A Week Around the Homestead | Garlic Harvests, Garden Walks & Family Projects
Some weeks feel extra full.
Not because we accomplished anything extraordinary, but because they remind me why we chose this life in the first place.
This week was one of those weeks.
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It started with something completely out of our control.
We lost power.
Instead of letting it throw off the entire day, we looked around and decided to tackle something that had been waiting on us anyway—our garlic harvest.
Last fall, Jamie grabbed a three-pack of organic garlic from the grocery store. We broke each bulb into individual cloves and tucked them into the garden where our green beans had been growing.
Every single clove sprouted.
Some of the bulbs were nice and big. Others stayed a little smaller, but I honestly couldn’t have been happier with the harvest. For less than three dollars, we ended up with enough garlic to enjoy for months.
The kids helped me hang it to cure using an old clothes drying rack and a piece of fencing. It certainly wasn’t a Pinterest-worthy setup, but it worked perfectly.
Sometimes that’s the theme around here.
Use what you have.
The next day was spent mostly in the kitchen.
Our tomatoes still aren’t ripe, but I was ready to restock the pantry, so I made a double batch of salsa using canned tomatoes and my favorite Mrs. Wages salsa mix.
While the jars processed in the canner, I made a batch of homemade popcorn for the kids.
It disappeared almost as quickly as I made it.
Those are the kinds of recipes I love most.
The simple ones that become part of our everyday rhythm.
Midweek I had to head into school for meetings. During the school year, I’m a special education teacher, so before I left that morning I squeezed in baking a loaf of focaccia to share.
It felt a little rushed, but sometimes that’s real life.
Not every loaf of bread is baked on a slow Saturday morning.
Sometimes it’s mixed between getting dressed for work and finding your keys.
After work, I finally took a little walk through the pollinator garden.
The girls have been enjoying the flowers lately, so I hadn’t cut myself a bouquet in a while.
I grabbed whatever was blooming—coneflowers, bee balm, butterfly bush—and brought them inside for the kitchen table.
Fresh flowers have a way of making home feel just a little brighter.
While I was cutting, I spotted a hummingbird moth dancing around the flowers.
Those little surprises always make me smile.
Of course, not everything in the garden was picture-perfect.
We had completely missed a few zucchini.
Actually…
A few might be an understatement.
They had turned into absolute monsters.
We also discovered the squash bugs have definitely made themselves at home this year.
Gardening has a funny way of keeping you humble.
Just when you think you’ve got everything under control, nature reminds you who’s really in charge.
One of our biggest projects this week happened inside the barn.
If you’ve been around for a while, you know this poor barn has been everything over the years.
Storage building.
Temporary kitchen.
Pantry.
Workshop.
Catch-all.
Pretty much anything except organized.
We’re finally working toward turning it into the workshop we’ve always imagined.
The boys jumped right in, helping move cabinets, organize tools, and make plans for everyone’s own little workspace.
Watching them become more capable each year is one of my favorite parts of motherhood.
They’re no longer just watching us build.
They’re helping build right alongside us.
Henley decided this week that she wanted to make homemade fudge popsicles.
They weren’t perfect.
They came out a little grainy.
But they disappeared in one evening, so I’d still call that a success.
More than anything, I loved watching her confidently take over the kitchen.
These are the moments I hope they’ll remember someday.
Not because everything turned out perfectly.
But because they learned they were capable of trying.
We wrapped up the week the same way we usually do.
Pizza night.
Our sourdough crust, homemade sauce, everyone’s favorite toppings, and the Blackstone fired up outside.
Some weeks we make four pizzas.
Some weeks we make six.
It depends on who’s here.
Those evenings have become one of our favorite family traditions.
They’re simple.
They’re messy.
They’re loud.
And they’re exactly the kind of memories we’re trying to build.
As I looked back over the week, I realized nothing we did was particularly remarkable.
We harvested garlic.
Made salsa.
Picked flowers.
Cleaned a barn.
Cooked dinner.
Made popsicles.
But when you string enough ordinary days together, something beautiful begins to happen.
A rooted life isn’t built through huge milestones.
It’s built through ordinary Tuesdays.
Through little family traditions.
Through practical skills learned together.
Through choosing, over and over again, to slow down and enjoy the life we’re building.
That’s the life we’re working toward here at Hummingbird Acres.
And honestly…
I wouldn’t trade it for anything.