Greene Valley Homestead

This spring, we are getting an early start on our chickens.. and nothing makes me more excited than to see them grow so fast and get closer to moving outdoors. My 4 adult hens are ready to explore and peck at some new grass that is trying to grow. My wonderful husband has worked on and off the past week on a chicken tractor that will allow us to move them to fresh grass every day and still be safe from predators. Here are some pictures of our progress and a little inspiration for those seeking ideas on how to build a chicken tractor. I will also link most of the supplies we used so you can easily order them off of Amazon and be ready to build. Ordering things through the link in an easy way to help you get what you need while also benefiting me for directing you there. We used a lot of old barn wood and stuff we had laying around the barn for the support and upper floor. The base of this chicken tractor is two 4x4x8 pieces with one of them cut in half to put on each end of t...

this post contains affiliate links Having a baby is a precious time for all expecting mothers and can be an equally exciting time for supportive family members. As much as I love going to baby showers for other expecting moms, it was even more fun to go to our own baby shower a couple months before our first son was due! An Amazon baby registry is a simple and quick way to have a list of items you need. People can look up your name and due date and see all your items listed and order them right away! You just can't beat the convenience of it. My only dilemma was wondering what to put on my registry since this was our first child and I didn't want to put a huge list of expensive items that people couldn't afford.  After almost two years of use, I have made a list of my top five most used items I received from my Amazon baby registry #5 - Wansview Baby Camera   - This baby monitor is one of my top picks after a lot of research. The price is fairly affordab...

this post contains affiliate links Spring is in the air but it is still way to cold to plant. I am impatient and want to get an earlier start on my flower seedlings this year so they will be ready for the flower bed in the early spring, giving us more time to enjoy their beauty. I got my inspiration for these DIY mini greenhouses from GRIT magazine and fell in love with them, I have a ton of jugs that I quickly brought out, along with some seed starter  and a mix of many different perennials similar to these , found on Amazon.  I began by cutting a slit in the milk jugs near the middle as pictured, then planting to my hearts content.  I had four jugs of flowers and one jug of tomato seedlings that I was not completely sure what to do with. I needed them to get as much sunlight as possible without being picked up by eager toddler hands. I have seen so many elegant window shelving ideas on Pinterest and dream that I can create something just as beautiful. I have no ...

this post contains affiliate links I feel like a seasoned veteran now that I have kept four chicken alive for almost a year! they are so spoiled and I was beyond excited to give them some more 'friends' this spring. What I thought was going to only be a few more chickens turned into 25. The plan is to integrate this batch of chicks into our future farm dreams. Farming is an expensive hobby, but there are ways to at least break even, if not make a little extra cash here and there. #1 way - Selling Chicks #2 way- Selling Eggs Finding a Dual-Purpose breed Chicken is ideal if you want two forms of income. I ended up with three different breeds, named as pictured; Ameraucanas, Rhode Island Reds (RIRs), and Silver Laced Wyandotte. I love watching them change as they grow up so quickly. Their vibrant feathers are already coming through and I am betting on a few roosters in the bunch when breeding season rolls around next winter. I'm also looking forward to a lot of co...

I hate when a big bowl of Guacamole gets wasted because it is impossible for a small family to eat it in a single sitting. Avocado is one of the few healthy foods my husband will eat, accompanying chips. I had to find an easier way,,. Which sparked the creation of Easy Guacamole- the lazy way. I am not claiming this recipe is one to rival Mexican restaurants, its not even a real recipe. It is my go-to lunch or snack idea! Here's what I do.. this serves one person perfectly! Ingredients Half an avocado Diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel) optional shredded cheese, sour cream, seasonings, etc Directions 1. cut your avocado in half and wrap the seed half in plastic wrap and put in frig for later. 2. mash avocado out of the peel into a bowl, mash it around and open your can of Rotel. Drain and  put the huge thing of tomatoes in a container that can go back in the frig as well. 3. Add a couple spoonfuls of the Rotel mixture and mash some more. 4. Add how...

Half broccoli, half bacon. Broccoli for me, bacon for him. This idea hit me when I was too lazy to make two small quiches. I can just add the topping in after the egg mixture is poured! Here’s the recipe 6-8 eggs (always farm fresh here) 1 cup half and half or whole milk 1 Sautéed onion 1 cup shredded cheese of choice Possum seasoning, salt and pepper if you aren’t blessed enough to have that.  Bacon, broccoli, wilted spinach, ham, your choice topping First you want to sautéed your onion so it can be cooling. You do this by heating a skillet over medium heat with some butter. Slice your onion into long thin strips and cook about 15 minutes stirring occasionally so they don’t burn. Let cool at least 5 minutes while mixing other ingredients. Whisk your eggs and milk together until well beaten, light and fluffy.  Add in your possum/ salt and pepper to  your liking. I never measure this stuff.  Add in your cool onions and...

This post contains affiliate links Grandpa Greene was the beginning of our farm. I am so inspired by the people from the past generations. Hard work was expected and they reaped many blessings from their labor. The land we live and farm on was inherited. An old farmhouse, a few old barns, and the structure of a greenhouse still remain as a memory we hope to restore over our lifetime.                                      As of now, we live in a double wide that we put on some of the pasture after we got married. It has been the perfect place for new projects to build our homestead. We have added a garden and chickens to the 4 acres that we call home. We plowed out a garden plot last spring with the tractor. Then used a tiller for upkeep. I also love using this manual tiller  for weed maintenance when Edward is too busy to work the tiller and I can’t man-handle it. We got a l...

This is the recipe straight off of my Grandparent’s fridge. It’s the recipe my grandparents made for us countless times, and it brings back so many memories when I make it for my kids today. All the memories from all five senses; hearing my grandparents stirring it together over the stove, kneading the warm dough, seeing the colors come together, smelling the artificial flavoring (and breaking out from the cinnamon one), and even licking it...because I was like a cow attracted to a salt block. I guess Jesse gets it from me because I can’t keep his mouth away from it. Not edible but also not toxic!! 1 cup plain flour 1/2 cup salt 1 cup water 2 tsp cream of tarter 1 tsp oil Cook on medium heat You won’t believe how quickly this stuff clumps up to make play dough. It’s like a science experiment for all ages. Add any color, flavoring (for smell) or even essential oils to warm dough and knead until incorporated. Can be stored in airtight bags and kept!!