Fermentation is a process in which bacteria and yeast convert carbohydrates into alcohols. This not only acts as a method of preservation, but also promotes the growth of probiotics (healthy bacteria). Basically by fermenting your food you're making it healthier, making it last longer, and giving it a zesty, tart flavor. Some examples of fermented … Continue reading Fermented Foods: the What, the How, and the Why
Like everyone else on the planet I've experienced things that gave me hope for humanity and things that absolutely broke my heart. My time working at the animal shelter was no different. I saw people patiently get to know nervous dogs and slowly earn their trust before giving them a forever home. I remember a … Continue reading Why you Probably Shouldn’t Gift a Pet
I think to have a real opinion on this subject you have to understand a little bit of what goes on behind the scenes. So, let's jump right into exactly what honey is and how it's produced in a controlled setting. Image by Дарья Яковлева from Pixabay Step 1: A male honey bee aka drone … Continue reading Vegan Gray Areas: Honey
When I fantasize about the lavish garden I hope to have some day, I picture different scenarios, but there are a few things that remain constant. There's always a fence around the backyard (to keep my dogs in and the deer out), there's always busy little bees and butterflies, and I also picture birds. While … Continue reading Are Birds Friend or Foe for your Garden?
1.) Vegans only care about animals and aren't concerned with human suffering. It feels necessary to state the obvious: it is possible to care about more than one thing at a time. That being said, there are truly so many worthy causes in the world. It would be impossible for any one individual to be … Continue reading The Biggest Misconceptions about Vegans (An Opinion Piece)
"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."- Hippocrates You've probably heard this quote at some point in your life. It's an ideology that I've come across a lot in the vegan community, but it certainly spans across a wide variety of diets/lifestyles. It's certainly a consensus that a healthy diet plays a … Continue reading Is Food Medicine?
In case you aren't already aware, allow me to inform you that I am a 30 year old lady. In my adult life I have seen so many new words pop up and sometimes it gets to the point that I don't even try to keep up with all of them. The first time I … Continue reading Vegan Gray Areas: Freeganism
I've planted four trees this summer (two apple, two pear), but one of these stands out for all the wrong reasons. While the others had blossoms earlier in the season and currently have leaves (two of them even have some fruit), one of them is completely barren. Now I bought all of these trees from … Continue reading Is your Tree Dead or Dormant?
Full disclosure: I do have a pit bull at home. Some people may think that makes me biased, but I think having one in my life, in addition to my time spent working with dogs at the animal shelter, gives me additional insight into this topic. I won't be getting into any anecdotes about my … Continue reading The Truth About Pit Bulls
What does it really mean to be vegan? On face value, it means not eating or using animal products. It also refers to abstaining from products tested on animals (whenever possible, I mean if you need life saving medicine that was once tested on animals, take the medicine! It's important to have reasonable exceptions to … Continue reading Vegan Gray Areas: Palm Oil
The Vegan Homesteader 