Hair have slow decomposition rate, gradually releasing nitrogen into compost. Small amounts of hair will benefit the overall composting process, but an excess of it has its caveats.
Search Results for: natural-foods/organic-coffee
Getting Started With Self-Sufficient Living (And Why It IS Possible)
Self-sufficiency. What other term in the homesteading sphere carries such a weight of history, responsibility, and hope? Watch The Video Visions of lush, productive gardens, cozy wood stoves crackling with hand-split hardwood, provisions lining the pantry shelves, and healthy animals moving through the fields; all dance in our heads backed by the resounding questions: Is
๐ณ Homestead Kitchen
On the homestead, sometimes it seems that aside from the garden, we spend most of our time in the kitchen. After all, those vegetables and fruits you spent all spring growing wonโt can, dehydrate, or cook themselves! To make the most of your gardening, you have to know what to do with all of those
Creative Recycling: 5 Ways To Reuse Old Denim Jeans
It’s a shame when your favorite jeans are too old to be worn anymore. But that doesn’t mean you have to throw them away!!
80 Awesome Earth Day Tips
Happy Earth Day! What better way to celebrate than choosing to make some positive changes in your everyday life! Whether you want to reduce your carbon footprint, teach your kids about the importance of protecting the environment, or support a company that makes donations to earth-conscious charities, weโve found 80 things to do on Earth
7 Indoor Trees To Add Some Greenery To Your Home
When one thinks of trees, visions of vast swaths of forested mountains, steamy jungles, or frosty taigas may come to mind. But not every tree needs a scenic backdrop to flourishโsome can be content to live in your home with you. And you have to admit, few things can enliven a bitty apartment or a
Kitchen Curtains
Picture this: You’re sitting in your kitchen, enjoying a cup of coffee, and reading the paper. A gentle breeze escapes through the window, and the sun peeks through just enough so that you can feel its warmth on your cheek. Now, this image just wouldn’t be complete without some kitchen curtains floating softly in the
Farmhouse Table Plans
The dinner table is a symbol of unity. Itโs where we discuss our lifeโs most recent events, positive and negative. Itโs where we share meals with people that we love. Farmhouse tables, also known as harvest tables, enhance that familiar feeling. These strong and sturdy tables were once used as farmersโ workstations, but nowadays, they
How To Grow, Maintain, And Harvest The Okra Plant
Okra seems to be one of the foods synonymous with the south — alongside fried chicken, collard greens, and cast-iron cornbread. And indeed, the warm-weather crop does best in places where the temperatures are sizzling! This delicious, nutritious, and versatile vegetable need not be constrained below the Mason-Dixon Line, however. Growers all over the country
Getting Rid of Squash Bugs
Am I the only one who had an all-out war with squash bugs this year? They annihilated most of my butternut and zucchini before the plants even had a chance to produce. I knew how to get rid of them, but the bugs had covered too much ground before I realized they were present. We’d
Food as Medicine: Treating Chronic Disease through Diet
What if instead of popping a pill for these types of chronic disease, we used food as medicine?
Processed Food vs. Whole Foods: Where does Tofu Stand?
There’s a perception that tofu is a highly processed food, but is it really as bad as haters would have you believe?
Fresh Drinking Water Resources & Links
Inspiration Green Fresh Water Resources. Links to water associations and organizations. Info on conservation, data, water and climate change, fresh water research organizations and much more.
Blog Action Day: What Do Meat Labels Really Mean?
With different labels like “natural,” “organic,” “free-range,” and “grass-fed” competing for your attention, it can be hard to know which type of meat comes with the lowest health risk and carbon footprint.
Can I Compost Rice?
Discover the correct preparation and optimal composting conditions for both cooked and uncooked rice, as well as the benefits and challenges associated with composting rice. Find the best approach for rice using this comprehensive method.
Can I Compost Egg Cartons?
We discuss how to compost egg cartons, the optimal conditions, and other composting alternatives to sustainably handle egg carton wastes. If you’ve been wondering whether you can compost your egg cartons, this richly detailed guide provides the answers.
Can I Compost Garlic?
Inclusion of garlic in compost pile is a double-edged sword. Although it boosts the nourishment of your compost, large quantities of garlic scraps can significantly impact your pile, especially its microbial action.
