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241 Comments

  1. Hi there! Just read your article on Plaintain. I knew it was good for skin ailments and actually made an infusion last year. This year, I have so much in my garden that it looks like I planted it there. I wanted to determine other uses before I remove it to make room for vegetables. I now think that I will also transplant some for continued production.

    I would love to be added to your email list, please! Great article!

  2. Laurie I just read your post about the person complaining about your dirty hand in one of the pictures on your website.. Please don’t pay attention to people like that….they are just trolls who explore different websites to complain and criticize people. They are just miserable and unhappy people who only feel good about themselves by hurting someone else. A hundred people can tell you how wonderful your site is and how informative but when that one horrible person writes in to criticize it is so easy to focus on that hurtful feeling. I look forward to getting updates and emails from you. I have tried several of your recipes and I love hearing about your family. You are amazing…. you know so much and you work so hard, Keep up the wonderful emails and posts that you do!!!

    1. Thanks, Patricia.

      I was surprised but not surprised by the comment, as some people display no manners or common sense nowadays. Even though the person was a jerk, it was good to be able to share the comment with people who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty and get things done.

  3. Hello, are you still taking subscriptions to receive your planner? I couldn’t get it to work, got a 404 error.

    1. Hi Janelle.

      I’ve signed you up and you should be getting your confirmation email shortly.

      Could you tell me what browser you’re using? We’re trying to troubleshoot why the form is malfunctioning for some readers.

  4. Hello Laurie,

    I found you because of the gardening journal/seedling planner and have been enjoying your site! Looking forward to downloading and using your planner 😉 Please sign me up too! Thanks!

  5. Hello Laurie,
    I wish to subscribe to the lot of interesting stuffs your provide us with but I don’t know how to ! 🙁

  6. I did not see a subscription box, but please sign me up for your newsletters, and I would love a copy of your ebook “Common Sense Homesteading”. Thank you

  7. I freeze peaches and the use them to can pie filling. I UNDERSTAND THAT IS NOT A GOOD THING TO DO. i would like to know why. I usually add the frozen peaches to the thick syrup usuing clear gel. I do let the peaches thaw somewhat .

    1. There are a couple of different issues.

      One – if you freeze the peaches first, then can them, I would expect the texture to get quite soft. Many people prefer firmer pieces of peach.

      The second, and more important issue from a food safety perspective, is the potential for uneven heating. If you’re packing half frozen peaches in a hot syrup, you’re likely to have hot and cold spots in the jar. A cold spot in the wrong spot could also cause a jar to shatter.

      Ideally, you want the contents of any any jar to be evenly heated all the way through, held at the proper temp for the proper amount of time.

      As you’ve no doubt discovered because you’re still here to ask the question, acidic fruit with sugar syrup is forgiving. The acid in the fruit inhibits spoilage, as does the sugar in the syrup. (The sugar binds up free water, which bacteria need to grow.)

  8. FREE GARDENING JOURNAL TEMPLATES AND OTHER GARDEN RECORD KEEPING TIPS

    I found the article above, but could not find any link in the article to download the templates.

    Can you please provide the link?

    Thanks,

    John

    1. John, the gardening journal templates are a subscriber bonus, like the Homesteading 101 ebook. When someone subscribes, they get sent a link to the download page. If you’d like, I can add you to the newsletter list, or you can use one of the forms on the site to join. I checked and noticed that you are not a subscriber yet.

    1. Hi Patty.

      I just entered your information, so you’ll be receiving a confirmation email shortly.

      I sent out this week’s newsletter just a bit ago, so I’ll send that to you directly so you don’t miss it.

  9. I love making thins from scratch. I love chocolate mint tea and have been looking to purchase chocolate mint tea. I now see that I could make my own.

  10. You’re my new go-to-guru for all things planticimal.

    Grateful. Thank you. Oh, one other thing… To make tea is it purely ‘leaves’ or can whole plants go in. And the root?

    I have so many questions. Off to continue my research. Have shared you, of course, to my planty pals. And pals who can’t sleep or have stress or pain. All my contacts then.

    Bravo!

    1. Hi Caroline, and welcome.

      If you’re referring to wild lettuce, typically the leaves are used, but you can also use leaves and stem if you like. If you are drying some for later use, the leaves dry more uniformly.

  11. I just started reading your blog post and have found them helpful. But I don’t see a subscription button. I do use Firefox, if that makes a difference. Can you add me? Thanks!

    1. What and how much are you using? You may need to use more, or try something different if a fungal infection doesn’t respond to one type of treatment. (As time goes on, many different microbes are becoming more resistant.) Pau D’arco tea is very good for fungal infections. Calendula salve is also anti-fungal, as are a number of different herbal salves.

