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Bent Arrow Challenge 2018: Eat Local

July 30, 2018 by Erika

Y'all know how important local food is to me.  I'm all about gardening, farmers' markets and supporting local agriculture.  So last year when my friend Claire over at Bent Arrow Acres challenged herself to eat only local for the month of August, I was in awe!  And I planned to try to do it for a week this summer.  BUT Claire is doing the whole month again this year and has created a challenge (with prizes) for others to join her.  So we're going to give it a go and join in.

Concerns

My biggest concerns are: Our oldest starts kindergarten this year, and I have no idea how this will affect our schedules and daily life yet.  My husband will continue classes for his masters.  And I have small kids that eat what we eat for meals...no short-order cook here.

As a perfectionist, I have already identified that I could easily let the challenge overwhelm and stress me out.  I DO NOT want that!  To prevent this, I'm already speaking grace over myself.  The challenge does allow for people to pick some "freebie" items and I'm probably being more lenient with our family than I would if it were just my husband and myself or if we had older kids.  And if I fall off the wagon for a meal or a day, I'll just do my best the next.

My Plan

My plan is to visit Lucky's Market and Bloomingfoods a couple of times during the challenge.  While they are a bit further away, they have a great variety of Indiana produced foods and products.  There are also a few things that I'm allowing as "freebie" items that I'll only allow if I get them from either of these stores' bulk sections.  Partly because I'm excited about how this challenge can help us reduce our waste and partly because doing this will keep me from being too quick to grab things off the local grocery's shelves.

Obviously we have the garden and our own eggs, so we will try to eat a lot from there.  We also have locally raised beef, pork and one of Bent Arrow's chickens in our deep freezer that will take care of any meat we eat.  Things from the garden that we will definitely be able to eat are tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, carrots, shallots, garlic, peppers and maybe corn (It isn't looking too hot.).  Hopefully my zucchini, summer squash and watermelon plants will do something this month too!

We also have access to two farmers' markets, one on Tuesdays and one on Saturdays.  We will shop here frequently as well during the challenge.

Baked goods are something that we already make homemade most of the time.  All bread will be homemade and I'm excited to try to make tortillas and hamburger buns this month!

Our Freebie List

Freebies are things that you can't find local or can't easily make yourself.  HOWEVER, this list should not allow you to buy everything you normally do.  It's a CHALLENGE, remember?  That being said, I do have a few items that are freebies for the kids and not for my husband and myself because I'm just not going to make a 7 month old, 3 year old and 5 year old go completely without some of their favorite things like bananas and shredded cheese.

  • All flours (bread, all-purpose, whole wheat, etc.)
  • Sugars
  • Additional baking items (baking soda/powder, salt, etc.)
  • Cocoa powder (bulk only-we make our own chocolate syrup for the kids' milk and my coffee creamer)
  • Spices (although most herbs dried or fresh will come from my garden)
  • Butter
  • Heavy Cream
  • Cultured Buttermilk
  • Milk (do plan to try to get some from Traders Point and Oberweis, but won't be able to get it all from them)
  • Peanut Butter (bulk only-my kids love PBJ sandwiches and my husband takes them to work a lot)
  • Coffee/Tea
  • Dry pasta
  • Cooking Oils (plan to purchase California Olive Oil and Healthy Hoosier Oils when at all possible)
  • Cheeses (This is mostly for the kids.  I plan to try to avoid cheese as much as possible.  And I do plan to try my hand at making mozzarella!)
  • Lemons
  • Condiments (ketchup and mustard mostly.  I plan to try to make my own ranch dressing and always make my own mayo)

As far as restaurants are concerned, I'm saying that all are fair game.  I know this is an area that Claire is really good about choosing only locally owned places, but one request of my kids when we have to go to Bloomington is Chick-Fil-A.  We also occasionally grab a pizza when I'm single parenting for the night while my husband is in class.  So the plan is to TRY to avoid chains, but I'm not going to beat myself up if its been a crazy and I breakdown and get a carry out pizza from Pizza Hut.

I'm also giving myself a pass on anything already in the house...and no, I'm not going out to stock up on items before the challenge so that I can use this as an excuse.  However, I haven't planned a cleaning out of the pantry this week because of other stuff going on, so if it's already here, its fair game until it runs out.

