Tag: off road

When A Hen Is A Rooster Is A Hen

by KatieChickens / Homesteading5 Comments on When A Hen Is A Rooster Is A Hen

When we started our flock of chickens we had 35, we currently have 8.

Alaska is harsh, our dog, Link, is harsher. We had seven hens, two adult roosters, and one baby rooster until recently, when our adult roosters “The Bobs” disappeared. I mean no trace, just gone. I have no idea what took them, but there have been bears, lynx, coyotes, eagles, and foxes all seen in this vicinity, so any number of predators could be the culprit.

Since our roos absence, one of our hens, Hobbles, has started taking on the characteristics of a rooster. She’s gained a lovely tail, larger and redder comb and wattle, and is now crowing in the mornings! Continue reading “When A Hen Is A Rooster Is A Hen”

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Chaga – The King Of Mushrooms

by KatieHomesteading / Wild AlaskaLeave a Comment on Chaga – The King Of Mushrooms

Have you ever heard of Chaga?

I hadn’t until I moved to this area. Chaga, also known as the King of Mushrooms, is a type of parasitic fungi that is found primarily in birch trees. Luckily, we are surrounded by birch here on our property. Chaga is well known folk remedy for many illnesses including cancers, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. People also swear by it as the reason for their longevity. And it helps that it doesn’t taste bad either, as it’s slightly vanilla flavored. There are several hospitals now conducting studies on this mushroom and how it affects the human body. We were told about it by our friends, and they took Kyle and I hunting for it so we would be able to identify it ourselves. Continue reading “Chaga – The King Of Mushrooms”

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Searching For Spirit Stones

by KatieWild Alaska4 Comments on Searching For Spirit Stones

One of the cool things that we were surprised to find moving to this area are a special type of rock locally called Spirit Stones.

Concretions, Spirit Stones, Cook Inlet Concretions, or Fairy Stones as they are called in some parts of the world, are a type of mineral concretions. No one is quite sure how these concretions are formed, though I’ve heard many theories. Update: Scientist figured out how they are formed after I created this post. Decaying organic matter releases chemicals that react with the mineral calcite, and cements together sand and clay to form a hard concretion. Read more in this Forbes article here. Continue reading “Searching For Spirit Stones”

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Trials Of Living In A Rainforest Environment

by KatieBuilding / Garden / Homesteading3 Comments on Trials Of Living In A Rainforest Environment

I am a desert baby.

I’ve always lived where it’s hot and rain is there and gone in a flash. I planned my gardens around heat loving plants with low water needs. Moving to South Central Alaska’s rainforest environment has been a huge adjustment for me. I didn’t expect it to be so hard to adapt to this area and it’s more… interesting challenges. Continue reading “Trials Of Living In A Rainforest Environment”

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Pregnancy And Homesteading

by Katie4wheeler / Family / Homesteading3 Comments on Pregnancy And Homesteading

I don’t want to make an entire post complaining, but being pregnant while starting a homestead has brought some interesting challenges. My pregnancy is only supposed to last another month (yay!) so we’re really feeling rushed on our timeline to get certain things done. Like our 12 x 12 extension to our studio shed. We really need that extra space to live comfortably out here with another person, no matter how tiny.

We will be staying in a friend’s cabin directly after birth for awhile though. It’s closer to town and has some amenities like running water that will make adjusting to having a newborn a little easier for Kyle and I. Staying there will also give him more time to work on our extension and making it winter ready before bringing our daughter home. I’m really glad that we’ve met so many amazing people in this area. And I’m extremely grateful to our friends for offering us their place for as long as we need it. Continue reading “Pregnancy And Homesteading”

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