Olden Oasis

Image by Sydney Swann from Pixabay How to Protect Your Property from Flooding with Levees What are Levees? Levees are barriers built to prevent flooding by holding back water. They are usually made of dirt, sand, or concrete and are built along rivers, lakes, or coastlines. Why Build Levees? Levees are important because they help protect homes, buildings, and farmland from being damaged by floods. By diverting water away from these areas, levees can prevent costly repairs and keep people safe. How to Build Levees Building levees requires careful planning and construction. First, you need to determine the height and length of the levee needed to protect your property. Then, you will need to gather materials like dirt or sand to build the barrier. Make sure to compact the materials tightly to prevent water from seeping through. Additional Tips: Consider hiring a professional to help design and build the levee. Regularly inspect and maintain the levee to ensure it remains effective. Be a...

Foraging dandelion greens Now is the perfect time to forage for the perfect greens that commonly grow naturally in your own backyard. Yes, I am referring to dandelion greens. The dandelion plant is known as a common weed, but it is chalk full of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Dandelions are what some people call a lawn nuisance, but I like to think of them as free health food. These jagged, saw-toothed plants are edible from root to flower, and they are actually known as a superfood. If you don't have a lawn full of dandelions, they are also available as a tea, supplements, and in some grocery stores, fresh dandelions can be purchased in the produce aisle. Dandelion greens can be picked, rinsed, and cleaned, then eaten raw or cooked just like any other type of green that you may buy or grow in your home garden. So why would you want to eat dandelions? For one thing, dandelions are free food. They grow organically on the lawns of most residential homes, and for another...

Old-fashioned tin-can bread So, you'd like to make a loaf of homemade bread, but you don't have a bread pan. That's not a problem! Today, allow me to show you how I make basic mini loaves of bread quickly and simply by using clean, empty tin cans. Yes, it can be done easily. No pun intended. Just make sure that you grease the inside of your tin cans well with cooking spray. Ingredients: 3 cups of self-rising flour 2-1/4 cups of milk cooking spray for greasing your tin cans Instructions: For this recipe, you can use 15-ounce cans or 28-ounce cans. Only fill the cans about halfway with the dough. Today I am using two 15-ounce cans and one 28-ounce can. (The larger cans will need a little more baking time.) In a bowl, add the self-rising flour. Slowly pour in the milk. Mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon or spatula until they're combined. This is supposed to be a wet, unkneaded dough, but it should not be overly wet. Add extra flour if needed. Grease your tin cans with...

Tips on purchasing pork If you are a fan of pork steak, pork chops, pork ribs, bacon, and pulled pork, today I will be sharing some guides to help you save money, as well as tips on what cuts you might want to start buying instead of buying pre-cut and pre-cured selections.  Instead of buying pork that is already pre-cut and pre-cured, it generally saves money by purchasing pork roasts, or pork shoulders, and curing and slicing the meat yourself. While shopping for pork can sometimes be confusing, hopefully my article today will help you better understand the difference between the two different hams, pork roast, ribs, and Boston butt. Boston butt (pork shoulder): is the upper portion of a hog's FRONT shoulder. Not only does it make a really good cut for barbecuing, making pulled pork, but it's also a good cut to use for slicing pork chops, and making homemade country-style bacon. Boston butt has always been fairly inexpensive to buy, which is why it's often a go-to choice....

Wild edibles to forage If you're interested in foraging for free healthy food then today's article might be right up your alley. Every year during spring, summer, and fall, I enjoy going foraging for wild edibles. I believe that there's a better way of living through foraging. For one, it's an enjoyable experience just being outside and for another it's a way to learn about different plants that grow in the wild, and the third reason that I enjoy it so much are the natural health benefits of eating what I find. First I'd like to stress to you: when foraging, if you aren't familiar with a wild plant leave it alone. There's several that are indeed very poisonous. If you are new to foraging, take someone who's knowledgeable about wild edibles along with you at least for the first couple of times that you go out to forage.  Never take more from nature than you actually need. Remember that animals in the wild also need these wild edibles to survive. Wild ...

Broadleaf plantain and its uses Broadleaf plantain is most commonly known as a weed that's just another type of lawn nuisance to many homeowners. However, this common weed is edible, it's packed full of calcium and vitamins A, C, and K, and it can be used medicinally for multiple purposes. Identifying broadleaf plantains The broadleaf plantain has broad, oval-shaped leaves. The plant is dark green and grows in a rosette shape. They grow long, small, spiked pods with dark seeds in the center of the plants. In the photo above, you can visually see what the plant looks like. This gem of a plant is not only edible, but it can also be used medicinally to treat chronic diarrhea and fatigue and boost immunity. Plus, it can also be used for treating wounds, burns, bug bites, etc. If you plan to eat broadleaf plantains fresh in salads and on sandwiches, look for young, tender plants to pick. Because they will be less chewy. By all means, you can still pick the larger leaves to cook in v...

