A few weeks ago I mentioned in the weekly newsletter that we’ve had a few overgrown zucchinis this season. This happens every year but this year we seem to be having more than normal and I already have enough dehydrated and frozen zucchini for the year. I’m trying not cook sauteed zucchini every evening and […]
How to read a seed packet
I was chatting with a new gardener recently about growing vegetables from seed and she mentioned that she doesn’t really understand how to read a seed packet. The information on the seed packet confuses her and it’s just easier to buy transplants. I felt the same way when I first started gardening and I’m sure there […]
The May Garden in Zone 9
Our May garden is just delightful! Granted I was traveling for the first two weeks of May so it’s been a really short month for me. We’ve also had much more rain and cooler temperatures than we normally have in May so working in the garden has been a delight. While I was gone, my […]
Growing and Using Sage
When I think of sage (or smell it) I always think of turkey stuffing.Funny how smells can bring back all kinds of memories and when I was growing up, the sage bottle only came out on Thanksgiving. I’ve been growing sage for many years and we always have more that we can use just at […]
The April Garden in Zone 9
Our April garden is truly delightful! We’ve had quite a bit of rain so we haven’t had to water very often. The plants are growing and fruiting, and the heat isn’t too bad just yet. On a sad note, it appears we won’t have a citrus harvest this year. In January we had temps that […]
Growing a Mulberry Tree {and how to use mulberry leaves, branches, and berries}
A mulberry tree is a must for your homestead or backyard. Mulberry trees are fast growing shade trees and provide food for your family and fodder for chickens, ducks, goats and other livestock. The mulberry tree leaves, bark and berries are all edible. When we moved to our property we were so happy to find […]
Leftover Oatmeal Muffins
I don’t know about in your family but in mine I can never get the servings right when I make oatmeal by the pan. Six people should eat six servings, right? Especially when I add chopped apples, maple syrup and cinnamon. And yet, time after time I find myself with oatmeal left over. Fortunately, I […]
The March Garden
The March garden in zone 9 is usually full of a lot of summer seedlings with some hang over plants from the winter garden lingering on. It’s a great time. Not a lot is being harvested, but oh there is so much potential. I love doing these monthly(ish) updates and showing the good and the […]
Creating a wildlife habitat garden
Over the last few years we’ve been trying to attract beneficial wildlife to our property and more specifically to our garden. When we bought our property there wasn’t much “life” in our soil and other than mosquitoes there weren’t really any insects. So, we’ve been building wildlife habits to attract bees, frogs, and beneficial insects. […]
DIY Body Butter for Healthy Skin
Dry skin is something that drives me crazy but putting chemicals on my skin is something I’m not willing to do to moisturize it. I’ve been on the hunt for a homemade moisturizer for quite a while. I’ve tried several recipes and techniques; some have been super oily and didn’t absorb well, others had water […]
