Blog

Sometimes, all it takes is one picture to know that an animal is meant to be part of your homestead. You can’t always explain it. You just see that little face, and something clicks. That’s exactly what happened with Castiel, our angel cow who is, in fact, a goat. 😂

One afternoon, after I finished doing school with the kids, I hopped online to browse the farm groups. I wasn’t looking for another goat. Nope. I wasn’t planning on adding another mouth to feed or another set of hooves to the list of things keeping me busy.

But then I saw her.

This tiny baby looked like a little cow, and both my daughter and I immediately fell in love. You know how these things go. One minute you’re casually scrolling through pictures, and the next minute you’re trying to figure out how to bring home an animal you absolutely were not planning on getting.

And there was one small problem.

Okay, maybe not a small problem. She was eight hours away from us!

The lady who had her was only willing to hold her for one day. So, naturally, we had a decision to make. We could let this adorable little cow-looking goat go, or we could load up and make the eight-hour drive.

I’m sure you can guess which option won.

The next morning, before the sun was even thinking about coming up, we were awake and on the road. Because apparently, when your heart decides you’ve found an animal you’re meant to have, sleep becomes optional, and an eight-hour road trip suddenly sounds like a perfectly reasonable idea.

Was it a long drive? Absolutely.

Was it worth it? Without a doubt.

We brought our little Angel Cow home!

Finding the Perfect Name:

On the drive home, we started talking about names. We tossed around ideas, trying to find something that fit this little girl. Nothing seemed quite right.

So my daughter started calling her Angel Cow.

Honestly, it fit. She looked like a tiny cow, and she’d already managed to work her way into our hearts. Angel Cow it was… at least for the time being.

Later that night, during one of her bottle feedings, I was talking to my daughter about the television show Supernatural. As we talked, the name Castiel came up, and my daughter liked it.

And just like that, our Angel Cow had a proper name! ❤️

Castiel.

For those who don’t know, Supernatural is a television show featuring an angel named Castiel. Since my daughter liked the name, and it fit our little Angel Cow so perfectly, we knew we’d found the one.

A goat who looks like a cow and has the name of an angel? It doesn’t get much better than that! 😂❤️

Our Little Angel Cow

Castiel has turned out to be just as sweet as we hoped. She’s a very laid-back goat, and one of her favorite things to do is follow my daughter around.

I’m pretty sure my daughter has a little shadow with hooves now.

Castiel seems perfectly content to hang out with her, and I have a feeling that bond is only going to grow stronger as she gets older. Some goats are independent and have their own plans for the day. Castiel seems to think that wherever my daughter goes is probably the best place to be.

And when it comes time for Castiel to be bred and eventually have babies of her own? Well, I have a prediction.

I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if she decided that the best place in the entire world to give birth was right there on my daughter’s lap. 😂

Because why would a goat want a perfectly good kidding stall when she could have the personal attention of her favorite human instead?

Of course, we’ll make sure she has a safe, comfortable place to kid when that time comes. But knowing Castiel, I wouldn’t put it past her to insist that my daughter be right there beside her through the whole thing.

That’s just the kind of goat she is.

Looking back, it’s funny to think that I wasn’t even planning on getting another goat that day. I was simply finishing up school with the kids and scrolling through a few farm groups. I had no idea that one little picture would lead to an eight-hour road trip, a late-night bottle feeding, and a goat with the name of a Supernatural angel.

But that’s part of the magic of having a homestead. Sometimes, the animals you never planned on getting are the ones who find their way into your heart anyway.

Castiel may technically be a goat, but she’ll always be our Angel Cow.

And if you ask me, she’s right where she’s meant to be. ❤️

Thank you for reading. Please subscribe!

#mjbackyardingwithkids #PleaseShare #countryliving #GoatLove #supernatural #goatmom #hooves

I just want to take a moment to say thank you!

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to like, follow, subscribe to, read, and share my blog. You might think clicking a button or sharing a post is a little thing, but it means so much to me.

