We love ice cream, I mean, it can get to an unhealthy point. I am not going to lie. So we cut ourselves off of ice cream a little short of two years now. Don’t get me wrong we have indulged a few times here and there but if we don’t check ourselves, shit can get real, real fast! But who doesn’t want ice cream, right? It is just so nice and creamy and cold.
Trying to maintain a homestead, even on a small scale, can be difficult to balance when you throw working full time in the mix. As our journey has progressed and chores are divided, we try to make things as easiest as possible for us. As badly as we would love to tend to our homestead full time, we both wake up every morning and go to work. So, in order for things to work, you
Pizza on the grill y’all! Whhhhaatt! You mean I don’t have to heat up my kitchen by turing on my oven to make delicious pizza? Yes please! If y’all are in search for the perfect pizza dough head on over here and check out the recipe I have found, tweaked and loved. I am a pizza lover but more times than not…wait what am I saying, I mean….. every single time, when we order pizza, we feel
Oh pizza, how I have searched for years to find the perfect homemade pizza dough recipe to make you delicious. I have failed multiple times. But I never gave up and finally, I have found a recipe that will do you justice. Wanna hear how easy it was? Well, let me tell you then. If you are anything like me, you want pizza more times in a month than you probably should. But seriously, ordering
I mean, WHHHHHAAAAT!!! These pressure cooker hard boiled eggs turn out perfect, and require less effort! We were gifted a pressure cooker at christmas last year and my thoughts were, “oh cool.” But then we busted this thing out and now every time we use it our minds are… Blown. I mean, the meat comes out, melt in your mouth every. single. time. And every time we use it we tell each other, “how have
Finding a damn good delicious AND healthy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe can be really hard. The pictures look great but then you make it and they taste like……crap, I’m just gonna say it y’all. They taste like crap. I don’t know about you but I want an oatmeal raisin cookie that is still healthy, without tasting like cardboard. I want a cookie that is full of flavor not just sugar. And I want a cookie I
Essential oils are an incredible resource for health and well being. They can be used in more ways than your than your pretty little brain probably realizes. I get it, the word essential oil sounds kinda hooky. Every time someone asks me a health question or a suggestion, the word essential oil comes out of my mouth and I see them slightly roll their eyes. But seriously people, I wouldn’t be yapping about it if
Homemade All-Natural Cleaner Recipe Holy moly am I excited to share this homemade natural cleaner with you. So, one day I came home and my husband was like, “oh, I made a new cleaner.” I thought, cool! But then I actually tried this bad boy and was…. Blown away. Not only did it clean the toughest grease stains off our stove, it also reminded me what a beautiful color white my kitchen floor tile was
Alright y’all, let’s talk eggs for a second. When you have a fortunate supply of eggs sitting on your counter from your own chickens, they can get a little questionable at times. I mean, everyday you gather and everyday they pile. When it comes time to washing them and storing them in the fridge, you want to make sure those bad boys are safe to eat. Right? Right! So, let’s talk about one sure way
I am in a pondering mood, mostly about the day I had. Wanna hear about it? I’m gonna tell you anyway. I woke up 4:15a. I had an incredibly deep yoga and meditation practice. I was connected with my breath, I allowed myself to float into this place of existence, a place of complete euphoria. I gave my thanks to all the energy that surrounds me. And I started my day. Then I got to
It was 93 degrees today with a humidity of 84%, sounds like a perfect day to stand barefoot in the kitchen over a hot stove and make some jam. Don’t you think? I mean, when really is a good time to can. No matter what, you are going to be dripping sweat so, I say F it….. Can it up yo! I love canning food. It is just so empowering to take a delicious piece
Alright y’all, it’s time to dump just one of your “favorite” chemical cleaners and give this bad boy a try. This whole living a clean non-toxic life, can get super overwhelming. We have learned that you have to take it slow. Just add one thing here and there to contribute to the clean and all natural life you are after. This little gem here is going to replace that disinfectant spray you use to clean
The vision. Somehow along our journey in life, we create these visions in our head. You know those visions that tell you everything in your life has to look, feel and be a very specific way. These visions some how determine the actions we take, the energy we carry and the outlook on life we have. Sometimes we go to the extreme of losing everything around us because we have to carry out this vision.
