"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Random Tidbits

My weekly menu is going by the "seat of my pants."  Monday I really didn't want to go out, so I made "Garbage" soup.  Basically, it contained whatever veggies I had left in my freezer, and pantry - green beans, dehydrated mushrooms, celery, tomato sauce, the very last pint of onion soup, a small bag of corn, some zucchini....some last bits of leftover zucchini salsa in the fridge...you get the point.  It was actually very good too, and it helped start the cleaning of the fridge.

Monday was a catch up day on laundry, bedding, and what not.  It literally took all day, and in between fetching the last of the firewood pile and taking dogs out, I wrote out my grocery list for the remaining week.  I did absolutely zero handiwork.  I think I just got to a "burned out" point last week.

Tuesday, there was plenty of leftover soup, and I made a huge bowl of organic romaine/spinach and lots of other raw veggies.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Stinging Nettle ~ Preparing it ~ Teas

Spring is just around the corner here, and nettles will be growing like crazy.  I'm posting today to encourage you to forage your edible weeds.  Ants love my stinging nettle, so I try to harvest it before they discover it.

Stinging Nettle is a wild growing weed.  It's best to harvest first thing in the spring, however larger leaves in summer can still be used for tea making.




Stinging nettle contains fiber, and protein, and is a packed with Vitamin C.  It also provides Vitamin A and other healthy nutrients.  It helps with seasonal allergies, helps removed retained water, reduces joint pain (arthritis), swelling, helps hair growth, may help with urinary issues, and more.  To obtain more information on edible and medicinal weeds, check your local library for resources.  Here is one useful book: