Otty Shores Homestead

11/19/2025

Whipped up a fresh batch of Fire Cider🔥 this morning so it can sit & start melding into its magical germ fighting amazingness 💪💥

At this time of year I'm sipping on a fire cider hot toddy almost every day, especially now that I have a PT job where I'm interacting w people a lot. Germs are sneaky & I definitely don't want them taking up residence.

If I were to start making small batches of Fire Cider 🔥 would anyone be interested in purchasing?

Putting out feelers 😉

Happy frosty Wednesday folks ❄️

Kim xo

11/18/2025

Don't we all wish? 😂

11/06/2025

Finally got my garlic in the ground.... 202 cloves planted over 5 varieties.

Last year I had planted roughly 140 cloves over 13 different varieties.

This years planting I whittled down to my favorite producers from the crop.

What's been planted???

🧄 Music (Porcelain)
🧄Creme de la Rasa (Red/Purple Stripe)
🧄Northern QC (Porcelain)
🧄Chesnok (Red/Purple Stripe)
🧄Georgian Fire (Porcelain)

I also decided to keep plugging away at trying to grow elephant garlic (a member of the leek family apparently).... So I planted 10 round bulbs that had developed from last years planting and roughly 10 corms that had also developed off those bulbs. We shall see what comes of it.

Anyone have success with growing elephant garlic? I'll happily welcome any tips or tricks.

11/06/2025

Well.... Adding Ginger to the list of 'things I need to grow' 😍

I'm SO excited to find out from this lovely local homesteader that growing ginger in Eastern Ontario is indeed a possibility 😁

If you have never tasted freshly harvested ginger, it’s like a completely different spice.

GINGER

Did you know that ginger is grown from other pieces of ginger?

When looking to buy ginger for planting, look for light-colored, thin-skinned organic ginger. It should be plump and firm with several bumpy nodules.

To get more bang for your buck, you can
cut rhizomes into 2-3″ pieces as long as each piece has at least 2 nodules). Leave the cut ends to dry and heal over for a few days before planting.

Ginger is native to the tropical and subtropical forests of south-east Asia. It is a tropical plant that needs a long, warm growing season and will be ready for in harvest about 10 months after being planted. For this reason, it is grown in pots at least 12” deep in our climate. As with any container growing you will need to pay closer attention to watering and soil health. Fertilizing with fish emulsion, compost, liquid seaweed or worm castings will help.

Plant rhizomes with nodules pointing up 2″ deep and 8″ apart (or one per container) and place in your warmest spot or on a heat mat. Once sprouted (which can take about 6 weeks) ginger will need supplemental light (either grow lights, LED or fluorescent lights will be fine) for 12-14 hours per day. Keep soil moist but not soggy.

Once all threat of frost has passed you can move your pot outdoors to take advantage of the summer heat (don’t forget to harden the plants off before moving outdoors). Choose a location with partial shade.

Ginger is ready to harvest after the leaves begin to yellow and die back. As you get closer to harvest, reduce watering. Once the ginger has been separated from the leaves you can use the leaves as tea.

Share your favourite ways to use ginger!

10/30/2025

Just made this jar of 🔥Fire Cider🔥 for someone who couldn't make my workshop on Saturday but really wanted to get her hands on some 😊

This rainy day really has the 'chilled to the bones' kinda vibe to it.... Join me on November 1st at The Healing Nook to make you own jar of immune boosting tonic that can warm you up nicely (especially if you turn it into a warm tonic like I like to do 👌)

Did you know that after making a batch we let sit for at least 5 days in a cool, dark spot for all the flavours to meld and all the goodness to start to come out of the ingredients? No?! Well.... You now you know😉

Only a few spots remain... Is one of them yours?

Send me a DM or email to [email protected] to reserve yours.

Kim xo

10/30/2025

10/27/2025

Leave the leaves friends... Please 🙏

Every time I see a homeowner raking leaves into bags to dispose of at the side of the road I want to shout “Don’t you know that decomposing leaves feed beneficial microbes and earthworms and contain essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium?!?“

Leave the leaves. If you don’t want them on the lawn, rake them into a compost pile and wait for them to turn into rich, earthy soil. Your garden will thank you 😌

10/20/2025

What's in your travel mug?

