The Art & Science of Homesteading
You all want to know all about heirloom beans, I hear ya! So I’m spilling them! …the beans that is. Har har. I can’t write about beans and not include at least one cheesy bean joke, come on! No fart jokes, I promise. I’m taking you through the basics of how to grow heirloom beans, from planting to harvesting and shucking, plus which varieties are …
I’ve always been a mushroom-lover… blame it on my upbringing. I grew up in the woods, with two generations of wild mushroom foragers before me. I’ve eaten a lot of really amazing fresh mushrooms in my life- and while I love foraging for them, it’s even better to be able to grow Shiitake mushrooms in our own backyard! Growing mushrooms has been one of our …
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 …
I’m pretty excited about this. As I get older, I find that the things that excite me are not…. normal. Natural, organic deer repellent that actually works? Yep, gives me butterflies. I don’t want a tropical vacation, I want sheep. And please don’t buy me flowers, I want heirloom beans and tomato seeds instead. No manicures or fancy dinners for this gal, give me new rubber …
If you’ve only ever grown varieties like Big Boy tomatoes and Butternut squash… you’re in for a surprise, and a treat! As folks who take pleasure from sticking their hands in the dirt, who can’t wait to eat the first fresh green bean from the garden every summer, and who appreciate things like old mason jars, fresh eggs, and good neighbors- I think you’ll LOVE …
These seed companies, they’ve got us gardeners figured out. They prey on all the poor, snow-bound people during the dark, depths of winter. I swear they each have a team of meteorologists in the catalog department, just waiting for the coldest days and worst winter weather to hit. That’s when they pull the trigger. Catalogs start flying out to all the desperate, vitamin D-deprived homesteaders …
When we moved to our homestead a couple years ago, one of the first things we noticed was that over the years the resident squirrels had most graciously planted a black walnut grove in the yard. The entire yard. The trees would have to come down because they were taking up our outdoor living space. We hated the idea of having to cut down those little …
I love these so much. I love everything about them. Straight from the earth, very easy to prepare- with no dehydrator or special equipment needed. Unless you consider a twist tie and a string as special equipment… Plus: no food dyes, no sugar, no additives, no gluten, no bad stuff at all. Heck, these even have some nutrients in them! Natural, organic purple sprinkles. This …
I grew up a tom-boy, with a dad who was well versed in what to eat (and what not to eat!) from the woods, the yard, and even the roadsides. Eating berries from the hillside and mushrooms from deep in the woods is one of the great pleasures in life! I suppose though, if you didn’t grow up with wild edibles, and nobody has ever …
Buried underneath layers of homemade ice fishing lures in an old box, I rescued this treasure from Karl’s grandparent’s house. Grandpa chuckled at my enthusiasm for this vintage find and told me to take the seeds with me if I wanted. Yeah, I wanted. I know its only an old seed packet- and not even that old, but I love what it represents. Fifty years …