And my new kindergartener will eat in the cafeteria at school on some days.

How You Can Join

If you think this is something you want to try, even for just one day or one meal, you CAN make a difference!  Visit Bent Arrow Acres's website for more information and to get on their mailing list for tips and rules for the prizes!  I hope to be able to share weekly posts about what we ate, but at the very least, you can follow along on social media.  Use the hashtag #bentarrowschallenge2018 to see what I'm cooking as well as what everyone else is trying!

 

Erika
Influence Network
Food Lovers Devotional

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Filed Under: Gardening, Ponderings & Inspiration Tagged With: #bentarrowchallenge2018, eat local, farm to table, gardening, inspiration, local food, motivation, support local, zero waste

Farmer’s Dandelion Salve

May 1, 2018 by Erika

As I've read more and more about homesteading and reducing waste, foraging has become a topic of interest, mostly because you're getting something for nothing.  Great for the budget!  The plant that has caught my attention most this year is the dandelion.  And while I still don't know if I love them all over my yard, I do know we don't want to spray them because of the honeybees.  So why not make lemonade out of lemons...or salve out of dandelions?

The other day, after spending the afternoon working on my raised beds, my hands were rough.  That's what happens after they spend all winter inside.  And I had to keep reapplying lotion to make them feel moist again.  I had heard of salves for farmers, and I knew that people were in love with dandelions for stuff like this, and so the Farmer's Dandelion Salve was concocted!

Dandelions are used in salves like this because of their analgesic properties.  They can help reduce inflammation and ease muscle fatigue.  Who knew that a "weed" that we work so hard to get rid of, can actually ease the pain of all that work?!

I added a few additional ingredients to this salve for varying reasons.

  • Unrefined coconut oil: Coconut oil is a great moisturizer for skin because it penetrates deep.  This will help with the excessive dryness that can occur after a day of working in the dirt.
  • Beeswax pellets: Beeswax creates a barrier on skin to help lock in the moisture.  Plus, it helps the salve harden!
  • Raw Shea Butter: Raw shea butter is extremely moisturizing and can provide immediate relief to dry hands.  It also does not liquefy at room temperature helping to harden the salve a bit.
  • Lavender essential oil: Lavender oil contains antimicrobial properties which can help to speed up the healing of cuts and burns.
  • Helichrysum essential oil: Helichrysum has been shown to contain anti-inflammation properties and is also used in many anti-aging products to help with the appearance and heath of skin.  It is easy for a farmer's or gardener's hands to look "old" because of the hard work those hands endure.
  • Roman Chamomile essential oil: Chamomile also had anti-inflammatory properties to help your tired hands or neck muscles.  The anti-inflammatory properties, along with the anti-bacterial properties, found in chamomile also make it a great oil for skin health.

The first thing you want is to go in the morning or early afternoon on a sunny day to pick the dandelions.  You want the dew to be dried up, and the flowers to be fresh and open.  This is a great job for little hands to help with!

Once you have a good amount of flower heads, pluck out the petals and lay them out on a towel or drying basket.  Allow them to dry overnight or close to 24 hours.  Dandelions have a lot of moisture, and many people cautioned that adding the flowers without drying them first will cause your lotions, oils and salves to mold or mildew.

You want to make sure to melt your coconut oil.  This does two things: First, it allows you to pour it and mix the flowers in.  Second, the heat helps to allow the oils from the dandelions to infuse into the coconut oil.  Keeping the oil in the sun allows the oil to stay warm and liquid, helping the infusion process.  Your oil should be a golden yellow when you are done.

I used beeswax pellets because of how easily they melt and how simple they are to work with and measure.  However, if I had access to our own beeswax, I would definitely use that instead.

Glass jars are perfect for storing this salve.  Plastic has been reported to leach chemicals into products.  Plus, essential oils will penetrate the plastic so that it will forever smell like whatever oils you have used.  Filling  small glass Ball Canning Jars, like I did, would make a great gift for the farmer, gardener or homesteader in your life!

I personally use doTERRA essential oils and love visiting Dr. Axe's website for essential oil information, but I am NOT a medical professional and you should always do your own research before starting to use essential oils.

Disclaimers: Erika Bault is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

I am a doTERRA wellness advocate and do make a commission if you purchase any of the oils via the website link provided.

