolbox – my favourite beekeeping tools

The Bee Suit (or my superhero, alien costume)

Gloves

The Smoker

The Hive Tool

The Frame Holder

Beekeeper’s Toolbox

Feeders

BONUS ITEM! Beekeeper’s Journal

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Read more about bees – Here are my previous posts:

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Goodbye Buddy.

What I wished I would have known about livestock guardian dogs

Guardian Livestock Dogs and Small Trees Don’t Mix

Buddy and the Disappearing Trees

They are escape artists

The Great White Polar Bear and the Fox

Guardian Livestock Dogs Can’t be Trusted with Your Phone

Buddy tries to make a phone call

They Have a Sensitive Side

Buddy and His Pet Frog

Guardian Livestock Pups Should Never Be with Other Young Animals

Buddy and the Wagging Tail

They Are Willing to Take Other Animals Under their Protection

Buddy and His Pet Chicken

Not All Livestock Guardian Dogs Are Suited for Every Type of Job

Buddy’s Duel with Hunter

Buddy and the Last Lamb

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Easiest Organic Vegetables to Grow

Peas

Variety I’m growing this year

Radishes

Variety I’m growing this year

Beans

Varieties I’m growing this year

Tomatoes

Varieties I’m growing this year

Loose Leaf Lettuce

Variety I’m growing this year

Carrots

Varieties I’m planting this year

Beets

Varieties I’m planting this year

Herbs

Onions

Garlic

What about zucchini, cucumbers and squash?

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How do you use soap nuts?

Soap Nuts All Purpose Cleaning Base

Ingredients

Instructions

How long does soap nut liquid last?

How do I use soap nuts in the laundry?

How do I use soap nuts to clean my dishes?

How do I use soap nuts as an all-purpose cleaner?

How do I use soap nuts to clean my bathroom?

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Tell me about the first birth on the farm?

Is my ewe pregnant?

Should I be feeding my ewes anything special?

What supplies should I have on hand?

If all goes well, these are all the supplies you really need when preparing for lambing:

You may also want to have on hand:

Should I bring my ewes indoors to lamb?

Do I need a special birthing pen?

Can ewes share a pen?

Do I have to be present during lambing?

Will I have to help deliver the lamb?

How long do I wait before assisting in the birth?

As a general rule, according to Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep, let the ewe do her job until any of the following:

Do I need to dry off the lamb and iodize its navel?

Will I have to cut the cord?

What happens if a lamb does not immediately get colostrum?

Should I strip the waxy plug from the udders?

What happens if a ewe rejects her lamb?

**As a general rule, according to Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep, let the ewe do her job until any of the following:**

**Here are some common reasons for lamb rejection, according to Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep:**