The Salt Ranch Adventures
I love to write! I kept a journal my entire life - until we moved to Salt Ranch. I guess the creation of this blog is the outlet that has replaced that habit - I’ve been documenting everything since we moved in!
I’m a mother and wife, business owner, sister and daughter on a daily basis… our cozy compound consists of 10 of us including my husband, two children, my parents, brother and Manny (not pictured !) I have a small business in California, so I switch between those roles all day. It’s exhilarating! (and sometimes stressful, and overwhelming, and exhausting, but never mind that!)
Salt Ranch - a.k.a “The compound” - is a frenzy of ongoing activity. We have a lot of animals, a sizable garden, wood shop, metal shop and visitors all the time (we love to entertain.) We are not a Homestead. We don’t strive to live off grid or be self sufficient (although it’s kind of comforting to know that you could if you had to.) Our first goal is to create a magical environment for our family. Our second goal is to have the compound bring in just enough money to support its growing operational cost. To this end we dabble in all sorts of things. We sell eggs, we breed animals, raise food, and make craftsman level products.
This blog is just a by-product of my need to chronicle our adventures, to share the research that I do, and the insistence of our friends that enough of you will be interested to experience it along with us!
Enjoy!!
Introducing More Chickens to the Flock!
Every spring we add new chickens to our flock. This spring was unusual because we rescued some chickens from a friend who just couldn’t keep them any longer. See our quick set up here.
Our Raised Bed and Chicken Moat
Preparing a garden to grow in Texas Black Gumbo and Blazing summer sun.
Power Washing our Chicken Coop
Learn why proper sizing and spacing of chicken roosts is important for the health and safety of you and your chickens.
What is The Best Bedding for a Chicken Coop?
We have tested so many different bedding types and here is our winner…
Spring cleaning Fall Leaves on a 74° winter day.
What we can accomplish in an hour around here is impressive - espcially when the weather is right. Don’t rake your leaves in the fall and reap the rewards later.
I Missed My Calling As A Packaging Designer
Presentation is everything! I spend more time on packaging than I probably should, but it makes me proud.
Burst Pipes, Sick Kids, Hard Freeze…
Burst Pipes and a flooded crawl space made for a complicated hard freeze.
Keeping the donkeys’ barn dry
Using the skid steer to slope the entrance to our run in shed to allow water run off.
Preparing for a Freeze
It doesn’t dip below freezing much in Dallas, Texas. Nothing is really well set up for those temperatures, so when we get them, there is some prep to do.
Why Amazon Activator is not Awesome…
For a year we used Amazon Slime Activator. I could have saved so much money if I had just given in to my daughters passsion for slime and tried recipes on our own from the get go. Here are some of our learnings.
Salt Ranch Welcomes 2024!!
Salt Ranch is excited for some big changes in 2024. See what our goals are for this year and some of our progress already!
Farewell 2023
2023 was an intense year for many, and the residents of Salt Ranch are no exception. As is tradition in our other business, I wanted to sum up the year with our accomplishments and some of our struggles.
Our Kid Got Bit By A Copperhead
Copperheads are a very real threat in Texas - this is our second bite in two years, and thankfully has been he animals for which a bite is not life threatening.
The 15 Best Vegetables for a Bountiful Fall Home Garden in Dallas, Texas
By the time early August rolls around, my garden is fried and needs a break. We get two season here, and it is time to start anew! Here are the top 15 vegetables to plant for a beautiful fall garden in Dallas, Texas.