Homestead Blog Hop - Homestead tips, ideas, animal care, and recipes every Wednesday

Homestead Blog Hop – Crafts and Delicious Simple Desserts

Welcome to Homestead Blog Hop, a weekly gathering for homesteaders and simple living enthusiasts to share DIY projects, from-scratch recipes, and creative inspiration. This week’s hop features cozy homesteading tips, along with practical ideas that celebrate handmade living and self-sufficiency.

Whether you’re looking for seasonal crafts, homemade treats, or encouragement on your homesteading journey, you’ll find plenty of inspiration to carry into the new year. Grab a cup of tea, explore the featured posts, and join us in sharing your own homestead creations.

Meet Your Homesteading Hosts

We’re Kelly from Simple Life Mom, Liz from The Cape Coop, Natasha from Houseful of Nicholes, and Laurie from Ridgehaven Homestead. Together, we’re passionate about from-scratch living, simple ingredients, frugal habits, and intentional homesteading. We’re delighted to host the Homestead Blog Hop, where you can find fresh inspiration each week for DIY projects, homemade recipes, and practical simple living ideas.

Follow Us for More Homestead Inspiration

Natasha – Houseful of Nicholes
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Laurie – Ridge Haven Homestead
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Liz – The Cape Coop
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Kelly – Simple Life Mom
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FEATURED POSTS from the Last Homestead Blog Hop

Each week, we take turns selecting three featured posts from the Homestead Blog Hop. These features are shared across all of our social media platforms, helping spotlight the creativity and hard work of our fellow homesteaders. Here are the featured posts from last week’s hop:

1. How to Turn a Flat Sheet into a Full Kitchen Linen Set from The Once and Future Homestead

2. Easy Christmas Coffee Filter Wreath Craft for Kids from Darcy and Brian

3. Vegan Banana Chocolate Mousse from Esme Salon

Congrats! Feel free to grab the featured on button for your post.

Just right click and ‘save image as…‘

Guidelines for the Homestead Blog Hop

  1. Click the “Add Your Link” button below and upload a clear, eye-catching image from your project or recipe. Please link directly to the family-friendly post itself, not your blog’s homepage.
  2. You may link up up to three posts each week.
  3. Take time to visit a few other blogs in the hop and leave a thoughtful comment to let them know you stopped by. Community support makes this hop special!
  4. Please include a link back to the Homestead Blog Hop in your post. Posts without a backlink are not eligible to be featured. All featured posts are shared across all hosts’ social media channels.
  5. Share posts that haven’t been linked to the hop before. Older posts are welcome as long as they are new to the hop.
  6. By joining the Homestead Blog Hop, you grant the hosts permission to use one image from your post, with a link back to your site, if your post is selected as a feature next week.
  7. This is a family-friendly link-up designed to encourage, inspire, and support the homesteader in all of us.

Let the Party Begin!

Which project are you excited to try this week? Leave a comment below.

Join Our Homestead Blog Hop Pinterest Board

Follow all of your hosts on Pinterest and send a message if you’d like to be added to our Homestead Blog Hop group board. This board is a great place to share your DIY projects, crafts, and from-scratch recipes with the homesteading community.

Guideline: Only pin posts that you’ve linked up to the Homestead Blog Hop.

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herbal tea benefits

Delicious Herbal Tea Recipes and Their Benefits

Herbal teas are a delicious and easy way to boost fluid intake and sneak in some extra nutrients. Unlike coffee and other teas that have caffeine, herbal tea benefits the body without keeping you awake or jittery. And while I love healthy coffee, I don’t drink it every day. Instead, I keep a big pitcher of herbal tea in my fridge to always have on hand. 

There are thousands of herbal tea recipes, so there’s something for every palate. Herbal teas can be very inexpensive if you buy the ingredients in bulk and you can mix up your own combinations!

Whether you’re already an avid herbal tea drinker or curious, here are some delicious combinations to try. 

1. Iced Dandelion Lime Tea

Dandelions are high in a variety of nutrients and are a great addition to recipes, including tea. Dandelion lime tea is a refreshing way to get the benefits. This recipe also includes raspberry leaf for even more nutrition and stevia for sweetness. Be sure to remove the petals from the green base to avoid a bitter flavor. 

2. Chamomile

Sweet and simple, chamomile flower is one of the most popular teas worldwide. Chamomile flowers have a naturally sweet taste with a hint of apple flavor. It’s known for its calming and soothing properties and has a variety of vitamins and minerals. 

While it’s often nicknamed the children’s herb thanks to its gentle nature, chamomile is still a powerful ally to keep on hand. I’ve used it for sleep, colicky babies, and even pink eye. Try it as a tincture for a longer shelf life.

