Miss Hickory
We stumbled across this book at the library on the shelves with the Newberry Award winners. Miss Hickory received this honor in 1947. As we all know, when reading older books, there can be parts that feel harsh or have a humor that does not quite hit the mark today. That being said, my 5 and 8 year old daughters enjoyed this book very much. I also enjoyed it.
Why I Stopped Ordering Drinks At Restaurants
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When I was younger I never went out to eat without ordering a drink. It would not have seemed like a true restaurant experience without ordering a beverage, and by beverage I mean something, anything, besides water. I was also a big soda drinker when I was younger. In fact, I remember distinctly having a conversation with a friend that went like this:
Friend: You should really drink more water.
Me: I drink plenty of water.
Friend: I, literally, have never seen you drink water.
Me: (Indignantly)That’s not true!
Friend: You always drink Coke.
Me: Coke has water in it. It’s like, the first ingredient.
I was totally serious. I thought the amount of water Coke had in it was suitable for my daily H20 requirements. If I wanted to be really “healthy” I might drink some juice. I didn’t really like drinking water, it made  my stomach feel all sloshy. I am totally face palming myself at my younger self right now. I realized the importance of water in my early twenties and I have been much better off because of it. When I got pregnant with my first daughter I pretty much stopped drinking soda because I had read somewhere that caffeine wasn’t great for babies in utero, this continued  after her birth because Continue reading “Why I Stopped Ordering Drinks At Restaurants”
Why I Only Feed My Family Organic Peanuts and Peanut Butter
My family loves most kinds of nuts, including peanuts, and peanut butter is a versatile, low cost and  high protein food. However it is also one of the most pesticide contaminated food that Americans eat. The reason for this is because peanuts are commonly rotated with cotton crops. Cotton crops deplete soils of nutrients and nitrogen rich legumes, like peanuts, help to build up the soil. So what is the problem? Cotton is considered to be one of the dirtiest crops in the world due to the incredibly high amount of pesticide use. Cotton is also not a food crop so the kinds of chemicals sprayed on cotton are not ones that would typically be used in edible agriculture (although those chemicals are also awful). Peanuts are then grown Continue reading “Why I Only Feed My Family Organic Peanuts and Peanut Butter”
What To Do With Extra Radishes? Pickle Them Of Course!
Easy Pickled Radishes
These sweet pickled radishes will disappear quickly, even if you think there are no radish lovers in your house. We use them to garnish hamburgers, sandwiches and salads, and we also eat them straight out of the jar.
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 2 Pints
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh radishes
- 1 cup white distilled or apple cider vinegar We use Braggs apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp picking salt
- 2 tsp mustard seed
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper add more to make them spicy-sweet
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 pint jars you could also use 1 quart jar
Instructions
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Place radishes in a hot 1-pint jar. Bring the rest of the ingredients to a boil in a small stainless steel or enameled saucepan.
2. Ladle hot pickling liquid over radishes. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar. Apply the band, and adjust to fingertip-tight. Let cool on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Chill 6 hours before serving. This is not a recipe that will preserve the radishes indefinitely on the shelf. We do this version because it is simple and quick and the radishes will last in refrigerator up to 4 months, but ours never last that long!
5 Best Garden Crops To Grow With Kids
Children love to garden! Truly, I have never met a child who did not think it was exciting to plant a seed or discover something yummy to eat in their own backyard. Even if you have never thought of yourself as someone who has a green thumb, these five foods will prove easy and rewarding to grow. The delight it brings to your little ones face may make you want to learn about and grow even more things, that is what started me down the homesteading journey! Continue reading “5 Best Garden Crops To Grow With Kids”
10 Awesome Things That Happened When I Stopped Eating Refined Sugar For One Month
