DIY Maple Syrup Tapping System for under $1 [new infographic updated for 2016]

It’s just about time, folks.  If you live in the northern US/southern Canada and have maple trees on your land and you don’t tap your trees for their magical sap, you are missing out!  Maybe you think the setup is too difficult, or maybe too pricey?  We used to think so too, but turns out it is neither!  Check out our infographic below to see our super simple system that brings us a year’s supply of delicious maple syrup for under $1 per tree.

How to make Hard Apple Cider [infographic]

Homebrewing is so IN right now, isn’t it?!  I love homebrewing and take pride in the fact that a majority of the alcohol consumed in our home is not only responsibly consumed, it’s like 75% or more completely home made!  But brewing beer can be time consuming and requires ingredients that aren’t always that local.  Cider, on the other hand, well that stuff practically grows on trees!  Boo ya!  Want to make some hard cider? We’ll show you how!

Thoughts after walking around in a Walmart

Everyone that goes to Walmart is looking for solutions to their problems. And there are two types of problems Walmart solves.  Real problems like a needing an oil filter for their car or maybe some needing some groceries.  Then there are the imaginary problems that Walmart convinces you that you have and the products you buy that you didn’t need in the first place.

Hügelkultur – How to Easily Make Free and Sustainable Raised Garden Beds

Say it 3 times fast: Hügelkultur! Hügelkultur! Hügelkultur!  That’s right, that “u” has an umlaut, so you know we mean business. But just because we’re going to get down and dirty doesn’t mean hügelkultur is difficult. In fact, you can take any patch of lawn on your land and convert it to a raised hügelkultur garden bed in under an hour.  Seriously! I did it while our almost 3 year old threw constant distractions my way and started up conversations with every worm she found.

Using Google Calendar to Plan Your Vegetable Garden and Other Farm Tasks

Every farmer has a system they swear by for planning their garden.  Some use graph paper and sketch out their plots, others write scrupulous notes in journals and track all activity through the year, and others scratch notes into the beams in their shed with a pocketknife.  One thing is consistent, though: to have a successful garden, you need to plan and pay attention.  What do we do?  Believe it or not, we choose to rely on some modern technology around here and use Google Calendar to plan out our vegetable garden, chickens, maple syrup, and any other chores we want to ensure get done at the right time.  Google Calendar is a great way to do this that keeps us on top of things while being easily accessible on any of our devices.  And best of all, it is FREE.

DIY Guitar Wall Mount Made With A Deer Antler [instructions]

Did you have a successful shed hunt?  (Click here if you don’t know what I’m talking about).  Play guitar or know someone who does? If you have an antler with the right point positioning (or are willing to buy one), you might be able to make a super easy and fantastic looking wall mount for a guitar, bass, banjo, ukulele, etc.  

How to Make Sugar on Snow (aka Maple Taffy) [infographic]

It’s safe to say that we’ve got maple syrup on our minds! Between checking our taps daily and our daughter’s love of maple sugaring themed books, we have it covered.  And we’ve been eager to try Sugar on Snow, aka Maple Taffy, aka easy, fun, and delicious treat!

Our Inexpensive and Easy DIY Maple Syrup Evaporator

The sap collection has been slow here with winter holding on tight with below freezing temperatures and deep snow covering our land.  So far we’ve only pulled about a half gallon of sap per tap.  But hey, at least we collected enough to warrant a boil!  We build our own evaporator instead of shelling out big bucks for the fancy ones, read on to see how we did it.