A Crafty Way to Reuse Seed Packets - DIY Seed Packet Bunting

Looking to add a touch of charm to your garden this year? Don't toss those seed packets just yet! As avid gardeners, we know how quickly they accumulate. Instead, let's repurpose them into something delightful – seed packet bunting!

All you need is a handful of empty seed packets, worsted weight string or jute, scissors, and a paper hole punch.

Here's how to do it:

  1. Trimming the Packets: Carefully cut a triangle out of the bottom of each empty seed packet, ensuring the tails are even.

  2. Making Holes: Punch two holes at the top of each packet using a paper hole punch.

  3. Stringing Together: Cut a piece of string – I recommend worsted weight yarn or jute – and thread the packets onto it one by one. For a balanced look, alternate the threading pattern.

  4. Optional: Laminating for Durability: To make the bunting more water-resistant, consider laminating the seed packets. This not only protects them but also makes them suitable for use on farm stands, coops, or within your garden.

This craft isn't just for adults – it's perfect for involving kids too! Not only does it provide a creative outlet, but it also helps improve fine motor skills.

So, before you toss those seed packets away, give them a new lease of life with this fun and eco-friendly DIY project.

Fizz and Flavor: Crafting Your Own Probiotic Soda

Lately, ginger bug soda has been stealing the spotlight in my videos, and it warms my heart to see so many of you diving into the world of crafting healthy, fermented sodas at home! The beauty of it lies in the ability to tweak flavors and embark on your own soda-making experiments. Now, for those of you curious about what exactly a ginger bug is, think of it as a sourdough starter's fizzy cousin – a culture of beneficial bacteria fueled by fresh ginger and sugar, giving birth to delightful, effervescent sodas!

Starting a Ginger Bug:

Kick off your soda journey by combining 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped or grated ginger (skin on), 2 tablespoons of white sugar or honey, and filling the jar with filtered water. Cover it up with a ferment lid or a regular canning lid (just keep it loose for that gas to escape). Let it chill at room temperature. Now, here's the daily drill: add more sugar or honey and ginger. After around 5 days, it should be bubbling up and tasting like a ginger beer dream.

Whenever you need to hit the pause button, toss the ginger bug in the fridge to slow down its fermentation dance.

Making Flavored Soda:

Ready for the main event? Grab a new container and blend 1 cup of filtered ginger bug with 1 cup of your favorite juice. Let the magic happen at room temperature for 2-3 days, then cool things down in the fridge to slow it all down. Voilà, it's ready for your sipping pleasure!

Pine Soda:

For a forest-inspired twist, mix 1 cup of filtered ginger bug with a handful of fresh pine needles (be sure to use needles from an edible conifer!) and 2 tablespoons of sugar or honey. You can also add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice for a more citrus flavor. Let it ferment for 2-3 days, chill, and savor the pine-infused goodness.

Get ready to sip and savor your homemade fizzy concoctions – the ginger bug way! 🍹✨

Rendering Lard the Easy Way

RENDERING LARD

How I render lard with just a slow cooker.

This week I rendered about 10 pounds of lard. It might sound like a daunting task, but trust me, it's actually quite simple and incredibly rewarding!

So, over the past year, I've been on a mission to make the most of every part of the animals we harvest. One of the ways I've been doing this is by learning to render fat. Rendering fat allows you to transform it into a versatile ingredient that can be used in cooking, baking, and even soap making.

I recently got my hands on some leaf fat, which is the internal fat from a pig. It's incredibly soft, almost like butter, and it results in the creamiest lard with a very mild flavor.

Now, here's the fun part - I learned to render fat the easy way, using a slow cooker! Sure, you can do it on the stovetop, but I find the slow cooker to be much more convenient. With the slow cooker, you don't have to worry about maintaining the temperature or constantly stirring to prevent burning. The goal here is to melt the fat, not cook it!

I started by chopping up the fat. I prefer to do this when it's still somewhat frozen, as room temperature fat can be quite slippery. You can also run it through a meat grinder for an even finer chop. The finer you chop the fat, the more lard you'll get per pound.

Next, I placed the chopped fat in my slow cooker on low. I stirred it every few hours to ensure it melted evenly and to prevent burning. I usually start this process in the evening, and by the next afternoon, it's ready to strain!

Once the bits of fat have turned into crispy cracklins, I turn off the heat and allow it to cool for about 30 minutes to an hour. You want it to be warm and liquid for straining, but not too hot. I strain the liquid fat through a cheesecloth and ladle it into sterile jars.


You can store your freshly rendered lard at room temperature for around 6 months, in the fridge for a year, and in the freezer for about 2 years! It's such a satisfying feeling to have a batch of homemade lard ready to use in all sorts of delicious recipes.

