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  • Garden
    • All Things Garden
    • Beginner Basics
    • Cannabis
    • Compost
    • Flowers
    • “How to Grow”
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests
    • Wildlife
      • Monarchs
  • Food & Ferment
    • Fermented Foods
    • Kombucha
    • Preserve Your Harvest
    • Recipes
    • Sourdough
  • Chickens
  • Natural Health
  • Music
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    • Cart
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    • Start Here
    • Contact
    • Our Homestead
    • Subscribe
    • Meet DeannaCat
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  • Fermented Foods,  Natural Health,  Preserve Your Harvest

    The Health Benefits of Fermented Foods, Explained

    February 2, 2019 / 22 Comments

    Fermented foods are trending, hard! Sauerkraut, kombucha, yogurt, apple cider vinegar, kimchi, kefir, and sourdough, Oh My! But do you know WHY they're so great for you? Come learn more about fermentation including 7 amazing health benefits of consuming fermented foods,…

    Read More
    DeannaCat
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DeannaCat, the creator of Homestead and Chill

CREATOR & PLANT LADY

Hey! My name is Deanna, also known as DeannaCat. I’m all about simple living, real food, and everything plants. My hope is to inspire the love for a similar lifestyle or hobbies in others ~ by sharing real-life tips and tools to make β€œmodern homesteading” activities easy, understandable, and enjoyable ~ so you can learn and dive in with me! Read more…