When I started sharing stories about my family, our animals, and life at Delicious Cluckers Homestead, I wasn’t sure who would be interested in reading them. Sometimes it felt like I was talking to an empty room!

But every like, comment, new follower, subscriber, and share reminds me that there are people out there who enjoy following our adventures.

From the funny goat or cow shenanigans to the everyday chaos of family life and homesteading, there’s always a story to tell around here!

If you enjoy reading about our adventures, consider subscribing to my blog ( the link will be at the end of this post) so you can follow along. Every bit of support helps my little corner of the internet grow, and I’m grateful for every single one of you.

From my family and all the critters here at Delicious Cluckers Homestead, thank you for being part of our journey!

Like cows,  goats, chaos, and a little homestead madness? Subscribe and join the fun. Around here, there’s always a story and usually a goat but more than likely a cow causing trouble! 😂

With love and gratitude,

From our homestead to yours. ❤️

Www.mjbackyardingwithkids.com

Lucy enjoying the morning sun! She loves to lay on this little stand.

#mjbackyardingwithkids #PleaseShare #pleasefollow #goats #IloveLucy #goatmom

Sometimes, things don’t work out the way we planned. Sometimes, people change their minds, plans fall apart, and little hearts get broken. But every once in a while, what feels like a disappointment turns out to be exactly what was supposed to happen.

That was the case with Ozzie.

Ozzie is our Nubian doe, and her story started with a promise.

Someone had told my daughter that she could have one of their goat kids if the doe had a doeling. Naturally, my daughter was excited. We waited, expecting to hear when the babies arrived, but that call never came.

Eventually, we found out that the doe had delivered and they had decided to keep the doeling for themselves. They hadn’t even let us know the babies were born.

Now, I understand that people can change their minds. It’s their goat, and ultimately, it’s their choice. So I did what any reasonable adult would do. I said, “Okay, that’s your choice.”

I handled it like an adult.

Then I looked over at my daughter’s face.

And there was the heartbreak.

Well, apparently, the reasonable adult part of me had about a five-minute limit because I went straight to work finding her another doeling!

I found a little Nubian doeling who was being bottle-raised, but there was one small catch: she was about three hours away.

Three hours? No problem! We had a little girl to cheer up, and I was determined to find her the right goat.

The farm where Ozzie was living was wonderful. They were kind enough to send us home with some milk, too, which was especially helpful because, at the time, I didn’t have any does in milk. It was a thoughtful gesture that I truly appreciated.

And just like that, we were on our way home with a new little doeling.

A Name Inspired by a Rock Legend

On the drive home, we started tossing around name ideas for our new little doeling. Then, while we were driving, the radio announced that rock legend Ozzy Osbourne had passed away.

I glanced up at the rearview mirror, and my daughter looked at me and said, “Yeah, let’s name her Ozzie after him.”

And just like that, our little Nubian had her name. ❤️

It felt like the perfect way to remember the moment we brought her home. What started as a disappointing day had turned into a happy new beginning, and our little doeling would forever carry a name inspired by the legendary Ozzy Osbourne. She may be a goat instead of a rock star, but she’s already found her place in our little world!

Getting to Know Ozzie

Ozzie has turned out to be a wonderful doe, and I couldn’t be happier with her. She has a sweet, easygoing personality and fits right in with our homestead herd.

She’s not particularly loud unless she’s in heat. Compared to some goats who seem to have an opinion about absolutely everything,….cough cough…. Buttercup.  Ozzie is pretty quiet most of the time!

She’s also not much of a jumper, at least not for everyone. My husband, on the other hand, is a different story. Ozzie knows he has the treats, and apparently, that makes him worth the extra effort! It’s funny how quickly goats figure out who the treat person is. They might not pay attention when you call them, but let them hear a treat bag, and suddenly they know exactly where you are!

