Air plants are fun, exotic specimens with a vast range of shapes, colors, and sizes. Since they grow and flourish without soil, there are almost limitless creative possibilities for displaying them. Found naturally in deserts and forests in Central and South America, they often grow high in the crooks of trees where they absorb nutrient-rich rainwater through their leaves. Vividly colored flowers, easy care and a variety of shapes and sizes make them perfect for terrariums and wall gardens.
Adding a patch of green to a sunny windowsill, wheat grass is easy-to-grow at home for use in your spring centerpieces and tabletops. An added bonus, their clippings are high in vitamins A, C, E, and B complex for juicing or a healthy addition to smoothies and salad dressings.
To grow yours, follow these simple steps:
1. Soak seeds in water for 8-12 hours.
2. Fill a shallow tray with soil. Water the soil, and spread wheat grass seeds evenly across the top. Cover the seeds lightly in soil and mist with water from a spray bottle. Place the tray away from direct sunlight.
3. In a few days, you'll see the grass beginning to sprout. Water periodically to keep soil moist.
4. To harvest, when the grass reaches roughly 7"H, cut the grass with scissors 0.5" above the soil.
With spring gardening swiftly approaching, stretch your green thumb beyond the garden bed and get your hands dirty making your very own custom planter. Follow these simple steps and soon enough you'll have your own handmade planter to add a personal touch to your garden, or to give as a gift to your favorite gardener.
What You'll Need
Hypertufa Planter Mix
Water
Rubber gloves
Plastic tub
Spray cooking oil
Plastic mold
Pencil
Wire brush (optional)
Molding the Planter
Wearing rubber gloves, mix the Hypertufa Planter Mix with water in a plastic tub, a bit at a time until the mixture has the consistency of moist cookie dough. Your mix is moist enough when a ball of hypertufa holds its shape in your open hand.
Using the inside of your plastic mold to start building your project, first spray the inside of your mold with cooking oil. Push a handful of hypertufa mix firmly against the bottom. Repeat until you have made a bottom base that is 1-inch thick.
Push handfuls of hypertufa mix firmly against the sides of your mold 3/4-inch thick. Pack the walls tight to remove air pockets.
Continue until the rim of your mold is reached. make sure the rim is as equally thick as the sides all the way around.
Create drainage holes in the bottom by pushing a pencil through.
As we look forward to spring's approach, this simple, three-step ritual from Farmaesthetics delivers nourishing benefits to the skin as the cool, dry weather begins to retreat.
1. Add a dropper of Farmaesthetics Complexion Conserve to a teaspoon of Farmaesthetics Nourishing Herbal Cream. Mix together and apply this enhanced preparation, slathering it onto clean, damp skin on the face, neck, and décolleté as a mask.
2. Then apply Hand to Heel Softening Salve to hands and feet, nail beds, cuticles, elbows, and any other areas where skin is thin, dry, ragged or cracked. Allow the Hand to Heel Softening Salve to rest on skin while you mask. The salve will absorb into the tissue, and you will most likely not need to wipe away excess product or add additional moisture.
3. Once Hand to Heel is applied, cocoon the face with a warm, dry cotton cloth and relax for a few minutes, allowing the skin time to absorb the herbs, moisture, and nutrients needed to restore skin elasticity. When it's time to remove cloth from face, simply wipe away any remaining product. You will probably not need an additional moisture application, but if you do, just dab a bit of Nourishing Herbal Cream to areas in need of a little extra care.
Rounding out our winter renewal series with tips for keeping hair healthy and shiny through the dead of winter, Mordechai Alvow, founder of Yarok, shares his home remedies for combatting flyaways and dryness.
"If your hair is lacking moisture, there are several items you'll probably find in your own kitchen that can replenish dry hair. It's no secret that your hair needs certain oils and olive and avocado oils are great for overall hair health and shine. Yarok Feed Your Roots Mousse contains both oils along with many other all-natural ingredients that give your hair the lift it needs to look voluminous.
Flyaways are another common winter hair nuisance. If you want to beat that static cling, one quick trick is to rub a fabric softening dryer sheet on your hair to remove the frizz. You can also use a product like the Yarok Feed Your Shine Hair Serum to add shine and tames those flyaways."
The third in our winter renewal series, Rose-Marie Swift of RMS Beauty shares her unexpected-yet-effective uses for RMS products during the harsh winter months.
"In the winter, the sensitive skin around our eyes seems to be a little more vulnerable to the dry air in our heated homes. A great way to restore the lost moisture content is to apply a little touch of RMS Beauty Lip & Skin Balm to the skin around your eyes. This will work magically to moisturize and nourish the eye area as well as chapped lips, dry elbows, or mild skin irritations.
RMS Beauty Raw Coconut Cream, in addition to being a make-up remover and body moisturizer, can also be used to combat dry scalp. Apply a small amount to your roots to restore the area's natural oils.
Finally, the "Un"Cover-Up has a plentitude of nourishing oils to protect the skin's moisture balance; giving ones skin a natural, winter dewy finish."