Farmer's Dandelion Salve
2018-05-01 15:18:07
A great salve to help hands heal after a day working on the farm
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Ingredients
  1. 1 cup dried dandelion petals
  2. 1 cup refined coconut oil*
  3. 1/4 cup beeswax pellets
  4. 1 TBSP unrefined shea butter
  5. 7 drops helichrysum oil
  6. 7 drops roman chamomile oil
  7. 10 drops lavender oil
Instructions
  1. Collect several dandelion flowers. Pluck the petals from the flowers. It's ok if some of the green gets mixed in. Let the petals dry overnight.
  2. Heat the coconut oil until it is melted.
  3. Place the dandelion petals in a glass jar and pour the warm coconut oil over the petals. Place a lid on the jar and place it in a sunny spot for several hours while the dandelions infuse the oil.**
  4. Pour the oil through a fine mesh strainer and squeeze the oil out of the flower petals into a small saucepan.
  5. Add the beeswax pellets and shea butter to the dandelion infusion. Heat until all are melted.
  6. Remove from heat and add the other essential oils. Stir.
  7. Pour the salve into your jars and let them cool, making sure not to bump them and disturb the salve or it won't harden as pretty.
  8. Store in a cool place and use as needed after a hard day working with your hands.
Notes
  1. *Do not use fractionated coconut oil since it remains liquid. You want your salve to harden back up.
  2. **I let mine infuse for 6.5 hours, but you can do it even longer. I was just too excited to wait anymore.
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Erika
Influence Network
Food Lovers Devotional

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How To Build a Raised Bed Garden

April 20, 2018 by Erika

Last year we (meaning I) decided that we (again, I) needed a raised bed garden for some of my perennials like herbs and strawberries along with space for my root vegetables and lettuces.  So I did what I always do and I went to Pinterest for some inspiration.  And then I did what I always do again, and I combined a few different ideas to work for my needs.

We built four of these beds for under $200 total!  I love being able to step off of our back deck and snip some herbs for dinner or pull up a carrot or two.  Just last night I was able to cut some chives for baked potatoes, and I can't wait until we can go gather strawberries for breakfast!

Now, I want to again say that we built these last year, so the prices are from 2017, but I don't see how they could have increased too much.

Supplies

We started by purchasing six 1"x6"x8' cedar fencing boards at Menards for each bed we wanted to make.  This will give you a 4 ft by 8 ft raised bed.  Then we bought 2x4's to use in the corners to screw it all together.  I wanted to be able to add row cover or plastic to create a greenhouse. To do this, we bought 3/4" PVC pipe and the fittings to attach them to the boards and 1/2" PVC pipe to use as the hoops.

Since these beds are frames without a bottom, you will also need to start saving all of those shipping boxes from Amazon and decide where you will get your soil from.  I'll describe what we did for this a little later.

Build the Frames

Start by cutting your 2x4's.  If you want yours flush with the top, then they would be about 12 inches.  You need four 12 inch boards per bed you're making.

The next thing my husband did was to cut off the "dog ear" on our boards.  You can totally leave them if it won't bother you, but I just wanted a really clean square look.  This does technically make my beds slightly less than 4ftx8ft, but what are a few inches?

Now cut two of the cedar planks in half.  These will become the four boards you need for the short ends of the bed.

Once you've made all of your cuts, you can screw it all together.  Place two of the long boards flush together and screw the 2x4 pieces to the top and bottom, but make sure you leave space for the side boards, about an inch. Repeat with the other two long boards.  Now screw the side boards to the 2x4.  And you should have at rectangular frame.

Adding Hoops

If you want to have the ability for the row cover or plastic,  now is the time to add your 3/4" pipe.  Using a pipe cutter, you will cut 12" sections.  For each bed, you'll want eight 12" pieces- four per side.  Screw the pipes in place equally down the long sides of your bed.

Prepping the Bed for Soil

Find a level area to place your bed frames and arrange them however you like.  I moved and moved mine until they were equidistant  and seemed straight with the house!  It is worth taking your time because hopefully they won't be going anywhere anytime soon!

Take all of those boxes you've been saving and remove any tape or labels the best you can.  You want to line the bottom of each bed with this cardboard to kill the grass underneath.  The cardboard will eventually compost into the soil, but tape and labels may not depending on what they're made of.

