Purple Deadnettle, Lamium purpureum (LAMIACEAE), is an early spring wild plant that can be foraged for its medicinal and edible properties. Some variations of the plant name include “Purple Deadnettle”, “Purple Dead Nettle”, “Purple Deadhead… More
Making Raspberry Jam
Last year was the first year that we were able to harvest any of our raspberries. We were pleasantly surprised at how many we were able to gather. Many we ate right there on the spot. Wow, they were delicious right off the vine! So, of course we had to make raspberry jam too.
Fresh raspberries do not keep very long so once they started trickling in we froze what we did not eat right away. Once we had enough we planned to make raspberry jam, but things never seem to go as planned. So we just got around to making raspberry jam. Freezing is so convenient if your berries are coming in small batches or if you just do not have time to use them. We pulled the frozen raspberries out of the freezer and ran the bags under some cold water to thaw. They thaw rather quickly.
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Pallet Chicken Coop | DIY Chicken Coop
Our first chicken coop was functional, but left a lot to be desired. We learned a lot from our first little coop, and we put what we learned into our second, bigger pallet chicken coop. Things we learned from the first coop, make a coop big enough to walk in, roosters are big, need a bigger door, and always plan you coop to get even more chickens. Chickens are addictive, and you will always want more. With these things in mind, we worked on designing our next chicken coop.
The first step was to acquire some wooden pallets. Wood is getting more and more expensive. We wanted to do this as inexpensively as possible, as we are cheap. I got a truck load of free wooden pallets for our chicken coop by asking around. Continue reading “Pallet Chicken Coop | DIY Chicken Coop”
How to Make Crab Apple Jelly | Canning Crab Apple Jelly
Jon and I are on vacation from work this week and decided to try our hand once again at making crab apple jelly. Last year was our first attempt at any jelly and it was a fail. Then we made it in November so we were worried that the crab apples were too far gone on the tree this year. There were more overly brown and rotten crab apples than in November, but still the tree was loaded down and Jon was able to pick about 1.5 gallons of crab apples from our ornamental crab apple tree.
There are tons of varieties of crab apples. Most people do not use the ornamental crab apples because they are so small and tedious to use, but they are perfectly edible and since we had them we thought we would put them to use.
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Making Blackberry Jam
We were pleasantly surprised this year by the size and amount of blackberries we picked from our 2 blackberry canes that we planted last year. I made a couple of blackberry cobblers with some of the harvest. We picked the rest as they came in a little at a time and put them in the freezer. We also picked a few wild blackberries from our rural property and froze them. The blackberries from our thornless canes are substantially larger than the wild blackberries, but we are thankful for them all. It is ok to pick a few of your berries a little early before they have completely ripened (with just a touch of red in them) if you intend to use them for jam. The tart red blackberries have more pectin and will aid in the jam setting up. Still the majority of our berries were fully ripe when picked. All total I believe we froze about 4 gallons of blackberries.
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Cold Weather Emergency Preparedness
The first weeks of this year have created a range of cold weather issues. There are a number of steps that can be taken by a family looking to become prepared for problems with extremes of cold weather seen from parts of the Deep South to the most northerly regions of the U.S. over recent months.
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Siberian Fir Essential Oil (Abies sibirica)
The Siberian fir tree is a tall, light in color, conifer tree native to Russia and Canada. It has a refreshing, woody scent that is known for its calming and relaxing properties. Siberian Fir has a unique chemical composition that is predominately bornyl acetate, which provides a majority of the easing benefits of this essential oil. Siberian Fir can be very soothing to the skin, making it an ideal essential oil to add to a comforting massage. When diffused, Siberian Fir can help promote feelings of easy breathing, while calming the emotions and providing a grounding effect.
PRIMARY BENEFITS
- Helps balance emotions and soothe anxious feelings
- Diffuse for a relaxing aroma
- Provides a soothing effect when used in massage
- Soothe minor skin irritations by applying Siberian Fir
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Shelter for Baby Goats | Goat Kid Care
Part of a baby goat’s happiness and health involves giving them a proper space to live in. Baby goats need a space that is both warm and dry. They can get sick if they are too cold or damp. Provide plenty of warm bedding, such as hay or pine chips and change as needed to keep it fresh and dry.
