Homestead Envy and Prime Day Special Ebook Price!

About a mile from Berryridge Farm, there’s a new homestead to die for.

Tucked in the hollow of a logged-off foothill, the place is in the middle of a neatly mowed field, with all the backyard farming amenities—fenced veggie garden, chicken coop and run, berry patch, and orchard trees—I could ever want. If you’ve read this blog before, you might be thinking, “Wait—from what I can tell, you’re already raising fruit trees and berries, veggies and chickens.” Okay, that’s all true. It’s just that this property is so picturesque and tidy I can’t help but wish there was some kind of homesteady fairy dust that could transform Berryridge Farm into a similarly charming spot.

This isn’t the first time I’ve felt a bit of homesteader jealousy. There’s a couple who live about five miles from us, who I call “The Boomer Homesteaders Down the Road.” With their stick-built home, cute mini-barn, hoop house and tractor, their little farm looks all-pro. Although they started an egg operation that apparently ended badly, they now have a U-Pick raspberry patch and a plot of sweet corn they’ll be selling—all within a few years of moving to the Foothills.

This new homestead, though, has the mini-farm beat by a mile. Owned by a sweet couple named Stu and Margo, retirees who sold their home in the Big City to move out here, the place has a manufactured home, like John and I have. But there the resemblance ends. Since I ride by the homestead on my bike every day, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to gaze longingly at it. Stu and Margo’s house not only has a steel roof and a beautiful deck, but flower boxes are perched on the deck railings, with more flowers in hanging baskets, and three patio tables protected by sun umbrellas create a perfect summer lounging spot.

Their chicken coop and shed are expertly constructed with real wood, the exteriors all stained a lovely golden brown so they match. The propane tank is even surrounded by matching fence so it doesn’t mar the place’s bucolic vibe, accented by a nearby antique cultivator parked among the wild daisies; everything neat, tidy and organized. If that isn’t enough to envy, just this month brought the homesteader’s pièce de resistance: a HUGE barn.

The framing and roof are already in, and it is a beaut. As I rode by today, all I could think was, Stu and Margo must have made a killing on their city home to afford a barn like this one. But then, I thought, Wait a sec—you’re sort of comparing apples and oranges. They've had two grown sons helping them build their infrastructure, and helping maintain the place. And from what I can tell, one son is building the barn too. 

Hummingbird visiting the bee balm

Here at Berryridge Farm, John built our coop and sheds by himself, and even if Hardie-plank siding and wood scraps aren’t pretty, the sheds are sturdy and serviceable. John and I don’t have a neatly mowed field, but surrounded by woods, we have privacy in spades. And instead of being cooped up in a small run, like Stu and Margo’s hens, our flock has two orchard spaces and a big patch of woods John and I cleared for them to scratch in.

And though I wish we had more time and energy to keep the weeds and brush from taking over Berryridge Farm (a battle we pretty much lost after an intense scourge or two from Mother Nature, which I talk about in Little Farm Homegrown) if truth be told, I wouldn’t change one inch of our place. Especially at this time of year, when the hummingbirds are zipping around our four bee balm patches. It’s a sight that always convinces me that we live in the loveliest place on earth.

Speaking of my new homesteading book…if you’d like a look at Little Farm Homegrown, here’s a brief sample. And a quick heads up: Kobo has selected Little Farm Homegrown for a special promotion, "Beach Reads," this week in Canada! And over on Amazon.com, for Prime Day, July 16, the book has a special price too!

International Fairy Day and Special July 4 Price for New Backyard Farming Book!

New Backyard Farming Book

Fairy lovers unite!

The beginning of summer means International Fairy Day is not long behind...Sunday, June 24 is a great time to embrace your inner child and believe in the wonder and magic of fairies!

I'm welcoming the official start of summer with the release of my new backyard farming book, Little Farm Homegrown... a fun summer serendipity is that Kobo Books has selected Little Farm Homegrown for their Independence Day promotion: for the week of the July 4 holiday, June 28 - July 4, Kobo will have the ebook on sale in the US for $2.99!

