Apartment Homestead Goals

Everyone has goals for what they want to accomplish during the summer months. I decided that making a list of things I want to complete around the house, and for myself, making a list would be a great way to make sure I'm staying on track.

Goals for Summer 2011

I like to keep my goals in a place where I can see them so I have a daily reminder so my first goal is to make a goal chalkboard where I can keep all my notes and things. I plan on using a gawdy frame painted baby blue and I will put a chalkboard on the back. This will be cute and also functional.

Start patio garden in time for Fall planting. Make sure to plants are hardy by the time fall gets started.

Finish Upacking the rest of the books and finish "moving in". We're still not completely settled in the house, and a lot of it has to do with needed book shelves and other storage places.I want to be finished by August in time for a house warming party. (Not sure if this will happen but we can try.)

Learn to make jelly. Despite the simplicity of this particular goal, it's proving to be a little harder than I thought to get everything I need in order to do this and to actually sit down with my mom and get her recipes down. Luckily she's off this summer and I hope to get her down here for some jelly time.

Dehydration Station! I want to purchase a dehydrator when I get the money together for several reasons. It is a wonderful way to store veggies without taking up a lot of room in the freezer AND the rabbits are crazy for dehydrated veggies! They refuse to eat frsh veggies right now and I have had a hard time getting them to eat fruit as well, but they just go crazy for the veggie snacks we've been giving them. My hope is to be able to save the various veggies we have for longer period of time.

Finish reading the 15 books on homesteading, poultry and farm autobiographies I purchased when our Borders went out of business. I am still taking classes at night but on the weekends I really want to take time to read these books. I also really want to get more information on dwarf trees and start planning for the porch garden downstairs. I want to get some trees that will be small but still produce fruit.

Start on Christmas gifts. I know it's early but I am hoping to make lemoncello from scratch and this will take some time. So in the next month I plan on starting the process of rinding lemons and putting them into the vodka. Definately one of the more enjoyable tasks of the summer.

Only a couple months of summer left so I better start cracking! Do you have your summer goals all set up? What's on your list?