Sustainable Living Article Archive
How to roast coffee beans at home
In this article we’ll teach you how to roast coffee at home. It’s a great way to both save money and produce a coffee to your own liking. With some experimentation you can create your own ‘signature roast’. I consider myself a coffee snob and was paying $12 a pound for one of my favorite blend and roasts.
A Foragers Salad
By Contributing Editor Nancy Hulse This past fall, we started a new bed in a shaded area along our driveway. We planted some red-twigged dogwood, ornamental grasses, several types of groundcover and mulched it heavily with compost. But the reality of any newly planted...
PLAN YOUR GARDEN: DRAW A SHADE MAP
If you're starting to plan a new garden, one of the first things to do is to establish where you'll find the maximum sun throughout the growing season. Especially if you're gardening in a small area, existing trees and structures cast shadows that can have a big...
How to Get Started Urban Chicken Farming
Contributing Editor: Will Johnston Raising chickens in the backyard is an easy, painless way to enjoy fresh eggs and get the benefits of raising chickens. Chickens are entertaining companions, competent weeders if you let them free range in the garden, and leave...
Finding the date of the last frost : An introduction to gardening article
By Contributing Editor Nancy Hulse Each year there’s increasing interest in growing our own food, even if the available space consists of containers on the patio or plants tucked in with the landscaping. In our part of the country, hints of spring begin even in...
Getting started with vermiculture : how to raise worms
Why should you consider composting with Worms? Using worms in your compost will speed up the process to breakdown your compost, create higher quality compostable soil and save you money. By putting worms into your compost the composting organic material is made...
How to Take in a Shirt : An introduction to sewing article
By Contributing Editor Kristina Strain Knowing how to take in a shirt or sweater can be the key to converting a shapeless garment into something flattering. This technique can be applied to almost any type of garment: t-shirts, blouses, sweaters, even some dresses....
Fun Home Made Soda Recipes
Instructions for Home Soda Making What you're going to need 1 gallon bottle with lid 1 packet champagne yeast 2 cups sugar Vanilla, Sarsaparilla or Root Beer extracts Pouring funnel Sterilizing solution Pipette Wash all your equipment with sterilizing solution....
Starting a Container Garden
By Contributing Editor Kristina Strain Who says it takes forty acres and a mule to grow some of your own food? With a balcony, fire escape, or even a sunny windowsill, home gardening is perfectly accessible to the urban dweller. All you need are seeds, some basic...
How to get started with seed saving
By Contributing Editor Kristina Strain When frost has fallen on the garden, and your bean vines are hanging like last year's tattered birthday streamers from their supports, it's time to think about seed saving. Gathering matured garden seed at the end of the growing...
A PLASTIC BAG DRYER MADE FROM CHOPSTICKS!
By Contributing Editor Kristina Strain Washing out and re-using plastic zip bags is a simple and cost-effective way to boost your household sustainability. Rather than purchase a fancy doodad to hold your washed baggies as they dry, make one yourself from things you...
Green Gift Ideas: Pinecone Fire-starters
By Grow and Make Contributing Editor Kristina Strain Grow and Make's Green Holiday Series Make gifts out of junk. It might not sound appealing when worded that way, but taking a thoughtful and creative approach to your gift list is a terrific way to green your...
