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Roast, boil, steam or pressure-cook a pie pumpkin into puree, keep it in the fridge or freezer, and can pumpkin the only tested way: as cubes in a pressure canner.
Read More →Growing food where you live. Frost dates and planting windows, soil and compost, raised beds, watering through drought, and keeping the deer and rabbits out of it.
Tobacco and tradition are synonymous in the United States, particularly its southeastern reaches. One of the many crops native exclusively to our shores, tobacco was once widely grown and widely exported, American tobacco being a gold standard among connoisseurs abroad. That said, its wide production stateside has become a shadow of itself; almost a mere…
It’s a bad time to be a seed-spitter. Sunflower seeds have long been my constant companion. Whether making a run to the store, or working in the woods or field, sunflower seeds have always provided a nice, salty (or spicy, depending on seasoning!) distraction to keep me occupied. Alas, I’ve noticed a sharp uptick in…
As the days grow shorter and the temperatures get either downright pleasant, or just a little less unbearable depending on what part of the country you’re in, you’re likely wondering what steps you can take in your garden. Its an odd time of year, as the harvest of ripe produce lines coincides with the approach…
August is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, and it’s also the best time to spot the invasive Asian longhorn beetle as adults emerge from trees. That’s why the U.S. Department of Agriculture is declaring August as “Tree Check Month.” Checking trees for the beetle and the damage it causes is one way you…
Whether you want to keep the deer from eating all your garden vegetables and flowers or whether you’re interested in ways to help wildlife during a hot, dry summer, here are a few things you should know. Any limited availability of food and water can lead to a reduced number of newborn fawns and fewer…
As homesteaders, self-sufficiency seems almost folded into our DNA. While the lifestyle has many appeals, one thing in particular that binds us is a deep appreciation for the land, and a desire for a connection to the food that nourishes us. These sorts of virtues have fallen in and out of mainstream appeal over the…
Aerial Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk) treatments conducted by Indiana DNR divisions of Forestry and Entomology & Plant Pathology to slow the spread of gypsy moth, now called spongy moth, have been completed for 2022. Spongy moth is one of North America’s most devastating invasive forest pests and has caused thousands of acres of defoliation…
About 82% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas, and that number is growing. People are drawn from near and far to cities for jobs, restaurants and entertainment. They also enjoy green spaces within a bustling cityscape. Parks, forests and tree-lined streets provide respite and recreation, places to pause and ponder. Trees in urban…
If you live anywhere in the Midwestern or Eastern United States, its time to stop pruning your oak trees for the year. Why, you ask? With the onset of spring, the worry of oak wilt grows anew. Caused by a fungus, oak wilt has existed in the aforementioned regions of the United States for some…
Chances are, if your homestead sits anywhere north of Texas this year, you have seen a fresh blanket of snow or two coat your land. If you live near where I do, that blanket didn’t just fall, but has lasted for several weeks now (and counting). We all love the fluffy white stuff for our…
Christmas trees have a lot of uses once all the festivities are ended. Personally, I used to feed them to my sheep but now I just burn mine in a big New Year’s Eve bonfire. Whatever you decide to do just be sure to remember RULE NUMBER ONE – Make sure the tree is free…
All Hallow’s eve is over. The candy has been passed out, the apples bobbed, and the costumes returned to the closet for next year. But one seasonal signature lingers on. Your friendly (or fierce) Jack O’ Lantern still shimmers nightly on your front porch, though he’s looking a little more slumped with each passing day….
