Potpourri is such a great way to freshen your home and make beautiful gifts for your family and friends. It is such an easy and cheap way to make your house smell beautiful and you can make it with any herb or fruit lying around your house. For gifts, all you have to do is dehydrate the fruits and herbs to provide freshness for anyone who receives it. Who wouldn't love that! What is Potpourri?Potpourri can be made in two ways: either by drying various plants to provide a light natural scent and placing them in a bowl or by using fresh ingredients and having them simmer in a pot. I prefer the simmer method, but you can do either way. You can use any natural fruit such as lemon or citrus, flowers such as rose or any herb. You can even add other ingredients like vanilla to enrich the scent. |
Step 2- While cleaning and cutting the tomato, get a sauce pan or large pot to boil water. I recommend putting your tomatoes in the pot before your water, then add your water and then remove the tomatoes for cleaning. This will provide the right amount of water you need for your pot. I recommend adding an extra cup of water for the pot due to the heat evaporation. |
STEP 3- After the tomatoes are clean and the water is boiling, add ten tomatoes in the boiling water and let the tomatoes boil for three to four minutes. Once the skin starts peeling, you know that is when the tomatoes have to be removed. Remove the tomatoes once they are done and add them to a bowl of ice water. Add another batch of ten tomatoes to the boiling water.
STEP 4- Once the tomatoes are cooled down, peel the tomatoes, discard the tomato peels in your compost pile and throw the rest of the tomatoes bulk in a blender. Once the tomatoes fill the blender, blend the tomatoes into a sauce and then keep adding tomatoes until your blender is full. Put all of the tomato sauce into a plastic pitcher with a top and wait. |
STEP 5- After putting all the tomato sauce in the pitcher, the water content and the sauce will separate in the pitcher. When this happens, the tomato water/juice will concentrate on the bottom and the sauce will concentrate on the top. We recommend scooping the sauce into either a baggie or a food saver vacuum. We use the food saver vacuum bags and we seal them so we can make tomato sauce for the rest of the year. This is such a great and cheap way to make pastas, pizzas and other dishes. For the vacuum machine, we use the FoodSaver V4400 2-in-1 Vacuum Sealer Machine with Automatic Vacuum Sealer Bag and here is the link. For the water/juice, we put it in another pitcher, and it is just tomato juice. You can either drink this tasty drink yourself, or you can save it to make a Bloody Mary.
I hope you enjoy your homemade tomato sauce! It is so nice to have homemade tomato sauce for any occasion and its even more rewarding when your eating food from your own garden and/or your own hands. Thank you for reading and comment below of your tomato sauce recipes.
As the most produced chicken in the 19th century and early 20th century, Brahma chickens offer a variety of positives to your small farm or homestead. Brahma chickens are considered more of a meat chicken than an egg producer, but they can do both if you are looking for an egg producer early on and then meat for later. Their egg production is consistent and usually consist of one a day. This is different than the Barred Rock chicken, which can produce several eggs a day; but please be wary of this! Many Barred Rocks suffer from egg bound which is caused by too many eggs being produced and this can unfortunately cause death for many chickens. |
An Introduction to Brahma Chickens
Brahma chickens were first introduced in the 19th century by the ways of import. These chickens soon became extremely popular chickens because they were great egg and meat producers with a mild temperament compared to the Barred Rock and Rhode Islands. The average life span of a chicken is 5 to 8 years and the average size is 8 to 10 pounds. For maintenance, they are easy going chickens that do not suffer from many ailments. For them, the only ailments I would recommend to keep an eye out on would be internal and external parasites. Overall, Brahma chickens are great beginner chickens for any novice or expert chicken farmer. | Helpful Hint: The amazing thing about chickens is they are resilient against diseases. We recommend including these foods and herbs in your chicken's feed to target internal & external parasites. Here is the list: Basil. Garlic. Eucalyptus oil & Black Walnut Hull. For more information, we recommend reading this link here. |
Where To Purchase Brahma Chickens
Like any other chicken breed, you can purchase Brahma chickens or chicks either through an online marketplace, a local chicken breeder or you can even produce them yourself by using an incubator. If you purchase the chickens online, make sure you are purchasing them from a honest farmer, and not anyone who is abusing or selling chickens unethically. I usually check out their website or I even email them asking about their set up. For your local farm in your area, that is a little easier. You can usually walk on the farm's property and see their chickens for yourself. If you do not know a local farmer, you can locate one either through Craigslist or Facebook.
