A Homegrown Family

My siblings and I often get asked if any of us ended up with broken bones while playing at the farm. Simply put, the answer is “nope”. Thankfully so! In this episode, my brother David and I have a great time reminiscing about our childhood and some of the broken bones that could have been.  Images to fill in some gaps: This is a bale hook Small square baler Cattle panel Email: ahomegrownfam@gmail....

Raising sheep across generations. Listen to my Dad and I talk about the basics, with some farm stories separating the meat and potatoes. We go through the annual cycle and what raising sheep might entail for you.  Resources: Scrapie Sheep Disease Getting Started Email: ahomegrownfam@gmail.com Instagram: ahomegrownfam Our YouTube Channel Support the show

Jacob and Michelle share their homeschooled experience, while addressing some of the common misconceptions about the homeschooling community. Should you homeschool your children? Well, based on the conversation in this episode, the decision to homeschool shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s very situational and depends a lot on the parents and each individual child.  Resources: Kolbe Academy Email: ah...

No, you won’t get the same apple tree to grow by planting its seeds, and yes there is such a thing as a Frankenstein tree. This episode is a continuation of Episode 27 as my brother David and I discuss winter orchard activities when it comes to apples: rootstock, scion wood and pruning. Resources: Maple Valley Orchards – source of rootstock and scion How to Prune Apple Trees   - YouTube Video Appl...

There is no lack of things to do in the winter when it comes to the orchard. My brother David joins us this episode to talk about pruning grapes, collecting cuttings, and storing and rooting cuttings to be planted the following spring. He also talks about the challenges in growing out his own grape cuttings and shares some general planting tips. Resources: Synthetic rooting hormone Mosquito Bits –...

Episode 26 Homeschooling with Aunt Joni: A Parents Perspective My wife and I plan to homeschool our children, but before we jump into the unknown, we thought it best to talk with those who have done it before us. My Aunt Joni homeschooled her three children and learned many things along the way. In this episode, we discuss why she decided to homeschool her kids, what types of curriculums she decid...

This is the story of how Joe developed and refined his hobby of making wine. Since 2017 and 120+ gallons of wine later, there are some tips, tricks, and favorites to share. This episode shares the basic supplies and equipment needed to make your own wine, and also goes through a step by step process to create an enjoyable bottle. Cheers!  Episodes are now available on YouTube where it’s easier to...

If my bank account was my raised garden bed, I would be RICH! In this episode, I walk through the soil test results of my raised garden beds. The analysis contained information on N, P, K, S, pH, organic matter and soluble salts. Gather some information and tid bits that could help you make sense of your soil report. I recommend listening to the episode titled, “Soil Sampling and Nutrient Basics”...

Welcome back as my wife and I discuss our recent adventure of travelling to Italy with our two-year-old daughter. We talk about what we did, what went well and the things we didn’t expect. We also share some general tips for when it comes to travelling with children.  Email: ahomegrownfam@gmail.com Instagram: ahomegrownfam Sfoglialette "lobster tail" pastry Support the show

If you haven’t heard enough deer hunting stories recently, you’ll get your fill with this episode. My Uncle Bernie and I exchange deer hunting stories and talk about what hunting means to the Mettler family.  FYI: I won’t be posting another episode until mid-December as my family and I are taking a vacation. Cheers! Email: ahomegrownfam@gmail.com Instagram: ahomegrownfam Support the show

Tune in as I talk about soil fertility, macro and micro nutrients (elements), mobile and immobile nutrients and some of the nutrient deficiency symptoms associated with each. What do the numbers “20-10-20” on a bag of fertilizer mean? Learn about the importance of taking a soil sample, how to take a soil sample and where to send your sample. Such an invigorating topic! Resources:  Nutrient Deficie...

Another family member on the podcast! Listen to my Aunt Michelle and I talk about garlic, particularly planting, but also where to get cloves, what types to grow, fun recipes and other random things. All garlic related. It might not be too late to get some garlic to plant this Fall yet! Check out the Upper Midwest Premium Garlic Directory .  Resources:  Minnesota Garlic Festival Minnesota Salsa Fe...