I’m sorry I ditch you for a while. But I had to take a moment and reflect just what in the world I was doing with my life. And my conclusion….. I forgot to exhale. You know when you get really excited about something and you’re all tense and holding your breath because you just can’t wait for it to happen? Well, I was in that state of being for the last 2-3 months. And
Alright y’all, I feel as though it is time that I share our spaghetti sauce recipe. I get it, there are thousands of recipes out there, so why should you try this one? Because it is mutha f-ing delicious that’s why. This recipe has been handed down from my mother-in-law, thanks Gail! And now I hand it down to you. Enough with the bull s*** let’s do this thang already ***Yo, use as many organic
So you went ahead on got your some some fancy little ladies did ya?! There has been nothing better, in our homesteading journey, than our sweet little ladies. They provide us with food for our family and in return we provide them love and a wonderful life. See y’all, the circle must go round and round or we lose the entire meaning of this whole thing. When deciding to get yourself some chickens, there is
Mother nature is an incredible mother. She heals with love, she sends energy out to guide you, she even gives you all you need in order to thrive in this life. This one life we get to live. But we get distracted. We forget that she is here for us. We forget that we are her top priority and our health and well being is the main goal in this whole damn thing. So let’s
Normally when giving a recipe, I never give a story. I just want to give you quick and to the point, I mean you are here for a recipe and damn it I want to give it to you. BUT….. I feel like maybe if this back story can shed some light on someone, it’s worth sharing, so hang in there. I promise you’ll get something delicious at the end. For a hot minute I
Mother nature gave us these amazing resources to stay healthy. But some how along the way we got side tracked by shiny things. There is a reason why food has so much power. It is made to heal our bodies. Food is what we are meant to metabolize. We are so quick to pop a pill to help head tension or the feeling of a flu or cold coming on. But really, we need to
Organic Homemade Dog Shampoo Recipe So this is our pup. She is our devil pup. It’s been about a year since she’s joined our family and since I am doing a post on dog shampoo I figure why not introduce her. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Kaya. No we didn’t name her Kaya for that reason, But after we figured out what it meant we didn’t change it either so….. She is the sweetest pup
Well it is time to start sprucing up the front yard. It has been about 5 years now and all our energy has gone to making a food forest in the back yard for our family to enjoy. But now everything is established and pretty much taking care of itself. So on to the front! When we first moved in to our home, we made a small little planter in front of the house and
So you have some carrots do ya. And you want to ferment them do ya. Let’s do this thing yo! Fermentation doesn’t always have to be about making sauerkraut, the sky’s the limit when making fermented foods. Whatever your favorite vegetable is, you can ferment it to give it a ton more health benefits. Or if you harvest to much from your garden and can’t think of what to do with it, ferment it up,
Hey y’all, let’s make some good ol’ fashion sauerkraut shall we. If you have not already checked out why you should eat fermented foods, like ALL.DAY.LONG. Check out this post. Sauerkraut gets a bad rep, most people think it just goes on hot dogs and it’s gross. But when you realize how good it is for your belly, all of a sudden it has an interesting taste that you can get behind. Sauerkraut is one
Alright Y’all, so you’ve brewed your batch of Booch and you need a break. I am not even going to ask why you are taking a break from Booch but I am sure it’s a good reason. So I will walk you through on how to make a SCOBY hotel. This way your SCOBY stays happy and fed while you do whatever it is that you need to do. It is really quite simple to
Yo! Let’s talk about simplifying your Kombucha flavor. Many ask me about the process it takes to make Kombucha and while it can be time consuming for a very small portion of the process, it’s actually super easy. If you haven’t already read series 1, 2 and 3 check them out here, here, oh and here. It talks about what Kombucha is, how to grow your own SCOBY and how to brew the stuff. This
Now, I do not have a ton of recipes up my sleeve like some woman. In fact my husband does most of the cooking in our house. And I must say he’s incredible at it. BUT the one recipe I do have down and in my opinion is an important one because it’s my husbands favorite, is… Hot wings! There are a ton of recipes out there that have the “perfect” hot wing and I
We wander around all day just trying to figure out life. Most of us have no idea what in the world we are doing. Sometimes it feels like we are constantly searching for something. Sometimes it feels like we are running from something. Sometimes if feels like we need more than we really do. Sometimes we just need to stop and breathe. Most of us need someone to tell us to stop and breathe.
