Little Brown Homestead

29/06/2025

Sadie’s little flower bed is doing good in this heat. Trying to keep them hydrated. 🌸🌼🪻

23/05/2025

Sweet 😍

17/05/2025

We had 28 little fluff balls to hatch over the last 3 days. 🐣🐥 All kinds. I mixed up all the eggs and didn’t keep up with who hatched from what. We’ll just have to see what they turn out to be.

22/04/2025

What’s better than setting 22 eggs in the incubator? Setting 44!

🐣x44.

18/01/2025

Not my photo…

The new rooster design at Tractor Supply.

Who has one of these huge roosters? I always look, but I’ve never bought one.

18/01/2025

I don’t think I have a chicken out. I think the Amazon delivery lady was scared of my cats. She barely stepped out of the car and left my package in the rain. I was watching her on the camera. She hesitated a minute, dropped it and left. 🤣

*It must have been the cats. My husband went right out and there was nothing else there.

13/01/2025

Tom Brown, a 79-year-old from Clemmons, North Carolina, has spent over 20 years of his retirement tracking down rare, nearly extinct apple varieties that once flourished across Appalachia. Driven by his passion for rediscovering these heirlooms, Brown has revived more than 1,200 unique apple types with whimsical names like Brushy Mountain Limbertwig, Mule Face, and Tucker’s Everbearing.

His journey began in 1998 after encountering heritage apples at a farmers’ market, inspiring him to search for “lost” apples that hadn’t been tasted in over a century. Stretching across the Appalachian region—from southern New York to northern Alabama—Brown scours old maps, orchard catalogs, and historical records, often driving hours and knocking on doors to find forgotten orchards or lone trees tucked in remote areas.

When he finds a lost variety, Brown grafts clippings onto trees in his own orchard, where he cultivates and sells them for just $15 to encourage others to create “mini preservation orchards.” Despite the challenge of aging trees and a dwindling population of local knowledge keepers, Brown remains determined, calling the work both fun and fulfilling.

“It’s a thrill to rediscover them,” he says. “I’m happy as a lark.” Brown’s mission not only preserves these apples but also honors the heritage of the region, where generations of families once prided themselves on cultivating unique varieties in their backyards.

08/01/2025

I haven’t been in my garden since the end of October. I had foot surgery December 20th after my grandma passed away. She was in the hospital for a couple of weeks. My daughter and I stayed with her most nights. Then my best friend passed away a week before my surgery. I started walking again last week. Today I thought about my marigolds! I had not collected my seeds. We’re supposed to get ice or snow Friday. I won’t be holding my breath, it just doesn’t snow here. I need to get these seeds up though! I picked these in about 10 minutes. There A LOT more where those came from! I don’t think I will get them all before the nasty weather. I think my watermelon bed will be a marigold bed next year. 🍉👀🌸

04/01/2025