Blog · Page 3 of 3 · The Farhner Homestead

17Oct 2013 by Ben Farhner No Comments

Cider Pressing

My parents' neighbors press cider every year. They bring over a huge crate of apples from across the mountains and host a big pressing party with food and fire where everyone takes turns chopping, grinding, pressing, and pouring. They sell the cider for $3 a gallon and it tastes absolutely delicious fresh. [caption id="attachment_91" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Picking apples with a human ladder[/caption] This year, though, we had the opportunity to pick as many apples as we wanted from a friend's house, where they had a dozen or so neglected apple trees, for free. The apples were weighing the trees down and littering the ground, there were so many of them! So we loaded up several buckets, bins, and boxes, and took them home to press. [caption id="attachment_93" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Grinding…

30Sep 2013 by Ben Farhner No Comments

Apartment Gardening

Garden

We live in an apartment. We have 13 months left on our lease. Do you know what this means? No yard. We've been making do with a balcony garden, which has been a great learning experience, but it's quite limiting in terms of space. But God is good, and He blessed us with a wonderful landlady who is letting us use the yard below our second floor apartment for gardening. How often does that happen? I'm convinced that God is behind our desire for land, for debt-free living, for self-sustainability. And I'm convinced that He is blessing us in the meantime, while we build up a down payment and search for the perfect parcel of property, by teaching us how to live sustainably, by allowing us to learn from others' wisdom (and…

22Sep 2013 by Arielle Farhner No Comments

Watching Trees Grow

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For anyone who knows me, it's no secret that "patience" is NOT my middle name (though my mother always regretted it!). Lately, the slow process of working on my vintage '67 Bug has been excruciating and things like difficult puzzles or long books often lose my interest. With the multitude of changes in the last couple of weeks - changing seasons, changing schedules, changing weather - I have felt a deep longing and hope for another change: to finally move onto our property and begin building our home. Especially this week as my kitchen was overtaken by Ben's homebrew setup, this desire for more space (or at least a separate cookhouse kitchen!) was definitely heightened. As I've watched so many friends post photos this week on Facebook or update about their…

13Sep 2013 by Arielle Farhner No Comments

Blessing Baskets

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Do any of you ever feel like eating is a chore? I definitely used to feel like this when I was young and in college. I could go through my entire day, attend classes, study, and work my shift at the restaurant in the evenings without hardly eating a bite. It was hard to remember to eat, and when I did, it often wasn't the most healthy. A slice of coffee cake (or if I was feeling healthy, a Starbucks Protein Box) and a soy chai latte was my meal of choice. Thanks to lots of growth and knowledge and a hefty paradigm shift, I have come to view food as much more of a blessing or a privilege, especially when it is natural, organic, GMO-free and fresh. I believe…

12Sep 2013 by Ben Farhner No Comments

Healthy Eating: How Far to Go

Food

Often people want to eat healthy, but think it's not really feasible for them. Organic is too expensive, it takes too much time to prepare the food, etc. Others are willing to take some steps, but think it's too difficult to switch to a truly healthy diet, so they compromise. And still others take the bandwagon to the end of the road: all home-grown organic non-GMO foods. So where do you draw the line? How far do you go toward healthy eating? Well, there are certainly some practical boundaries to consider. But there are also practical solutions. Cost One of the biggest hinderances I hear from people about healthy eating is the cost—or rather, the perception of cost. Many people think it's expensive to eat healthy, but that's simply not true. My wife and I…

12Sep 2013 by Ben Farhner No Comments

No Admittance Except On Party Business

Construction

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. Our plan is to live in a hobbit-hole, round door, brass knob, and all. And our plan is to build it ourselves, from the ground up—ground included! But that's silly, right? After all, it's a thing written about in fantasy books. Our plan is actually a bit more involved than just a hobbit-hole, and while we do plan on having a No Admittance Except On Party Business sign permanently stationed outside the door, there are several quite practical reasons for our…

03Sep 2013 by Arielle Farhner No Comments

Once Upon a Barn Raising

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Though most of us like to take a break from work to enjoy Labor Day, Ben and I traveled about an hour south to the home of some good friends who are in the process of renovating their house. They purchased their lovely farmhouse on five acres a number of years ago but then needed to move out of state for work and subsequently decided to rent it out. After five years of being inhabited by less-than-ideal renters, it was almost heartbreaking to see how much work needed to be done to restore their beautiful home to regain its prior charm. God is always good, though, and while the work seems slow-going, it has made for some very enjoyable work parties often followed by roasting s'mores around the bonfire. Though…

29Aug 2013 by Arielle Farhner No Comments

What’s up with FarhnerHomestead.com?

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I suppose with publishing of our new website (isn't my hubby amazing?!) it might be nice for us to articulate why we feel the need to add our life experiences to the internet. Some days even I question why. Just the thought of the whole world potentially knowing our struggles and failures makes me doubt and rethink every thing we post on this site. Lately I have even felt myself pulling away from Facebook, I rarely use my Twitter account anymore, and Pinterest has all but lost its luster. Aside from watching shows on Hulu or Netflix while I'm working in the kitchen (which, thanks to The Sustainability Snowball, seems like a lot of time lately!), I really don't utilize Internet much these days. So why invite the entire world…

29Aug 2013 by Ben Farhner No Comments

The Sustainability Snowball

Sustainability

My dream—and now our goal—is to be self-sustaining. The thing is, sustainability is a slippery slope. First you're just trying to eat healthy and spend less money, but that quickly escalates to plans for an earth-sheltered home powered by solar panels. Before you know it, you're off the grid, milking a cow twice a day and composting everything. And in my wife's view, we're all wearing linens woven by hand, singing kumbaya around a campfire, much to her chagrin. But right now we live in an apartment. So we're starting out slow, doing what we can until we buy our plot of land, researching and learning now so we can jump right into things when the time comes. We've started baking our own bread, brewing our own beverages, gardening on…

27Aug 2013 by Arielle Farhner No Comments

Man plans, God laughs

Homesteading

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6 When my aunt and uncle were recently visiting from the Midwest, I was reminded about how, when I was a little girl, I had promised my grandfather that I would never marry a farmer. At the time, he had laughed at me and said that you always marry the opposite of who you say you will. My grandpa towered over 6-year-old me at a whopping 5'7" and swore he would marry a taller woman to "even out the genes." Then he met my grandma and fell instantly in love with all four 4'10" of her! Nevertheless, I was convinced no "farmer" had any chance of…