The new book, subtitled A Memoir of Food-Growing, Midlife, and Self-Reliance on a Small Homestead, is Book 2 of my Little Farm in the Foothills series. Here's a brief sample--and please note that for the same July 4 holiday week, Amazon will also have the Little Farm Homegrown ebook for this special price too!

Back to fairies...As a fairy lover, I've included fairies in the storyline in two of my books: The Secret Well (an Irish short story) and The Mystery of the Christmas Fairies (a family-friendly middle-grade book). The Secret Well is a tender, mystical father-son tale that's perfect for a summer afternoon, and available for free at my website, www.susancolleenbrowne.com.

To all you gardeners, food-growers, and backyard farmers, may you enjoy these long summer evenings the best way ever: spending extra time "digging in the dirt," hanging out with your animals (if you have them), and after sunset, star-gazing to your heart's content...And may your summer dreams (sprinkled with a bit of fairy dust, of course) come true!

National Get Outdoors Day, Forest Bathing and a New Gardening Book!

Tomorrow, June 9, is National Get Outdoors Day…gardening or spending time in the woods is a terrific way to celebrate this special Saturday! For you gardeners or aspiring gardeners, I recommend couple of super-inspiring books I have on my shelf: The Country Garden: How to Plan and Plant a Garden that Grows Itself by Charlie Ryrie, and another that’s less practical but beautiful and inspirational is Cultivating Sacred Space: Gardening for the Soul by Elizabeth Murray.

Into food-growing? You might find lots of motivation in one of my favorite resources, The Resilient Gardener by Carol Deppe. If you don’t have a garden but believe you’d like to give one a go, you might consider buying a little basil start, re-potting it in a larger container (basil grows fast!) and setting it on a windowsill. It’s a pretty plant and now you’re set for homemade pasta and pizza sauce!

If you’re a tree-lover who enjoys cavorting in the woods, there’s a new term for that time-honored pastime, “forest bathing.”

Coined by the Japanese, “forest bathing” suggests that strolling in the woods lowers stress and improves your overall health. Researchers have confirmed that staying overnight in forests, or even simply walking through them, can have therapeutic effects.

New Gardening Book

As someone who is lucky enough to spend time outside every day, in the woods or close to it, I’m convinced this is true. I’ve always felt a sense of calm and serenity in our yard, surrounded by woodlands, and when I venture deeper into the trees, that sensation grows even stronger. If you do take a hike in the woods, however, beware of stinging nettles! (See my previous post, and how I learned this the hard way.)

My new backyard farming/homesteading book is a celebration of both gardening and the woods—Little Farm Homegrown: A Memoir of Food-Growing, Midlife, and Self-Reliance on a Small Homestead. Here’s an excerpt from the book, relating to “forest bathing”…

“One summer day, as I sat in my pollinator garden under a birch clump, the trunks swaying gently around me, I rose from my chair to lay my palm against the bark. And I felt something. A quickening…a life force. I sensed the spirit, even the soul of that tree under my hand, even of the woods surrounding me. Something infinitely precious…”

Here's a longer sample of Little Farm Homegrown... 

Little Farm Homegrown is now available for preorder at Amazon and Kobo! As for National Get Outdoors Day, even if your Saturday is full of chores and commitments, I hope you’ll take time to enjoy nature, if only for a moment… sit under your favorite tree, take a deep breath, and simply be!  

Homestead First Aid

It may be too late to forage for stinging nettles to eat, but it's not too late to get stung.

I discovered this recently when John and I were hiking through the woods on our acreage. I understand if you want to eat nettles (say, for soup or to make tea), you need to pick them in early spring when they're no more than 6 inches tall--in the Foothills, that's usually the first couple of weeks in April. If the plants are any taller than that the leaves have turned bitter.

