Garden Fuss

Hello, future flock parents! 🐔 If you've been contemplating jumping onto the chicken keeping bandwagon, now is the perfect time. We're thrilled to announce that we'll be welcoming new and aspiring flock parents throughout the year. Since 2022, all us egg and chicken enthusiasts have been on a rollercoaster. Seriously, remember the egg and chicken catastrophe when a dozen eggs cost more than a couple of gallons of gas due to the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza? Yeah, that still hasn't quite resolved itself. . . And who could forget Chicken Feed'gate? I know I haven't! It was a challenging time for both urban and rural chicken keepers, making baking and breakfast a real adventure. On the brighter side, the hilarious egg bootlegger videos on TikTok and Instagram have been giving me life since then, and kept all our spirits high. They've truly given my little homestead hope to continue supporting our neighbors through uncertain times. 🌞 Truly, there's n...

OUR 2023 SCHEDULE HAS BEEN UPDATED & UPLOADED! So what are you waiting for? BOOK NOW!   If you have been wondering how to jump onto the chicken keeping bandwagon you are in luck my friends! We'll be taking new and wannabe flock parents through mid August 2023. After 2022's egg and chicken catastrophe... You know the one, where a dozen eggs cost more than a couple gallons of petrol due to a highly pathogenic Avian Influenza? How about Chicken Feed'gate?  It was pretty scary out in these urban and rural streets when it came to baking or breakfast. .. On the brighter and dare I say sunnier side of things, the hilarious egg bootlegger videos of TikTok and Instagram are still fresh in my minds eye and gave me hope enough to continue offering support to my fellow neighbors as we live through very uncertain times.   Honestly, you could't have chosen a better time to get on board with growing your very own backyard flock and I'll hold your hand along the way. ABOUT TH...

We're gearing up for this year's Chicken Keeping In the City Classes and we hope you'll join us online for a personable presentation that meets the backyard fowl permit requirements for the City of Minneapolis. Pre-register for our Saturday classes starting January 22nd through May 28th. The cost is just $25 per household so the kiddos can join too! Visit our booking page for more information. *Please note that the fee for this class is non-refundable. We can accommodate up to 10 participants per session and there are 2 sessions per available Saturday. If you know you'll miss your class date ahead of time, please send us a message a minimum of 12 hours before class begins to inquire about rescheduling. We'll do our best to make alternate arrangements to accommodate you. 

PEEP · PEEP · PEEP · MY PEEPS!!! Have you been wondering how so many people are being approved for backyard chickens? Come to one of my classes and find out! In just under two hours, you’ll have all the information you never you’re you needed to keep chickens in the city of Minneapolis. I’m talking weatherization , Coop requirements , caring for sick birds , what breeds might work best for your situation , what you are and aren't allowed to do within the city limits , *how to become and stay best buddies with your neighbors , and so much more. Click here to snag a Saturday that works best for you , or use the calendar I embedded for you below. Oh, and please don’t forget to tell your friends! P.S. I am an approved fowl educator for the City of Minneapolis, MN . *I can't really promise you'll be best buds with your neighbors, but nothing fails but a try, right? Good Luck, I can't wait to see you in class! 😏

We've enjoyed a very warm and almost over-warm autumn so far which has afforded us an opportunity to be very lax in completing end of the year tasks such as putting the garden to bed and yard clean up. Another necessary *task* or chore has been to winterize our chicken coop.  There's been nothing like seeing the neighbors shake their heads at us while we're out hollering at each other to hold down the plastic tarp and grab the proper sized bits and screws to make you think twice about whether or not we've lost our ever loving minds with this venture.  Of course we pick the windiest days and the oddest hours.... They ask us " What are you doing now, we thought your were done building the coop ". Our answer is " Yes, we're done building the coop, but we need to make sure their house is buttoned up and prepared for the winter just like ours ." This assuredly garners much side eye and breathy OK's from the neighbors perspectives and ours too. ...

