Lunch

So, for lunch today I just had two Ranchero Chicken Soft Tacos from Taco Bell which consists of a flour tortilla (made from genetically modified wheat that is ground up and bleached to be perfectly white), chicken (that is pumped full of hormones and antibiotics), tomatoes (that are bred for their tough skin and not their flavors so they can be shipped across country or across oceans), lettuce (which, along with the tomatoes, are probably covered with pesticide residues), ranch dressing (which has all kinds of preservatives in it) and some cheese (which is either not really cheese or is cheese made from milk that contains Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormones). And then to top it off I had cinnamon twists which... I have idea what they are made from. But its all cool, its all been approved by the FDA, USDA and EPA so I'm good. So, what did you have?

Soon to be square foot garden

This is my new square foot garden. It is April 10th and at about 1:30 pm the sun covers half of the bed. I will probably plants and greens maybe some broccoli I'll have to make sure i put them in side it gets the sun. It is still a couple of weeks away from time to plant other plants as tomatoes for peppers.

Homesteading "to-do" list

Here is just a quick list of homesteading things I would like to get started in the next year or two. This is pretty much a list for me personally but if you have an interest or would like to make suggestions please do so. (I've set this post to remain at the top of this blog.)

• Get debt free
• Save up cash to cover 3 to 6 months worth of expenses
  
• Increase my garden (and garden knowledge)
• Increase my cheese making knowledge
  
• Setup a place to keep chickens for eggs (and if I ever get that brave, for meat as well)
  
• Setup an apiary (bee hives) and learn about beekeeping
• Find a way to make some of my money off of the homestead
• Raise Goats for milk/cheese and manure
• Solar energy? or other "off grid" energy (Probably not in the next year.)
• Setup a rain barrel/rain collection system to water the garden with
• Plant an orchard
• Plant a vineyard
• Raise Guinea Fowl for insect control in the yard and garden
• Build a mud oven
• Build a block smokehouse (Like this)
• Build a cheese "cave" (Like this)
  
• ...I'm sure there's more.
  

First step on the homestead

Well, its not much but the first official piece to our homestead has been put into place. Since this was our son's first Christmas we decided to by a balled and burlaped tree and plant it where we eventually plan to build our house. It is now in the ground. We will see if it survives his harsh winter we are having in Tennessee right now. Once it warms up a little we have an old gingko tree a friend gave us we will be transplanting out there as well.