I hope this inspires you to give rendering lard a try. It's a simple process that yields fantastic results, and it's a wonderful way to make the most of every part of the animals we raise. Cheers to homemade lard and all the delicious dishes you can create with it!


Winter Wellness for Free-Range Chickens

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Free-ranging chickens thrive on foraging for their food, but come Winter, ensuring they get the nutrients they need becomes crucial for their health and to ensure you keep getting eggs through the Winter. Here's how I maintain my flock's health during the colder months:

  • Balanced Feed: I opt for a balanced mix of layer pellets and scratch grain feed, with a 1:1 ratio. This combination provides the necessary protein and calcium for egg production, while the whole grains offer essential vitamins and nutrients to keep my chickens healthy.

  • Table Scraps: Utilizing kitchen scraps is a cost-effective way to give my chickens a treat. While avoiding high-salt foods, raw onions, citrus, avocado, and dried beans, I offer leftover meats, veggies, and bread. This not only provides extra calories but also adds a variety of nutrients to their diet.

  • Black Soldier Fly Larvae: My secret weapon for winter chicken wellness is black soldier fly larvae. These larvae are rich in protein, calcium, lysine, and phosphorus, which are essential for not only overall health, but also for promoting egg laying and strengthening eggshells. I source mine from GrubTerra, a company known for its sustainable practices. Each pound of grubs from GrubTerra helps divert 20 lbs of food waste from landfills, making it an eco-friendly choice.

  • Herbal boost: In addition to their regular feed, I love incorporating herbs into my chickens' daily diet for an extra health boost. I sprinkle a mixture of crushed red pepper, sage, garlic powder, stinging nettle, and parsley into their feed. These herbs not only add flavor but also offer various health benefits. Garlic powder, for example, is known for its immune-boosting properties, while parsley provides essential vitamins and minerals. Sage and crushed red pepper can aid in digestion and provide natural pest control. Stinging nettle is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. This herbal blend enhances the overall well-being of my flock throughout the Winter season.

With these simple methods, we ensure that our free-range chickens stay healthy and productive throughout the Winter months!

Interested in ordering black soldier fly larvae from GrubTerra? Don't forget to apply coupon code "yarnandthyme" at checkout to enjoy a 10% discount on your purchase.


Giving your flock treats also gives an opportunity to get them more comfortable with you, which is useful in the long run. You don’t want to have to fight with your chicken if they have a wound!

Sourdough Banana Bread


As Northeast Georgia wraps itself in a chilly embrace of cold, wind, and rain, the muddy landscape calls for a cozy retreat indoors. Embracing the coziest of combinations, my go-to remedy involves the comforting duo of hot cocoa and freshly baked goodies. Recently, with a surplus of perfectly ripe bananas in hand, I whipped up a delightful batch of banana bread using my favorite recipe, which incorporates the unique touch of sourdough.

For those looking to infuse even more sourdough goodness into their banana bread, a simple modification can elevate the flavor. By swapping out a portion of the flour and liquid with sourdough starter, you can get more of the sourdough flavor. My go-to adjustment to make any recipe a sourdough one is a ratio of 1 cup of sourdough starter, resulting in 1 cup less of both flour and liquid. In this recipe, you’d reduce the flour by 1 cup and skip the milk. This adjustment not only adds depth to the taste but also enhances the overall texture of the banana bread.

Here’s the recipe:


Wet Ingredients:

1 1/2 mashed ripe bananas

1/2 cup active sourdough starter

2 large eggs

1/4 cup of milk

1/2 cup of oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Optional Enhancements:

Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Instructions:

1. Mix the Wet Ingredients:

In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, active sourdough starter, eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix them well.

2. Integrate the Dry Ingredients:

Gradually add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet mixture. Gently fold the ingredients together until a uniform batter forms.

3. Optional Flavor Boost:

For an extra layer of warmth and crunch, add cinnamon, nutmeg, and the delightful texture of chopped walnuts. Adjust the quantities based on your preferences.

4. Baking Perfection:

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Pour the batter into a buttered loaf pan, spreading it evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top achieves a pretty golden brown hue. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean meaning that your bread is ready.

5. Pro Tip: A Non-Stick Finish

To ensure easy removal, prevent sticking by generously rubbing butter on the interior of your loaf pan before pouring in the batter. This small step makes a significant difference in how easy the loaf comes out of the pan!

Springtime Flower Jelly Recipe

We are a few short days away from the Spring Equinox here and it feels like it. Daffodils, dandelions and yellow bells (aka forsythia) are dotting our countryside with cheery yellows. I always look forward to seeing them. They’re the first flowers to bloom here and all are useful. Daffodils I collect for dyeing with. While dandelion and forsythia is used in my apothecary and for jelly!

