On our Own Homestead

09/05/2026

BEEF & Processing UPDATE today September 4th:

Trump has now signed the actual executive order on meat processing. Here’s what it REALLY does.

Remember last week when Trump announced that farmers and ranchers were going to be given the right to “PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD”?

Well, we finally have the actual executive action.
And there IS some genuinely good stuff in it.
Trump is directing USDA and FSIS to expand programs that allow smaller and state-inspected processors to access interstate markets, cut unnecessary regulatory requirements, provide technical assistance to small processors, and make it easier for states and processors to participate.

That could absolutely help small American ranchers and independent processors compete with the giant meatpacking companies.

BUT...

Despite what that original announcement sounded like, this does NOT mean a rancher can now take a steer to a custom butcher and start selling the steaks.

Custom-exempt meat is still generally NOT FOR SALE.

On-farm slaughter for your own household was already legal under certain circumstances, and this order does not suddenly make that meat commercially saleable.

Federal/state inspection requirements haven't disappeared either.

So what DID Trump do?
Here's where it gets interesting.
He ordered USDA to identify the federal laws preventing state-inspected AND custom-exempt meat from entering interstate commerce and report back within 60 days.

And THAT matters. Because some of those restrictions aren't merely USDA regulations that Trump can erase with an executive order.
They're written into federal law.

Which brings us right back to Thomas Massie's PRIME Act.

Massie's proposal would actually change federal law so states could choose to allow qualifying custom-processed meat to be sold commercially within their borders.

In other words:
Trump: “USDA, remove the unnecessary barriers you legally CAN remove and tell me which ones you CAN'T.”
Massie: “Congress, let's change the actual law creating some of those barriers.”

Those two approaches could actually complement each other very well.

So my verdict so far?
This executive order is meaningful progress for small processors and ranchers.

But...

No, farmers still cannot simply custom-process their cattle and sell the meat. That part of the original “PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD” announcement still comes with a pretty substantial asterisk.

Now I'm REALLY interested in what USDA comes back with during those 60 days. Because that's when we're going to find out which barriers Trump can eliminate administratively...
and which ones are going to require Congress to actually do its job.

09/02/2026

For those of you interested in the Beef/Slaughter etc thing Trump made a big deal about (Shoutout to my fellow Homesteader/Farmers

08/31/2026

WAIT... THERE'S SHAMPOO GROWING IN THE GARDEN?!

Well... sort of ;)

Our Shampoo Ginger (Zingiber zerumbet), also known as awapuhi or pinecone ginger, is producing those gorgeous little cones right now, and they're filled with a fragrant, slippery liquid that's traditionally been used for hair care. And of course, once ours started producing, we had to figure out EVERYTHING we could do with it!

So there's a brand-new article up on On Our Own Homestead all about Shampoo Ginger.

We're covering:
🌿 How to tell when the cones are ready to harvest
🌿 How to "milk" the cones without cutting them off the plant
🌿 How to use fresh shampoo ginger on your hair
🌿 How to freeze and preserve your harvest
🌿 An easy shampoo ginger hair rinse
🌿 Our Shampoo Ginger Hydrating Hair & Scalp Mist recipe
🌿 What ingredients like glycerin, panthenol and Liquid Germall etc. actually do
🌿 How long your homemade products can be stored
🌿 How to divide the rhizomes and grow even MORE of it
🌿 And why this tropical beauty is so damn happy growing here in Florida

This is one of those plants that checks ALL the homestead boxes for us.

Beautiful? Yep.
Loves Florida weather? Yep.
Easy to propagate? Yep.
Actually gives us something useful we can harvest?
HECK YES!!

If you've got Shampoo Ginger growing in your yard, or you've been wondering what those weird little red pinecones are actually good for, come check out the new article!

👉 Read

Shampoo ginger (Zingiber zerumbet), also known as awapuhi, is one of those plants that's both beautiful and incredibly useful. Those unusual pinecone-shaped flowers hold a fragrant liquid traditionally used for hair care, and harvesting it is surprisingly easy! We're sharing how to harvest shampoo g...

08/25/2026

Our Tumeric is blooming and it's phenomenally fragrant!

08/24/2026

Pardon my English but sorry but GO F**K OFF with that nonsense! What about our AMERICAN FARMERS that are fighting for survival??

Before we start looking overseas to make beef cheaper, how about making it easier for AMERICANS to produce and sell American beef?

Thomas Massie’s bipartisan PRIME Act is a perfect example. It addresses one of the biggest headaches for smaller livestock producers: access to processing. Instead of forcing small producers through an increasingly consolidated USDA processing system, it would give states more freedom to allow locally processed meat to be sold directly to consumers, restaurants, grocery stores, and other local businesses.

Massie has also introduced legislation aimed at helping keep family farms in the family instead of watching them get sold off because the next generation gets hammered financially when ownership changes. THAT is the direction I want to see.

Break up the bottlenecks. Cut unnecessary regulations. Expand local processing. Protect family farms. Encourage more young Americans to get into agriculture. Make it easier for small ranchers to compete with the massive meatpacking corporations. And THEN let’s see what American farmers can do.

We voted for America First because I actually mean AMERICA FIRST.
I don't want cheaper beef at the expense of the American rancher. I want American cattle, raised by American farmers, processed by American businesses, feeding American families!!!

Support the farmer before you support the import.

PS: Yes I realize this interview is 10 month old but here we are, on the brink of importing beef from another country and since we do not raise Beef ourselves on our Homestead, this is really near and dear to my heart because it affects us directly!

US President Donald Trump, speaking onboard Air Force One on Sunday...

08/20/2026

Apparently, we have opened an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet for Blue Herons. Unfortunately, nobody told us. 😂

For the past few hours, we've been chasing this giant feathered freeloader away (5 times now!) from our TINY goldfish pond because he has suddenly decided our fish are his personal snack stash.

Then, he changed tactics. This fool apparently thought, "They can't chase me off if they don't see me." So where did he go?

THE ROOF!

He was literally standing up there, waiting us out, like some kind of long-legged, fish-stealing sniper 😂

Sir. We SEE YOU.

You are approximately four feet tall, standing on a ROOF, staring directly at a pond the size of a bathtub. There is absolutely nothing subtle happening here.

At this point, we're not even sure whether we're protecting the goldfish or participating in an ongoing battle of wits with a bird.

Current score:
Humans: 5
Heron: 0
Heron confidence level: Completely unjustified

I'm sure he'll be back.... Probably wearing camouflage next time!

08/16/2026

First Pumpkins of the year going to cure, plus I picked some flowers while I was out there ❤️

08/01/2026

Muscadine harvesting and they are soooo sweet! Also discovered my other variety was Bronze Muscadine called Carlos. Also I managed to rescue some elderberry clusters from the birds by putting organza bags around them

07/23/2026

I was under attack. Not by a bear. Not by a snake. Not even by one of our turkeys.

A fly.

Just when all hope seemed lost, Chris sprang into action like a highly trained member of the Elite Household Fly Response Team!

Armed with what looked suspiciously like a Nerf blaster (its a Salt gun lol) and absolutely no hesitation, he tracked the airborne menace across the kitchen. The fly never saw it coming.

I am happy to report that I survived this traumatic ordeal thanks to my brave protector. Some women get flowers. I get a man who gears up like he's clearing a hostage situation because a fly had the audacity to buzz in my general direction.

I feel safer already... although I'm pretty sure the remaining flies are now plotting revenge ;)

07/22/2026

They are the reason our garden is so prolific ❤️