Just google it!

 In our family we as a general rule have very inquisitive minds. We like to figure out the answer to things that we have questions about. When I was growing up the answer to that inquisitiveness was to look it up in the encyclopedia or dictionary but in our ever changing world what we tend to say now is "Google it".
We have to be careful because not everything online is true but still being able to search through the wealth of information online has helped us to learn a lot!

Here are some of the things I have been googling (I actually use Swagbucks search engine because I am able to earn swagbucks which I can then use to buy Amazon gift cards) lately:

How to keep bees through the winter in cold climates~
This is something I am thinking about though most in our area just kill their bees off. I think this video is helpful:


Here are some more links that are useful:
~Another video (I like videos for learning!)
~An Article on preparing them for winter.

Natural Beekeeping/ Not using antibiotics automatically~
This goes against what I have been told around here but it is something I would really like to look into more as giving medicine when there is not problem is not my style at all. Especially when I find out that the diseases are becoming resistant to the antibiotics anyway.
~I found this man's take on it interesting.
~Someone else who practices natural beekeeping.
~Natural Beekeeping looks like a book that I would like to read.

Ways to use chokecherries~
Mara and Aaron were able to pick quite a few on our property and I am sure we could find a bunch more if we went looking. Most people don't use them as they don't taste good without preparation and some sweetener added.
~A nice article on Chokecherries.
~Jelly Recipes

Making Coconut Milk~
Tropical Traditions sent me a bucket of coconut (I'll be reviewing it and hosting a giveaway soon!) and I wanted to try making milk with it. I found that they have a nice video and recipe to teach you how.

Can Elephants Paint?~
That was the question of the day when our friend was over the other day. She read a fiction book to Megan that said that the elephant loved to paint and our friend said her sister had a picture painted by an elephant. We wondered if that could really be true so we checked it out online and had so much fun watching several videos of elephants painting (and better than we can!). It was fun. Here is one of those videos:



Harvesting and Using Wild Hazelnuts~
We have these on our land and I have tried to use them before but they got wormy when I had them drying. I am hoping to figure out how to make use of them without them getting wormy.
Here is some of the things I found:
~A blog article with nice pictures and a bit of info.
~How to husk them.
~Roasting them.

How to make lye (for soap making) from ashes:
This has long been a project on my mind ever since I read about it in a foxfire book. We had a fire outside this evening so now I am thinking on it again. Here is some of the information that I found:
~A step by step instructions list
~More info
~A lot of practical sounding info.
~How to make wood ash soap

How to make wool dryer balls~
I had read about wool dryer balls and figured that I could make them rather than buy them in order to try them out. I have wool clothes on hand that I would like to use. Here is some of the info that I found. I may kind of use their ideas but do my own thing. Here are some of the ideas that I found:
~Making them from old sweaters.
~Made from yarn.
~Some for sale on Etsy that look more like what I am thinking about making.
~Here is the info I was looking for! How to make wool dryer balls from old clothes.

That is some of the things I have been googling- How about you?