Just when I think things are going smoothly here at Two Branches Homestead, something always takes a turn…. This morning’s temperatures here in upstate NY were well below zero, in the negative 10’s range, and I have never been so thankful (I will explain later). I really dislike winter. I enjoy having 4 seasons, but winter here can feel very
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It’s that time of year when we realize that we have a lot of un-used pumpkins laying around. Halloween has passed and with Thanksgiving upon us, it will be the last time we see pumpkins in season until next fall. A few years ago, I started making pumpkin pie with our home grown pumpkins. There is nothing wrong with using
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Today on the homestead was one of those tough days that only those who live a similar lifestyle to us would understand. It’s butcher day. We have not been able to cross into butchering our own pigs, but that is not to say that someday we might, but not today. Pigs are very smart animals. They respond to your voice,
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Years ago we were gifted some beautiful heads of hard neck garlic by one of our closest friends with verbal planting instructions. We picked a nice spot in the garden and on Columbus Day, we planted. The next summer we were blessed with 50 heads of garlic. We didn’t know exactly what to do with it. It seemed logical to
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When I first started gardening I chose the usual path. Tomatoes , peppers, cucumbers, and squash. I was lucky enough to have success and it wasn’t long before I looked to branch out. Like most of you my garden grew every year. As my garden grew it offered me space to experiment. At first it was some cold weather crops,
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two branches homestead 