Hands down, the room where I spend the majority of my time in is the kitchen. It’s where we share our meals, visit with friends and family, process hundreds of animals to fill our freezers, can, prep, and preserve our food, and is essentially the heart of our humble home. But as central of a […]
Category Archives: DIY
How to Prepare Garlic for Long Term Storage
“Life is not complex. We are complex. Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing.” -Oscar Wilde In a world that is so fast-paced, so aggressive, so offended all the time, so self-absorbed, it can be hard to know…just where does one fit in? Where should your opinions lie? In which direction […]
Homemade Mint Extract
I always feel a little extra trashy when I drag a big old bottle of the world’s cheapest vodka up to the register at the liquor store. There’s this urge to explain myself. “It’s not what you think! I’m not trash, I promise! It’s for extracts. Yes, extracts. No, I don’t actually drink this stuff…honest.” […]
Processing Broiler Chickens: Butcher Day Checklist
Were it not for lists, I would surely die a slow death of walking in circles. It’s amazing how you can get up in the morning, determined to tackle all of those tasks you remembered as you tried to fall asleep the night before. It was alllllll there in your mental checklist: Get that turkey […]
How to Make a Sheepskin Rug
Winter time is project time around these here parts. Our winters are long. Cold. Dark. And did I mention…long? As of right now, despite spring’s arrival on the calendar, we’re still under several feet of snow and seeing below-zero temperatures. But that’s life in my part of the world. And so deal with it we […]
How to Build a Keyhole Raised Garden Bed
I am endlessly intrigued by interesting and unique ways of approaching the ordinary. Especially when it comes to gardening. You probably know that about me by now. When I was introduced to hugelkultur, my personal perspective on food production was changed forever. It was no longer as simple as sticking a seed into the ground, […]
Traditional Homestead Quick Tip: Homemade Organic Brown Sugar in 3 Minutes or Less!
There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a baking project and suddenly realizing you’re missing an ingredient or two. That is when one must get creative and either find a substitute or make your own. I find myself in this predicament more often than not since I try to rely mostly on food […]
How-To: Hugelkultur Raised Garden Bed Start-to-Finish
***Please see my more recent article on hugelkultur, with a start-to-finish slideshow of the 2015 hugelkultur garden*** Welcome to a new How-To Monday: Hugelkultur! Every once in a while, my husband gets a little chainsaw-happy. You see, in my neck of the woods, we have an endless supply {or, rather, infestation} of what we […]
How to Make Homemade Raw Butter: 3 Easy Steps!
Butter. I know. It kind-of has the same effect on a person as the word “bacon” does. It just makes my mouth water. First of all, if you are reading this post and are a margarine lover, you absolutely must read this article and stop right now. Please! Then come on back and read through […]
How-To Monday: Successfully Ventilate the Cold Climate Chicken Coop
Being that we’re in the heart of winter, it’s likely you’ve come across an article or two pertaining to protecting your flock against the elements or at least on how to keep them comfortable. On my own blog I’ve discussed winter chicken keeping and the best breeds for cold weather climates, and I’m back at […]