Where did I go?

For months I've been saying that I'd get back to this blog and tell you what's been happening on the farm ... but obviously that has not happened.

So, I'm admitting defeat. I simply don't have time to continue posting here. But I wanted to let you know that I'm alive and well and still on the Internet.

I'm posting every Monday and Thursday on Thrifty Homesteader, which is the blog I started when my first book was published. It's a DIY blog with lots of posts on how to do a variety of homesteading things. There are especially a lot of posts on goats. And I host a couple of giveaways each month for books. I've also had giveaways for lots of seeds, as well as chicks.

I also have a very active Facebook page for Thrifty Homesteader, and I post quite a few live videos. Most of my public talks are now broadcast live, such as a cheesemaking class I did last Saturday.

We also have an Antiquity Oaks page on Facebook where we post pictures and videos of new babies and the garden. Our garden partner Sarah (who was an apprentice here four years ago) also posts about the garden on that page.

My biggest project as of late has been creating an online homesteading school. It's been in beta testing for a month now, and I'll be launching soon to the public through my Thrifty Homesteader blog. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter so that you don't miss anything there!

We had a 5-week camp for kids last summer, and we'll be doing it again this year. Each 5-day session goes from Monday through Friday, and kids sleep on the farm in big tents. They do chores like feeding chickens, gathering eggs, giving bottles to baby goats or lambs, and working in the garden. They also do all of the cooking, under the supervision of cooking instructors. For more info on that, check out Nature's Farm Camp website.

Speaking of the camp, we'll be hosting an open farm day on Saturday, May 6, which will include an open house for the farm camp. So, you can come and chat about homesteading and play with baby goats and lambs. Or, if you have some young ones that might be interested in the camp, you can meet the director and some of the counselors and get a first hand view of what you'll be doing this summer.

My fourth book, the second edition of Homegrown and Handmade, will be coming out in June. (Can you believe it's been SIX years?) It's 20,000 words longer (over 300 pages now!) and includes entirely new sections on homegrown pork, homegrown sweeteners (maple syrup and honey), and homegrown businesses. I've also updated info in other chapters and added gluten-free alternatives to all recipes where that was possible. If you're interested, head over to Thrifty Homesteader because I'm about to have a big promotion for pre-orders.

As far as the farm goes ... this spring we've had 32 kids so far, as well as six lambs and about 60 chicks hatched in our incubators. Yes, I do sometimes think about what fun it would be to write about those things on here, but then I never get around to it. Maybe someday I will get back to this blog, but for now, I'm committed to helping people through the Thrifty Homesteader blog and my new online school.