By Alex Todd This story begins with some treasured friends gifting a bottle of authentic Italian balsamic vinegar (or Aceto Balsamico de Modena, as they say) to me for Christmas. I thought at that time that I didn’t like balsamic vinegar, having never tried the real stuff. But I knew my wife loved it on … Continue reading Discovering Ingredient Applications Can Be A Challenge – A Balsamic Adventure
Category: Health
Health is important to us. Being healthy will enable us to live longer and do more on our homestead over that time. We look forward to growing our own food, enjoying being outside, and working hard. All of that ties together with personal health. As we get closer to the age most people retire, it is even more important. We want to live a long time and pursue our own kind of happiness.
The Trials and Tribulations of Creating a Homestead – Part 2: Caterpillar Invasion!
Awareness is an interesting thing! Until something gets your attention or becomes a problem, you often times don’t even notice it. This was my experience with the fir tussock moth, (Orgyia detrita). I had never noticed it in the four years we had our property until caterpillars started raining out of the oaks onto our … Continue reading The Trials and Tribulations of Creating a Homestead – Part 2: Caterpillar Invasion!
Fruit Trees as a Survival Strategy – Abbas Zawawi
Peaches are fun to grow. Mulberries taste like sunshine and morning dew dipped in honey. But bananas are prolific. Nothing out-produces bananas, and you can pack them into a small space, which is great for a front yard. Give them lots of sun and water, and they will give you an abundant harvest throughout the … Continue reading Fruit Trees as a Survival Strategy – Abbas Zawawi
Wild Foraging: A Survival Skill
If you want to eat off the land, it is helpful to learn about local edible plants. In order to increase our knowledge, my husband and I attended a seminar on wild foraging at a local nursery. Learn from Experts Our seminar featured two experts on edible plants you can find in Florida: Andy Firk … Continue reading Wild Foraging: A Survival Skill
Increase Your Self-Sufficiency Checklist
A Homestead According to Mother Earth News, homesteading … is all about self-sufficiency — wherever you live. It's about using less energy, eating wholesome local food, involving your family in the life of the community and making wiser choices that will improve the quality of life for your family, your community and the environment around … Continue reading Increase Your Self-Sufficiency Checklist
Homesteading Considerations
Before jumping in, there are many homesteading considerations you should look at. First, what are your homestead goals, what are you really trying to accomplish by doing it? Personal Goals Your goals will affect everything else you are going to do and the scope of you project. Try to be as specific as possible in … Continue reading Homesteading Considerations
Retirement on a Homestead?
No matter when you plan your retirement from a regular job, do you know what you want to do then? If you are only looking forward to watching more TV or traveling, is that going to be enough? Too Old? During my 50’s, my mom passed away after having Alzheimer’s for many years. Several years … Continue reading Retirement on a Homestead?
Community Garden Surprise: Salad Green
If you don’t have space where you live to grow food, one option is joining a community garden. I did this a few years ago and planted a 4-foot by 8-foot plot. Someone from my church had a local nursery, so I purchased some plants from her to get the garden started and used seeds … Continue reading Community Garden Surprise: Salad Green
The Food Supply & How to Improve It
The food supply is important to me as it can affect both the short-term and long-term health of me and my family. A Possible Source If you are like me, you get your news online instead of from the major networks. One of the daily news feeds I receive had an ad for a company … Continue reading The Food Supply & How to Improve It
Exhausted from Heat and Summer Work
My husband and I spend many weekends on our property; feeding plants and making improvements at our homestead in Florida. At our respective jobs during the week, we sit in front of computers in an air conditioned office. I never expected to get exhausted from heat working outside. We headed out to our property on … Continue reading Exhausted from Heat and Summer Work