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I've been utterly fascinated with learning the language of bees. They are "scrubbing" the entrance here. (This is the equivalent of scrubbing clothes with a washboard!) Bees have a fascinating way of communicating with each other through a combination of body movements, pheromones, and even dances. One remarkable example is the waggle dance performed by honeybees to communicate the location of food sources to other hive members. Here's how it works: Scouting for Food: When a worker bee finds a good source of nectar or pollen, it returns to the hive. The Dance: The returning bee performs a dance on the vertical surface of the honeycomb, waggling its abdomen while moving in a figure-eight pattern. Direction: The angle of the waggle relative to the vertical comb indicates the direction of the food source in relation to the sun's position. For example, if the dance is performed straight up, it means the food source is directly towards the sun. If the dance is performed at an angle to the right of vertical, it means the food source is to the right of the sun's position. Distance: The duration of the waggle portion of the dance correlates with the distance to the food source. Longer waggle phases indicate greater distance. Intensity: The vigor of the dance communicates the quality of the food source. A more intense waggle dance suggests a richer or more abundant food source. By observing and interpreting these dances, other worker bees can quickly learn the location, distance, and quality of the food source and then navigate to it themselves. This remarkable form of communication allows honeybee colonies to efficiently exploit food resources in their environment. We'll try to catch detailed videos of Bee Language in future videos :)

Sweet Potatoes are one of the easiest crops you can grow in Florida and oh so delicious! But let's start at the beginning... What is a Sweet Potato? A sweet potato is a root vegetable that belongs to the Convolvulaceae family, along with other plants like morning glories. It's usually cultivated for its edible tuberous root, which is sweet and starchy in taste and has a smooth texture when cooked, but Sweet Potato Leaves are also edible and delicious in dishes. Sweet potatoes come in various colors, including orange, purple, and white, and they're rich in nutrients like vitamins A and C, potassium, and fiber. They can be cooked in various ways, such as baking, boiling, steaming, or frying, and are used in both sweet and savory dishes. We all had Sweet Potatoes given to us at someone Thanksgiving - no doubt ;) That said, aside from being nutritious, Sweet Potatoes are a low-maintenance crop. You grow the slips, cut them off the potato and stick it into the ground and don't worry about the plant again until it's time to harvest. In short... my kind of crop! How to grow Sweet Potato Slips Here's a basic guide on how to grow them: Start with a Sweet Potato: Choose a healthy sweet potato from a local market or grocery store. You'll want organic sweet potatoes because they have usually not been treated with chemicals that could inhibit sprouting. No sprouting = No Sweet Potatoes. Prepare the Sweet Potato: You'll find many different methods online, but I am going to share only mine because it's never failed us. Place the sweet potato horizontally into a container with dirt. Bury it halfway into the dirt. Place in a Warm, Sunny Spot: Put the container in a warm location with plenty of sunlight. Sweet potatoes need warmth and light to sprout. Ideal temperatures are around 75-80°F and up! Mine seem to grow like weeds at 85F though! Wait for Sprouts: In about 2-4 weeks, you should start to see sprouts emerging from the sweet potato . These sprouts are called slips. You can let them grow until they're around 6-8 inches long or longer or shorter. The first ones are usually about 4 inches long before i cut them off and plant them because... I ran out of patience waiting LOL Remove the Slips: Once the slips have grown to a suitable length, carefully twist or cut them off from the sweet potato. Make sure each slip has several leaves and some roots. This is advised but not necessary. I've planted some that were a stick with one leaf and they took off just fine. Root the Slips: Place the slips in a container of water, ensuring that the roots are submerged while the leaves remain above water. Let them root for about a week or two until you see a healthy root system develop. If you want, you can also stick them straight into the ground, but they may take a little longer to take off. Planting: After rooting, transplant the slips into soil. Choose a sunny spot in your garden with well-drained soil. Plant the slips about 12-18 inches apart and bury them halfway so the roots are covered but the leaves are above ground. Care: Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Sweet potatoes require regular watering, especially during dry periods. Mulching around the plants can help retain moisture and suppress weeds. As we're getting into the rainy season, this isn't really an issue, but during drought, if they are