Another thing to do before adding soil is to use tape to cover the holes of your PVC pipe.  You don't want them filling up with soil so that you can't easily slip your hoop pipes down in them!

Adding Soil

Once you have lined the bottom with cardboard, you will want to add soil.  Now many of you know that our mini farm is actually attached to my family's larger farm.  We simply bought 10 acres of the family farm and then the 20 acre plot next to it and rounded things out.

Our family no longer raises cattle, but they do lease the land to a cattle farmer and he feeds hay in various sections of the pasture.  These areas are frequented by the cows, so there is quite a bit of manure that gets mixed into the dirt near these areas.  We lovingly refer to this as "poop dirt."  Fancy, I know. LOL!  Anyway, my dad filled up the front loader on the tractor a few times and we filled our beds with the "poop dirt" and some left over dirt that was piled up from when we built our chicken coop.

And to just make things even better for our plants, I went to the local gas station and picked up some nightcrawlers.  For those of you that aren't from the country, nightcrawlers are REALLY big worms that are used for fishing.  I bought one container for each bed and added the worms to the beds so they could help mix and aerate the soil.

Plant

You're now ready to plant!

I loved the idea of these beds for my perennial plants like strawberries, horseradish, lavender, thyme, chives, etc. because this gave them an area that would be safe from my husband "accidentally" mowing them down.  And it also contains them from spreading too much.

These beds are also FANTASTIC for root veggies.  We have a lot of clay in our soil in the main garden, and even though we are working on adding organic matter to the area to loosen it up, we always ended up with short carrots and and shallots never grew.  The looseness of the soil in these beds allowed for long carrots and my shallots did wonderfully!

Add straw, mulch and fertilizer as needed to keep weeds at bay and harvests plentiful.

Greenhouse or Row Cover

After you've planted, you can add the hoops and row cover or plastic.  I placed the 1/2" PVC pipes down into the 3/4" pieces on the sides.  My 1/2" PVC was 8ft long.  Honestly, this is probably too long.  I'm thinking of cutting some of the length off so that the plastic and row cover is closer to the dirt.

I used metal clips to keep my plastic attached to the hoops.  I think they were 99 cents each at our local hardware store.  Just make sure to allow for some air movement or you'll cook your seeds instead of getting them to grow!

Well, that's it!  If you have any questions, please comment below and ask!  I hope you enjoy your raised beds as much I have enjoy having mine!

Erika
Influence Network
Food Lovers Devotional

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Filed Under: Gardening Tagged With: farm to fork, farm to table, fresh food, garden, gardening, herb garden, Raised Bed, raised bed garden, simple living, small space gardening

Gift Guide for the Fancy Farm Girl

December 4, 2016 by Erika

 

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Photo credit Ball-Spencer Photography

Merry Christmas!  I'm thrilled to be joining a few other ladies to bring you gift guides for every woman on your list.

As many of you know, I am a farm girl, but ironically, I don't particularly care for dirt and I love all things that make my farm chores cuter.  That is what inspired my gift guide this year.  I want to bring you items to help make the farmhouse and farm life a little cuter.

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1. Freckled Hen Farmhouse Market Basket

This market basket has been on my wishlist for a little while now because while we try to grow a lot of our own food in our garden, we simply don't have the room (or time) to grow everything.  This means that we still make it a priority to visit our local farmers market in the summer.  This basket is perfect for all of the goodies we pick up on our trips.  And its beautiful enough to make a decor statement hanging up on our coat hook when it isn't being used.

Freckled Hen Farmhouse is giving Full & Simple readers a 15% discount to their shop.  Just use the code FANCYFARMGIRL at checkout.

Full & Simple Chicken Coop Reveal (7)

2. Bainbridge Mercantile Signs

I have two signs from Bainbridge Mercantile already and want a few more.  They have to cutest signs for any farm or garden.  We have a sign on our chicken coop and a sign for our bees on the gate right outside of where we keep our hive.  My plan this spring is to make a few raised beds and add a few of the garden signs to them.

Bainbridge Mercantile is giving 20% off and free shipping on orders over $25 (U.S. orders only) with the code FULLANDSIMPLE20!

