photo-post Pear and peanut water kefir 😋😋😋 Pear and peanut water kefir 😋😋😋 A quick shot before it's too late. #waterkefirdrink
photo-post Today we have a better photo of our water kefir: Apple and cinnamon flavored Today we have a better photo of our water kefir: Apple and cinnamon flavored. #waterkefir #homesteadportugal
photo-post Mixed another batch of compost: coffee grounds, manure, and bedding from the duck coops Mixed another batch of compost: coffee grounds, manure, and bedding from the duck coops. It might not have enough volume for quick composting, so we'll likely add some grass clippings or similar biomass. #compost
photo-post Bummer Bummer. This photo is awful. But this is water kefir with pear and it was super tasty and healthy. It feels good to have homemade kefir back on our menu, with improvised flavours. #waterkefir
photo-post Turning the compost and mixing in biochar Turning the compost and mixing in biochar. The char is not compostable material but it's going in to get inoculated with microorganisms. It might slow down the composting process a bit but there's no hurry. The modular compost bin continues to be very handy but it&
photo-post Crushing and hauling biochar out of the pit Crushing and hauling biochar out of the pit. It's the first time so there's probably some optimization to be done. For now I just used the shovel to smash the char while in the bucket every three shovelfuls or so. Yield: two full wheelbarrow loads of
photo-post Soaking eucalyptus logs inoculated with shiitake plugs last year Soaking eucalyptus logs inoculated with shiitake plugs last year. This should hopefully induce fruiting, if the mycelium developed well. #shiitake #eucalyptus
photo-post Made biochar for the first time in the cone pit kiln Made biochar for the first time in the cone pit kiln. It seemed to work well. The char is still in the pit for now. #biochar #conekiln
photo-post Large European garden spider bothered by my work mixing the compost Large European garden spider bothered by my work mixing the compost. #spider #europeangardenspider
photo-post Mixed a batch of compost in the modular bin Mixed a batch of compost in the modular bin. It was full of kitchen waste and weeds from the past couple months. We've started using the center load bin for kitchen stuff now, so it was time to cook this material. Also added a wheelbarrow of mystery manure
photo-post New feral kittens dropped New feral kittens dropped. This one was lost next to the duckling food in the nursery. Luckily mama duck left it alone. #kitten
photo-post The ducks observing irrigation pipe repair work The ducks observing irrigation pipe repair work. I was cleaning around the duck coops with a hand sickle so I don't damage the many sensitive things around. However, the sickle had other plans and landed a good hit on the pressurized water mainline. At least it wasn'
photo-post Mowing between the rows in the comfrey patch Mowing between the rows in the comfrey patch. #mowing #comfreypatch
photo-post The geese enjoying their fresh strip of grass The geese enjoying their fresh strip of grass. #geese #pasture #rotationalgrazing #yummy Your browser does not support the video tag.
photo-post Cleaning: fence lines for the birds, jungly growth in what used to be poor soil, access paths through the berry world Cleaning: fence lines for the birds, jungly growth in what used to be poor soil, access paths through the berry world. #cleaning
photo-post How to dig a biochar cone pit kiln in 3 easy steps: How to dig a biochar cone pit kiln in 3 easy steps: 1. Mark a circle on the ground 2. Dog a small trench inside the circle 3. Dig the rest of the f%#@ing hole E já está! 😅 #biochar #pitkiln #conekiln
photo-post Upgraded fireplace area, ready to be used Upgraded fireplace area, ready to be used. Beyond cleaning around it, it's now bigger and deeper and hopefully usable to make biochar. #firepit #biochar #fireplace
photo-post First saffron flower of the year First saffron flower of the year. Either it's early, or we missed all the others. #saffron #floweringplant #saffronflower
photo-post Cleaning the west swale and the area around the fireplace (hi David!) Cleaning the west swale and the area around the fireplace (hi David!) #cleaning
photo-post Fertilized this veggie garden bed with coffee grounds and thickly mulched it with wood chips that have been used for duck coop bedding Fertilized this veggie garden bed with coffee grounds and thickly mulched it with wood chips that have been used for duck coop bedding. #veggiegarden
photo-post Mowed the lawn and cleaned/mulched some access paths to it Mowed the lawn and cleaned/mulched some access paths to it. #lawn
photo-post The new compost bin is now active The new compost bin is now active. Intended for humanure, the first load was actually a mixture of guts and bones from all the recent bird harvesting. Mixed with sawdust and generously wrapped with straw, this is a stress test for the system. Will it stink? Will it attract animals?
photo-post First (and entire 😅) apple harvest from the trees we planted! First (and entire 😅) apple harvest from the trees we planted! #harvest #apples #royalgala #reineta
