Author Archives: myurbanhomesteadstl

There are really two main ways to dry peppers. You can use a dehydrator or you can air dry them. One method takes about 12 hours, one take a few weeks. I know what you all are thinking, the dehydrator seems like the best option. It’s much, much faster. While I agree with you, IContinue reading “Drying Cayenne Peppers”

During the summer we est as many fresh tomatoes as we can! However, with just two people and 12 tomato plants, we get more tomatoes than we can handle. Canning is how we deal with this “issue.” I like to can the tomatoes peeled and whole without salt so I can use them in whateverContinue reading “Canning Tomatoes”

There is nothing better than fresh salsa, especially Salsa Verde! It’s my favorite, and it’s so easy. Just a few ingredients and you’ve got a delicious salsa. This salsa can be water bath canned for long term storage or kept in the refrigerator. Enjoy! Ingredients: Tomatillos (1 lb) 1 half onion Spicy peppers (3-6 ofContinue reading “Salsa Verde”

1. Start Composting I have an old bowl that sits on my countertop that I put all my cooking scraps. Once the bowl fills up (or gets too gross), I take it out back and dump it into my compost piles. I am blessed to have enough space that I can have compost piles. IContinue reading “Top 5 Ways to Start Living a More Sustainable Lifestyle”

I love having all natural laundry pods that save money and clean clothes just as well as store bought pods. Recipe: 1 cup washing soda 1 cup baking soda 1 cup Castile soap 1/2 cup white vinegar 15-20 drops essential oils Directions: 1. Add the Castile soap, washing soda, and baking soda to a largeContinue reading “Laundry Pods”

I can’t believe it but it’s already time to start seeds! Even in January, we need to start growing seedlings indoors that will later be transplanted outside. In order to start seeds indoors, you 1) need a seed starting grow set up and 2) you need a seed starting mix. Your seed starting mix hasContinue reading “Seed Starting Mix”

We had a very late start to the cold times here in St. Louis, MO, so I didn’t do the full winterizing until this past week. I’ll explain what I mean by full and partial later in this post. I tend to not do full winterizing until the temps are below 40 degrees on aContinue reading “Winterizing the Coop”

Dry Shampoo is a wonder for those days you don’t want to wash your hair and it may be getting a little oily. I love using this so that I limit the amount I am washing my hair, which not only protects my hair but saves water from less showers. Ingredients: 4 tablespoons arrowroot powderContinue reading “Dry Shampoo”

We finally got to the end of our disposable hand soaps. I hated all the plastic that was being thrown away, but I also didn’t want to waste them by starting something new. So many months later, we are finally done with them! Huzzah! I decided that I wanted to start making my own handContinue reading “Foaming Hand Soap”

With my garden always expanding and with plans to more than triple the current size, I needed to find a more sustainable and more inexpensive way to get seedlings. I have never started seeds indoors before, but I figured I’d give it a try! I did a lot of research on how others set upContinue reading “Setting Up the Indoor “Greenhouse””