One of my favorite things about Ozzie is her beautiful blue roan coloring. I love the mix of light and dark hairs throughout her coat that gives her that gorgeous blue-gray appearance. It’s such a pretty coloring, and it makes her stand out in our herd.

Between her lovely coloring and her sweet personality, Ozzie has become a doe I’m especially happy to have on our homestead.

I can’t wait to breed her to Damon and see what kind of kids these two produce. I’m curious to see what colors and patterns their babies might inherit, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for this girl!

Sometimes, the Right Goat Comes Along Differently

Looking back, I’m glad things worked out the way they did.

Of course, my daughter was heartbroken when the original plan fell through. She had been excited about that little doeling, and it was disappointing to have something promised and then have it not happen.

But sometimes, a closed door leads you somewhere better.

If everything had gone according to the original plan, we might never have found Ozzie. We might never have brought this beautiful blue roan Nubian doe home or discovered the personality that makes her such a wonderful addition to our herd.

And while I can’t say that every disappointment comes with a better goat waiting three hours down the road, this one certainly did!

My daughter got her goat, our homestead gained a wonderful doe, and I got to add another beautiful animal to our growing herd.

So, yes, my daughter was heartbroken for a little while. But in the end, I think we got exactly the right doe.

Welcome to the homestead, Ozzie. We’re pretty happy you’re here! ❤️🐐

Thank you for reading. Please follow or share!

We are starting up our YouTube channel https://youtube.com/@mjbackyarding?si=H0ZN0P8tsKINxSIE

Please give us a follow there, and come back to keep finding out about our homestead!

It’s fall, y’all! While everyone else is enjoying pumpkin spice and getting ready for Halloween, here on our homestead, we have THREE does due in approximately sixteen days!

I’m hoping all three deliveries go smoothly, but if I’m being honest, there’s one thing I’m really hoping for this time: I want to be there when those babies arrive.

During spring kidding season, I missed two of our does giving birth. Thankfully, both mamas did wonderfully, but I was still disappointed to miss those moments.

There’s something special about watching new life enter the world. Seeing a mama clean her baby for the first time, watching those tiny legs wobble as the baby tries to stand, and witnessing those first few steps toward mama. Those are the moments that never get old.

Meet Our Expecting Mamas!

First up is Temperance, our Mini Nubian and a first-time freshener, bred to Gabriel, our Mini Nubian buck. I’m expecting one kid, but my daughter is convinced we’re getting twins.

Mom says one. Daughter says two.

I guess Temperance is the only one who knows who’s right!

Next is Belladonna, our Nubian, who was also bred to Gabriel. She’s a first-time freshener, and I’m excited to watch her become a mama. She’s come a long way since arriving on our homestead, and seeing her grow more comfortable with us makes this next chapter even more special.

Then we have Selene, our Mini LaMancha, bred to Frank, our Nigerian Dwarf buck. She’s a second freshener, making her the experienced mama of the bunch.

Of course, she’s still a goat, and experience doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll follow anyone’s schedule!

The Waiting Game Begins!

With three does due around the same time, the next couple of weeks will be busy. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the girls and making sure everything is ready for their new arrivals.

After missing two births in the spring, I’m really hoping to witness all three this time. Unfortunately, goats aren’t exactly known for respecting calendars or accommodating our plans.

And if these girls decide to hold out a little longer, we could end up with Halloween babies!

Forget haunted houses. We could have a spooky goat nursery full of tiny hooves, bouncing babies, and little troublemakers trying to climb everything in sight. Honestly, that sounds like a pretty good Halloween to me.

The Moments That Make It All Worthwhile ❤️

Homesteading comes with plenty of hard work. There’s feeding, cleaning, preparing, worrying, and always something else that needs doing. Some days are exhausting, and things don’t always go according to plan.

But then there are moments like these that remind me why this life means so much to me.

For me, it’s not just about having baby goats running around the homestead. It’s about being there when they take their first breaths, watching their mamas care for them, and witnessing the very beginning of their little lives.

