Repurposing. Recycling. Re-thinking everything to make the most of it all.
The official word on the street about canning on glass top has always been “No! Don’t do it!”
But times are a’changin’. Yay for that, because so many of us avid canners buy homes where the stove is included, and now we have to live with it. Who can afford to run out and buy all new appliances with every move? Okay, some people. But not THIS some people.
When my husband and I were sorting through my late mother-in-law’s final arrangements, I realized we hadn’t done nearly enough in our own future planning. It was scary to imagine a situation where my children would be on their own, and it brought up a lot of worst case scenarios I never wanted to think about. But preparing for any situation is crucial to my family’s well-being, especially to my children’s future, and in the end I feel a lot better knowing we’ve taken care of everything.
Continue reading Financial Preparedness: 3 Tips for Your Children’s Future
What if I told you that we could completely eradicate world hunger without growing another grain of rice?
Homemade bone broth is the “backbone” of nearly every traditional diet around the world. <see what I did there?> “Snout to Tail” eating means that everything was used, and not only were people not squeamish, most of the improper bits that bother you (and yes, me at times) were the delicacies of the day.
Continue reading Make Your Own Bone Broth for Savings & Health
Whoo-boy. We get excited about this every year.
Continue reading Announcing the Pantry Paratus Christmas Sales!
This was an email newsletter I sent before “Black Friday” last year. It’s a bit controversial, but it’s important to us. Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts!
A False Dichotomy (or “false dilemma”) is when someone pits 2 opposing thoughts, requiring you to choose one of the 2 extremes (ignoring the possibility of alternatives).
This is a major ploy of retailers. How do I know? I am one.
Paul Wheaton from Permies.com is a friend. Perhaps the most evil of geniuses I’ve ever known.
Continue reading World Domination and the Free Video on Rocket Mass Heaters
These days it’s as important as ever to find ways to reduce and reuse, and there are several sustainability projects you can do yourself that won’t take much time or effort but will make a big impact on the Earth…in a good way. The first step is to decide what you need, then look around your house, garage, or storage space to see what items you can use to make it happen. Get creative and force yourself to think a little outside the box in order to see things in a different way.
Continue reading Five of the Coolest DIY Sustainability Projects
Just so we’re clear before we get into the thick of this article, also so we can just know each other as humans, my name is Cory Thomas and I’m what some would call a “prepper”.
Kinda feels like I just stood up at an AA meeting after I wrote that.
But what I’d like to do in this article is not incite fear and government hatred/bashing, like so many of those who paint people who like to prepare for disaster. I am a simple man with a wife, kids on the way, and a miniature Australian Shepherd. And it’s because I love my family that I’ve taken on these concerns about preparedness.
Continue reading Is the World Going Crazy (or do we just need to can it)?
Ourselves in the throes of a badly needed kitchen remodel, I’m torn between several styles of design. Ella offers up her suggestion to me for a rustic kitchen–enjoy!
Making cheese at home using fresh goat’s milk is actually an easy process. It’s also quite affordable. With the right ingredients and instructions, you can make your own fresh and delicious goat milk cheese. Let’s take a look at how you can make fresh goat milk cheese
Continue reading How to Make Goat Milk Cheese
If a hose breaks under the hood, or as in Chaya’s case, a muffler fall off 30 miles from the nearest anything, do you know how to fix it in 2 minutes flat so that you’re back on the road?
Continue reading Video Blog: Meet the Manufacturer of The Stronghold Haywire Klamper
Growing an herb garden from scratch is an easy way to go about it. Many herbs can be grown with little sunshine, and water drains off very well from their soil on the average. They also require some watering and fertilizer or compost on a regular basis and some regular garden care. Your biggest worry is if they become too prolific (as the case with mint, and a few others–just pot & gift to an unsuspecting friend). Growing an herb garden is an awesome idea, when it comes to the true meaning of simple gardening.
Crystallized Honey–it’s good stuff, a spoonful of that is better than candy! Although a spoonful of “set honey” (or crystallized honey) melts easily enough in a cup of hot tea, having your honey back in liquid form is better for baking and other purposes.
