Hello, all! I hope you had a fabulous holiday season, and are getting back in the swing of normal life in January.

I know I’m glad to have some time to breathe and reflect on last year, as well as plan for this year in terms of homesteading, baking, and class plans. This year, as in most years past, I’ve chosen to take a break from markets and classes in January. In doing so, I have time to gear up for the coming seasons, and have more stuff prepared for you lovely people, including more recipes and posts!

Speaking of prep, before I get into reflections, I have a present for you – an updated seasonal menu! While I’m not doing markets this month, I’m still available for orders and private events, so if you’re lucky like me and have a birthday in the winter, you can still get a cake (or other treat). Check out the holiday menu HERE, or just head to the Order page. Yay!

Okay, time for some Trials and Triumphs of 2025!

Trials

• Hurricane Helene. Back by popular demand, it’s the storm that changed everything around here! While we weren’t dealing with the direct aftermath of the storm as we did last year, we also haven’t fully recovered.
  • Tons of local businesses closed due to lost revenue, spaces, etc., and friends and acquaintances moved away due to some of the same reasons, as well as losing their homes and jobs, or just needing to be closer to family.
  • Our waterways are still incredibly polluted from debris, PVC pipes, etc. and, while many businesses are changing their practices to improve their disaster prep and pollution potential during the storm, others (especially larger ones) are not being as responsible.
  • We’re still burning brush from the storm! We’ve gotten through most of it, but due to dry days (AKA wildfire hazards) and just the inevitable passage of time, we’ve got a pile or two left to roast marshmallows over.
• Chickens. We’re now down to three. We expected to add to our flock last year, but chicken hatching was weird this year (remember the price of eggs?). Here’s hoping to get a bunch more this year!
• Blackberries. While we did get a good number this year, it was not the bumper crop we got in years past, and what we mostly got were the late-season variety that tends to be smaller, tarter, and less resilient against the wet summer we had. I trimmed back much of this variety and moved canes from the larger, sweeter variety, so hopefully we’ll have a better crop this year.
• Fun with Wildlife. I joked with friends and family last year that I should’ve just stayed inside. I had two encounters with yellow jackets (one that caused my leg to swell up more than any other time) and I got stung by a bumblebee. A bumblebee. Also, fun with poison ivy in the yard, yay super awesome just kidding. I’m spending my winter filling up animal holes and digging up poisonous plants, so wish me luck.

Triumphs

• Crops and flowers. We got a ton of hot peppers and tomatoes this year, as well as beautiful zinnias for months, and enough okra to pickle and cook with. Yay! Cucumbers (especially the suyo longs) did quite well, and pole beans were fabulous. And, as pictured, we got so. Much. Basil. I did a lot of dehydrating this year.
• Baking classes. Still loving these, and planning for some (great) changes this year. I added another baking camp for the summer, which was super fun. I also focused more on doing holiday classes rather than trying my luck with holiday markets, which panned out well for me – I enjoyed the classes much more, stayed nice and busy pre-Christmas, and felt good about taking a well-deserved break for the Christmas season. Definitely want to focus most of my business attention on classes this year.
• Markets. Markets were great and lucrative this year! We all felt some drops in revenue due to hurricane aftermath and Fun With Government Decisions That Affected Everyone’s Spending Ability (™) but overall, I had more repeat customers, a good amount of tourists and new customers, and good vibes overall. Here’s hoping for an even better market season this year!
• Preschool Homesteader. This kid is always my favorite triumph of every year. I’m enjoying four even more than three – she’s learned so much, and just continues to learn like crazy every day. She’s upped her cooking game with folding and rolling out scallion pancakes and paratha (like, actual helping – she does the rolling, and we do the frying!), as well as cutting tofu and other soft items for meals. She helped pick, plant, harvest, and weed the garden this past year, and still takes care of our cats and chickens. She’s clever and fun to talk and sing with and just pretty much the best in the world. I can’t wait to see what 2026 (and school – how did that happen??) will bring, when she’ll graduate to Kindergarten Homesteader.

Happy New Year, everyone, and may your 2026 be delicious and incredible, like the fudge left in this pan. Cheers!