My husband and I are in the final stages of production for our second DVD with Bulk Herb Store – actually it is already at the “presses”. Making Herbs Simple  II is a fabulous addition for anyone’s herbal collection, especially beginners. It’s funny, but everyone time I watch it, whether to edit, spell check, or some other project – I learn something and am inspired all over again!

I’ve uploaded two excerpts from the video for you to see – and really excited about it.

Herbal Art Project – Excerpt from “Making Herbs Simple: Volume 2 (HD)

Poison Ivy Remedy – Excerpt from “Making Herbs Simple: Volume 2 (HD)

It really was a fun project to work on, I remember shooting the Mullein Steam segment and the sun being so incredibly bright and then my husband added a light reflector, which only makes it more bright! My eyes were tearing and I could hardly open them. All while he is impatiently saying “No, you can’t wear sunglasses in a video…..if you can’t do it that’s fine, we’ll just get someone else.” Have you ever worked with or for your husband before? Do you notice how it doesn’t quite mesh when he treats you like a minimum wage worker? Well – it only fired me up, thinking “If someone else could do it, then I’m definitely going to have to do it, even if my eye makeup is totally smudged.”

But, seriously this is a great DVD because it incorporates herbs into our daily life; like cooking, the perfect brew for women, making salves, homemade cards, what herbs you can find in your yard. Oh – and I forgot the extras of the video – they are absolutely hilarious. At one point the ladies on camera (Debi and Shoshanna) did not know we were rolling and we just let them go at it – so so so funny! Can’t wait for everyone to see it.

Coming Soon!

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Canning – the idea used to intimidate me MAJORLY! I saw pretty canned jars at my grandmothers house and in old-timey stores and thought there was some sort of magic involved in getting vegetables and fruit to look so pretty and stored properly. Well, I was wrong! After doing this interview with Sarah about Basic Canning I tried it and it wasn’t so bad. I did apple sauce, plum sauce, pear sauce, and peaches! It was much easier than I thought.

Canning your own food has a lot of nutritional benefits. With home canning you avoid things like  MSG, salt, added sweeteners, and artificial coloring–Yuck! There are also some major economical reasons to can. If you grow your own food, it’s a free way to store it through the winter months, and it’s safe from power outages (freezing foods is subject to constant electricity). Also, foods can be much cheaper if you buy them in season and from a local farmer. The extras you buy can be canned and enjoyed all year long.

Canning really is an important skill – one missed by too many in my generation. I’m thankful I finally learned – and you can too.  Just listen.

I also talk to Shoshanna about how to properly store your herbs – so they retain their medicinal values and stay fresh and tasty. Great info there too!

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First, she would spread out her feathers and rush the vehicle. Wisely, she discovered the van would win and run away from her nest pretending her wing was broken.
I’ll admit- it was a little more intimidating while walking by the nest. The Killdeer would immediately try to draw you away from the nest by acting wounded. Once you got close she would fly away. It was a little sad when they hatched and I no longer see my little buddies.
Aren’t the details amazing? How can that be an accident?

Here is someone’s YouTube example:

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We missed a 20 year high flood while out of town. Our garden was pounded, but our house is far enough from the creek and larger rivers to be safe (oh, and that photo is NOT our house). Horses were floating down the creeks and everyone said it was an exciting time (nobody was hurt though and all the cows & horses lived!).

Speaking of our garden……. I still have four things to plant: Squash, Pumpkins, Watermelons, & Beets. Even though it is high time to plant, we are late because of the enormous amounts of rain (and we should have planted before the rains started).

Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Pole Beans, & Marigolds made it in on time.

Here is our lettuce & spinach patch. This has been my absolute FAVORITE!

What about Kristen’s Chickens?
You’ve probably been wondering if they are out of the house. Well the answer is YES…. They ARE…. and we never even had to chase loose chickens in our living room.

