Beside Still Waters

Hard boiling our fresh farms eggs has been a challenge for the longest time. Not so much the hard boiling process but the peeling aspect. In a fresh egg, the albumen (egg white) has a relatively low pH, which causes its proteins to bind tightly to the thin inner membrane just beneath the shell. When you cook the egg, those proteins set while still clinging to that membrane. So when you peel the shell away, chunks of white tend to come with it. I have found that the 7-5-5-5 method in the instapot works the best! We use the eggs at about 7-14 days old then 5 mins cooking, on high pressure, 5 minutes natural release, and then a 5 minute ice bath! We were so thrilled when we peeled the first egg and the shell slid off beautifully! It’s the little things in life!

Hello to all our interweb Families! Please join us at the Trail life and American Heritage girl information Night August 17th at 6:30! Our troops are so fun to be a part of! A great Christian alternative to Boy and Girl Scouts! Can’t wait to see you there!!

Good morning interwebs family! I have to brag on the Mexican sunflower (red torch) for a minute. This is the first year we have ever grown this plant and oh my goodness it is a pollinator paradise! I had no clue when we planted them that our bees, butterflies, and humming birds would love them as much as they do! These will definitely be in our spring rotation!! Also shot out to Story Coffee this travel mug is my favorite garden coffee mug. It keep my coffee a perfect temperature and its lid keeps the garden pests out of my coffee! No surprise flies being swallowed!! IYKYK🫶🏼☕️🐝🌼

The long wait is over!! The German Pink tomato from Steph is finally ripening! I must say one of the best tasting tomatoes we have grown! This was a new variety for us and it will definitely find a permanent home here in the BSW garden! The German pink is a heirloom and the seeds can be saved for future growing seasons!! 🍅

🇺🇸🐓🐖🐑✝️So excited to announce Beside Still Waters Homesteading/Agriculture k-12 classes are rolling out this October! We will have a meet up for any interested Families August 25th at 5:30 pm! Please email us at [email protected] we will love to add you to our email list where you will receive location details and any additional information necessary! ✝️🐄🐓🦃🇺🇸

Sometimes you just let that volunteer grow… no matter how inconvenient the location! In our opinion avocado squash, ZAPALLITO DEL TRONCO, are some of the best tasting squash we have found! (Original seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds )

We’re officially nearing onion sowing season! 🌱

We just finished processing this year’s onion seeds, and as always, winnowing is our favorite part of the process. There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching the chaff drift away, leaving behind the tiny seeds that will become next season’s harvest.

These are our beloved Stockton Red onion seeds, and we can’t wait to get them in the ground!

One of the things we love most about Stockton Reds is how versatile they are. They thrive in traditional garden beds, raised planter boxes, grow bags, and even large pots—making them a wonderful choice whether you have a sprawling homestead or a small urban garden.

They produce beautiful, large, sweet bulbs that are just as delicious sliced fresh as they are caramelized, roasted, or added to your favorite home-cooked meals. (Photos of June 2026 Stockton harvest)

Have you started planning your fall garden yet? 🧅🌿

With homesteading comes the realization that you can’t do everything and that’s okay! Raising meat animals is one part of the homestead that we simply don’t do (aside from the occasional rooster,or 11, that has made the trip to “freezer camp” 😉).

What we do love is supporting our local ranchers, as well as the incredible 4-H and FFA kids who pour so much hard work into raising quality livestock. Each year we purchase animals through local livestock auctions, like the one held at the fairgrounds, and it’s one of our favorite ways to invest in our community.

We want to give a huge shoutout to austinmeatservice , where we have all of our fair-purchased meat processed. Their team is always friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to answer questions. Over the years they’ve processed whole steers and pigs for us, and this year it was a lamb! While we were there, we couldn’t resist picking up one of their pre-marinated tri-tips and some marinated chicken thighs, too.

If you’re ever in the Ripon area, they’re well worth the stop!

One of the beautiful things about homesteading is realizing you don’t have to do it all yourself. Building relationships with local farmers, ranchers, like Shining B Cattle Co. , 3 Calhoun Sisters Ranch and small businesses allows us to fill the gaps while supporting the people who help keep our local food system thriving. ❤️🐑🐖🐄🥩❤️.

One of our favorite native plants is the Narrow Leaf Milkweed! It’s also a favorite of Tarantula Hawks(not pictured), native butterflies, Hawk Moths, and so many more! I love that these plants have decided to call our little garden home bringing all the beautiful pollinators in. We will love teaching children all about the benefits of native plants in BSW’s new Homestead/Ag school! Information coming soon!!! 👀🦋🌸