You guys 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, […]
How to Grow Shiitake Mushrooms in Your Own Backyard!
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 […]
How to Render Lard the BEST Way – And Why I WON’T Use a Slow Cooker
Eventually everything comes back into style, doesn’t it? I’m happy to see lard back in a positive light, and even happier to see old-fashioned skills, like learning how to render lard making a resurgence! While you can buy rendered lard that’s ready to cook with, making your own is often more affordable, plus it’s a […]
First Aid & Health Aid for Homesteaders (and Everyone)
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 […]
How to Tear Down and Get Rid of an Old Barn, Plus How NOT to Sell the Wood!
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 […]
Organic Potato Bug Control: How to Get Rid of Potato Beetles Naturally
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 […]
How to Package, Store, and Sell Honey, plus Creative & Inexpensive Honey Labels
We’re still pretty “new” as far as beekeeping goes. Newbies, if you will. See what I did there? Of course we’ve had ups and downs over the past few years, but overall I consider us successful beekeepers. The first year we didn’t take any honey from the bees, but the past two years we were able […]
The Importance of Good Skincare: First Do No Harm
**SAFE SKINCARE QUICK LINKS** Shop Beautycounter —> here. Join my Safe Skincare Facebook group —> here. ♥♥♥ Confession: I’m getting older and my skin is changing. There. I said it. We put a lot of thought and care into the food we grow on the homestead, and what we put in our bodies. It is […]
MEGA Tree Nursery Review: Online & Local, Evergreen, Orchard & Decidous
In this mega tree nursery review, I have full reviews for: Arbor Day Foundation Evergreen Plant Nursery Japanese Maples and Evergreens Albrecht’s Nursery Paint Creek Nursery Weston’s Antique Apples Burnt Ridge Nursery So, we ordered a lot of trees this spring… One of the things high on our to-do list was to plant a privacy […]
Eliminate Seasonal Pollen Allergies Naturally
Seasonal pollen allergies are dreadful. There’s nothing worse than stepping outside on a gorgeous summer day and feeling your nose start to tickle and eyes turn itchy. You’ve got tissues shoved in every pocket, and you’re trying to finish your tasks as quickly as possible in order to retreat back inside as fast as you can. Wouldn’t it be […]