I’ve often heard dandelion jelly called “poor man’s honey” since it has such a similar taste to honey. When you add forsythia to it, it gives it a beautiful floral taste that can only be described as “spring in a jar”.

Here’s how I make jelly out of dandelions and forsythia.

• 9 cups of flowers, the more dandelions the darker the color of the jelly. Use forsythia and dandelions. Cut green sepal and receptacle off of dandelions to avoid bitterness. Keep all the fluff and petals of the dandelion.

• Cover flowers in boiling water and steep for 4 hours. Then strain the tea from the flowers.

• Heat on the stove and add pectin (follow the directions on your box), 1 tsp vanilla extract and 4 tblspn lemon juice, optional add 1/2 cup of raw honey. 

You can also use this method with violet flowers, lemon balm, mint, lavender flowers, lilacs and more.

I’m sure some are asking, no sugar? I say in the recipe to follow your box of pectin’s instructions, which is were the sugar comes in. Sugar is needed for pectin to set properly. How much you need to use can depend on your brand of pectin you use. If you don’t want to use sugar, there are brands of pectin that are sugar free. In that case, you can add no sugar or use a sugar substitute.

Enjoy your Springtime Jelly!



Herbal Salve Making

One of my favorite herbal goodies to keep on hand is body balm. I make a fresh batch every year, using different infused oils for different herbal properties. I make herbal infused oils all Summer long, let them steep slowly over month. Last night I strained 2 jars, a blend of violet + plantain leaf and another blend of calendula + chamomile + lavender + yarrow + plantain. Both slowly infused in organic olive oil. One of the best oils to use for skin.

A question I get a lot when talking about skin salves and balms is “what herbs should I use”. Ultimately, its up to you and your needs. But, let me go over my favorites for skin care.

Violets have great skin healing properties, they are cooling, anti-inflammatory, & great for lymph movement.

Plantain is amazing for skin healing, as well. One of the first wild herbs I recommend anyone to learn. Its great for rashes, bug bites/stings, calming minor sunburn, eczema, any minor skin problem really.

Calendula is another amazing one for skin. One many folks know and grow! Its very anti-inflammatory, great for rashes, minor skin wounds, minor sunburns, eczema and more!

Yarrow is used in this recipe for its ant-bacterial properties. But its great for minor wounds as well. Many folks keep powdered yarrow leaf to stop bleeding on small cuts and it works great with its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

 Lavender is a wonderful calm herb, not just aromatically! Its got a great calming effect on the skin, which works great when paired with other herbs for skin.

Chamomile, like Lavender, is also calming. Its also full of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Studies show it helps reduce signs of aging, accelerates skin cell renewal as well as tissue renewal.

There are so many more herbs out there to use for skin, inflammation, minor cute and more. The more research and experimentation you do, the better!

My Salve Recipe

* An overflowing 1/4 cup of beeswax

* 1/2 cup of shea butter

* 1 1/2 cup of herbal infused oil

* Few drops (or 1 capsule) of vitamin E oil

Melt all together in a double boiler, then pour into your jars. For a lotion bar recipe, simply add 1/2 cup more beeswax! 

(This is not medical advice. Please research the herbs & decide for yourself which ones to use.)

Mushroom and Lichen Dyes

As long as I can remember, mushrooms and lichens enchanted me. They looked otherwordly and alien among the forest and fields. The past few years I’ve taken my interest in fungi and lichens by photographing and IDing ones I find on my hikes and walks. Mostly out of curiousity and wonder.

 

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I found a couple articles months ago about using lichens and fungi as a dye source, you bet I was amazed. I found a couple good source books on what species are good dyes, and how the process varies from most other ways of natural dye. I have yet to experiment and get hands on learning with this new range of dye materials but I have begun to collect some.

 

Since lichens are such a slow growing organism, its widely considered unethical to collect lichens from trees and rocks where they are thriving. Its best to collect from fallen limbs. I’m thankful that the cherry trees in the backyard have many lichens growing on them, and a cherry tree being a cherry tree, they loose a lot of limbs every time the wind blows it seems. So I’ve been collectinf the fallen limbs for firewood, as I normally do, but taking the time to first harvest the lichens from them. Its a bit of work and I only get a small ammount of lichens at a time. 

Now, getting into the mushrooms is a different story. With mushrooms, you must always be careful to properly ID them before dyeing because if you use a poisonous species, then the yarn or fabric you dye could leech those toxins out onto the wearer. I’m taking my time to ID them and so far I havent found any that are considered good dyers.

I will, of course, keep you updated with my experiments!