Last but not least: the fruit trees. We will have a lovely year of blueberry picking and peach pies. Look at the start of these yummy fruits!

Next few days I’ll be writing about “Killdeers Harassing Me In My Driveway”. Weird huh?

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If you want to have a garden, no matter how big, this show is for you!!
Emily, an experienced Gardener from Mississippi, gives a fabulous lesson on starting, maintaining, and harvesting from your garden.

I have very little experience with all of this, but after doing this interview with her I feel SO confident that I can do it. Well, atleast try….who knows how much will grow?

Below are some of Emily and Mark’s notes for you to review when the time comes to plant your own garden: Basic Tools Needed, Tilling, Making Rows, Planting, Harvesting, Weed Control, and Bugs!

Basic Tools Needed: For a teeny little garden, a hoe will go a long way, but if you’re going that route, don’t forget a sunhat & gloves, b/c you’ll be spending LOTS of time out in the garden! For a good sized garden (Mark says really for ANY garden), a tiller is almost a must-have item. Walk-behind tillers come in a big variety of sizes & prices. Lehman’s even has a manual one that my husband thinks is so neat! Aside from the hoe and/or tiller, it’s also great to have a hand-held pump sprayer, and a hand spreader, for fertilizer. My personal favorite “tool” is my husband and his Case tractor and disc! Amazing time saver!

Till: Till plot of land using walk-behind tiller, tractor w/ disc, or for very small plots, a hoe.

Fertilize the Soil: After garden plot is tilled, spread fertilizer. Other optional additions are lime (helps activate fertilizer) and a granulated herbicide for grass control. We use 8-8-8 for fertilizer. All these can be found at your local co-op, feed store, or nursery. You’ll now re-till the plot, to “mix” the fertilizer. For organic gardening, use a compost that you have made up yourself.

Making Rows: There are several ways to make your rows. The first is to just let the second tilling make the rows for you. Or, there is a plow attachment that fits on the tiller that you can use. This will make a taller bed, which will hold more moisture. And the third is to hoe. For a large plot, this is a huge amount of work. For a decent size garden, a tiller is really a must. (Check out Lehman’s).

Planting: There are a few different ways you’ll plant your garden. Some vegetables come in seeds, while others are already in plants. These can all be purchased at co-ops, feed stores, nursery’s or even Wal-Mart.
Trench: Using the pointed tip of a hoe, make a 1-11/2” deep trench down the middle of entire row. Sprinkle seeds by hand into the trench. Cover seeds lightly. This method is used for: Carrots, corn, peas, butter beans, and okra…

Holes for plants: For plants, such as tomatoes, bell & other peppers, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, & brussel sprouts, you’ll need to dig a hole deep enough to cover the root system of the plant. Then cover it, with leaves remaining above ground. *We fill our holes w/ water before dropping the plant in. The plants will need to be about 3 feet apart. (Bulbs will be done generally the same, but will need less spacing).
Three-seed holes: Some seeds, such as squash, zucchini, cucumbers & melons, need to be planted individually, in much the same way as the plants. This is actually fun, and is great for the kids: You make a small hole 1- 1 ½” deep and simply drop three seeds into each hole, then cover lightly (don’t pack). Like the plants, these will be done about 3 feet apart.

Pray for Rain & Watch it Grow!

Harvesting: Basically, you pick it when it looks done! For underground veggies, like carrots, you’ll one up here & there to test. The main thing is not to let your veggies be too long on the vine, and get too big. You’ll know by looking when things are ripe & ready to be picked.

Weed Control: There are several different things you can do for weed control, depending on your abilities & preferences: One is a spray herbicide, sprayed with a hand-held pump sprayer. Another is to till the rows until there is no room (plants get too big), and then use the hoe. Lastly, you can always remove weeds & grass with a hoe & your hands.

