Drinks and Beverages

10 Easy DIY Seed Starters From Common Household Items

June 15, 2018 by chris

Getting your garden seeds going, and seedlings planned requires forethought. I’ll be the first to admit that I am ready to start planting early in January, when the snow is still flying and it’s freezing outside. Kick off your garden this year with these easy DIY seed starters, found all around the house!
Some things to remember when you are planting your seeds:

Seedlings do not have a lot of needs. They only need seed starter mix, or potting soil, light and water. You will want to keep them warm while they are growing as well.
Your seed starting pot should have plenty of room for the roots to expand and grow, or plan on transplanting smaller seed starters into larger containers as they grow.
You can grow seedlings on a kitchen windowsill with plenty of light, or in a greenhouse with plant lights. Make sure that the seedlings have at least 8-12 hours of light per day, with some “down time” to allow them to rest.
When using indoor lights, be sure that the seedlings are started just a few inches from the light, and move the light away 1-2 inches at a time as the seedlings grow. This will keep the seedling strong and the stem sturdy. If the light is too far away, the seedling has to reach too high to get to it, and the stem can become spindly and thin.

The best seed starter kit is what you have lying around the house already. Here are 10 items that most of us already have in use, just waiting to be used for your seed starters!

Eggshell cartons. Simply add the potting soil, seeds and keep lightly watered. The cardboard will compost down, and provide nutrients back into the soil. They are perfect for quick transplant seedlings, and getting tomatoes or peppers started before moving into a larger container. When you are ready to plant, simply place the entire carton piece right into the ground, gently breaking apart to allow the roots to expand.

Newspaper pots. Making newspaper pots for seed starters are pretty easy to do, and the newspaper is usually readily available. Fill with the potting soil, and keep the soil moist to allow the seeds to germinate. Keeping the soil saturated with water isn’t a good idea with this method, as the newspaper will disintegrate quicker. When planting, you can plant the entire thing right into the garden bed, as the newspaper will compost down rather quickly. Another bonus is that the newspaper will help keep weeds at bay just a bit, until the seedlings get established. Make them at least 2-3 inches deep and you will have a great pot for all seedlings.

Toilet paper or paper towel tubes. They are perfect for recycling into seed starters as they will compost down in the soil, and you can simply place them on a tray, fill with dirt and add seeds. Just cut them down to 3 inches in height before you plant to allow the seed plenty of space to grow. When planting, just place the entire container directly into the bed.

Eggshells from eggs. Don’t toss or compost these seed starters just yet! They are great for quick transplant seedlings, as they don’t have a lot of room for roots to grow, but they are cheap and readily available. Simply wash the eggshell halves and poke a hole in the bottom with a pin for drainage. Fill with potting soil and add your seedling. When you use eggshells, they are a great way to start tomatoes as the seedling will get some necessary calcium. Just remember to transplant the tomato seedling into a larger container to allow more room for growth. Simply plant the seedling in the eggshell directly into the ground, or larger container.

For more ideas on how to reuse eggshells, read the post here

Ice cream cones. This is a fun way to get kids involved in your gardening, too. Simply fill the ice cream cones with potting soil and add your seeds. Bonus, they are deep enough to allow room for root growth, and you can plant the entire thing directly into the ground. Use on the stale ones for seed starters, and save the fresh ones for homemade ice cream. (get the recipe here)

Citrus rinds. When you juice an orange or lemon, save the rind 1/2 and use as a planter. Fill with potting mix, add the seedling and keep moist. Plant directly into the ground and the rind will add nutrients into the soil as it composts down.
Yogurt, sour cream or milk containers. Recycling these materials is a great way to keep your seedlings growing and your costs down. They are perfect for getting tomatoes or peppers going as they allow more room for the roots. Be sure to clean the container well, and add a few drainage holes at the bottom before filling with potting soil. When you are ready to transplant your seedlings, carefully remove the plant and it’s entire root system, then plant into your bed. You can then reuse the containers for then next batch of seedlings.

Kcups from the keruig coffee makers. I don’t use these myself anymore, but they DO make a great seedling starter if you are still using them. Just clean them out carefully, and poke a hole in the bottom for drainage. They are great for starting all kinds of seeds as they are normally 2 inches deep. When planting the seedling, carefully remove from the kcup container and save to reuse.

Paper take out containers. While they are not always easy to find, paper coffee cups and take out boxes are becoming more and more common. They are great for seed starters, as they have plenty of room for root growth AND they will compost down into the soil. Just use caution when watering as you don’t want them saturated, or they will disintegrate quickly.
Plastic seed starting kits. These are the little black containers, sometimes singular, or in a 6-9 “pack” that you would get from your local garden supply store or nursery. If you are careful with them, you can easily reuse them for several years. They already have the drainage hole at the bottom, and the roots will have plenty of growth space. They wont’ take up a lot of space on your windowsill or in your greenhouse, and you can have lots of seedlings going at the same time.