Maybe that’s why I was so disappointed to miss those births in the spring. I was grateful that the mamas and babies were doing well, but I still wished I’d been there to see those first precious moments for myself.

Homesteading isn’t about having a perfect property or knowing exactly how every day will turn out. It’s about showing up, doing the work, caring for the animals who depend on you, and learning to roll with whatever the day decides to throw at you.

It’s about celebrating the good days, getting through the hard ones, and finding purpose in the ordinary work that makes this life possible.

Sometimes, that purpose looks like a barn full of chores. Other times, it looks like standing in the barn, watching a tiny, wobbly baby goat take its first steps toward mama.

Those are the moments I want to hold on to when homesteading gets hard. Not because everything went perfectly, but because I was here. I was part of it. I was building a life that means something to me, one day and one tiny hoofprint at a time.

So here’s to three healthy mamas, wobbly little legs, tiny first steps, and hopefully a front-row seat to all three births this time.

And if these girls decide Halloween is a better time to make their appearance? Well, I suppose the goats have never been particularly concerned about my plans anyway.

Thank you for reading!  Please share and follow!

#mjbackyardingwithkids #PleaseShare #goatmom #hooves #fallkiddingseason

#goatkids #goatbabies

Well, look at that! GREEN STUFF! Somebody alert the neighbors because we might actually be growing something around here!

I’ve been working on growing forage for our livestock, and let me tell you, this whole growing-things business is a little more complicated than throwing some seed on the ground and yelling, “Good luck, little buddies!”

Apparently, plants have needs. They want the right weather, the right conditions, and probably a personal invitation delivered in a fancy envelope. Meanwhile, I’m out here checking the ground like a crazy person, wondering if anything is happening or if I’ve just been outsmarted by dirt.

But then there’s THIS.

A little patch of green in a whole lot of brown.

Now, to the average person, this might look like a patch of grass. But to someone trying to grow forage for a hungry herd of goats and a cows, this is practically a red-carpet event. Roll out the tiny green carpet! We have growth! We have potential! We may even have a reason to strut around the property like we know what we’re doing!

Around here, the goats have hay to eat, a mixture to look forward to, and an impressive talent for acting as though they’ve never been fed in their entire lives. The cow isn’t exactly going to turn down a meal, either. Add chickens, daily chores, water buckets, milking, and all the other little jobs that come with homestead life, and there’s always something that needs doing.

Growing our own forage is another piece of the puzzle. It’s about learning what grows well here, making the most of our land, and finding ways to provide more of what our animals need right here at home.

Am I an expert forage grower now? Absolutely not. Let’s not get carried away. I’ve got one promising patch of green, not a PhD in pasture management.

But I’ll take it!

Homesteading has a funny way of changing your perspective. You start getting excited about things you might once have walked right past. A few green shoots become something worth stopping to admire. A garden producing vegetables feels like a little miracle. And a successful kidding season reminds you just how incredible new life can be.

It’s not always pretty around here. There are muddy boots, endless chores, stubborn goats, weather that refuses to cooperate, and plenty of days when things don’t go according to plan. But there are also moments like this, when something you’ve worked toward finally starts to grow.

And those moments mean more than a picture of green grass could ever explain.

When we chose this homestead, we wanted to build a life where we could raise animals, grow more of our own food, and teach our family the value of hard work. We’re still learning, still figuring things out, and occasionally wondering what on earth we got ourselves into. But every little success reminds me why we’re doing it.

This patch of green might not look like much to someone passing by. To me, it represents hope, hard work, and the possibility of doing a little more for ourselves and our animals.

So today, I’m celebrating the green stuff. And if you see me out there staring at it like I’ve discovered a new species, just keep walking. I’m having a moment.

Because homesteading isn’t about having everything figured out. It’s about planting the seeds, doing the work, learning from the failures, and celebrating the little victories along the way.

And sometimes, the smallest patch of green is a reminder that we’re growing more than forage here. We’re growing the life we’ve always wanted, one little piece at a time.