  12. Hi Laurie
    I realized just as I was clicking on “Post Comment” that the auto fill feature on my computer filled in my whole name. I would like to edit the subscription to only include my first name for comments on this site.
    Thanks
    Linda

  13. Your very sweet and i appreciate that you are so helpful especially under all the time consuming demands glad to be apart of the crew.

  14. I’ve baked bread for years, but learned so much more with the wonderful presentation. I would enjoy seeing more of Laurie, demonstrating additional food preparation skills.
    Thank you very much.
    Mary

    1. Thank you for your kind words, Mary. I hope to make more time to do videos this winter, once our big building project is done and all of the garden (except the greenhouse) is sleeping. We’re tackling building a combination garden shed/coop this fall, and it’s turned into quite the project.

  15. Alas, I too am one of the buttonless who wish to subscribe! Loved your presentation at the Mother Earth Homesteading Summit! Looking forward to the bread info and ebook link…thanks! Using Firefox, newest version….

  16. Laurie: I’m already subscribe to your news letter and I saw your presentation on the mother earth homesteading summit on bread baking, so I wondered if I can still get a copy of your “Bread Baking Troubleshooting Guide”. loved the presentation. thanks

  17. Hi Laurie- I have been a subscriber and I must admit that I always read it. I feel like I know you from your posts. I have been baking bread for years, more so now that I am retired!! I am on the lookout for the bread pans that you use, bread sometimes burns a little on the bottom. I have always been the “odd one” in the group because I don’t use my dryer-I have maybe 10 times over the last 8 years. I love to hang out clothes, they smell so wonderful especially when it is cold!! Thanks for all the inspiration, yahoo!

  18. Hi, These days I am home bound due ill health, so I am looking for new things to do here at home; looking to improve health awareness.

  19. There wasn’t a subscribe box. I use Safari but I also have Chrome. Maybe Ill try on Chrome and see if there is a subscribe box. I love your site. Im a total amateur but Im enthusiastic and teachable! 🙂

  20. Hi Laurie. I’ve been enjoying the two newsletters I received since I subscribed on May 2. Somehow I must have missed the download directions for “Common Sense Homesteading 101” and would enjoy that as well. Please let me know how to do that. My parents gardened organically fifty years ago, and I have done so off and on since my family was young. Now that I’m retired I live in my parents’ old house with forty acres and want to do more. Thanks, Marilyn

  21. THANKS
    for your early reply I was just wondering the net to find some agriculture related articles for time pass and came across your wonderful website, I am encouraged by the history shared by you and about your husband. I have the similar story but lacking courage and waiting for the right time and miracle to happen. I am masters in agronomy and after serving in fertilizer company have lost my job in MAY 2015 and still in shock to recover from the disaster.
    Your history gave me courage to write these lines and will provide me the energy to see the world differently.
    Regards,
    Atiq ur Rehman

  22. I love your newsletters and have been a member for a short time now and I was wondering if old members can still get your ebook Common Sense Homesteading 101. I would even be willing to pay for it. Thanks so much, Teresa

  23. I use Firefox. Please sign me on and send the link for your ebook. Thank you so much I am excited about all you say. Blessings and Thanks.

  24. i subscribed and have not recieved the confirmation email or the link for the e-book as of yet.. Help please.

    1. Are you sure you haven’t received it, because I just checked the email service and it says it was sent on May 30th and that you verified, and you’ve been opening newsletters – unless you’re sharing your account with someone? I’ll email you shortly with more info.

  25. Using Firefox, so I guess there is still a problem. Please sign me on and send the link for your ebook. If it’s as good as your site, I don’t want to miss it. Thanks.

  26. I would love to have the ebook that is free to subscribers. I had already signed up and I can’t figure out how to get it. I saw on another post that it is a PDF…but I can’t find a link (if there is one…lol). Thanks!

  27. Hi Laurie, I subscribed to your site, but so far have not seen a confirmation email. Very interested in the information you blog and appreciate the time you put into it. Hope you can help get me started. Interested also in the e-book. Thanks much!

    1. Becki, I just checked Aweber (the newsletter service I use), and it shows your status as Pending, with “Confirmation Message sent Today, 12:20am”. Check your spam filter and junk mail folders, as sometimes the emails end up there because they’re not directly from a person.

  28. Trying this again….my post from yesterday obviously never made it.
    I also can’t find the subscribe button and would like to subscribe and also receive the ebook you mention.
    Please add me.
    Thank you. Ingrid

    1. Your confirmation email is on its way. I manually check comments because some spammers still get past the spam filters, and I just didn’t have a chance to check until now.

