Gently Sustainable

Rent BEFORE You Buy Farm Animals

Have you ever considered what it might be like to rent a farm animal? Wait, wha??!! Where and how do you do that??!! Yeah, it’s a thing. First, let me begin with the “why” behind my idea to rent an alpaca, actually a pair of alpaca, for one year. …

How to Start Seeds Indoors the Right Way

It’s not difficult to learn how to start seeds indoors, and it can really give you a big head start on the growing and preserving season! Over the years, depending upon what type of set-up I had, I’ve started seeds different ways. If you have a south-facing window, you will have the easiest time. If…

5 Ways to Avoid Garden Burnout

As the seed catalogs flood our mailboxes, glorious thoughts of beautifully colored fruits and vegetables surround our minds. We picture ourselves strolling through weedless gardens, as the birds sing, plucking the fruit of our labor, with just a glow of perspiration on our face! Psht. The reality of the garden is much different that the…

How to Have a Weed-Free Vegetable Garden

Every year, I read different posts about eliminating weeds from your garden. As an avid and experienced gardener, most of them leave me scratching my head with concern. So, here’s “How to Have a Weed-Free Vegetable Garden”! I say “sensibly” because I think many people go just a bit overboard with weed control. So, allow…

How to Grow Garlic Indoors

Who doesn’t LOVE garlic?? Ever wondered how to grow garlic indoors? The beautiful thing about nature is that much of our food can be easily reproduced to create more food! Such is the case with garlic! First things first, let’s understand that while you can grow garlic indoors, the entire head of garlic will not…

How to Preserve Eggs without Refrigeration – Updated!

It’s Springtime here, and that means our hens are laying eggs….lots and lots of eggs. Let’s learn how to preserve eggs without refrigeration – updated! Back in the day, before refrigeration, there were several different methods to preserve eggs. Some work better than others! I’ve tried the oiling method without any luck (and it was…