So much has been learned since last I posted any kind of blog. If you have been following our instagram or facebook you can see snid bits of our lives unfolding but with life on a homestead there is so much more than any one post or a simple blog could do justice.
2020 has been a crazy kind of year for everyone. If it has taught us anything, it is that we need to be more driven to grow our own food, let the earth take care of us and lean more on God than we ever have. Sufficiency has been key to our thriving community since things have gone bonkers. While toilet paper has never been a concern of ours, food and other resources are on the top of our list… but then again, that always has been. We aren’t growing these things because we are worried about Stuff Mart running out of supplies. But if people have learned anything this year, I hope it is the need to stop relying on the conveniences that today’s society has crippled us with. It has made us weak and fearful of the future.
Proverbs 31 has been an instruction manual for our quest to be a more sufficient community.
God has made us stewards of this Earth. (Gen 2:15) To be good stewards of this Earth, one must get to know the Earth, take care of it and tend to it just like any other relationship. Job tell us to “speak to the earth and it will teach us”. Does that sound silly to you? A relationship with the Earth? Well, the Earth is a living, breathing entity and if you take a moment to get to know her, you will experience a wonderful friendship right under your own feet….. 😉 literally.
Beneath our feet as we touch them barefoot to the ground our bodies can begin to release those negative energies including man made emfs from our body. This release happens as the current that is constantly flowing in our bodies is broken or grounded out when we stand barefoot on the ground or dig with our hands in the dirt. This barefoot gardening as we like to put it, is a good way to really get connected with the earth. I will share some scriptures that God revealed to me that this practice is worth partaking in. I believe that our words, sweat and tears can have an effect on the earth as well. It benefits the soil, the plants and the very air we breathe. Since the very beginning we have been called to have a relationship with the Earth. I mean, the Tree of Knowledge and The Tree of Life by just the name reflects the very idea that the plants and the environment interact with us… dare I say, even speak to us, giving us knowledge and life.
I can certainly tell you from experience that if you stop and listen, the earth and all the elements are trying to speak to us or even better still, trying to teach us something. I absolutely love the scripture from Job telling us to “ask the animals and they will instruct you.” The animals know far more than we do when it comes to sustainability and the simplicity of life. Even the sparrows know. This instruction can come in many forms. I am reminded of how one day, many years ago one of our goats had just given birth to 5 babies. She had a real bad case of diarrhea. When we let her out to graze for the day she ran right over to the ragweed and began to eat it like crazy. I only knew this was significant because just the day before I read that giant rag weed helps with diarrhea and other issues. Her next stool was back to normal and I was just amazed at how God provides. Oh how we humans have domesticated ourselves so…. I believe that there is a great awakening. One that has sparked a desire to learn about the plants around us and eat the weeds and use the leaves for medicine. (Ezekiel 47:12, Gen 9:3, Rev 22:2, Isaiah 38:21)
But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you. Speak to the earth, and it will teach you; let the fish of the sea inform you. Job 12:7-8
I repeat “speak to the earth and it will teach you” (Job 12:8)
God used fire and a plant (the burning bush) to speak to Moses and he told him to take off his shoes (in other words ground out all those excess energies)… (Exodus 3)
God used a vine to teach Jonah a lesson… (Jonah 4)
God used the elements wind/water (cloud) and fire to show the way for the Isrielites (Exodus 13:21)
God told Moses to speak to a rock (Numbers 20:8)
Jesus used his spit and dirt to make mud for healing and told the blind man to wash it off with the healing waters of Siloam. (John 9:6-7)
I may not have any of my own mud healing the blind stories to tell (other than the one above) but I have seen and experienced the healing that comes with the earth. If it be the ocean, stones, grounding, herbs or the like, the earth is full of healing elements that God blessed us with.
And that brings me to this huge addition we have been blessed with, our hoop house. This greenhouse like building has helped us with a year round connection to the earth that we normally would not be able to have. About this time last year, we built our first hoop house aka high tunnel. We were able to get a grant through our local NRCS office and worked with them to make our HH a success.
We have learned so much this year but there is still so much to learn. We planted tomatoes, asparagus, artichokes, marshmallow, different bean varieties, squashes, luffas, castor beans, peppers, egg plant, okra, onions and some herbs. Those are pretty typical for the Texhoma area. But as we began to grow these things I realized that inside the hoop house was like a tropical paradise. I wondered if I could grow things like ashwagaundah, pineapples and avocado trees. After some research and a few clicks on the computer I was ready to see how these plants would do under these Texhoma hoop house conditions. We will soon know if they will last throughout the winter.
I will post a prequel of how we prepared the ground for planting and share our regeneration farming practices along with some organic and sustainable ways to garden.
Hope you guys had a beautiful Hanukkah and have an amazing Christmas celebrating the love and miracles that our Creator has provided.