Welcome to our Homesteading Blog!  You may have arrived at this site from my last 2 blogs (MarinMangos and Tammy’s Food Blog).  I decided to combine them when we added chickens to the mix…because the last thing I needed was to manage 3 separate blogs just on my hobbies.  My husband Steve, who is a handy-man/builder/tech junkie, will also contribute some great DIY home projects.  He not only built the kids clubhouse in back but also the chicken coop.

I have always loved to cook.  It has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember.  As a little girl I used to bake cookies and have bake sales.  I would also read book like “Little House on the Prarie” and pretend to be Laura Ingalls….I would make jam, dry slices apple on a string, and even make my own butter by hand.

As I got older my love for cooking was only surpassed by my love of EATING!  I am always hungry and ALWAYS trying to plan what my next meal is going to consist of.  It did not help when I got pregnant.  Not only did I have major food cravings but watching the Food Network all day definitely pushed my food obsession to a new level.

We now have 2 young boys,  so our fine dining outings have been put on hold until they are a little older or we can con someone to babysit for us.

My love for cooking and eating led me to garden to make sure I had the best ingredients at my fingertips.

We used to live in San Francisco but now are located in San Rafael, CA. We have a large, flat sunny yard and a great atrium to grow some of the more weather sensitive species.  We are so excited to finally have a yard and a place to grow everything from a common vegetable garden to more exotic tropical fruit trees.

We also cannot wait to raise some chickens.  Our dreams is to buy a bigger property and have goats as well and become a lot more self sufficient.

I hope you find the pictures and info detailing my adventures in gardening, growing fruit trees, and raising chickens useful and informative.  I will be posting recipes and photographs of the meals that I prepare, so let me know if you have any suggestions, feedback, or recipes of your own – and be sure to let me know if you try any of the recipes I have posted.

I do not have any professional cooking experience or even a professional photography background (but that is pretty obvious, right!).  I do not have time to photoshop images and can barely snap a pic before the family digs in so if you are looking for a fancy food blog, with fancy-schmancy pics, you are in the wrong place….

If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear them!

- Tammy and Family