Living Homegrown Podcast with Theresa Loe

LH 169: Easy Ideas for All-Natural Gifts From Your Garden

There’s something special about a homemade gift. But it becomes even more special when it includes a little piece of your garden as well.

It can be as simple as a dried flower or an herbal sprig. But that added touch means that you are sharing something that you nurtured with your own hands. And THAT can't be found in a store.

In today’s episode, host Theresa Loe brought back garden author, Stephanie Rose, to share her tips and insights into making extraordinary crafts that can be shared as gifts. And she has graciously included a recipe for Tub Tea that you can print out and make this holiday season…or any time of the year. Just got to our show notes at: www.LivingHomegrown.com/169 to print the recipe/instructions.

You will learn:

  • Why botanical gifts can be the best gifts of all
  • What type of equipment is needed when crafting at home
  • Why we should avoid chemicals on our skin
  • The difference between essential oils and fragrance oils
  • What a lotion bar is and how they are made
  • What are bath melts
  • The joys of Tub Tea
  • Tips for gift wrapping the things you make
  • How long homemade body products last
  • And SO much more...

 As always, you can get more links and resources at www.LivingHomegrown.com/169 as well as a full transcript of the show.

Direct download: 169_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:13am PDT

LH 168: How To Make Simple Infusions for Medicine and Skin Care

In this episode, we explore extracting the best healing properties from some of the common plants and culinary herbs we are likely growing in our own backyards using infusion.

Don't fret that this is some complicated process, or you don't have time for it.

Herbal infusions are incredibly easy to make – all you do is infuse fresh or dried herbs in a liquid to draw out the healing properties. And these infusions can be used on their own or as a base for other things such as moisturizing creams or salves.

Host Theresa Loe brought on author Colleen Codekas to chat about all the different ways we can make infusions and what to do with them after we create them.

There's a recipe for her Flower-Whipped Body Butter you can make at home below. Be sure you don't miss it!

You will learn:

  • The different liquids we can use as our base
  • Which liquid base includes extra beneficial bacteria
  • What we can create from oil infusions
  • Some of the safety considerations when make our own herbal medications
  • What is a patch test and why do we do it
  • How to make our own flower-whipped body butter
  • And SO much more...

 Be sure to go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/168 to print the PDF recipe for Flower-Whipped Body Butter.

Direct download: LH_168.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am PDT

LH 167: Tips for saving your backyard food garden seeds

Preserving the flavors of the season doesn't have to stop when that last canning jar lid has "popped."

If you know how to save seed from your own food garden, you are truly self-sufficient and can save your favorite plants to grow, harvest, and repeat again year after year without ever opening a seed catalog. 

Saving seed is also a great way to share your garden with others. By saving seed, you can give your favorite flavors and best producers to others by handing them a tiny envelope of potential. What a great gift for a fellow gardener, or a friend thinking about starting their own garden.

In today’s episode, host Theresa Loe interviews author Julie Thomson-Adolf about some of the best ways for us to save our own garden’s potential each year…in seed.        

You will learn:

  • The many benefits of saving seed
  • The difference between open-pollinated & hybrid seed
  • What is meant by the word “heirloom”
  • How to dry harvest
  • Why you would want to ferment some seed
  • The best way to dry a “wet” harvest seed
  • Tips for saving seed to prolong viability
  • And SO much more...

As always, you can get more free resources at www.LivingHomegrown.com/167 as well as a full transcript of the show. 

And you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/FRESH to get Theresa's Free Farm Fresh Resource Guide to help you live farm fresh without the farm.

Direct download: 167_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am PDT

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