You may have come across the term "nativars" before and wondered what they were, exactly. After all, there are so many different botanical terms to familiarize yourself with, and more neologisms pop ...
22 Edible and Medicinal Plants You Can Forage in the Winter
It's late November here in Quebec, and the snow is already a foot deep. The pantry has been well stocked with home-grown and foraged bounty. That said, we like to forage year-round, and the cold ...
How to Care for Your Wooden Furniture To Make It Last
You can keep your wood furniture in good shape for centuries as long as you know how to care for it properly. I have a 400-year-old wooden table sitting in my studio. Yes, I'm serious. It's a ...
What to do When a Natural Disaster Strikes and How to be Prepared
A natural disaster can wreak absolute havoc on one's life. Even those that grant us a bit of warning time require quick action and adaptation. The key to surviving one of these situations is solid ...
Earthworms: Invasive Pests Or Beneficial Friends?
Most of us who live in North America were raised to think of earthworms as beneficial garden allies. We were taught that these wiggly weirdos were invaluable for healthy soil, and as food resources ...
How to Make Your Own Powerful Cleaning Products
Have you ever looked at the ingredients in your household cleaning products? I approach most cleaning products in the same way that I approach the foods I eat. If my great-grandmother wouldn't have ...
9 Excellent Hot Pepper Plants for Short Seasons or Cold Climates
Cultivating food in cold climates can be incredibly frustrating. The growing season is shorter than in other locales, and weather can be unpredictable. This combination is especially frustrating for ...
Understanding Monoculture and Why It’s Bad
You've undoubtedly driven past farmer's fields at some point in your life. All of those seemingly endless, waving fields of golden wheat or tall stalks of corn were absolutely beautiful, weren't ...
The Complete Guide to Canning Tomatoes
If your garden looks anything like mine right now, you probably have more tomatoes than you know what to do with. Vines are groaning beneath the weight of all those luscious fruits, and we don't want ...