Maple Valley Homestead

06/18/2026

I test pulled a garlic from my garden and this allium leaf miner larva was in the stalk. Hopefully the rest of my garlic will be ok when i go to harvest in a few weeks! 😬

How do I get rid of these guys?

06/18/2026

mmmm broccoli salad!

What is your favorite way to use broccoli?

06/17/2026

What kind of gardening gloves do you wear?

I am one of those gardeners who love getting my bare hands in the dirt. The only problem is the dirt under my nails and around my cuticles. My full-time job is in an office and it can be quite embarrassing to go in there with dirty hands no matter how long I SCRUB my hands!

These gloves are the closest to feeling like I am bare handed in the garden, and no dirt under my nails! The fabric does not get in the way and I can feel those roots when I am weeding the garden!

13-gauge PU-coated seamless knit gloves offer breathable comfort, sensitivity, and EN388 3121 abrasion protection. Perfect for DIY, gardening, light warehouse, and delivery tasks. Machine washable, reusable, and great value with 12 pairs per pack.

06/17/2026

Miss Ebony is due today and DEFINITELY looks preggo to me! Hopefully the babies are as large and beautiful as her fist litter! (shown below)

06/16/2026

Visited my aunts beautiful gardens, old sugar house, and grandparents memorial today!

Birds & Butterflies wholesale in Manchester Center has a great selection of annuals ,perennials, and bushes!

Look at the beautiful yellow peony! They were my favorite!

06/13/2026

Stone head cabbage:Compact, dense heads, reliable growth, and perfect for fresh eating, slaw, or turning into homemade sauerkraut.

There’s something satisfying about cutting into a head that feels like a bowling ball and realizing all that patience paid off. Bonus points that it doesn’t take up as much room as some giant cabbage varieties.

Anyone else growing Stone Head this year? What’s your favorite way to use it—coleslaw, fried cabbage, stuffed cabbage rolls, or fermenting?

06/13/2026

My gardening supervisor, Gemini. She loves the gardens just as much as me. She also keeps the mouse population in check!

Do you all have garden kitties?

06/13/2026

Have you ever had a chicken get into a predicament and make a full recovery?

This is that exchequer leghorn hen that had her leg caught in the roosting bars of our nest boxes and was pretty beat up by the chickens a few weeks ago.

I put here in with the chicken nuggets and now she has decided that she is their mom. complete with cuddling and vocalizing to call them when she found a tasty morsel.

She went from not putting any weight on that leg to barely a limp.
I am so glad that she bounced back so well!

06/12/2026

My harvest today 6 broccoli, and more garlic scapes!

Drop a pic of your harvests below if you want! I love this time of the year!

06/12/2026

We've been harvesting some strawberries! The trick is getting them before the mice do. My daughter doesn't seem to care that they aren't at maximum ripeness🤣