Thank you for reading! Please share!

#mjbackyardingwithkids

#pleaseshare

#countryliving

#growingyourownfood #growingforthem

#goatmom #hooves

#pigs #kunekune #highlandcow #saturday

One of my absolute favorite breeds of goats is the French Alpine.

There is just something about them.

They are a good size, they can produce a LOT of milk, and they are just plain pretty goats. They have the look, the production, and the personality that make them a great fit for what we’re building here on our homestead.

Basically, they check a whole lot of boxes for me.

Which is probably why I needed another one.

Because apparently when you’re a homesteader, the answer to “Do we really need another goat?” is always:

“Well… technically…”

And that’s how Lust came to our homestead.

Meet Lust

Lust came to us as the next addition to our goat herd, but she arrived with a little bit of a different starting point than some of our other goats.

She wasn’t a bottle baby.

That means she didn’t grow up with a human standing in for Mom, feeding her several times a day and becoming the center of her little goat universe.

And you can tell.

Lust isn’t a particularly shy goat. She’s actually pretty confident and curious.

But she’s also not the kind of goat who immediately decides that every human she meets is her new best friend.

She’s more of a “I’ll observe you from over here and decide if you’re worth my time” kind of girl.

She has opinions.

She has boundaries.

And she has absolutely no problem letting you know when she’s not quite ready to cross either one.

Honestly, I think Lust has a little bit of sass built right into her.

She’s independent, curious, and just cautious enough to make you work for the relationship.

She’ll watch what’s going on around her, investigate when she feels like it, and then casually stroll over as if she wasn’t just studying your every move for the last ten minutes.

She’s not afraid.

She’s just selective.

Lust likes to make you earn your membership into her inner circle.

And I’ve been working on my application.

Slowly Earning Her Trust

Getting Lust to trust me has taken a little more patience than it did with our bottle babies.

But we’ve made progress.

And I don’t mean the huge, dramatic kind of progress.

I’m talking about the little things.

Lust will walk up to us now.

She’ll stand close enough for a few pets on her head.

She is becoming more comfortable with our presence.

And those small moments mean a lot.

Because when an animal chooses to come closer to you — when she doesn’t have to, but simply decides that you’re okay — that’s trust being built.

Lust isn’t going to fake it.

If she doesn’t want something, I’m pretty sure we’ll know about it.

But when she decides she’s comfortable?

She lets you know that too.

And I’ve really enjoyed getting to know that side of her.

Lust Has Found Her Happy Place

One place where Lust has apparently decided she has zero trust issues is the milking room.

She LOVES the milking room.

More specifically, she loves getting on the milking stand.

Which I find absolutely hilarious.

Some goats see the milking stand and immediately start acting like you’ve announced their sentence.

Lust walks in like she has a reservation.

“Yes, I’m here for my appointment.”

“I’ll take my usual spot.”

“And don’t forget the snacks.”

She is genuinely interested in what’s happening in the milking room, and she seems more than happy to climb onto the stand.

I’m certainly not going to discourage that.

A goat who willingly gets on the milking stand?

That’s a girl with priorities.

And Lust’s priorities appear to be food, the milking room, and deciding exactly how much affection I’m allowed to give her.

In that order.

The Way to Lust’s Heart

And then we discovered her weakness.

Peanuts.

Lust LOVES peanuts.

Suddenly, that independent little goat who likes to make you work for her attention becomes extremely interested in whatever happens to be in my hand.

“Wait. Are those peanuts?”

“I may have misjudged you.”

“Perhaps we should spend more time together.”

It’s amazing how quickly a goat can reconsider a relationship when snacks enter the conversation.

But I’ll take it.

If peanuts are what help Lust realize that humans aren’t so bad, then I’m happy to participate in this very serious diplomatic negotiation.

What’s Next for Lust?

One of the biggest reasons I love French Alpines is their size and milk production.