3. Mint

Peppermint tea soothes the digestive tract and can be helpful for nausea, and indigestion. Some people find it helps with acid reflux, while others find it irritates their reflux. Hot peppermint tea stimulates circulation and helps open the airways. I drink it daily in early pregnancy to help alleviate nausea and use it in my homemade digestive tincture.

Mint is also known as an “activator herb” that helps boost the effectiveness of other herbs in a blend. 

4. Raspberry Leaf

Raspberry leaf is my favorite tea and I drink it almost daily. It’s highly nutritious and especially beneficial for women as it helps balance hormones and is good for the skin. It’s also popular during pregnancy to strengthen the uterus and is a good source of vitamins and minerals pregnant mamas need.

It tastes similar to black tea and I like mixing it with stevia leaf to make a naturally sweet tea. I drink it hot in the winter and cold during the summer months and my kids like it iced (and sometimes with chia seeds in it). Herbalists often recommend raspberry leaf tea or tincture to women suffering from infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, or painful menses.

5. Sleep Easy Blend

My go-to tea when I’m having trouble sleeping is an equal mixture of chamomile, mint, and catnip herbs. Catnip is naturally relaxing and soothing. It’s also one of the ingredients in my Sweet Dreams Sleep Tincture, to help the whole family relax and sleep better, especially during illness.

To make it, mix one teaspoon each of chamomile, mint, and catnip herbs in 16 ounces of hot water. Steep for 5 minutes, then strain and drink. 

6. Lavender Tea

Lavender is my favorite scent and essential oil but it’s too strong to be used alone in a tea. Lavender is calming, relaxing, and helps with better sleep. My favorite lavender tea recipe is:

Mix all and store in an airtight container. Use 1-2 tsp per cup of water to make hot or iced tea.

7. Chai Tea

Chai tea is a favorite around our house and we usually make it with raspberry leaf tea instead of black tea and with coconut milk instead of regular milk. Here’s my basic recipe but play with the ingredients to see what spices you like. 

When I don’t feel like making my own, I love this caffeine free Firefly Chai that’s slightly sweeter than regular chai and is great for nighttime. Add some chamomile and catnip for a delicious evening drink for kids.

8. Herbal Coffee

Have trouble kicking the coffee habit? While I still love coffee, herbal coffee is a great caffeine-free alternative. Sip Herbals is a robust, earthy herbal tea that’s reminiscent of your favorite cuppa Joe. Made with clean ingredients like chicory, carob, and dandelion root. 

9. Stomach Soother Herbal Tea

For stomach aches or for those prone to digestive troubles, this is my go-to tea recipe. Plus it’s easy to make. Mint stimulates digestion, fennel helps expel gas, and ginger combats nausea. 

Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the herbs, steep, covered for 5 minutes, then strain and drink. You can also add a tablespoon of  grass-fed gelatin powder for extra gut soothing. 

10. Pregnan-Tea

During pregnancy I drink a special tea to helps keep nausea and digestive troubles at bay and strengthen the uterus. The nettle also provides vitamin K, an essential nutrient for pregnancy and birth to help with clotting.

Many women report having easier and faster labors from using this tea. My labors are typically 24+ hours even though I go natural, so I may not be the best example! This tea is delicious anytime, but especially during pregnancy.

Mix and use 1 Tablespoon per 8 ounces or 1 cup per gallon. Here’s another pregnancy tea recipe I like to make with even more nutrient rich herbs. 

11. Nursing Mama Tea

Another favorite to have on hand during pregnancy and postpartum. The herbs in this tea soothe digestion, boost milk supply, and supply much needed nutrition. Get the recipe here. 

12. Herbal Wassail Tea

Wassail is a festive drink our family (and many others!) love to drink during the holidays. My herbal wassail version has a base of herbal tea with added fruit and spices. Make a big batch for guests or to keep in the fridge! 

13. Iced Lavender Peach Tea

I’ve already mentioned how much I love lavender tea, but it’s worth bringing up again. This lavender peach tea is refreshing and delicious to have on hand in the warmer months. A great way to upgrade your sweet tea. 

14. Elderberry Tea

I’m known for my elderberry syrup recipe, but I also enjoy making elderberry tea. It has all of the same benefits and flavors, but in tea form. Great for cold and flu season. 

15. Cumin, Coriander, and Fennel Tea

Probably not something you’ve tried before, but this tea blend is one of my favorites for improving digestion. It helps expel excess gas and is also good for nausea or constipation. Try the recipe here. 

16. Calendula Tea

While I love calendula flowers in soothing salves and skincare, it’s equally as good internally. Calendula tea is soothing to the digestive tract and the gut lining. I’ve grown calendula for a long time, but I also buy it in bulk. 

What’s your favorite herbal tea? Do you make any of your own? Share below!

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