Baking soda is a versatile and cost-effective product with numerous uses. From baking to personal care, medicinal applications, and cleaning, it offers a wide range of benefits. Whether used as a deodorizer, cleaner, or fire extinguisher, baking soda is a valuable household staple with multiple practical applications.
Author Archives: 1authorcygnetbrown
Cleaner Laundry and Solutions to Other Water-Related Issues on the Homestead
The writer discovered a way to reconstitute dry bleach with water and use it as a cost-effective alternative to regular liquid bleach for laundry, cleaning, and water purification. The product can also be used in gardening, as suggested in the author’s books available on Amazon. Additionally, the writer shares insights from their experience in the US Navy.
Seven Ways to Save on the Grocery Bill
Rising post-pandemic inflation has doubled grocery bills, prompting creative purchasing strategies: buy clearance items, track rotating sales and holiday specials, and purchase in-season fruits and vegetables. Save long-term with bulk staple purchases and grow your own food. Preserve your harvest and cook from scratch to avoid preservatives. Lastly, foraging and hunting complement the savings.
The Year of the Massive Cicada Invasion
This past weekend at the farmers market, the cicadas were everywhere, with their loud, Star Trek-like sounds. These insects, emerging every 13 and 17 years, are currently swarming for the first time in 221 years. They attract more birds and animals, affecting the population of moths, butterflies, and bees. Some people even eat them.
Beans, Planting, Canning, and Harvest
The author recently finished planting their summer garden, including pole beans next to the previous year’s tomato area. They explained the benefits of canning dried beans and detailed their canning process. The author shared plans for the garden’s future and offered helpful gardening books for those interested in starting their own vegetable garden.
We Couldn’t Pass These Up!
Even though blackberry plants were not on our radar this year, we found such a great deal on them that we couldn’t resist picking up five healthy plants to plant. At the farmers market last week, one of the Amish families was selling blackberry plants that they had dug up that morning. The blackberry plantsContinue reading “We Couldn’t Pass These Up!”
Planting the Main Garden
In the Ozarks, the arrival of blackberry winter marks the time to plant garden mainstays like tomatoes and peppers. Preparing transplants involves gradually exposing them to sunlight and ensuring ample water. After the last frost, the author plants various vegetables and herbs in prepared garden beds, managing the process despite uncooperative weather. If interested in vegetable gardening, the author offers helpful books on Amazon.
The Fruitful Corner Behind the Barn
Behind one of my sheds is a patch that I don’t have to plant, weed, or fertilize anymore. It can’t even be called a bed because it’s just a collection of plants that are growing as companions to one another. Every one of these perennial plants has a use. Some are for food, some for flavoring, and some for eating either fresh or cooked. In this small space, there is a plant that I can use for the next several months.
A New Kind of Revolution
This week we celebrate the 249th anniversary of “The Shot Heard Around the World.” Did you know that the American Revolution didn’t begin when the first shot was fired at Lexington Green in 1775? They started the revolution shortly after the Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War) because the British wanted them to payContinue reading “A New Kind of Revolution”
What to Do If Your Plants Are Too Big for Their Containers
The tomato plants need to be transplanted into larger containers before being planted in the garden. Use a mix of seedling medium and garden soil, add organic amendments, and plant the tomatoes deep in the soil. Monitor their hydration and consider books on vegetable gardening available on Amazon for further help.
The Perpetual Homesteader 