What about Bugs? We use a bug spray periodically as the garden grows. Obviously, we won’t be classified as Organic! You can study up on what plants and/or flowers to plant with your garden to help control bugs if you’re set on organic…or as Mark says, you can stand out there & swat! He sprays!

After the Harvest: After your garden is done, just till it and leave it for next year. There are a few options here. One is to just till it. Another is to till it with the lime on it. If this is done, there will be no need to add lime next spring. Lastly, you can plant a winter grass. When spring comes, just turn the grass over (till) for a rich soil.

Other Need-to-Know Facts:
Most people start their gardens shortly after Good Friday. This is not a hard & fast rule, mostly just tradition.
Some vegetables are planted a bit earlier than the rest, as they tend to not need or want such extreme heat: broccoli, cabbage, onions, cauliflower, green (sweet) peas. We also plant our corn earlier, to give it ample growing time before the extreme heat sets in.
You can plant in intervals if you wish to stagger and/or prolong your harvest. For example: We plant 24 rows of purple hull peas. But, we only plant 8 rows at a time, waiting 10-14 days before planting the next 8 rows. You can do this with most veggies, but you do run a risk later in the season of the weather (and thus your harvest) being less than optimal.
Don’t forget that tomatoes need to be staked up as they grow.

Go Have Fun!!!!

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If you were like me, and weren’t quite sure what a mule is- read on!

Mule Facts:

• A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.
• A Hinny, harder to come by, is the offspring of a female donkey and male horse.
• All  male mules are infertile.
• Most female mules are infertile.
• Mules are (pound for pound) stronger than horses and require less food.
• Farmers prefer mules because they can work harder & longer than either the donkey or the horse.
• Mules are very curious.
• Mules are a hybrid animal.
• Mules have a unique sound that is a combination of the horse’s whinny and the grunting of the wind-down of a bray. Most will start out -Whinee…..and end in “-aw ah aw”.

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Our chicks are now a week old! They have grown way more than we expected and only one has died (now we have 24). The chicks have now moved from being crowded and almost jumping out of the wash tub:

To being in a large box with more feeders!
The large box provides more room, which they will need as they grow. However, there are two issues to consider with the large box:
1. They still need 90-95 degrees in there, so I hung a towel on either side to trap the heat.
2. There are square corners now. With right angles like that, chicks can get trapped and smothered to death. Round “corners” are best. But, hey! I’m working with what I have.

Now, are you wondering “What is this lady doing with 24 chicks in her living room?” It’s still pretty cold here in TN (harder to keep them at 90degrees) and we don’t have the chicken house exactly finished yet:
If we put them outside they would be an easy and tasty prey to cats, dogs, possums- anything!
So, they’ll be our indoor buddies for the next week or so and then they be kicked out in the nice, warm, finished, chicken house!

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How Many Chicks Do You Count?

This breed is used for meat and eggs, so a “dual purpose” chicken. Their temperment is rumored to be calm and friendly, as opposed to skittish or aggressive. Buff Orpingtons are also good Mommas, once their time comes. Some breeds will not stay put on their eggs, enough to grow new chicks anyhow, and we wanted the option to raise our own chicks. As for egg production, Buff Orpingtons are not the top of the line, but they lay well in winter and summer. A great overall hen- or atleast I’ve read!

This is the first time I’ve (attempted) to raise chicks, and here are the basic directions I’m following:

1) Starting temp. 95 degrees, lower 5 degrees each week.
(100-150 Watt Light bulb)
2) Use commercial feed for type of poultry ordered.
3) Clean, dry straw for litter (not newspaper). Keep dry.
4) Upon arrival, dip beak in water, then feed.
5) Check birds often

Let me know tips and anything else I need to know! Comment or email at kristen@simplykristen.com

Tips I just got:
- For their first drink add 1/4 cup of sucanat to 1 quart of water to help regulate their sugar.
- Use a thermometer to check their temperature, and if too cold can add a towel/box/whatever over the non-lighted side to hold some warmth.

WHOA!

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