Here is my crappy apple pic. Why? Well it's the last apple on our tiny tree that made it this long protected by a plastic baggy and an exasperated but vigilant urban grower. Its sole partner for the last month and a half got bitten and dropped carelessly to the ground yesterday. (Yep, the only two fruit out of twenty) Today this beauty of a Honey Crisp was on the ground. Only it wasn't as abused but still marred and obviously molested . Note that the dastardly squirrels have never shown any regard or respect for us or our produce. Tiny punctures and miniscule bite marks have been their hallmark this entire growing season. We have little to no eggplant, horribly chewed tomatoes, and mysteriously missing hot peppers. Honestly, the shock and rage I felt after no less than 9 of 10 mammoth sunflower plants were scaled and beheaded has yet to abate. I've indulged in foodie fantasies involving a family gathering southern style with platters full of freshly roasted squirrels over...

As  cliché  as it may sound, I have been very busy.... I know I know, if someone is committed to something as inspiring as a blog on living a wholesome homesteading life and providing practical and tried and true DIY tips they should be better at time management. Well,  apparently  I am not that person of late. Why? Well, life really does take over sometimes, and then there were these four new little lives that have taken up residence in, and then directly outside of our home. In other words, Hurray for us, We Have Chickens!!!!!!! Soon to be laying hens to be specific.  Well, this journey into raising our own layers has been a true labor of love, a testament to friendship, and the realization of a very long six-year dream. It all started this spring, April to be exact; after the new Urban Ag laws for Minneapolis were amended and put into affect. A crew of three which included me, my daughter, and her close friend (he’s a carpenter) vigilantly researched...

Fresh baked sourdough can't be beat. I mean it can be kneaded, punched, and folded but never beaten in the flavor department. Several months ago I binge watched Julia Child's Master Chef series and low and behold there was a chef there demonstrating beautiful handmade traditional artisan breads. Specifically sourdough, from the creation of sourdough starter, to baking a beautiful loaf. Those closest to me know that I've had many a bubbly, yeasty, brewing jar of fermented yum yums around my home. However, after actually making the starter for my own sourdough creations; I could not find the time nor will power to "get my bake on". [life took over] Thank God ferments are living beings that need a break from time to time and don't mind being tucked away in the back of a very cold fridge. Which, is exactly what happened to a very large jar of starter I'd previously made months ago. I'm talking at least four months....  To be quite honest I'd forgo...

Come out to gather and engage in impactful community conversations around food in your community with growers and growers to be! Let's talk growing, cooking, food preservation, resources, programming, networking... You choose! We want to hear what you have to say about what is needed in your neighborhood. Everyone is welcome, from beginners, experienced gardeners/farmers, elders, youth, and children.    There are several opportunities to participate in this process so please check out Gardening Matters' website at www.gardeningmatters.org and don't forget to RSVP for a location and date that works for you while you're there.   Grow ~ Eat Good Food ~ Build Community!   BTW...Happy New Year!!!!   Tina

Despite my earlier protestations, and with much appreciated assistance, I not only planted what turned out to be an overfilled garden, I harvested more than I had intended too. Though what I looked forward to harvesting the most however, were the 28 apples from our 3 y/o Honeycrisp apple tree. Of course I have been counting apples every year since it was planted and I wasn't alone in my exuberance. Think Count Dracula and Sesame Street.... 😁 Well, long story short I won't be sharing any pictures of a 28 apple harvest nor a 2 apple harvest because before I could figure out there was an issue, they were all gone (darn squirrels). Anyone in my position would be fuming and more than annoyed by the total disregard of their hard work and their pie/crumble making plans right? I could have stayed angry at those little biters and even considered practicing my slingshot making skills on them while they were chitting and running about one day. It really took me a few minutes of cursing t...

