If you planted garlic last fall, the tops should be dying back signalling that it's done growing and ready to pick. Follow the directions in the linked post to pull, dry, and store your garlic heads. Thanks to all this heat, gardens are producing all kinds of vegetables right now. I am currently picking basil, kale, beets, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, peas, and zuccchini. If I ever have more vegetables than I can use for meals, no problem! I just toss it in our juicer. Last night I made a beet green-kale-apple-lemon juice after my run. Whew! It was powerful, but I still love juicing as much as when I started. It also feels great to find a healthy, Keep Reading
Frugal Homemaking for July: Garlic, blueberries, and applesauce
Why I Chose Homebirth (Part 1)
This weekend marked a big pregnancy milestone for me -- I'm now 36 weeks, which means I'm clear to for a homebirth in Oregon. I wasn't worried about it (I'm not one to worry about stuff like this), but it does bring me a bit of excitement to know that pregnancy is almost over (nope, not a big gestation fan here) and if all goes well, I'll be able to push this baby out at home. I thought I would explore some of the reasons my husband and I have elected for me to birth our babies at home, not because I'm looking to convert anyone or to write a homebirth manifesto, but because I think some of you would find it interesting. But before we dive into Keep Reading
Portland Family Fun: Our Favorite Salem Parks
Our Favorite Salem Parks (Salem, Oregon) Here is the thing about Salem, Oregon: one minute you are at a busy intersection, surrounded by all of life's conveniences. You take a turn and travel less than a mile and you are in the middle of nature, surrounded by space to move and explore. I like parks that force me forget about so many of life's troubles like traffic and money and media. Get me and my three boys centered in trees shooting to the sky and we can let our imaginations entertain us for hours. There are four parks that we go to regularly in the Salem area, every season of the year. Minto Brown Island Park This park is set Keep Reading
Portland Family Fun Guide: Cook Park (Tigard)
Cook Park (Tigard) Cook Park in Tigard, Oregon is hands down one of my kids’ favorite places. We were fortunate enough to be gifted two kayaks and my boys can’t get enough of the Tualatin River. The park has so many amenities that there truly is something for everyone. When you enter the park you are surrounded by athletic fields. In the summer and early fall every weekend we went there were multiple baseball or soccer games to watch. In addition, there is a large gazebo (the Bishop-Scheckla Pavillion) that hosts many concerts and other arts events. Trails lead you throughout the park and to a pedestrian bridge overlooking the Tualatin Keep Reading
The Ultimate Guide to Portland Family Fun: Oregon Maritime Museum
Ready to discover (or re-discover) Portland? From the coast to the Gorge, from Clark County to Salem, The Ultimate Guide to Portland Family Fun will allow you to experience the awesomeness this area has to offer, all from Frugal Living NW readers! Go here for links to all posts! Oregon Maritime Museum (Downtown Portland) The third Saturday of every month is Museum Family Saturday at the Oregon Maritime Museum. On these days, the museum is free to families with children under 18. The museum is in the U.S. Portland, a steam-powered sternwheel tug on the Willamette and presents a great opportunity for your little ones to climb aboard a Keep Reading
Portland Family Fun Guide: Pirate Park
Ready to discover (or re-discover) Portland? From the coast to the Gorge, from Clark County to Salem, The Ultimate Guide to Portland Family Fun will allow you to experience the awesomeness this area has to offer, all from Frugal Living NW readers! Go here for links to all posts! Pirate Park (NW Portland) There's a wonderful treasure in Northwest Portland. A park that makes everyone ages 1-12 squeal. Pirate Park is a 16-acre park within the Rock Creek Greenway. It's located in the Sunset West/Rock Creek/Bethany neighborhood in Northwest Portland. The fun part of the park for kids takes a bit to find: 1. You have to park at Keep Reading
Ask the FLNW Community: How to deal with a drastic grocery budget cut
We just received a question from our reader. She needs your help with budgeting for groceries: My family of five is on EBT (food stamps) and we just found out our monthly allowance is going to be cut by nearly $250 a month starting on July 1. Does anyone have any tips for cutting that much out of your budget all at once? If you have any advice for our reader, please leave a comment! Go here for step-by-step instructions on how to leave a comment. image credit Keep Reading