IT’S ALIVE! Living No-Turn Compost: BioChar
Maybe you wanted to start composting this Earth Day, but you’ve heard it’s tricky to get right. I understand–nobody wants a stinky mess out back that will draw vermin, or worse! However, nobody wants to shell out for fancy compost drums or “activators” that might give you amazing compost, or might give you nothing but […]
Drink Your Fungus! Continuous-Brew Chaga (Mushroom) Tea and Coffee
What is “mushroom coffee”, and why on Earth would anyone want to drink (what basically amounts to) fungus juice? The answers might surprise you! If you can get behind brewing kombucha (fermented tea) as a soda replacement, you’ll be excited to learn about chaga mushroom “coffee”. Maybe you want to cut back on caffeine consumption, […]
The Tropical Fruit Tree Americans Forgot: The Pawpaw Tree
What if I told you that North America has an easy-to-grow native tropical fruit tree that you’ve never even heard of? The Pawpaw is our largest native fruit, and it tastes something like banana and mango with hints of vanilla (yum!). Nicknamed the “Appalachian Banana” or “poor man’s banana”, Pawpaws are the largest edible fruit […]
Systemic Destruction Through War – How to Help Mother Nature Heal This Earth Day
Earth Day is coming up on April 22nd, and you might be wondering what the deal really is, anyway. It was only created in 1970, in a social climate of increasing focus on the ills of modern living and how humans had impacted the planet thus far. By the end of 1970, the success of […]
Too Hot? Too Cold? When Should I Plant These? Seed Starting Calendar
Spring is in full swing here in the Southern United States! Every big-box store is rolling out lovely new transplants in biodegradable pots. The glossy seed packet displays they’ve got up will make anyone eager to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons and more. Your region’s last frost date may have passed, but that doesn’t mean you […]
Naturally Cure Earaches With “The Onion Trick”
One great trick that everyone needs to have up their sleeve is how to help an earache naturally. If you’ve got yellow onions on hand, you’ve got the single most effective and easy remedy for ear issues. You know how onions make your eyes water when you cut them? Science tells us that this happens […]
DIY Deodorant that Doubles as TOOTHPASTE Recipe
Here it is–the ultimate minimalist life hack: Deodorant that doubles as toothpaste! Okay, it might sound crazy, but actually, you can do an awful lot of good things with baking soda and coconut oil. Once you start exploring the huge variety of DIY personal care product recipes out there, you’ll start to notice that many […]
Why You Should Use Eggshells to Start Seeds
We’ve all seen the cute pics on Pinterest of seedlings in eggshells–but aside from cuteness, what’s the point? Eggshells as seed starters are actually really beneficial for your plants! Here’s why: They’re basically free, and a great way to reuse what you’ve already got. Once the seedlings are big enough to be planted, you just […]
Farm Pesticides in Drinking Water? How to Protect Yourself
Can you trust your municipal water source to filter out pesticides from tap water? It’s not likely. Just last week, a team of chemists and engineers at USGS and the University of Iowa found neonicotinoids in treated and filtered drinking water. While we’ve known since 2015 that neonicotinoids are present in over half of US river […]
How To Season & Clean Cast Iron Cookware
You’ve heard how great cast-iron cookware is, but you may also know that you’re not able to just toss it in the dishwasher, either. Hopefully you didn’t have to learn this the hard way, like my mother did. Properly cleaning and caring for un-coated cast iron cookware has a bit of a learning curve, but […]
Knives and Fires at Preschool? Yes, It’s a Good Thing.
Do you let your kids play with fire? For most Americans, child safety means keeping kids far away from anything sharper than a nerf ball. However, you might be surprised to learn that not all countries treat their children like delicate flowers if they’re under the age of ten (or twenty). For example, the children […]
Five Reasons to Get Naked in Your Garden
The 16th annual World Naked Gardening Day is coming up soon! Yes, #nakedgardeningday is a thing. You may now be wondering, why would anybody want to garden naked? Outside of skinny-dipping, gardening ranks as the top activity that people are willing to try in the nude. Here’s five reasons why you should try naked gardening this […]