After a bountiful harvest from spring and summer, fall arrives in time for the garden to rest with deeply rooted vegetables and leafy greens. The leaves are changing, and the flowers are dying back, yet I still look at the raised beds in astonishment. The past 3 seasons have brought us so much joy and change, yet the main thing has remained the same: God’s blessings over Bradley’s Homestead.
Our Harvest
Our spring and summer garden featured a variety of plants grown from seed. All of the vegetable starts were available for sale, and all proceeds support our mission.
We grew acorn squash, birdhouse gourds, butterbeans, corn, cucumbers, eggplants, green beans, honeydew, kohlrabi, leeks, lima beans, musk melon, okra, pumpkin, yellow squash, watermelon, and zucchini. Several varieties of peppers: Anaheim, bell, cayenne hot salsa blend, hungarian paprika, hungarian wax, pinata blend, poblano, seasoning spice, sweet chocolate, sweet pepper blend, sweet tangerine, Thai chili. Along with tomatoes: brandywine, Cherokee Purple, glacier, roma, and tomande. Our flowers were in full bloom: calendulas, cosmos, marigolds, nasturtium, sunflowers, and wildflowers.
Our Animals
On Saturday, November 22, 2025, we are processing a batch of meat chickens. This past month, we also decided to add more laying hens to our flocks. They are still under the heat lamp and will relocate to their coop soon. The Yorkshire pigs have settled in comfortably at our Salters location. They are growing so fast, yet not fast enough for some farm-raised pork chops.
Additionally, we have decided to add cattle to the operation, and our Dexter cows will be coming home soon since Swoosh and Carnal have completed the pasture and shelter.
Homestead Happenings
October’s Craft Therapy classes were a success! October’s theme was Fall Flavors: smell, taste, touch the flavors of Fall. We created a fall-inspired simmer pot, an edible herb butter candle, and fall decor made from corn husk. It was my first time offering 2 sessions.
As the year comes to an end and the holidays approach, we will not host any more Craft Therapy classes until 2026. December’s newsletter will list January’s upcoming events. Homestead Tours are closed from November 1 – March 1. We use this time to work on off-season chores, including maintenance and repairs of shelters, garden boxes, etc.
Bradley's Homestead 