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Is cabbage porn a thing? πŸ€”πŸ’•πŸ₯¬ Happy Nation Is cabbage porn a thing? πŸ€”πŸ’•πŸ₯¬ Happy National Cabbage Day, from all of us and one of our favorite vegetables to grow, eat, ferment, and apparently photograph πŸ€™πŸΌ #cabbage
Have you had Golden Milk aka a "turmeric latte" be Have you had Golden Milk aka a "turmeric latte" before? If not, you're seriously missing out! This is one of our favorite ways to use turmeric powder, and I finally put our quick & easy recipe on Homestead and Chill ~ follow the link in my profile πŸ§‘πŸ’› . Golden milk is a nourishing warm beverage made of turmeric, milk, and other spices. It is earthy, creamy, and slightly sweet. Our recipe is vegan (use any kind of milk you prefer) and caffeine-free, but it's also really great made with chai tea! . In addition to being delicious, drinking golden milk has numerous health benefits - because turmeric is a superfood! It is anti-inflammatory (I always make it when I have cramps or am generally feeling achy), full of antioxidants for general wellness, eases an upset stomach, and promotes restful sleep. Its origins date back to ancient India and Ayurvedic medicine, but is becoming increasingly well-known and popular now πŸ’― . I hope you enjoy it! Cheers, to good health in a mug. β˜• . #homesteadandchill #goldenmilk
πŸ€“ Doing some spring garden planning today! This πŸ€“ Doing some spring garden planning today! This is the front yard garden planting plan from last summer. I haven't quite finalized the plans yet for 2020, but I'm working on the rough drafts for the front, patio, and back coop garden areas each today. 🌿 . ❓Do you plan where you are planting things ahead of time? . As our garden has grown in size over the years, I find this really helpful. Especially because we have three distinct garden spaces that all get slightly different amounts of sun and warmth, or have more or less space for large plants, etc. It also makes planting day much more organized and efficient, knowing where everyone is going to go, since the effort of planting dozens of seedlings can take up a lot of time in itself! 🌱 . πŸ’‘ How to decide where to plant what? Well, we practice crop rotation as best we can, trying to avoid growing the exact same type of plant in same exact spot year after year. Keeping these planting plans from previous seasons helps me remember for the following year. Also, taller/bigger plants like tomatoes or trellises of beans go in the "back" (for us in the northern hemisphere, that means the north side of the garden beds, since most of the sun comes from the south) as to not shade out the smaller plants in front. Of course, size also comes into play as we attempt to give each plant adequate space to grow happily without being overcrowded. We also try to follow good companion planting practices, and then tuck in our favorite annual flowers where ever we can! πŸŒ»πŸ’•πŸŒΈ . For even more tips, your own plot plan template, full companion planting chart, & planting calendars for every USDA growing zone, grab a free downloadable/printable Homestead and Chill garden planning toolkit ~ you can find it in the link list in my profile πŸ€™πŸΌ . #homesteadandchill #plantnerd #getorganized
My funny valentine, 15 years and counting. This ma My funny valentine, 15 years and counting. This man rocks my world 🌎 . I included this photo in today's new How to Start a Homestead article, with a caption something like "The key to homestead success: work hard, have fun, hug a chicken, repeat!". Swap out "hug a chicken" for "hug eachother" and I think it's a pretty great formula for the key to relationship success too, don't you think? πŸ‘¨β€πŸŒΎπŸ’•πŸ‘©πŸΌβ€πŸŒΎ Happy Valentine's Day to those celebrating! And for those who aren't, cheers to the freakin' weekend! 🍻
πŸ’‘Do you dream of turning your home into a produ πŸ’‘Do you dream of turning your home into a productive little homestead, but feel overwhelmed? Then head on over to read the newest article on Homestead and Chill ~ "How to Start a Homestead: 9 Tips for New Homesteaders" πŸ’₯ (link in bio, tag a friend!) . I share advice and information that will hopefully help you set attainable goals and priorities ~ including my suggestions on the first few things to focus on - like planting trees and composting! πŸŒ³πŸ’© I also go over our experiences, resources that helped us learn along the way, our budgeting process, and project timeline to transform our property. And no, I don't only focus on landscaping and infrastructure. There is info about cooking and preserving homegrown food, raising "farm animals", making homemade medicine or personal care products, crafting, and more. πŸ‘πŸΌ . Keep in mind every homesteading journey is unique, which is one of the beautiful things about it! Homesteading activies can be as casual or as involved as you desire, and done on acreage, an urban lot, or even in a rental home. All versions are welcome and encouraged. . β€Ό Most importantly, I want to remind you that this doesn't happen overnight, so don't stress and remember to enjoy the process! In fact, Tip No. 9 is HAVE FUN. 😁 . Speaking of... I had a ton of fun putting this one together for you guys. I really hope you enjoy it and take away some useful insight! πŸ™πŸΌ The projects shown here are my pride and joy, but sharing this lifestyle with you all is even more rewarding. . #homesteadandchill #createyourownparadise #growfoodnotlawns
Me peeking into the weekend like, I see you over t Me peeking into the weekend like, I see you over there... πŸ‘€πŸ‘‹πŸΌπŸŒΎ
Aaron has been gloating because he made our "best Aaron has been gloating because he made our "best batch of Elderberry Syrup, ever" a couple weekends ago - and rightfully so, because it is dang good! And most importantly, we still haven't been sick πŸ‘ŒπŸΌ . He added an extra handful of elderberries since our recipe calls for 4 cups and the bags of dried organic berries we buy come with about 5. So he just dumped them all in (which did make it take longer to reduce). He also went nice and heavy on the fresh ginger, nearly doubling it. Finishing it off with a 1/4 cup of quality whiskey didn't hurt either 😜 . I have seen some of you putting your own spin to this amazing immune-boosting recipe too, like addition of echinacea root or star anise, which I love! πŸ’œ . I shared a few elderberry syrup FAQs on stories that weekend, such as: No, you don't have to add alcohol but it extends the refrigerated shelf life from approximately 12 weeks to a few months longer. Or that yes, you can use either dry, fresh, or frozen berries with our recipe! . For more info, dosing, recipe, etc see πŸ‘‰πŸΌ https://homesteadandchill.com/homemade-elderberry-syrup-recipe/
Who says money doesn't grow on trees? πŸ€‘πŸŒ³πŸ₯‘ Who says money doesn't grow on trees? πŸ€‘πŸŒ³πŸ₯‘ . Alternate caption: I kinda feel like an asshole posting this. Please don't hate me, my snow-covered friends. πŸ˜¬πŸ™ˆπŸ˜…
Just call me Deanna Turmerichands πŸ‘‹πŸΌ Just call me Deanna Turmerichands πŸ‘‹πŸΌ
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