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3. Hunter Boots

All farm girls need rubber boots, BUT all fancy farm girls need some Hunter boots!  I love the fit and style of my Hunter boots.  I have a tan pair and a black pair.  We even buy a new red pair for my oldest each spring and then pass them down our younger child.  They are perfect for all of the garden and farm chores.

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4. White Barn Mercantile Utility Apron

I have this canvas utility apron and I absolutely love it!  It makes planting the garden so much easier because the pockets hold all of my seed packets, markers, string, trowel, etc.  You will never go back to gardening without this apron once you get one!


5. Freckled Hen Farmhouse brushes

I'm back to Freckled Hen Farmhouse because really, everything in their store is so cute!  But I wanted to highlight two of their brushes that I love.  I have one of their wooden dish brushes that I only use for cleaning my eggs.  I like to have something designated for cleaning the eggs so that I don't end up with any cross contamination so to speak.  I also have and love their wooden vegetable brush.  It is perfect for scrubbing potatoes or other root veggies like carrots.

And don't forget that you can get 15% off with code FANCYFARMGIRL!

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6. Lindsay Letters Farm to Table Canvas

I am IN LOVE with this canvas!!!  I have been pining over it for almost a year now.  I just can't seem to pull the trigger on buying it until we have a farmhouse table built.  You can also purchase this design as a print if you prefer that over a large canvas.

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7. Painted Fox Home Tilly Triplet baskets

Every crazy chicken lady needs a cute basket for gathering eggs.  But these baskets would even be good for gathering veggies in the garden.  Cute accessories like this make going out for eggs in a little more fun.

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8. Boxwood Avenue Egg Stamp

Another cute addition to any egg gather's day would be an egg stamp from Boxwood Avenue.  I am still getting the hang of using mine, but I love giving eggs to friends and family with all of the eggs stamped.  The stamp just adds a bit of whimsy.  I can't wait to see the reaction at the farmers market next summer!

Boxwood Avenue is giving all Full & Simple readers 10% off  their order with the code FULLANDSIMPLE.

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9. Substation Paperie Canning Label Stamp

I always make cute labels for my canned items from the garden.  Again, it just makes doing the chore a bit more fun when you see all of your jars prettily labeled.  I found Substation Paperie after canning season this year, but you can be sure that I will be getting a stamp before next year's harvest!  I love their honey stamps too!

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10. A Touch of Farmhouse Charm by Liz Fourez Book

If you don't know Liz Fourez's blog, Love Grows Wild, you are missing out!  She has the most beautiful farmhouse and now she is sharing her decor advice in her new book!  And do I have a treat for you!  I am giving a way a signed copy of her book to one of you!  Just follow the directions below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't have a farm girl in your life?  Don't worry!  You can check out these great gift guides too.  There's bound to be the perfect gift for all the ladies in your life!

Anna Scott from Anna Scott Blog is sharing ideas on giving gifts to the girl you really want to bless.  She has items that will inspire intimacy with Jesus as well as some fun finds from stores any gal is bound to love!

Have a foodie in your life?  Claire Trost from The Blog Bloom has everything you need to buy for the real food home cook.

Need something for the fashionista you love (or maybe just a cute party look for yourself)?  Stephie Meyer over at The Color Floral has you covered with her holiday style guide!

I hope that we've helped take some of the stress out of your holiday shopping this season!  Do you have other ideas for the fancy farm girl in your life?  I'd love to know in the comments!

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Disclaimer: Erika Bault is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  Erika Bault is also a member of Painted Fox Home Affiliates.

 

Erika
Influence Network
Food Lovers Devotional

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Filed Under: Chickens, Gardening, Other Reviews Tagged With: Bainbridge Farm Goods, Bainbridge Mercantile, Boxwood Avenue, Chickens, Christmas, coupon code, farm, farm to table, farmhouse, farmhouse decor, Freckled Hen Farmhouse, gift guide, home decor, Hunter boots, Lindsay Letters, Painted Fox Home, Substation Paperie

Drying & Storing Herbs

September 6, 2016 by Erika

Learn how to dry your own herbs and how to store them so they stay fresh.

Summer is winding down.  Most of our garden is done, the tomatoes are hanging on though and I still have a TON of basil growing.  I've been interested in trying to dry some of our herbs in addition to freezing them and using them in my other canning endeavors.  When I was contacted by Infinity Jars, I decided that this would be the perfect time to give it a go.

