Practical Self-Sufficiency Newsletter
Welcome to the NOFA/Mass newsletter series
Each week we publish original articles on the topics we care about most.
Read about the latest policy issues affecting Massachusetts farmers and consumers in our “Policy and Advocacy” newsletter, get insider farming and gardening tips from expert growers in our “Be a Better Grower” newsletter, learn to do it yourself, from food preservation to building fences, in our “Practical Self-Sufficiency” newsletter and see how our community is working to improve the food system in our “Food Justice” newsletter.
Kombucha, a Love Story
Christy Bassett2022-09-16T14:37:05-04:00July 14th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: July 2022, Practical Self Sufficiency|
By Ophelia Jackson Listen to a recording of this article by the author Since I started brewing kombucha over three years ago, what began as a simple project in my mom’s [...]
Kombucha Brewing Part II: The First Fermentation
Christy Bassett2022-09-16T14:25:12-04:00August 18th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: August 2022, Practical Self Sufficiency|
By Ophelia Jackson, NOFA/Mass Intern To the uninitiated, a SCOBY can certainly look a little strange—unappetizing, alien, grotesque even, belonging more in a Hogwarts classroom than their own home kitchen. Despite its appearance, though, [...]
Kombucha Brewing Part III: The Second Fermentation
Christy Bassett2022-09-16T14:22:52-04:00September 16th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Practical Self Sufficiency, September 2022|
By Ophelia Jackson, NOFA/Mass Intern Ingredients, left to right: ginger/kombucha puree, raspberry hibiscus preserves, spicy honey, Tazo lemon strawberry tea, Celestial Peppermint and Raspberry Zinger teas. Photo credit: Ophelia Jackson At once [...]
Late Season Cilantro
Christy Bassett2022-06-17T06:39:47-04:00June 17th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: June 2022, Practical Self Sufficiency|
By Ophelia Jackson, Gardener and NOFA/Mass Intern Listen to a recording of this article by the author Flowering cilantro Summer in the garden is a heady season, a season [...]
Simple Edible Spring Flower Recipes
Christy Bassett2022-06-14T18:32:58-04:00May 20th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: May 2022, Practical Self Sufficiency|
By Christy Bassett, Homesteader Listen to this article read by the author here: The arrival of warm weather in May brings out blooms in full force. If you’re just waking [...]
Thoughts On Mending
Christy Bassett2022-04-20T21:46:54-04:00April 20th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: April 2022, Practical Self Sufficiency|
By Andrea R. Caluori, Artist & Farmer Photo credit: Andrea Caluori I grew up in the Bronx, New York on Bainbridge Avenue, in a small neighborhood closeby to a vibrant street full [...]
Simple Steps to Sprout Mung Beans
Christy Bassett2022-03-23T18:08:10-04:00March 23rd, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: March 2022, Practical Self Sufficiency|
Rice pasta with caramelized onions, chickpeas, curry, cultured vegetables, sprouted mung beans, served on a bed of arugula. Photo credit: Priscila Espinosa. by Priscila Espinosa @mysproutchange Why I Love Sprouted Mung Beans [...]
Sugarin’ on the Homestead
Christy Bassett2022-02-16T14:58:03-05:00February 16th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: February 2022, Practical Self Sufficiency|
Sugarin’ on the Homestead* *Originally written and shared in the February 2012 issue of the NOFA/Mass newsletter. Revised and reprinted February 2022. Artwork by Jocelyn Langer By Sharon Gensler, Homesteader The optimist [...]
Herbs for Seasonal Affective Disorder
Christy Bassett2022-01-27T15:42:49-05:00January 19th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: January 2022, Practical Self Sufficiency|
St. Johnswort flowers. Photo credit: Hannah Jacobson-Hardy By Hannah Jacobson-Hardy, Herbalist at Sweet Birch Herbals *Reprinted with permission from sweetbirchherbals.com The winter is long in New England and many people suffer from [...]
5 Ways to Simplify the Holidays
Christy Bassett2021-11-23T17:37:14-05:00November 23rd, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: November 2021, Practical Self Sufficiency|
In light of the way many Americans celebrate traditional holidays with food and gifts, we asked Kelley Dennings from the Center for Biological Diversity to share some of her suggestions for simplifying the festivities and [...]
