Your favorite foods also go by Latin names. Can you figure out what they are? No botany degree required! The hints are all in the names. Give it a shot.
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10 Awesome New Inventions For Homesteaders
Handy Camel Bag Clip The problem: Most bag clips are cheaply-made and used for light stuff like bags of chips. The solution: A hardy clip that seals bags without puncturing them, since the plastic “teeth” aren’t sharp. The tech: A handle on the clip lets you carry the bags around by the clip rather than […]
How Sunflowers Follow The Sun
Plants exist in a permanent spot on the Earth, while animals travel around it. That doesn’t mean plants don’t move—many orient themselves toward the sun as the day goes on. I’ve definitely had Sundays when my plants moved more than I have. What’s interesting is that the same mechanisms that govern how we move through […]
Outdoor Wall Sconces
An outdoor wall sconce can be: A functional item. Just there to make sure you don’t trip over the patio stairs. A contributing design element. Follows the theme or style you’ve chosen for your outdoor decor. A focal point. If you don’t have incredible landscaping, or stunning furniture, sconces are an inexpensive backyard conversation piece. […]
Sustainable Living
With the effects climate change growing more and more obvious—now it’s actually shrinking the world’s reindeer—we all want to do more to live sustainably. Here’s how you can start to take action right at home. Meat-Free Kitchen The agriculture and food production industry has grown into a major environmental threat as a growing source of […]
Wrought Iron Fences
Offering timeless romance and unrivaled strength, wrought iron has been trending since the 16th century. What’s the right style for your homestead—utilitarian security-oriented fences or artistic statement accessories? Let’s explore. Wrought Iron in History Allow me to share a short history of wrought iron with you: royals of past (think Louis XIV, even ol’ Al the […]
Solar Drinking Water
You can use solar power to pump water, you can use solar power to heat water, and you can use use solar power to purify water, but what if you could use solar power to make water. A few dreamers are working toward this reality. In June 2016, Artist Ap Verheggen unveiled WaterCube. Watch the […]
Chuño
Dehydrated potato sounds pretty boring, but it’s the food that made the Incan empire possible. Tragically for Incan society, this nutritious, stable food also allowed Spanish conquistadors to wage war across South America. Incas called it—and their descendants still do—chuño. How The Incas Made Chuño The process for making chuño is an amazing technological breakthrough that […]
Sustainable Musical Instruments
Will acoustic guitar solos sound as sweet a century from now? No chance—not if we destroy the tonewoods that the best guitars are made from. Deforestation and climate change put the future of many tree species in doubt. The World Resources Institute, a non-profit study group supported by private and government donations, created a guide to […]
How Much Does It Cost To Customize A Tiny House?
If you’ve researched buying a tiny house you know prices are usually listed as a “starting price,” just like new cars are. Why? Because a tiny house is too personal for a one-size-fits-all option to work. So builders offer options to match a customer’s budget or lifestyle. Someone doing a lot of outdoor work might […]
The Best Photos From The 2016 National Heirloom Exposition
In 2011, the National Heirloom Exposition started off as a simple gathering of people wanting to celebrate pure food and sustainable living. It has since blossomed into the world’s largest heritage food event. The 2016 expo attracted more than 14,000 visitors and 350 exhibitors showcasing their “cream of the crop”. The Expo is hosted at the Sonoma […]
Sweden Has The World’s First Electric Road
The inevitable stop at the grimy just-off-the-exit gas station will eventually be a nostalgic memory. Tomorrow’s roads will fuel our electric cars as we drive over them. A new electric road in Sweden—the world’s first—employs the magic of inductive or wireless charging. An induction coil embedded in the road sends out electromagnetic energy. A vehicle […]
Minnesota Homesteader Grows Beans From 1,500-Year-Old Seed
Homesteading expert Jackie Clay achieved a minor miracle in her garden this summer—growing pole beans from a 1,500-year-old seed. Obviously your local garden store doesn’t stock such a thing. Jackie says she got her hands on it when she was living in New Mexico. She emailed me with the full story: When we lived in […]
Eco-Friendly Kitchen Sinks
Seekers of eco-friendly sinks, I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news first: Affordable, new kitchen sinks aren’t 100% eco-friendly. When choosing a sink you’ll be balancing different aspects of sustainability. We’ve tried to give you a starting point for all the buying choices you’ll have to make. Kitchen Sink Materials/Colors […]
Earth Overshoot Day
Like a child devouring a batch of cookies, we humans are using Mother Earth’s resources faster than she can replenish them. But just how fast? The Global Footprint Network created Earth Overshoot Day to help us understand. Ideally, humans would finish December 31 having used no more resources than the Earth’s oceans and forests can […]
Zero-Waste Grocery Shopping for Beginners
I’m always ready to take on a new eco-challenge. Inspired by trash-free enthusiast Lauren Singer, this month I tried zero-waste grocery shopping, and it was awesome!
