Otherwise entitled: Why I can’t shop at Aldi…
Yup! You can call me yet another crunchy name…I am Michelle and I am a label reader. I read every label for every product that my husband and children (and me) eat, drink, spray, squeeze – you name it. If it somehow gets absorbed by our bodies – [...]
I’ve always wanted to decorate cakes. I’ve gotten pretty good at the standard piping and the like, but I’ve never worked with fondant or anything like it.
But, when Liam – who turned 11 today – wanted a computer cake, frugal me was reluctant to pay someone to make it. So, I decided to undertake the [...]
A long time ago, when I lived in a small apartment with two small children, I found a book at a used bookstore called, “The Apartment Farmer.” Within days of reading this book, I turned my small suburban apartment into a small suburban farm. For the cost of the seeds and some containers I found [...]
Buy organic? What are you crazy? I”m trying to save money!
I know, it does seem like buying organic costs twice as much as buying “regular” food, but it doesn”t. Not if you know how to shop. I avoided my local co-op for years because I was terrified that my already high food bill would skyrocket [...]
You know those commercials that are now on TV saying “what’s the big deal about high fructose corn syrup?” Well, here’s your answer. While I can’t say that my family is HFCS-free (we do indulge in sodas when we eat out and I bought some chocolate syrup last night for my ice cream), we do [...]
I’ve actually had a number of requests to post my homemade bread recipe online – so here it is. I vary this recipe depending on what I have on hand – or what I feel like making. You can too! This recipe makes two loaves, but I often forget the Kitchenaid mixer and double or [...]
Continue reading about My Homemade Bread Recipe (also Pizza Dough and Garlic Knots)
I get a lot of questions about how to keep a pantry stocked – whether for emergencies, winter or in preparation for bad times.
Stocking a pantry can be simple, but before you decide to do it, you should commit to preparing food from scratch as much as possible. Filling your pantry with “Easy Mac” isn’t [...]
Continue reading about Stocking Up – How to Keep Your Pantry
A long time ago, my dad told me about a farm that used to lease out their maple trees for the maple-syrup making season. We are doing something similar on the farm. For the last few years, we have had a “Rent a Maple Tree” program. I’ve never offered it online before, but have had [...]
Continue reading about A Great Green Gift – Rent a Maple Tree!
Saturday was killing day for three of our sheep. These three were meat sheep that we didn’t particularly enjoy having around. They were unfriendly and a little rough on our pasture fences. We still have two remaining Romney ewes that we intend to keep and possibly breed again.
Mark Durkee is a local legend. He’s been [...]