Hen of the Woods
Christy Bassett2021-10-20T21:41:39-04:00October 20th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: October 2021, Practical Self Sufficiency|
Foraging, processing and preserving tips for mushroom hunters Our first foraged Hen of the Woods. Auburn, MA October 2021. By Christy Bassett, Homesteader at Barefoot All Natural Farm Earlier this month, we [...]
Make at Home Backpack Snacks from Local Fruit
Christy Bassett2021-09-16T16:16:25-04:00September 16th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Practical Self Sufficiency, September 2021|
By Christy Bassett, Homesteader at Barefoot All Natural Farm Back to school, fall hikes, road trips. September spurs many of us to pack a bag and head out of the house for hours at a time. Luckily, it’s also peak [...]
Saving and Eating Sunflower Seeds
Christy Bassett2021-08-20T12:06:19-04:00August 20th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: August 2021, Practical Self Sufficiency|
Saving and Eating Sunflower Seeds Ripened sunflower, ready to harvest seeds. By Christy Bassett, Homesteader at Barefoot All Natural Farm Many people grow sunflowers for their beauty alone. Towering over 7 [...]
How to Make Raw Butter
Christy Bassett2021-07-15T07:56:04-04:00July 14th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Health and Nutrition, Homesteading, July 2021, Livestock, Practical Self Sufficiency, Raw Milk|
By Christy Bassett, Homesteader at Barefoot All Natural Farm Real, raw butter is just about impossible to source in Massachusetts unless you make it yourself. That’s because raw (unpasteurized) milk can only be sold unprocessed on the farm where it was collected straight from the cows. No [...]
Wild Rose Medicine*
Christy Bassett2021-06-17T13:53:31-04:00June 17th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: June 2021, Practical Self Sufficiency|
By Jade Alicandro Mace *Reposted with permission. See original article here. Wild Rose. Photo courtesy Milk and Honey Herbs. It's that special time of year again when the Valley is awash with [...]
3 Ways to Preserve Garlic Scapes
Christy Bassett2021-06-17T12:33:01-04:00June 17th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Health and Nutrition, Homesteading, June 2021, Practical Self Sufficiency|
Garlic scapes ready to be harvested By Christy Bassett, Homesteader at Barefoot All Natural Farm Garlic scapes come but once per year, but that doesn’t mean that their flavor needs to escape you once the harvest [...]
Making Maple Sugar at Home
Christy Bassett2021-06-07T12:19:11-04:00March 25th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: March 2021, Practical Self Sufficiency|
By Christy Bassett, NOFA/Mass Communications Director and Homesteader at Barefoot All Natural Farm If you live in New England and enjoy making and preserving your own food, trying your hand at maple sugaring is [...]
Hatching Chicks at Home
Christy Bassett2021-06-07T12:17:15-04:00April 23rd, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: April 2021, Farming, Homesteading, Livestock, Practical Self Sufficiency|
By Christy Bassett, NOFA/Mass Communications Director and Homesteader at Barefoot All Natural Farm Nothing signals spring quite like the chirps of baby chicks. As soon as the year turns the corner into March, with warmer weather [...]
Ethically Foraging Wild & Medicinal Plants
Christy Bassett2021-06-02T14:30:44-04:00May 20th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Health and Nutrition, May 2021, Practical Self Sufficiency|
By Hannah Jacobson-Hardy, Herbalist at Sweet Birch Herbals Hannah Jacobson-Hardy, Community Herbalist The sounds and sights of spring unfurling renew a sense of hope. Wild edibles and spring ephemerals are shooting up [...]
Setting Up Your Brooder and Caring for Juvenile Poultry
Christy Bassett2021-06-02T14:30:07-04:00May 21st, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Homesteading, Livestock, May 2021, Practical Self Sufficiency|
By Christy Bassett, Homesteader at Barefoot All Natural Farm Last month we talked about the process of hatching chicks at home. If you decided to take on the adventure of incubating eggs and hatching out chicks without [...]