herbs Archives - Homesteader DepotHomesteader Depot

5 Step DIY Soap

Making your own soap can be a fun and creative experience. You have the advantage to create a product that is safer than those available in stores and something that is free of perfumes or chemicals. You can also save money over time by making your own soap when compared to products in stores that contain the same natural ingredients. Need another good reason? You can sell it and make a reasonable profit to help you buy the things you need. If you are creative with making soap, you can use molds to make natural skin care products into tiny […]

5 Natural Medicines You Need to Know

More and more people are turning to natural remedies, especially for day-to-day injuries and ailments. The concept of antibiotics goes back well before the discovery of penicillin. In fact, some of the natural medications used most have good antibiotic properties. Whether you are suffering from a cut or scrape, or a classic cold, flu, earache, or UTI there are remedies that can assist your body in getting rid of it and getting you back on your feet. Natural Aspirin The most commonly talked about Salicylic Acid, or natural aspirin, is Willow Bark. Used for thousands of years, modern-day aspirin was […]

5 Creative Ways to Reuse Old Cans

When faced with a number of empty cans in the kitchen, most of us choose to toss them into the recycling bin and call it a day. Instead, why not turn this common resource into some interesting, fun and creative ways to organize and decorate your home and garden? Whether you use some leftover paint, glue, and fabric, go crazy with a tin punch or drill, or just leave them in their natural metallic finish, there are a number of ways these little cylinders can occupy your time and beautify your life. Option 1 – Indoor Herb Garden Standard vegetable […]

How to Make Aromatic Potpourri

If you are a flower gardener or simply love the smell of fragrant potpourri, you should definitely learn to make your own. You can harvest and process your own flower petals or buy your own and make several sachets to give to friends and family. There are few more thoughtful, easy homemade gifts than an aromatic sachet of potpourri! The most common bases for potpourri are rose petals and sweet geranium leaves. If you grow roses, this is a wonderful way to use the petals once the flowers begin to die. You can add to these whatever you like, and […]

10 Powerful Plants That Repel Mosquitoes

While I’m thrilled for warm weather to finally return, I’m not as excited about the flying pests that come with it. As spring marches on and the land is replenished with rainfall, potential hotspots for mosquitoes are developing. In addition to checking your property for areas where water is allowed to pool (your mosquitoes will use these as their own personal birthing centers), you can take safe steps to prevent infestation with these naturally-repellent plants! Citronella Grass/Lemongrass is the source of citronella oil that is used in many commercial insect repellent products like citronella candles and tiki torches. It can […]

The Best Essential Oils to Start a Collection

There’s a lot of hype about essential oils out there, and it really is for good reason. Essential oils are a wonderful addition to any natural medicine cabinet. But it can be overwhelming trying to get yourself set up with some essential oils, and you can easily get sucked into some of the network marketing companies that sell essential oils for a very high price. or a bundle of several oils at once. You can easily spend up to a few hundred dollars on small bottles of oil that you won’t even use! There are literally dozens of types of […]

How to Make Infused Vinegar for Cleaning

If you want to clean using natural, green cleaning products, but miss the fragrant smells of conventional, store-bought cleaners, then this is a great idea for you. Scent-infused vinegar is a really great, and cheap way, to make your own fragrant cleaners that actually work. We’re definitely fans of essential oils here, but we understand a lot of people aren’t ready to make the dive into buying them, or aren’t sure how to use them properly. This recipe is cheap, easy, involves no essential oils, and cleans amazingly well. You even can most likely make your own custom cleaner with […]

Easiest Indoor Herbs to Grow

Herbs are a wonderful way to start gardening, either in a starter garden, on your patio, or even your windowsill. They don’t usually require a whole lot of work, are fine in containers, and are wonderful for adding fresh, healthy flavor to all kinds of dishes! Of course, if you want to use herbs primarily for cooking, or simply want a house plant that provides more than just decor, indoor herbs are perfect. Here is a list of some of the easiest herbs to grow indoor: Basil Basil is so easy to grow anywhere, and that includes indoors. You can […]

Tips for Growing Herbs Indoors

Herbs can be a helpful addition for any homesteader. They can be used for flavoring food, and in some cases, the herbs will even have medicinal purposes. Depending on where you live, you will not be able to have a garden all year long, and this would normally mean an end to your herb production until things warm up again. However, if you still want to grow your herbs throughout the year, it is possible. You just need to grow them indoors. Types of Herbs to Grow When you are growing herbs, think about the best types for your needs. […]

