Your Practical Guide To Self Reliant Living
My first dilly beans were given to me by a true native Vermonter. I mean ancestors back to the Abenaki old school Vermonter. Beard so big you couldn’t see his chest mountain man Vermonter. And here he was telling me. “You gotta be kidding me girl. You ain’t never had dilly beans before? What’s wrong…
Honey wine or mead is one of the oldest forms of alcohol, and with archeological evidence of early meads going back to 7000 bc. If our ancestors could brew it without running water, modern sanitation or equipment, I’m pretty sure you can manage it in your kitchen. Mead is especially simple when compared to all…
Have you ever run across what looked like hops while hiking deep in the woods? Actual hops are a vine that require a good bit of sunlight, but hop hornbeam is an understory tree that produces hop like catkins that litter the forest floor in July and August all across the eastern half of the…
My parents often question the life we lead. Well meaning as parents are, they want our lives to be better than their own, and to them that means easier. Why on earth do you bother raising your own meat? Meat comes from the grocery store, pre-packaged, sliced and ready to go. Modern conveniences are designed…
Every fall we go on a quest to find new apple varieties we haven’t yet tasted. It all started out a few years back with an informal gathering of friends for “apple day” where we spent the week before hunting down every variety we could find for a blind taste test. That year, we found…
Linden is one of my favorite summertime teas to enjoy on a relaxing afternoon in the sun. Linden blossoms have an exotic orchid like fragrance that comes through in a mildly sweet floral tea that’s perfect on its own or with a bit of raw honey. Midsummer if you know how to identify linden trees…
Tomatillos are one of those garden vegetables that even brown thumb gardeners just cant seem to kill. They’re known to produce 10 lbs or more per plant, meaning you’ll need to preserve most of your yields to keep them from spoiling before you can get to them. The first year we planted them the rest of our…
You’ve finally managed to get the woodchuck that’s been plaguing your garden all season, now what? It seems a shame to waste good meat, especially when it’s been well fed on the food that was supposed to be on your family’s table. Groundhogs are not only edible, they’re tender and delicious if properly cleaned and prepared….
The key to nature based education is to get your kids out into nature, early and often. Sunburn can be rough on fair skinned babies and toddlers, but some sunscreens can contain some pretty scary ingredients. As a parent, you’ve been told that sunblock is important to protect against skin cancer in the long term….
These honey lavender cookies are made with fresh herbs and no refined sugar. The honey provides a lovely flavor, and all the sweetness these cookies need. They roll out easy, and hold their shape when baked, making perfect cutout cookies in your favorite shapes. I’ve used a honey bee cookie cutter, but pick your favorite…
Reishi mushrooms are one of the easiest mushrooms to identify, and a great place to start for beginning mushroom foragers. They have no poisonous look alikes, so they’re relatively safe as well. Though reishi are generally too tough to eat, their medicinal properties have been well documented. There are a number of different species, and…
Strawberry rhubarb pie is one of the first home grown pies you can make in the spring and early summer, but with the tartness of rhubarb it’ll need some added sugar. If you’re cutting back on refined sugars, try sweetening it with maple to add flavor as well as enough sweetness to balance out the…
There’s something about making your own soap that makes you feel capable and crafty. Soap, for most people anyway, is something you see every day. It’s personal. It literally touches just about every part of your body. With that much intimate contact, wouldn’t you like to be sure that that it’s all natural with no…
Getting your kids involved with growing mushrooms can be a great way to expose them to life outside the plant and animal kingdoms. Plants and animals are tangible, while understanding bacteria can be a bit tricky. Mushrooms are a good middle ground where kids can watch them grow with their own eyes, but still understand…