Cut above where the leaves Y on the basil to encourage continued growth

Cut above where the leaves Y on the basil to encourage continued growth

The first thing that you need to do is harvest your herbs.  Do this in the morning so that the essential oils created overnight aren't burned off by the sun.  If, like me, you are still wanting to use some fresh herbs you need to take care to harvest them properly in order to not cause damage to the plant.  With basil, this means cutting above the "Y" so that new shoots can grow.  I'm trying to train my rosemary into a topiary of sorts so I cut off shoots near the bottom, and my thyme is just spilling over it's pot so I gave it a good trim.

Full & Simple Drying and Storing Herbs (2)

Full & Simple Drying and Storing Herbs

Next, you will want to tie your herbs into small bunches.  Don't make the bunches too large.  This prevents air flow and will make the drying time take longer.  After you have the bunches tied, find a place to hang the herbs where they will receive plenty of air flow.  You don't want them in a cool or damp space.  I strung mine up above our basement stairs like a clothesline.

Full & Simple Drying and Storing Herbs

Then you just wait.  You want the herbs to be crispy to be certain that they don't mold after storing them.  I let mine hang just over two weeks.

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I recently read on Mother Earth News that whole leaves maintain the essential oils better than their crumbled counterparts, and since the 250mL screw-top Infinity Jar was so big, I chose to leave my basil leaves whole.  I took care to remove them from the stem first, and then gently packed them into the jar.

Full & Simple Drying and Storing Herbs (4)

For the thyme and rosemary, I slid my fingers down the stem in the opposite direction of the leaf growth to remove the leaves from the stems.  Then I stored them in the two different 100mL screw-top bottles from Infinity Jars.  I still have plenty of room to add more before the herbs go dormant or die off.

Full & Simple Drying and Storing Herbs (5)

Infinity Jars are airtight and the deep violet glass blocks out harmful rays of light while permitting two beneficial rays to still filter through.  These jars even kept a tomato from getting moldy or drying out!  These qualities make Infinity Jars perfect for dried herbs and your essential oils too!

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Disclaimer: I received free jars from Infinity Jars as a sample to try.  All opinions and content in this post are my own. Erika Bault is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Erika
Influence Network
Food Lovers Devotional

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Filed Under: Gardening Tagged With: basil, drying herbs, gardening, herb garden, herbs, Infinity Jars, preserving, rosemary, storing herbs, thyme

Hand-Picked Peach: Magnolia Market Square Wire Basket

July 15, 2016 by Erika

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A few weeks ago I shared an adorable pail from Anthropologie to help you pick those fresh veggies out of your garden, and I mentioned needing a basket for my eggs.  Well, I found it!  I just purchased this Square Wire Basket from Magnolia Market and I can't wait for it to arrive...and for us to have eggs for me to gather in it!

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This past week the hubs was on travel for work, so I was in charge of taking care of everything here by myself.  Can I just tell you that I don't handle stress very well?  Cue Fixer Upper on Netflix!  Sometimes I don't even have the show on to see the reveals.  Chip and Joanna just make my heart happy.  Having that happiness playing in the background of cleaning and taking care of the kiddos was very welcomed this week!

But even though I needed Jojo this week for sanity more than design, can we all just agree that she has impeccable taste?!  I mean, really.  One of the things that I love about her home and the spaces she designs is the simplicity and calm.  I need calm in my life!

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While watching an episode of Fixer Upper, I decided to head over to Magnolia Market online and I found this cute little basket...ON SALE!!!  It was originally $18, but now it is on sale for $12, so I snatched it up.

I plan on this basket becoming my egg basket primarily, but I think it will be good for smaller trips to the garden for dinner supplies as well.

Are you a Fixer Upper fan?  I'd love to here what you love about Jojo's style, or tell me what you use to gather your eggs.  Connecting with readers is one of my favorite things about blogging.  Comment below or send me an email using the contact page.

