Hip Chick Digs

We hatched a clutch of chicks earlier this summer — a highlight of the season for our kids, who helped care for them from day one. 🐣💛

We’re keeping three to raise with our flock and have found a wonderful home for the other chicks and a couple of our adult hens. At just about a month old, it’s still too early to know who’s a hen or a roo — but we’re adopting them out now so their new family can raise them through the rest of their chickhood.

Hatching chicks has been a gentle, hands-on way for our kids to learn:
— How to gently care for the vulnerable
— That livestock "needs" come before screen time "wants"
— That sometimes you do everything right, but things don't go as planned. We just do our best.

It’s a process rooted in curiosity, responsibility, and sometimes letting go — all valuable lessons in growing up and growing a homestead. 🌱

Have you noticed the egg shortage?? We were on a family vacation last wk + I returned to *so* many questions about the egg shortage, keeping chickens, etc. Grocery store shelves are cleared of eggs + all my baking friends are frustrated!

The current shortage is related to avian flu, which thankfully has not affected our urban flock. We do have plans to add a couple hens to our backyard flock this spring, but I'm now worried chick scarcity might be the next shortage if ppl rush to buy their own backyard flocks...

It's always been a core value of mine to produce as much food as possible from our urban homestead - for both ecological + self sufficiency reasons. The egg shortage is another compelling reason why creating a food productive landscape can be so worthwhile.

Somehow I found time to write a blog post 😆 It's all about our new rain garden: what they are, why these sustainable landscape features are important, + resources to help you DIY'ers 💦
https://www.hipchickdigs.com/2021/02/backyard-rain-garden/

Pop on over to our Instagram to check out all the amazing content that Hip Chick Digs is posting during her Instagram takeover! Here's a little sneak peek!

"Hello, it's Renee Wilkinson from Modern Homestead! Fulcrum is letting me take over their IG acct for the wk to share a peek at our homesteading life. There's no time like the present to make our lives more self-sufficient.⁠
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Our harvest this week includes homegrown tomatoes, asian pears, fresh herbs, + eggs from our backyard chickens. I'm looking forward to showing you how we use what we grow on our own modern homestead.⁠
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My book covers the basics on how to grow an edible garden, keep backyard livestock, and preserve the harvest. Even small spaces can make a big impact in your self-sufficiency.⁠
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Have questions about getting started? Wondering what to do with your garden produce? How noisy are those backyard chickens? Ask away!⁠"

https://bookshop.org/books/modern-homestead-grow-raise-create/9781555917487

Childhood at it's best: freckles, searsucker, sunshine, + cherry tomatoes. The kids chow down on the bed with cherry tomatoes constantly - very few make it in the house. But there is a family rule that no one picks from the "sauce bed" except mama.

July homestead in full swing. Tomatoes head-high + ripening (finally). Pruned them for better air circulation. Underplanted them w cool season carrots + parsnips. Potato greens are starting to die back. All the tender salad greens are gone, soon to be replanted for the cool season. The basket continues to stay full.

Enjoying the view while I can. Soon enough I'll be tied to the canning pot.

Beds are weeded + tomatoes are over two feet. Looks good, right? Not pictured are planting beds that need weeding, invasive morning glory invading thru the fence, chicken coop that needs cleaning... Feeling behind is a constant homesteading companion.

I decided to experiment by poaching half of this harvest... and I swiftly regretted the decision. Just steam them! Artichokes have such a delicate flavor - it gets totally lost with anything other than the simplest preparation.

I don't work Fridays, so we decided to goof around with a mini photoshoot. 3/4 of us thought it was a great idea 😂

We are beyond fortunate to have our little homestead during these uncertain times. I'm busy sowing seeds + tackling weeds. The kids are creating games or finding quiet spaces to be alone with a book. I think my sanity would be long gone without my hands in the earth.

Hello gorgeous! It's nearly time for my favorite spring vegetable: artichokes! They are a fantastic, perennial veggie that prefers milder climates. They grow with very little care on my homestead and the silvery-green foliage looks really pretty in the garden.

Homegrown rainbow eggs make the coolest dyed eggs! We just used food coloring w a splash of vinegar, but got this great range of earthy tones. That last one pictured looks like a dinosaur egg!