If you prefer to produce your own Brahma chickens, all you will need is a fertilized Brahma chicken egg. Make sure the hen and the rooster are both Brahmas because if there is only one Brahma, the chicken will become a yellow or mixed chick. To incubate, I would recommend the Manna Pro Harris Farms Nurture Right Incubator. We use this at our farm and we always have a great turnout rate and the chicks are able to hatch and dry off in the incubator. If you go for a cheaper incubator, you do not have that ease of hatch like you would with an expensive incubator. Here is the link if your interested in purchasing.
If you prefer to produce your own Brahma chickens, all you will need is a fertilized Brahma chicken egg. Make sure the hen and the rooster are both Brahmas because if there is only one Brahma, the chicken will become a yellow or mixed chick. To incubate, I would recommend the Manna Pro Harris Farms Nurture Right Incubator. We use this at our farm and we always have a great turnout rate and the chicks are able to hatch and dry off in the incubator. If you go for a cheaper incubator, you do not have that ease of hatch like you would with an expensive incubator. Here is the link if your interested in purchasing.
When you receive your chicks or you incubate your chicks, you will need to have a safe location for them to stay. This location would be a breeder box (any sturdy container you own), which would need to follow these parameters: high enough for the chicks to not jump over, enough room for the water and feed, enough room to walk around, a heat lamp and bedding such as pine shavings or hay. We recommend for the bedding to be a few inches thick from the base and for the bedding to always be clean and maintainable. Once the bedding gets dirty enough, we recommend removing the chicks from the box and placing them in another warm area and then switching the bedding out.
For the heat, we recommend using a heat lamp and a thermometer. The chicks will need the temperature to be 95F for the first week and then the heat can drop weekly. We recommend watching the chicks and seeing how they act based on the heat. If they are huddled together, that means they are too cold and if they are by the base of the box, that means they are too hot.
For the water and the feed, we recommend going to your local farm store, such as Blain's Farm and Fleet, and picking up: a mason jar water feeder, a mason jar food feeder and a bag of crumble feed and then a starter feed. We never used a supplementer for our chicks, but I know many farmers who do.
For the heat, we recommend using a heat lamp and a thermometer. The chicks will need the temperature to be 95F for the first week and then the heat can drop weekly. We recommend watching the chicks and seeing how they act based on the heat. If they are huddled together, that means they are too cold and if they are by the base of the box, that means they are too hot.
For the water and the feed, we recommend going to your local farm store, such as Blain's Farm and Fleet, and picking up: a mason jar water feeder, a mason jar food feeder and a bag of crumble feed and then a starter feed. We never used a supplementer for our chicks, but I know many farmers who do.
Once the chicks are about 6 weeks, you can start putting them in the chicken coop. If these are your first batch, you can introduce them right away. Please note, make sure the chicks you have are all hens, because if there are two roosters in the mix, they can start attacking each other. Roosters will do this when hens are present. If hens are not present, they do not attack at all.
If you are introducing new chickens to a present chicken coop, make sure the chicks are big enough and there are no roosters present if there is a rooster already. We recommend slowly introducing the chicks to the other chickens everyday and then slowly allowing them to sleep in the coop for a night. If you are seeing issues such as feathers missing or obvious damage, we recommend waiting a little longer for the chicken to get bigger so they are not considered the weak link. Your chicks will start laying eggs at around 5 months of age or 18 weeks.
For your chicks, they do not need as much maintenance as a dog. You will let the chick out every morning, check their feed, bedding and water and then at night, let them in and collect their eggs. I recommend always doing a check everyday of their feet and feathering to make sure there are no parasites or injuries.
If you are introducing new chickens to a present chicken coop, make sure the chicks are big enough and there are no roosters present if there is a rooster already. We recommend slowly introducing the chicks to the other chickens everyday and then slowly allowing them to sleep in the coop for a night. If you are seeing issues such as feathers missing or obvious damage, we recommend waiting a little longer for the chicken to get bigger so they are not considered the weak link. Your chicks will start laying eggs at around 5 months of age or 18 weeks.
