โMummy!ย It smells just like sunshine!โ said my 5-year-old son, Cameron, his face split wide open with a grin. He was standing knee-deep in the middle of our herb garden, the sun pouring down on him from a cloudless blue sky. โHow do you know what sunshine smells like?โ said Kent, my 10 year old.
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White House to Plant Organic Vegetable Garden
ABC news’ Brian Hartman has reported what many have been wishfully waiting to hear for months: the Obamas will soon plant an organic vegetable garden on the White House South grounds. Following a 60 Minutes interview with Chez Panisse chef, renowned slow foodist and activist for improved national eating habits in the US, Alice Waters,
Food Companies Fighting GMO Labeling
Washington State’s GMO Labeling Ballot Initiative (I-522) I-522 would have mandated clear labeling of genetically engineered (GE) ingredients on food packages. The initiativeย was voted on in 2013. It lost, 51% to 49%. Among the companies who fought the labeling requirements, and money they spent on the ‘No on 522’ campaign were: Monsanto: $5,374,411 DuPont: $3,880,159
Midway Island Albatross
Midway Island Albatross
A Surprising Reason We Don’t Farm As Sustainably As We Could
I recently posted a description of a highly sustainable form of row crop farming that combines high productivity with low environmental impact. This is not just a theoretical vision but something which is actually being practiced on a significant commercial scale (e.g. non-tillage, cover cropping, controlled wheel traffic, variable rate fertilization…). It is difficult to
Homestead Stories: The Delicate Donkey Tail Succulent
โOh my!โ I exclaimed as I stood with a friend admiring her latest garden addition. She was more creative than I and loved to experiment with uniquely new things. โWhat did you say it was called?โ โItโs a donkey tail succulent,โ she said — once again happy that she had impressed me with a new
81 Awesome Documentaries for Homesteaders
From honey bees to tiny houses to TEDTalks on Capitalism and Humanity’s Future, we’ve assembled a complete list of documentaries and shows on Netflix & Hulu that would interest our fellow homesteaders. Leave a comment below and let us know which ones are your favorite, and which programs we missed! Topics Food & Agriculture Documentaries
Bamboo Buildings
Bamboo Buildings
How to Create a Tree Nursery
A tree nursery is a designated area where young trees are cultivated and grown. They are made to grow vigorous, healthy, young trees. Tree nurseries help support young trees by protecting them from outside dangers (i.e., weather, animals) and competition from other vegetation. Think of it as a preschool; a place small children go before
Pet Waste Management Tips For Homesteaders
Many rural homesteaders faced with a continual problem of dealing with pet waste, ask “can pet poo be composted?” The answer is a resounding yes. Dog poop can be easily composted in a backyard composter bin containing red worms where it is readily converted into rich compost. Composting pet waste prevents these materials from reaching
Air Pollution Organizations
Air Pollution Organizations, Clean Air Organizations, Regional Air Pollution Organizations, Children’s Air Organizations
Can I Compost Mushrooms?
Discover how to compost mushrooms, everything from preparation and composting methods, to potential issues and alternatives. Gain insights about how adding mushrooms to your compost pile can enhance the nutrient content and help improve your garden soil.
