Tag Archives: summer

All our favorite posts about summer in Northeast Texas including gardening, photos & more posted on TexasHomesteader.com

Come With Me For A Day On the Homestead

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by Texas Homesteader~ 

I’ve been asked before what it’s like to live and work on a NE Texas Homestead. It’s wonderful, it speaks to my heart, and it’s hard work. 

When I had a job in the city my working environment was climate controlled – cool in the summer and comfy warm in the winter. There was no mud or weeds in my city job. No ticks or snakes. And I didn’t have to report to work until 8:00 a.m., and any time after 5:00 p.m. was my own to do as I wished. Oh, and weekends. And HOLIDAYS!

All of that has changed… for the better! Yes now I may be up before dawn to move some cows or out after dark mowing pastures by tractor headlight but DANG I love my life here! Why don’t you come along and see what a typical day on the Homestead is like?

Did you ever wonder what it's like to live & work on a NE Texas ranch? Come with me to see what a typical day looks like - we love it! #TexasHomesteader

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Apple Pie Filling Recipe & Water-Bath Canning

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by Texas Homesteader
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My sweet aunt shared with me many delicious sweet apples from her tree. Not a few mind you, but a LOT! (as in 5 bushels of a lot!) 

Thankfully this apple pie filling is pretty straightforward and canning it requires just a 20-minute stint in a water-bath canner.  Wanna see how I did it?

This apple pie filling recipe is straightforward. And canning requires just a 20-minute stint in a water-bath canner #TexasHomesteader

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Homestead Hack: Using Blinds Correctly For Summer

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

WHEW!  The heat is on, y’all! Here in NE Texas we’ve had day after day of near or over 100 degree temps. RancherMan & I try to keep our home as cool as possible while being environmentally conscious of the cost in both dollars as well as energy of using the energy hog that is the typical home’s air conditioner.

Our air conditioner is energy efficient and it’s being used of course to help keep us comfortable. But we do what we can to rely on it as little as possible. Our home has an open floor plan, which means we use the natural light coming in from the windows to help light our home.

But did you know that proper use of mini blinds can make a difference in allowing light into your home while still blocking some of the sun’s heat? Oh yeah, that’s right! Check out today’s Homestead Hack.

There's a right & wrong way to position mini blinds to allow light into your home while blocking the sun's heat Check this Homestead Hack and STAY COOL! #TexasHomesteader

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Healthier Mint Chocolate Chip ‘Ice Cream’

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by Texas Homesteader ~
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Ice cream is one of RancherMan’s favorite desserts. And it really hits the spot on a hot summer’s day. 

But you can’t just eat ice cream every day. It’s not healthy! So I’ve been serving him a healthier frozen ice-cream-type treat. Only it’s made with frozen bananas instead of cream!

 

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Vegetable Garden Update: July

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by Tammy Taylor

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Well, well, well, what a year it’s been!  First our area of NE Texas was deluged with record weeks-long rain & flooding AFTER I planted my tender seedlings this spring of course and none of them made it.  So when the rain broke I planted seeds directly into the garden, and of course the flooding rain came back killing them as well before they even got a start.   Not to be deterred I planted yet a third time, in some cases buying young seedlings since there was no longer enough time for a plant to germinate, grow & produce before the season was up.  Then came the Texas summer heat & grasshoppers!  REALLY??!  It’s almost like Mother Nature has decided I shouldn’t have a garden this year.  But I’m a pretty determined gal – see how I’ve fought back…

Come with me for a stroll through my veggie garden. There are some difficulties but some successes as well! #TexasHomesteader

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Preserving The Harvest: Dehydrating Onions

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by Texas Homesteader
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Gardening is a fun hobby, but c’mon there’s lots of work involved too. From planting seeds or tender seedlings to standing under that hot summer sun watering, weeding and harvesting. 

Seeing that basket of fresh healthy produce is enough to make it all worthwhile of course. But oftentimes your harvest comes all at once as feast or famine. After putting in all of that tender loving care to your precious garden it’s important to make sure none of your hard works goes to waste.

For instance I harvested my onions when their growing time was up. But how to make sure a whole garden full of onions can be enjoyed instead of being sat aside deteriorating until they’re only compost worthy?  You can bet your hat I won’t be letting my hard work go to waste!

Preserving The Harvest: Dehydrating ONIONS. Don't distress over that glut of onion harvest, preserve it for cooking! See what I did. #TexasHomesteader

 

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Come With Me For A Day At The Homestead

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by Texas Homesteader~

Summer is officially here and WHEW it’s really heating up lately. We’ve already endured one the the wettest springs in history around here so many of the routine tasks we typically stay on top of have been pushed back for drier weather.

Although there are still plenty of muddy areas around the Homestead, we’ve got lots to do today. So we’ll do whatever we need to do to get the job done. Did you ever wonder what a typical day at our NE Texas Homestead really looks like? C’mon with me for A Day At The Homestead…

Did you ever wonder what a typical day at our NE Texas homestead looks like? C'mon with me for A Day... #TexasHomesteader

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