  29. I would love to become a subscriber…. and also receive the ebook that you offer (thank you!) 🙂 … but I too can’t see a ‘subscribe’ button…. Help, please?
    Thanks, Ingrid

  30. I signed up to get weekly publishing but missed out on the free ebook. Is there a way the link could be sent to my email. Thank you

  31. I couldn’t find the subscribe button. I use Foxfire and a add-on called noscript that stops a lot of scripts on sites. It is a security feature and Google (the collector of large amounts of information) is normally blocked along with a lot of social sites. Pain in the backside? A little, but I prize my privacy while being available in the world. I am also known as The Body Whisperer and love what I do in the health arena. I came by you via Marjory Wildcraft’s Home Grown Food Summit, though a pity that I couldn’t view your presentation due to internet connectivity problems. I have sent her an email, but as busy as she is I figure she hasn’t had time to consider it.

    I look forward to exploring your site and I hope that I can still view your homesteading book. I like how you described yourself and really appreciate authentic folks, sharing what they love.
    Blessings,
    ~Thunder, The Body Whisperer

    1. The subscription box is a script, so that would do it. I feel your pain on internet connectivity issues. We’re on a slow country connection, and it took me over an hour to upload the presentation.

      The book is a download in pdf format, and not terribly huge, so hopefully you can access it. If the download doesn’t work, email me at laurie at commonsensehome dot com and I’ll try sending it directly. I entered your information, so you should receive a confirmation email shortly.

  32. Hi Laurie,

    I would like to subscribe please. Using Firefox and still can’t see a subscription box. Thanks!

    Sarah

  33. I did find a subscribe area above the “Scrolling” window. I may have been able to subscribe after all. Thanks in advance for checking. TIm

  34. Okay, give up is not an option. I turned off all blocking apps and still confused as to where the subscribe link should be. I am just starting to (re)learn about gardening and would love it if you would add me. I remember foraging through the garden during playtime. A quick carrot or onion would keep me from being hungry until play time was over. Unfortunately, I did not pay enough attention to my parents gardening after I was around seven years old. What I wouldn’t give to know all they knew then. Thanks in advance. Happy Sustainability….. Tim

  35. I have been canning and growing a lot of my own stuff, one allergies, have books on all kinds of stuff we can gather from out side weeds as some would say,but home remedy’s and tea’s I have made from stuff I grow, Still learning, and growing food and herbs, I find it a lot of fun and some thing I get excited about, every year, this new year is growing ginger in a pot, drives my other half a little crazy but …I love it

  36. I, like the others, am unable to subscribe to your site because there is no “subscribe box”. I was raised in the country and we gardened and canned vegetables and meats too. Both sets of my grandparents were farmers too. I learned so much from my grandmother and have many of her recipes for special items to bake and preserve. My father was a big hunter and we always had canned venison in the “can cupboard”. Fresh is Best!!! Please subscribe me. Thank you for your assistance. I appreciate it.

  37. Loving this site! Homesteading is a passion burning in my heart, I long for a simple life with my family 🙂 looking forward to this journey. But, I am unable to download the free E book. Could you please send me a copy? Thank you so much.

  38. Hi Laurie, I love your website and how informative everything is for those of us who are just starting out. I can’t wait to try out another recipe …. but I can’t find that link to your E-book on my sign-up newsletter and would so love to read it . . . where in the welcome e-mail is the link supposed to be? Thanks for all that you do : )

    1. The link is on the Successful Subscription page, but lots of people have been missing it so I just added another link to the welcome email. Check your inbox for a copy of the pdf.

      Welcome!

  39. I’ve subscribed, and been reading your posts (love them!!) and I want to read the ebook but I can’t seem to get to it now. Can you help me?

      1. Hi, I subscribe because I really love your page and also wanted to read your e-book, but can’t seem to find it! Thank you! And did I mention I love your page?!

  40. Hej Laurie
    I have also subscribed but it seams that I have the same problem like the others. I cannot see the download link to your book. I am very interested to read it.
    Best regards

  41. Have tried to get to the book link several different ways, but have not been able. Confirmed subscription and even subscribed again. Help, please?

  42. I asked to be subscribed at the end of October, but you never replied to me. This is my second attempt, please sign me up! I love this site. 🙂

  43. I would love to subscribe and get your e-book. My husband andI are acively pursuing this lifestyle and I would love to connect with you and others for support and ideas. Using Firefox, thank you.

    1. Teresa, you’re already on our email list, so please check your spam folder to see if you’ve been missing emails. I just sent you an email with a link to the download page for the free e-book.

  44. I can not get to the link to down load the free “Common Sense Homesteading 101: 7 Steps to Become more Self-Reliant Now” I have signed for it.

  45. I’m currently making a transition from working to doing what I am passionate about. Although I don’t have all the necessary skills to be the Homesteader that I want to be. I will be loyal to this wesite in order to discover more of what I need.

  46. Not seeing a subscribe box. Please subscribe me. Perhaps time to get another website manager. Using firefox as my browser.

