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Do It Yourself Skills

Do It Yourself Skills

for self-reliant living

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      • Annuals
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Grow

Learn how to grow your own food and flowers, to create an oasis in your back yard or balcony.

Dehydrating Fresh Tomatoes & Basil

by DoItYourselfSkills
Slices of fresh tomatoes and fresh basil leaves on a rack in the dehydrator

Dehydrating fresh tomatoes and basil is a great way to preserve the harvest for use throughout the year. I like to do both at once, since my dehydrator has enough room, and the house smells amazing! Dehydrating fresh tomatoes and basil Tomatoes were companion planted with green basil, and they done producing for the season. … Read more

Categories Harvesting, Cook, Herbs, Homestead, Pantry Prep, Recipes Leave a comment

Making Opal Basil Herbal Vinegar

by DoItYourselfSkills
bottles of finished opal basil vinegar and jar of steeping opal basil vinegar

Every summer, I make this beautiful, raspberry tinted opal basil vinegar with the herbs from the garden. It’s a great marinade for flank steaks, or to use on a salad with olive oil. You’ll definitely want some opal basil in your herb garden! What is opal basil? Opal basil is an herb that I grow … Read more

Categories Harvesting, Herbs, Recipes Leave a comment

Zucchini Bread

by DoItYourselfSkills
Decorate plate with slices of freshly baked zucchini bread

This zucchini bread recipe is so good! The zucchini bread is moist, and full of yummy spices – perfect on its own or slathered with cream cheese – and it it really easy to make. Make this two-loaf recipe now, and pop one loaf in the freezer to enjoy later. Zucchini Bread Recipe Ingredients for … Read more

Categories Recipes, Cook, Frugal Living, Harvesting, Homestead, Vegetables Leave a comment

Zesty Zoodles

by DoItYourselfSkills
Zoodles (raw zucchini noodles) and other raw vegetables in a zesty sauce - zesty zoodles!

If you are looking for a quick, raw vegetable summertime lunch, you have got to try this zesty zoodles recipe. If you are not familiar with them, zoodles are “noodles” made from fresh zucchini – made with a special gadget called a spiralizer. Every summer, the garden produces tons (and tons) of zucchini. What I … Read more

Categories Recipes, Cook, Harvesting, Homestead, Vegetables Leave a comment

Gardening: when it’s not all green thumbs and roses

by DoItYourselfSkills
Peace rose bud with text overlay of Gardening: when it's not all green thumbs and roses

With the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and food shortages in the grocery stores, I had high hopes for my vegetable garden. Plans were to double its size, and plant it heavily with lots of different crops that I could preserve by canning, freezing and dehydrating. My garden would become my own little urban homesteader prepping stockpile … Read more

Categories Grow, Vegetables Leave a comment

10 Easy to Grow Annuals

by DoItYourselfSkills
Orange marigolds with drops of water on the petals

Flowers are a great addition to any garden! Here are some easy to grow annuals guaranteed to brighten up every corner of your yard, patio or balcony.

Categories Grow, Annuals, Flowers Leave a comment

How to Make Chive Blossom Vinegar

by DoItYourselfSkills
chive blossom vinegar

The clumps of chives in the herb garden are just beginning to blossom, and I’ll be using them to make chive blossom vinegar. This gorgeous pale pink herbal vinegar is so easy to make, and gives salad a subtle hint of onion flavour. What you will need to make Chive Blossom Vinegar: a glass jar – large … Read more

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Ultimate Guide to Planning Your First Vegetable Garden

by DoItYourselfSkills
Fresh vegetables from the garden with a text overlay

Hands down, one of the best ways to save money and have guaranteed availability, is to grow as much of your own food as you can. And yes, you can do it! Starting a small vegetable garden is easy! If you have kids, they will love to help and it’s such a great learning experience for … Read more

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12 Reasons to Start a Garden

by DoItYourselfSkills
Slices of tomatoes - fresh from the garden. Just one of the 12 reasons to start a garden!

Thinking about starting a vegetable garden, but not quite convinced yet? Let me give you a nudge with my top 12 reasons why you need to start a vegetable garden this year. Once you start having your own garden, you’ll be hooked! In no particular order: Convenience It’s a produce stand right in your back yard … Read more

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How to Cook Acorn Squash that Everyone will Love

by DoItYourselfSkills
How to prepare and cook acorn squash grown in the garden

It’s simple to prepare and cook acorn squash, and it’s such a great addition to a meal! Baked with butter and brown sugar, acorn squash is a tradition every year at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. But you don’t have to wait until November to make this delicious treat!

Categories Cook, Frugal Living, Grow, Harvesting, Homestead, Recipes, Vegetables Leave a comment

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