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.
8 Best Plants for Clay Soil
Clay soil can be a challenge for gardeners. However, some plants can tolerate and benefit from those growing conditions. Shallow-rooted vegetables, for example, can tolerate clay, and others can benefit from the stability of heavy clay soil. Root crops like potatoes and daikon radishes help break up clay. One of the issues with rich clay
Books
Inspiration Green Book Recommendations. Selected green, eco, sustainable books to read. Plus- sources of digital books.
Lard: What It Is And How To Use It
Lard is a type of animal fat specifically derived from a pig. Itโs available both rendered and as unrendered fat. When fatty cuts of pork are cooked, lard is the liquid left behind. Its primary use is culinary, and itโs often used as a replacement for other types of fat in a variety of cuisines.
Edible Mushrooms
No doubt, white mushrooms (also known as button mushrooms) are yummy. Those little white fungi that you can find at nearly every grocery store are adorable, affordable, and super versatile for cooking. You can turn them into veggie tacos, stroganoff, scrambles, veggie burgers, and they are the perfect shape and size for stuffing.ย Button mushrooms have
Can I Compost Tomatoes?
Not only are tomatoes beneficial for your health, but they’re also good for your compost. Correct preparation, and optimal compost conditions will yield the best compost quality and prevent potential problems.
Can I Compost Ashes?
Discover the potential of composting ashes in this comprehensive guide, learn what types of ashes are beneficial for composting, criteria for their inclusion, and how they affect composting conditions. Also, explore guidelines for ash composting processes and a discussion on numerous alternatives for unused ashes, preventing waste and promoting sustainability.
Can I Compost Meat?
Learn the best methods and safety precautions for composting meat with this comprehensive guide. Explore sustainable alternatives when composting at home is not readily available.
Can I Compost Pistachio Shells?
Unearth the benefits of composting pistachio shells in our comprehensive guide, and discover how they can serve as a nutrient-rich soil amendment for your garden. Explore the intricacies of composting, from preparation, methods to potential issues, and other beneficial uses for these shells beyond composting.
Can I Compost Pizza Boxes?
Learn about compostable pizza boxes, how to prepare them, and the optimal composting conditions using this guide. Explore alternative disposal options, recycling tips, and creative upcycling ideas for pizza boxes.
Can I Compost Avocado?
Avocado is a popular fruit, flexible for various dishes. The resulting avocado wastes, however, can be used for composting, instead of contributing to landfill wastes.
Can I Compost Paper?
Learn how to compost paper effectively using this comprehensive guide. Correctly prepare compostable paper types and aim for the optimal conditions to convert your paper scraps into a healthy compost.
Can I Compost Shrimp Shells?
Learn how to compost shrimp shells effectively in this comprehensive guide. Shrimp shells, packed with valuable nutrients like nitrogen and chitin, can nourish your garden soil and enhance plant defense against infections. Discover various composting methods, from hot composting for quicker results to Bokashi composting for limited space. Uncover alternative uses for shrimp shells, such as creating homemade fertilizer or enjoying unique recipes, and explore safe disposal options for shells that shouldn’t be composted. Maximize your composting efforts and reap the benefits for your garden and the environment!
Seattle Resources
Here’s a never-quite-complete list of the local businesses & organizations we support. Almost all of the businesses on this list support sustainability, organic practices, or other environmental issues we’re concerned about. There’s also a few listed that are just good local businesses that we like. Please email or tweet or leave a facebook comment if
Top 10 Most Common GMO Foods
Genetically modified food is already present in the supermarkets. We don’t always know which foods are GMO and which are non-GMO. Besides looking for label, here are 10 foods that are commonly GMO.