They are a great fit for what we’re building here because dairy is an important part of our homestead.

And Lust has the potential to become a really important part of that.

We’re hoping to breed her soon to our French Alpine buckling, Pride.

And yes…

Lust and Pride, Those are their names.

I feel like that deserves a moment.😅

I’m not saying the name combination was intentional.

I’m also not saying it wasn’t.

But now I’m really looking forward to seeing what these two might produce.

I’m hoping for beautiful, healthy French Alpine babies with the traits we love about the breed.

Although, if they inherit Lust’s personality, we may want to prepare ourselves, because Lust is definitely her own goat.

She doesn’t need to be the first one to the gate.

She doesn’t need to demand attention.

She doesn’t need to be in my lap.

She’s perfectly happy to take her time, watch what’s happening, decide whether she approves, and then participate when it suits her.

And honestly?

I like that about her.

Why Lust Matters

Lust is still finding her place here, and I’m really enjoying watching that happen.

She may never be the goat who comes running up looking for attention, and that’s okay.

She’s Lust.

She’s got her own personality, her own pace, and apparently her own rules about when we’re allowed to be friends.

But every time she walks up to us, accepts a little scratch on the head, or happily steps onto the milking stand, I see a little more trust. And that’s what makes those moments special.

That’s one of the things I love most about homesteading.

It’s not just about raising livestock, filling milk pails, raising babies, growing food, or checking chores off a never-ending list.

It’s about building something — and building relationships.

It’s learning that every animal has its own personality and that not every relationship develops the same way.

Some animals love you immediately

Some make you work for it.

And some apparently require a carefully negotiated peace treaty involving peanuts.

But when an animal that once kept you at arm’s length finally chooses to walk over and stand beside you, there’s something pretty special about that.

Lust is teaching me that trust doesn’t have to be loud to be meaningful.

Sometimes it’s just a goat taking a few steps toward you.

Sometimes it’s a little head scratch.

Sometimes it’s willingly stepping onto the milking stand.

And sometimes it’s a suspicious goat deciding that maybe you’re not so bad after all.

We’re still getting to know Lust, and I’m sure she has plenty more personality to reveal.

For now, we’re happy to have her here, excited about what the future might hold with Pride, and enjoying every little step forward.

Because this is homesteading to me — showing up every day, doing the work, caring for the animals, growing and raising what we can, earning their trust, and finding joy in the little victories that would probably look completely ordinary to everyone else.

We’re building a life here, one animal, one chore, one harvest, and one muddy boot at a time.

And if one of those animals happens to be a beautiful, independent French Alpine who requires a few peanuts before she’s willing to admit we’re friends…

Well, that’s just part of the story.

And I’m pretty happy Lust is part of ours

Thank you for reading!  Please share!

#mjbackyardingwithkids #PleaseShare #FrenchAlpineGoats #lust #goats #goatmom

When you have goats, you quickly learn that they don’t all come to you ready to be your best friend. Some goats arrive on the homestead already convinced that humans are pretty great. They walk right up, want treats, want scratches, and act like they’ve known you forever.

And then there are the skittish ones.

The ones who watch you from across the pen.

You try to talk to them.

You offer them a treat.

They stare at you like you’ve completely lost your mind.
Then they turn around and RUN like you’ve just announced you’re serving goat for dinner.

Getting a skittish goat to trust you can take a LOT of time and patience. You have to let them come to you. You can’t force it. Sometimes you make progress, and sometimes it feels like you’ve taken three steps backward.

And honestly, some goats may never completely come around.

So when you finally get through to one?
It is an absolutely amazing feeling. Belladonna came to us very skittish. She would watch me. She would look at me. She knew I was there.

But that was about it.

She wasn’t exactly lining up to come over and hang out with me.

Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time simply being around her, talking to her, and letting her learn that I’m not going to hurt her.

Then one day, something changed.

Belladonna came walking over and stood beside me.

My heart jumped.