I recently started a PT job at a local garden centre. Hello learning more plant info!🌱 But also, hello needing to plan my days a little more thoughtfully, mostly food & drink 😜

This transition means I'm away from the homestead for very full days. Between starting off leading yoga classes & then dashing off to the garden centre, I need to sustain my energy more skillfully.

Enter 2 beverages that are keeping me going..yes, both of these travel mugs are for me to get through the fuller days 👌

Mug 1: Fire Cider 🔥
Mug 2: a fantastic, new, low caffeine superfood chai latte from Pestle and Pods Inc. called 'Ritual' 👌

Fire cider🔥 to boost my immune system as we're heading into that time of year where germs start circulating. I also tend to catch a lot of stuff (immune compromised since I was 10 or so)....especially now that I'm interacting w the public a few times a week on the regular, I gotta stay on top of things. 💪

Want to learn how to make your own fire cider? I'm hosting a workshop on November 1st at The Healing Nook in Smiths Falls. We'll learn a little about the various ingredients we'll be using (most from my gardens or locally sourced) & how they can benefit us. You'll get to put together your own jar of Fire Cider & take it home w you.

Want in on the workshop?

Drop me a line here or send an email to
[email protected]

✌️ Kim xo

10/10/2025

Check it out! I'm offering a 🔥Fire Cider🔥 workshop on November 1st at The Healing Nook.

Keep cold & flu germs at bay this season with this spicy concoction.

I start sipping on this stuff as a hot toddy at the first signs of icky germs. Last year I barely had a sniffle or sore throat... Normally I catch everything 😩

I'm no herbalist or anything of the sorts. Just a gal who believes in the power of plants & natural ingredients as part of a way to support our systems.

Most ingredients will be from my gardens or locally sourced as best as possible.

Space is limited to 12 participants.

Register early to avoid disappointment 👌

Email me at [email protected] to save you place 🙏

Kim xo

10/02/2025

A beautiful, local (Ottawa area) homesteader doing amazing things. Thank you How Does Your Garden Grow? for all that you do. You inspire me 🙏💖🌱

Still think the world has gone to sh*t? I guess it depends on where you get your news.

Every morning we are bombarded with tragic news stories. Stories of death and corruption. Stories of hatred and division. Stories of injustice and oppression. Our brains were not designed to take on this much information.

But what if I told you that there are just as many good news stories as bad? They just don’t get the airtime they deserve because they don’t put asses in the seats.

The other day a woman purchased $21 worth of produce from my stand and asked to put the rest of this $100 bill towards my Pay it Forward baskets. In the same week, another member of this page dropped off several hundred dollars worth of meat for my freezer to be distributed to those in need. I have a steady stream of people stopping by weekly with eggs, pears, apples, preserves and other treats to help those who are having a hard time making ends meet.

I see kindness every day. But I also look for it.

I stay away from mainstream media not because I don’t care but merely because if I paid too much attention, I would be paralyzed with grief, unable to do anything for those I actually CAN help.

Let me be clear, I care very deeply about the atrocities happening around our world, but if I don’t think hyper local, I will never be able to make any impact. Some may call me ignorant for not staying on top of every news story as it comes in, but I just say that our brains and hearts were not designed to hold the grief of the entire world. It’s impossible to process.

I am someone who feels very very deeply. It would be impossible for me to function with all of the grief that goes along with hearing about every single tragedy out of my control. So while my heart collectively breaks for the millions of people who might need me, all I can do is focus on the dozen or so that I can directly affect in a real and meaningful way. And if each of us did that, around the world, in our own communities, maybe we could actually start to make change instead of being paralyzed with the grief that comes with believing that the world has gone to sh*t.

So please share this post in hopes that someone out there will read it because it may be the only good news post they see online today 🩷

09/26/2025

🌱 Salad greens, herbs, squash & preserves🌱

Spinach
Arugula
Mesculin mix

Put em all together & you've got a solid foundation for a delicious salad 🥗👌

I've also got basil, oregano & sage available.

Delicata squash for 50¢ per lb

I'll be around the homestead tomorrow (Sat, Sept 27) from 11am - 2pm for anyone wishing to purchase fresh produce or preserves (salsa & pickles).

DM me to arrange for a stop in. If you're after fresh produce, please let me know ASAP so they can be harvested, washed & bagged for you in the cool of the morning.

If you're after preserves, please notify me ahead of time so I can have them ready for you.

DM me for location🙏

Thanks for supporting local 💕

Kim xo