    1. I could get a new website manager – if I had a website manager. As it stands, I manage the website, do the projects and research covered in the posts, take the photos, edit the photos, write the posts, answer the comments and pretty much everything else on the website – all while homeschooling my kids and growing and preserving much of our own food. Over 19,000 people have signed up without a hitch, but for some reason once in a while someone has a browser issue and the form doesn’t display. I appreciate everyone’s patience with the vagaries of website glitches, and their understanding that it is just me manning the place on a day to day basis, not a team of people.

  47. Hell of a great page with a lot of cool features, but you still have no link to subscribe. You do have a link to a subscribe page off your “Getting Started Homesteading” menu option but that just leads you here, and there’s no place on this page to input your data and fire off a request.

    Please subscribe me. Thanks!

    Shelah

  48. Laurie, I’ve subscribed but haven’t received any new emails from you and I would love to download your free copy of your book. I truly love your site and am so glad I got to hear you speak on Self-Reliance Summit this week. Awesome interview Laurie.

  49. Hello Laurie. I just subscribed and I for some reason cannot download the free copy of the book. Can you help? It looks like a ton of great info and would love to read it. Thanks.

    Robert R Manners

      1. Laurie,
        I just subscribed and was unable to download your book as well. Would you mind sending me a copy too?
        Thanks,
        Josh Beall

    1. Sherry – I’ll manually enter your information. Not sure why the subscription box won’t show up for you. As far as I can see, it’s displaying correctly, but maybe it doesn’t work with some browsers or settings.

      1. Just checked, and you are on the subscription list already with the email you entered above. If you’re not receiving emails (which come out 1-2 times per week), they may be getting caught in your spam filter.

    1. That is not even a little bit silly. I don’t know what happened, but for some reason the script for the sign up box just vanished from the page html. Very strange. Thanks for asking, and it should be working now.

  50. My Mom did a lot of preserving and growing her own food while I was growing up and know it’s instilled in me. More and more I am getting into growing my own medicinal plants. It is always good to get ideas from others who are doing the same.

    Thanks Heather

    1. Welcome! I was raised with gardening and preserving, too, so it’s great to be able to share that with my boys, and to connect with others. It might not be mainstream yet, but maybe some day. 🙂

      1. The BEST cherries I EVER had were the really sour cherries we used to jar back when I was a kid. Unfortunately the tree stopped producing at some point and was replaced but it’s just not as good any more.

        Thanks for the reminder! I think I need to buy a cherry tree!

          1. What kind of cherry trees and where do you buy them. We live in southeast Minnesota and have been starting to plant fruit trees and we are trying to become more self sufficient. so I love your site and I cAn learn so much you are so close to me. I think we will try to see solar this October. Would be so great.

          2. We have some sweet and tart cherries, varieties that are supposed to be hardy to zone 4, purchased from Stark Brothers Nursery. Stark has a widget on their site that will screen trees and plants by zone hardiness.

      2. Hi I am already signed up/subscribed.

        You claim “With your subscription, you’ll also get access to my new e-book, “Common Sense Homesteading 101: 7 Steps to Become More Self-Reliant Now”.

        Do I also get access to the ebook?

          1. I loved your bread presentation and how easy you made it look.

            I am already a subscriber too.

          2. Watched your bread making presentation, really enjoyed it, thank you! Couldn’t find the subscription button in Firefox so tried this page in IE and it did appear. Thought I had subscribed (would love your bread recipe!), but have not received a confirmation email. Nothing in my spam folder either. Thanks so much!

          3. hmmm… checked the subscriber list, and it’s showing you as “confirmation pending”. I’m suspecting that your email provider may be blocking my email service. Did you add “laurie at commonsensehome dot com” to your safe senders list? Sometimes that helps, sometimes I simply can’t get through.

            All the recipes on the site are listed at https://commonsensehome.com/recipes/, including the sandwich bread I made in the video. (First recipe on the list under “Yeast Breads”.

      3. Dear Laurie
        HI my name is Russell & I am 42 years old, every sense I was a kid I was interested in learning the wild edible plants that grow around our home & property we live in central Illinois, I have bought several books from the net that all say about the same stuff, the berries, wild fruit trees, nut trees, and so on but I cant find the greens that grow here, & good info so that I get the right plant. What I am talking about is like wild mustard, ramps, sour dock & I think I know these plants but want to know for sure I do have the right plants, & what to do to fix them the different ways they can be eaten ? please help Thank You

      4. Your well on your way . I have only been doing learning herb wild edibles and medical since covid .I self teach and curiousty will probably kill me one day I make all my medications no more death by Dr s . Your doing a great job info and knowledge should be free with all the love . Be well nice to know like mined people wow are will to share there fallers and success . Be well and be true . ANDY Savage