Thrive Market Review
Editor’s Note: We’ve been hearing awesome things about Thrive Market, but before we plunked down the $59.95 membership fee, we needed to know: Is it better than other online and local organic food options? We decided on a two-part strategy: Our writer road-tested the service, which she wanted to try anyway. Meanwhile, we compared the […]
The Best Photos From the 2016 Tiny House Jamboree
The Tiny House Jamboree, held August 5-7 2016 at the campus of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, featured 24 speakers, 34 tiny house building companies, and even a wedding (“no tangible gifts,” of course). I couldn’t make it, but thanks to the magic of social media, can share in a little bit of […]
Gorgeous Recycled Glass Surface For Tiny House Bathrooms
What’s more natural? A surface with texture, or one that’s flat and plastic? Even better is a textured surface made from recycled glass. One of the most compelling things about building a tiny house is that you can consider materials that would be prohibitively expensive in a “normal” home. Salvaged tin ceilings, vintage hardwood floors, solid […]
Too Many Apples Broke This Apple Tree
My Dad’s running a gardening experiment in his backyard. What happens if you let an apple tree fully fruit, instead of thinning the smaller fruits in the spring? This is what happens: Yes, the apple crop broke Dad’s tree. He didn’t launch this investigation on purpose—he’s had some health problems lately. I’m sure, if he’d […]
Meet Farallon And Roanoke, Tumbleweed Tiny House Company’s Newest Models
You now have two more dream tiny home possibilities, as Tumbleweed Tiny House Company just announced two new designs. Both designs answer a common request from Tumbleweed customers: Give us a house with a downstairs sleeping area! The designs incorporate a downstairs flex room. The room can be used as a second bedroom for kids/guests […]
NatureZap: Weed With Light, Not Chemicals Or Fire
Small weeds lodged in cracks are unsightly and aggravating. The traditional options for dealing with them are: Spray them with noxious chemicals. Get on your hands and knees and attack them with a special paving weeder. Incinerate them with a propane weed torch. The first is bad for Mother Earth, the second painful and sporadically […]
QUIZ: Which State Does Your Food Come From?
All the information for this quiz came from the 2016 USDA Vegetables Annual Summary. For just about every other vegetable or fruit they track, California grows the most, by far.
Vegan Bulletproof Coffee
You can skip the butter and coconut oil: this vegan bulletproof coffee is so delicious, making a great morning or afternoon treat, with the benefit of healthy coconut oils and superfood maca.
