Terracotta Carrot Watering Spikes

August 19, 2025 Sarah

Kirk found me these terracotta carrot watering spikes as a gift to help with the hot days here in West Virginia. He wanted to see if they would actually work.

One came with a crack, but we can fix it with glue. Terracotta is fragile in some ways. The others were fine.

I added them to my large container pots. Gently twist so they sink into the soil.

I added water to fill them.

Put the carrot top on. I checked them 12 hours later, after a warm day, and about 20% had leeched out. According to the listing, you can put a pottle on top for extra water. I could see a 16.9-ounce water bottle working.

The terracotta slowly weeps out the water, is how it works.

Cute too! I put the first three in our blueberry bushes and olive tree.

I could see picking up more of these (and they come in many styles on Amazon) to buy me time on the hot days. They are functional and cute, which works well in our garden for me.

~Sarah

Reviewing A Handheld Sewing Machine

July 14, 2025 Sarah

In our last two homes, I never had a dedicated sewing area. Three houses back, I was sewing for a living, so I had the downstairs second living room as both an office and a sewing room for my business. When the boys were young, and we were about to move to our next home, I had given my sewing business away to another hiker, and I was burned out on sewing. So it hadn’t been as important to me as it should have been. Growing food became my light in those years.

When I did need to sew, I’d pull out my machine and try to do it on our dining room table. It was not a good choice, as it was simply awkward (we have a bar-height table). So I found I didn’t want to haul everything downstairs and set it up. All my sewing gear was boxed into two bins and shut away in a closet in Kirk’s office.

When we moved, I had a room that was entirely mine – I suppose it would have been the “formal sitting room” back in the day. In a more modern house, it would be an open-plan home, but this house has separate rooms.

Kirk had upgraded his desk, so he gave me his old one. It is a standing desk, which oddly is great for crafting and sewing. I much prefer to stand, though it goes up and down, should I want to sit. It’s a long desk that I can also use to cut fabric on. I now have a sewing area, but it took me a couple of months to get it all together.

Meanwhile, Kirk had seen a handheld sewing machine and picked it up. If you have ever had a quick repair job to do, but, like me, had all your sewing gear packed away? This could be a handy answer to that. Sometimes, all you need to do is repair a hem.

Package, to show size.

What came in the box.

The machine comes pre-threaded.

The accessory kit.

There are pros and cons to this machine:

Pros:

Ease of use is big. It comes fully charged and has a digital display to let you know the battery life. It is easy to charge, with an included USB cord. Due to not needing heavy batteries, it is far easier to hold.

The machine sews in one direction, and it is a simple stitch, so you must knot it at the end, otherwise it will pull out.

There is a tension control.

The needle is replaceable using a screwdriver.

Ample accessory kit.

Cons:

The directions are not well done.

Threading it isn’t easy. You need good vision and patience.

Understanding how the threading works isn’t going to be easy for someone new to sewing.

It uses bobbins to hold the thread for sewing, but doesn’t have a bobbin under the needle. This is where the threading can be difficult. You have to envision it while you do the threading. I would suggest taking a picture of how it came from the factory, so you have a reference.

The on/off button automatically starts the machine. There are three settings, but you must go through all three to turn the machine off. This can be very frustrating.

The takeaway:

I like the sewing machine, it’s functional and well-priced.

However, it is a huge learning curve. It is not for someone just starting with sewing. A regular, but smaller-sized machine, would be a far better choice for a sewing newbie.

When you are done sewing a line, gently pull the fabric away, and then cut the thread. Unlike in a standard machine, you can’t just break it off. It will start to unravel the thread if you do that.

It’s a mixed bag in the end, on if I would recommend it to anyone. But it got me feeling more inspired to get back into sewing, and got me to make my sewing area a reality here. So I take that as a huge pro.

~Sarah

Gardening · Homesteading · Reviews · Urban Homesteading

The “Stay Outta My Garden” Sign

July 9, 2025 Sarah

Kirk picked up the best sign for me recently on Amazon. It’ll join the other signs I have had up at our various gardens (which I took down and brought with us), once the fencing is up on the new garden.

I’ve often thought that fences and signs make for good neighbors. I’ve nothing against sharing, but it is on my terms, not someone just wandering by and looking for a free snack.

They are welcome to pick weeds, though.

With our garden closer to the road, I figured this sign would politely remind people to stay out – a friendlier alternative to a No Trespassing sign.

I’ll need to drill holes in the signs so I can zip tie it to the fence. That is my only complaint about the design, it should have been prepunched for using with screw/zip ties. Otherwise, it is a solid piece and easy to read.

Found on Amazon for under $15.

~Sarah

Recipes · Reviews

Lemon 🍋 Ice For Hot Days

July 2, 2025July 2, 2025 neverfreefarm

Years ago (two homes back), I tried to stop buying plug-in hand appliances and went to only hand powered ones if I did buy anything. And for years, I bought very few new appliances.

Being so hot in West Virginia, I gave in and picked up a rotary ice shaver. They are not expensive, at under $20. This one is a small unit, sets up quickly, and is attractive.

A little effort, and we get cooling treats for the late afternoon.

It comes with the main part, a handle and the interior cone that has metal blades, plus a cleaning brush. Setup took a minute. The base has a suction setup that uses a knob to flip, which seals it to a smooth countertop.