For your chicks, they do not need as much maintenance as a dog. You will let the chick out every morning, check their feed, bedding and water and then at night, let them in and collect their eggs. I recommend always doing a check everyday of their feet and feathering to make sure there are no parasites or injuries.
What To Use Your Eggs For
This is my favorite part of owning chickens. Brahma chickens usually lay one egg a day and they can accumulate quite fast. The eggs you receive you can use for breakfast meals, baking, dog food, omelets and so much more. For the left over eggs, you can crush the egg shells and mix them in with their food. The egg shells help with calcium intake. I hope you enjoy your egg dishes and meals!
XO, Regards
Lisa
Have you ever been interested in starting your own garden and you don't know where to begin? Don’t worry, because growing herbs can be a fun and easy way to start your gardening experience. Herb gardens are fairly easy to start and there really is no upkeep.
How Do You Keep Herbs Alive Indoors?
To start with your herb garden, the garden will need nutrient rich soil, sunlight or artificial light, and a lot of water. You will need to make to sure to balance water and light to ensure the herbs are alive and are not wilting. If you prefer to avoid watering and maintaining light, I recommend using an Aerogarden and trying their 6-pack Herbs bundle pod. The pod includes easy set herbs such as: Mint, Basil, Thai basil, Parsley, Dill and Thyme. They provide everything you need, but water.
As a beginner gardener, please don’t be intimidated! When you grow herbs indoors, it is a much easier task than you might think. Especially with some of the done-for-you set-ups like the Aerogarden or even set ups from your local garden, you will growing your herbs in no time.
For any new hobby, it’s important to read about the herbs you’re growing. Do they need direct sunlight? Indirect sunlight? You can grow herbs indoors or outdoors, but many people prefer the ease of having them inside - usually on the windowsill or on a table with a greenhouse. I one time had my garden with the IKEA greenhouse and my herbs grew beautifully. Although, for herbs grown outdoors, they do produce more plentiful herbs and they seem to last longer, but I’ve never had any issues keeping herbs alive indoors.
As a beginner gardener, please don’t be intimidated! When you grow herbs indoors, it is a much easier task than you might think. Especially with some of the done-for-you set-ups like the Aerogarden or even set ups from your local garden, you will growing your herbs in no time.
For any new hobby, it’s important to read about the herbs you’re growing. Do they need direct sunlight? Indirect sunlight? You can grow herbs indoors or outdoors, but many people prefer the ease of having them inside - usually on the windowsill or on a table with a greenhouse. I one time had my garden with the IKEA greenhouse and my herbs grew beautifully. Although, for herbs grown outdoors, they do produce more plentiful herbs and they seem to last longer, but I’ve never had any issues keeping herbs alive indoors.
The IKEA greenhouse I used for my indoor herb garden. I produced great herbs with this greenhouse and it maintains the humidity and heat for my plants. Here is the link for the greenhouse> IKEA GREENHOUSE.
Sunlight or no Sunlight
To grow herbs, some herbs will need a full sun lighting schedule to grow (6 to 8 hours a day) while some herbs will only need moderate sun (4-6 hours a day). To check for the sun duration, many times this will be shown on the seed packaging, or you can look it up on the brand’s website. They will provide the growing zones for your area. For the majority of time though, most herbs will survive as long as they get moderate sunlight.
Some staple herbs to start your full sun garden include: basil, oregano, chives, rosemary, mint, parsley and cilantro. These love full sun and will have your kitchen bursting with their fragrant aromas.
Some staple herbs to start your full sun garden include: basil, oregano, chives, rosemary, mint, parsley and cilantro. These love full sun and will have your kitchen bursting with their fragrant aromas.
Do Herbs Need Soil?
If you are doing a regular indoor or outdoor garden, you will need to buy enriched soil for your herbs. I would recommend using Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix, 16 qt. If you are going to use the other garden path, the Aerogarden, which is growing without soil, or hydroponically, is an easy way to grow an herb garden. In addition, make sure your garden has enough natural sunlight or an LED grow-light and water. Herbs are very versatile plants and tend to thrive indoors or outdoors, with or without soil. If you are a beginning gardener, an herb garden is the perfect way to start your gardening experience.
Which Herbs Should I begin with?
