Ever since we started growing food in 2015 we became obsessed with the idea of trying to make many of the things we used to buy from the store ourselves. You could say self sustainability is our hobby and we’ve spent the past 5 years growing and making many things we used to purchase!
This post is a summary of the best recipes tips and tricks we found for how to live sustainably.Â
Our Chicken Strategy
Let’s start with food. The basis of most all of our meals starts with a whole chicken. Right now, we are buying chickens from the store but are going to be moving soon and starting up a flock! We used to buy chicken in packs of individual sections like breast or thighs, but switched to buying whole chickens and never looked back. The benefit of using a whole chicken is that you’re able to use all parts of the bird and you can also make your own chicken broth using the pieces you don’t eat!
Check out the blog post below with a video showing how you can cook an entire whole chicken in the Instant Pot in less than 30 minutes. We use the chicken throughout the week in a variety of meals and use the bone broth and pretty much everything we make.
Instant Pot Chicken Recipe: From Whole Raw Chicken To Dinner in 40 Minutes!
Cook a whole chicken from raw to ready to eat in 40 minutes!
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DIY Chicken Bone Broth
The blog post and videos below shows how you can make your own bone broth easily using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Adding bone broth to your rice and beans increases the nutritional value and makes it taste a whole lot better!
EASY Instant Pot Chicken Broth: Make Your Own Delicious and Nutritious Chicken Broth!
When we make a whole chicken we always save all the bones and use them to create our own chicken bone broth!
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Bulk Rice
We buy rice in bulk from the store and keep a healthy supply on hand for emergencies. Rice can get pretty boring if you cook it the same way every day, but having a variety of herbs on hand in the garden can dramatically change the way it tastes day today. Some of our favorite herbs to use for rice are cilantro, oregano, thyme, and sage. Check out more about how we use rice in the blog post below.Â
Rice: How We Make It Taste Great With Plants From Our Garden!
The beauty of rice and having a garden is that you can make this recipe unique every single time you make it! We grow a lot of our own herbs to use in the kitchen right in our backyard and patio. You can as well! It’s easy to do- especially with the From Seed to Spoon app which will walk you through how to start growing all the way from seed to your spoon in the kitchen!
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Bulk Beans
We used to buy canned beans from the store and now I feel pretty silly about that. Dried beans can be purchased in bulk way cheaper than canned greens and the Insta pot makes it easy to cook them. We used to have to soak them overnight and then cook them the next day, but the instant pot will give you a large batch of cooked beans in less than 30 minutes!
Cook Dry Black Beans in 25 Minutes with the Instant Pot!
Beans are a staple in our house. It’s something that we always have on-hand in our fridge to eat on with our meals. Dried beans are so much more cost efficient for us than canned and we don’t have to worry about all the preservatives! I used to cook these beans on the stove after soaking them overnight and then boiling them on the stove for several hours. It was so time consuming and I am not one to plan ahead that well! The Instant Pot changed my life in this area! I can now take completely dried beans and cook them in the Instant Pot and they are ready within the hour. These black beans not only taste great, but are just so simple to make!
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Growing Vegetables, Herbs and Fruits
We started our garden initially because we were spending a lot of money on several different ingredients that we used to cook all this. Mainly we were dropping a lot of money on basil, oregano, spinach, and kale. We started growing these from the beginning and now very rarely have to buy any of these from the store. We’ve also learned about a variety of other herbs and plants since then and have a large garden full of food! Check out our beginners guide if you’d like to start growing food!
How to Start Growing Your Own Food in 4 EASY Steps!
Friends that are interested in trying to grow some of their own food have reached out to me and asked what they should do to get started. Much like I was when I started, they’re often overwhelmed by all of the various information out there about how to grow food and have no idea where to start. Here are the four simple steps I give anyone that asks me what they should do to get started with growing some of their own food
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DIY Plant Food / Fertilizer!
Instead of buying store-bought fertilizer and wreaking havoc on the soil microbial life in our garden, we make her own fertilizer using compost and worm castings from our worm farm. We also use a lot of rabbit manure in our garden as well. All of this makes our garden a self sustainable food form that doesn’t require us to buy any fertilizer from the store. Check out the guide below to learn more about how you can make your own plant food at home!
Turn Your Kitchen Scraps and Waste into Plant Gold by Composting!
Making your own compost is a great way to reuse and recycle a lot of the waste from your kitchen and garden. It’s good for both the environment and your plants!
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Food Preservation
We also grow a lot of extra food during the main growing season so we have supplies through the winter. Beans, peppers, tomatoes, peas, kale, spinach, basil, oregano, carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, sweet potatoes are all things that could be stored or preserved easily. Check out our guides below for more info!
How We Keep an Unlimited Supply of Basil Year-Round with Preservation!
Our favorite way to preserve basil is to freeze it into oil cubes to pull out all winter long! We also occasionally dry the basil leaves, but dried basil doesn’t quite retain the flavor of fresh leaves. By freezing basil into oil cubes, you can simply pull out a cube from the freezer whenever you need it and it makes it so simple and easy to add flavor to your food all winter long!
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October: What We’re Growing in our Backyard Oklahoma Urban Garden
October in Oklahoma is a beautiful time with amazing weather! Make sure to be keeping a close eye on the weather.