And it will grind cheese, veggies, and more. With less chance of grating knuckles than a box grater.

While one could make snow cones (where you flavor with coffee/Italian Soda syrups), by dropping ice cubes through it, I opted to freeze sugar-free lemonade that I had frozen in ice cube trays. I used a favorite brand that uses stevia to sweeten. This made the process easy. Yes, one can make the lemonade from scratch, but I had it on hand.

I froze two trays’ worth, popped them out into a storage container, and froze a second batch. This is open ended, do as much as you’d like.

The machine fits two ice cubes at a time and quickly grates it.

It produced a light and fluffy snow like ice.

I was working in the garden this afternoon and got very overheated. A bowl of lemon ice cooled my core down so quickly.

Cleanup was a snap, and the grating cone insert is easy to handle. No fear of grabbing it wrong.

So yes, a unitasker appliance, but fun and easy to use.

– Sarah

Clean Living · Reviews

Reviewing The Big Berkey System

June 21, 2025 Sarah

When we moved to the island, Kirk had picked up a Big Berkey to run our water through. We had good well water there, and once we had the house’s water redone, the Berkey wasn’t needed. It ended up sitting in its box, unopened, for 6 to 7 years. We moved it with us to West Virginia. Our well water here isn’t great. It is extremely hard. We knew that moving here, we’d need to remodel the water system in the house. We do NOT drink the tap water here. It’s been tested, and while in theory it is “safe” for consumption, too many people locally warn about drinking it straight, blaming chronic kidney stone issues on it (though that is up for discussion if that causes them). So we don’t even give it to our dogs. You can see the hardness of the water even in cold water; it leaves a heavy bloom on pots and glassware, especially when canning. My black kettle was white after the first run.

We are saving for the remodel of the water system, and once done, it should be great. But until then, bottled water is our answer. Buying it, though, isn’t cheap, and with the water so hard locally, most people buy water to drink. By Sunday every weekend, many stores are fully sold out of the 5-gallon carboys. It leaves me nervous as well, for if we can’t get water, what do we do? I had already had one weekend where I went to three stores to find water.

The average price is $15 for the bottle the first time, and approximately $8 for each refill when you return your empty bottle. I am unable to lift the full bottles due to my arm injury from last year, so one of the boys must accompany me to load them into a shopping cart, into the car, and then into our house.

That alone was enough to get me off my rear and find the Berkey Filter box.

After blowing off the dust, I opened it up.

The current model hasn’t changed much. You can buy a stainless steel spigot, however. That is nice to have less plastic. I might upgrade it.

The directions are IKEA-level in terms of complexity, but I eventually figured it out. It came with four filters, but you could opt to use only two at a time, and use two plugs. I decided to try this way first. The filters supposedly treat about 6,000 gallons of water, an average four-person family that is about 2 years. We shall see.

I added the first fill of cold tap water. At first, it barely drips through. I left it overnight, and the water had gone through nicely.

I drained it as instructed and refilled it. We went and ran errands, came home to it having drained, so it was much faster the second time.

I decided to purge it a third time, just to be sure. It’s no different than using any filter; you need to rinse it, essentially, before using the water.

Then, with it ready, we proceeded to test and compare the water. A basic science experiment, if you will.

I ordered a water testing kit. We tested three times: Well, Berkey, and as a test control, bottled water.

Our water had been tested twice before, by plumbers, but I wanted to do it myself, as I hadn’t seen the results in person – just what I was told.

The strips are very easy to use; lining up the colors can be interesting, and you might second-guess yourself at first. It gets easier, though.

Well Versus Filtered:

What I wanted to know was: What is in our water, and does the Berky improve it?

The Results:

Our issue lies in the hardness of the water. All three samples came back with 0 for Free Chlorine, Iron, Mercury, Total Chlorine, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Manganese, QAC, Flouride, Sodium Chloride, and Hydrogen Sulfide.

Hardness: 250, 150, and 0 (Well, Berkey, bottled water)
Total Alkalinity: 240, 180, and 0 (Well, Berkey, bottled water)
Carbonate: 240, 240, and 0 (Well, Berkey, bottled water)
PH: 9,6, and 5 (Well, Berkey, bottled water)

So yes, the Berkey did help with the hardness in general. While it can’t compare to the bottled water, it does help. I will test it again in a week to see if it lowers further as the filters are used. I have no issues giving our dogs this water and using it to cook with, make ice, and so on. The water comes out clear of the Berkey visually. Not Carbonate clouding the water, until it settles.

The test kit also tested beyond the basics:

It’s reassuring to know that your water, straight from the well, is free of nitrates and nitrites.

No Tin or Nickel as well.

Sulfates are something the Berkey doesn’t affect, and even our bottled water had the same reading, so I am choosing to ignore it. It doesn’t seem to be considered a huge issue, that the most significant risk is getting GI issues if not used to it.

I feel safe using the Berkey for now, which helps with our water consumption, and I also feel a lot better about our well water in general. I don’t fear drinking it now, though it is brutal on appliances. Once we have a water system in place, I will feel better about that.

And my hair will undoubtedly feel better. That is probably what I hate most about the water here – my hair never feels clean due to the hardness.

~Sarah