Homesteading & Life

There’s a moment in the garlic patch that signals summer is truly here—when curly, green tendrils begin to emerge from the tops of the plants, twisting upward like nature’s own whimsical scrolls. These are garlic scapes, and if you’ve never cooked with them, you’re in for a treat.

If you’ve ever sipped a cup of herbal tea and wondered if you could grow the ingredients yourself—the answer is yes. You don’t need a massive garden or years of experience to get started. In fact, just a few thoughtfully chosen herbs can provide enough for tea all season long (and even into the winter).

Your lymphatic system doesn’t get nearly as much attention as your heart or lungs—but it plays a vital role in keeping your body healthy. Think of it as your body’s drainage and immune transport system—carrying away waste, toxins, and cellular debris while supporting immune function. When it gets sluggish, we feel it: puffiness, fatigue, poor skin health, and a lowered sense of vitality. Thankfully, nature offers us powerful yet gentle herbal allies to support the lymphatic system—and many of them can be grown right in your backyard.

If you’ve ever grown squash, zucchini, pumpkins, or gourds, you’ve probably met the dreaded duo: squash bugs and squash vine borers. These pests can decimate healthy plants seemingly overnight, leaving once-thriving vines wilted and full of holes—or worse, completely collapsed.

Calendula might just be the hardest-working flower in my garden. With its golden blooms, calming energy, and powerful healing properties, it’s become a staple in everything from my skincare line to my summer tea blends. Whether you’re growing herbs for the first time or looking to add more purpose to your flower beds, calendula is one of the most rewarding plants to grow.

This season started late. We waited and watched, wondering when the trees would wake up. And just when we began to find our rhythm, it ended. It was short—so short.

Spring has officially arrived here at Wild Faith Acres, and with syrup season wrapped, we’re shifting our focus back to the soil—seed trays on every surface, garden maps spread out across the table, and dreams of warm tomatoes and vibrant blooms pulling us forward.

We didn’t start with ducks. Like many new homesteaders, we thought we’d raise chickens—but as time went on, we realized chickens weren’t the right fit for us. Between the predators, the noise, and the behavior we saw with our young kids around, it just didn’t feel like the right match for our homestead.

Maple syrup has long been a staple of North American life, with deep roots in Indigenous traditions and centuries of adaptation by European settlers. While modern production methods often rely on evaporators, pipelines, and high-tech filtration, we still embrace an older, time-honored method—boiling sap over an open fire and carefully condensing it into golden syrup.

There’s something magical about maple syrup. Its rich, golden sweetness has graced tables for centuries, but it’s more than just a topping for pancakes. For our family, maple syrup is a labor of love—one that connects us to nature, to tradition, and to each other.

Five lessons we learned in our second year of sugar making.