12 DIY Lip Balm Recipes
If you love lip balm, you know the dread when you’re down to the last few uses. Make DIY lip balm with just a few simple ingredients to save on buying it new. Lip balm is essential for facial health and looking and feeling your best. Rather than purchase a ready-made lip balm, have a
How To Buy Meat Direct From A Farm
So you eat meat, and you want to get it from a farm you know and trust. Donโt we all! If you are considering buying meat direct from a local farmer for the first time, you may have some questions and uncertainties. When I was growing up, my parents bought meat from Safeway and other
tentree Holiday Gift Guide
When you’re on the search for the perfect gift this holiday season, you may feel yourself completely overwhelmed and inundatedย by the number of newspaper advertisements and holiday sales there are to choose from. If you’re anything like us here at Insteading, you’re keeping your eye out for a high-quality gift that your family and friends
An “Inconvenient Truth” about Composting
Composting is a really green thing to do, right? I’ve always thought so since my Grandfather taught me to do it in the early sixties. Large-scale composting is getting to be quite the rage. The City of San Francisco attracted a great deal of attention with it’s mandatory food scrap recycling program and lots of local
Pallet Furniture
wood Pallet Inspiration
Stick Sculpture
The materials for your next project are just lying on the ground. The Stick Sculpture Of Patrick Dougherty Combining his carpentry skills with his love of nature, Patrick Dougherty began to learn about primitive building techniques and to experiment with tree saplings as construction material beginning about 1980. He quickly moved from small single pieces
Tiny House Interiors
Creativity is essential when planning and designing the interior of your tiny house. Trying to incorporate your kitchen, bedroom, living room and bathroom into an average of 200 sq. ft. is tricky. With the rise in people living tiny, there has been an increase in innovative designs that have come out to help incorporate all
Outdoor Beds
Outdoor beds are trending, but you may be wondering, โWhy an outdoor bed and not just a hammock, chair, or bench?โ 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
Sustainability 101: Building A Compost Pile
A thriving compost pile can provide plenty of nutrient rich soil for a healthy garden and you can compost anywhere. Building a beautiful compost pile is as much art as science. Rich compost can help any garden, even a container garden, thrive and produce and abundance of healthy food. Compost can provide all the nutrients and
Eating Acorns: From Foraging To Cooking & Recipes
The first summer my family and I moved to our homestead, we were not able to get a garden into the rocky, wild ground, but somehow we had a fantastic fall harvest and started accumulating jars of dry goods from the plenty. How was this possible? One surprising wordโฆ acorns.
๐ฅ Food
20 Unique Gift Basket Ideas for Your Loved Ones
Creating gifts from scratch is rewarding. Gifting something you have worked on with your own two hands makes it worth so much more. One of the best ways to give loved ones homemade gifts is by making a gift basket. DIY gift baskets are completely customizable and crafted to be perfect for the receiver. There
13 DIY Christmas Gifts
Whether youโre trying to avoid holiday shopping crowds or you simply want to spend more time creating unique presents this season, DIY Christmas gifts are heartfelt, fun to make, and personal. When you make a gift for someone, you donโt just invest in materials โ you invest time in the person. Check out the DIY
17 DIY Christmas Tree Decoration Ideas
The holidays are a season of giving, so why not give back to the earth (and your wallet) by skipping out on the revolving door of disposable Christmas decor? Instead, try your hand at reusing the things you already have lying around the house, and create a beautiful, DIY Christmas tree decoration. You can adorn
13 Beneficial Chicken-Friendly Plants To Grow Next To Coops
If you’ve had chickens for long, you probably have noticed that they eat all day long. They peck and scratch at the soil and eat every last bit of our kitchen scraps and leftovers. Letting your chickens free-range, or giving them access to plenty of natural vegetation and/or rotating their grazing parameters, is the key
Can I Compost Newspaper?
Compost newspapers effectively with the best preparation techniques, optimal composting conditions, and methods. Avoid common pitfalls, explore alternatives, and repurpose newspapers creatively for a sustainable approach to waste management.
15 Natural DIY Perfume Ideas
Did you know there are over 4,000 chemicals that are used to create fragrances in skincare and beauty products? And since these fragrance blends are considered trade secrets, companies aren’t required to disclose the specific ingredients on their labels. I don’t know about you, but for me, that is reason enough to consider more natural
Chicken Wormers: A Helpful Guide For How To Identify & Treat Chicken Worms
New animals are an exciting addition to the homestead, but thereโs always a risk when outsiders come into the fold. You never know what extra parasites may accompany them, and potentially damage your healthy herd or flock. This was the case with our new Brahma hen. We loved her beetle-green feathers and quirky feathered feet,