This was a goat who had spent all this time keeping her distance from me, and suddenly she was standing there beside me like, Okay… maybe you’re alright.

And then she did something that made my heart stop altogether.
She turned her head…
…and gave me a kiss. ❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️

That little moment probably doesn’t look like much to someone else.

It’s just a goat giving a person a kiss.

But to me?

It was HUGE.

Because I know how far Belladonna has come.
I know how much time it has taken.

I know how many times I’ve sat there simply trying to earn a little bit of her trust.

And in that moment, she made the choice to come to me.

She chose to stand beside me.

She chose to let me get close.

And then she gave me a kiss.

I was over the moon

These are the moments that make all the work of having a homestead worth it. Not just the milk, the babies, the eggs, the gardens, or everything we produce.

It’s the relationships with the animals. It’s earning the trust of an animal that didn’t automatically trust you.

It’s watching a scared, unsure goat slowly realize that you’re safe. And maybe to some people, Belladonna walking over and giving me a kiss isn’t a big deal.

And that’s okay.

Because it doesn’t have to be a big deal to them. It was a big deal to me.

Not everyone needs to understand or appreciate the little moments that mean the most to me. Sometimes the sweetest moments are the ones that probably look completely ordinary to everyone else.

But I know what it took to get there.

I know the months of patience.

I know the quiet moments of simply letting Belladonna decide when she was ready.

And then, when she finally was ready, she came to me.

So Belladonna, that little kiss?

I’ll be keeping that one.

Because you may be just a goat, but you are a goat who finally decided that I was safe.

And there is something incredibly special about knowing that an animal who once kept her distance now chooses to come close.

That little kiss wasn’t just a kiss.

It was trust.

And Belladonna, I will treasure that trust for a very long time

Thank you for reading! Please share it would mean the world to me.

#mjbackyardingwithkids #PleaseShare #countryliving #GoatLove #belladonna #kisses

#friendswholoveyouwillnotbemean

One of the things I absolutely love growing on our homestead is pumpkins.
For the longest time, I had a pumpkin-growing dream.

I wanted to grow one of those HUGE pumpkins. You know the ones. The pumpkins that weigh 500, 800, 1,000 pounds or more.

The kind of pumpkin where you don’t just pick it up and carry it inside. You need a tractor, a wagon, three people, and possibly a small construction crew.
I’ve always thought it would be amazing to grow one of those monsters.

And maybe someday I still will.

But this year, I accomplished another pumpkin-growing dream. I grew two Jarrahdale pumpkins!

I know.

Try to contain your excitement.

I realize that saying, “I grew two pumpkins,” probably doesn’t sound like some major  accomplishment.
But here’s the thing…

I’ve been trying to grow Jarrahdales for YEARS.
And every year I’d plant them, give them attention, water them, watch them grow…
And then apparently the pumpkins would hold a little meeting and decide:

“Nope. Not this year.”

Because gardening is like that.
You can carefully plant seeds, water them, fertilize them, weed around them, protect them from bugs, and generally give them more attention than anything else got…
And the plant can still look at you and say,

“I have chosen death.”

So imagine my excitement when this year I walked out into the garden and discovered not one…but TWO JARRAHDALE PUMPKINS.

I DID IT! HAPPY DANCE!!

Jarrahdale pumpkins are pretty cool looking, too.
They’re an Australian heirloom variety named after Jarrahdale in Western Australia. Instead of the traditional bright orange pumpkin, they have this gorgeous blue-gray, almost slate-colored skin. They’re ribbed and somewhat flattened, which makes them look like they showed up to the pumpkin patch wearing fancy clothes.
And they’re not just pretty.

They’re edible, too.

The flesh inside is a beautiful orange color and is sweet and flavorful, making them great for things like roasting, soups, baking and pies. They also store well, which is always a bonus when you’re trying to grow food instead of just growing things that look pretty for Instagram. Although let’s be honest…
I still think they’re pretty enough to sit on the porch and show off for a while.

