Category: Basic Skills
-
Hoarding
Supposedly, the average American household hoards an average of 300,000 objects. That number sounds astounding. But when I did a rough count of the non-food objects in our small kitchen I got to 800 in short order. And I’m an anti-consumer! When you factor in spaces like garages, basements, closets, sheds, and even rented storage…
-
Nature Calls
In my last post on Winter Dormancy for Humans, I ended with an easy way to connect with your winter biology by asking “How do I feel right now?”. I followed that with a suggestion to wait a few moments before trying to formulate an answer. Clever readers probably noticed the contradiction. I mean what’s…
-
Winter “Dormancy” for Humans
The dark days of late fall and early winter have an undeniable impact on our moods and energy levels. Just like plants, the decline of daylight makes many of us want to cease to grow for a while. This desire for dormancy isn’t just some Pinterest-induced yearning for hygge comforts triggered by overwork and overwhelm.…
-
Cover Crops: An Invigorating Vacation for Your Soil!
I used to think cover crops were for commercial farmers with tractor attachments to use for tilling. Now, I know they are a basic gardening tool that any gardener can use to improve and protect soil while reducing weeds. What are Cover Crops? Cover crops are kind of like an exciting adventure vacation for your…
-
Live More Sustainably
Want to live better while improving our shared environment? It’s easier than you think. Issue Two of Epicurean Living includes ideas on how to garden sustainably and regeneratively. There are tips on cooking and snacking to save time, money, and benefit your overall well-being as well as our environment. Plus, it’s full of ways to…
-
Epicurean Living (Free eBook!)
Hi all, I know there are still plenty of challenges from the pandemic, extreme weather, and just the ordinary stuff that comes with being human and caring deeply about our world and loved ones. But I hope you are finding moments of grace and pleasure, getting time to homestead, enjoying being with friends and family,…
-
Landscape Gardening: Real Permaculture
Can one woman really garden on about two acres using hand tools in just a couple hours per week? Absolutely! That’s what I do. I occasionally get some help from Matt for special projects. But the routine care is my domain. My secret weapon in being able to handle all this land is permaculture. And…
-
Modern Homestead Living: A New Future Not a Romanticized Past
Matt and I recently watched an aptly-titled documentary called Can’t Get You Out of My Head. It focuses on how our human fears, anxieties, and propensities to live by impulse rather than reason have shaped so much of our recent history. One aspect of this particular historical view that stuck with me is that the…
-
Simplestead Guide to Pruning Plants
Each morning I walk our dogs through the semi-wild parts of our wooded property. There I encounter various trees, shrubs, ground cover, mosses, lichens, and a seemingly infinite variety of fungi. What beautiful complexity exists in this woodland ecosystem. Yet, as a gardener, I can’t help but notice the diseased limbs on otherwise healthy trees.…