Making homemade sun-dried tomatoes is easy, something I really appreciate when the tomatoes are ripening. That's usually the time of year when things are coming in from the garden so fast that it's hard to keep up. I'm usually putting corn, beans, squash, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and raspberries into the pantry or freezer in various forms as fast as I can. So, sun-drying tomatoes (see nutritional information for them HERE ) is a nice method of preservation because it ... continue reading...
Freeze Excess Milk for Storage and Winter Use
Learning about freezing milk for long term storage is one of the early things we decided that we needed to do once we got Nigerian Dwarf goats. One of the great things about having Nigerian Dwarf goats (see 5 Reasons You Should Choose Nigerian Dwarf Goats For Milk for more) is the wonderful tasting milk they produce. And one of the advantages of the breed is that they can be bred year-round (unlike standard breeds) so that kidding can be staggered to keep the milk supply ... continue reading...
Grandma’s Favorite Chili
Grandma's favorite chili relies on canned pantry staples (canned tomato soup, chili beans, and diced tomatoes) which makes it perfect for throwing together in busy or stressful times. Why It Was Grandma's Favorite It's an easy, versatile, and flavorful chili that my Grandma used to feed Grandpa and four growing boys. She'd mix it together, and then let it simmer on the stove for several hours (stirring occasionally) to develop flavor. That allowed her to work ... continue reading...
7 Important Questions To Ask Before Getting Honey Bees
Beginning Beekeeping Important Questions Thinking of adding honey bees to your backyard (see 3 Reasons for Homestead Honey Bees)? Here are 7 beginning beekeeping important questions to ask before committing to honey bees (we didn’t necessarily think of all these before adding ours): Where will you locate the honey bee hive(s)? It’s a good idea to try and imagine everything bad that could happen, and then locate the hive(s) with that in mind. As a minimum, consider sun, shade, isolation ... continue reading...
Getting Started With Chickens
I have a few suggestions for anyone interested in getting started with chickens. We've kept chickens for quite a few years now, and have hatched chicks from eggs, started with day-old baby chicks as well as purchased pullets (female chickens just ready to start laying eggs). Here are my recommendations for things to consider when getting started with chickens: What Breed Of Chicken To Start With Basically, chickens are bred for egg-laying, egg-laying and meat (called dual ... continue reading...
Propane Torch Garden Weeder – Best Quick & Organic Weeding Investment!
The propane torch garden weeder shown below is a great tool that we've found useful for doing some quick, organic weeding. We found ours on sale at Harbor Freight several years ago. The same model appears to be available at Amazon too if you don't have a Harbor Freight nearby - scroll down to find the link below. It's awesome what we're able to accomplish in very little time with this little torch adapter for a propane tank! How The Propane Torch Garden Weeder Works The propane torch ... continue reading...
Crustless (Keto-Friendly) Quiche or Mini Quiche Recipe
This is an easy crustless (keto-friendly) quiche recipe or mini-quiche recipe that tastes great. The best part is, it doesn't require a crust so it's great for those following a keto-type diet or those avoiding processed foods. Another fantastic thing about this quiche recipe is that you can easily substitute an alternative meat, cheese, or vegetable and still get great results. Although the original recipe calls for bacon as the meat, swiss for the grated cheese, and spinach ... continue reading...
Garden Seeds – GE, GMO, Heirloom – What’s It Mean?
Today, garden seeds can be confusing - there are GE (genetically engineered), GMO (genetically modified organism), and Heirloom (old varieties) seed varieties available as well as open-pollinated (OP), hybrid, organic, pelleted, and treated seed! I can remember when you went to your local feed & seed supply store to buy garden seeds; and your choices were limited to a few – how things have changed! Today there are numerous seed catalogs available with hundreds of ... continue reading...