The weekend is a good time for grazing. This is a summary of some of the delightful Blog articles I have been reading during the week. I invite you to graze through these, and also through the archives of the creative writers who wrote them.

Food canning equipment, tool carts, compost bins, growing kits, cider and fruit presses, the Squeezo Strainer, food dehydrators, juicers, smokers, cold frames, greenhouses and so many more innovations contribute to making our lives organized and healthier and to turning our homes and properties into an oasis where the living is good.

All of these things exist because we are creative and because we have a unique ability to adapt to our environment. In truth, foodies, homesteaders and gardeners who write about their experiences are telling the ongoing story of our inventive spirit. On their pages, every tool and appliance is like a paint brush; ready to express a new vision.

You can access the entire Weekend Highlights series to date by clicking on that category in the sidebar at left.

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Fast Grow The Weeds muses On life without rain in a place where you’d think a dry spell might be perceived as a true blessing. Those who live off the land, however, know the importance of balance. When nature feels out of sorts, it is up to us to find a measure of balance in strategy and perspective. We do this by attempting to “control” what little circumstances we can control.

“You know, growing as we do here under clouds for three-quarters of the year, you think I would enjoy the sun.  I do!  Those long hours of unimpeded solar rays hitting my garden’s leaves?  Heavenly. But it’s the Severe Drought I admittedly am not terribly happy about right now…” begins the author.

Instinct, not logic, is our surest ally, when the rain suddenly comes, but we sense that it is in jest. The self-sustainable life demands a level of intelligence that goes beyond textbook knowledge. It must act like a sudden storm. Rushing to do what must be done. Right now. And if all is well after all, then we go with the mood of the moment… and much gratitude in the mix. [Read On life without rain]

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Let’s stop in on Made By Mike, I thought. Good idea, if I may say so myself and I think you will agree. Listen to this:

Foodie Penpal – My first box! – “Want to get a box of surprise food items picked just for you from a total stranger? Um, yes, please!… Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean matches food bloggers and food lovers from across the country and each participant sends another a box of goodies…” explains Mike.

The author received a box from Vermont. The Lake Champlain Peppermint Crunch chocolate bar in the corner of the picture jumped at me. I had to read on, though I was already quite eager to find out more just from the introduction.

“Here’s how it works,” he continues, “On the 5th of every month, you will receive your Penpal pairing via email… -The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15… The box must also include something written… Use your imagination…”

Go to Mike’s blog and find out more for yourself. If you happen to like writing or reading about food, you might be interested in a Foodie Penpal, or this might inspire a great idea based on your own interests.

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What’s So Special About Grass-Fed Cows? City Girl Farming ate breakfast with her grandma last week. “She absent-mindedly read the wording on the side of the milk carton, ‘What makes our milk so delightful? Our milk comes from herds of cows that freely graze on green pastures’… She held her spoon mid-air … Well, what makes them so special? Isn’t that how all cows are raised?… Grandma milked cows before and after school, seven days a week, for five years. Cows that hung out in the pasture…”

The author also makes an interesting observation. Her grandma was poor, but did not know it, because her family grew their own food. Eventually, we come full circle. Someday, a day that may actually be here already, we will no longer say, “This is how our grand-parents did it.” There will not be a distinction.

We took a detour, harvesting something from the land, but using indirect ways. Our grand-parents’ ways, then, are not the “old” ways; they are the natural, no, the obvious ways. [Read The Article]

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Thank you for stopping by to read this Weekend’s Review. Please take a moment to leave a few words on the Blogs you enjoy, if you feel so inclined that is.