Survivalists and preppers alike know how having a properly stocked pantry and surviving perilous times go hand in hand. Regardless of your reason for preparedness, every prepared home has a well-stocked food pantry. For generations, storing food has long been an important factor in preparing families for survival. Throughout history, there can always be found
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Sure, we’ve all tried and loved Grandma’s strawberry rhubarb pie. What we didn’t know as we were spooning that delicious, tarty goodness into our mouths were the favors we were paying to our bodies. This extraordinary plant produces poisonous leaves, toxic to humans and animals alike, yet its stems are full of rich flavor and nutrients. Rhubarb is a plant often underappreciated— a plant whose versatility, flavor, and health benefits constantly remain overlooked. It’s time to pay homage to our dear old friend by exposing some facts about its nature. A Great Garden Tenant For
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Growing rare and endangered plants is a rewarding experience that allows us gardeners to take on our role as stewards of the land. This stewardship can be taken a step even further as some gardeners choose to use their skills to help keep a rare heirloom variety or even an endangered plant species from disappearing forever. Benefits Self-Sufficiency: Rather than depending on garden centers or seed catalogues every year to grow your own food, you can harvest and re-sow native plants and heirloom varieties directly from your garden. These plants differ from hybrids by producing
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When starting a garden, the technical terms can sound a little overwhelming. Even those who have been gardening for years sometimes have to spend time in research. It can be especially confusing for those who are new to gardening, and spending an afternoon at the greenhouse can be a lot less enjoyable and when you’re trying to decipher the meanings on the plant labels. Commonly used terms when it comes to defining plants are “annuals” or “perennials.” This is a good starting place for your understanding of plants and gardening. What Are They? Annual plants
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While some gardeners can go years without ever seeing sight of tiny hummingbirds, most of us can agree that these curious little birds are often buzzing around us while we are working in the garden. Not only are hummingbirds delightfully sweet and small, but there are some really great benefits to having them around. It is a great idea to do your utmost to attract these tiny birds. Hummingbirds, despite their diminutive size, are actually rather territorial and aggressive, which is why you may see the same two or three around your garden consistently. They
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Not long ago, the American milk industry consisted almost entirely of cow dairy milk, with only goat milk being available in some rural areas. As goat, soy, and other milk alternatives begin to grow more popular, however, more diversity in dairy and nondairy foods is starting to appear. Today, there is a dizzying variety of
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Why let your vegetables grow out when you can grow them up? Vertical gardens are becoming increasingly popular as attractive and efficient ways of growing food, especially for urban dwellers where horizontal space is limited. These unique and versatile gardens are also useful additions to just about any garden, even those with plenty of space to spare. With many techniques and plant combinations to choose from, growing vertically shows that gardening is limited only by our imaginations. What are Vertical Gardens? “Vertical gardening” is a loose term referring to any gardening technique that encourages plants
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Corn is one of the best vegetables to grow because of just how easy it is to grow, even when other vegetables are succumbing to the brutal heat of the summer. A lot of gardening experts, however, will tell you that growing corn is just not worth the investment in the real estate that is
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The smell that permeates the air in your home when you add fresh ginger to a meal is simply incredible. Ginger offers unique aromas and flavors that can transform dishes into something quite impressive. There is also numerous health benefits associated with consuming ginger, which makes it an all-around useful root to have in your home and of course to grow in your garden. If you have ever picked up a few roots in the grocery store to cook with, then you know just how outrageously expensive ginger can actually be to purchase. The great
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When I was a kid, my younger sister spent one summer eating nothing but pasta. My parents tried to tempt her with every good food under the sun, but all she wanted was spaghetti. Eventually, we discovered that it was possible to make pasta – good pasta – from scratch. It cost about the same as getting it from the store, but it got us all more invested in the question of “what’s for dinner?” By making your own pasta, you can control the quality of ingredients that go in it. If you grind your
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