For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."
are you up for this? cutting down your own holiday tree
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Yesterday, my husband and I loaded the kids in the car with plenty of layers and treats, all the tools we needed to cut down a tree and take it home with us, and headed into the national forest in search of a Christmas tree. This is one of our absolute favorite family traditions, and we've been cutting down our own tree for the past 8 years! I wanted something different this time around, as we've had grand firs and white firs the past few years, so we headed over Santiam Pass to higher (and wetter) elevations. We actually found THE perfect Christmas tree (a beautiful mountain hemlock) within 20 minutes of parking on a forest road, but of course, we made the kids hike around for another couple hours juuuust to make sure. 😉 It was a very drizzly PNW kinda day... definitely different from last year, where we had to hike through a couple feet of snow! I was surprised we could drive up the road as far as we did this time of year. After some exploration, we cut down a 10-foot hemlock and the kids each harvested their own little tree too. All of this made me wonder if other states also allow people to cut down trees in the forest, so I looked it up and YES, most national forests allow you to harvest a tree for the holidays! Did you know this?! As long as you have a Forest Service-issued permit and follow the guidelines of your particular forest district, a holiday tree can be had for very cheap. Our permits in Oregon are only $5 each (!!!) so that's a crazy good deal for a 10-foot tree. (This article also shares some of my "secret" spots in Central Oregon, but it's an overall great guide for helping you prepare for the outing and figure out where to look, no matter where you live.) And if you want to find out whether your national forest issues Christmas tree permits, here's a tip: Google your closest national forest (here's a list from the Forest Service) and "Christmas tree permit." Happy hunting! Just a reminder that there's only a couple days left of Amazon's Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale! But more importantly, my $500 gift card giveaway also ends on Monday, December 1, so if you haven't entered for your chance to win one of these gift cards (I've got two up for grabs!), be sure to enter below.
I've also added a few more deals that caught my eye this week, which I want to share here. They're not the most exciting things to buy, but I get so many questions about non-toxic products that I use around the house and the ones I love are on sale right now, so it's a good time to try them: Puracy Stain Remover - This is the BEST stain remover I've ever used, and it's saved our laundry the last nine years (since our first baby). It handled all those newborn messes when Tide and Shout sticks failed us, and continues to lift all kinds of stains out of our very active kids' clothes. Don't bother with anything else; THIS is the stain remover you want. Puracy Laundry Detergent - We're big fans of Puracy around here and also use the enzyme-powered liquid laundry detergent. The pump dispenser is super convenient, but more importantly, this stuff works. We bring home a lot of dirty gear after hiking, backpacking, etc. and this detergent tackles all of that while still being gentle enough for our sweaters and merino wool. Blueland Dishwasher Detergent Tablets - We've tried a number of non-toxic dishwasher detergents and finally found a winner. We like that Blueland is free of plastics, dyes, scents, and other harsh chemicals, and these tablets are able to wash off caked-on food as well as the major supermarket brands. I've never noticed a film on any of our glassware or dishes. (We do use this dishwasher salt as a rinse aid and it gets everything super clean.) Blueland makes good products with clean ingredients. We also use their laundry booster (basically an Oxi Clean alternative) and want to try their multi-surface cleaner next. Hope these recommendations help you if you're striving for a "cleaner" home in the New Year! P.S. Find out if your nearest national forest lets you cut down a tree for the holidays. Here's how you can prepare for the outing! (And some of my favorite places to go in Oregon.) P.S. Stumped on what to get your favorite people for the holidays? I've got you covered: |
Garden Betty
For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."