The 4 Types of Solar Cookers
Downing trees or gathering sticks to fuel stoves is a major cause of deforestation and desertification. But if you could get that fuel free from the sun… The Panel Solar Cooker The Panel Solar Cooker uses reflective panels to focus sunlight onto a pot. These work best in tropical climates or in the warmer months
Foraging for Brambleberries
This is an open letter to the brambleberries of the world, particularly those blackberries growing along the edge of my ravine. Dearest Brambleberries: It is with great perplexity that I write to you. There is an understanding between berrykind and humankind that has endured for thousands of years. You produce delicious, sweet fruit. We eat
16 Cheap Fence Ideas For The Suburbs And The Country
When buying a new property — whether in the city, suburbs, or country — you may also inherit broken-down, ugly, or absent fences. With a small patch of land, this may lead to privacy concerns. On a larger acreage homestead, bad or nonexistent fencing can lead to problems like your sheep escaping and eating the neighborโs
How to Pay Off Debt by Thinking Like a Homesteader: 20 Practical Ideas to Try
When you have the burden of debt hanging over your life, you don’t feel free. Living paycheck-to-paycheck, coasting by on minimum payments, and playing hot potato with your credit cards is not the way anyone wants to live. Watch The Video It can feel like youโre stuck in a dead end rut, working hard at
Homestead Stories: Great Grandpa’s Rhubarb
The first heavy frost has just hit and the temperature has taken a nose dive well below freezing. The gardens are all tucked in their beds, well covered with leaves. Little nobs still poke their heads above the frozen earth, but the remnants of my great grandfatherโs rhubarb are well blanketed with a thick layer
Raising Pekin Ducks
When you think โduckโ what image do you see? I bet for a majority of people, the endearingly chubby, orange-billed and white-feathered barnyard duck leaps (or rather waddles) into your mindโs eye. That duck is the Pekin. This duck breed is by far the most popular of the domesticated duck breeds, and its popularity has
25 Clever And Functional Toy Storage Ideas
Anyone whoโs ever stepped on a tiny LEGO piece can appreciate the benefit of keeping toys organized. Leaving playtime items strewn about is a potential hazard for delicate feet — and visual clutter that can cause undue stress. Toys left lying around are more likely to experience premature wear and tear, and smaller items might
How To Get Rid Of Aphids
If youโre a gardener, youโre probably familiar with finding colonies of tiny, gray insects and eggs clinging to the underside of a leaf. If youโre unlucky, you may have even taken a bite of a kale leaf and spat it out quickly. Aphids are a common and persistent pest that lives all over North America.
Fairy Houses
Supply a home to our ethereal friends in your backyard, in a park, or in your city apartment. Great fun with kids, as the activity is usually outside in nature, and sparks imagination and creative play. Fairy Houses Fairy House on Monhegan Island, Maine.ย fairyhouses.com Fairy House. saras-toy-box.blogspot.com Fairy House by Aviary. pinterest.com Fairy House at
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 artistโs medium. “He melds bodies like hundreds of brush strokes, creating large compositions that
Why Bill Gates Would Raise Chickens
What’s the best way to get a poor family in the developing world on the road to self-sufficiency? Cash? Education? Internet access? Tech industry pioneer Bill Gates has a decidedly low-tech suggestion. In a short and sweet post on his personal blog in June 2016, Bill Gates gave four main reasons why chickens are the
Homestead Stories: How Dumpster Diving Made Me a Better Cook
The first zucchini I ever ate came from a dumpsterโor, rather, from a cardboard box next to a dumpster, also filled with various greens, peppers, and hummus. Many of the foods in the box were foreign to me, at least from a culinary standpoint, but they were free and I had a family to feed,
How To Build A Fish Farming Pond
Fish farming is an old agricultural method that modern homesteaders can use today. A great source of continuous protein, freshwater fish farms allow anyone to grow a different variety of fish that can be used for personal consumption. While it may be hard work to get started, building a fish farm can be rewarding, fun,
Natural Insect Repellent
If backyard barbecues, camping trips, yard work, or sporting adventures have you reaching for cans and bottles of commercial bug spray to ward off irritating insects, pause and think twice before you douse your children and yourself with noxious chemicals concoctions that often contain poisonous ingredients such as DEET. Consider safe, chemical-free alternatives that do
Bartering 101: How To Start A Babysitting Co-op
A babysitting co-op can help to ease the financial burdens of a babysitter by allowing parents to barter for services they need.