still young plants, they will need some help. Harvesting: Sweet potatoes are typically ready to harvest 3-4 months after planting, once the leaves begin to turn yellow and die back. Carefully dig around the plants to avoid damaging the tubers. The next step is of the utmost importance, or you'll end up with non-sweet potatoes that rot much more easily. Curing sweet potatoes is an important step in the post-harvest process. Curing helps sweet potatoes develop their characteristic sweet flavor and improves their storage How to cure Sweet potatoes properly: Harvest at the right time: Sweet potatoes should be harvested when they have reached their full size and are mature. The ideal time for harvesting is after the foliage has started to yellow but before the first frost. Handle with care: Be gentle when harvesting sweet potatoes to avoid bruising or damaging the skin. Bruised or damaged sweet potatoes are more susceptible to rot during curing. Clean the sweet potatoes: Gently brush off any excess soil from the sweet potatoes after harvesting. Do not wash them with water, as moisture can promote decay during curing. Allow them to dry: Place the sweet potatoes in a warm and well-ventilated area to dry for about 1-2 hours. This drying period helps to toughen the skin and prepare the sweet potatoes for curing. Curing process: The curing process requires a warm and humid environment, similar to the conditions of a greenhouse. The ideal temperature for curing sweet potatoes is around 80-85°F with a humidity level of 85-90%. Since we harvested ours in mid-October, we obviously didn't have that much humidity anymore. We put a sheet on our table on the deck, put them all on there, and threw another blanket on top of it. You can, however, create a curing chamber if you feel the need to: If you don't have access to a greenhouse or warm room, you can create a simple curing chamber using a small enclosed space like a basement, garage, or closet. Place a pan of water in the curing chamber to increase humidity. Curing duration: Sweet potatoes should be cured for about 10-14 days (I prefer 14 days). During this time, the starches in the sweet potatoes will convert to sugars, enhancing their sweetness. Check for signs of completion: After the curing period, check the sweet potatoes for signs of completion. The skin should be tough, and the flesh should be sweet and flavorful. Store properly: Once the sweet potatoes have been cured, store them in a cool, dry, and dark place with good ventilation. The ideal storage temperature is around 55-60°F—again, we're in Florida, so we just put them into our pantry room, which generally stays around 70°F in the winter and 74°F or so in the summer. However, do not refrigerate sweet potatoes, as cold temperatures can adversely affect their flavor and texture. Following these steps will help you cure sweet potatoes properly, resulting in sweeter and tastier tubers that can be stored for an extended period. Enjoy your freshly cured sweet potatoes in various dishes and recipes! We certainly do, and after six months of sitting in our Pantry, they are as fresh and firm as ever :) We hope this helps!

So first minor catastrophe in bee keeping: We went to check on the hive again to see if we can find the queen to mark her. Success, first frame there she is! Pretty, isn't it?? Bees are so fascinating and we finally were ready to mark our Queen! At that point, chaos ensues when the entire brood comb collapses and falls off the frame into the grass! Time stopped for a second as we grasped what just happened before the following transpired: With lightning speed, we grabbed the comb full of bees, honey, and whatnot, scooped it up, and put it in the now empty frame spot. It was instinct to put it back where it came from no matter how bad of a decision this may turn out to be (we don't know yet!). Chris started picking up bees off the grass that were sticky with honey and had a hard time moving and put them back in the hive. We put the hive back together, put the queen excluder on, and added the Super on top. At that point, we came inside, snapped at each other for a moment out of frustration (Oh yeah! That's actually happened, lol), calmed down, and called Chris's nephew, who's an experienced beekeeper. He calmed us down quite a bit by telling us that the bees would clean the mess up and it would be OK. Once they clean everything up we can check and see if our Queen is still alive. If not, one of two things will happen. We will either re-queen our hive by buying a new queen, or the hive will create a new queen. We ended up bringing the now empty frame inside, putting a bee wax foundation in it (so they'll have a head start when it goes back into the hive), and adding Rubber bands for comb stability (most folks wire the frames, but since we're beginners, we totally didn't know that, and the beekeeper nephew said rubber bands work just as well). So now we wait. We wait to see if they clean up the hive after our mess, and we wait to see if the Queen is still alive since she was on the dropped comb somewhere. Amazingly, the bees were calm enough, and while stressed when the comb bit the dust, neither of us got stung, and Chris was able to handle the individual bees (and help them not get pestered by Fire ants that, of course, caught wind of the situation.... opportunistic little bastards!) without issues. I feel like Beekeeping is not for the faint of heart and I swear I stopped breathing for a minute lol ... that was definitely stressful but we've learned a lot of valuable lessons! And now the lesson Chris learned:

