Off The Grid Blogs

Saving on heating bills, our kitchen now sits at a not-so-comfortable 58F If I’m not liking it, what about those microbes, the yeast, in my sourdough feeling? When I started this journey, back when my kitchen was warm, I was creating two sourdough

Back in 1997, I wrote a poem.. or spirit wrote a poem through me, through my pen. The poem was about a shift that was happening for me and I was aching to understand what it was, who I was, and who I was to be. I knew the answers were inside me; I

Well, spring is fast approaching and this will be the first year planning for a spring garden in my Hoophouse.  “The learning curve is real” The seed packets say “6-8 weeks before last frost” … but the hoophouse frost is going to have a different ti

[643F3FF2-4667-43C9-BC75-42D4FEB15ED9.png] …in the pronoun “we”, “I” Those words are so powerful and have changed or validated and heightened my commitment to gardening. “We” are the plants and insects and microbiome of the soil and the wind and t

I recently read something or watched a video (sorry; I don’t remember the source) and the person spoke about gardening in terms of “giving and receiving” vs “taking”. The homesteading mindset is definitely connected to the process of giving and rece

It’s February 14th (Happy Valentines Day) I’m in zone 5b (with the last frost date around May 24th) And we are in the middle of a false spring - and it is lovely! But … is it too early to start some seeds? [12C7A41A-E150-4B69-B2D8-163ECB240DFD.png]

I’ve made many, many loaves of sourdough so far this year (using the Elaine Boddy method, from her book “The Sourdough Whisperer”) and today was the first time that I had a fail … or Elaine would say “a learning experience”. [B3E6D246-0353-486E-A9B6

I went deep this morning in my reflecting … In the spring, we can’t wait to get our hands in the soil — and I think that that right there is the biggest “why” behind my desire to garden. “Getting my hands in the soil” Actually, as I think about i

This year, I want to do a better job at documenting what I grow in my garden, and how I grow it, and how well it grows.  My little 3/4 acre home is in Ontario, Canada and I am in Zone 5b. Estimated last spring frost: May 24 Estimated first fall frost

While in my pantry the other day I saw a jar of freeze-dried rhubarb powder and thought “how am I going to use this? What about in bread?” So sourdough bread it is - with rhubarb and parsnip powder in the flour. I made my sourdough bread as usual,

Congrats to Kim for winning the Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round by Marisa McClellan in the January  Giveaway! Everyone who posts a finished DIY project during the month of February will be entered into a draw and one lucky winner

When I was young, we frequently heard the phrase:  “You will eat a peck of dirt in your lifetime. ” That was definitely true, back in the day. Today, in 2023, I wonder how much dirt we do consume and what are the benefits? [2A60AD0B-5774-4CE6-A73