Spread the Love Sunday & Ohio History Center Giveaway!

Now that I have the bad news of the chicken slaughter off my chest, it's time to share some good news:

1) First, I'm thrilled to announce that I was selected to be part of the US delegation to Slow Food International's Terra Madre and Salone de Gusto in Turin, Italy this October! I'm excited to represent small farmers at the conference and to learn from more experienced growers and food producers. Soon, I'll share details about how you can participate by supporting the delegation through farm-to-table fundraisers.

2) My friends Joel and Dana of WellPreserved.ca just announced their book project and The Home Ec Big Outdoor Party. Congrats to them! If you happen to live or visit the Toronto area in mid September, I'm sure the party will be a blast.

3) Have you heard about The Commissary? It's a new commercial test kitchen, co-working space, and connection point for the central Ohio food community being built in Grandview. I support their Kickstarter campaign to outfit the community space where folks can hold cooking classes, private events, and pop-up restaurants. Can you support them too?

4) Not another Kickstarter?! Well, yes. The Shazzbots, a seriously entertaining kids band in Columbus is raising money for a TV pilot. We've loved the Shazzbots since Lil was a little duder and any time we can encourage decent television among the stratosphere of mind-rotting junk, we want to support that. Give the Shazzbots TV pilot project a look - they even have a $1 reward!

5) Sprout It gardening app is holding a Jeni's ice cream contest just for trying out their garden planning software. The info in the software is solid and it automatically sends email reminders with growing tips. Download the app and enter the contest by Monday. 

6) To spread the love to you, I'm giving away three two-packs of tickets to the Ohio Village & Museum provided by the newly-rebranded Ohio History Connection. The 1800s historical Ohio Village includes a town hall, school, church, houses, barns, and more.

We visited the Soldier's Aid fair a few weeks ago and saw tin type photography in action. Another favorite part of the village is the gardens that include chickens this year!

If you want to visit the Ohio Village & Museum with a friend, tell me how you're spreading the love these days. Leave a comment below by Thursday, July 3. I will choose three random winners on 7.4.14.

Spread the Love Sunday & Ohio History Center Giveaway!

Now that I have the bad news of the chicken slaughter off my chest, it's time to share some good news:

1) First, I'm thrilled to announce that I was selected to be part of the US delegation to Slow Food International's Terra Madre and Salone de Gusto in Turin, Italy this October! I'm excited to represent small farmers at the conference and to learn from more experienced growers and food producers. Soon, I'll share details about how you can participate by supporting the delegation through farm-to-table fundraisers.

2) My friends Joel and Dana of WellPreserved.ca just announced their book project and The Home Ec Big Outdoor Party. Congrats to them! If you happen to live or visit the Toronto area in mid September, I'm sure the party will be a blast.

3) Have you heard about The Commissary? It's a new commercial test kitchen, co-working space, and connection point for the central Ohio food community being built in Grandview. I support their Kickstarter campaign to outfit the community space where folks can hold cooking classes, private events, and pop-up restaurants. Can you support them too?

4) Not another Kickstarter?! Well, yes. The Shazzbots, a seriously entertaining kids band in Columbus is raising money for a TV pilot. We've loved the Shazzbots since Lil was a little duder and any time we can encourage decent television among the stratosphere of mind-rotting junk, we want to support that. Give the Shazzbots TV pilot project a look - they even have a $1 reward!

5) Sprout It gardening app is holding a Jeni's ice cream contest just for trying out their garden planning software. The info in the software is solid and it automatically sends email reminders with growing tips. Download the app and enter the contest by Monday. 

6) To spread the love to you, I'm giving away three two-packs of tickets to the Ohio Village & Museum provided by the newly-rebranded Ohio History Connection. The 1800s historical Ohio Village includes a town hall, school, church, houses, barns, and more.

We visited the Soldier's Aid fair a few weeks ago and saw tin type photography in action. Another favorite part of the village is the gardens that include chickens this year!

If you want to visit the Ohio Village & Museum with a friend, tell me how you're spreading the love these days. Leave a comment below by Thursday, July 3. I will choose three random winners on 7.4.14.

Keep Yourself and Your Plants Cool This Summer & Duluth Trading Giveaway!

Warm days are here to stay, hooray! As the temperatures rise, staying cool becomes all the more important. Here's how we keep ourselves cool in the summer:

1) Don a hat - a lightweight hat keeps sun off the face which keeps your whole body cool. In addition, it shades your eyes which prevents eye strain and headaches.

