More fruit in the garden? Yes please. It might be challenging to find this little tropical tasting fruit in a greenhouse, but many heirloom seed companies carry ground cherry seeds. And once you have them, they will self seed themselves. ...
Wonderberry: Is this Success or Failure?
A few years ago I had a mission to plant more fruit in my garden. Besides various melons (like these and these), I found an historic, annual, heirloom berry called Wonderberry. Here is what you need to know about it. To be honest, I’m not sure if my ...
Summer Squash Success
I’m always trying new things in the garden. For a couple of bucks I can get a package of seeds and satisfy my curiosity. Summer squash produce quickly and abundantly, so it’s worth the minimal effort it takes to grow them! Let’s check out two ...
Part 2: How to Grow your own Garlic
I had the privilege of attending a garden club event where local a garlic farmer who runs Lockport Gardens here in Manitoba gave the low down on how to grow your own garlic. I’ve grown my own garlic for a few years, and it was great to get a ...
Part 1: Why Local Garlic
Why local garlic? Why pay more? Why go to the effort? Learn why foreign garlic should stay out of your cart. Get a brief overview of the myriad health and medicinal benefits of garlic. It’s all here on why local garlic is king. I had the ...
80 Year Old House Reno 17: Installing Siding
Back to work on the old house renovation! Summer is well under way, but the siding on the addition is finished. Let’s take a look at what we’ve done! A long time ago, Kent decided he liked the board and batten siding. To be honest, it didn’t ...
Homemade Potato Salad
Tired of bland, mushy potato salad? Try this tasty rendition of homemade potato salad for your next potluck barbeque. Just don’t expect to bring any home. I needed to find a potato salad recipe for just such a potluck because someone else ...
Harvesting Willow Bark
Here are the details for harvesting willow bark! Get the when, what, where and how of this useful medicinal plant. When I was first looking into harvesting willow bark, I was surprised to find the details few and far between, scattered around ...
Homemade Chicken Salad
This homemade chicken salad recipe is completely satisfying – a bit of salty, a bit of sweet, a bit of summer dill. Grab it for a summer picnic, weekday lunch, or dress it up for a party. You can’t go wrong! You know when you sometimes get a ...
Homemade Granola
This homemade granola is full of options, such as nuts and dried fruit, with a classic crunchy base of oatmeal. Sweetened with honey, this is a healthy option for a hearty breakfast or afternoon snack. Ultimate yogourt parfait, anyone? A friend ...
I'm Erika, I live on eighty acres in the northern prairies of southern Manitoba with my husband and four kids. Here, we enjoy the outdoors and try to be more self sufficient as we try new things in the garden and learn about our land and the world around us.