Who Wants Seconds? Winner Announced

...gh we eat dairy, we do our best to eat grass fed dairy, and mostly our own eggs, and this limits availability and raises costs as well, so many of our meals are actually vegan. Okay! I know! Enough blathering. This morning we generated a number at random.org and counted down the comments until we got to our winner. And the winner is…. … Siri! Congratulations, Siri! We have Siri’s email address since she didn’t comment anonymously. We’ll be sending...

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How to Remove Bees From a Tree

...per sets up a bee box next to the exit and places a frame of comb that has eggs and brood (bee larvae) in it, taken from another hive. The bees in the tree will exit, not be able to get back into their old home and then, over the course of several weeks, move into the new box with the brood comb in it. If all goes as planned they will make a new queen in the box. The beekeeper will come back in six weeks, take the box away and then seal up the cav...

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Food Preservation Disasters

...in’t 24/7 kittens and rainbows at the Root Simple compound. We do have our homesteading disasters. I was reminded of this after I emptied a box full of failed home preservation projects and contemplated a stinky trash can filled with a slurry of bad pickles and too-loose jams. Of course you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet and, in the interest of learning from mistakes, I thought I’d review two lessons learned. Not Using Tested Recipes I...

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The Best Way to Get Bees For Free

...10% of the swarm boxes he sets up. He also suggests hanging them up around 10 feet high for best results. I like swarm boxes that hold frames so that you can transfer the bees easily to your hive boxes without having to do a cutout. And guess what? A bee swarm box and a birdhouse are pretty much the same thing. So get friendly with birdhouse enthusiasts. Baiting swarm boxes You can buy swarm lure, a kind of synthetic pheromone, but it’s expensive...

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The Wonder of Worms

...y arrive in a previously barren zone is mysterious. They might spring from eggs waiting beneath the soil. They may be delivered via bird droppings. They may be swept in by water during rainstorms. They may be imported in soil or compost. They may just inch their way in. But they’ll come. Worms in captivity Now, being human, we don’t like to wait for nature to take her course. Or even if we can manage that, we want more. More vegetables. Bigger flo...

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