Rebel Heart Homestead

04/12/2026

30 days ago, I put 5 goose eggs in my incubator. They all started developing, but after about a week, 4 stopped progressing.

I've been worried this one wouldn't make it too, but it started to pip out today! This little goose is definitely a fighter, and should be fully hatched by tomorrow if everything goes well. I'll also know if it's a girl or a boy immediately, since Pilgrim geese are an auto-sexing breed, which means males and females are different colors!

Hang on, baby goose!! 🐣

04/03/2026

Hello, friends and neighbors!

My daughter, Elinor, is competing in the National Wildlife Federation's Jr. Ranger competition. We wanted to reach out to our amazing community to ask if you'd consider voting for her, for the chance to win $20,000 and appear in an issue of the Ranger Rick magazine. Voting for the top 20 in her age category ends in 7 days, and the kids that make it through this round of voting move on to the next round.

You get one free vote per day, and we would be so grateful if you took just a few minutes out of your day to vote for her and help win her dream of becoming the next Jr. Ranger 😊

Thank you!!

Elinor Loves The Dirty And Wild Side Of The Outdoors! You Can Always Find Her In Mud Puddles, Or Looking For Bugs And Animals Outside

04/01/2026

We were able to plant 3 rows of potatoes today before the rain starts tomorrow!
I was channeling my inner Hobbit and getting some good grounding time in while planting. There's nothing quite like the feel of fresh soil on your toes, and I always go barefoot in the garden right after it's been tilled.

Hopefully this year we'll get a good crop of po-tay-toes (good for boiling, mashing, or putting in a stew 😉)

03/31/2026

We got a "new" addition to the homestead!
Thanks to a family member, we got a great deal on this Yamaha Rhino, and I can't wait to use it for all our upcoming homesteading adventures!

The kids are already asking to drive it 😂

Soon we will be starting to put in a garden (if the rain allows), so stay tuned for more updates here on the homestead.

03/14/2026

My Pilgrim geese started laying almost a month ago, and last night I finally put 5 eggs in the incubator. I'm hoping that in 28-35 days I will have a few goslings hatch out 🤞🪿

02/21/2026

Hey y'all! It's been a while since my last post, but now that spring is just around the corner, we've got some exciting things in the works for the homestead!

Stay tuned for updates in the coming days!

08/26/2025

I started a fun plant project this week!
About a month ago, my husband showed me a video about a bunch of rare fruits, and finger limes were included in the list. I had never heard of them, so I looked them up online and found that you could order them from a farm in California, and have them shipped.

I ordered some, and decided to try and save some of the seeds to sprout and grow my own...and EVERY. SINGLE. SEED. SPROUTED!! I now have 12 baby finger lime plants, and have 4 or 5 more limes in the fridge that I can get seeds from, so I'd say that was $25 well spent for one pint of fruit 😂
Plus, I get the joy and accomplishment of raising my own (hopefully).

07/27/2025

I took a sourdough class last week where we learned how to properly care for and use a starter, and stretch the dough to develop the gluten and shape the loaves. The first loaf pictured is the loaf I took home from the class to proof in the fridge and bake later.

The 2nd loaf is the one I baked today. Being the rebel that I am, I totally winged it and deviated from the recipe I was given which used only white flour. I used 20% rye flour, which supercharges fermentation, and it gave me a lovely starter doubled in size to use for my loaf in just TWO hours after feeding! After my starter was ready, I mixed it with whole wheat and white flour, water, and salt, and performed 4 sets of stretch and folds over the afternoon before proofing it overnight in the fridge.

I'm absolutely loving learning the old ways of baking, although all this delicious bread may be detrimental to my diet 🤣

05/27/2025

Finally finished the tractor for them, so we added some new members to the flock tonight! We now have Pilgrim geese on top of our chickens, ducks, turkeys, and quail. I wonder if I can say I'm fluent in fowl language now? 🤔🤣
Also, I got hissed at and bitten while picking up my first goose, so I'm starting to understand why they're jokingly referred to as "Cobra Chickens" 😅

We're only going to keep 4, and the rest of the ganders (the white ones) will be going to freezer camp after we fatten them up.

05/18/2025

It's a good day when you score a vintage, unmarked Wagner griddle at a flea market for only $20!!

05/13/2025

I had my last broom making class tonight, and finished the stitching on my long broom. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out for my first time.
Learning this craft has been really interesting and I'm excited to continue practicing and improving my skills in this dying craft.

05/06/2025

Tonight was the 2nd to last night of the broom making class I've been attending. Tonight, we constructed these long brooms with woven tops, and next week we will be finishing them up by shaping and sewing the broom corn. I have loved learning this craft!