The earth has given us incredible resources to maintain a healthy beautiful life. Among these resources there is one particular that just has me drawn to like a fly to honey. White sage. This beautiful herb needs to be apart of everyones life. We all have a place inside us that needs to be re-open. A place where pure delicate energy needs to flow through. We all have a place inside of us that needs to
So I guess when we do something day in and day out, we don’t realize that it could be completely foreign to someone else. Let’s take composting for example, well not for example because this whole post is going to be about composting but you get it. Anyway, for composting, we have a bucket under the sink, we throw our kitchen scraps in it without thinking anymore because it’s now apart of who we are.
I thought I would take a second and talk about how my husband and I homestead while working 40 hours a week. It has taken a long time to get where we are today in our homesteading journey. I remember starting our journey in a little moldy apartment by the beach. We had a little container garden that held our tomatoes and blueberries. We had seedlings growing on a make shift garden window (a shelf
We have been dying to build an herb spiral for about 4 years now. About 3 years ago we got all the bricks we needed for this project but then life happened and our bricks just sat and stared at us. But after being patient, two kids and a puppy later we did it Y’all. We built our muther f-ing herb spiral and it is beautiful. Are you wondering what an herb spiral is? An
Essential Oils? When someone around says, “oh man I’ve got a neck tension.” and your response is, “Oh I have peppermint oil if you’d like.” and they look at you like you’re a crazy weirdo, don’t lose your confidence homie. The more we look like weirdos, the more we spread the word! If you are reading this and you are the one who looked at someone like they were a weirdo for offering you peppermint
Alright, I know there are like a million banana bread recipes out there that you have tried. I am sure that this one is not much different because I mean it’s banana bread right! But when I tasted it I was like, “hot damn this is some good banana bread!” Maybe it is because I used maple syrup instead of sugar. Maybe it is because I used eggs that I collected from my back yard.
I am always seriously shocked when I set out to do something and it actually works! I mean, it doesn’t always work let’s be honest. But I set out to make elderberry gummies for my kiddos and BAM, made some mutha f-ing gummies y’all. I have to say I am still on the search for the perfect gummie consistency, so stay tuned for updates to this post and possibly a new recipe. This here recipe
Oh dang, have I got the mother of all mothers here. As usual, I am learning about herbs and all the beautiful things they do and I came across Black Seed Oil. It was like BAM, where have you been my whole life. Black Seed Oil is something that should be apart of your medicinal herb cabinet for sure. This right here folks, is called the mother load. This is the brand we use and
If you haven’t already read the medicinal herb series post on Elder, I suggest you stop what you are doing and mosey on over there. Elder is incredible stuff especially during cold and flu season. Every year there is huge talk about how this years cold and flu season are the worst they have seen yet. Every year it’s the worst one? Crap, I am scared to see what next year brings. So I plan
You may have seen it in your local grocery store, you may have come across the name while reading your favorite homesteading blog. You may have commonly dismissed it like most people because you didn’t know its capabilities. But Elder is a name that you want to be familiar with especially in the cold and flu season. Elder is mostly found in parts of Asia, Africa, Europe and even parts of North America. The most
I have received a ton of question around Kefir. So I thought I would compile them all together and help take the fear out of fermented milk. When people hear the words fermented milk they immediately shut off. Seriously people, this stuff is the best stuff in the world for your entire well being. When I encourage people to make it at home, they look at me like, there is no way in hell I
Tea…………how do you feel about tea? Is tea part of your daily routine? Or can you even remember the last time you thought of tea? I was the one who could remember the last time she thought of tea, if I can be honest here. However, these days I’m finding myself salivating over it like a monkey over a banana. Is that a stereotype? Do monkeys even like bananas like we think they do? Anyway,
So come to find out these “seeded apples” are absolutely amazing for you. I mean, we all kinda figured. Pomegranate is an incredible little fruit that contains tiny little seeds. Around the seeds are ruby colored juicy pieces of fruit. If you have ever tried to enjoy a pomegranate, I’m sure you’ve discovered they can be extremely messy. If you have never had a pomegranate, they can be extremely messy. We are going to be
I know what you are thinking, sinus rinse? I’m telling you, it’s the way to go to clear out all the nastiness out of your nasal passage and sinuses. Our sinuses connect to our immune system and when that becomes compromised by viruses, infections, allergies, or even dust our immune systems begin to weaken. Washing out our nasal passage can help build our immune system and knock out anything that is trying to weaken it.
