Temperatures continue to yo-yo but officially, it’s Spring. As noted in my winter skin care article, despite the snow and rain, the amount of moisture in the air is reduced by the frigid temperatures. Add to that heated indoor space, our skin needs help holding on to every bit of moisture it can get. But … Read more
I debated about posting another PSA but after hearing a few encouraging words this morning, I thought why not? While the major news sources are set on keeping us aware of death tolls, I was happy to see in a local paper that the first three Marylanders to contract the coronavirus have fully recovered. Usually … Read more
As the month winds down, there’s still plenty of summer’s high humidity than usual due to an abundance of rain and 90-plus temperatures. That’s music to the tiny little ears of ticks. They are active any time the weather is above freezing, but are really busy between April and September. Tick 101 When You’re Really … Read more
Part of our Backyard Farming / Urban Homesteading operation consists of growing dandelions and harvesting them to make roasted dandelion coffee. The roasted roots can be ground after roasting and put into jars or tea bags and sold online or at Farmers Markets. It doesn’t taste like coffee, but it is very good. Recipe for … Read more
Dandelion Tops cut and ready to be battered and fried Eat dandelions? Yes, and the nice thing is that 100% of the dandelion is edible! Historically, Europeans brought dandelions to America as a food crop but now it is considered to be one of the most annoying weeds plaguing the suburban lawn. Go figure. Being … Read more
In the winter, we like to make hard candy, and we like it to be sour. In this article, we’ll discuss an easy way to make delicious hard candy at home that and consider ways to dial up the flavors and sourness of your homemade hard candy! {Of course, if you don’t like sour, you can … Read more
Ramps growing in the forest In Northern Ohio and many other places, April and early May is the time to go out into the woods and forage for Ramps, also known as wild leeks. Walk 10 feet into any deciduous forest during this time and you are very likely to see these easily identifiable garlicky … Read more
In a previous post, I wrote about vertical gardening, an artful option for growing smoothies. That got me thinking of how to capture the garden’s abundance for the dark months ahead. How To Make A Green Smoothie. benphaze.com Freezing is an ideal way to do that. The Old Farmer’s Almanac says that produce kept at 0°F … Read more
When cherry tomatoes are are in peak season and are ripening by the hundreds per day in your kitchen garden or backyard organic garden, it can be thrilling, but there comes a time when you simply cannot eat any more of them. A quick search on the internet reveals the top popular solutions to be … Read more
I recently left Ohio and spent a week in Europe, and what I immediately noticed was that apartment dwellers, at least where I was, in Belgium and The Netherlands, didn’t brew their own coffee. I found this to be amazing, given that in Ohio, I have been grinding beans and using a Chemex to brew … Read more