Besides the herbs listed above, I would especially try your herb garden with basil, cilantro and oregano. Basil and mint can be started from a cutting and will grow roots in a glass of water. Herbs like these are abundant and will make hearty starter plants for your garden.
To maintain abundance for your herbs, please make sure that each plant has their own pot and they have access to plenty of sunlight and water. In no time, you will have a fragrant and tasty herb garden.
To maintain abundance for your herbs, please make sure that each plant has their own pot and they have access to plenty of sunlight and water. In no time, you will have a fragrant and tasty herb garden.
Which Herbs Are Easiest To Grow?
For the most part, all herbs are versatile and easy to grow. If you ensure your herbs have a good light source, water and good drainage you will be enjoying your herbs within a few weeks. Be sure to always repot your herbs. Your herbs will need more nutrients and room than the post they are purchased in. If you are growing them from seeds transplanting them to a bigger container, this will also help them to become more plentiful and bountiful. After a few weeks, you will be shocked with how many herbs your garden will have.
How Much Water Does Your Herbs NeeD?
For new gardens, please note, do not be overabundant with your water production. For herbs that are planted in soil, you will want to check the soil first before watering. You should stick your finger into the soil about an inch or so. If the soil is damp, then check back every few days. If the soil is dry, give your plant enough water to make the soil moist again - but not so wet it feels muddy. I recommend letting your herbs drain in the sink after watering them to remove any excess water.
To check if your over watering or under watering, look underneath your plant's leaves. If they are becoming dry, brown, and/or brittle, you need to water a little more. If the leaves are yellowing or if you see mold in the pot, you are over watering. If this happens, do not water your plant until the soil is dry to the touch.
If herbs are overwatered, I recommend moving the plants to a shady area instead of the full sun. Once the soil is dry, please remove any dead leaves from your plant. If you are seeing this with the Aerogarden as well, make sure the leaves are removed and the water underneath is rinsed and cleaned. If there is any fungus on your plants, please use fungicide to remove any fungus.
Do not fertilize the plant until it is healthy again. These are rescue techniques that have worked for many others but the best advice I can give is to make sure you are watering your plants correctly from the beginning and make sure they have adequate drainage. It is much easier than trying to fix the problem after the fact.
Follow these easy steps and you will become a master grower in no time. Herbs are hearty and can add a beautiful touch to your decor. They are healthy and can be used in almost all of your dishes - and in some of your drinks!
To check if your over watering or under watering, look underneath your plant's leaves. If they are becoming dry, brown, and/or brittle, you need to water a little more. If the leaves are yellowing or if you see mold in the pot, you are over watering. If this happens, do not water your plant until the soil is dry to the touch.
If herbs are overwatered, I recommend moving the plants to a shady area instead of the full sun. Once the soil is dry, please remove any dead leaves from your plant. If you are seeing this with the Aerogarden as well, make sure the leaves are removed and the water underneath is rinsed and cleaned. If there is any fungus on your plants, please use fungicide to remove any fungus.
Do not fertilize the plant until it is healthy again. These are rescue techniques that have worked for many others but the best advice I can give is to make sure you are watering your plants correctly from the beginning and make sure they have adequate drainage. It is much easier than trying to fix the problem after the fact.
Follow these easy steps and you will become a master grower in no time. Herbs are hearty and can add a beautiful touch to your decor. They are healthy and can be used in almost all of your dishes - and in some of your drinks!
A little rosemary with baked chicken can elevate your dish to be chef worthy. If you have an abundant amount of basil, you can make an amazing pesto for your pasta dishes. These dishes are even better knowing that you grew some of the main ingredients for your dish and dish flavor. I hope you enjoy my tips for growing an indoor herb garden and enjoy your garden! I prefer mine in my cocktail.
REGARDS,
XO, Lisa
XO, Lisa
Disclaimer: This post is linked with Amazon Services, and as a Amazon Associate I will earn from qualifying purchases. But don't worry, this does not affect you at all.
Please NOTE: I am not a VET and if you make the decision to breed your dog, please follow the steps your professional vet tells you. This is just a loose guide on breeding. This guide will provide: if breeding is right for you, what to feed the puppies and tips/recommendations for your pups.