Join my brother David and I as we talk a bit about food preservation and canning, particularly juice. Not all food has to come from a store. David also discloses his “top secret” ingredient in his salsa.  Resources:  Hot Water Bath Canner Canning Starter Kit - Tools Ball Preserving Guidebook   Email: ahomegrownfam@gmail.com Instagram: ahomegrownfam Support the show

Fall is a busy time of year. Harvest is in full swing, and the brewing has just begun. This episode talks about harvesting and juicing apples and grapes, and also serves as an introduction to preserving and brewing the juice into wine and hard cider. Listen here to learn more about our methods, processes, and the equipment we use to accomplish the task. Equipment: Tree Fruit Picker Harvest Lug Gra...

How did the orchard come to be?  Join my Dad, my brother David and I as we chat about how the vineyard/orchard got started. Where its been and where its going. Email: ahomegrownfam@gmail.com Instagram: ahomegrownfam Resources: MN Apple Varieties Support the show

This episode starts off with my best Steve Irwin impersonation and rolls into the pros and cons of pocket gophers. My brother David and I reminisce about how our childhood summers were spent gopher trapping. We talk about the supplies needed, the different types of gopher traps we used, and the methods to find the gopher’s hole….among other things.  Supplies: -trap -stake -board/cover (old discs o...

Cousin Justin and I discuss his blossom end rot experiment that uses Epsom salts as a remedy. Did it work? After that, we chat about his childhood experiences visiting his uncle's farms, particularly my Dad's. Justin talks about anything from milking cows, feeding calves, driving tractors and raking hay to trapping gophers. There's just no place like the farm! Listening to the episo...

Listen in as I summarize what I learned recently by attending the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center field day. Focusing on pears grown in the Upper Midwest, I discuss a little bit about everything regarding pears. What rootstock and cultivars to consider growing. The difference between hard and soft pears. The pros and cons of traditional style orchards and high density trellis systems. Wh...

Beetles, worms, and borers, oh my! In this episode, we talk about garden pests like the crucifer flea beetle, imported cabbage worm, and the vine squash borer. Learn about preferred host plants and different preventative measures or strategies to help prevent the demise of your garden by the mandibles of these insect pests.  Email: ahomegrownfam@gmail.com Instagram: ahomegrownfam Resources: Vine S...

The hard work in the garden is finally paying off! Join my brother David and I as we talk harvesting produce, specifically cauliflower and garlic. We also discussed some of the differences between hardneck and softneck garlic, and when should one harvest garlic and how should it be stored. David’s Garlic Variety Trial: Musik – largest cloves Chesnok Red – medium sized Germain Porcelain – large clo...

This episode stretches a bit farther back in time to the childhood of my 98 year old Grandma, a time when nothing went to waste and children truly learned the value of hard work. She is one of the few remaining that can personally recall living in the “Dust Bowl”. My Grandma lived in a time when there was no electricity, no freezers to store food, and no snow plows! However, there was still bacon!...

In this episode, my Grandpa and I relive the first time I went deer hunting along with other deer hunting stories. He was the lucky one that got to tag along for the eventful day. Being Homegrown in my mind includes being able to produce and gather or hunt for your own food.  The Turdy Point Buck Song *If you realized that I never mentioned the distance of the shot, it was paced off to be about 20...

“Do you know what a podcast is?”, I ask my grandparents as I ask them to share about their upbringing. Hauling coal. Rolling hides. Army paratroopers. Working horses. Farming. Family. Nurse Training. Piano. Join my Grandpa Tom and my Grandma Margaret as they share stories about their younger years, how they met each other and how they ended up in Minnesota. Farming isn’t what it used to be. Life w...

Rocking this episode solo and talking about this year’s gardening failures and successes thus far. I tend to use every inch of my garden and plant in “layers” as I describe it. It doesn’t always work out, but that’s gardening for ya! With this year being so dry all over the country, plants are stressed out, and blossom end rot can be more prevalent. So, what can you do about it?  Email: ahomegrown...

Listen as my mother and I talk about raising chickens, but primarily processing “broiler” chickens for meat. In this episode we talk about the supplies needed and go through all the steps from beginning to end. Supplies needed: -          Sharp knives -          Butcher block/stump/cones -          Clean processing area -          2-gallon freezer bags -          Torch -          Kettle/bucket/tub...