by Texas Homesteader ~
Our homestead is located in Northeast Texas. There are lots of native things growing all by themselves here that provide for us with no effort needed except the harvesting. Gotta love foraging for free food, right??
Recently in speaking with a friend about various things we’re foraging from our land, I thought it might be fun to share these with your too.
by Texas Homesteader ~
Sometimes mama rabbit makes a nest somewhere that’s not ideal. That’s when I try to protect the baby bunny kits until they’re old enough to be out on their own.
For instance, planting time is almost here & I’ve been in my veggie garden a lot lately. A LOT!
Unfortunately with all my coming & going I accidentally left the garden gate open for a few days. In a golden moment of opportunity, a mama rabbit got into the garden, made a nest and had babies.
by Texas Homesteader~
I was thrilled to find a soapberry tree growing in our NE Texas property. I found it far back in a remote pasture. The berries on the tree had already turned yellow in those cool autumn days.
As a matter of fact, it was the yellow orbs that attracted my attention to the three. So I took photos of the tree, leaves, bark and the berries and sent them to my extension agent for proper identification.
She reported back that the tree was a Western Soapberry Tree (or Sapindus saponaria ssp. drummondii)
by Texas Homesteader~
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Topic Warning: Snake Catching. Now before I begin, let me say that I realize not everyone sees snakes the same way we do. Some may be terrified of snakes and feel they all must die – friend or foe. If that’s you, I respect your feelings.
But for our home, I personally feel they’re an important part of our ecosystem. Especially living out in the country, they keep mice & rat populations in check. A venomous snake must go of course. But around here, non-venomous snakes are simply relocated away from our home.
But getting up close & personal with a snake – good or bad – can make ya nervous, you know?? So we needed a way to be able to catch snakes safely. For us and for them.
by Texas Homesteader ~
Uh oh, something has burrowed beneath the rosemary by our back porch. We’re guessing it’s an armadillo. What a mess! So much dirt has been kicked up into the rock border of our porch and the burrow is obviously into the roots of my beloved rosemary plant.
But it’s hard to trap an armadillo because they’re not really attracted to bait. Come see what worked for us.
by Texas Homesteader ~
I have a super-smart friend from whom I always learn oh-so-much. Recently we were at a luncheon together & she mentioned that she uses soapberries for shampoo – no conditioner required.
She puts dried soapberries in water and lets them sit for about 6 weeks before she removes the berries. Then she adds a bit of baking soda and uses it to clean her hair.
Well color me intrigued! I found a Soapberry Tree on our property several years ago. So I decided to give it a try.
~by Texas Homesteader ~
When RancherMan & I found this little piece of paradise, we were smitten that’s for sure. As we looked over that old fence at the dilapidated 1880’s barn and overgrown property, we saw something beautiful. We saw where our future would be found. We saw HOME.
It’s been lots of work getting our property where it is now, and we’re nowhere near done. You see, there’s a prolific tree growing here called ‘Honey Locust’. For the most part we find these trees troublesome. But out of a useless tree, at least there are some useful features
by Texas Homesteader ~
We have many Bois d’Arc trees (aka: Osage Orange trees) on our property. I guess I’ve always just assumed people throughout the U.S. had them on their property too.
They pretty much grow wild here and we have these trees scattered throughout our property.
I love ’em, so I thought I’d write a little about these magnificent trees and how they’re used.