 

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Erika
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Food Lovers Devotional

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Filed Under: Chickens, Gardening, Hand-Picked Peach Tagged With: antique, Chickens, eggs, farmhouse, farmhouse decor, gather, Hand-picked Peach, Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Market, vegetable, Wire Basket

Hand-Picked Peach: Anthropologie Pail

July 1, 2016 by Erika

Hand-Picked Peach Post Header Web

I've been seeing people on Instagram and Facebook sharing photos of their garden's bounty....beautiful pictures of fresh produce grown by proud gardeners.  But you haven't seen any from our garden...because so far there is no bounty.  We got most things out about a month later than I had wanted to and some things even later than that (I just transplanted my pumpkin and squash starts.).  Plus we've been infested with rabbits (as you can see below, I haven't been upset about that at all...) and just the other night I saw a raccoon in the compost pile. Ugh!

Full & Simple Rabbits

 

Even though I don't have any vegetables to pick just yet, I found this cute little Dairy Pail Colander on Anthropologie's website, and I think it would be perfect for picking veggies or berries!  With the slots on the bottom, you could wash those veggies outside over other plants with the hose to save water and keep your kitchen clean.  Plus, I love anything that makes chores cuter.  I mean, who wants to do chores with ugly equipment, really?

Anthropologie Dairy Pail Colander

Now, I need to find a really cute egg gathering basket!  I'd love to get something vintage.  My grandma gave me a basket to hold the eggs in the fridge that is vintage.  Let me know in the comments below what you use to pick your veggies or gather eggs.  I'd love to get some more ideas!

I hope you have a wonderful Fourth of July weekend!  Stay safe!

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Erika
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Filed Under: Gardening, Hand-Picked Peach Tagged With: Anthropologie, dairy pail, gardening, Hand-picked Peach, picking vegetables, vegetable garden

Hand-Picked Peach: Week 39

May 6, 2016 by Erika

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Since this weekend marks the last frost date for my area, I am so excited to get the garden fully planted!  As I've been planting my starter seeds and spinach and carrots in the garden, I have been using this garden apron that I bought from White Barn Mercantile on Etsy and you guys, I'm in LOVE!

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I saw this apron during the Cyber Monday madness last winter and bought it in anticipation of spring weather.  It is made from a durable canvas fabric in several different colors.  I got mine in Kelly.  The canvas helps keep my clothes from getting too dirty or even ripped while working out with the chickens and garden, but what I really love is the pockets.  It has two deep pockets that I can keep garden markers, scissors, seed packets, gloves and even a trowel in.  Gardening in this apron is so much easier with those pockets!  

Full & Simple- Planning the Fall Garden in April (8)

And I'm so excited to let you know that Ashley at White Barn Mercantile is offering 10% off to Full & Simple readers!  Just use the code FULLANDSIMPLE at checkout.  

If you work outside at all, then you will love having this apron!

‪White Barn Mercantile Garden Apron

 

Erika
Influence Network
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Filed Under: Gardening, Hand-Picked Peach, Other Reviews Tagged With: coupon code, Etsy, garden apron, garden tools, gardening, green apron, Hand-picked Peach, utility apron, White Barn Mercantile

Why You Need to Start Planning Your Fall Garden in April

April 25, 2016 by Erika

Full & Simple- Why You Need to Plan Your Fall Garden in April

Last fall was the first time my husband and I had tried to grow a fall garden.  Some things did extremely well, like the arugula and kale, and some things didn't come up at all, like my carrots, shallots and leeks.  When things didn't work out, I did additional research.

Vegetables like leeks, shallots, and Brussels Sprouts are considered fall harvest veggies, but here's the thing; they need to be planted now!  I didn't start my seeds for these until July last year (about the same time I started my seeds for kale and cauliflower).  My leeks didn't even sprout last year, and I blame that on the fact that it was too hot on my deck.  I have started all of my seeds indoors this year and so far so good.

Full & Simple- Planning the Fall Garden in April (8) 

Brussels sprouts mature 80-115 days after TRANSPLANT, not from planting the seeds.  I planted the Brussels sprouts last week indoors.  Seeds take 5-10 days to germinate, and then you don't transplant for another 6-8 weeks.  This should give me a harvest sometime in September for this batch.  I'm going to try to plant some more seeds in a week so that I have a staggered harvest.  Plus, Brussels sprouts are said to be sweeter if they are out in a frost, so the second planting should go through one frost at least.

