Recently I made two types of body scrubs for FSC’s Saratoga Food Swap*. If you want to save money by cutting out luxury items without losing the luxury, this is an easy and cheap way to pamper yourself. Spend a tiny bit extra for some fab packaging and you have yourself a really delightful, super…
Tag: DIY
{edible gift} homemade chai concentrate
As an avid chai drinker, I was ecstatic to stumble upon the realization that I could make my own creamy, spicy chai concentrate! This recipe is a cinch to make- just add the ingredients to a jar and stir- and is a perfect from-scratch holiday gift. You can make several batches at once and bottle…
{DIY Backyard Chickens} Go for it!
So in the first two parts of this DIY series, I’ve shared some of the how-to and what not to do’s of keeping backyard chickens. You may be wondering, though, why bother with backyard hens? Or maybe, like the folks at All Over Albany, you’re thinking that backyard chickens seem like a lot of work. To…
{how to} Cold Storage 101
I’ve pretty much wrapped up harvesting crops on Silly Goose Farm. Apples are done, tomatoes are done, and all that’s left to put-up is a couple of cabbages, a few rows of rainbow carrots, and a whole bunch of pears. The pear trees on our farm are over 100 years old and positively drip with fruit….
{reflections} Making Food Matter
I’m going to make a few, quick assumptions about you: 1.) You love food. 2.) You either love preparing it or you enjoy the company of others who will prepare it for you. 3.) You probably spend a decent amount of time thinking about food and/or food politics. Am I right? Chances are you wouldn’t…
{DIY Halloween Candy} Part 2: Lollipops
Last week I showed you how easy it is to make your own Halloween Candy, starting a three part series with the old-school favorite: the peanut butter cup. No longer are you stuck shopping the candy aisles. Now you can have eat peanut butter cups even if you have food allergies, food restrictions, or even…
{DIY Apple Cider} from Tree to Tummy
Our old farm has a fun history. From the reseach I’ve been conducting on the property, here’s what I’ve found: The original farm was started by the Gaige family pre-Revolutionary War (the Gaige family can be traced to our area since the 1730s). The house across the street was built in the early 1800s by…
{DIY Backyard Chickens} the coop
Not long ago, I began a little series on keeping a flock of chickens in your backyard. You can read the first installment here. This week I introduce to you: THE COOP I began dreaming about my chicken coop back in 2005. I was living in New Canaan, CT and working in Tarrytown, NY. One day…
{DIY Backyard Chickens} for the love of one good egg
In the spring of 2009 I decided it was high time I got myself a flock of chickens. For years I had contemplated this endeavor, collected flyers from Agway and Cooperative Extension, and had even gone as far as hoarding old building supplies for a coop, some of which are likely still in my parent’s…
Lard {Yes, that’s what I said: Lard.}
I should admit that, straightaway, this task was a stretch even for me. In a moment of pure curiosity (lunacy?) and inability to turn down a good deal, or a free deal, I graciously accepted a cooler full of pig fat from a local farmer. Josh from West Wind Acres had a few pigs processed,…
{FSC SWAPPERS} Swap Time is Here Again.
Before I announce that the free ticket “sales” are live (Hint Hint: Albany Swappers go here and Saratoga Swappers go here) I need to recap July’s swaps. Yep. I said swapssss because we began the FSC Swappers:ALB food swap on Sunday, July 17th at All Good Bakers on Quail Street in Albany, NY. Let me…
{Simple} Homemade Yogurt Cheese
When we moved to upstate New York around twenty-five years ago, we became friends with Martha and Seth from Slack Hollow Farm in Argyle. The first time we went over to their house for dinner, Martha gave us some soft goat cheese she had made. I was so impressed and enthusiastic about their advanced state…
{recap} FSC SWAPPERS 1st Food Swap
Our first food swap was Wednesday evening and boy, was it a good time. I was slightly nervous as I’d never been to a throw-down swap before, let alone hosted one. At the Hip Girl’s Book Party I made everyone interested in swapping bring three of something. When it was “swap time” the participating swappers…
{FSC Community} DIY Projects 2011
{pine paneling from my childhood room = raised garden beds} We were so blown away by the insightful, inspiring and enthusiastic responses we got from our Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking book giveaway question–What DIY Project are you most excited to tackle this summer?– that we are posting all responses, plus our own d.i.y. dreams….
{WNIMKW} Living in the West
Editor’s Note: What’s New in My Kitchen Wednesdays, is a semi-weekly series where we weave a personal story with a review of a beloved or new item in our kitchen, in our glass or on our plate. Take it away Leslie….-Christina +++++ In December, an issue of Sunset Magazine arrived in my mailbox. Their slogan,…