I'm currently looking at the last of the 2015 raspberries in the GardenFuss Garden. When the dog days of summer lift up a sultry hot foot to kick off what I call sweat, fatigue, and lethargy-gate. Partly due to my Myositis but equally rivaled by parenting, married life, and just being an adult. [ So much to do in such a short time ] Basically I go into a raspberry funk. Seriously, as soon as I have picked, washed, and packed up the first couple gallons I begin to get overwhelmed from just walking past the small, ruby, garden jewels. This is probably because I'm waiting not so patiently for a much needed family vacay. It doesn't help to have acquired a bad case of NOT asking for extra help in the garden when I need it. **cough cough** ::blushing::. But Alas I am not going down that road right now. Aren't we all a work in progress? 😊   Todays post is about not succumbing to the berry picking fatigue despite busy adult life. It's ...

Got Borage or Starflowers? If not get some quick! 🐝 Bees love it and so do I. Borage is one of few plants with naturally occurring true blue flowers. It is considered an herb and the leaves, blossoms, and stems are eaten in many places. My daughter and I have tried brewing it for tea but because of the high gelatinous mucilage in the leaves (think okra slime ewwww) we've decided to dry the leaves first before trying again. Besides tea I have only researched but yet to try other recipes using borage. I'm excited to try one that calls for blending it with braised greens and cheese for ravioli filling. When this happens I will be sure to post pictures and talk about our results. An interesting fact about Borage is that it's supposed to cure melancholy or make you feel courageous. I can't say that this really works but I know I feel better watching the interesting critters flitting about and flirting amongst one plant to the next. I'm growing it as an annual in...

I could probably talk endlessly about not using and avoiding pesticides and insecticides; especially those containing Neonicotinoids. I won't do that today because there are so many documentaries, cartoons, newspaper articles, nightly news stories, and so on and such that speak volumes about why bee populations are on the decline and the ramifications for our SHARED planet. I am a fixer by nature and I want to focus on providing my top three preservationist tips for abundant-bee happiness. So take this as my tiny but comprehensive and super easy to do, Get Bees To My Backyard-Patio- Community Garden plan. Keep in mind that there are approximately 400 native bee species in Minnesota. I cannot speak for 400 species but I've witnessed 4 varying types in my garden space. These include Bumblebees, Honeybees, Carpenter bees, and tiny but busy Stingless Bees (dill flowers are their JAM). I have at least two neighbors in a quarter mile radius keeping bees so honey bees come and go from...

Peas and Collards an #EarthDay Duo A photo posted by @mizqtinaj on Apr 22, 2015 at 7:35pm PDT For the last six months my family and I have been in a sort of stasis. A forced hiatus from everything in order to heal physically, mentally, and spiritually. Collectively we've endured loss of lives that felt like blows to our spiritual bodies, and then the largest battle yet of our lives to fight a feeling of helplessness when our eldest child almost succumbed to a stroke and aneurysm.  Recovery for our daughter and for us has come in many forms. This includes scaling down activities that we'd normally participate in to focus on more immediate things. For instance for me it's taking a break from the physical act of growing and documenting efforts to grow. Hence the large span between posts here, which in the broad scheme of things I am not at all sorry about. That being said, I am very thankful for the outcome of breaking from it all. Our child is on the mend and ve...

Beet #kvass and fermented #salsa on deck tonight. The garden does us good! A photo posted by @mizqtinaj on Aug 8, 2014 at 9:01pm PDT One of the simplest, easy peasy, no-brainer, ways of adding beneficial cultures, vitamins, and nutrients into your diet is to ferment your foods. One of my favorite ways to add these cultures is through beverages like Beet Kvaas which I wanted to share with you today. The recipe couldn't be simpler but the benefits to my gut health, my skin, hair, and nails is why I'm excited to share this today. Beets are not on the favorite foods list of most people I know, but I'm glad to now admit that today they are one of mine. To describe to you how difficult it is to get a full grown adult to sip or sample a food with beets is worse than taking a five year old for shots. These folks feel like their life will end if they imbibe on this sometimes crimson root vegetable. But I never give up and the smell and my incessant teasing usuall...