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Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Chili
Despite what all the big box and department stores might have you thinking, it’s not Christmas yet! What better way to hang on to that fall feeling a little longer than by making a pot of pumpkin and butternut squash chili? You might be wondering, “butternut squash? That doesn’t say autumn like pumpkin does!” And you’d be right. Stick with me though, and I promise this recipe won’t let you down. If you’ve ever cooked with a real pumpkin, you know they can be somewhat stringy. They also can be a pain to clean out. (I’m looking at you every pumpkin I ever carved as a child.) Butternut squash is…
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Simple DIY Fire Starters You Can Make in Minutes
Depending on where you live, winter is coming. While it’s been much warmer here than last year, we’ve had to start a fire a few nights already. We are in love with our wood stove. Starting a fire in it, however, it not always a simple matter. Right now, we’ve had no snow so our woodpile is still relatively dry. It’s not hard to get a good fire going with only some paper, kindling, and a match. Once the winter weather sets in, it’s a different story. That’s where a good homemade fire starter comes in. These fire starters will save you time and frustration. They are also created entirely…
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Cheap and Easy DIY Deodorant
Deodorant is surprisingly expensive! Especially if you buy an all “natural” deodorant. Additionally, most store bought deodorants come packaged tons of plastic. The solution? Make your own! Homemade deodorant is cheap, effective, and made with ingredients you most likely already have on hand. I have been making our deodorant for years and I have to say, I think it works better than anything I could buy. My husband agrees. You only need three basic ingredients to make this recipe. If you want to take it to the next level, you can also add tea tree oil for some extra antibacterial properties. I always add some and we’ve never had an…
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DIY Seed Tape – Make Your Own Carrot Seed Tape at Home
Do you have a hard time planting carrot seeds evenly? Feel frustrated by how many carrots you end up having to thin? If so, the answer to your problems is seed tape! Seed tape is a biodegradable strip with seeds you plant in the ground. This is an easy way to minimize seed waste, thinning, and get nice straight rows (if that’s important to you.) Small seeds like carrots or radishes can be easier to plant when in seed tape form. It can also help you get better spacing of small seeds in square foot gardening. The problem with seed tape, however, is it can be quite expensive. Especially if…
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DIY Duck Brooder Water Solution
*This post is part 2 in a series on raising ducks and geese. For part 1 click here.* Ducks LOVE water. A LOT. They love water so much that they will make a gigantic mess with their water which will soak into their bedding and make your brooder stink to high heaven. There are a lot of different ways people have found to combat this issue, from creating something to sit the water on to brooding outdoors on the ground where it doesn’t matter so much. Our ducks and geese are part pets, part farm workers so we wanted a solution that would allow us to brood in the house…