The second in our winter renewal series, our friend and founder of Farmaesthetics, Brenda Brock, recently joined us to share her advice for altering a winter skincare routine to nourish the skin throughout the harsh season.
Farmaesthetics Winter Renewal from Terrain on Vimeo.
We're starting the first in a series of posts dedicated to winter renewal by considering what we take into our bodies. Taking a cue from our newest cookbook, Clean Start, we're looking more deeply at what we eat, with a focus on how it affects our overall well-being and the well-being of the environment. This excerpt from Clean Start author Terry Walters has been particularly inspiring for us in the new year.
"When it comes to eating clean and living well, the most powerful tools we have are intention and the ability to make the choices that serve our best interests. Together, these tools can help us navigate our way through grocery stores, restaurants, and a variety of temptations. But when I'm cooking in my kitchen, my goal is much more basic -- to bring together tastes, textures, colors and nutrients to create meals that all will enjoy. I think of my cast-iron skillet as my palette, clean food as my paint, and my finished dishes as the resulting creation that brings together and nourishes my family and friends."
Walters points out that clean eating is less about rigid rules than it is about making one healthy choice at a time. A few of her simple guidelines follow, and many more can be found in her book.
"Eat The Colors Of The Rainbow.
The more colorful your diet, the more nutrient-rich. Go easy on empty white filler foods and heavy on healing greens.
Eat Dark Leafy Greens Every Day.
For me, green is the most important color and the one most lacking in our diets. Greens are cleansing, healing, uplifting and rich in calcium and minerals. Try using a variety of greens to amp up the nutritional value of your salads, soups, sauces, stir-fries and even smoothies. Just get them in!
Eat All Five Tastes.
Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent are all found naturally and nutritionally in clean food, as opposed to manufactured "natural flavors" and the imbalance of sweet and salty tastes found in processed foods."
Clean Start, by Terry Walters. Sterling Epicure.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more in our Winter Renewal Series, including expert wellness tips for skincare, hair care, and freshening your makeup in the colder months.
Binchotan charcoal is believed to have a multitude of beneficial effects. Whether used dry or wet to absorb chemicals in tap water, enhance blood circulation in a hot bath, stimulate healthy soil in the garden, or balance negative ions in your home, Binchotan charcoals are a natural way to boost overall wellness.
Wet usage: Prior to first use, rinse Binchotan with water, scrub lightly, and boil for ten minutes. Since the charcoal has been prewashed, do not ignite it. Once cleaned, the charcoal is ready to use in a pitcher of water, your bath, or for cooking rice. After the first use, repeat this cleansing process each week or, alternatively, leave the charcoal in direct sun for several hours. With wet usage, Binchotan will last roughly three months.
Dry usage: Every two weeks, brush Binchotan lightly and leave it in direct sunlight for several hours. It can be used all over your home, and with dry usage will last for over three years.
Best Uses for Binchotan
1. To purify drinking water, add 1/4 pound of Binchotan to a pitcher of tap water. The charcoal will help release ions to increase the water's pH, release natural minerals, and absorb chemicals.
2. Add Binchotan to a pot of cooking rice to emit infrared rays that will help retain the taste of the rice, absorb any chlorine in the water, and release natural minerals.
3. For a purifying bath, add approximately one pound of Binchotan to hot bathwater. Infrared rays emitted by the charcoal will help enhance blood circulation and keep the body warm and relaxed long after the bath.
4. Keep dry Binchotan by electrical appliances like the television, microwave, computer, or mobile phone, to help block harmful electromagnetic waves.
5. Kept dry in various spots around your home, Binchotan charcoal will help balance the charged ions in your environment to freshen and purify the air around you.
6. To keep closets, drawers, and refrigerators fresh from odor, dampness, and mold, a stick of dry Binchotan can be kept inside to absorb bacteria and unpleasant scents.
7. Once your Binchotan has reached the end of its indoor use, improve soil health by recycling it in the garden. Mix broken pieces of charcoal into new soil, or apply it over a garden bed to improve the movement of air and water through the soil. This transformation will help increase microbial activity, alkalize the soil, and reinforce trace elements; creating an optimal environment for healthy plants.
A few of our favorite ideas for adding natural finishing touches to our Christmas gifts before they go beneath the tree.
Invented by a German doctor of Chemistry in 1941, the Chemex Coffee Maker arguably brews the best and cleanest tasting coffee. Designed unlike most other coffee makers, the Chemex is known for its minimal shape and ease of use - simply follow these steps to enjoy the distinct taste of Chemex-brewed coffee.
Place a Chemex-bonded coffee filter in the cone at the top of the Chemex, making sure the thicker side of the filter is toward the pouring spout.
Pour one rounded tablespoon of ground coffee (ground for regular or automatic) per every 5 oz. cup into the filter cone. Feel free to pour a bit more if you prefer stronger tasting coffee.