What are your gardening dreams this year? What seed starters will you use?

You don't need a sprawling 20 acre homestead to grow your own food! Learn how to make the most of the space you have right now with containers! An easy to read and follow ebook that will get you started growing herbs, tomatoes and MORE today!

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Reusing Glass Jars From Store Bought Products For Canning

June 14, 2018 by chris

Canning is a great way to save your garden produce. It’s made to be shelf stable, so you can store it on the pantry shelf, saving you plenty of freezer or fridge space.

There are lots of jars to be found at thrift stores, yard sales and more to get you started. There are jars from spaghetti sauce, peanut butter and even mayo that are just waiting to be filled with garden goodness. But, is the practice of reusing glass bottles safe to use for canning? Can you reuse store bought jars for canning? That depends on which camp you are in. Some say “absolutely not”, and some say “sure, why not, reusing jars is completely safe.”
According to the National Center For Home Canning,

Most commercial pint- and quart-size mayonnaise or salad dressing jars may be used with new two-piece lids for canning acid foods. However, you should expect more seal failures and jar breakage. (emphasis mine) These jars have a narrower sealing surface and are tempered less than Mason jars, and may be weakened by repeated contact with metal spoons or knives used in dispensing mayonnaise or salad dressing. Seemingly insignificant scratches in glass may cause cracking and breakage while processing jars in a canner. Mayonnaise-type jars are not recommended for use with foods to be processed in a pressure canner because of excessive jar breakage. Other commercial jars with mouths that cannot be sealed with two-piece canning lids are not recommended for use in canning any food at home.

So, you CAN reuse some spaghetti sauce jars, some mayo jars or peanut butter jars with little issue. Best practice is to make sure they are very clean and sterilized. The lid and band will need to fit snugly on the top of the jar as well. If you notice any cracks, toss the jar and do not reuse. Small cracks can cause the jar to become weaker and break. They just are not suitable for pressure canning. During World War Two, the USDA actually encouraged people to reuse jars from store bought products (spaghetti sauce, mayo etc) to home can garden produce with. This was due to the wartime shortage of glass. This was a common practice for many households for years.

Are there times when the recycled mayo, spaghetti sauce, or peanut butter jars are NOT safe? Sure. The quart sized mayo jars that many say “My Grandma reused these with no problems” are not designed to withstand the heating and reheating that comes with home canning food safely. They also have a more narrow sealing surface, and the lid may not properly seal out air, bacteria and such. An improper seal will cause loss of food, and possible bacteria build up that you DON’T want.

The advice for reusing store bought jars is actually no longer USDA recommended for home canning, and Nancy Hudson, a former extension agent in Greene County, Ohio, explained the reason for the recommendation as far back as 1986:

As of 1987, USDA will be recommending the use of one way jars such as instant coffee or mayonnaise jars to be used in a hot water bath canner only if the family has no other alternative However, these jars will not seal with the zinc lids and rubber rings…. With one way jars, the glass is thinner and will take a heat shock of only 75 F degrees. If the jar is at room temperature (70 F degrees) and the food is at 145 F degrees, you will have no breakage. However, with a one way jar at room temperature and the food at 190 F degrees, the jar will break.”

According to Clemson University

Never use commercial jars such as mayonnaise and pickle jars for home canning. These jars are not very resistant to temperature extremes; they break easily. Also, lids may not seal on these jars because their sealing edge is rounded rather than flat. Finally, the neck of the jar may be so short that the screw band will not hold the lid firmly in place during processing.

What does this mean? Do you need to throw away all your old jars that are from store bought products? I have a bunch of old mayo style quart jars that my home canned peaches look simply lovely in. Many people like to reuse glass jars for canning simply for lifestyle choices. Some are doing it because of limited funds to purchase the “real” canning jars. As always, you are free to make your own choice here. When in doubt about the jar, err on the side of caution and safety. Reusing glass jars for food storage such as oats, rice, dried beans may be a much better idea for some.
If you choose to reuse jars from store bought products, and wonder if it’s really safe, just remember:

No commercial product maker is going to endorse their jars for re-use in home canning, ever. There are too many risks with broken jars and loss of food for them to suggest it.
Be aware that there is a higher risk of breakage of reused jars.
Most experts advise to avoid such jars in pressure canning, if possible.
The rims of reused jars are commonly just a bit thinner than rims of certified Mason jars, making it harder for the rubber gaskets on the undersides of the lids to get something to grip onto and make a strong, lasting seal.
Before you re-use a jar for the first time, test that your two-piece lids fit first before filling it up, and verify that the gasket sealing compound fits out to the edges of the rim of the jar.