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How to Freeze & Preserve Peppers/Jalapenos From Your Garden So You Have Them All Winter!
Peppers are one of those things that we absolutely love to grow in our garden! We always plant so many each year to make sure to have plenty out there to preserve!
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Blackberry Jam!
Blackberry jam is one of our favorites to make in the summer when we have large harvests of blackberries from our garden!
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Homemade Bread
We have also discovered the joy of making your own bread! A KitchenAid mixer makes the process a lot easier, but isn’t required. we love making our own bread, although the smell of fresh bread in the house doesn’t let it last very long around here for our family of 6! 😀Â
How to Make Homemade Bread that Tastes Incredible!
When I first heard about people making bread, I thought they were crazy! Why go through so much work when you can simply buy a loaf at the grocery store?! Once you make a loaf for yourself, you will completely understand why I have made my own bread for the last couple years and will not buy from the store!
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DIY Sugar Free Soda!
I have battled a lifelong off and on soda addiction and making homemade sugar free sprite has basically squashed it! It’s super simple to make your own do you know why Sprite at home using a soda stream limes lemons and oranges. Check out the blog post below to learn more!
The Drink Recipe That Changed My Life & Helped Me Quit Soda!
I’m not exaggerating when I say this recipe changed my life. I’ve always had an affinity for soda, ever since I was a kid. Kicking the habit has been difficult over the years, but this drink does the trick to satisfy my addiction!
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Blender Waffles
One of our kids favorite things to eat his waffles. We used to buy them from the store but now make them using our blender and waffle maker. They taste way better than anything frozen you’ll find in the store and can be frozen for later use easily check out more below!
How to Make EASY DIY Blender Waffles and Freeze Them for Busy Mornings
Waffles are always a hit in our family for more than just a breakfast food! Whenever I make these waffles in the blender, I always make extra to freeze so we can have fast breakfasts in the mornings before school. A quick toast in the toaster and you have your own “eggo” waffle! This recipe is super easy to make and very quick with minimal cleanup since you are only using the blender.
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Home Cleaning Products
It isn’t just food products that we are making. We also make our own dish washer detergent, laundry detergent, and cleaning sprays using commonly found bulk ingredients. Check out our guides for those below!
How We Make Our DIY Laundry Detergent & Save $$$
6/1/2017 Update: We have a video for this now! Long gone are the days of buying laundry detergent for me. I got frustrated spending so much money on laundry detergents each month that I started to research how to go about saving money. I found some recipes for laundry detergents, but none seemed to be the best match for me. I have very sensitive skin and a lot of store-bought and homemade detergents caused
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How we make dishwasher detergent with 4 common household ingredients
Dishwasher detergent was something I never even thought about being able to make. I always just thought it was one of those purchases I had to keep making every month or so. I found this really simple recipe from Happy Money Saver and have found it to be so beneficial! Not only is it simple to make, it works just as well as the store-bought detergent! Positives: Cheaper than store bought You aren’t using harsh
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How we save $ and protect my baby’s skin using reusable cloth wipes
Cloth wipes are something that I could definitely not do without! I feel disguising now using wipes bought at the store. This is such an easy thing that I can’t believe that everyone doesn’t do it. Not only does it save time and money, but I feel so much better using these on my baby’s skin. We bought these wipes from Amazon and love them! We’ve found them to be extremely soft and durable
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Learn more about growing over 100 different foods, including how to manage various pests in our FREE iOS, Android, or Universal Web App!
Dale Spoonemore is the visionary co-founder of “From Seed to Spoon,” a groundbreaking platform that has revolutionized the way individuals approach gardening. His journey from a novice gardener to a leading advocate for sustainable living and mental wellness through gardening is a source of inspiration to many. Dale’s personal transformation and dedication to making gardening accessible and enjoyable have propelled “From Seed to Spoon” to become a vital tool for gardeners of all skill levels.
Dale’s venture into gardening began as a personal quest to improve his family’s health and well-being. Faced with the challenges of learning how to garden without prior experience, Dale turned his journey into an opportunity to simplify gardening for others. He leveraged his background in technology to develop the “From Seed to Spoon” app, which guides users through the process of starting their own gardens with ease. The app covers everything from selecting the right plants for your region to tracking your garden’s progress.
Beyond the app, Dale’s contributions to the blog reflect his deep understanding of gardening, his commitment to organic practices, and his belief in the therapeutic benefits of connecting with nature. His posts are rich with practical advice, personal anecdotes, and a clear vision for a healthier world through gardening. Dale often shares innovative gardening techniques, ways to incorporate technology into gardening, and tips for growing a wide variety of plants.
Dale’s passion for gardening is matched by his advocacy for mental health. He openly discusses how gardening has been a crucial part of his own mental health journey, offering a powerful testament to the restorative and calming effects of nurturing plants. Through his work, Dale aims to inspire others to discover gardening as a pathway to physical and mental health, sustainability, and a deeper connection with the environment.
As a key voice on the seedtospoon.net blog, Dale Spoonemore continues to educate, inspire, and empower individuals around the globe to start their own gardening adventures. His story is not just about planting seeds in the ground; it’s about planting seeds of change in communities, encouraging a shift towards more sustainable living practices, and fostering a global movement of wellness through gardening.