The day we embarked on our hike was an unusually warm day for May, over 80 degrees, so I was wearing shorts. Still, John and I had made one of our rare dates to visit parts of the property we hardly see, so despite the heat, into the woods we tromped.

The broken trees in our woods (from the last two winters' ice storms) are difficult enough to negotiate. But in late spring, the tangle of thick underbrush of thimble berry, wild blackberries (especially the trailing, very "trippable" kind), sword ferns and newly emerging brackenfern are almost impenetrable.

That day, in the far corner of our acreage, I was a few feet ahead of  John when I felt a sharp pain on the side of my knee--like I'd gotten several hornet stings. Man, that really hurt! I looked down to see a spreading redness on my leg. Before my eyes, welts began to appear on my skin. I'd never been stung by nettles before, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened--especially when I saw I'd just stepped into a patch of nettles.

I understand the first thing you do when you've been nettle-stung is to quickly wash off the site, to removed the stinging substance. Well, we were a long way from the house, and would have a rigorous hike back for soap and water. While I was trying to figure out what to do, the sting got more intense.

It felt kind of like a burn, so my first thought was, aloe vera! But I was just as far from the aloe plants I kept in the bathroom. I looked around and spied the brackenfern that grows in nearly every inch of our woods. When you break off brackenfern tops, the inside is like a succulent, with a kind of sticky gel. I quickly grabbed some brackenfern, snapped off the young fronds, split the stalk to expose the gel, and smeared it on my stings.

It worked! The stinging stopped almost immediately--and the welts faded just as quickly. What I learned was that medicinals found in nature can be every bit as effective as the ones you find in the drugstore! I also learned NOT to wear shorts in our woods!

Okay, the shorts were pretty dumb (normally, this time of year I'd be wearing my thick, Carhartt pants) even though I was wearing mid-calf high socks. But this spring, we'd had so much warm weather the nettles were far taller than usual.

Anyway, later that day, when I Googled "nettle sting remedies" I discovered that aloe vera was indeed one of the treatments, as is rinsing the site with vinegar. When I shared my experience with one of my friends, a native Pacific Northwest gal, she said, "Did you know slug slime is one of the best ways to stop the sting?"

I had to admit, no, I didn't. But just thinking of squishing a slug and applying the slime was more than enough to make me glad I'd thought of the brackenfern!

Special Price on Kobo and Amazon for The Hopeful Romantic!

The Hopeful Romantic, the 3rd novel in my country-set Village of Ballydara series, is now on sale for $1.99 at Amazon and Kobo until April 30!

In this wholesome love story about family, healing, and second chances, thirtysomething Kerry McCormack is a country girl at heart. And when she and her husband Stephen get an unexpected invitation to spend a holiday weekend in rural County Galway, she imagines an idyllic getaway for her family. Instead, her life—and marriage—turn upside down. 

"The Hopeful Romantic was a pleasure to read for its engaging characters, its authenticity, and its unforgettable moments…a poignant and sometimes humorous, old-fashioned romantic story.”   Chanticleer Reviews

The Hopeful Romantic is the prequel to my 4th novel, The Galway Girls and can be found on Kobo's promotional page "199 for $1.99"...the 1st novel of the Ballydara series, It Only Takes Once, is currently free on Kobo! You'll find more about the series and lots more fun stuff at www.susancolleenbrowne.com !  

Latest Irish Novel is Now 40% Off!

Kobo has once again selected The Galway Girls, the 4th novel in my Village of Ballydara series, as part of its April 40% off promotion! Here's the Kobo link--this deeply romantic story can be found in "Romantic Reads," and the sale goes through April 23, with the promo code 40APRIL.

In this warmhearted tale of women’s friendship and discovering love where you least expect it, The

The Galway Girls is now on sale!

Galway Girls follows Irish thirtysomething heroines Kerry and Fiona as they search for their heart’s desire among the misty green hills of the Irish countryside.You can find more about the series at www.susancolleenbrowne.com... If you click Bonus Features, you'll also find a serialized, exclusive mystical Irish story, "Rose Among the Stars"!