Let’s talk eggs people! Now I’ve gotten some eyebrows raised when I tell people we keep our eggs out on the counter. Wait, you think we are crazy too? Well listen up y’all, FRESH-OUT-OF-THE-CHICKENS-BUTT EGGS do not have to be refrigerated. You see when the chicken lays an egg, the egg has a protective antibacterial coating over it, called the “egg bloom”. The bloom closes all the pores on the egg preventing bacteria and
Oh my, let’s talk lavender for a second shall we. I mean there is nothing quite like it. The fragrance just fills the air with this delicate aroma. The flowers stand tall and proud. The deep purple color just pops against the muted green leaves. It is just a heavenly plant that is filled with medicinal properties that you should not be without. Let’s do it to it. Growing lavender Lavender, or lavendula angustifolia, part
Photo credit /milkandhoneyacreage Let’s talk about Echinacea for a second shall we. So we all have most likely heard of this herb. We take it when we are about to get sick, yea yea. But what you probably don’t know is that this little herb is one of the most important herbs that can go into your natural medicine cabinet. It is packed with so many uses and you can grow it in your back
There are so many accomplishments in my life that I couldn’t be more proud of. But becoming a mother is in a whole other category. It has been my greatest toughest accomplishment that blows my mind everyday. I mean I grew a human, thought I was going to die from the pain of having this human and now they are full on little people. There are really no words to fully describe the joy and
My husband and I live two different lives. I know, it sounds really odd doesn’t it, but it is true. Let me explain. About 6 or 7 years ago we found the word “homesteading.” By found I mean, we shifted our mind set from, “the world is ending let’s get a gun” to “maybe we should understand what it means to be self sufficient.” The feeling of being self sufficient was much more comforting
Lets talk fish fertilizer for a bit. Fish fertilizer is an organic option to have when wanting to replenish your soil with much needed nutrients. Unlike chemical fertilizers, all natural fish fertilizers continually provide nutrients into the soil through different stages. Chemical fertilizers are quick release fertilizers which means, it will act quickly but will not be able to sustain past a certain point after use. Fish fertilizer is a slow release fertilizer. That means
They are so simple. They need food, water and love. They never turn their back on you no matter how mad you get at them. They love with ever ounce in them. They become this huge part of your life without you even realizing it. And then one day you must say goodbye. Today we had to say goodbye to our Brooz. He was a pup who lived like a king. He had a small
Man, it’s been a while since we’ve done a medicinal herb series but hey, we are here now so let’s get down and dirty. Let’s talk about the ever so popular herb ROSEMARY. Everyone has heard of it. Everyone loves it. It grows by the bush along most side walks. It’s everywhere and it is one of the most important herbs out there. We use fresh rosemary in a lot of our dishes. It
So, I am going to be honest here. I tend to kill plants. I don’t mean to, I really love them. But holy moly I’ve killed more than I’d really like to say. I am sure my husband is shaking his head right now as he reads this. Possibly even rubbing his face with exhaustion. But you love me hunny, remember that. Anyway, the odd thing is that I have been able to keep
Let’s do a little fermenting shall we. We harvested some beautiful looking beets and carrots a few weeks ago. So I decided to ferment them. Man, the world of fermenting has just got me. It is so much fun. What made this batch even better, was that we grew it. The word ferment, scares people. But it shouldn’t. Read here to see why. We are going to get on with this simple beet kraut that
Oh man, has it been fun learning how to cook on one of these bad boys. When you first start your journey into homesteading, cast iron is a no brainer. That is until you bring home your first pan without really doing a ton of research and you attempt to scramble up some eggs. If you are a cast iron user, I am sure your cringing and smiling at the same time. Well when all
Is it time for an update on the garden? I think so. It amazes me how fast everything blooms. How fast it takes off and thrives. I caught a nasty flu this past weekend and was in bed. But what brought me peace was being able to look outside our sliding door into a world of pure beauty. As the wind blew, the delicate leaves of the peach tree swayed back and forth. As the
You plant this awesome garden. This awesome garden starts to produce awesome things like, tomatoes, basil, strawberries, peaches. You see the beautiful flower blossom. Then you see the flower turn into the fruit you have always wanted. You get excited that you finally, after years of picking off the fruit so it can stabilize, finally get to taste the fruit of your labor. Then BAM, that beautiful round tomato got taken out by some damn
Be sure to check out more videos on our YouTube channel, Oh Sure I Can, and subscribe for some more fun. Happy homesteading! As always, hit the follow button to stay connected to all the fun action. We got some doozies coming up. Like this:Like Loading...
