Like always, life at Bradley’s Homestead is a mixture of productive days and those that remind me that things don’t always go according to plan! But over the past 30 days, I’ve found myself making a conscious effort to slow down and truly appreciate the life Swoosh and I have worked so hard to build. Sometimes, I get so caught up in the never-ending to-do lists, caring for animals, tending to plants, and keeping everything moving that I forget to pause and enjoy it all. This month, I’ve been focused on finding new techniques, learning better ways to manage our daily processes, and making homestead life a little easier on ourselves. I’m realizing that I don’t have to do everything the hard way, and every season doesn’t have to be about pushing harder. Sometimes, the blessing is in slowing down, appreciating what we have, learning from what doesn’t go as planned, and permitting ourselves to simply enjoy the life we prayed for and worked to create. After all, this homestead is more than the work we do; it’s a life we’re building, one season at a time.
Our Harvest
Our garden is slowly transitioning into its fall season, but a few of our pepper plants haven’t gotten the memo just yet! They’re still producing daily, and lately, I’ve been letting visitors harvest some to take home. One of the things I enjoy most about gardening is growing different varieties of peppers that I can use in homemade sauces and salsas or dehydrate to create my own spice blends. This year, though, the peppers have been producing more than enough to meet our needs. We’ve had plenty for our personal use, shared some through our food distribution efforts, and even had enough to share with the chickens! We dehydrate hot peppers to mix into their feed as part of our natural poultry care routine.
I’m happy to report that about 80% of our fall garden is planted, and I’m excited about what’s growing! We have a little bit of everything going into the ground this season, including several lettuce varieties, kale, collards, mustard and turnip greens, different varieties of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, radishes, rutabagas, turnips, carrots, onions, and garlic. There’s something satisfying about watching the garden transition from one season to the next. While summer gave us plenty of peppers and other warm-weather crops, fall brings a whole new opportunity to grow fresh, nutritious food. I’m especially looking forward to seeing how this garden grows. We still have a little work to do to reach that 100% mark, but we’re getting there!
Our Animals
Earlier this month, we made a trip to the post office to pick up 24 little bundles of fluff! That’s right, we’re expanding our laying flock here on the homestead. As some of our older hens begin to slow down in their egg production, we knew it was time to start preparing for the future. With our customer base continuing to grow, we want to be sure we can keep up with the demand while maintaining the quality and care our customers have come to expect. One of the most rewarding parts of this journey is watching Bradley’s Homestead grow, not just in what we produce, but in the people who believe in and support what we’re doing. Every order, visit, referral, and encouraging word means more than you know. We’re grateful for each person who chooses to support our little homestead and the work we’re doing.
This month also brought a little change to our homestead. We rehomed our ducks to make room for our growing rabbit colony. We’ve secured an arrangement with a local pet shop to begin breeding rabbits for them, opening the door to a new opportunity! This partnership has the potential to create an additional source of income, help us expand our animal husbandry experience, and allow us to explore another avenue of growth on the homestead. As with everything we do, we want to approach this new venture thoughtfully, making sure we have the proper space, resources, and care in place for our rabbits.
Homestead Happenings
Our Fall Plant Sale Fundraiser was a SUCCESS, and my heart is full of gratitude! This year, we sold “three times as many plants as we did last year”! What makes that accomplishment even more meaningful is that our advertising efforts were pretty much the same as last year. The difference? You showed up, supported us, spread the word, and helped us grow! It’s a beautiful reminder that growth isn’t always about doing something differently. Sometimes, it’s about the people who believe in what you’re doing and choose to be part of the journey. Every plant purchased helped us reach our fundraising goal, and we’re incredibly thankful to everyone who stopped by, made a purchase, shared a post, or encouraged someone else to support us.
For us, this fundraiser was about more than selling plants. It’s about creating opportunities to support the future programs and initiatives of our mission, including our efforts to provide nutrition education, encourage gardening, and help make fresh food more accessible in our community. Thank you for believing in our mission and helping us turn this year’s harvest of support into tomorrow’s opportunities. We couldn’t have done it without you!
…off the homestead
Our Grow A Row Initiative is moving right along! We’ve already delivered fall plants to one of our community partners, and next week, we’ll be planting the garden boxes for our other Grow A Row partner. There’s something special about knowing these little plants will help create opportunities for growing food, learning about gardening, and making fresh produce more accessible.
And just like that, we’re already looking ahead to Spring 2027! At Bradley’s Homestead, our vision extends beyond growing food on our own land. We want to work alongside nonprofit organizations that share our passion for gardening, nutrition education, self-sufficiency, and strengthening our communities. We’re currently seeking nonprofit organizations interested in partnering with us for our Spring 2027 Grow A Row Initiative! If your organization would like to grow food, educate your community, and create greater access to fresh produce, we’d love to connect with you. Together, we can plant seeds that grow into something meaningful for the people we serve. Every garden begins with a seed, but growing a healthier community takes all of us. Let’s grow together!
