Homesteading

314 articles
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
Pressure Canning Beans!

Pressure Canning Beans!

We got a pressure canner!!!  It wasn't planned for, but sometimes (most of the time) it's better that way!Since 2011 marked our first experiences with water bath canning, I'm super excited to add pressure canning to my list of things to learn more about in 2012!  So far, so good!  It seems easier than water bath canning, although, I must…
January 3, 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
Do Our Chickens Pay for Themselves?

Do Our Chickens Pay for Themselves?

Back in August I asked this question, so we've been tracking it on my sidebar ever since.  This is what's happened in a nut (egg?) shell...For a while (read: when we first started this challenge), we were getting 6-7 eggs a day and I was feeling extremely optimistic about our little experiment.Then, the ladies started molting, their eating habits changed, their…
December 11, 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