Full & Simple- Planning the Fall Garden in April (9)

Leeks take even longer after transplant to mature, at 110-135 days.  I planted my leeks a few weeks ago and then again last week, for another staggered harvest.  They should be started indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost date, which in my area of Indiana is May 5.  You can find out what yours is by visiting your state's extension service website.  I find a lot of helpful garden information and planting guides at Purdue's Extension website.

Shallots also need a very long growing season.  Seedlings mature about 100 days after transplant, which should be done 1-2 weeks after the last frost date.  I may still have started mine too late by starting them this month, but we will see.  Shallots also need a lot of fertilizer and mulch to keep the ground moist.  

Full & Simple- Planning the Fall Garden in April (4)

Besides the fact that there are some fall harvest vegetables that need planted now, you want to start thinking about your fall garden as you plan the layout of your summer garden.  Last year, we had many plants like our tomatoes and spaghetti squash still in the garden when the time came to plant the fall vegetables.  This caused us to have to fill in with our fall veggies in odd places.  If you know that you will have certain things in the garden for a long time, you can create a more intuitive layout for summer.  Planting as early as possible will also help to get the summer harvest completed sooner, freeing up space for fall spinach, kale, Swiss chard, etc.  Planting the fall seeds too late may increase the likelihood that you'll have duds....like my fall planting of carrots.

If you've ever been on the fence about trying out a fall garden, I HIGHLY recommend you try it!  Last fall we supplied salads with greens from our garden at Thanksgiving and I was still picking spinach and kale in December!  There is nothing like fresh vegetables straight out of garden, and having a fall garden extends your ability to enjoy them.

Full & Simple- Why You Need to Plan Your Fall Garden in April

Erika
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Filed Under: Gardening, Uncategorized Tagged With: Brussels sprouts, fall gardening, garden planning, gardening, leeks, shallots

The Bee-Friendly Garden

April 9, 2016 by Erika

 

Full & Simple Book Review The Bee-Friendly Garden

Since we started keeping bees last spring, I have been wanting to add more flowers and plants for the honey bees to eat on, so I was very excited when I found The Bee-Friendly Garden.

The one thing that surprised me, was that it was not focused on honey bees.  I assumed (You know what happens when we assume....) that it would be because we raise honey bees and that is my focus and because honey bees are a big focus in today's world with colony collapse disorder being widely talked about.  However, this book reminded me that there are over 20,000 different species of bees in the world and we really need them all.  And here's why, honey bees do not and cannot pollinate everything that needs pollinating.  They are not big enough to vibrate the pollen loose on tomato plants.  I don't know about you, but I love tomatoes, so I'm thankful that the big bumblebee is around to take care of pollinating tomatoes for me.  This books gives suggestions on how to plant for native bees as well as honey bees.

The Bee-Friendly Garden large

This book is also incredibly in-depth.  The authors cover everything from different bee species to why some flowers appeal to some bees more than others based on the flower's structure and the bee's features.  Like, did you know that bees prefer flowers that are blue, pink, white or yellow because they see in the ultraviolet end of the color spectrum?  They break down the types of flowers that bees are attracted to into annuals, perennials, trees, vegetables and shrubs.

The Bee-Friendly Garden Inside page

As you can see, I have several pages marked with useful information so that when I head to our local nursery I will know what I'm looking for!

The other bit of information that I found extremely helpful was in the back of the book where the authors break down what native plants are good for different regions of the United States.  The reason, I learned, that you want to try to plant mostly native plants in your bee garden is to reduce the need for chemicals in your garden which we all know is harmful to the bee population.  Because native plants have grown to withstand the climate, soil and pests, there should be less need to use pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilizers.

Anyone, and really it should be everyone, that is interested in how they can help our bee population should pick up this book and plant bee-friendly flowers.  The authors show large gardens as well as small urban ones, so a small area is not an excuse for not doing your part!

The Bee-Friendly Garden small

You can find out more about the authors here.

You can find out more about the book here.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.  The above post does contain some referral and affiliate links which means if you use the link and decide to purchase an item, I receive a little money from the company, at no extra cost to you, to help keep the blog going.  Thank you for supporting the blog!

 

 

 

Erika
Influence Network
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Filed Under: Beekeeping, Book Reviews, Gardening, Uncategorized Tagged With: bee-friendly garden, beekeeping, bees, book, book review, flower garden, gardening

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