Save money and live wisely! Organic food and farm-raised, quality meat and produce definitely cost more up front. Trust that you’ll reap the benefits on the other end because you’re seeking good health, but also learn the least expensive ways to source real food, plus where to save on natural living practices. No need to go broke!
Have you ever found yourself surrounded by a sea of tomatoes on your counter and wondered “What in the WORLD will I do with all these tomatoes?!?” I feel your pain! August and September on our farm are insanity. Seems like every day, there is more and MORE produce ripening that demands to be preserved! […]
3 Easy Ways to Preserve Tomatoes (That Don’t Involve Canning!) Read More »
Summer is here, which means the gardens are coming to life…and it’s time to start harvesting and preserving produce! Yes, I know it seems early, but on our farm some of the herbs are ready to be collected, mostly because of my “lazy gardening” method that I explain more fully in my post about “Back to
Salt Preserved Fresh Herbs: Simple Ingredients, Endless Possibilities Read More »
This post is from Becca Stallings of The Earthling’s Handbook, with photographs by Nicholas Efran (age 12) and Dan Efran. After setting up your thrifty 3-bin composting system and getting into the habit of collecting kitchen scraps to compost, it’s time to start using this great homemade fertilizer in your garden! How exactly do you
Want to learn how to make dehydrated greens for smoothies and more? It’s easy to make a dehydrated greens powder when you dehydrate spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens, and kale! “Mom, is this a stick in my soup?” I admit that we eat some weird food around here, but I really wasn’t serving a soup
DIY Greens Powder and the Easiest Way to Preserve Your Greens Read More »
I never knew I would fall in love with chickens. Look at them. You’ve got to admit they are a little freaky. They’re twitchy, spastic and let’s be honest – they are tiny feathered velociraptors. Imagine my surprise when I realized how hard I had fallen for these pea-brained birds. I’m well on my way
Want Backyard Chickens? Here Are 3 Things You Need to Know First! Read More »
If you’re trying to lead a greener life, you’ve probably heard that you ought to be setting aside your biodegradable garbage and composting it to create natural fertilizer for your garden. If an indoor worm garden isn’t for you, composting outdoors is a great option. Composters are sold at home-improvement stores and in gardening catalogs,
This is good advice about husbands and real food, I promise. And no, I’m not upset with my husband and taking it out on men everywhere. It was my husband’s idea, in fact. Ever since I pulled things like serving beef tongue and not telling him (and then successfully doing the same with beef heart),
This post is from KS Contributing Writer ‘Becca Stallings of The Earthling’s Handbook, with photography assistance from her son Nicholas Efran. Meat has been a part of most human beings’ diet for millennia, but we’re overdoing it lately. The amount of meat eaten by the average person each year has almost doubled since 1961, and
Starting a garden can be easy and affordable. Nicky Schauder shares how to start today by using items you already have in your kitchen. Whether you have a larger garden or simply grow vegetables and herbs in containers you can follow these easy gardening tips for planting your pantry and you’ll be harvesting fresh food
How do you start a garden without really trying? Plant Your Pantry! Read More »
Having avocados on hand is one of my secrets to making impromptu taco nights even better! With all their brain-boosting power, pairing it with some veggies also makes for a nutritional snack at school. Let me show you how to freeze guacamole to help you save both time and money. This post is by Contributing
This past September, I found myself staring at a half bushel of jalapeño peppers on my kitchen floor. I had to do something with them, and quick! I whipped out the canning pot and supplies, and canned more jars of pickled jalapeños than one family should ever need…and I still had countless peppers left. Then
Everybody needs water to survive. It’s a fact. But did you know not everyone needs the same amount? Eight glasses a day is not a rule you need to follow. In fact it was never recommended in the first place. You can read about how that came about and why it’s not true here. Dehydration
Keeping Hydrated Isn’t All about 8 Glasses of Water a Day Read More »
This post is from KS Contributing Writer Becca Stallings of The Earthling’s Handbook, with photographs by her son Nicholas Efran. Winter is such a cozy time in the home, with family gatherings and all kinds of great food (like everyone’s favorite, comforting soup!). Unfortunately, with all the windows shut, any unpleasant odor will linger even longer
3 Easy Ways to Freshen Your Home Using Essential Oils Read More »
Whether your New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight, improve digestion, or get centered, we’ve got ideas for you! I’m the type of person who loves setting goals. I think that’s why I’m so drawn to Katie’s baby steps – they are tangible ways to make resolutions and goals come true. Now I know this time of
5 Resolutions – Using the Instant Pot to Achieve Them Read More »
Traveling with kids and a real food goal isn’t easy, especially if you have any who get carsick (we have two!). Throw in trying to be on a budget, and everyone who does it deserves a blue ribbon “Super Parent” award! Not long ago I discovered a magical way to bring real food to a
“May all your animals live a glorious life, with just one bad day.” – Joel Salatin October 6, 2010 – I was sitting in a church pew listening to my hero, Joel Salatin, speak to an enthusiastic audience, people eager to discover ways they could change the food system and advocate for more humane agriculture. As
One Bad Day – Why We Need to Raise Animals Humanely Read More »
I watch it happen every spring. Everywhere I go, I see families out in their gardens, filled with optimism and enthusiasm! I watch them labor and toil, rototilling the soil, raking, hoeing, digging, turning over earth until they have a nice, beautiful patch of bare soil. I watch them lovingly and tenderly place their garden
You know I’m a huge fan of both Costco and ALDI, and I shop both of them regularly. I shop for real food groceries at Costco only about once every 4-8 weeks though, and ALDI is much more likely to be my regular weekly stop. That’s partly because of location and partly because it takes
We’re all trying to add more vegetables into our diets – from steamed vegetables to dehydrated vegetables to roasted veggies. That’s why I have The Best Produce to Stockpile. Today, we’ll be covering fermenting vegetables! All it took was one bite. I was hooked. A friend had offered me a small jar of her homemade sauerkraut
Visiting a Disney park may be the “happiest place on earth,” but feeding a family while you’re there can bring you down in a hurry. For frugal, real food mamas, being stuck in a theme park with access only to processed foods at uber premium prices is like an alternate reality. When you’re used to
