Growing up , Kelsey Vick of Homemade Montana Homestead recalls a childhood fill up with crybaby , fruit tree and a large garden that inspired lovesome memories of “ incorporating a hobby farm into my daily biography . ”

After notice the empty memory ledge during the start of the pandemic in 2020 , Vick was go to get back to being ego - sufficient and startedHomemade Montana Homestead . It ’s a venture with a mission to return to focusing on the rudiments and striving towards a state of being ego - reliant — helped in part by a rooster named Ziggy .

Taking prison term out from homesteading duties , Vick spoke with us about organizing and accomplishing DIY tasks and the joy of the Idaho pasture fuzz strain . We also got the scoop on progress to elderberry syrup .

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Returning to a State of Self-Sufficiency

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The early pandemic visual sense of empty foodstuff shop shelves actuate Vick to act on a path to ego - enough .

“ I know I needed to pace back in metre and memorize how to preserve and take care of my kinfolk without the changeless need of a grocery store , ” she recalls .

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“ The more I dive down the ego - enough road , the more I love it — and yet the more I realize how reliant we are on our current supply system . My destination is to turn towards ego - adequacy , but it ’s a long route . It ’s not impossible , but it ’s not easy either . ”

record more : Longing for self - enough ? Side hustles can help .

Mastering DIY Projects

Vick articulate that her most ambitious DIY project to date has been devise a fenced pasture for her feeder pigs .

“ We ignore all our own timber , peeled all the logarithm for posts by paw , dig out almost 55 office holes 32 - inches recondite , and stretched all the novel fence , ” she recall . “ Now when we step back and look at it , we sleep together see the hog shed my husband build and all the beautiful fencing . ”

Vick adds that next on the agenda is search and see more about the Idaho pasture pig stock that will gain from the “ Modern spacious living area . ”

The Wonders of Elderberry Syrup

Vick late posted a recipe for elderberry sirup to Homemade Montana Homestead ’s social media duct . ( It includes the addition of ground ginger , cinnamon and raw beloved . ) “ Elderberry syrup is a gravid way to give your resistant organisation a little hike , ” state Vick .

When it comes to incorporating elderberry sirup into your mealtime , Vick recommend drizzling it over pancakes and coalesce a spoonful with soda water supply and apple cider vinegar for a homemade tonic .

Read more : Check out this recipe for mere icebox common elder syrup !

Spotlight on Ziggy the Rooster

One of the mavin of Homemade Montana Homestead is a cock name Ziggy . ”The rooster I never wanted is now the cock I do n’t want to lose , ” explicate Vick . “ Do n’t get me incorrect , he ’s definitely still a mingy cock . But I love his personality .

“ When I pick up my chickens at the feed store I had them double check all of my chicks to see to it I did n’t have a rooster , ” continues Vick . “ However , as the hebdomad went by I noticed one of my chicken I called Sunflower was terrorizing all the other chicken . A few more weeks expire and it was obvious Sunflower was a top dog , a rooster .

“ I plan to rid the farm of Sunflower , but I could barleycorn catch the darn affair . So as he zig - zagged off from me and around the pen , I decided to name him Ziggy . ”

Vick adds that Ziggy still “ run in fear from me ” but that she ’s “ grateful he ’s around to protect my ladies . ”

Collecting Chicken Eggs & Baskets of Veggies

On a day-by-day basis , Vick ingest huge joy from collecting volaille eggs at her homestead . “ It ’s by far the most rewarding because it ’s like pull together a economic rent handicap every mean solar day , ” she says . “ I also love step down to the basement to grab some of my home - canned goodness . But in the summer , nothing beats filling a handbasket full of yield and vegetable that we grew . ”