Tag Archives: Make-It-Yourself

Building A Cheap, Temporary Cold Frame With Hay Bales

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by Texas Homesteader ~       

I typically have an ‘indoor greenhouse‘ that I use when I plant heirloom seeds in the late winter months. This means I’ll be able to actually put seedlings in my garden come spring instead of planting the seeds directly into the soil later in the season.

But this year I wondered if I should attempt to set up a cold frame to take my plants from tiny seedling to ready to plant. So to experiment I started looking around for a good southern-exposure location & items I could use to build a temporary cold frame. Why not use hay bales?

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Now You Can Make Your Own Baked Pita Chips Too!

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by Texas Homesteader~ 

We were recently invited to a family gathering. Now in my family invitations to a shared meal happen often.

Since it’s so common & also so that the burden doesn’t fall on the hosting family, each family in attendance brings something to contribute to the meal. There’s always lots of good food at our family gatherings!

This time I wanted to bring something snacky. So I offered to bring some homemade hummus. (If you haven’t seen my Stupid-Easy Hummus Recipe, you should totally check it out!)

Of course I’ll need something for dipping. But I hate how expensive that little bag of pita chips is! Hummm, I wonder… 

I decided to make my own pita-type chips. Let’s see how it goes.

MYO baked pita chips using only 6 flour tortillas! A nice, heavy chip that holds up to dips or hummus. Nice & crispy too. Come see! #TexasHomesteader

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Faster, Easier Homemade Broth In An Instant Pot

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

It took me a long time to jump into the Instant Pot scene. I mean, I already had slow cookers, and I had a high-end stainless steel stove-top pressure cooker too. Why would I spend more money to buy something else I had to store? Wanna know what the breaking point was for me to decide to jump in?

Well I’d borrowed my sisters IP to see if I’d *really* use it enough to justify the cost. One of the first things I tried was bone broth. I was hooked!

Y’all, making your own healthy broth has really never been this easy!

Instant Pot Broth is crazy-easy to make, y'all. Literally push-button convenience. Come see how I make and preserve it. #TexasHomesteader

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12 Easy Ways To Repurpose Empty Coffee Canisters

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by Texas Homesteader ~

RancherMan & I love our coffee. We enjoy that hot cup-o-joe each morning.

Although I hate plastic, our favorite coffee comes in a plastic canister. Of course when they’re empty I offer those handy containers to others around me who I feel could use them.

But when I could no longer give them away I started looking for various ways to repurpose them myself. If you’re looking for inspiration too, come see what I’ve been able to make with them. Links to details are in the titles.

Come see different ways I've been able to repurpose those empty coffee canisters. They're handy for so many things. #TexasHomesteader

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Making Your Own Natural Beeswax Jar Candles

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by Texas Homesteader ~

I love beeswax candles. But back in ‘the day’ I had lots of regular scented candles and I burned them often. I loved the gentle flicker of the flame and the scent of the candle itself.

But then I heard of the nasties that can be released by burning traditional paraffin wax candles. So as time went on I burned them less & less. When they were gone I just did without.

But now we have our own apiary and I have access to that precious all-natural beeswax. So today I think I’ll make beeswax candles with it!

It's easy to make your own natural beeswax jar candles. It's fun, it's easy, and it's natural. And who doesn't love a beeswax candle?? #TexasHomesteader

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Frozen Applesauce – An All-Natural Frozen Sweet Treat

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by Texas Homesteader ~

My aunt always shares bushels of apples from her tree. Oh how I love them! I’m not sure what variety they are, but they’re flavorful, crisp and sweet. I’ll tote all those apples home and get to processing Apple Pie Filling, dried apple slices, Fruit rollups, and much more.

Many times I’ll take the less-than-perfect apples and immediately peel and core them for applesauce. Heck it’s so easy, chunk it all in a slow cooker and just let it do its thing.

When they’re soft I take a stick blender to make it smooth. There’s no need to add sugar, these apples are already sweet. Sometimes I’ll add a tiny amount of vanilla. But what to do with this applesauce?

Homemade applesauce is used in many different ways in our household. But today I'm making it into a frozen sweet treat - apple sticks! #TexasHomesteader

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How I Make Cheap ‘Oat Flour’ With Whole Oats

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by Texas Homesteader ~
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I’ve experimented with sandwich bread recipes for several years. I prefer whole-wheat bread for the health aspect as well as the heartier bite of it.

But I’ve not been pleased with bread made completely with whole wheat flour. It’s just too dry for our tastes.

So I started mixing different ratios of all purpose and whole wheat flour for RancherMan’s Sandwich Bread to get the best of both worlds.

But whole wheat flour is more expensive in our area. And I figured oatmeal’s healthy, right?? So I decided to offset a portion of whole wheat flour with whole oats ground into flour when I make my Oatmeal Sandwich Bread or my Honey/Oat Bread Machine Recipe.

We loved it. It still had the hearty feel that whole wheat offers, but cheaper! You’re not gonna believe how easy this is.

I grind whole oats into 'oat flour' and include it as a healthy ingredient in my homemade bread. The same hearty feel as whole wheat. #TexasHomesteader

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Soap Grows On Trees! Using Soapberries For A Natural Shampoo

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by Texas Homesteader ~

I have a super-smart friend from whom I always learn oh-so-much. Recently we were at a luncheon together & she mentioned that she uses soapberries for shampoo – no conditioner required.

She puts dried soapberries in water and lets them sit for about 6 weeks before she removes the berries. Then she adds a bit of baking soda and uses it to clean her hair.

Well color me intrigued! I found a Soapberry Tree on our property several years ago. So I decided to give it a try.

Using Soapberries for a natural shampoo is easy on your hair and easy on your budget. It's true - soap really DOES grow on trees! #TexasHomesteader

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