Pollinators
This spring, my partner and I planted a small orchard on our new property. We ran into some confusion when deciding how far apart to plant our chestnut trees. Turns out there isn’t a simple answer, because of pollination! What Is Pollination And Why Is It Important? Briefly, pollination is how plants sexually reproduce, how […]
Galvanized Water Trough Planters
We’ve been looking for a good option for raised planters that were taller than some of our raised garden beds made with wood. After plenty of scrounging around on the internet, we ended up deciding to use galvanized water troughs, also known as round end tanks, to fill these spaces in our yard. Check out […]
Best Dehydrator Recipes
If you’re lucky enough to have an overabundance of fruit, veggies, or meat, you also have a problem. How to preserve this bounty? Refrigeration may only keep the stuff fresh for a few days. Freezing? Maybe a few months—less if your power happens to go out. Dehydration is the best way to store food for […]
Organic Shampoo
In the spirit of real talk, I will admit that I had never been an organic shampoo user until I tested products and conducted research for this article. In hindsight, I feel ashamed of myself for the years I spent buying into experiential “oh-oh-ohhhh” shampoo marketing tactics the big brands use to lure us in. […]
Outdoor Beds
Outdoor beds are trending, but you may be wondering, “Why an outdoor bed and not just a hammock, chair, or bench?” Prepare to list your bench set for sale, dear reader. Aside from the most obvious use for outdoor beds (the ability to lay down outside on something other than grass, dirt, brick, concrete, or […]
Understanding GMO Foods
The first time I heard the phrase “GMO” was at a rally, and I had to ask my 9th-grade science teacher what it meant. That was before ballot initiatives demanding GMO labelling and before Non-GMO Project logos became familiar on food labels. Since then, awareness about GMOs has increased dramatically. It is an issue that […]
Raising Baby Chicks: A Helpful Guide For First-Time “Parents”
My first baby chicks were an impulse buy. We had an empty chicken coop in the backyard and my roommate and I got over-excited. A week after moving into that house we were in the car with a heat lamp, a sack of chick feed, and six cheeping chicks in a box on the back […]
Growing Furniture
Train and graft a tree for half a dozen years or so and you have strong, local, one piece (tree) furniture. One piece wood chairs, no joints. Partially planed. The first chairs are expected to be in galleries mid-2017. by FullGrown, UK. One piece tree chair. The trees are harvested in winter and then allowed to […]
Angelo Musco
Mimics nature’s structures with the human form…hundreds of models, multiplied millions of times. Angelo was born in Naples, Italy and moved to New York City in 1997. Ovum, 2011. The human body (2 million of them in this image) is the artist’s medium. “He melds bodies like hundreds of brush strokes, creating large compositions that […]
Fruit And Seed Art
Carve and then glue together some gourds, seed pods and leaves… Don’t forget a final coat of polyurethane… Pumpkin, twigs, leaves and seed pod carriage. by Applied Imagination Gypsy seed pod wagon. by Applied Imagination Pumpkin, twig & acorn house. by Applied Imagination Gourd and seed pod train. by Applied Imagination Twig and leaf motorcycle. by Applied Imagination A farmer […]
Bark Furniture And Accessories
Birch-Bark is waterproof and will not rot, its familiar surface is richly graphic. Birch-Bark has been used for millennia in the making of canoes, wigwams, scrolls, Buddhist manuscripts, maps (including the oldest maps of North America), art, torches, fans, musical instruments, shoes, clothing, as a substratum for sod, birch-bark roofs and more… Birch Armoire-style-Cabinet-Louis-XV-style by Marché Dauphine – 140, rue […]
Dewdrops On Dragonflies
Dewdrops on Dragonflies, all photos captured by Martin Amm Red Veined Darter covered in dew – Martin Amm Dragonfly Portrait with Dew- Martin Amm Emerald Damselfly – Martin Amm Red Veined Darter covered in dew – Martin Amm Dragonfly Birth – Martin Amm Free – wings still shrivelled, colors undeveloped – Martin Amm The larva lives for several weeks (or […]
Gutter Gardening
Gutter sculpture watering system… maison-deco.com During a very heavy rainstorm I would imagine dirt and water must pour out of these pretty gutters. Lakeside cottage, Lake Erie. Paint your old gutters attach to painted stockade fence. www.bhg.com Painted gutter garden. How to: au.lifestyle.yahoo.com Gutters on fence – filled with flowers blooming in a riot of color. pinterest.com […]
Solar Roadways
