Wouldn’t it be nice to have a pantry and freezer stocked with plenty of fresh, homegrown foods as a buffer against food shortages and high prices this winter? If you’re new to canning and preserving food – like some of us – here’s an easy primer about how to preserve the veggies and fruit you’re growing or getting from the weekly Farmer’s Market.
We can’t get our fill of sunshine and fresh air, walks in the park and swims in the pool! And when it comes to firing up the oven to make any of our favorite dinners or desserts, we are turning to our trusty countertop appliances to keep things cool inside. Here are a few slow cooker recipes that are easy to make and a treat to eat.
And you thought planting season was over! For the new or nearly new gardener, these easy-to-grow “cool season” crops are the kind to plant in mid-summer for a successful harvest this fall. Unlike the veggies that are sensitive to frost (“warm season” crops), most fall vegetables will continue to produce until the first freeze. But, you have to plant now to reap the bounty!
You won’t find many boxed-cake mixes in online recipes and “best-of”collections. But we found taste-test winners – white, chocolate, lemon and red velvet cake mixes, mind you – that with a little effort in the icing department, are sure-fire hits. And, when you top them with the winners in the ice cream taste tests, you can’t miss with these any-season combinations.
Does spending more time at home over the last few months make you more aware of the songbirds in our neighborhood? The chirping and warbling of birds, like the black-capped chickadee, or the Western meadowlark – is music to our ears. What a great attitude toward life — to wake up singing! If you’d like to attract an avian chorus to your backyard – make a bird feeder! That’s one way to guarantee the melodies of nature will waft through your windows at sunrise!
Being outside has been our choice du jour with pets and family of late and we thought it was high time to make a list of outdoor games we can play to maximize our enjoyment. Try out some of these games and activities with that select group of people in your health bubble and maximize your outdoor fun!
Summer makes flowers bloom, plants grow and insects multiply! And when it comes to applying pesticides, insecticides and repellents, safety is the first and most important consideration. Here are safe, organic and homemade potions to kill those annoying critters, without worrying about harsh and dangerous compounds that could hurt you and your family.
You probably know ginger helps sooth an upset stomach, but did you know it’s also an anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants? Like turmeric and cardamom, it can help calm an overactive immune system, as well as relieve muscle pain, help regulate blood sugar and reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer and heart disease. So why not add this miraculous and spicy root to a few summer recipes to get all those health benefits? Here are a few super food recipes for warm weather that check all the boxes!
Who doesn’t love a good household hack? When we hear a new one, we add it to our collection — whether it’s a new use for rubber bands, coffee filters, dryer sheets, or pool noodles (now on sale at Walmart —five for $15!). So, share our delight in these helpful, practical, inventive hacks that can simplify your life and help you troubleshoot ways to provide protection, convenience and comfort for you and your family!
During a walk through the neighborhood recently we came across a wheelbarrow container painted bright yellow with an explosion of petunias and peonies and immediately fell in love. Since the Habitat for Humanity opened its St. Vrain ReStore in Longmont, (20 minutes from Colliers Hill) there are all sorts of things to snap up – including unusual containers for your flowers, like cast-off wheelbarrows!
Three miles west of I-25 at exit 232 (Erie Parkway). Just 20 minutes from downtown Boulder and 25 minutes from downtown Denver.