Mother Nature is an incredible mysterious being. She brings energy, life, questions, answers, beauty and everything in between to this world. She can be loud and intense. She can be peaceful and serene. She is everywhere and the more you accept and work with her, the more you feel connected and grounded. When you do right by her, she sends this energy toward you that allows you to feel, see and love. It is when
Let’s ferment some deliciousness, shall we. We are talking blaukraut recipes here people. This batch of fermented veggies came out much more mild than my last batch that had more onion flavor. This recipe calls for caraway seeds, which I had never experienced before. They are very interesting little seeds. They give the kraut a minty, spicy weird taste. There were times that I was like, “wooo okay, I can dig it.” Then
Everyday I find something new in the garden. Something that has bloomed or sprouted. Something that says life is here. Our garden is slightly on hold due to our new little ladies, the chickens. We are waiting for a fence to be broken down just to be rebuilt back up in a different area. We are waiting for a new space to speak to us. A new canvas to be loved. But we still have
Oh man, was today a delightfully pleasant day. A day where the kids just went with the flow and there was no bickering involved with anyone. A day where you just feel like you utilized and appreciated every second. I’m sure my Arborvitae essential oil and chamomile tincture didn’t hurt the situation either. Oh more to come on that, for sure. But for now let’s do a short post on drying lavender. Oh lavender, how
Lets do a little DIY project shall we. Let’s take some old tree branches and make ourselves a roost. Heck yes! This is pretty simple and to the point. Chickens need to be lifted off the ground to help them feel safe. So giving them this option builds happy secure chickens from the beginning. But they are still being kept in a box because it is to cold for them to go out so,
So you made yourself a SCOBY and your thinking, how in the world do I brew a batch of Kombucha to drink? I got you covered homie, I got you covered. See now aren’t you glad you hit the follow button and received an email updating you that this post was available? I thought so. Ok carrying on. This is the third post to this three part Kombucha series. If you missed the first two be
Let’s make a mutha Fing SCOBY shall we. If you have not already read the first part of this three part series: WTF is Kombucha, I suggest you check it out. This post is going straight to the point and discussing how to grow yourself a SCOBY. Let’s do this thang. Things you’ll need: A bottle of store bought raw organic unflavored Kombucha A glass half gallon or gallon size jar 1/2 cup organic white
I am so excited to share this little adventure with you. This is a three part series, I broke it up to keep your attention. I know how your little noggin works. Here we will talk about what Kombucha is and all that fancy stuff. The second post will be how to grow your own SCOBY. The third will be how to brew a batch and do a second ferment. We discovered Kombucha while I
Let’s propagate some stuff up, man. Taking cuttings from plants to make more plants is super duper easy. Did I just say super duper? Yes, yes I did. When you have plants thriving all around you, all you want is more and more to grace your presence. So what do you do? Cut a piece off a plant and make some more. You can literally do this with any plant. Do what exactly? Well, let
So you are walking down the isle of Costco and you see that huge block of cheese. You think to yourself, “I really need cheese but not that much.” Here is the thing homie, you can freeze that mofo. We purchased our FoodSaver a few years ago. A purchase I didn’t think we would ever really use. Holy moly, we use the crap out of this thing and I just love it. I freeze spaghetti
Let’s talk about chamomile for a bit shall we. Chamomile is one of my favorite herbs, much like lavender. Chamomile is insanely safe to use and is one of those herbs you must have on hand for babies and kids. I’m sure you have indulged in a chamomile tea or two in your life time. So let’s dive in and explore what what it can really do. Growing There are two types of chamomile, Roman
CHICKS!!!!! We have finally brought home baby chicks. This, my friends, is a step in our journey that feels like it has taken FOREVER. It may seem like such a small step for some but for us, it is huge. The feeling we get from taking a bowl outside and filling it with the most delicious arugula, kale and butter lettuce is indescribable. We can’t even imagine what it is going to feel like, gathering
It doesn’t ever seem like we have a winter where we live. We still have flowers blooming, peppers growing, life still in our garden. I took an extra second today to just walk around our yard and saw all this life. I get so busy doing stuff inside the house that I forget to stop and soak in outside. Well today I soaked it in and man, I love what surrounds me. We are hoping
We are exploring the very interesting world of SAGE. Who would have thought this little plant packed so much punch. For centuries sage has been used in the kitchen, making dinners just a tad bit more delicious. But for centuries it has also been used as a medicinal herb as well. Let’s explore why you should have a ton of sage on hand at all times. Growing Sage Best grown in zones 4-8. If you are