Do you reuse your store bought glass jars for canning or do you avoid them completely? Be sure to pin this for later!

Want to learn more about canning off grid? This video will guide you through everything you need to know how to safely prepare and can your food, even when there is no power, and you find yourself truly off-grid. In this DVD:

Which way out of three different canning methods, is likely to kill you?
How has bacteria mutated since Grandma used to can, and how does that affect you?
How to can raw meat, and why some meat has to be canned differently.
Why canning milk and eggs should be avoided.
When to use different canning methods.
How to can berries, vegetables, fruit, meat off-grid.
How to blanch tomatoes

… and so much more!

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Mason Jar Make Ahead Meals-Meals In A Jar

June 14, 2018 by chris

Getting your food storage pantry stocked with delicious, easy to prepare foods will make busy nights much easier. Just heat and eat is the key here. With all the easy to prepare foods you can make, it’s a great way to add healthy, quick prepared foods to your pantry. Meals, drinks, and desserts in jars are also a great way to get prepared for camping, hiking, or other outings without spending a lot of money.

This is a great way to take dry foods bought in bulk and create something delicious for later use. What you are doing essentially, is creating your own groceries! Skip the boxed Hamburger Helper, or bagged cookie mix and go for something more healthy where YOU control the ingredients!

How about gifts in a jar ideas for a neighbor, teacher, or friend? Healthy cookie mixes or drink mixes are always welcomed! How about for that new mom or bride? Send along a meal in a jar with a new kitchen towel and wooden spoon for a perfect present!

Most of the jars should be vacuumed sealed, to ensure more air is taken out and storage shelf life is longer. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can get one here from my affiliate partner. OR, you can seal them in the jar and rotate within 2-3 months. You can also store them in ziplock baggies, but be sure to get as much air out of the bag and use within 2 months. So, are you ready for some recipes to make some mason jar make ahead meals?

What mason jar make ahead meals are you going to try? Be sure to pin this later and follow our pin board for more meals in a jar ideas!

Need some help getting back into the kitchen and cooking from scratch? Try this delicious collection of easy to make recipes to get you started!

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Foraging For Wild Strawberries

June 14, 2018 by chris

In the Spring, you can find lots of yummy plants to enjoy. From green plants to yummy, ripe fruits, there’s a plethora of food to be found, if you just look. Growing along the sunny banks and around a forest edge, or even in your own back yard, wild strawberries are delicious. You can also find them along roadsides, hillsides and in open meadows.

Some may warn that they are poisonous, but that is far from the truth. Wild strawberries are perfectly edible and very nutritious. They are full of Vitamin C and will taste just like the strawberries you would grow in your garden. You can use the leaves for tea as well as enjoy the sweet, juicy fruit.

To see what things you need to take with you when foraging, read the post here.

However, you must also know that wild strawberries have a deceptive look-alike: mock strawberries. Can also be referred to as Indian Strawberry, “false strawberry”, or “wood strawberry”.

Wild Strawberry vs Mock Strawberry

Some ways to tell wild strawberries from mock strawberries are to look at the blossoms. Wild strawberries will have white blossoms. The mock strawberry flower is yellow. Keep in mind that they will have identical leaves.

Mock strawberries will have fruit that will be pointed toward the sky, upwards. The fruit will have no scent when crushed. Wild strawberries will have fruit that will hang toward the ground, dangling off the vine. The fruit will also have a strong strawberry scent when crushed.

Mock strawberries are perfectly edible. If you find and consume them, you WILL live to tell the story. The main issue with them is that they will lack any real flavor.

You can use wild strawberries in ANY recipe that you would any strawberry. From fresh strawberry pie to strawberry smoothies.

To see over 45 more strawberry recipes, read the post here.

My favorite way to enjoy wild strawberries is just eating fresh off the plant, but this jam using wild strawberries is a great way to save them for year round enjoyment!

Wild Strawberry Jam

1 quart wild strawberries, stemmed and washed
3 cups sugar
1/3 c bottled lemon juice

In a large mixing bowl, add the strawberries and sugar togther.
Stir to combine well and allow to steep for 30 minutes.
Pour into a heavy bottomed pot, adding any juice from the bowl.
Add lemon juice.
Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
Boil for approximately 20 minutes to reach the jelling point.
Ladle into clean ½ pint jars, add new band and lid and water bath process for 10 minutes.
Remove from canner and allow to cool.

Will you go foraging for wild strawberries this Spring? How would you want to enjoy them?

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Sunburn Relief Lotion Bars With Chamomile And Aloe

June 13, 2018 by chris

Sunshine is a good thing. When the weather is mild, you want to make the most of it by being at the beach, or the park, or in the garden. Having enough sun is vital for Vitamin D production in your body.

