All Natural Skin Care and Remedies

I have been on somewhat of a health kick lately.  It makes for a whole lot of good crunchy herbal information for everybody around me.  So much so that I am calling people up and telling them “Did you know such and such is good for such and such!”  This kind of thing gets me excited.  In my former life, I was a medic in the Army.  I dig medical information even if it is a little…  ahem…  less than mainstream now.  ...And it is less emergent than my previous life.  Going from combat medic to wannabe herbalist is a big transition no matter how you try to swing it.  But the part I love most about it is that I can still manage my family’s health without pumping them full of chemicals to get the job done. 

Homemade Pure Vanilla Extract

Here at the Dirty Goat Farm we are all about homemade.  It’s a borderline disorder.  When I see something, I am not one of those people that say “Oh wow, that’s really cool.  How much does that cost?”  Instead, I say “Oh wow, that’s really cool.  Pf, I could do that.”  Sometimes I irritate myself.  I’ve heard that there is treatment, but so far I am skeptical. 

About a year ago, I said “I could make vanilla extract.”  So, I did.  It’s very easy, although start up can be slightly expensive (think long term), but it is not something that will go bad (that I know of).

Get your Fall Garden Ready NOW: Part 2

Companion planting and soil testing and composting…  oh my!

The next steps for the fall garden all need to take place at the same time along with the final planning.

First thing, graph out your garden.

Get some graph paper and draw the garden out to the dimensions you have decided on.  This is what our garden looks like-

Get your Fall Garden Ready NOW: Part 1

Planting time is around the corner again!  That is all kinds of good news for me!  The process might seem kind of intimidating for someone that really wants to start growing something (anything), but is not entirely sure where to start.  Well, start here with me and I will tell you what to do first. 

The singular most important thing when starting a garden is having a plan.  Get some graph paper, sit down, draw out the size of your garden that you want, and think about it.  What does your family like to eat the most?  One of the biggest problems I face with a garden is that there are a lot of things that I LOVE to plants and watch grow, but that no one in my family will actually eat.  I end up giving away a lot of that to neighbors and friends.  Although that is a fantastic thing to do, it kind of defeats the purpose of a family garden.  So, think practical.  And don’t get carried away.  Another thing I tend to do is think too big.  I LOVE planting.  But will I have the time and energy to maintain everything it is that I have planted? 

Sustainability: Live Simply, Live Responsibly

Sustainability is important.  Until a few years ago, I really had never even considered it.  And then something changed.  I started paying attention.  Now, it drives everything we do.

There is a quote I like that says “We cannot simply think of our survival; each new generation is responsible to ensure the survival of the seventh generation. The prophecy given to us, tells us that what we do today will affect the seventh generation and because of this we must bear in mind our responsibility to them today and always."