We are talking homemade kefir here people. I am so excited to share my little adventure with you. I am sure everyone around me is like, enough already. But I just can’t help it. I am a huge fan of this stuff and let’s be honest, it’s a blast to make. If you are new to the world of good bacteria, be sure to check out my post here. Check out this post if you
Holy moly have I been dying to write this post. It’s homemade kefir time people. For those who have never been introduced to the lovely world of good bacteria, kefir is a great place to start. Now, either you are raising your fists in the air with your head tilted back whispering, yeeeesss. Or you are scratching your head wondering what in the world is kefir. Kefir, my friends, is fermented milk. Now now, before
Hey now, I got something fun and exciting coming your way. A medicinal herbs series. Say what? Every two weeks, I will post a new herb that can be utilized in your daily life. We will dive into why going the natural route is always a plus. We will discuss how to use that herb, whether it be through essential oil, tea, salves, tinctures, poultice or aromatically. We will take out the scare factor of
What in the world does one do with a crap ton of bananas? Eat them silly! Now what in the world does one do with a crap ton of banana peels? Use them in your garden silly! Let’s talk about that delicious piece of fruit that contains oh so many uses. Now you’re probably wondering why in the world do they have so many bananas. I know that’s what you’re thinking. We are banana eaters
Let’s make a comfrey lavender salve people. How do you make a salve? A salve is an ointment made with healing properties. And as with most things I try and do, this comfrey lavender salve recipe is super duper easy man. You can literally make a salve with any dried herbs or oils. I choose to make a comfrey and lavender salve because well, if you don’t know by now comfrey is just straight up
Say what! You heard me mang, homemade deodorant. It really is a satisfying thing to slowly start weeding out commercial products and replacing them with natural resources. To tell you the truth I’ve gone back and forth with weeding commercial products out. I go for a long time with using homemade products and then I second guess myself or think, is this product really working? I go back to using chemically filled tubes of lord
You want me to clean my face with what?! That’s right my friends, oil. I found this method of facial cleansing about a year ago. I went out and bought the oil came home and never did it. Then one day my husband started talking about how he found this new way to clean his face using oil instead of soap. Oh yea, I wanted to do that too didn’t I?! And so the method
Hmmm let’s see, there are so many things I’d like to share with you but none of them have a enough content to make a full post. So I am going to combined them all and share what we’ve been up to and what posts are in your near future. Shall we get to it? Let’s do this. Well we refreshed our kitchen, can I get a hallelujah and a thumbs up! The last
Let’s indulge our little sweet human in the deliciousness of purple sweet potatoes shall we. Making baby food is really not that difficult. I think many mamas get a little intimidated and don’t even try but seriously, try. It’s so easy and what better thing to feed your brand new little baby then homemade pure food. Am I right or am I right! Purple sweet potatoes are high in vitamins A and C and in
So my little poodles, and by poodles I mean my children not actual poodles, are not feeling well. They got a little nasty chest cold happening and it’s really not fun for any of us. When your kids are sick, do you ever not want to inhaling the same air as them? Or when they go to touch your, well anything, you pause for a second and hold your breath and think, “oh man,
What Are The Benefits and Uses of Comfrey? Wooo let’s talk about an interesting little plant called Comfrey, or if you want to get fancy, Symphytum Officinale. This plant is one of those medicinal plants that you just want to have on hand. Because when sh!t hits the fan, this little bad boys going to come in handy and you’re going to think to yourself, “I am so glad I subscribed to Oh Sure I
So, How Do I Make A Comfrey Poultice?! We are making a poultice here people. If you don’t know about Comfrey yet I suggest you mozy on over here and read about it. It’s an amazing plant to have on hand. When growing medicinal herbs finding ways to actually use them can be tricky. You have tinctures, salves, poultices, ointments, oils, teas…. I mean seriously, the list is long. Which is a really an incredible
The day starts with a beautiful little voice yelling “daaaaddy, moooommy I’m awake.” Half eyed and still in a sleep daze he gets right out of bed to greet the beautiful soul we created. As I lay there waiting to cuddle with the sweetest thing in the world, I give my thanks to the higher energy that grants me this incredible life. Wild hair and all she climbs into bed with us. “How did you
Let’s talk about that sweet sour smell of vinegar for a second. What says clean, more than the tangy sweet, potent smell of vinegar whether it be white or apple cider. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, your missing out homie. We have been using vinegar as a cleaner, hair conditioner, antacid, cold buster, odor remover, you name we’ve used vinegar for it. The journey into the world of vinegar has been amazing.