Bring a pot or kettle of water to a boil, removing from heat once it starts to boil vigorously. Pour a small amount of water over the coffee grounds just enough to wet them without floating. It is important to wet them just enough so the grounds can "bloom."
After the first wetting, pour more water, making sure to soak the grounds as much as possible but keeping the water level well below the top of the coffeemaker. Once the desired amount of coffee is brewed, dispose of the grounds and voila! Your coffee is ready.
Did you know you can also brew tea in the Chemex? Follow the same instructions using your favorite loose tea in place of coffee grounds, measured at one level teaspoon per cup.
Brewing instructions courtesy of Chemex Corp.
As we put away the last of the fall harvest, we’d like to share a few of the pit-falls to lookout for from one of our favorite canning guides Tart and Sweet. For our friends in the Philadelphia area, join us tomorrow afternoon for more expert canning tips, as well as a special book signing and canning demonstration tomorrow afternoon with authors Kelly Geary & Jessie Knadler.
Tart and Sweet's Tell-Tale Signs Your Canned Food is Destined for the Dumpster
(from Chapter 1: Canning Isn't Rocket Science)
- A bulging lid: Spoilage bacteria and yeast product gas, which pressurizes the food, priming the lid to explode -- it's like Chernobyl in a Mason jar.
- Rising air bubbles in the jar: This means the food is building pressure, the result of spoiler buildup.
- Cottonlike mold growth on top of the food or on the underside of the lid: Not only is mold gross, but it can raise the pH of the food, making it dangerously low acid, and therefore running the risk of botulism or other bacterial spoilage. Scraping mold off canned food does not make ti safe -- throw it out.
- A change of texture: Specifically, to a slimy one.
- The biggie: A bad smell upon opening.
- The ultimate biggie: Spurting liquid upon opening.
Tart and Sweet, by Kelly Geary and Jessie Knadler. Rodale, $24.99
Every so often, our friends at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture send us a tip for tending our own gardens. Here, they share inventive ideas for easy edible herb gardens.
“Imagine this: Standing in front of steaming sauté pans and bubbling pots, you bring a wooden spoon to your mouth and realize that your showcase dish needs a little bit of… something… then it hits you, you reach to your window, pinch off a touch of your favorite herb and add it to the pan—now it’s perfection.
A chef’s herb garden is a real kitchen delight—the household version of farm-to-table. At Stone Barns, the journey from garden to plate is short trip, and is representative of our goals to change the way people think about food and farming. Growing your own herbs is one way to cultivate appreciation of the entire process—and it’ll spice up your home cooking. Whether you live in a country house or a city apartment, there’s a culinary garden waiting to happen in your window. Stone Barns invites you to make it grow with these tips from the farm.
Whether you're carving a traditional jack-o-lantern or an original design, follow these simple steps for successful pumpkin carving.
1. Cut an opening large enough (either at the top or the bottom of the pumpkin) so you can fit your hand in to clean out the pumpkin.
2. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, clean out the the inside of the pumpkin. For the area which you plan to carve, scrape the pumpkin wall until it is only about 3/4" - 1" thick, making it easier to pierce the shell.
3. Draw or print your carving design and attach to the pumpkin using tape or push-pins. Transfer the design onto the pumpkin by making pinpoint marks 1/8" apart along the design lines. (To make the pinpoint marks, use a push-pin, awl, or fork.)
4. Using your carving saw, carve dot-to-dot using a gentle up and down motion, using a smaller saw blade for designs with tighter curves.
Courtesy of the makers of our Pumpkin Carving Set
If you're looking for an alternative to the usual jack-o-lantern carving, try these useful tips for decorating with fall's most celebrated squash, the pumpkin.
Create a planted container. Hollow out any pumpkin or gourd to plant a selection of small plants such as herbs, ivies, and succulents. The colorful base will provide a beautiful contrast to almost any fall foliage - the perfect display for your front steps or to give as a hostess gift.
Create a centerpiece. Create an arrangement of fresh or dried flowers by drilling small holes into the body of the pumpkin. The moisture of the pumpkin will help to keep freshly cut flowers alive for several days. Add in dried cuts such as cat tails or grasses for extra depth and texture.
Carve a special design. Rather than carving a spooky or silly face, get creative with your cutouts - think of designs as simple as leaves or silhouettes, or as challenging as text or patterns.
Every so often, our friends at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture send us a tip for tending our own gardens. Here, they share the basics for starting a kitchen compost pile in your backyard.
“Recycling bins have become commonplace in households from suburb to city. It’s become expected that we recycle our bottles, cans and paper. But what about recycling our food and yard waste? Our kitchen scraps and green cuttings can be used to make nutrient rich compost that can help your garden grow! Healthy soil is one of the most important building blocks of a resilient garden and compost is a valuable soil amendment tool. Terrain and the Stone Barns team invite you to bring composting to your own backyard. Compost helps restore soil to its natural state, ensures beneficial microbiology and increases plants’ water-retention capacity—meaning plants will thrive independently without the use of commercial fertilizers. With these steps and tips, anyone can compost—farmer’s honor.
