LOCALadk Magazine

18 Fall 2017 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Homesteading With Heart Story and Photos By Nicole St. Louis My husband and I dreamed of owning a chunk of land far from the hustle and bustle of town for quite some time. So, when 10 acres went up for sale in Bloomingdale, New York, on a dead-end dirt road, we were thrilled. The property came with many perks: an already established, semi-finished gar- den, a massive garage (where we keep the many tools it re- quires to grow food), and a quaint little one-bedroom cabin, perfect for us. We are both Adirondack natives who love the changing of seasons and all that the "Adirondack life" has to offer. It was our perfect homestead dream come true. Merriam-Webster defines homesteading as: "The home and adjoining land occupied by a family." According to Wikipe- dia homesteading is: "A lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It is char- acterized by subsistence agriculture, home preser vation of foodstuffs, and it may or may not also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craftwork for household use or sale." By these definitions, I would, without a doubt, consider myself a homesteader through and through. We bought our homestead in October of 2015 and quick- ly settled into preparation for the long winter months that were rapidly approaching. Gathering, chopping, and stacking firewood was our first priority and although it can seem like a monotonous task, hard work and perseverance surely pay off with a warm cabin in the middle of the frigid Adirondack winter. Before we knew it, it was March and I was out collecting egg cartons from friends and family so that I could start seeds in- doors. People might think it's easy to grow a sufficient sup- ply of vegetables for two people and a dog, but they would be mistaken. Our extremely short Adirondack summers only provide enough warmth and sunlight for a short growing sea- son. Starting seeds indoors allows for a longer growing sea- son and more opportunities to grow crops that might not be able to sur vive the colder spring and fall months of this area. When starting seeds we prefer to use cardboard egg car- tons because they are bio-degradable and can be planted di- rectly into the garden come June, when the last risk of frost has passed. The egg cartons allow for easy transplant, as many vegetables (cucumbers especially) do not take well to being transplanted from indoors to outside. Another help- ful tool in starting seeds is a greenhouse. Our greenhouse allows the seedlings to acclimate, or "harden," to the cooler Adirondack climate. The greenhouse also allows for longer growing seasons as crops like kale and swiss chard can be grown in a greenhouse right through winter months as long as the temps remain above 20 below zero. Growing your own food means that you have an abundance of garden scraps. Composting is a major contributor to our garden and our homestead. Composting allows us to use and reuse the garden scraps, lawn and leaf scraps, coffee grinds,

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