Growing mushrooms at home is surprisingly easy, especially if you start with any of these 10 beginner-friendly varieties.  Low-maintenance and easy to grow in limited space, mushrooms are a garden-corner powerhouse! From choosing your containers to inoculating your substrate, I’ll walk you through what you need to know to grow your own mushrooms. Mushrooms are... Read More The post Beginner’s Guide to Growing Mushrooms appeared first on Practical Self Reliance ..read more

Whether making freeze-dried bell peppers or freeze-dried spicy peppers, these crunchy little nuggets are great for preserving your summer harvest. Jalapenos, chilis, poblanos, and sweet peppers are all great candidates for freeze-drying.  How do you keep fresh peppers on hand all year long? Freeze-drying, of course! Freeze-drying peppers is a perfect way to pack up... Read More The post How to Freeze Dry Peppers (Hot or Sweet) appeared first on Practical Self Reliance ..read more

This simple recipe for a homemade herbal burn salve uses a combination of herbs that encourage wound healing, fight infection, alleviate pain, and reduce inflammation. Unfortunately, most of us experience minor burns occasionally. Despite our best intentions, we spend too much time in the sun without protection, bump hot woodstove edges, graze hot pans in... Read More The post Herbal Burn Salve appeared first on Practical Self Reliance ..read more

Freeze-drying tomatoes is an exceptional way to preserve these colorful summer fruits. Freeze-dried tomatoes last decades and are wonderful for adding to sandwiches, making tomato sauce or eating like veggie chips! Freeze-drying is one of the best preservation methods for tomatoes. While certain tomatoes are better than others for canning, you can freeze-dry any type... Read More The post How to Freeze Dry Tomatoes appeared first on Practical Self Reliance ..read more

Northern Wild Raisin (Viburnum cassinoides or V. Nudum) is a tasty wild edible viburnum species that are common in the north woods, especially around ponds, ditches, and other consistently wet areas.  The fruit taste remarkably like raisins, but with a single large seed inside.  They’re easy to identify and make a delicious trailside snack. Though... Read More The post Foraging Northern Wild Raisin (Viburnum cassinoides) appeared first on Practical Self Reliance ..read more

Edible trees?  Is that really a thing?  Yes!  Believe it or not, there are quite a few trees that are edible from root to tip.  While most of us only ever consume the fruits of common orchard trees, there are plenty of tasty edible trees to be enjoyed in any woodland. Trees provide so much,... Read More The post 25+ Edible Trees (& How to Use Them) appeared first on Practical Self Reliance ..read more

Fig Wine is a delicious way to use your fig harvest this season. Fig trees can be prolific, and a homemade wine with figs is an easy way to create a bumper crop. You can also use honey instead of sugar to turn your wine into a fig mead! Making fig wine from fresh figs... Read More The post Fig Wine (& Mead) appeared first on Practical Self Reliance ..read more

Crabapple wine is a wonderful way to use up those crab apples that so often go to waste. You can also try your hand at crab apple mead using honey instead for equally delicious results. Crab apples have a reputation for being tart and bitter, but there’s actually a lot of variation in their flavors,... Read More The post Crabapple Wine (& Mead) appeared first on Practical Self Reliance ..read more

Goldenrod is an edible and medicinal wild plant that many of us take for granted, but learning how to identify and use this wonderful wild weed will give you a newfound appreciation for its natural beauty. Goldenrod is one of those plants that it’s easy to take for granted, at least here in Vermont.  Just... Read More The post Foraging Goldenrod (Solidago sp.) appeared first on Practical Self Reliance ..read more

Hawthorn wine is a delectable drink perfect for sipping on warm summer evenings. Made from the berries of the hawthorn tree, this wine harbors a pleasing pink to red hue and ages well.  To make hawthorn wine, you’ll need to collect a good deal of haws (hawthorn berries) that grow on the small trees or... Read More ..read more