Hello there! Before I begin, if you are interested in breeding pure bred labs, please make sure this is the decision for you. Breeding is a major undertaking and with the serious issue of overcrowding in shelters, please ensure you are going to provide a safe and thriving environment for your dog. Make sure the dog line your breeding is free of cancer and common issues such as hip dysplasia. This is a major animal issue in our country, and we want to breed labs to promote a genetically healthy dog breed and to provide a healthy lovable animal for people and their family.
For me, my biggest goal in breeding is to promote a healthy lab breed and healthy long living dogs. I have talked to wayyyy to many people who have dealt with dogs at age 2 getting cancer and that is due to the breeder not caring about their genetic dog line. Some examples of world-wide breeding genetic issues are: bulldogs not being able to breathe due to compact nose/mouth and Dalmatians having a common issue of deafness.
For me, my biggest goal in breeding is to promote a healthy lab breed and healthy long living dogs. I have talked to wayyyy to many people who have dealt with dogs at age 2 getting cancer and that is due to the breeder not caring about their genetic dog line. Some examples of world-wide breeding genetic issues are: bulldogs not being able to breathe due to compact nose/mouth and Dalmatians having a common issue of deafness.
To start a dog business, I recommend looking at your local ordinances because one county might not track sale of dogs while another will track sale of dogs. To begin, the dogs you choose to breed, make sure the line is free of cancer and health issues. These dogs do not have to be AKC, so I always recommend to know the breeder where you purchase the dog or the line for both mother and stud.
To begin your journey, once your dog is pregnant, I recommend purchasing: a rectal thermometer, rags, pee towels or washable clothes, disposable gloves, paper towels, a Nasal Aspirator, supplement puppy milk powder, weight machine and puppy collars. While your dog is pregnant, I would call your vet right away and book an appointment for an X-ray. The X-ray will determine how many puppies will be born and if there are any issues with the puppies.
For your dog, a dog is only pregnant for three months. During this period, there pregnancy goes by very quickly, so please ensure you gather all your supplies once your dog is pregnant. For the first month, you do not have to up take any food, since the puppies are just embryos. When your dog is pregnant on day 30 (when a vet usually tells you to come in), they can detect your puppies heartbeat. You can start uping their food then. For the next month, you can then go into the vet and get an ultrasound or X-ray and they will show you the amount of puppies your dog will have. This is when the dog will start gaining the majority of their pregnancy weight. By the third month, your dog can be ready to give birth by day 58 to day 62. That is why you need a rectal thermometer, because you will start checking the dog's temperature starting on Day 55 twice a day. Once the temperature drops below 100F, that lets you know your dog is going to be into labor for the next 24 hours. You should also watch for these pregnancy signs as well: Nesting their whelping box, no interest in their food and panting.
When the dog gives birth, please be ready to assist with the birth. Puppies come in sacs and sometimes the mother needs assistance with opening the puppy's sacs. The mother usually eats the sac, but sometimes with the shock of the birth, the mother does nothing. Therefore, for the first birth, we just assisted with the mom to ensure the sac came out of her and we opened the sac so the puppy could breathe. That is why we recommend using rubber gloves and big trash bags to throw everything away. After the sac is off, we recommend cutting off the umbilical cord from the sac with dental floss. We want to make sure the mother does not do it because the mother can bite close to the skin and cause an infection. In addition, make sure the placentas come out from each of the sacs. We recommend counting the amount of placentas because if all the placentas are not out, the mother can experience placenta retainment.
Once the placenta is gone, the cord is cut and the puppy is dried with a towel, you can place the puppy near the Mom. This is when the puppies will start feeding. For my husband and I, once we started noticing the contractions hitting again, we grab the puppies, put them in a box and put them back on once another puppy was born. That is why its essential to know how many puppies there are.
Once they are born, please give each puppy a collar and then weigh the dogs accordingly. This will allow you to track their weight and make sure they are gaining enough weight each day. For the first day, the dog usually loses weight, but then the next day the puppy should be gaining close to 10% weight every day. If this does not happen, no worries! If they are losing weight, that is when you analyze which puppy is losing weight and make sure they get time with mom and if they need more assistance, you can provide them the powder milk.
