Author: Second Time Around Homestead

This blog is one of the steps we are taking to be more self-sustaining. We’re glad you are along for the ride! Rachel is a freelance editor and writer as well as a middle school teacher. Chris is a millwright as well as an expert in many of their fields like hydraulics, snow plows, auto mechanics,...We would prefer to live simply and spend every day together. Our children are two boys and two girls. We have gardened, hunted, canned, and created our whole life. We began raising chickens and other barnyard fowl. 2021 brought us to some local farmers markets. This blog covers all sorts of aspects of our life, but often relate directly to Homesteading.

7 Steps for Back to School Success

Back to School, Through a Teacher’s Eyes: 7 Ways to Make It Easier on Everyone Back to school isn’t just … More

Foraging for Craft Supplies All Summer Long

Between the berries and the preserving, foraging for craft materials is honestly my favorite part of summer. It’s the quiet-hour … More

Too Much Garden, Not Enough You: A Real Talk Guide to Harvest Overwhelm

If you walked outside this morning, looked at your counters, and thought “Who did this to me?”  Welcome. You’re not … More

Freezing Wild Berries the Right Way

I mentioned this method briefly in my summer foraging post, but it deserves its own space, because it’s genuinely the … More

Summer Foraging: Wild Berries, Craft Supplies, and the One Thing I Still Won’t Touch

Summer on the homestead means one thing on repeat: pockets full of berries, hands stained purple, and a side by … More

pale wood boards background imagesof a rolling pin, paint pallette, anvil, and crochet, with "What Fills My Cup: On Hobbies, Balance, and Why the Homestead Isn't Enough"

What Fills My Cup: On Hobbies, Balance, and Why the Homestead Isn’t Enough

Last week, we talked about everything homestead moms carry. The calendar, the meals from nothing, the cow vaccine and the … More

bouquet of tulips with "Happy Mother's Day"

To the Woman Who Finds the Cow Vaccine and the Missing Socks: Happy Mother’s Day

There is no greeting card for you. Not really. The cards in the drugstore aisle show flowers and teacups and … More

illustrated image of Brynne Briarwood sitting on a small town porch with flowers in the background.

A Conversation with Brynne Briarwood

If you’ve been around this blog for a while, you know I occasionally step away from the garden and the … More

image of water rippling around a smooth stone. text: What homesteading has taught me about patience.

What Homesteading Taught Me About Patience

I am not, by nature, a patient person. I want to say that upfront, because most writing about patience — … More

Three tomato seed packets with all the text folded out of sight. In front of each packet is a shallow dish with seeds spread in it.

What’s Actually in Your Seed Packet: Heirloom, Hybrid, and GMO Seeds Explained

Stand in front of a seed display long enough and the labels start to blur together. Heirloom. Open-pollinated. Hybrid. Non-GMO. … More