Too much sun can lead to a nasty sunburn. Even in the coldest of winters, sunburn can happen. All it takes is having your skin exposed to the sun’s rays for extended periods of time and the result is red, itchy skin that is painful to the touch. No clothing can come near it, and even being in a warm room can seem like torture.

Ouch!

That’s what this sunburn relief lotion is for. It’ll help soothe that sunburned skin. I think it’s the best sunburn relief lotion.

What helps best with sunburn is prevention. There ARE some ways to avoid sunburn such as:

Wearing a hat to shield your head, neck and ears.
Wear light colored clothing to repel rays
Stay out of the sun during the most intense hours of 10AM to 2 PM

Of course, getting out of the sun during the intense hours may not always be convenient. You may have ball games to attend, be at the beach, or even have to work outside. Clothing such as tank tops or shorts can leave skin exposed. Even the best sunscreen on the market may not offer full protection.

If you have had too much sun exposure you may find yourself with pink tinged, or even red skin.

What that means is that your skin is burned. It will be red, inflammed, and often very painful. This soothing sunburn relief lotion is just what you need.

What does sunburn relief lotion do? It will help soothe inflammed, burned skin. It will help prevent peeling by keeping the skin hydrated.

Here are the ingredients to make your own sunburn relief lotion.

Chamomile is great for soothing inflammed skin.
Aloe helps to refresh, replenish and hydrate skin.
Coconut oil helps to soothe and soften sunburned skin.
Shea butter helps soften and rehydrate skin.
Beeswax helps to hold it all together with a light, refreshing scent.
Lavender essential oil calms and soothes both you and your skin! It’s great for soothing burns!

Together, they combine to make a wonderful sunburn relief lotion that you can use on infants to adults. Here’s how to create it for yourself, Ingredients you’ll need:

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
4 Tablespoons shea butter
1/2 cup dried chamomile
4 Tablespoons aloe vera gel
6 Tablespoons beeswax
20 drops lavender essential oil

Directions for putting it all together:

Heat oven to 200 degrees.
In a heat safe dish, add the chamomile, melted shea butter and coconut oil.
Place inside the oven for 2 hours to allow the oil to infuse.
Strain the herbs from the oil. Toss the herbs in the garbage.
In the same oven safe dish, add the infused oil and beeswax.
Put back into the oven to allow to melt together.
Remove from the oven, and stir in aloe vera and essential oil.
Pour into molds, or ice cube trays.
Allow to cool completely before use.

To use this soothing sunburn lotion, rub lotion bar over sunburn. The bars will melt with body heat. Apply as often as you need to help relive and soothe sunburned skin. Store in the fridge for an additional cooling effect. Can be stored for up to 6 weeks. Remember to drink plenty of liquids as well to keep yourself, and your skin well hydrated.

What do you use for mild sunburns? Will you try this after sun lotion next time?

Imagine stocking your natural medicine cabinet without spending any money online or at the health food stores. If you are traveling, you can have natural helps for bumps, bruises, scrapes and more just by taking a relaxing walk. There's no need to get complicated, either. These 10 herbs will get you started and can do a lot of work for you. Best of all, many are right in your backyard, just waiting for you to find them! I'll show you how to find these herbs, from plantain to comfrey and how to USE them as well. You won't be left alone, wondering what to do. You'll learn more about infusing oils, and how to choose an oil for your needs as well.

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Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Recipes

June 13, 2018 by chris

I love my Instant Pots!

I have what I call “the twins” that help me deal with meal time on a regular basis. Sure, I LOVE to cook, and cooking over the stove or baking in the oven is a way I can express my creativity. However, there are times I just don’t want to deal with cooking anything.

It can be that nothing sounds good, or I have zero inspiration. Possibly I forgot to take meat out to thaw. (that happens a lot in my house, to be perfectly honest). It’s nice to be able to cook a whole frozen chicken, or 2 pounds ground beef directly from frozen to done without a lot of effort. Tacos, shredded chicken, and even yogurt are super simple. Just a touch of the button and viola! Food is ready!

Instant pot pressure cooker recipes are easy to convert from crock pot recipes. If you would put a whole roast in the crockpot, you can put it in the Instant Pot. For every hour in the crockpot, I use 10 minutes per hour time in the Instant Pot.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert can all be made quickly and easily with the touch of a button in the Instant Pot. If you don’t have one, you can grab yours here from my affiliate partner’s site.

What should you make in the Instant Pot? Well, to help you get started, I’ve found over 60 Instant pot pressure cooker recipes. They are super easy, delicious and all ready to dig into in less than 2 hours!