It is Friday so we have an interview show and today, I talk with Daniel Allen about aircrete – an interesting, insulative and very flexible building material that you may want to consider for your next project.

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Today, we will discuss three value-adding ideas for your garlic crop. Why? Because in just 3 weeks or so, it is time to plant garlic here and if you decide to sell garlic products, you may want to plant more than you did last year.

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Today, we will run through the various business endeavors going on here at the Holler Homestead and give on update on progress toward their goals – as well as share some lessons learned along the way.

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It can be a challenge to find a space in your home for a large dry erase board, but most of us live in places with windows. I like to keep categories of lists that I can look at in big print to keep things moving forward here at the Holler Homestead and something I learned years ago is that my windows are giant dry erase boards.

Now, you can use dry erase markers on them, but these fine tip chalk markers show up much better. I happen to have a dark colored wooden blind on my favorite dry erase window, so I find the lighter colors, like white and blue, are the most visible option. However, if you have a light blind on your window, you may find out that some of the darker colors, like red, pop more from your window.

Anyone who drops by the Holler Homestead will often see relics of lists, or drawings on the window right by my front door. This is because I like to jot things down as I am having morning coffee and my morning coffee is usually had in front of the house.

If you are having trouble finding the right space for YOUR dry erase board, consider a space-saving alternative and get some chalk markers.

 

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate and the links above are affiliate links.

Green Chili Day is just around the corner and I thought I would take some time today to share a few recipes, including my latest salsa recipe, talk about the event preparation and generally get folks excited to come here to the Holler Homestead and hang out. 

#HollerHatWednesday: Where is she and who is she with?

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Today I have something that is near and dear to my heart: I have been seeking something to support to help combat veterans who come home carrying a heavy burden. And this weekend, I had a great interview with Kurt Dugger of Freedom And Photography and Gretchen Catherwood of the Dark Horse Lodge. Kurt will embark on a  journey across the state of Tennessee in a paramotor to raise awareness of the high suicide rate among combat veterans – and to help raise money for the Dark Horse Lodge. This interview is well worth a listen.

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We all get them – those little, annoying sugar ants. Years ago, when we were first in the Holler, I would mix boric acid with sweetener and put it out for the little buggers. The first year, that worked. However, it slowly stopped working. We battled and battled the little buggers and I even had an extermination for them, which worked for a bit. But always, the little devils would return.

Then a friend let me in on a secret – her husband preferred to use Terro Ant Bait on their ants at home. This was big news since her husband was an exterminator. So I ordered some and tried them. And they worked GREAT.

It is now my habit to keep some of these little traps on hand so that I can put them out every time I see ants.

A note: this is not an all-or-nothing solution: They work the best out of anything I have tried. But they take a week or two, you need to put them in the line of ants so the bait gets found, and you need to practice good weed control around your house, as well as kitchen cleanliness. If you leave food for ants, more ants will come.

However, as a gentle household solution to the sugar ant problem, I prefer Terro Ant Bait over making my own.

Did I mention what these are made from sweetener and boric acid? Yup – the bait works by attracting the ants so they take it back to the nest and feed it to the queen and then it kills them. Boric acid is one of the gentler approaches to bug control from an environmental standpoint.

Links to Terro Ant Bait are from my Amazon Affiliate account.

Remember the one thing that I always say about moving to a homestead? LEARN TO MAINTAIN YOUR WELL or PUMPHOUSE. Well this week, the holler homestead pump house was completely re-plumbed. I have patched and patched the thing for 13 years and since we already had redone all the house plumbing, Tactical decided to apply pressure until I let him redo the pump house completely. So I did. With one caveat. I needed to understand everything he did and why so that this winter, if something breaks, I can fix it.

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Today, I tell the story of the little duckling who could – or rather the little duckling who got herself into a predicament that almost resulted in a foot being cut off. Spoiler alert: she still has her foot and is in the bathtub infirmary recovering.

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Today, I will talk through four ideas for homey and homemade gifts you can start now in preparation for Christmas.

This is the fourth time I have done this episode and it gets harder each year. If you do not find something you like in this one, you can go back and listen to the past three. I have provided links to them in the show notes.

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Past Gift Idea Episodes

#HollerHatWednesday: Where is she and who is she with?

What’s Up in the Garden

  • Thinning out plants to make room for the fall garden
  • Basil is coming on strong
  • Tomatoes are about done but I found a survivor
  • Malabar spinach is taking off — need to trellis it
  • Grabbed and 89 cent bag of leeks at aldi and planted them
  • Getting fall transplants in this week because I found some

Main topic of the Show: Four Christmas Gift Ideas to Start Now

  1. Reusable hand warmer
  2. Brownies in a jar
    1. https://delightfulemade.com/2014/05/08/mm-brownies-jar-free-printable/
  3. Bitters
  4. Fire Starters
    1. Reference LINK: http://mylittleredtractor.com/index.php/2017/11/08/diy-fire-starters/

Make it a great week!

Advisory Board

The Booze Whisperer

The Tactical Redneck

Chef Brett

Samantha the Savings Ninja

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