All about fermented foods I am having so much fun learning how to preserve and ferment food. Canning food just seriously makes my heart smile and now I am learning the world of fermentation and I gotta say, I’m a diggin’. So my husband introduced me to the world of fermentation a while back. I was not so sure about the whole process. What would it taste like? Sauerkraut? Um no thank you. Then I
It’s getting fun up in here with some chicken stock people. We love making chicken stock. Now, it does take some time and effort and sometimes we just don’t feel up to making it. But when we do man, oh man do we love it. Now when I say we, I’m mostly saying my husband. He’s been the real master mind around this chicken stock making adventure. This post is really a big fat thank
Let’s talk lavender for a second. Who here loves lavender, anyone? I mean come on, how could you not. Am I right. Think about it, it is this gorgeous plant with these beautiful delicate purple flowers. When you run your hand through the soft willowy strands of leaves, this aroma consumes you. It brings you to a state of purity and peacefulness. You inhale the deep, rich scent of calmness. It is no wonder that
Let’s talk about soap….baby, let’s talk about you and me, let’s talk about………oh, sorry it just felt right! If you got that I give you a thumbs up with a head tilt and a smile, if you didn’t, thanks for making me feel old! Anyway, seriously let’s talk about soap people, specifically Dr. Bronners. We discovered Dr. Bronners 5 or 6 years ago and fell in love with everything it was about. Dr. Bronners was
Let’s root some things shall we. We have a ton of lavender plants that have blossomed like you have never seen. So I thought I would share that love and start rooting these bad boys. Lavender is just such a beautiful plant to have in your garden. It smells divine and the flowers are these delicate purple blooms that just make your heart smile. Lavender is a wonderful medicinal plant to have around. It can
Listen yo, you have got to save your egg shells. Your soil and your plants will thank you. Just like your soil and plants need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium it also may need calcium. Egg shells can help greatly with that. Saving your egg shells really is not that hard or inconvenient to do. They don’t smell and it’s just a behavior you make into a habit like composting. When my husband asked me to
The beauty in life is learning how to be self sufficient. We have grown a deep passion for not relying on anyone or anything to keep us going. We have not mastered this homesteading journey, but strive to test our limits everyday. I have these moments when something just clicks and I think to myself, “hellooooo, YES, I’ve got this!” Then I have moments when I think, “man, I’m so far from the goal we
Ok if you are a true Hispanic you might say what is this? I, people am the whitest Hispanic there is so this is what you got coming at you but if I do say so myself it’s pretty damn good. I hope my aunts don’t read this, if they do I’m sure I’ll be getting a call saying seriously! Anyway, onward! If you were wondering what to do with that homemade tomato sauce that
Ok people, we are about to make some tasty super duper easy Spanish rice so toss that boxed crap out and get ready to get your socks knocked off! I am all about easy recipes so this one is going to be super quick. Let’s roll. ingredients: 1 cup uncle Bens white rice 2 tablespoons butter 16 oz stewed tomatoes 1 cup chicken broth Grab your self a large pan and thrown your rice in
This is our life. It is filled with beauty. It is filled with hard work. It is filled with the deepest sense of connection to the earth we walk on. Our passion is to give more back to the land then when we found it. Our goal is to make everything we use go full circle, nothing should leave our homestead. Everything we use has a purpose. Our life is filled with a love for
This post is going to be the muther of all posts and won’t have a lot of pictures. Normally I like to keep my post short, sweet and to the point. However, with this being a blog about preserving, I feel like I should break it down to the nitty gritty for you. So bare with me. Let’s talk about the equipment you need, utensils, jars, preservers, labels and books. Ready, set lets preserve
Tired of brushing with fluoride? We were too, so we decide to make our own toothpaste. You know what, it has been the best experience ever. There are so many recipes out there using combinations of baking soda and coconut oil but for some reason brushing with coconut oil just didn’t tickle our fancy. This recipes has been a perfect combination of minty goodness and fresh feeling cleanliness. As usual with most of my recipes,