2) Wear light-colored, breathable clothing - Clothing made from materials like wool and bamboo are naturally breathable. New woven synthetics can match their drying power. The folks at Duluth Trading gave me a chance to try out some of their clothing made from lightweight, wicking fabric. The Armachillo shirt I'm wearing in these pictures has clever vents along the back to stay even cooler.

3) Work smart - Carry tools with you to prevent running back to the garage, stay in shade, and work in the cooler morning or evening if possible. Many women's pants don't have enough pockets but the quick dry work pants from Duluth Trading have plenty of places for hand tools, seed packets and cellphone.

Keep your plants happy and productive this summer by ensuring they stay cool too. Here's how:

1) Water at the soil surface because it minimizes evaporation. If you water on a sunny day on top of plants, the droplets can be like little magnifying glasses and cause sun scortch on the leaves. Push your hose or can to the bottom of the plant for best results.

2) Water deeply every three to four days instead of lightly every day. This way, even the deepest roots get to soak up a drink and you aren't spending as much time watering.

3) Mulch or plant short plants under taller ones to retain moisture. We're experimenting with planting carrots and lettuces under our tomatoes and peppers this year to keep down weeds, give us a secondary crop, and act as living mulch for water retention.

Want to have your Summer Solved? I have a $50 gift card to Duluth Trading Company for one lucky person. Enter to win in one or both of these ways:

1) Leave a comment below about how to beat the summer heat or anything else that's on your mind.

2) Like Harmonious Homestead on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did, or already do.

Duluth Trading Company is offering free US shipping for orders over $50 now through June 30, 2013. Just enter code “T13PRCG”.

Giveaway rules: The giveaway winner will be chosen by random.org from all valid entries on Sunday May 12 at 8 pm and winner will have 24 hours to respond by email. The gift card giveaway is open to anyone who can receive the card at a US or Canadian address. 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Winter Wellness Tea Giveaway from Traditional Medicinals

Much as we might like to believe otherwise, winter is not yet over. Central Ohio, where we live, is staring down a winter storm warming capable of 2-4 inches of snow tonight. Cold days, and the sniffles that come with them, often continue right into spring.

As soon as we come inside from chilly chores, we start water boiling for tea. Tea warms us from the inside out and supports health. Further, the routine of drinking tea while reading or talking with eachother allows a moment of repose or calm connection in the middle of busy days.

Traditional Medicinals recently provided a set of teas for us to try. Lil loved reading the cards provided in the sample set about how different herbs can relieve common non-serious conditions. I love that their teas are organic and free of artificial dyes and colorants. They taste like fresh herbs from my backyard.

Maintain your winter wellness by entering a tea giveaway for a sampler set from Traditional Medicinals, tea-steeping mug, and boxes of some of their best sellers. Enter in one or both of these ways:

1) Leave a comment on this page about your favorite tea or tea time routine. 2) Like Harmonious Homestead on Facebook and leave a second comment saying you did so.

Giveaway rules: The giveaway winner will be chosen by random.org on Wednesday March 13 at 8 pm and winner will have 24 hours to respond to email. Open to US addresses only.

Disclosure: Traditional Medicinals provided me with the same set of winter wellness teas they are offering the giveaway winner. They advise I disclose that "health statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."

2013 Goals & Giveaway

Last year was a busy one, as always, for our family. We some of our 2012 goals by traveling to San Salvador Island, Bahamas and the Big Island of Hawaii with extended family and we finally moved to a new homestead-to-be. The stress of moving, an injury, a major summer storm, and some minor illnesses kept us from being as healthy as we would have liked. In my individual pursuits, I joyfully provided freelance web services for Watershed Distillery and City Folk's Farm Shop and represented Swainway Urban Farm at farmers' markets. The American Dairy Association Mideast and Pork Checkoff provided me with tours of farms and facroties to learn more about food production. I reached hundreds of people through classes at Franklin Park Conservatory and City Folk's Farm Shop and programs with Granville Homesteading group, Clintonville Farmers' Market, and the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association. I love this work because it provides me chances to exercise my educator muscles and interact with creative, smart, supportive people.

