DIY

100 articles

How to Pressure Can Your Own Pinto Beans

Growing up, I never even thought about canning my own pinto beans.  Every bean I ate, unless I was at a restaurant or a friends house, came from a can. They were good and they were fast and easy.  Open a can, add some salt, pepper and garlic powder and you're set! All you had to do was open a…
February 22, 2012
Greens and Grow Lights

Greens and Grow Lights

When we first set up our grow lights, we planted a few flats of greens, sprouts, micro greens and wheat grass just to see what would happen.  Well, it's actually been really great!  We've harvested enough for several meals (salads and greens for sandwiches) and have juiced wheat grass several times. We learned that wheat grass (like regular grass) will…
January 17, 2012

Garlic Powder – DIY

We recently discovered that some of our garlic was starting to sprout, so we decided to try our hand at making our very own Garlic Powder. We pulled three heads of garlic, broke up their cloves and took their skins off. Then we sliced them up and put them in our dehydrator. Since we started this process at night, we…
January 8, 2012
Hot Chocolate & a Mason Jar Cozy

Hot Chocolate & a Mason Jar Cozy

Alright, let's be honest here...can you think of anyone you know who doesn't like hot chocolate?  Right! So, given our shared love of hot chocolate, I thought I'd share a fun little gift that's super easy to throw together and that is always met with joy! In layers, add to two pint sized mason jars: 2/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup…
December 19, 2011

DIY – Re-finishing Cast Iron Pots

I have a special place in my heart for cast iron pots and pans, but up until about a year ago, we didn't own any.  Since buying a few and being given an amazing dutch oven last Christmas, we have really fallen in love with them! Last weekend Tool Lady took a trip to the Goodwill to see what she…
December 1, 2011

Sweet Potato Banana Butter

The making of Sweet Potato Banana Butter has become somewhat of a tradition in our house each fall and is absolutely heavenly on freshly baked bread.  This recipe is from the book Simply Homemade Food Gifts and was requested by a friend this year who said, "You are making that butter stuff again this year, right?!"  Well, yes, of course I am!…
November 22, 2011