Sugar is a huge part of the American diet, and yet a lot of people don’t even think about how it grows or how it’s harvested. Entire nations and states have had their entire economies centered around sugar, a very valuable commodity that is pretty labor-intensive. These days, big agro sugar cane fields have plenty
You want to become truly self-sufficient. Even though you might have a beautiful garden with all the vegetables you need, if you are still buying meat and dairy from the grocery store, you aren’t very self-sufficient at all. In this post, we’ll be looking at some of the best animals for a small homesteader to
Blueberries are a delicious “superfood”. They are full in antioxidants like anthocyanin and offer numerous health benefits. They can get quite costly at the store, especially when they are out of season. But since blueberries are a perennial shrub, there is no reason for you to be spending money over and over again at the
Whether or not you grow in containers, it’s nice to start some crops on tables, or even indoors. But for every plant that you end up transplanting into the ground, you could have started 10 or more that never made the cut. That means that if you are going to start crops in containers, you
If you live somewhere that doesn’t get too cold in the winter, a bonfire pit is a great winter project. You can enjoy some hot cocoa, marshmallows and starry skies at night. This is a pretty cool video of a very simple and basic fire pit model you could make using supplies from your local
I never tire of homemade cold remedies. I got a pretty bad cold this week and really wished I had made some of these delicious homemade cough drops. A nasty cold is particularly awful to have during cold winter months. I will definitely be making more of these to have on hand the next time
When the weather gets too cold for you to grow vegetables outdoors, you might want to be adventurous and try growing a few select vegetables and herbs indoors. If you live in an apartment, condominium or townhome without any outdoor space to grow a garden, you can grow some vegetables, herbs and even tropical fruit
If you have kids in the modern world, you probably know how quickly and easily they can become attached to electronic devices and the “easy” way of doing things. Of course, you can relate, as you are reading this on the Internet. However, you know how important it is for the kids to strike that
Pruning is a great way to control the growth of your plants. It can help you increase yield and reduce disease by focusing your plant’s growth. One crop that pruning is a must for, but often gets neglected is tomatoes. Tomatoes can be difficult to prune because it is not always visually obvious which portions
Pickling garlic is a great way to preserve it for the winter, or if you don’t grow garlic, to ensure that you always have it on hand. You may have seen minced garlic or even whole garlic cloves in the store, but those typically have lots of preservatives in them or take on the flavor
Any way that costs can be cut while increasing productivity and health in the garden is a good thing. One way to do just that is to use wood ash in your garden as a fertilizer. Not only does wood ash contain calcium and potassium, along with other nutrients, but an easy-to-obtain byproduct of
I saw this infographic on Pinterest recently and couldn’t resist sharing here! Moonshine is such a humorous cultural icon of the South and of “country living”. I wouldn’t actually recommend making moonshine, and you’ll see the infographic has a warning, since it’s most likely illegal to do so where you live and can be quite dangerous.
No-poo for pets might not be what you are thinking it is. It won’t keep you from cleaning out a litter box or picking up after your dog in the yard. But it can help reduce the cost of keeping your pet healthy and reduce toxins in your environment. No-poo (short for “no shampoo”) is
Mayonnaise is a condiment staple that most houses stay well-stocked in. However, most store-bought mayonnaise, even the “natural” kind, is made from either unhealthy, caloric, “bad fat” oils, GMO soy ingredients, or both. Mayonnaise used to be something most homes made from scratch, and it is really quite simple to make your own, and requires
Poison ivy is such a drag to get. It can debilitate you almost as much as an actual injury. Depending on where you get it on your body, it can make it difficult and even painful to move and get work done, and especially for little ones, can make life very uncomfortable. The uncontrollable itchiness