Homegrown & Homemade
First aid on the homestead- are you prepared? If there’s anything I’ve learned from homesteading, it’s that nothing ever goes exactly how you want it to. And it comes with inherent danger- being out in the elements, long days, using dangerous equipment, and working with farm animals. Like the time we brought home our first ducks, put them in a pen we cobbled together, from …
Need a gift for the beekeeper in your life? Looking for the perfect gift for a honey bee lover? Here are some of my favorite honey bee gift ideas. Mostly… it’s my own personal wish list! Joules Wellyprint Black Bee Rubber Boots Sooo cute! They make a shorter, ankle-height version in this print too that I think I might just have to have. S’ip by …
I love learning new skills in the kitchen, especially ones that are “old-fashioned” … as in, something people really don’t do anymore that used to be part of everyday life, like rendering lard, cooking dried beans, or making homemade candy. (If you love to learn new skills too, make things from scratch, and give homemade gifts… read to the bottom of this post for 6 …
I love pumpkin pie– people have been baking forms of pumpkin custard for centuries. Its roots go deep, and I love that. Somehow “Squash Pie” doesn’t sound quite as appetizing… though I can tell you that I don’t think I’ve ever even made a pumpkin pie with an actual pumpkin. Botanically, all pumpkins are a type of squash. And there are many different types of …
I’m a dip person. I want to dip stuff into other stuff, all the time. And this Homemade French Onion & Herb Dip is one of my favorite dips- so that’s saying a lot! I think I love it so much because it combines two classics- it’s a little bit of a cross between a creamy ranch dip and a french onion dip. And it …
We’ll call this one a “learning experience.” (I generally hate those, by the way) If you’re wondering how to sell the wood from an old barn, if your old barn wood is worth any money, and how to handle the process… I hope you can learn from our experience. That is to say, selling our old 1800s barn turned out to be a pretty terrible …
This has been the year of the fruit leather, and my favorite so far is this plum and crabapple fruit leather… it’s sweet and tart, with a gorgeous color, plus it is very pliable and tender (a great quality for fruit leather, as some can end up as tough as… well, leather). I’m on my third batch already and it seems I haven’t even made a …
For years I’ve tried making pickles- everything from bread and butter refrigerator pickles to classic dills… and for years I’ve never found a recipe I have fallen in love with, until now. I didn’t realize how much my general lack of pickling skills was weighing on me- I mean, a homesteader should be able to make a great pickle, shouldn’t they?! Well, I feel like …
Potato beetles showed up in my garden this year, and I was ready- here’s what I did to get rid of them organically and naturally without harmful pesticides… and it actually worked! Did you know that potatoes are on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen?” This is the top twelve produce items with the most pesticide residue on them- the ones you should always try …
You might take one look at our garden and wonder if we’re preparing to be invaded by werewolves, vampires, and other evil spirits. Currently, a good 1/6 of our garden space is planted in garlic! My next post should really be on how to combat garlic-breath! Have you seen “garlic soap” before? If you’ve tried it, I’d love to know if it works because… I went from …
