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January 21, 2023
Sourdough Bread with Fresh Milled Flour from Crafty Gemini

Baking your own sourdough bread can be a fulfilling and delicious experience. On and off for over a decade, I have been making sourdough bread. I recently decided to start milling my own flour. This is a new experience for me and I am excited to share the journey and insights I have gained in the process. With the help of some organic hard white wheat berries, a healthy homemade sourdough starter, and a few simple steps, I have been able to produce artisanal, homemade sourdough bread with unique flavors and textures. I have made almost a dozen loaves of ...

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January 13, 2023
How to Make Sourdough Starter from Crafty Gemini

sourdough starter wild yeast
Bubbly sourdough started ready to use!

Baking with wild yeast has been a tradition for centuries, and it is a great way to make delicious, artisan-style breads. Sourdough starters created with wild yeast are particularly special, as the living organisms in the starter create a unique flavor and texture. Making a sourdough starter with wild yeast requires patience and knowledge, but the results are worth it. In this blog post, we will discuss the process and tips for starting a wild yeast sourdough starter, so you can make your own artisan breads at home. With some practice and attention to ...

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February 8, 2022
Fiber Fridays #5 from Crafty Gemini

Catch up on on Episode #4 of Crafty Gemini’s new LIVE video series called Fiber Fridays! In this LIVE event Vanessa will share projects she is working on, new yarn purchases, share updates on new pattern designs, fiber related resource books and answer audience questions. This new series will air on the 1st Friday of each month.

If you are specifically interested in fiber related crafts including: Knitting, Crochet, Circular Sock Machine Knitting, Spinning, etc. then this is the show for you!

Join the FIRST Crafty Gemini Knit Along!

Join our first Knit Along + Supply Kit: https://craftygemini.com ...

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August 5, 2021
Seed Starting in Florida in August: Zone 8b from Crafty Gemini

Tough summer weather in Zone 8b- North Central Florida can be a challenge for gardeners, but it’s do-able. Seed starting in Florida this time of year isn’t as hard as you may think but it ca n be tricky. It’s hurricane season here and it’s rained every day for 1.5 months now. A lot of gardeners who are not familiar with growing food in our hot + humid climate struggle to wrap their head around why my garden looks like this right now. Many Northern gardeners are in peak harvest season right now. Florida is different ...

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August 3, 2021
Growing Calendula in Florida from Crafty Gemini

Calendula has to be one of my favorite flowers to grow on our homestead in North Central Florida.

Here are just a few reasons why:

  1. Easy to start from seed and transplant.
  2. Beautiful flowers that attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
  3. Has beneficial medicinal benefits, it’s edible and and can be used as a natural dye!

If you’re new to gardening I think calendula is a great place to start growing something!

Note: I’m talking about Calendula officinalis in this post. While some people call it pot marigold, common marigold or Scotch marigold it is not actually ...

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October 15, 2020
Most of you are going to think I am a FREAK! from Appalachian Quilts

 ...but I couldn't be more excited!

Cracker Barrel is re-decorating and getting rid of their wood cookstoves that they use for display.  I saw it on FB, so it has to be true!  LOL

Remember the Pioneer Princess I wanted???  Well, they aren't as big (or as nice, frankly), but I have scored!

I told Hubs about the FB post and that all the Cracker Barrels were selling off the display units.  While I was on a call this morning, he went to the nearby CB to check it out.  I count on him to check out fireboxes ...

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June 10, 2020
Almost Amish?? from Appalachian Quilts

I have some Amish friends in Berlin, Ohio.  When the kids were younger, we used to take a weekend and camp on their farm.  There were 3 farm ponds for them to play in and it was a great getaway for us.  Sometimes my sister and her 3 kids would go with us.  Sometimes my almost brother and his 3 kids would go with us.  Sometimes it was both.  (Alvin even asked us once when it was ALL of us if my almost brother was Mormon to have 3 wives and 9 kids.  LOL)  We were awakened in the mornings ...

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June 1, 2020
As Requested... from Appalachian Quilts

We try to take Sunday as a day of rest.  Grandpa & Granny never let us work in the garden on Sunday - especially planting.  They said "nothing good wood come of it".  So, we try not to.  It's hard for us.  Yesterday we kept talking about all the things we needed to do.  I knew we would fall into the trap of working, so I suggested we take a little drive.  I was antsy to get some work done and knew I didn't have the willpower to hold back.  I always feel that way after I have had a ...

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May 30, 2020
Grow Baby Grow! from Appalachian Quilts

Bear with me, I have a LOT of photos today, but the sun was shining during my little morning walk.

As I was pulling the pics off, these were still on from Monday.  Two of the grands came to see the baby bunnies - Stella and Luciano.  Visitation is done in the garage on a moving blanket to keep them from escaping and becoming wild bunnies.  LOL




This bed has Roma tomatoes, sunflowers in the middle, zinnias on the ends and basil coming up along the long sides.  You can barely see it, but it is purple basil.  It kind of ...

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May 22, 2020
Memorial Day Sale and Going Alaskan from Appalachian Quilts

I'm a fan of the Alaskan shows.  My favorite is probably Alaska the Last Frontier.  I love how they work as a family and have such a strong work ethic.  While watching Life Below Zero a LONG time ago, I fell in love with the Alaskan Ulu knife.  I told Hubs I just had to have one.  He offered to make me one, but time passed, we were busy and it just didn't happen.  He surprised me with one for Mother's Day.  He had started one for Christmas when he got his shop all set up, but ...

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April 14, 2020
How to Start Seeds for a Vegetable Garden from Crafty Gemini

It’s Spring and our garden is in full swing here in North Central Florida, Zone8b. As I post pictures and videos of my garden on Facebook and Instagram I’ve received many requests for more YouTube tutorials on the topic. I did a similar video about 8 years ago but wanted to give you an updated version. So, I made this video tutorial to share how I start my seeds for the vegetable garden. As you’ll see I grow a lot of different vegetables, and herbs so, I plant A LOT of trays full of seeds. I always ...

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  • homesteading
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