Welcome to our little slice of heaven, or as we like to call it, "The Plantation of Questionable Life Choices." We're humble homesteaders, attempting to turn this plot of land into a thriving ecosystem of chaos and veggies. Homesteading, where 'Crop rotation' becomes a fancy way of saying 'Musical Chairs for vegetables!' 2024 GOALS Every year we sit down and write our "Wishlist" of everything we want to accomplish throughout the year. Generally we get very ambitious and realize later in the year that the items on our list are way too many to turn into reality. ​ This year we've decided to widdle this down to a REALISTIC list of things we feel we can actually accomplish. ​ On said list is: 1. Expand garden beds and add about 20 raised beds. 2. Pick out and plan Food Forrest. 3. Start buying Fruit trees and get them into the ground. 4. Add a second Flock of chickens with multipurpose breeds. 5. Add 3 Turkeys. (We added 5!) 6. Get Bee Hive and start with bees for Honey Production. ​ OUR FURRY AND FEATHERED FRIENDS Our farm is home to a variety of chickens including Bielefelders, Jersey Giants, and a variety of Barnyard mixes. We've also just acquired Turkeys, and Bees. We believe in treating our animals with love and respect, and we know that happy animals make for better eggs, meat and honey. Click here to learn more about our animals. (Coming soon) Meet Our Animals FEATURED PRODUCTS New Arrival Bug Bite Balm 0.5 oz Price $4.50 Add to Cart New Arrival Bamboo Wooden Soap Holder Price $2.50 Add to Cart New Arrival Ashwagandha Tincture 1 oz Price $9.00 Add to Cart New Arrival Pawesome Peace for Cats & Dogs - 2 oz Price $15.00 Add to Cart New Arrival Pawesome Peace for Cats & Dogs - 1oz Price $9.00 Add to Cart New Arrival Chronic Arthritis for Cats & Dogs - 1oz Price $9.00 Add to Cart New Arrival Activated Charcoal with Bentonite Clay Soap & Tea Tree Oil Price $4.50 Add to Cart New Arrival Activated Charcoal with Bentonite Clay Soap Price $4.25 Add to Cart New Arrival "Neural Zen" Extract 2 oz Price $16.00 Add to Cart New Arrival Eczema Lotion Bar Price $7.50 Add to Cart New Arrival Nose 'n' Toes Soother for Cats & Dogs Price $6.00 Add to Cart New Arrival Anti-microbial and Anti-parasitic Ear Oil for Cats & Dogs - 1oz Price $9.00 Add to Cart New Arrival Stomach Soother for Cats & Dogs - 2 oz Price $15.00 Add to Cart New Arrival Chronic Arthritis for Cats & Dogs - 2oz Price $15.00 Add to Cart New Arrival Bug Bite Balm 2oz Price $9.00 Add to Cart New Arrival Valerian Root Tincture 1 oz Price $9.00 Add to Cart New Arrival "Four Thieves" Lotion Bar with Calendula Price $6.50 Add to Cart New Arrival Ashwagandha Tincture 2 oz Price $14.00 Add to Cart ABOUT "ON OUR OWN HOMESTEAD" We are Mel & Chris Adams, and this is our Journey to a more self-reliant life. It's filled with many clumsy, awkward, and funny moments. We love our life. We love our Smart house, technology, and our modern conveniences. But we also love growing things, being Chicken & Turkey owners, cooking from scratch, and aiming for a more self-sustaining life. On top of that we also create our own herbal products. (This was born out of necessity when Mel got diagnosed with what feels like a random assortment of Auto immune diseases over the course of a number of years). And we're doing all of that on 1.25 acres. Hang on, can we be a Micro Homestead? To keep life interesting we are also Insect Breeders and breed Discoid Roaches for Reptile feeders (5 successful years and counting) and ship those all over the United States daily. If you find yourself in need of Discoid Roaches please feel free to check out Luna Roaches ! Buckle in, promise that occasionally it'll get really weird! I mean we are Cockroach breeding Homesteaders... what could possibly be strange about our life? ;) Our Story "THE CLUCKING CHRONICLES" The best nesting box ever! I have been wanting a reversible rollout nesting box forever. If you ever had to pick up muddy or poopy eggs, you understand what I am... We're growing Seminole Pumpkins again! Guess who's back? Back again! Seminole Pumpkins, that's who! Chicken Mites?! Yikes!! Just the word gives me the heebie jeebies! But here we were, newcomers to serious issues, and we had to address the problem. Read More

