As the holidays approach and we begin to decorate our homes, stringing lights and hanging wreaths, I have to wonder what our pets think of all this. I’ve always imagined …
The basic recipe for making soap has been the same for thousands of years. Combining plant or animal fats with an alkali causes a chemical transformation, a process known as …
Most everyone loves a good strawberry. These sweet-as-can-be, red-fleshed fruits are as sumptuous eaten out of hand as they are prepped into a smorgasbord of yummy recipes. There are hundreds …
I’m not a big fan of Black Friday. The scenes of desperate bargain hunters storming into stores at the break of dawn to buy items they don’t really need all …
Sphagnum mosses are an utterly unique and fascinating genus of bog-dwelling plants. Perhaps you’re most familiar with them in their dried form. The light brown, fibrous, stringy bits are widely …
The Christmas cactus, or any of the holiday cactuses in the Schlumbergera family, have earned a reputation for being finicky plants. But most of that frustration comes from not understanding …
It’s nearly that time of year, when colorful lights illuminate windows and trees, while snowflakes come tumbling down from the sky. And as much as people appreciate and do their …
Eons ago, fire was one of humankind’s most life-altering discoveries, so it’s no wonder that even today, we find comfort around the warm glow of a fire. Getting an invitation …
With the holidays fast approaching, many of us are making lists and checking them twice. While some people are easy to find gifts for, there’s always one or two people …
Many houseplant lovers enjoy propagating and sharing their plants. But Christmas cactus, in particular, are often part of a family legacy, with cuttings handed down from a family member’s plant …
When we first delved into the world of chicken keeping, we read every book we could get our hands on to prepare. Our biggest concern was the chicken coop, and …
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; if there’s one kitchen offense that makes me feel guilty, it’s food waste. I could eat an entire bag of Milano …
Pop, pop, pop, a hundred kernels in a hot pot. If a bowl of perfectly popped popcorn with a hint of butter and a dash of salt sounds delicious, now …
Soil health is a topic that’s coming up more and more over the years. It seems we’ve finally come around to the idea that what’s going on beneath the soil …
One of the great things about having a garden is that you can find a range of ways to reuse things that might otherwise be thrown away. Glass bottles are …
There’s nothing quite like coming in from the cold in the winter to a wood-heated home. Rosy-cheeked, and sniffly-nosed you stomp the snow off your boots at the door and …
I enjoy zucchini as much as the next person, and you have to admit that pattypan squash is pretty darn cute. But when it comes to filling that squash-shaped hole …
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose… Sounds about right to me as evening temperatures are dipping to just below freezing and glittering frost fills …
Tomato juice is a staple food that should be in every pantry and behind every cupboard door. A staple food being one that can be stored easily and eaten throughout …
Oh, folks, fall is finally here; isn’t it lovely? No more back and forth, with one day in the high 70s and the next rainy and cold. Fall has settled …
By now, things are starting to wind down in the garden. There’s a nip in the air and soon you’ll be harvesting your last vegetable and pulling up your spent …
Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are one of the most popular houseplants out there. When it comes to indoor gardening, it’s hard to beat the spider plant where ease of care …
Start this now and enjoy it for the holidays. Today was a rainy fall day, one of my favorite kinds of fall days. The leaves on the trees always pop …
The craft beer movement has caught the world by a storm, and it shows no sign of slowing down. However, the global hops supply is struggling to keep pace, and …
Once dubbed the “elixir of life”, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is an ancient herb from the mint family that has been used as a medicine, and as a flavoring for …