Alex, Lil and I are excited to turn over a new leaf (or, in more appropriate seasonal terms, shovel a new path) in 2013. We want to fulfill the potential of our new homestead and continue to grow strong bodies and minds. In 2013, we hope for and will work towards:

-a garden and hoophouse full of produce -a pantry full of preserved goods -eating meat we raise and slaughter on our property -collecting more eggs from more chickens -a way to offer unusual but important workshops on demystifying guns and meat animal slaughter -a more energy-efficient home -better health through lower stress and homestead exercise -travel to new places within our city and beyond -an updated name and website to more accurately reflect our new activities beyond the kitchen

City Folk's Farm Shop gave me three beautiful Igloo Letterpress 2013 wall calendar posters to ring in the new year for some lucky readers.

Enter to win by sharing one goal you have for 2013 in the comments. Be sure to leave an email address so that we may contact you if random.org picks you as a winner. The contest will be open until January 12, 2013. We will pay shipping to anywhere in the world, so enter away foreign friends.

From our homestead to yours, here's to a fulfilling new year!

Farmers Market Reusable Bags {Birthday Giveaway}

In honor of Saturdays and Farmers Markets, today's giveaway is for three of my favorite reusable bags. I love these sacks from b.b.begonia because they roll up into tiny bundles with the included snap. I keep one in my purse at all times for trips to every kind of store.

When the bag gets dirty, I throw it in the wash. Made of lightweight polyester, it dries in a flash on the clothesline.

Lest the small bundled size (about 4x2 inches) make you think otherwise, these bags hold a lot. They are approximately 19x16 inches unrolled, carrying more than a plastic grocery sack. The integrated handles are just big enough to slip over my shoulder when I carry a weighty load.

To enter, tell me your favorite farmers market.

Giveaway details:

One winner will receive a set of three terrasacks in black, brown, and blue, retail value $24.

Contest entries close at 12:01 AM EST on Saturday, October 15, 2011. One winner will be selected with random.org. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to email notification with their address for shipment. US addresses only. One comment per person please.

Disclosure: I am personally sponsoring this giveaway.

Don't forget the other Birthday Giveaways: Charcuterie Class Earthlust Bottle + Built NY Case Ecofriendly Dog Gear Kroger Giftcard

Charcuterie Class {Birthday Giveaway}

Ever wondered how to make bacon? Why nitrites/nitrates are sometimes used? Do you enjoy making meat jokes? I will cover all this and more in my Charcuterie Class on October 18 at Wild Goose Creative, the last of my Preserving Series. Participants get to go home with tasting samples in their belly and a few fresh sausages to boot.

One lucky reader can win a place at the meaty table! Just leave a comment below with your favorite cured meat product.

Giveaway Details

The winner will receive free entry to the October 18 Preserving Class at Wild Goose Creative in Columbus, Ohio. Class time is 6:30-8:30 pm, value $35. Transportation to and from class is the responsibility of the winner.

Contest entries close at 12:01 AM EST on Friday, October 14, 2011. One winner will be selected with random.org. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to email notification to claim their entry. Only one comment per person please.

Disclosure: I am personally sponsoring this giveaway.

Earthlust Bottle and BuiltNY Sleeve {Birthday Giveaway}

If you've ever come to a Hounds in the Kitchen class or event, chances are you've seen my Earthlust stainless steel water bottle. I carry my beloved bottle nearly everywhere I go. It's safe (no BPA or other nasties), easy to clean in the dishwasher, and sipping is a cinch. (Yes, I am one of those people who dribble down my chin when I drink from a wide-mouthed vessel.) The 20 ounce size is perfect because it doesn't weigh too much when full and fits easily in a cup holder. Unlike some knock off water bottles, Earthlust bottles are built with quality - mine is 3 years old and still in great shape despite plenty of washes and drops.

I want to share my love of this bottle with one of you readers. Simply comment below to enter. In honor of the parsley on the bottle, share your favorite herb or just say hello.

Giveaway details

Up for grabs is a 20 ounce Earthlust water bottle in the cream on green parsley design with a eggplant purple neoprene insulating sleeve from BuiltNY, retail value $30.

Contest entries close at 12:01 AM EST on Wednesday, October 12, 2011. One winner will be selected with random.org. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to email notification with their mailing address for shipment. Winners must have a US address. Only one entry per person please.

Disclosure: I am personally sponsoring this giveaway. Opinions are my own and shipping is also covered by me.