Good2Know RSS

The arrival of any baby is always filled with excitement, anticipation and some amount of trepidation.  There is a flurry of activity, and then hopefully a new kind of quiet settles in as everyone adjusts to the new addition.  This rings true even when the baby is not of the human variety.  Earlier this year our little hobby farm welcomed the addition of twins.  While we were thrilled to see these beauties join us, momma ewe could not have picked a colder day to deliver her little ones.  While keeping a vigilant eye on the thermometer, we set up a...

With the ease of grocery stores you might wonder why bother canning and dehydrating?  Organic food purchasing and ingredient reading has become a lot more common in the past years as we become more and more aware of what is in our food.  When water bath canning, pressure canning, and dehydrating or freeze-drying, there is no need to read the ingredient list, as all the ingredients are visible through the glass jars on our shelf. Anything worth doing is worth doing well.  If we are going to take our health seriously, we need to put in the work.  It is...

Food preservation and canning is a big part of our late summer and fall activities as a family. We love it! That said, the most frustrating part of food preservation is getting everything set up and ready to go only to realize you are missing a vital item or ingredient. I can’t tell you how many times we have been ready to start canning only to stop what we are doing and run to the store for a single item. To make sure our kitchen is always “preservation ready,” we keep these key ingredients and items on hand in large...

Thinking of becoming better prepared in case of an emergency?  The overwhelm is real and you are not alone.  Thinking about hedging every element in your life that is vulnerable to natural disasters or supply chain breakdowns can cause a real-life breakdown inside of you.  Like anything, you need to approach a preparedness outlook one step at a time.  No matter the natural disaster or unexpected event, there are a few items all folks should start with.  Considering basic human need, here are the first five preps that we recommend that you consider purchasing: 1. Water Filtration The most basic...

Have you ever looked at your favourite meal and really looked at it asking yourself, can I make that from scratch?  You might be reading that and scoff thinking, "I already do make it from scratch."  What I am asking is the true scratch of scratch.  Let's take pizza as an example.  Let's break down all the ways you can make a pizza for dinner: Make a call for pizza to be delivered. Pick up a frozen pizza and throw it in the oven. Purchase pre-made pizza shells and put together the toppings. Make your own dough and sauce, adding...

The idea of becoming fully self-reliant is extremely overwhelming.   There are many areas to think about, from what it means to cultivate a garden preserving high yields of food, to raising chickens or small livestock. Then there is the topic of hunting, a massive undertaking in and of itself.  Learning how to craft even small shelters is a lot harder than you might think but learning how to build your own cabin takes hours of learning and physical experience.  Expanding out of immediate needs there is the issue of power, medical needs, communication and transportation.   Where do you even...