Welcome to a new year and a new blog series for our readers! By far, the most frequent questions we receive are about proper techniques for successful organic gardening for both edibles and flowers. We thought it would be fun and useful to pull together a series that follows the season and serves as a resource to answer those very questions. Our plan is simple. Early each month we will post an article to share our advice on what a successful organic gardener should be focused on in the … [Read more...] about January: A Year in the Organic Garden
Homesteading
A Bat Talk
We recently had the opportunity to both meet and have an engaging conversation with Dr. Rada Petric, Director of the Institute for the Environment at Highlands Field Site in Highlands, North Carolina, as well as Research Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dr. Petric is studying the fascinating world of bat’s, in-particular their migration patterns and ecological impact on North Carolina. Hello! It’s great to meet you Dr. Petric. Please … [Read more...] about A Bat Talk
Fall-ing for Birds!
Every season brings unique opportunities to attract fun-flying fowl, and Fall is no exception. Having colorful, backyard visitors throughout the autumn and winter months requires planning and tasks, but their presence creates an environment full of wildlife and energy. Many experts might disagree as to whether or not backyard bird feeding will help wild bird populations, however feeding them during the colder months of the year will definitely benefit your neighborhood birds. Is it necessary … [Read more...] about Fall-ing for Birds!
Talking Mushroom Logs, Sustainable Agriculture, Community and More with Resting Point Farms
Today’s blog post is a conversation with one of our suppliers. We thought you’d enjoy hearing their story as much as we enjoy working with them. Please introduce yourselves. Resting Point Farms is a small heritage farm, in WNC, just beyond downtown Asheville’s edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Southeast United States. We’re spirited by Jesse and “Sweet Dee”, partners in farming and in life, who provide care for this land that has been in the family for 20 years. We’re helping our … [Read more...] about Talking Mushroom Logs, Sustainable Agriculture, Community and More with Resting Point Farms
Making Your Own Mead At Home
Mead is quickly becoming a popular alternative to typical beers and wines. Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage made with honey. It can range from 4%-20% alcohol and can be flavored with a wide variety of fruits and spices. At Fifth Season, we’ve been experimenting with a simple one-month mead that can be easily brewed in around 60 minutes. Whether you keep your own bees or enjoy local honey, this is an easy project that results in a delicious drink to sip on the cooler evenings. To … [Read more...] about Making Your Own Mead At Home
Simple Small-Batch Vegetable Ferments
I have a confession: As much as I enjoy gardening (and I really do!), the kitchen magic that ensues post-harvest – cooking meals straight from the garden, drying herbs for salt blends that become holiday gifts, making hot sauce, and of course, canning, pickling, and making preserves – well, that really lights me up! I feel such immense joy when gazing at a line of jars, still warm from the water bath, cooling atop a clean dish cloth. It brings me back to my childhood when my dad and grandmother … [Read more...] about Simple Small-Batch Vegetable Ferments
Caprese Salad: A Simple Garden-to-Table Meal 2022
This is one of our most popular articles based on customer feedback and engagement. Originally published in July 2018, it has been updated with new information and product links. As always, please leave us your comments below! It’s the middle of summer and the garden is bursting with life and color, full of fresh fruit and ripe vegetables. As a gardener, the summer harvest is the absolute reward for all of the hardwork and patience that has gone into planning, caring for, and watching … [Read more...] about Caprese Salad: A Simple Garden-to-Table Meal 2022
When Life Gives You Lemons: Grow them! 2022
This is one of our Top 20 most popular articles based on customer feedback and engagement. Originally published in July 2019, it has been updated with new images and product links. As always, please leave us your comments below! Bringing tropical greenery indoors invites warmth, life, and oxygen to your space. With its lush foliage, perfumey blooms, and delicious fruit, citrus is one of the most rewarding families of plants to incorporate into your home. Growing citrus is not difficult … [Read more...] about When Life Gives You Lemons: Grow them! 2022
DIY Hard Seltzer: A Trend Worth Trying 2022
This is one of our Top 10 most popular articles based on customer feedback and engagement. Originally published in July 2019, it has been updated with new information and product links. As always, please leave us your comments below! Summer is the busiest season nationwide for beer sales, and in recent years, the adult beverage industry has witnessed a major rise in popularity of a different kind of boozy beverage: hard seltzer. This light, low-cal, low-carb alternative to beer is … [Read more...] about DIY Hard Seltzer: A Trend Worth Trying 2022
Sharing Your Garden with Your Dogs
-Pam Scott- I once had a garden full of beautifully flowering perennial beds, annuals, roses and bulbs. This garden overflowed with year-round seasonal beauty. It was immaculately trimmed, trellised and tidy, not a branch out of place, not a weed to be found. That all came to an abrupt end when I fell in love with and adopted two, young 80 lb rescue Boxers. These rough and tumble boys laid waste to my entire garden in a matter of days. Nothing seemed to delight them more than the sound … [Read more...] about Sharing Your Garden with Your Dogs
