by Corina Sahlin If you are aiming for a more natural, self-sufficient life, want to save money, and be in charge of your own health, it’s time to start making your own laundry detergent. It’s so easy! And fast! Most store-bought laundry detergent is full of weird ingredients, some of them known cancer causing agents,
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by Suzanne Jordan Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) is the “hope and faith that everything will be ok” plant. A tall shrub in the rose family, hawthorn grows in open meadows, on roadsides, along streams and forest edges at low to mid elevations. In my area, the conservation district people planted scores of hawthorn trees in wet
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by Suzanne Jordan While you can find as many ways to make herbal medicine as there are blogs on the internet, the following is a short medicine making tutorial based on my more than 30 years of making herbal remedies. It’s important to know how to make the basics and to have many options to
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by Suzanne Jordan Mite infestations in chickens, turkeys, and game birds can run from a nuisance to a health hazard to death, depending on the severity of the infestation. While mites can accumulate due to poor coop and pen management, even the most fastidious poultry keeper may find mites in the hen house. Mites can
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Ripe strawberries, crunchy dill pickles, tree-ripe peaches – nothing tastes better than home-preserved foods. However, safely preserving food at home requires knowledge, time, and a small investment in equipment. Local residents can learn how to preserve fresh foods safely in a series of four Wednesday evening workshops at WSU Snohomish County Extension’s Evergreen Room in
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by Suzanne Jordan Cleaning your home with DIY natural cleaners is not only environmentally and personally friendly, but these cleaners are cheaper than store bought products to boot! Try these cleaners to save money, do your part for the environment, and feel better both physically and emotionally. Vinegar and essential oils: Vinegar retards mold growth
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by Suzanne Jordan Nettles are up, wild mustard is flourishing, I’m hearing bird song that I haven’t heard in a long time. Oregon grape has flower buds on it already. As I nibble on plant bits, I can taste their strong medicine, which means sap is flowing. What I can tell you is that it’s
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The annual Country Living Expo returns to Stanwood High School on Saturday, Jan. 30, offering more than 170 classes in practical living and skills. Registration includes five sessions, a prime rib or vegetarian lunch, snacks, and a trade show with agricultural and service businesses and organizations. The Country Living Expo and Cattlemen’s Winterschool is presented
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by Suzanne Jordan Greetings! After a hot long summer, the rains, cooler temperatures, and early nights are here, and in my humble opinion, are very much appreciated. I can’t remember the last time I actually looked forward to a wet rainy winter. We’ll see how it goes this year. The plants had a very interesting
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by Laura Damron Fermentation is one of those things that can really draw a person in, once it’s given a try. For me, it started with a couple of pickles here and there, progressed to making my own sauerkraut, and then it seemed perfectly reasonable to make a big batch of hard apple cider. In
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