Plants need nourishment to perform in the best way. Flowers and vegetables love potato starch and using potato water in the garden is a good way to give it to them. To add starch in a “green way”, save the water you boil your potatoes in. Starchy water will spur the release of plant nutrients …
Household Tips
This homemade fly repellent formula uses the common household cleaner Pine-Sol. It’s a great way to transform a household item for other uses. We all know how bothersome flies can be in any outdoor gathering. Keeping them away often means using harsh chemicals. What if I told you that a common household cleaner, Pine-Sol, could …
Preparing a homemade mosquito repellent with a lovely aroma and natural ingredients is easy with this tutorial. This DIY essential oil mosquito repellent spray is made with a few common household ingredients, and works well to keep the mosquitoes away. Summer is here. The days are longer and it’s so nice to sit outside in …
If ants are invading your home and you don’t want to use retail products, home made Borax Ant Killers may be the answer, but how effective are they? I decided to test five of them to find out! Using more organic ant killer remedies is something that many environmentally conscious homemakers have an interest in. …
Make your own home made Miracle Grow as well as several other plant foods easily with epsom salt, baking soda and household ammonia. It’s time for another fun vegetable garden hack. This DIY Miracle Grow fertilizer is a more organic way to feed your plants. The homemade plant food recipe is easy to make and …
Many beginning vegetable gardeners make the common gardening mistake of starting too large. If you don’t have a big yard with room for a large vegetable garden, try growing a vegetable garden on a deck. Vegetable gardening is one of the great pleasures of the summer months for many gardeners. But for many of us, …
When the new year comes to an end, I like to focus on my goals for the year. I find that I have the most success when I keep health and wellness goals at the forefront of my mind all year round. If you have been reading my blog lately, you will know that …
These tips show how to get rid of ticks in the yard as well as a few natural treatment options. Summer is a time for being in the outdoors. But ticks also love the warm temperatures and can be bothersome in your yard and garden. Ticks are a nuisance and can be dangerous as well …
I love anything that gives me a jump start on spring. Forcing forsythia indoors lets me have the showy yellow flowers of the well-known harbinger of spring – forsythia bushes. They are great to enjoy indoors well before they give you their cheery spring greeting outside. Luckily, it is very easy to force forsythia blooms …
Clean up an ugly stove by using just three common household ingredients. This drip pan cleaning works over night to give you sparkling burner pans easily without a lot of elbow grease. One of my pet peeves is seeing my electric stove drip pans and knowing I have to make a trip to the store …
A Wine and Cheese party is so much fun! Pairing wine and cheese together is one of the great culinary pleasures. And making the pairing a party with loved ones and friends adds up to one special evening. The holidays are here and we are ready for a round of entertaining with our friends. That …
These creative uses for parchment paper may give you some ideas you hadn’t thought of. We all know that parchment paper is great for easy clean up after kitchen but it has so many more uses. I love anything that makes my life easier in the kitchen or around the home. I’m always on the …
Shallots are starting to be seen in grocery stores more and often lately. What are shallots? Like onions and garlic, shallots are a member of the allium family. They are a cold hardy vegetable and, like onions, are easy to grow. Their flavor is richer and sweeter and they are very versatile in recipes. This …
Ever since it was established in 1970, people around the world take part in Earth Day Activities as a way to celebrate National Earth Day on April 22. This day is now a worldwide event where more than 1 billion people take part in a day of action. Here are some things that you can …
A silicone baking mat can take high heat and replace parchment paper for baking & food preparation. I like to use them in lots of unusual ways in my kitchen. You can use them for cookies, of course, but there are lots of other creative Silpat baking mat uses, as well. With a silicone baking …
There are many healthy kitchen swaps that you can use all year round for weight loss success. Implementing these food swaps will make sure that those extra pounds won’t find themselves on your thighs and rear next year. For many of us, the start of the year means making a New Year’s resolution to lose …
Seeing how many ways there are to dress up your home with window box planters was inspiring. They are a fabulous way to create curb appeal and are easy to take care of. I have recently discovered a love for window boxes. During my summer vacation, we toured 10 states and visited many Botanical Gardens. …
Did you know that many common vegetables are very easy to regrow from ordinary kitchen scraps? I love the idea that you can use to regrow your food. What a great way to save money! I love to save money and I don’t like to waste things that can be reused or recycled in …
There are dozens of vinegar uses in the home. From soaking your sponges to keeping your counters free of ants, this product is a must have. Vinegar is a versatile and effective household product that is more useful than just for making salad dressing. There are many vinegar uses around the house and garden. One of the …
Critters in the garden range from beneficial to invasive. Some actually are listed by the US Department of Agriculture as invasive pests that need to be controlled. See my tips for dealing with these unwanted bugs. This post was sponsored on behalf of the United States Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection …
If you are someone who follows a gluten free diet, either to lose weight or for your health, you will know that you sometimes need gluten free replacements and substitutes to cook your favorite recipes. One of the latest trends in the diet industry is a gluten free diet. And for many of those people …
Since I don’t like to use chemicals in the garden, I have been trying to find natural treatments for poison Ivy prevention so that I don’t have to use poisons We have a patch of poison ivy that seems to keep re-appearing in one of my garden beds every so often. You have all heard …
If mealtime is stressful for you, these recipe substitutes and replacements will be a big help in getting your meals on the table in no time at all. Are there times when you are missing just one ingredient and can’t make a recipe? Perhaps you are following a meal plan or trying to lose weight …
Growing great tomatoes doesn’t happen just by putting a few plants into the ground and turning on the hose. But anyone can master growing great tomatoes by following a few simple dos and don’ts. In the world of vegetable gardening, there is nothing quite like the taste of fresh home grown tomatoes. The flavor of …
These Composting Tips will take the mystery out of making compost for you. If you enjoy vegetable gardening or growing flowers, adding organic matter formed by composting will give you great results. Did you know that forgetting to compost is a common vegetable garden mistake? Have you always thought that making compost is difficult? The …
Dieffenbachia poisoning is talked about all the time when the plant is reviewed on line, but how toxic is the plant to your cats, dogs and children, really? Dieffenbachia one of the most common indoor plants, is easy to care and great as an office plant. However the plant can be poisonous so there are some situations …