This is something that I ve always felt strongly about My BEST days are always the ones where I m creating producing or doing something constructive with my hands It doesn t even have to go well either It could be a bomb project but just the act of trying something new working with my hands and having to think through a problem critically does wonders Interestingly I don t get quite the same effect when working on a project with Ryan compared to one that I take on myself Something special happens when we take ownership do the p r o b l e m -solving and call the shots I ve noticed that on days when I m just working through emails doing routine tasks or even reading a book I feel more down and less motivated Have you noticed the same?

5 days ago

Wellness

My 3 BEST Tips for Growing MASSIVE Onions Onions are one of the trickiest things to grow - it took me years to master it Here are a few more thoughts that I have on growing onions While it is possible to have success with sets I know I ll ruffle some feathers over this one you ll have the best shot at an abundant harvest when starting from seed Why are deep roots important Onions have shallow root systems and are prone to drying out so having deeper roots makes them so much more resilient Pick varieties that are known to store well so you can eat them through spring as long as you cure them properly My Favorite is Sedona F1 which is a l o n g -day onion so it s best for northern climates Pick a s h o r t -day onion if you

9 days ago

Home & Garden

This is the side of water glassing that often isn t shown Sure it s easy to pile eggs in a glass container and cover them with f o o d -grade pickling lime but what happens a year later Let s find out We water glass our excess summer eggs in a 5 -gallon food grade bucket and have been eating them ALL winter long while the ladies had a break from laying The verdict This is our third year doing it and it s been awesome It s so fun to be able to enjoy vibrant summer yolks in the depths of winter We ll plan on continuing to do this in the years to come for sure!

12 days ago

Food & Drink

Here’s what to grow for self-sufficiency👩🏻‍🌾 While any veggie is surely welcome in my garden, there are a few key ones that really help us pull through our long and COLD Minnesota winters❄️. The key to success is to selecting varieties that are known to store (or preserve) well vs those best for fresh eating. Here’s my top picks: 🧅Sedona F1 Onion - this is a long day onion, so it’s best for northern growers 🫛Maxibel Haricot Vert Bush Bean 🥬Passat F1 Cabbage 🧄Music Garlic 🎃Havanna F1 Butternut Squash I’ve been growing these for YEARS and I’d be lost without them! What did I miss? Add your favorites to the list!

17 days ago

Home & Garden

That audio though Thoughts How did we get so afraid of and unfamiliar with REAL food after just a few generations Today 6 0 -70% of the calories in a standard American s diet comes from u l t r a -processed food WILD Imported food Unpronounceable ingredients Stuffed in colorful boxes Void of nutrients Full of addictive and toxic ingredients Lab grown meat Now that scares me How about you While becoming 100 s e l f -sufficient is a massive undertaking that many cannot achieve I m not there either I want to encourage you to take a small step back toward what food used to be What it should be Start a garden or join a community garden Connect with a local farm or CSA Cook from scratch Buy in season and preserve extra for later Get some backyard chickens You can do this!

26 days ago

Wellness

We ve traded our health for convenience Thoughts Things have changed dramatically in the past century and now it seems like an impossible feat to turn back We were duped into thinking shortcuts m a d e - f o r -us items fast food and efficiency were the way to go Wow look at all of this time that I saved now that I don t have to make X Y Z from scratch anymore It was all too easy We started to eat out instead of cooking at home Backyard gardens nearly disappeared Root cellars became n o n -existent We forgot how to make herbal medicine Family time turned to the TV instead of doing real life skills together and now we re sick overweight and more stressed than ever While cancer is complex as a dietitian I believe a HUGE factor is our diet.

29 days ago

Wellness

Don t throw these away I LOVE recycling eggshells back to my flock Not only does it reduce my need to BUY crushed oyster shell but my hens LOVE crushed eggshells They purposely pick around the oyster shell chunks to grab a piece of eggshell The KEY part of this whole process is drying them completely and then crushing them into small pieces You want the eggshells to no longer resemble an egg in any way form or fashion That s because once your flock figures out that their own eggs are a tasty treat it s all over Once they become e g g -eaters it s nearly impossible to stop Do you have to dry them in the oven Nope but it gets the job done faster especially during the humid summer months

about 2 months ago

Home & Garden

Welcome to the wonderful world of FODDER Fodder is a n u t r i e n t -dense inexpensive food source for livestock throughout the winter months 1 pound of grain creates 4 pounds of fodder Pigs cows goats chickens rabbits they all love it

3 months ago

Animals

Common garlic planting mistakes!

5 months ago

Home & Garden

Are you feeling the same way this year?🙋🏻‍♀️ Food preservation takes A LOT of time and sometimes life gets in the way. We’re on a tight timeline to get Ryan’s shop dried in before winter🤪, so I’ve had to cut things down to the bare minimum. Here’s what I’m doing right now to make it work: 1) Freezing unblanched produce like green beans and broccoli (make sure to use it up within 3-6 months!) 2) Freezing tomatoes to can later (however, they are best used for sauce once frozen) 3) Storing crops like carrots (unwashed) and apples in plastic bags in the fridge 4) Freeze drying produce like shredded zucchini, peppers, and cherry tomatoes with my @harvest_right freeze dryer What other time-saving tips do you have? I’ll gladly take them 🫶🏼 and I’m sure many of you would appreciate the tips, too! Hang in there, friends!

5 months ago

Home & Garden

How to train your dog not to eat your chickens! Patience is key!

5 months ago

Animals

How to harvest and preserve elderberries to make elderberry syrup this winter!

5 months ago

Home & Garden

Fire cider recipe 🔥 (full recipe is on my website 🫶🏼)

5 months ago

Food & Drink

Worried about your produce ripening in time In zone 4 Minnesota this is certainly on my mind An easy hack is to snip off the growing tips of your tomatoes peppers squash and pumpkins 1 month before your expected first frost This forces the plant to divert its energy into ripening its current fruit rather than putting out new growth This will also help with the overall health of your plant By now they may be unruly so by removing some of the excess growth and small fruit your plant will be more stable and less chaotic Lastly thinning out the plant will improve air circulation which will reduce the risk of disease.

5 months ago

Home & Garden

Don’t have a garden? No problem! ✅ Just because you don’t have the time or space to grow your own food yet doesn’t mean that you can’t pack away high-quality, locally-produced food while it’s in season 🙌🏼.

5 months ago

Home & Garden