Jenny Wright

This is coming up soon and I'm trying to get the word out...

https://pioneerfarmmuseum.org/event/modern-homesteading-conference/

Here's the info from the flyer:

PIONEERING ON PURPOSE
Modern Homesteading Conference
at Pioneer Farm Museum and Ohop Indian Village
AUGUST 8, 2026
9AM – 5:00PM
Whether you are an experienced homesteader or just trying to learn some new practical
skills, this conference is for you. Learn to be self-sufficient at our rustic Pioneer Farm setting.
This hands-on event is appropriate for anyone age 6 and up, so bring the whole family.
Register Now at https://pioneerfarmmuseum.org/event/modern-homesteading-conference/
* $49/Adult
** $39/Kid (Age 6-17)
Workshops Include:
✓ Plants As Medicine: An Introduction to Herbalism and Everyday Plant Remedies
✓ Chicken Processing
✓ Goats: Meat, Dairy, Brush or Pack
✓ Guided Walk: Discovering Local Plant Medicine
✓ Simple Soap Bars
✓ Dill & Spicy Pickle Canning
✓ Keeping a Family Dairy Cow
✓ Splitting Cedar for Fencing and Roofing
✓ Natural Cordage – Making Twine in your Backyard
✓ Nature Trail Walk
✓ Pioneer Farm Tour
✓ Native American Seasons tour
BROWSE VENDOR AND ACTIVITY BOOTHS
LUNCH ITEMS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
* Some workshops have additional fees to allow you to take home your work.
** Be mindful at registration that workshops include suggested age minimums.

May Lotito wrote:Last year when I tried to spin the yucca fibers, I turned my basic sewing machine into a charkha-like device. To spin the singles, I wet, overlap and roll thin strands of fibers to join them into longer ones then spin a 3-4 ft section due to my arm length. I wind that onto the spindle, park the end and repeat. The singles are strong and even, making subsequent plying by hand very easy.

This has peaked my interest! I can't quite wrap my head around how you are using your sewing machine and I'm going down a rabbit hole of what a charkha is.

I'm going to teach a class about making cordage from natural fibers at a local pioneer farm museum. They had a section of nettle they wanted to completely clear where they needed a path for visitors so I harvested it all. It happened to be in the animals' pasture so eventually the goats came to see what we were doing. The goats took a taste and shook their heads at us, then wandered off. Eventually the cow decided we needed to be investigated. She tasted the nettle that my husband was pulling up and said yuck. But then she wandered over to where I had a nice clean pile of stalks that I had rubbed the leaves and stinging hairs off of and grabbed a mouthful. These were yummy and she decided that pile must be for her. We were able to rescue most of the harvest from her.

Now I'm trying to decide what to do with my harvest. I only harvest small amounts every year from my yard to make cordage so I just process it slowly by hand as I watch my kids play. This pile makes me feel like I should ramp up my efforts and try a method a little more efficient.

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:

What are your recommendations for getting them started?

Most wildflowers like being sown in fall or winter. I originally started mine inside during the winter and then transplanted them outside in the spring. From there they just took off and spread on their own. I can't remember if I cold stratified the seeds but my default is to store seeds in the fridge so I probably unintentionally did.

Here's an update to my seedling apple experiments.

It's now been over a decade since I started growing some apple seeds.

#1 The first variety to blossom the kids call Cherry apples. They are loaded every single year and sweet- like miniature pink lady apples.

#2 The second variety grows apples every other year. It grows 1" yellow apples that were astringent and not sweet, not palatable at all... Or so we thought! I ignored it for a few years until I noticed that the apples were staying on the tree even with snow on the ground. They turn an orange-ish color at that point. I thought, maybe I should taste them since the cold might have made them get sweeter. Well they did get much, much sweeter! So this variety is not ready until December or January. It still has a bit of astringency but has a citrus flavor that is yummy and I want to get a tabletop press so I can make juice from them.

#3 My latest development: I have a few trees that have never produced anything. A couple of years I grafted a few chunks of leftover scion wood onto random branches to the most vigorous and healthy seedling. It was already 12' tall so I grafted to lower branches and left the top natural. I figured I'd the grafts did ok, I could gradually cut back the top. I'm glad I didn't cut back the top because this year the grafts AND the natural branches both flowered!!! The natural fruit is already large compared to all my other apples. It's a bit bigger than my Transparent that ripens early August. I tasted one as I was thinning them and they are sweet with a good flavor (though still as hard as a rock). Obviously they are not close to being ripe. It's only mid-June! I'm so excited to see what they develop into.

Spiral Felted Rug in Various Colors | website https://www.tahomavistafibermill.com/product-page/felted-rug

These are not large rugs but they are the coziest, softest rugs I've ever felt and they are made near my home. I got to meet the alpacas too!

I'd been looking for an all natural fiber rug for my kids' bedroom and was finally going to settle on one from an online company. I only found this place because we happened to go to a field trip to see alpacas and their wool processing "factory" (a tiny shed stuffed with equipment run by less than half a dozen people). It's fascinating to see how they made the rugs.

Maybe you can look around for local fiber processing companies and ask if they know anyone who makes rugs local to you. I knew this alpaca farm was there for years but never thought to contact them to ask if they made anything.

I'll have to give it a try. We have plenty of nettles to experiment with.

Thank you so much , M. K., for the clear directions! It feels so much better to have some action to take!

We have this weird wet and cool weather this week. Do you think it best to take care of it right away or should I wait until it dries up this weekend or next week?

I've had this plum tree for at least six years or more. It's always been very happy and has been producing for about five years. About a month ago I noticed some of the leaves dying but it was hot so I thought it was the heat. Then about a week ago I saw quite a lot of branches were dying and noticed a lot of sap dripping from the base of those dying branches.

I cannot see any insect frass with the sap. But I do see fine web-like strands on some of the leaves.

Any advice? I've had bad luck with plums (all the other varieties I've planted die the same year I plant them) but this one was doing so well for so long.

Timothy Norton wrote:Unfortunately my two transplants both failed to thrive. I put them in a semi-shade spot that was more on the clay side and perhaps that wasn't the best choice.

Any suggestion on the best spots for gooseberries?

My newest gooseberry transplants that I rooted last year are doing extremely well in a loose clay soil that I dumped composted cow manure on top. The top is pretty loose due to the 100's of buttercups I pulled up before I planted the gooseberries but it's heavy clay a few inches down. They only get sun until about noon and have a lot of strawberries mulching the ground around them. It's a well draining spot, having the tiniest slope downhill from them.

I think they like dirt that is heavily mulched with organic matter, like a forest floor. My full sun gooseberries are doing much better ever since I mulched them with wood chips and my black currant plant in the same area started sending out underground runners that are popping up all over the place. I'm glad they are doing that because Bambi 😡 has decided she likes to eat the tops of the main bush.

Also, I'm in the PNW so my soil is acidic and the gooseberries enjoy it as much as the blueberries do. We don't have summer rain and I'm watering once a week or less.

Hope some of that helps a little. 🤷