The Solar Roadways project is working to pave roads with solar panels that you can drive on. Their long range goal is to cover all concrete and asphalt surfaces that are exposed to the sun with Solar Road Panels. They plan to start off small: driveways, bike paths, patios, sidewalks, parking lots, playgrounds, etc. This […]
Porch Swings
After all the yardwork and chores are done, there are few things more relaxing than sitting in a porch swing with a good book or company. Imagine yourself swinging in these incredible porch swings, porch beds, and hammock chairs. Porch Swings Wine Barrel Stave Porch Swing A perfect porch addition for any wine-lover, this swing […]
Vik Muniz Junk Art
Vik Muniz was born in 1961 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He currently lives in NY. Mr. Muniz uses classical master’s works as inspiration for his ‘junk’ arrangements. After he creates the composition he then photographs the work and then destroys the original collage. Mr. Muniz spends time in the slums of Brazil creating junk art […]
Graphene
Graphene is a thin carbon layer arranged in a chicken wire pattern one atom thick. It’s the thinnest material in the world. (What could be thinner than one atom?) Not only thin, but more than 100 times stronger than steel, transparent and flexible to boot. The graphene layer can be manually peeled away from graphite (like […]
Praying Mantis
The word “mantis” is from the Greek word μάντις for prophet. Praying Mantis Photography By Tustel Ico Praying Mantis ‘Rate my Bike’ by Tustel Ico. 500px.com/dolphino Please ‘like’ Tustel’s image on above link! Praying Mantis on two spores by Tustel Ico. 500px.com/dolphino Praying Mantis ‘Staring at the Sun’ by Tustel Ico 500px.com/dolphino Praying Mantis Photography […]
Cereal Box Art
Cap n Crunch by Michael Albert. www.cerealism.com Lost in my Life (boxes), by Rachel Perry Welty, 2009, Pigment Print, available: 30 x 20 inches, Edition of 6; 56 x 35 inches, Edition of 6; 90 x 60 inches, Edition of 3. www.rachelperrywelty.com Hayes Trotter paints on recycled cereal and snack boxes. jordanartpartners.com The Pledge of […]
Ant Photography By Andrey Pavlov
Mr. Pavlov sets up the props, the ants gladly raise them. According to Mr Pavlov, “I used to work in theatre which was a big help when it came to making props, and I chose ants because I respect them and their way of life.” www.dailymail.co.uk Mr. Pavlov says that having children changed the way […]
Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy creates both temporary and permanent sculptures, but photographs each piece right after he makes it. “Each work grows, stays, decays –-” Ice on Ice, 1980. Source Cracked Earth. St. Louis, Missouri, 1986. Source Tree Serpent. Source Carefully broken pebbles scratched white with another stone, 1985. Source Balanced river stones, 1982. Source Bird’s Nest […]
Brushwood Fence
Using undergrowth, twigs, tips and small branches to make fences. Brushwood fences were probably one of the earliest fence types constructed in Japan. Today brushwood fences are very popular in Australia as well. Bamboo brushwood fence. Using the twigs and tips of the bamboo.Via: japanesegardens.jp Brushwood fence at the Rakusai Bamboo Park in Kyoto. Originally […]
Tim Pugh
Summer Arrangement by Tim Pugh. www.timpugh.co.uk Sand Blooms, 2004. Mussel shells on sand. www.timpugh.co.uk Scallop Clusters. www.timpugh.co.uk Woodland Floor Rearrangement, 2005. www.timpugh.co.uk “Beech Weave” Beech Leaves,, 2005. www.timpugh.co.uk Mid-summer Portrait. Beech Stars, beech leaves. “Seren” Braken Leaves, 2005. www.timpugh.co.uk Beech Leaves, 2005. www.timpugh.co.uk Snowball Composition, 2006. www.timpugh.co.uk “Oak Fall” Charcoal, 2005. www.timpugh.co.uk “There Short Respite” […]
Baby Marlins And Sailfish
The term “Billfish” refers to certain predatory fish species belonging to the family Istiophoridae. Their characteristics include a spear-like rostrum or “bill,” which is used for slashing at and stunning prey. Marlins, sailfish, spearfish and the swordfish are all billfish. Marlin and sailfish distribution range is basically worldwide throughout both tropical and temperate regions (seasonally). A […]
Heirloom Seeds: What Are They?
Heirloom seeds are what our great-grandparents called “seeds.” My mother often complained during my childhood that you couldn’t buy tomatoes like her grandmother grew. The tomatoes in the grocery stores were hard, mealy, and tasteless. When a farmer’s market opened in our neighborhood, she would buy a bag of heirloom tomatoes every week and eat […]
Metal Fire Pits
Few things express summer more than the smell of a campfire while sitting out under the stars. Add some marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers and you have the perfect setup for a summer evening. While many of us would love to go out camping, it’s not always possible. You don’t have to skip the smores […]
