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Zoellner Homestead

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United States
Sparta, IL
Zoellner Homestead

Just a husband and a wife with chickens, a garden, and a love for trying to become for self sustainable!

08/19/2025

Being off work, plus an abundance of zucchini means zucchini bread!

P.S. if you bake zucchini bread every year and do not have the shredder attachment for your kitchen aid…you’re missing out

07/07/2025

We have monarchs!! 11 in total on our native milkweed!!

06/28/2025

I will have cut flowers this week for sale
$15 each
15-20 stems in each bouquet
It’ll be a mix of what we have blooming right now which includes
Straw flower, glads, cosmos, zinnias, Lillie’s, lakspar, yarrow, and more I’m sure I’m forgetting.

Let us add a little color to your home this week!

Pick up Sparta,IL, delivery possible but not guaranteed

06/27/2025

Purple raspberries have been a staple snack the past 2 weeks and haven’t slowed down

Plus a few pictures of a new striped zinnia I tried this year and am loving!

Sadly we lost 4 chickens to some feisty racc***s this past week, spent a day reinforcing the coop, and setting traps. Hoping after catching the culprit a couple days ago we can hold steady with our flock of 7.
We lost Roberta and big mama as we called her, 2 chickens from our original 6. Roberta was the chicken we spent days nursing back to health a few weeks ago 😐
Big mama was one of our barred rocks and was the head hen of the flock, she was the first to get taken by the c***s, no doubt protecting her sisters.
We also lost one of our Ameraucanas, Copper, she was one who laid the beautiful blue eggs our egg buyers love.
The last one we lost was Fluff, one of my favorite fluffy lavender orphingtons.

They tell you not to get attached to these birds, to see them as livestock and a resource. It’s hard not to when you’ve raised them from 2 days old, wiping their butts, filling their food and water everyday, holding them as little chicks, and then patiently watching them grow until one day they finally lay that first anticipated egg. They ran to my car when I got home to greet me, let me pet them and hold them.
Now my 7 girls left are scared of what was once their sanctuary, we have tried our hardest to make it safe for them once again. Just a lesson learned in homesteading. Hoping they soon trust we’ve done our best as owners to make their home safe again.

So egg orders may be a little behind, we’re still deciding if it’s worth it to once again try to integrate new birds into the flock.

Also next time I see any 🦝 it’s on sight 🔫

06/22/2025

We have 0.5oz
Bundles of fresh pesticides free
Rosemary, oregano, parsley, and cilantro available while supplies last, must be same day pick up

$3.00 per bundle

06/12/2025

Summer is underway!

🍓 The strawberries are not bountiful, but make great snacks when watering

💐 Cosmos, Snap Dragons, lakspar, and roses are all blooming

🐓Had an injured chicken, but somehow us two amatures managed to keep her alive and get her back and walking again

🍅 Handful of green tomatoes on the plants

🐛 Battling cabbage worms on the brussel sprouts 😠

🥔 Harvested some potatoes

🌿🪴 Herbs coming out our ears!! Basil, cilantro, parsley, thyme, lemon balm, mint

Dont forget to catch us on the coop app! Thats where I update and list the things we usually have to sell from the homestead! 🤍

Check out Tonya Miller on Coop! https://app.coopcoop.co/vendor/6aebafb3-2e83-4e61-8be8-5da7565c1e15

05/05/2025

Some tid bits from our garden.

This was our first year doing succession planting.
We stared most of our more cold tolerant plants late February, by the time they are ready for harvest we will be able to freshen up the soil to start our summer plants such as tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, egg plant, peppers, and whatever else we decide to throw in. We have plants both in the ground and in built raised beds. Where we live our soil is very compact and clay like, so we have primarily used raised beds as we have worked to amend the soil for in ground garden. This is the first year we’ve gotten successful growth in the ground! WIN! 🙌🏼

We have:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Sugar snap peas
Brusselsprouts
Cabbage
Potatoes
Onions (Greens and bulbs)
Spinach
Lettuce
Carrots

A new addition This weekend was our herb bed

Some things we planted a little too early ( early april) but covered for frost and it has done fine so far.
Blueberry bushes, strawberry plants, all my cut flower beds (those 80* days had me itching to plant my flower beds 🥴), peach, apple, and pear tree.

Go outside, touch some dirt, grow something. Even if it’s just a single tomato plant in a pot on your porch. Theres nothing Better than tasting the fruits of your labor!

Ok now rain rain go away…hope everyone had a great Sunday 🤍

04/28/2025

Some of the girl aren’t getting the memo lol

We’ve had so many fairy eggs lately

02/03/2025

It is not without serious thought and discussion that I am making this post.

I am deciding to close down Spirit Bear Essentials as a business. With us being two full time employees with fairly demanding jobs the time is just not there for us to pour into this business like it is needed.

This business has helped me make so many connections and meet so many amazing people. I will forever be grateful for that.

I’ll always be an entrepreneur at heart, but stability is what makes me the most comfortable.

If you know anyone interested in starting to make products similar to mine send them my way as I have many whole sale sized items.

Stay tuned as I will be soon doing a sale/liquidation post to move any of the inventory I currently have. As well as many Fragrance oils, bases and supplies, containers etc

Thank you for 5 years of love and support. 🐻
-Tonya

12/14/2024

Don’t forget a care kit with your candles!
This is the perfect way the elevate a gifted candle!
Did you know these candle care facts?
- Candles should only be burned for no more than 4 hours
- You should trim your wick before each burn. This avoids those ugly mushroom wicks, and guarantees a safe flame height
-Using a snuffer will keep your candle lid clean and keep the vessel from getting that ugly black ring in it.

All these guidelines will help you get the most life out of your candles!

You can shop the care kits along with our candles here shopspiritbearess.com

12/13/2024

Winter is here 🥶
She was not playing around with these wind chills
And much like me I’m sure your skin is suffering! Dry hands, legs and….well everything else!

The only thing I can find to help a forgetful person like myself keep my skin hydrated is our whipped body butters!
Filled with so many great hydrating ingredients such as Shea butter, oat oil & coconut oil they are a power team to help you get through these dry months! It’s light airy and not heavy on the skin while still giving a hydrating punch!
The best part? A little goes a long way! A jar is sure to last you longer than you may think!
Paired with our sugar scrub it’s like a dynamic duo!
Don’t miss out and give your skin a break this winter shop with us! All products made right here in Southern IL!
Shopspiritbearess.com

12/12/2024

Our Simmer Scents are like a winter holiday essential!
Made to simmer on your stove top during the day to help fill your home with natural fragrance!
Grandmas kitchen was on all day while I was decorating for Christmas at home!
They great to have summer when company is over and your hosting that holiday party!

You can shop these with us at shopspiritbearess.com

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Sparta, IL

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