Good pruning shears are an expensive, but worthwhile investment in garden tools. Good pruners are a pleasure to use, and with a little care and maintenance, can provide years of service. Here are some tips on how to clean and sharpen pruning shears. When using pruning shears, be careful not to catch support wires or wire fencing in the blades since this will severely damage the cutting … [Read more...]
How to Properly Layer Clothing for Winter
Once the cold weather sets in, it gets a bit more difficult to spend time outside. Especially if you aren't dressed properly. Do you actually know how to layer clothes for winter? Many people don't. But you should - it's an important part of staying warm when you are outside. The wrong outerwear over a thin shirt is simply not enough. Knowing how to layer clothes for winter time makes the … [Read more...]
Norwood Sawmill Video – Cutting from Logs
If you want to build your own home or a cabin in the woods, you might want to think about getting a sawmill. They aren't cheap but when you take the cost of store bought lumber into consideration, you can recoup the money spent on a sawmill in a very short time. We looked at it as an investment. Since we need two new buildings, the sawmill will be an investment that will pay itself off by … [Read more...]
We Love Our Electric Juicer
Graham loves grapefruit juice. I love orange juice. We both like our juice best when it's freshly squeezed. When we're able to, we spend a bit of our winter break in Southern California. We love the warm weather and for us, it is a nice treat after working so hard all season at home. One of the best things about southern California is having access to as many … [Read more...]
Homestead Cooking with Carol ( Meal Planning and Recipes)
We all know grocery store prices on vegetables, fruits and meat have been going up at a steady level. Lately we have been hearing about the high prices for cauliflower and other vegetables are going to be going up, up, up as well. When Cauliflower is being sold for $8 a head (and higher in some areas) it is time to get serious about reducing that grocery store bill! So, are you thinking … [Read more...]
Planting with Some Incredible Seeds
We got back to our Valley a few days ago. One of the highlights of road tripping is returning back to our own home. While we love going away and exploring, we are always happy to be home again. So we are settling back in and getting to work; after all the outdoor season has begun. Warm weather means all the snow is gone and we have even managed to miss the dreaded mud season that leaves … [Read more...]
Gifts for Farmers
You know gardening and food production is getting popular when Amazon puts out a Gift Guide for Urban Farmers. That's a good thing. We see more and more people interested in knowing what they are eating. More and more people are becoming interested in their food supply; their knowledge of companies like Monsanto and Sygenta is growing. They are realizing the effects of big business … [Read more...]