Herbs for Hens

There are so many great medicinal herbs out there, and humans don’t have to be the only ones who benefit. Your hens can greatly benefit from herbs as well! One of the big reasons commercial eggs are so unappealing these days is that the chickens that produce them are usually pumped full of antibiotics, as they typically live in close quarters, to protect them from illness and disease. This of course means there are antibiotics in the eggs, and it’s far from healthy to consume antibiotics you don’t actually need. It messes with your immune system and gut flora, which is […]

Growing Turmeric

Do you ever go inside after gardening with sore hands and stiff knees? Instead of reaching for some Advil or other store bought anti-inflammatory medicine, why not grow your own? Turmeric is a great medicinal plant because not only does it offer a wide array of health benefits, but it is one of the easiest plants to grow, and to harvest. Just head to your local Asian grocery store and look for a piece of turmeric root that you can use to grow your own plants from. Here’s how, and why you might want to. To Plant Simply purchase […]

When to Harvest Vegetables and Herbs

Time is a key factor in determining when to harvest vegetables. You want to be sure to harvest them when they are on the verge of maturity. The time of day is also a factor in assuring that you harvest vegetables appropriately. It’s helpful to keep the seed packet or plant identification marker for each item you plant in your garden. This is where you will find information regarding the estimated time to maturity. If you keep a garden journal, you can write that information in your journal. There are also plenty of charts available on line that list the […]

Benefits of Aloe Vera

The benefits of any plant should always be weighed against the difficulty of cultivating it. In the case of aloe vera, there are no difficulties to weigh against the long list of benefits. The list of both proven and supposed benefits is too long to include here, but these are a few of the known benefits of this wonder plant. Easy to Grow You don’t need a green thumb, or even garden space to grow aloe vera. Aloe vera can be grown in a container, tolerates anything from partial shade to full sun, is perennial, propagates on its own, […]

All About Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is a perennial herb in the mint family. It gets its name from the strong “lemony” smell of the leaves, which also have a tangy taste to them. If you aren’t currently growing some, here are a few reasons why you should start. Ease: Lemon balm is easy to start from seed and once established it needs little care. It can be grown in full sun in areas with mild weather, or in partial shade in hotter climates. Anti-viral: Lemon balm can help fight off viral infections. Sleep aid: Lemon balm has shown in tests to provide […]

All About Feverfew

Feverfew is a great resource to have on your homestead. With so much work to get done, you can’t just take a sick day every time you don’t feel good. You need to have a medicine on hand to get you back on your feet. Feverfew can help with that. Uses Feverfew can be used to treat headaches, reduce fever, and help with inflammation. It works by opening up your vascular system and allowing the blood to flow smoothly as it should. Feverfew is said to be safe for pregnant women and children. Cultivation Feverfew is grown from seed. […]

What to Plant to Attract Bees

Bees are essential for our survival, and they’re dying in record numbers. We need them to pollinate our plants, so as they are dying in record numbers worldwide, it is devastating to think of the effects this might have on life on earth. There’s only so much a single homesteader can do, but as bees are just as vital to our small operations as they are to global food production, we can definitely still try to do our part to attract, nourish and sustain bees on our humble homesteads. Of course, beekeeping is a great way to do this, and […]

How to Make Herb-Infused Oil

Simple, homemade herb-infused oils are a very easy, affordable and healthy way to use herbs in your garden for topical use or to add flavor to your cooking. Whether you simply want a fragrant, herbal oil to use as a moisturizer, or you’d like to harness the healing power of your medicinal herbs, it’s a great thing to know how to infuse them into oil. You can use the oils as a base for simple DIY healing balms. There are a number of home remedies you can make with infused oils as a base. For topical use and to add […]

Five Ways to Preserve Herbs

As summer winds down, you may have a garden brimming with herbs just dying to be harvested. One of the biggest downsides of herb gardens is how much work it can be to process all the herbs! A pretty good problem to have, if you ask me. Here are five great ways to make the most of a bulk herb harvest and keep your herbs through the winter, for many months of delicious cooking. Freezing This is quite possible the easiest and quickest method of preserving herbs. Simply toss your herbs in a Ziploc bag, squeeze the air out, and stick […]