AND THIS IS US In a bustling city where the rhythm of life never missed a beat, Chris and Mel found themselves navigating the bustling streets, unaware that destiny had its own romantic script in mind for them. ​ Their story began on a rainy afternoon, with Chris, a perpetually cheerful optimist, darting through the downpour, determined to reach his destination without turning into a soggy mess. Meanwhile, Mel, a pragmatic realist with a penchant for overthinking, was quietly cursing her luck as she wrestled with an umbrella that seemed determined to defy the laws of physics. ​ Their paths collided in a classic "umbrella bump" moment, reminiscent of a scene straight out of a romantic comedy. As they exchanged sheepish apologies and laughter over their shared predicament, little did they know that this chance encounter would mark the beginning of a beautiful friendship. ​ Over cups of steaming coffee and slices of decadent cheesecake at their favorite neighborhood cafe, Chris and Mel discovered a shared love for old movies, cheesy jokes, and late-night conversations about life, love, and everything in between. They became each other's confidants, sounding boards, and partners in crime, navigating the highs and lows of city life with a blend of humor and heart. ​ As the seasons changed and the cityscape transformed, Chris and Mel's bond only grew stronger, evolving from friendship to something more. They laughed, they cried, they danced in the rain, and with each passing day, they found themselves falling deeper and deeper in love. ​ In a city where millions of stories unfolded every day, Chris and Mel's love story stood out as a testament to the power of serendipity, friendship, and the magic of finding your perfect match in the most unexpected of places. And as they strolled hand in hand through the rain-soaked streets, they knew that their love story was just beginning, with every chapter yet to be written. ​ Cute right? It's also utter nonsense and the plot of "How Harry met Sally" LOL ​ To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. Chris and I met each other in a weird way, two people who managed to find each other in a sea of 7 billion other Humans. We first collided in 2016 playing Neverwinter on Xbox, where we both belonged to the same Guild. As life will have it, we lived in different states but soon figured out we were two peas in the same pod. Chris loved Bugs, and Mel loved Bug Photography. We are both avid Gamers and Sci-Fi Lovers. Mel hates Pickles, and Chris loves them. Chris was bald, and Mel had enough hair for two people. You get what we mean ;) ​ About a year into the relationship, we decided to do the strangest thing possible and became Roach breeders. Yep, you read that correctly. We breed Cockroaches. Discoid Roaches, to be exact, and it bloomed into a thriving business that is now in Year 6! You wouldn't believe how many people there are in Florida who also love Reptiles, and those Reptiles have to eat too. We ship Roaches all over the United States and have the most amazing Customers on the planet! Come check us out over on LUNA ROACHES ! Eventually, we had to expand, and so we moved right before COVID-19 at the end of May 2020. Away from the Beach and into Rural Florida onto 1.25 acres. Image this: A blank slate. An entire property with nothing but the new home on it. Nothing was planted, no landscaping, and about 60% of the Land was cleared. We were all in! You would think that would have been enough to wake up our Homesteading gene, but not so much. That didn’t happen until 2021 and it started slowly. We knew some about growing stuff, but not enough to be successful, and the first year, we failed. A LOT! ​ In year two, we started to tackle this with all of the enthusiasm of newlyweds on their wedding night! We researched, we pivoted, we researched, and ended up with a bit of success but not enough to be self-sufficient. But we got smarter and experimented. Due to Mel’s Lupus, growing things that required a lot of maintenance in the garden were out. The Sun triggers Lupus flare-ups, so that was a no-go. (This also re-started the love for Herbalism, and we went all in with School, classes, learning, and research!) We decided to plant ten crops in all of the spirit of “May the odds be ever in your favor!” Seed in the ground, water until germination, and then you are on your own little Plant. We had a LOT of Success that way and had a great harvest of Seminole Pumpkins, Black Eyed Peas, Cassava, Grapes, Mulberries, Cranberry Hibiscus, Tomatoes and Sweet Potatoes. We also learned to bake everything from scratch, canning, fermenting, dehydrating, and adding a Freeze Dryer. ​ Now, in Year three of our Homesteading Journey, we have five Turkeys, a flock of Barnyard mix egg layers that give us the prettiest eggs, and a newly raised flock of Bielefelders and Jersey Giants that will be our Dual-Purpose birds for Meat and Eggs. But that wasn’t enough, and we also decided to become Bee Keepers this year. On top of that, we expanded our growing garden, started our Food Forrest, and now have about triple the space to grow and become more self-sufficient because, after all, that is the goal! ​ Chris and I are the kind of people who don’t mind being together 24/7. We work well together and have a ton of fun doing it, it just works in our marriage. There is rarely a day when we don’t have a belly-aching laugh over something or the other. ​ We hope you come join us on our Journey, it’ll be weird because… weird is what we do best! ​

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