Homemade pot pie squares If you have ever wanted to make homemade pasta, but you've been too afraid to try making it, here's a simple pasta to get you started. It's so easy to prepare and deliciously satisfying! The pot pie squares can also be dehydrated for later use. So, today I will be demonstrating how I make homemade pot pie squares. I also will show you how to dehydrate them, and I will be sharing three ways that you can cook them once they are made. For this recipe, you can use all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, or seminola flour. Today, I used bread flour and egg as a binder. The recipe can also be made without the egg. Ingredients: 1 egg ½ up to 1 cup of water 3 cups of bread flour 2 tablespoons of softened butter Instructions: In a large bowl, combine the flour, butter, and the egg; mix together until the ingredients are incorporated well. Begin making a well in the center of the flour mixture; adding the water slowly. Work the flour into the center of the well...

Dehydrated mixed fruit with almonds Are you interested in a healthy snack? Well, I am spending the day dehydrating mixed fruit to make a highly healthy and snack-able treat. Once the fruit is fully dehydrated, I will mix it with almonds, then store the fruit mix in vacuum-sealed mason jars.  I enjoy having a healthier snacking option throughout the day. Even though I enjoy baking and making homemade candy, I crave the wholesome, sweet goodness of mixed fruit with a crunch of almonds, pecans, or walnuts. Mixed dehydrated fruit snack ingredients: 3 peaches, sliced 8 plums, sliced 3 tangerines, peeled and segmented 3 apples, cored and sliced ½ cup of lemon juice, for soaking the fruit in (You can use any type of acidic fruit juice for this.) 1 cup of almonds, walnuts, pecans, or any other type of nut that you prefer Instructions: First, wash and prepare all the fruits. I like leaving the peelings on the peaches, plums, and apples, but they can also be peeled if that's what you prefer....

Dehydrated citrus fruit Today, I will be working on slicing various kinds of citrus fruit to dehydrate. You can use just one type of citrus fruit, such as all oranges, or you can dehydrate multiple oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit, just as I'm doing today. The process is the same for each of these citrus fruit choices. After the fruit is dehydrated, it can be used to flavor iced tea, hot tea, tropical punch, lemonade, etc., and the dehydrated fruit can be eaten as a yummy, healthy snack. The best part is that the only ingredient you'll need is citrus fruit. Ingredients: Citrus fruit: the amount depends on your needs (I am using oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit). Dehydrating citrus fruit First, you'll need to wash the fruit well under running water. Then thinly slice your oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit with a sharp knife, or you can use a mandoline. Place the citrus slices on the dehydrator trays and leave space between each slice of fruit so that the air...

Dehydrating mangos For a healthier snack, why not dehydrate some fresh mangos? Yesterday I water-bath canned, dehydrated, and froze multitudes of mangos. Today I still have the dehydrator going full swing.  Dehydrating mangos is extremely simple to do. First, you'll need to peel and slice the flesh of the fruit off of the seed. I prefer trying to slice each mango in halves to the best of my ability, because once the mangos are dehydrated they shrink down a good bit. When dehydrating food of any kind, the dehydrating process dries out all the juices from whatever it is you're preserving. For pre-treating the fruit, I use lemon juice to soak the mangos in. You will need to use the juice of one lemon for every four mangos that you slice. A lemon produces about ¼ cup of freshly-squeezed lemon juice. That equals about four tablespoons per lemon. Bottled lemon juice can also be used. You'll want to pretreat the mangos, so that they'll have a good texture when they're fini...

Rehydrating dehydrated foods Dehydrating different vegetables, fruits, and meats reduces the moisture content of your food, allowing it to last much longer, to shrink dramatically in size, and also gives you more space in your pantry and freezer. But what do you do with all the food after it's been dehydrated? Today, I will tell you how I rehydrate dehydrated food simply with water. Dehydrated foods maintain a high level of nutrition value and they can be used in various recipes or eaten as delicious dehydrated snacks.  If you purchased a food dehydrator and took the time to dehydrate multitudes of food to store for the long-term and you are now left wondering what to do next. Today, I will walk you through some simple steps and tell you how to rehydrate not only dried vegetables but also dried fruits and dried meat.  Rehydrating dehydrated vegetables To rehydrate the vegetables, you'll want to combine one part of the vegetables with two parts of water in a pan. Then, simmer t...