Part of Kerry's country adventures include keeping chickens...you'll find lots of chicken adventures here on the Little Farm blog. And watch for Kobo's special 1.99 sale on the prequel to The Galway Girls, my 3rd novel, The Hopeful Romantic, April 26 - 30!

Chicken Learning Curve

When I opened the coop door and found 18 eggs in a pile on the floor, I realized we were Doing. It. Wrong.

Maybe John and I hadn’t made any major boo-boos tending our new flock, but it was obvious we still had a lot to learn about chicken-tending.

Recently, I went to Oregon for a week to visit the grandkids. About that time, the hens were just beginning to lay. Although John and I weren’t like, watching the hens do their thing, it seemed that the process started gradually. One small pullet egg showed up, then a few days later, we had another one, then some days after that, two eggs appeared, and so on.

While our first flock of six had already been steady-layers when we brought them home, this new set of five birds were “little girls”—the folks we’d bought them from said they probably wouldn’t be laying until early spring. John and I thought we had this chicken stuff down when, instead of the months we thought we’d have to wait, it was only six weeks until we got our first egg!

The first few pullet eggs had shown up on the coop floor, but after a few days, those girls had gotten a clue and were laying in the next boxes. We’d still see an occasional egg on the floor, but as one girl, then another began to lay, more eggs appeared regularly in the nests.

A tip for all you chicken folks with young birds, who are wondering when they’re going to start laying: When the first eggs began to appear, our girls’ combs were growing noticeably bigger. Then John and I observed that when we approached any of the chickens, she would sort of duck down, in a submissive pose. You might find it helpful to watch for these two developments while you wait.

At any rate, our new flocks’ egg production was coming along just fine the day I kissed John goodbye and headed south.

Prior to that, John had been laid up for several weeks after some surgery, so I was the one taking care of feeding and watering the birds. Being the one small enough to maneuver around the roost, I was the regular coop cleaner too, mucking it out every Tuesday and Friday, rain or shine. In my absence, naturally John took over the chicken care—but not the coop cleaning.

The night I got home, John had a positive hen report. “The girls have been laying two or three eggs a day,” he said smiling. “We’ve got a good supply built up.”

“It’s good I’m home then,” I said, “so you’ve got someone else to help you eat all of ‘em!”

 The next morning, out I went to the coop for its overdue cleaning, and that’s when I found the heap of eggs. “What’s wrong with you guys?” I asked the hens. “I thought you had the nest  thing all figured out!”

The situation wasn’t all bad, of course—almost all the birds had to be laying! Still, when I came inside and told John what had happened, the floor-laying seemed like a real head-scratcher. “Maybe the chickens got used to seeing both of us every day,” said John. “There were a couple of days I went to town, and didn’t visit them.”

“Could be,” I agreed, “but maybe they were so offended by all the manure in the coop they didn’t want to get over to the nests.” At any rate, our girls had developed a bad hen habit.

So how to break it? I read about people leaving fake eggs in their hens’ nests to encourage them to lay in the desired spot. I didn’t have any fake eggs around, but instead of collecting all the eggs in a given day, John and I began leaving one egg in a nest. (In winter’s cool temps, you don’t have to worry about your fresh eggs not being immediately refrigerated.) After a week or so, along with John and I resuming our daily hen visits and regular coop cleaning, the birds were back in the nest-box business.

I concluded that hens, like humans, really do need more than simply food and water. To be well-adjusted, they need routine, including regular social interaction. Also, once they’re accustomed to a reasonably clean (not poo-filled) home, they don’t like a mess. With these basic needs met, hopefully chickens will remember to lay where they’re supposed to and otherwise work best with their “peeps”!

If you have any hen-tending tips, I hope you'll share them here...

And discover free ebooks and my new exclusive story at www.susancolleenbrown.com!