Nigerian Dwarf Goat Kidding Has Started | Goat Labor and Birthing
The goat kidding season has begun. We were not expecting any of our goats to kid for at least 3 or 4 more days, but Brownie got a head start. This is only our second year of experience with goat kidding. There are several signs to look for like the udder freshening and looking hard or glossy, pelvic ligaments loosening at the tail head, a mucous discharge, swollen vulva, doe is very vocal, doe’s loss of appetite, pawing, sunken sides and sagging of stomach, unusual behavior, restlessness, or seeking solitude. Because we are still learning how to identify when a doe is going into labor, we were a little surprised. Brownie had bagged up, but the udders did not appear hard or glossy. Brownie has always been a little less social than the other does so seeing her by herself isn’t a huge alarm. But once we noticed her by herself for a prolonged period of time way out in the back part of the pasture, we thought we better go check on her.
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How to Make an Egg Gathering Apron from a Pillowcase
When we were living on the 40 acre homestead before we downsized, we had over 50 laying hens. There were lots of eggs to collect each day. The egg basket that I was using wouldn’t hold them all so I switched to a 5 gallon bucket. I quickly realized that a large bucket was a quick way to break eggs and carrying eggs in my T-shirt wasn’t cutting it either. I needed a solution to this problem without spending much money (“much” to this mama is about $10)…I finally decided that I would make an egg gathering apron out of an extra pillowcase and a little bit of ribbon. The apron was made in under 15 minutes and there has been no issue gathering eggs since!
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Essential Oil Wool Dryer Balls | Dryer Sheet Substitute
Using wool dryer balls in the dryer are a great natural alternative to chemically laden dryer sheets. Dryer sheets may contain a plethora of chemicals to decrease static, soften laundry, and smell good. The worst of these chemicals are Benzyl acetate and Dichlorobenzene. Many of the other synthetics are generally considered not as harmful in small amounts, but to someone with breathing or skin sensitivities they can still be a concern.
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9 Inches for Our First Snow of 2017
Snow in NC tends to be anything from a dusting, icy mix, stealth snow, and sometimes we actually get some descent accumulation. We our starting the new year with our first snow of 2017 and we ended up with about 9 inches after our last measurement.
Keeping Chickens Alive During Cold Weather
Chickens are pretty easy creatures to raise. That is, until the cold season comes. Jordan Walker, the lead content curator of Coops and Cages, shares tips to improve the survivability of chickens during winter.
Chicken owners who live in mild climate regions are a bit luckier than most. Those who live in harsh weather conditions have to keep their chickens closely monitored especially during winter season. Find out how to prepare for such circumstance beforehand to avoid any untoward incidens when the time comes. Continue reading “Keeping Chickens Alive During Cold Weather”
8 Things to Know Before Owning a Buck Goat
What are the options for owning a male goat? First, let’s clarify some goat terminology. A buck is an intact male goat over one year old. You may have heard them referred to in laymen’s terms as a billy goat. A buckling is an intact young male goat less than a year old. And a wether is a castrated male goat.
Owning a Male Goat For Breeding
If you want your does in milk, first they need to have baby goats. Does must be bred first to have baby goats. A buck sire is needed to breed. Sounds simple, right? The options to impregnate a doe are artificial insemination, rent or borrow a buck, or own a buck to use for breeding.
Before buying a buck goat there are a few things you should know.
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How to Tan a Deer Hide
I have always had an interest in primitive survival techniques, and I enjoy teaching myself the lost arts of our ancestors. These days I normally kill three or four deer per year to fill our freezer, and I do what I can to use every part of the animal. However, I noticed that our deer camp throws out seven to ten deer hides every year.
I made the decision to find a way to use these hides. The more I thought about it, the more I settled in on an idea. Every winter I complete a survival challenge during which I spend three or four days in freezing temperatures to hone my winter survival skills. However, I can never seem to find a warm and comfortable buffer between myself and the ground. Continue reading “How to Tan a Deer Hide”