Listen homie, if you’re looking for a mean refried bean this ain’t it. BUT, if you are looking for a healthy feel good refried bean, come on down I’ve got what your looking for. To start, bust out that home canned bean goodness you just stuck in your pantry and get ready for your belly to smile. Ingredients: Home canned pinto beans Clove or two of garlic 1 tbsp butter Salt to taste Pop that
We are going to get down and sticky with the inside of a tomato today. We are harvesting tomato seeds for next years garden. This process is a tad bit lengthy, a whole lot messy, and totally worth it. So grab a jar, gloves if your girly and all your tomatoes. Let’s do this. First things first, wash those bad boys. Next you want to cut them length wise so that you are cutting the
Let’s talk about what we need to prepare for all our canning adventures. Canning food is a long process that is very detail oriented. Surprisingly for someone who has ADD, me, I get it and it just works. Don’t ask! Ok focus, so here we we’ll get down and dirty on all the good you need for almost every canning project. This is a quick list and reference for your project in case you need
Jalapeño, don’t mind if I do. Let’s can up some delicious jalapeños people. Many recipes for canning jalapeños include sugar, which helps balance the hotness of the pepper and the acidity of the vinegar. This recipe does not include it, my husband doesn’t like sweet, even a hint of it, when it come to his peppers. Or anything really. This canning project is super easy. As with all canning projects get yourself ready (read here)
I am learning what it takes to run a household. How to keep every room clean enough so that my family feels comfortable. I am learning how to be a wife and a mother at the same time. I am learning how to do this thing called adulthood. Some times it is really “F”ing hard. It is hard to balance working 40 hours and then coming home and balancing a life that is full. As
Hmmmm homegrown tomato sauce, yes please. This canning project can be processed in a water bath. Tomatoes are usually a high acid food, which makes them safe for a water bath method of canning. However, not all tomatoes have the same acidity so you want to include 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Now, you may think oh I can just use fresh lemon juice from a real lemon. Unfortunately you can’t, the lemon
Yum, butternut squash, don’t mind if I do, oh wait it’s not for me it’s for my baby. We are making baby food here people. Don’t get freaked out by the thought of it and think it’s way to much to take on or you don’t have time. I have two kids under three and work 40 hours a week. If I can do it, you can do it. With that said, let’s roll. Butternut
Seriously making baby food is one of the easiest things to do. Plus you are giving your sweet little human the purest form of food there is. No preservatives, dyes, chemical or other nasty little things. Just pure food. Anyway, let’s hop to it and make us some apples sauce. As always what are we going to do? Yup, you got it, wash our fruit. Next, you want to peel those little suckers. Get a
We are making cayenne pepper flakes people. Little red skinny peppers of hot fury. So grab some gloves and join me. It’s a super easy process. When harvesting your peppers, you kind of want to wait until they are bright red and shriveled a little. That word is kind of weird to use but you don’t want to pick them right away, give them some time to morph into their hotness. After harvesting you want
I can get into the harsh chemicals and fragrances that are in laundry soap but considering most of us can’t even pronounce half of them why bother. I’m guessing, if you’re interested in this post you have already discovered that the soap you have been using for all these years is just not the best route to take. So let’s skip the details that we all already know and get to the good stuff. This
Making baby food sounds and feels more complicated then it really is. If you have a pot, a steamer basket and blender, you’re ready to rock and or roll. This recipe for pears is super easy, let’s get to it. First wash and peel and core your pears. Then you want to cut them into big chunks. After so many times of doing this, I find you can just core them and throw them
Beans, beans what a wonderful fruit they make you……… oh I mean, beans are the perfect must have staple for your pantry. So here, we are going to talk a little about canning your own beans. Pinto, black, kidney, garbanzo, green, you name it we can can it! This post however, is going to talk about canning the ol’ pinto bean. Since beans are a low acid food a pressure canner is absolutely necessary in