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Know Your Firewood Moisture Content

Knowing firewood moisture content can make the difference between creating steam or heat. Most folks agree that water doesn’t burn, not unless you break H2O down into H and O, both of which are highly flammable, and that doesn’t happen in your stove or furnace.

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How to Store Firewood: Try Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Racks

One thing we have in abundance here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina is firewood. Last winter, we noticed that the number of wood piles on our neighbors’ properties increased dramatically.

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Beef Composites and Breed Definition
September 12, 2022 · · Cattle

We frequently hear the terms crossbred, hybrid, composite, or synthetic when referring to breed definition, and we often wonder exactly what these terms mean.

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Starting a Petting Zoo Business

Why not make use of the resources you already have on hand — farm animals, land, and a love of sharing them with others — and try starting a petting zoo business?

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Ideas for National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month. Here are a few suggestions on ways you can observe National Preparedness Month.

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An Easier Way of Making Tomato Sauce From Scratch
August 5, 2022 · · Canning & Kitchen, Recipes

Add to Favorites You’ve mastered how to care for tomato plants. Now you want a tomato canning recipe, or just an easier way of making tomato sauce from scratch. Would …

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Food Preservation Methods for an Abundant Tomato Harvest
August 5, 2022 · · Canning & Kitchen

Add to Favorites As an herbalist, I’m always thinking of ways to use the abundance of herbs this time of year. Couple that with a huge tomato harvest and it’s …

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How to Sell Produce to Restaurants: 11 Tips for Modern Farmers
August 5, 2022 · · Growing

Add to Favorites Knowing how to sell produce to restaurants is another part of farming, says Wendy Baroli. “If you’re in the business of farming, you also have to be …

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Preparing for Market

Add to Favorites By Alexis Griffee Many farmers have perfected their trade on the farm, yet have no formal training or experience in how to market themselves or their farms to …

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Fire Preparedness On The Farm
August 1, 2022 · · Self-Reliance

Fire preparedness is an often-overlooked issue on the farm and homestead. Have you looked at your homestead or farm through the eyes of a firefighter?

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A Guide to Pepper Plant Diseases
July 17, 2022 · · Growing

Add to Favorites Hot, sweet, purple, yellow, wrinkly or bell – I love all peppers. If you find yourself wanting to harvest your peck of peppers, but are having trouble …

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Off-Grid Battery Banks: The Heart of the System

Add to Favorites By Dan Fink – Anyone who owns a vehicle likely already has a love-hate relationship with the starting battery inside. It’s heavy, dirty, expensive, dangerous, and always seems …

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7 Tips for How to Start Living Off The Grid

Add to Favorites By Dave Stebbins – Living off-grid is living the dream. Enjoying all the amenities while not being dependent on the power company fires the imagination. Sunlight sparkles …

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When to Add Perlite Soil to Container Gardens
May 27, 2022 · · Growing

Add to Favorites What in the world is perlite soil anyway? Is it organic? I do a lot of container gardening, especially with my herb plants. Since I try to …

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How to Build a Cattle Panel Hoop House

Add to Favorites By Julie Harrell, New York, Zone 5B My cattle panel hoop house is a community gathering place. Recently, my sweet neighbor of almost 20 years and soul …

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