Because that’s another thing I love about growing our own food. There’s something incredibly satisfying about walking outside and seeing something that started as a tiny seed and thinking,
“I grew that.”
Even if it’s only two pumpkins.
And maybe that’s one of the things homesteading has taught me.

We tend to think every accomplishment has to be BIG.

A huge garden.

A giant harvest.

A barn full of animals.

A freezer packed with food.

A pantry that looks like you’re preparing for the apocalypse.

And yes, those things are awesome.

But sometimes success looks like two weird blue-gray pumpkins sitting in your garden. Sometimes it’s getting your first tomato to actually ripen.

Sometimes it’s keeping a plant alive long enough to produce something you can eat.
And sometimes it’s finally growing the thing you’ve been trying to grow for years.
So no…

I didn’t grow a 2,000-pound pumpkin this year, but I grew two Jarrahdales.
And after all the years of trying, I’m pretty darn proud of them.

Maybe someday I’ll grow that giant pumpkin.
And when I do, I’ll be out there standing beside it thinking…

“Well crap. Now how the heck am I getting this thing into the house?”

For now, though?
I’m going to celebrate my two pumpkins, because around here, two pumpkins can absolutely be a big deal.

Whats something you have been trying to grow ?

Thank you for reading,  please share!

#mjbackyardingwithkids #PleaseShare #Jarrahdalepumpkin

#pumpkinseason

#growing

If you spend any time around homesteaders, you’ve probably heard the same thing:

“Goats are escape artists.”

“Never trust a goat around a fence.”

“Goats will find a way out.”

“Your goats WILL escape.”

Okay.

Apparently, my goats didn’t get the memo.
Because in all the years I’ve had goats, not one of them has broken out.

Not one.

I have Nigerian Dwarfs, Nubians, LaManchas, Alpines, Mini Nubians…

A whole herd of little hooved troublemakers.
And somehow, they stay where they are supposed to stay.

Sure, they will stand at the fence and stare at me like they are plotting my downfall.

They’ll climb things they shouldn’t.
They’ll stick their heads into places that make absolutely no sense.
But actually escaping?
Nope.

My goats have apparently decided to respect property boundaries. My cows, however, have absolutely no respect for anything.

Especially my bull.

That boy has horns, muscles, confidence, and apparently zero regard for private property. His latest escape wasn’t even through a gate.
He decided the fence itself was offensive.

So he used those beautiful horns we love so much to create a GIANT HOLE in the fencing. Because apparently walking through an opening wasn’t dramatic enough.

No.

He needed to MAKE an opening.
And then, of course, he got out.

Because why wouldn’t he?

There I am, once again, dealing with a cow who has apparently decided that the grass on the other side of the fence is worth committing a felony over.

Meanwhile, my goats are standing behind their fence like:

“We would never.”

And honestly?

They’re right.

My goats are starting to look like the responsible livestock around here.

THE GOATS.

The animals everyone warned me about.
The animals famous for escaping.
The animals people swear will make you question every life decision you’ve ever made.
Meanwhile, my cows are over here treating the homestead like an escape room.

And my bull?

He’s apparently trying to earn his GED in Fence Destruction.
The funniest part is that we actually like horns around here.

We like our goats with horns.

We like our cattle with horns.

We appreciate what they have and we’re not going to pretend horns aren’t useful.
But buddy…

You don’t have to use yours to remodel the damn fence.
At this point, I’ve stopped worrying about whether my goats are going to escape.
I’m more concerned about whether my cattle are going to wake up one morning and decide:

“You know what this place needs? An exit.”

So when someone tells me, “Be careful. Goats are escape artists,” I just smile.
Because around here, the goats aren’t the problem.

The goats are the well-behaved ones.
The cows are the ones with the criminal records.
And the bull?
He’s currently on fence probation

Thank you for reading! Please share!!

#mjbackyardingwithkids #cows #highlandcow #sunday

#horns #howdidthecowsgetout