By Holly Giles | Handmade , Home , Simple Living
Make your own mosquito spray. Make your own mosquito spray with Florida native plant, Beautyberry. This native plant is often considered a weed and can be recognized on roadsides or woods. This DIY project is great for the whole family to learn. Make your own mosquito spray to use fewer chemical-based sprays when possible. Beautyberry […]
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By Holly Giles | Home , Kitchen
Dry Canning Flour Dry canning flour has been around since my grandmother’s time. I read up on canning flour when I got a 50-pound bag of flour. At the time, flour was hard to come by due to a shortage, and I needed to bake bread for our family because it was not available in […]
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By Holly Giles | Home , Kitchen
Wild Game Burgers Having wild game in my freezer what never on my grocery list. I have always bought my meat pre-packaged at the grocery store. I grew up eating venison here and there, quail on occasion, and frog legs. None of which I ever thought would be on my table again as an adult. […]
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By Holly Giles | family , Home , Simple Living
Investing in Food Investing in food can have many meanings. Time into gardening at home, cooking from scratch or sourcing your food from local places. It was about 1979 when I had a vivid memory of going to Long and Scott Farm for Zellwood corn. Each year my grandparents hopped in my papa’s pick up […]
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By Holly Giles | Home
Garden Goals Have you ever thought about setting garden goals? If you are like me, you are motivated by simply getting outside and connecting with nature. I love to get outside in beautiful weather and that makes me want to grow something. Gardening is a way to squeeze in some physical activity into a busy […]
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By Holly Giles | Home
Victory Garden The victory garden of the 1940s has made a comeback with full force. Families are looking to food sources they had not thought of before which is exciting news for gardening. During world war II the government was reverting large manufacturing to war efforts and supplies. In turn, the government asked citizens to […]
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By Holly Giles | family , Home , Simple Living
Our Backyard Chicken Story Our chicken story began twenty years ago. My husband, Curtis, and I have gone back and forth about having backyard chickens. He would want to get started, and I didn’t want the responsibility. Then, I would get excited about it, and he would not. We never got serious about it until […]
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By Holly Giles | Home , Kitchen
Easy Strawberry Jam A beginner can make easy strawberry jam with great results. It was the first jam that I ever tried to make with my boys at home. Grayson and Grant can get overzealous when it comes to picking strawberries. I have been known to pay thirty dollars for the buckets full of juicy […]
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By Holly Giles | Home , Simple Living
Living Simply from a Pioneer Perspective The idea of living simply from the pioneer culture and Laura Ingalls Wilder has a lot to teach us modern-day folk. Pioneer times may be pushing 200 years old, but the lessons we can learn for living today still apply. Laura Ingalls Wilder was fascinating in that she lived […]
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By Holly Giles | Home , Kitchen
Venison Jerky Harvesting and preserving meat was a big part of generations past. Making venison jerky at home has become popular with homesteaders across America. Harvesting your own meat for the family is a big responsibility and a way to be in control of your food supply. Bringing home meat and curing it in several […]
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