Nearly 20 years ago, we set out to create a self-reliant homestead. Now we produce our own food and our own power, and can tackle whatever craziness this wild world throws at us. If you’re ready take back control from Big Pharma and Big Food and feel confident facing Everyday Emergencies, join us.
Common Sense Home Good News Letter 1/5/25
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"One of the biggest problems with learning herbalism is trying to figure out where to stick more trees and plants in the yard and gardens." Deep winter is an excellent time to research and dream, and wander about the yard considering potential projects (when you're not in the middle of a storm or freezing your backside off). Each year we typically add (or discover) some "new to us" plants, though I could live until my eleventy-first birthday and still have some on my wish list. We started with the annual gardens, and windbreak trees to create a protected microclimate. (We added ponds and structures to help with the microclimate, too.) Then came fruit and nut trees, shrubs, brambles, and vines, with herbs and perennials tucked in here and there. Lately it's been mostly bee food plants and medicinal plants (or both). I love being able to go out and harvest food and medicine from our own yard. There are so many wonderful medicinal herbs that are easy to grow, even in small gardens. The plants we grow may even adjust their medicinal compounds to help take care of us when we are in need (as suggested in the book, Plant Spirit Medicine). Plants communicate with other plants via chemical communication to boost defenses, so it wouldn't be surprising if they adjust with exposure to us, too. With the constant stream of AI generated media (and the heavily edited images and video even before AI), it is so important to stay grounded and connect with real things. Tending a garden engages all the senses, and has health benefits beyond just getting exercise. Gardening can also help to create community, if we swap seeds, or share the labor or the harvest. I know I always enjoy chatting with gardening friends about how the season is going, or new plant varieties, or even troubleshooting garden problems. I have a few questions for you this week - One, for those who live in northeast Wisconsin - would you be interested in a seed swap, or a get together in March where I put together "garden starter" seed bundles? Two - I have a chance to test and review one of the funky indoor garden setups. Is this something you would like to read about? Three - are you a gardener? If so, what's your favorite part of gardening, and what's your most challenging part of gardening? Helping you create Resilience and Abundance, Laurie (and August IV, August V, and Duncan) This week's featured articles...We're going Old School this week with an Ode to Horseradish. Sure, most folks know that it packs a fiery kick in the kitchen, but it's also good medicine for cold and flu season. First up - how to use horseradish for medicine. Second - how to make three types of horseradish sauce from the fresh root. (Horseradish is a digestive aid, and is anti-microbial.) Finally, how to grow horseradish without it taking over the garden. |
Laurie Neverman @ Common Sense Home
Nearly 20 years ago, we set out to create a self-reliant homestead. Now we produce our own food and our own power, and can tackle whatever craziness this wild world throws at us. If you’re ready take back control from Big Pharma and Big Food and feel confident facing Everyday Emergencies, join us.
The first snowflakes of the season whipped and raced through the air, while at ground level a wooly bear caterpillar made for cover. The wind was bracing, and there would be a rim of frost around the water buckets come evening. The duck patrol made for the big pond each morning now, as the small pond was low and already icing over. By days' end they gathered near the coop, fluffing into little duckie bundles and waiting for bedtime. The time change has a way of making me feel metaphorically...
Baskets, boxes, buckets, bottles, bins...the harvest season was drawing to a close, and the fruits of months of labor were carefully stored around the home, waiting to carry the family to the next harvest, and perhaps a bit beyond. It was a lifestyle that required dedication and determination, but the rewards were enjoyed daily with a bountiful table. We were gifted with empty canning jars from two different friends this year. One friend is elderly, and decided to stop canning because it's a...
Frost clung to the ground most mornings now, making early chores rather chilly, especially when the long, half-frozen grass soaked your socks through the holes of your garden clogs. (Note to self - it may be time for closed toe shoes.) Oddly, the trellised tomato plants still lingered, not thriving, but greeting each day with hope of returning warmth. The squash vines perished weeks ago, but the tomatoes are a stubborn lot this year. We've cleared the tomato plants twice now, anticipating...