by Karen Bush | May 2, 2022 | Gardening, Sufficiency
Food security. What can we do to make sure we’re not completely dependent on business systems to provide our food? Growing some our own vegetables brings us a little closer to the goal. Saving seeds is the next step to additional self-sufficiency.
by Karen Bush | Apr 10, 2022 | Gardening, Sufficiency
Do you want to maximize your garden space and grow even more fresh food? Do you want to grow varieties you can’t find as bedding plants? Start seeds indoors to get the most out of your vegetable garden and the local growing season.
by Karen Bush | Feb 27, 2022 | Sufficiency
This is not a guide to planning disaster preparation. That would take a book and I’m no expert. Rather this is a reminder to myself to take a few steps in the right direction, and an opportunity to share with you a few things I’ve learned recently.
by Karen Bush | Nov 6, 2021 | Sufficiency
Horse chestnuts to wash the laundry? Last year was an experiment. This year I’m committed. They are free, local, leave no scent, and unexpectedly, the colours and whites come out bright. Highly recommended.
by Karen Bush | Oct 20, 2021 | Gardening, Sufficiency
Posts to my blog have been scarce during the summer of 2021. I found my concerns over the drought, heat wave, forest fires and pandemic sapped a lot of my creative energy. And the abundant harvest demanded so much of my time. Ironic?
by Karen Bush | Jan 26, 2021 | Sufficiency
Are seed shortages a concern again in 2021? Maybe I should sort my inventory and place my vegetable garden order early this year. So here I am searching for seeds in mid-January.
by Karen Bush | Nov 25, 2020 | Sufficiency
Did you know you can make laundry soap from horse chestnuts? They contain saponins just like soapberries. Free, all-natural, easily available laundry soap is on the ground waiting for you.
by Karen Bush | Oct 21, 2020 | Sufficiency, Sustenance
The writer in me gratefully welcomes October. During the primary food growing season, my time is so full that I can hardly find any energy to spare. In my head I’m exploring themes and composing paragraphs, but getting any of it down on paper seems just too...
by Karen Bush | Jun 12, 2020 | Natural Health, Sufficiency
For the past two weeks, my time has been occupied with crafting face masks. During the lock-down, we didn’t seem to need them, but now that our province is beginning to open up, more outings require non-surgical face masks. They became top priority when we...
by Karen Bush | Jan 6, 2020 | Recipes, Sufficiency
Sometimes a brilliantly simple solution presents itself for a problem you didn’t realize you had. We are a mostly dairy-free household and I never buy cow’s milk, except to combat mildew on the squash vines in August (but that’s a different story). I...
by Karen Bush | Aug 26, 2019 | Sufficiency
A new phrase for me – regenerative farming. At the end of July, we participated in the Eco Living and Home Tour on Salt Spring Island, and I met a kindred spirit. Apple Turnover is the clever name for a one-and-a-half-acre homestead being regenerated by Elisa Rajthe...
by Karen Bush | Jun 5, 2019 | Foraging, Sufficiency
This time of year, if I had to depend only on what I plant, I would carry home much less food from my garden. The promise of abundance is there, but very little is ready to eat just yet. Thankfully, the wild edibles that volunteer in my plot and its periphery are...