We had a nice week but now we’ve slid back into the cold. Last night it was -20 F. I do have to laugh though. I just finished cleaning out the freezer, packing all the still good meat into two coolers. I just have to wash out the freezer and start it up again and we’re good to go. It was cold outdoors and here I am, digging through the freezer! Luckily, Will pitched in and helped me by thawing out the ice floes in it with a propane heater. I’ve only got about an hour of washing and it’s good to be plugged in again.

Here’s the 2018 Seed Treasures catalog; we think it’s wonderful!

We’ve been sending out a lot of Seed Treasures catalogs this year, both from the printer (bulk mail; much cheaper) and from home (costs more). Unfortunately, our catalog this year, being much larger, was just half an ounce over the 3 ounce limit and that half an ounce was costing us twenty cents per catalog. So to keep our costs down and therefore the prices we charge, we leaped on the idea of cutting our catalog down just half an ounce to save postage. Our friend, Wendy, director of the Orr Center in Orr, Minnesota, where we have our Tomato Tasting Festival, said she had a big paper cutter we could borrow. So I drove up and soon we were trimming the catalogs down a bit. By taking only 1/4 of an inch off the side of the catalog we are saving twenty cents per catalog. And when you multiply that by 100 or 200, that’s a big savings!

Will is trimming our catalogs a bit to save postage costs.

I’ve been digging through my stored seeds, trying to decide which peppers we’ll be growing out this summer as well as some flowers like petunias and snapdragons which must be started very early. Ashley fell in love with petunias last year and has ordered several very fancy and rare ones. Some even came from China, directly! So that’ll be fun.

Yesterday, David cleaned out the two feet of snow from his cabin site with the tractor. He wants to get busy and get building next weekend. Unfortunately, the forecast is for highs of only 6 degrees F. It’s hard to work outside with those cold temperatures but we’ll see how things go. It pays to be flexible on the homestead.

Wolves have started thinking about mating. When I went out the driveway this morning, there were all sorts of tracks of wolves playing and peeing on the snowbanks — a prelude to mating. It’s strange how wolves and coyotes only have pups in the spring where dogs breed year-round. God sure planned that right. — Jackie

20 COMMENTS

  1. Jackie, that is very good and creative thinking to trim the catalogues. Twenty cents may not seem like much but with mailing out 100-200 catalogues, that adds up to $20-40. I have learnt from my years of frugal living that the little things add up to be a lot and every bit of savings helps.

    • Yes it does. I’ve learned one of the best ways to earn more is to save more; every where you can! And that $20 or $40 saved lets me mail seeds to Uganda where folks really are in need of food.

  2. Were in the deep freeze too Jackie here in Ontario, Canada but I’m cleaning out my freezer and making meals in a jar, tomorrow we’re getting a big snow storm so it’s nice to pull a jar of chilli out from the pantry that we made and cook it on the woodstove. Everyone seems like they are coming down with the flu this year as well, thank god for turkey soups!Thank you for all the tips on canning and preserving I have your canning book which has become my bible and also a guideline when making my own recipes. You are very inspirational !!!

  3. Just received your new seed catalog and it looks great. Now to get my ‘want’ list together. After finally using up the last of my other winter squash from this past harvest, I cut into one of the Hopi Pale Grey squash I grew last year from your seed stock. I love the flavor and it certainly makes a very nice ‘pumpkin’ pie. I’ll be planting them again this year. My thanks to you and Will for sharing your knowledge and the other ‘fruits of your labor’.

  4. Love the new catalog and Will’s pic on the cover! After spending some time with it, we’re sending in a second order shortly. Very clever on trimming to save costs. Thanks for the updates on your homestead happenings Jackie!

    • Thanks Wendy,
      It may seem a small thing, but when you’re trying to save folks money, every little bit sure adds up!

  5. Yep…same question. How do I get a catalog?

    I have been compiling my seed order. I assume I just mail it with a check? Anything else?

    Thanks
    Jacquie

    • You can get a catalog by e-mailing us at seedtreasures@yahoo.com with your address. Yep, if you’ve checked out our website, you can just jot down your selections and send a check. We’re old fashioned around here I guess. (Don’t forget to send $4. to help cover the postage.)

  6. Sent in my order yesterday. Loved having the catalog to look at. Actually sent in a bit extra to pay for the postage. I just thought the price of that
    was a bit ridiculous! God Bless!

  7. Love the catolog, very well done. Want to order some of everything, but don’t think my 1/2 acre will manage !! Plus I save my seeds, so think I will be okay this year. You do inspire me.

  8. How do I get a catalog? Will your seeds grow here in Scottsboro al here in the beginnings of the Appalachian mountains? Are you hosting a seminar this year?
    Thanks
    Betsy

    • Check out my reply to Jacquie, above. I just need your address and I’ll fire off a catalog to you. Yes, our seeds will grow just about anywhere, from Hawaii to Alaska, judging by the responses from our past customers. One exception is our onions; they are mostly long-day onions, growing best in more northern climates. No, I don’t think we’ll be having a seminar this year but we will be having two cabin raisings for our son, David, which should be fun.

  9. Jackie, that is good thinking with trimming the catalogues. Twenty cents may not seem like much but with mailing 100-200 catalogues, that is $20-40 saved. I have learnt with my years of frugal living that the little things do add up and can be big savings or big expenses.

  12. Very creative with sizing the catalog! Make a note for next year of how many pages max you can mail without going over 3 ounces. There are some layout tricks you can use to fit things in less space and still keep it readable. I would be more than happy to share what I know in that regard. You should include a link to the online catalog for those of us not needing a hard copy.

    • Yep, believe it or not, we’re already working on next year’s catalog and the format. Why don’t you e-mail me at seedtreasures@yahoo.com with your contact information so when the time comes, we can talk. Thank you for the offer!
      We do have a link to our online catalog. You just click on the Seed Treasures box, above, and you’ll be instantly transported to our seeds!

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