9 Of The Best Decorative & Festive Christmas Plants
Have you started decorating your house for Christmas? Hung a holly wreath? Dangled some mistletoe over the entryway, decorated a Christmas tree, and bought your poinsettia? Or did you choose different Christmas plants? Are they all real? Or plastic? Personally, I prefer real. There’s nothing like the smell of pine from a real tree to
Raw Milk
There is nothing more bucolic and familiar in our imagination of a farm than the image of milking a cow by hand into a bucket, and then pouring a glowing glass of milk for two or three smiling children. How charming. How American. There is a serious disconnect between that image and the reality of
7 Of The Easiest Vegetables To Grow
Do you wish to practice self-sufficiency and grow and preserve your own vegetables — but are concerned that you have little time to tend a garden? No worries! There are lots of easy-to-grow vegetables that won’t take too much time and effort to grow successfully. Many homesteaders new to vegetable gardening are intimidated by the
Frugal Homesteading Tips For Stretching The Family Food Budget
Many Americans experience the tight squeeze of tough economic times. In many parts of the nation, unemployment statistics may unexpectedly soar to an all-time high. When this happens, jobs are hard to find. If you are in a situation where you need to cut back on living expenses to stretch your budget, reducing the amount
Disaster Preparedness For Homesteaders
Emergencies, by their very definition, are stressful. I, like many homesteaders, find myself concerned about the possibility of an emergency event such as a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, or an act of terrorism. Do you too, wonder if you have done all you can to help prepare for a catastrophic survival situation? Panic and
How to Grow an Avocado Plant
Avocados have long been considered a perfect food. If the avocado were newly discovered today, it would be marketed as a miracle food. Irresistibly flavorful with a smooth, creamy texture, avocados should be part of everyoneโs daily diet. Indigenous to Mexico and Central America, avocado trees thrive in sub-tropical and tropical climates around the world.
Homesteader Tips For Dealing With Parasites
How healthy is your homestead? When evaluating the health of your homestead, it is important to look at the whole picture. The condition of the soil, the health of the plants on your property, the water quality, as well as the immunity level and overall health of people, pets and livestock. If a problem is
Homestead Stories: Memories Of Carving Pumpkins
The shape isnโt perfect โ it never is. Itโs rather flat on one side since thatโs the way it laid on the ground while it grew. Its shape adds character. At least, one can imagine that it does. Washed and then dried, it sits on the kitchen table awaiting its demise. Or, perhaps, its re-creation
BPA Free Cans
List of cans with and without BPA
Cell Phone Radiation in Images
Cell Phone Radiation in Images
Toxins in Leather Shoes
Toxins in Leather Shoes
Pesticide Lobby Bugged by Michelle Obama & White House Organic Garden
Are you worried that an organic garden on the White House grounds might cause some Americans to start eating a wide variety of chemical-free, locally grown produce? The Mid America CropLife Association, a lobbying group for agribusinesses giants, is. Just a few days after Michelle Obama invited local fifth graders to help plant the White
Butterfly Eggs
Julia Heliconia Butterfly Egg in a tendrillย of a Passion flower creeper. The Julia Heliconia is an orange butterfly found along the periphery of the Gulf of Mexico. Image by Martin Oeggerli.ย www.micronaut.ch Large white butterfly egg (Pieris brassicae). The yellow eggs of the large white butterfly are laid in clusters on the undersides of leaves in
Is Coca-Cola Vegan? Yes and No.
The Coca-Cola Company claims that the “vast majority” of their drinks are vegan. Is it true? Is Coca-Cola Vegan?
Homestead Stories: Swaddled Babies Or Baby In The Cradle?
โI have a swaddled baby to show you,โ a friend said over the phone. โLike a baby in the cradle. Want to come over and see?โ The words caught my curiosity. My friend was too old to have a baby in her arms — at least, not one of her own. And since she never
6 Reasons You Should Have Flowers in Your Vegetable Garden
With self-sufficiency as the someday goal, my first gardening days were purely practical. I browsed through seed catalogs with an iron will, bypassing the flower sections with a steely gaze — and a resolved set to my jaw. I was convinced I didn’t need that flouncy, frivolous, floral frippery in my veggie patch. I was
Historical Cob
Historical Cob Buildings
Banksy’s Environmental Message
Banksy is the pseudonym of an English graffiti artist, political and environmental activist, film director, and painter. His true identity is unknown. These images are very powerful. The statement sinks as the ice keeps melting… Near the Oval bridge in Camden, north London. www.makechoice.tumblr.com โReconditioned dolphin ride with crude oil and tuna netโ Do we
Growing Radishes
Every garden has its challenges: Florence fennel that refuses to make a sizeable bulb, spinach that bolts immediately, corn that’s full of tunneling, or kernel-wrecking worms. But every once in awhile, there comes a plant that gives and gives and doesnโt ask much more than a space to give it. Like radishes. I see these