At the time they are born, this is the time you want to start marketing your puppies. You can either create your own breeding company (please note, this alll depends on county and state laws) and post on the specific breeding Facebook group or, if you do not have a business, you can use another Facebook group, Craigslist, your local newspaper or local puppy websites. For our puppies, we usually sell them by word of mouth or exclusively on Craigslist. I actually like Craigslist because you can kind of get where the people are coming from and why they want a puppy specifically. Many folks always wanted a yellow lab, but many times they are selling for thousands of dollars (which if they aren't AKC, is nuts. That is wayy too much), so they went with us and got a beautiful yellow lab!
To begin your journey, once your dog is pregnant, I recommend purchasing: a rectal thermometer, rags, pee towels or washable clothes, disposable gloves, paper towels, a Nasal Aspirator, supplement puppy milk powder, weight machine and puppy collars. While your dog is pregnant, I would call your vet right away and book an appointment for an X-ray. The X-ray will determine how many puppies will be born and if there are any issues with the puppies.
For your dog, a dog is only pregnant for three months. During this period, there pregnancy goes by very quickly, so please ensure you gather all your supplies once your dog is pregnant. For the first month, you do not have to up take any food, since the puppies are just embryos. When your dog is pregnant on day 30 (when a vet usually tells you to come in), they can detect your puppies heartbeat. You can start uping their food then. For the next month, you can then go into the vet and get an ultrasound or X-ray and they will show you the amount of puppies your dog will have. This is when the dog will start gaining the majority of their pregnancy weight. By the third month, your dog can be ready to give birth by day 58 to day 62. That is why you need a rectal thermometer, because you will start checking the dog's temperature starting on Day 55 twice a day. Once the temperature drops below 100F, that lets you know your dog is going to be into labor for the next 24 hours. You should also watch for these pregnancy signs as well: Nesting their whelping box, no interest in their food and panting.
When the dog gives birth, please be ready to assist with the birth. Puppies come in sacs and sometimes the mother needs assistance with opening the puppy's sacs. The mother usually eats the sac, but sometimes with the shock of the birth, the mother does nothing. Therefore, for the first birth, we just assisted with the mom to ensure the sac came out of her and we opened the sac so the puppy could breathe. That is why we recommend using rubber gloves and big trash bags to throw everything away. After the sac is off, we recommend cutting off the umbilical cord from the sac with dental floss. We want to make sure the mother does not do it because the mother can bite close to the skin and cause an infection. In addition, make sure the placentas come out from each of the sacs. We recommend counting the amount of placentas because if all the placentas are not out, the mother can experience placenta retainment.
Once the placenta is gone, the cord is cut and the puppy is dried with a towel, you can place the puppy near the Mom. This is when the puppies will start feeding. For my husband and I, once we started noticing the contractions hitting again, we grab the puppies, put them in a box and put them back on once another puppy was born. That is why its essential to know how many puppies there are.
Once they are born, please give each puppy a collar and then weigh the dogs accordingly. This will allow you to track their weight and make sure they are gaining enough weight each day. For the first day, the dog usually loses weight, but then the next day the puppy should be gaining close to 10% weight every day. If this does not happen, no worries! If they are losing weight, that is when you analyze which puppy is losing weight and make sure they get time with mom and if they need more assistance, you can provide them the powder milk.
At the time they are born, this is the time you want to start marketing your puppies. You can either create your own breeding company (please note, this alll depends on county and state laws) and post on the specific breeding Facebook group or, if you do not have a business, you can use another Facebook group, Craigslist, your local newspaper or local puppy websites. For our puppies, we usually sell them by word of mouth or exclusively on Craigslist. I actually like Craigslist because you can kind of get where the people are coming from and why they want a puppy specifically. Many folks always wanted a yellow lab, but many times they are selling for thousands of dollars (which if they aren't AKC, is nuts. That is wayy too much), so they went with us and got a beautiful yellow lab!
For the puppies, many breeders will sell there puppies at 8 weeks or they might wait until they are 12 weeks. This all depends on your preference, but many professionals will agree that you should wait until they are at least 9 weeks old and can be away from their mom. Some professionals will even argue that puppies are not ready until 12 weeks old. It all depends on what you prefer and how much you are willing to spend on puppy food.
I hope you enjoy your puppies because they will grow super-fast. Please enjoy the time you have with them and thank you very much for reading. Any specific questions about feed or anything else, please contact me at: lisa@familyfarmandbakery.com or comment below!