Ways to Homestead in the Suburbs
A lot of people associate homesteading with having a large property with acres of land, a huge garden, and several different livestock animals. And there …
Simple Living
Harvesting and Drying Wild Herbs
One thing that I’ve been trying to do more of this year is to take advantage of some of the herbs that are growing wild …
Ways to Save Money on Herbal Tea
Herbal teas are a great way to enjoy a variety of different flavors while also benefiting from the nutrients and beneficial properties of the herbs. …
Ways to Preserve Food Without Canning
When we think of food preservation, a lot of times the first thing that comes to mind is pantry shelves filled with home-canned foods in …
Perennials That Make Good Cut Flowers
One of the best ways to quickly brighten up a room is to add a bouquet of fresh flowers in a vase. The price of …
Foraging for Herbs and Wild Edibles in Your Backyard
When we think about going foraging, we often picture going somewhere deep in the woods or in a field out in the countryside, but a …
How to Make Your Own Maple Syrup - Part 2: Boiling Down the Sap
If you have a few backyard maple trees and you live in a climate where it's below freezing at night and above freezing during the …
How to Make Homemade Maple Syrup: Tapping Your Maple Trees
There are some aspects of homesteading that are definitely more challenging for those of us who live in suburban areas with small yards, but if …
How to Store Apples to Last for the Winter
One of the many reasons why apples were such a popular fruit in previous centuries is the fact that they are one of the few …
12 Ways to Hygge in the Spring
The art of hygge is something that has become more and more popular in recent years. Hygge is usually associated with the cold, dark winter …
How to Use Hygge to Improve Your Health and Well-Being
For our ancestors, winter was usually thought of as an enjoyable time of year even though the weather was cold. Especially for those living in …
How to Store Vegetables for Winter
Whether you want to store your own garden-grown produce or whether you want to take advantage of a bulk discount for fresh vegetables from a …
Are You Making Time to Enjoy the Simple Things?
This spring, I did something I haven't always done other years. I've made a point of really enjoying and appreciating the flowers blooming this time …
How to Use Soap Nuts as a Natural Laundry Detergent Alternative
(Update July 2020: At the time I originally wrote this post, I was using soap nuts for my laundry and found them to be …
How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet
Cooking with a cast iron skillet is about as old-fashioned as it gets. Back in the days before non-stick coatings for pans existed, cast iron …
Finding Edible Weeds on a Plant Literacy Tour
A few weeks ago I visited Old Sturbridge Village (a living history museum focusing on early 19th century life in New England,) and one …
How to Keep Mason Jars from Smelling Musty
Have you ever taken an empty Mason jar out of the cupboard to use and then smelled that awful musty smell when you opened …
Why and How to Dry Your Own Herbs
Whether you grow your own herbs in a garden in your yard or whether you are able to find a good deal on fresh herbs …
Is It Really Healthier to Grind Your Own Grain?
It took a long while before I finally decided to get my own grain grinder. For several months, I had debated whether it would …
How to Dye Yarn with Berries - Part 2
Dyeing yarn with berries is a fun way to create a unique homemade yarn for knitting scarves, hats, etc. and it's a fairly simple process …
How to Dye Yarn with Berries - Part 1: Preparing the Yarn
After a couple of recent trips to living history museums and seeing examples of hand-dyed yarn, I was inspired to do some experimenting of my …