One thing I love to do in the winter when we don't have greens and fresh things from the garden for the chickens, is to sprout lentils. They're super cheap, often just a few bucks for a pound. Bonus tip: if you have a co-op or somewhere you can buy in bulk, stock up when they're on sale. You can also follow the same process for sprouting other types of grains and seeds like alfalfa sprouts, broccoli sprouts, etc. You can use sprouted lentils in salads, in chili, or just eat a handful every now and then. They're very healthy and high in protein. And, if you really wanna go to town, you can dry out the sprouts and grind them into a gluten-free flour alternative. Materials you'll need: A clear container with holes in the lid to drain water (I like a quart mason jar) Dried lentils Water Step one: Put about 1/2 cup of lentils into your container and cover with enough water to go over by a few inches, soak overnight or about 12 hours. You can use as many lentils as you like as long as they have room to grow and move in the jar. Step two: Once the lentils have soaked overnight, drain the water, refill with fresh water, swirl the jar to rinse your lentils and pour out the water. Step three: over the course of the next couple days, rinse your lentils at least once a day. If it's winter and colder then your lentils will likely take an extra day or two. If it's warmer and more humid, it's not a bad idea to rinse your lentils twice a day. Make sure you are aggressive enough that all the lentils move around and get rinsed. Step four: as you watch the lentils sprout, once they're over about 1/2 an inch, they're done and ready to eat!

I just watched all the videos about raising chickens, and now I feel like it might be something I MIGHT be able to handle. Am I crazy? (Also, I live in a 1 bedroom apartment, but I have a deck? Maybe I could put a run out there?)

Hi Friends, This past summer we had another season of pretty intense wildfire smoke up here in Minnesota. Some of the smoke blows down from Canada and some of it is from fires here in the US. But you can use this air purifier any time, not just when the wildfire smoke is bad. And, depending on the type of filters you use, it can be one step below having a giant N95 in your home. Materials list: 1 roll of painter's masking tape, shipping tape, or duct tape 1 box fan (the one in this video is 20 inch square) 1 furnace filter the same size as your box fan (20x20x1) That's it!

Hi All, I learned about Michigan State University offering the Heroes to Hives program free for veterans a couple years ago. They've made some changes to the program and now it's offered to EVERYONE for FREE via their channel on YouTube. If you're a veteran, after you complete the self-paced course, you can take a test, pay $25, and if you pass, you'll earn the Heroes to Hive Certificate which means you can use the H2H branding on any products you make with your bees. This applies to spouses and kids of veterans as well who want to earn the H2H certificate. How cool is that?! You can access the complete course here: https://www.youtube.com/@heroestohives

What is something you've always wanted to learn how to do or something you'd like to try?