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mescluncover

Published April 24, 2016 at 488 × 666 in Urban Farming: Mesclun Greens

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Wild swarm capture! Two winters ago, I lost my first and only hive. And since then, I was determined to catch my own swarm in the spring when honeybee hives naturally divide. My bait boxes last spring were a complete failure and this year I meant to try again, but with all the coronavirus garden/orchard prep work I’ve been doing, didn’t have time. Then I found a swarm on the side of the street... on a branch.... at eye level.... practically waiting for me. No idea what I was doing, but I watched youtube videos and called some local bee people. Next thing I knew, I was carrying 10,000 bees down the street to their new home: a tiny fruit orchard of mine. The next day, every flower had a tiny girl getting to work. And the relief the bees felt for finally having a dry, warm, tucked-away home to call their own was palpable. My first hive I bought, and I hope I never have to again. This hive felt like a mutual adoption - each of us needed the other and I could not be happier. 🐝💕 . . . . . . #beekeeping #beginnersbeekeeping #beekeepersofinstagram #beeswarm #swarmcapture #wildswarm #honeybee🐝 #apiary #flowhive #beerescue #freebees #homesteading #diy #permaculture

This morning I made @noanunoparty’s delicious masala chai recipe that’d been popping up in my instagram feed - but I didn’t have any black tea so I used the wild bergamot (monarda) I harvested last fall... and sweetened with my own backyard honey. 🍵🙌 #necessityisthemotherofinvention #coronavirusquarantine

Taking advantage of all the downtime from the #coronavirusquarantine and turning a winter’s worth of saved citrus peels into #essentialoil and #hydrosol... because when life gives you lemons, amiright??

I’ve been making soap as a staple the last several years but never really concerned myself with the aesthetics until recently. Now I’m in love with using edible pigments like spirulina, turmeric, or moringa leaf to add more character to my otherwise functional bars. 🧼🍃 (These are 50/50 olive-coconut oil bars with peppermint essential oil. The smell as they cure is AMAZING. The green here is moringa in cold-process soap, the yellow marble effect is a dusting of turmeric between layers of hot-process soap.) . . . . . . . . #soapmaking #castilesoap #homemadesoap #cpsoap #cpsoapmaking #hpsoap #hpsoapmaking #naturalpigments #ediblepigments #spirulina #moringa #turmeric #peppermintessentialoil #homesteading #sustainability #zerowaste

Maybe one of my favorite parts of apple season is turning the odds and ends into next year’s apple cider vinegar. 🍎 Take a large jar, fill it 3/4 full with apple scraps, add about a cup of sugar dissolved in hot water, and fill to just under the neck of the jar. Once it’s not too hot, add a splash of raw apple cider vinegar to inoculate everything. 🍎 Cover with a paper towel or upside-down coffee filter and secure with a rubber band or canning jar band with the lid removed. Store someplace cool and dark and forget about it anywhere from 3 months to a year. (6 months is about right.) In a few months, you’ll notice an opaque scum on top - don’t worry, this is your mother! 🍎 A simple taste will let you know when it’s ready, but I recommend you freeze the filtered vinegar in plastic bottles. The water will stay frozen while the acetic acid melts first. The first 30-50% is your prime apple cider vinegar. 🍎 And voilà: you’ve got yourself delicious homemade, raw, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar that’s just as good or better than the store-bought stuff. :) 🍎 (And of course, you can find these instructions and more, complete with step-by-step photos, on the blog.) #applecidervinegar #acv #homemadevinegar #homesteading #appleseason #applescraps

Every year I grow Thai basil convinced I’ll do something with it and every year I’m annoyed with myself for not. Not this year. Behold! Thai basil ice cream. A sort of anise / green tea flavor. Followed the NYT recipe and substituted coconut milk for dairy. It’s fantastic. . . . . . . #homemadeicecream #basilicecream #thaibasil #nytrecipes

Baby’s first succus—or preserved juice. This is cleavers, AKA goosegrass (gallium asparine): one of the first plants of spring. For years I’ve been reading about cleavers’ alterative effect on the lymph system (an herb that restores proper function and increases health). This is 3 parts filtered, cold-pressed juice to 1 part vodka. For people whose bodies feel logey and blah after a long winter, cleavers is like opening the window and getting some fresh air again. Been too late to harvest for years, but not THIS year! Very excited.

“And the loofahs were hung by the chimney with care..” 🥒 Just made a permanent Story highlight to show the steps, if anyone’s curious. Every year I fall more in love with these amazing squashes. Mature, they make sponges — like, I scour pots and pans with them no different than synthetic sponges! — and young and tender, they cook just like zucchini. If ever you were curious (and preferably live someplace warmer than New York), GO FOR IT! . . . #loofah #luffa #loofahsponge #sponge #homesteading #DIY #homemade #sustainablehome #sustainablelifestyle #zerowaste

The last few years, I've fallen unintentionally into herbalism. This is goldenrod, which I picked every chance I got this summer, and has been drying up 'til now. Makes a mild tea (pairs great with lemon verbena or mint) and FANTASTIC for kidney health. What started a few years back with a pot of spearmint has exploded into a small pantry of homegrown herbs. 🌱🍵💕

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