September 15, 2022 By Sarah White No Comments

"home grown tomatoes, home grown tomatoes what would life be like without homegrown tomatoes only two things that money can't buy that's true love and home grown tomatoes." - John Denver With ripe late season home grown tomatoes you can really get a away with just a pinch of flakey salt & drizzle of good olive oil, there's nothing better. If you've eaten all the raw sliced tomatoes you can handle and still have a few left from your backyard bounty then I highly suggest this easy, creamy, dairy-free tomato soup. Simply roast your tomatoes, spices, onion + garlic and…

September 18, 2020 By Sarah White No Comments

I don't pasta often, but when I do it's this dairy-free, gluten-free lemony zucchini-filled wonder recipe.  Typically, I prefer my noodles in the form of Thai food (usually glass noodles only, I really really don't do well with a ton of carbs) - Ky and I started the tradition of ordering Thai food on Sunday's years ago and have been pretty consistent in our regular weekend curry consumption. While I do love a good food-based tradition the time inside / off work this year had me questioning a lot of our priorities, goals and spending ... Since starting my practice…

September 5, 2019 By Sarah White No Comments

Dried herbal tea preparations are daily staple and a mainstay in this doctor's natural medicine cabinet, but nothing beats a tea made with fresh herbs. Herbs plucked straight from the garden have a bright 'alive' taste that I absolutely love. There are also a ton of health benefits derived from freshly cut herbs since fresh herbs are even more dense with antioxidants than most fruits and vegetables. This summer we've been enjoying frequent cups of fresh mint, dandelion leaf, and nettle teas on warm summer evenings out in the backyard. It's the perfect way to wrap up a busy day…

September 3, 2019 By Sarah White No Comments

Quick and super easy to make, these healthy delicious fish fritters are a great way to start using up some of those bright summer herbs growing in your garden.  In addition to heaps of juicy tomatoes and crisp zucchini our backyard garden is overflowing with fresh summer herbs. Lucky for us, everything tastes better finished with a handful of chopped herbs; we're throwing them on salads, whisking them into omelettes (with backyard-fresh eggs of course) and incorporating them into all of our al fresco dinners. I created this recipe last week while contemplating the fate of our abundant dill plants.…

August 8, 2019 By Sarah White No Comments

It's zucchini season! This doctor's garden is currently full of fresh summer staples like zucchini, basil, juicy tomatoes and kale. Every summer there is one particular crop that tends to grow more abundantly than the rest. Last year it was tomatoes; we had so many juicy bright tomatoes that we almost ran of out ideas of how to use them up. We canned salsa, made tomato sauces, and even gave them away as gifts to neighbours. While our tomatoes are still doing just fine, this year the humble zucchini has taken over as the queen of the crops in our little…

March 11, 2019 By Sarah White No Comments

Homegrown DIY Herbal Salt recipe from This Doctor's urban homestead  We're renovating! My husband and I finally bit the bullet and decided to add that extra guest room to our finished basement. After much negotiating / back and forth (I wanted a bedroom, hubs wanted a bar) we've decided that it's time to give our out-of-town visitors a proper place to stay. Sayonara air mattress on the floor, see you never foosball table! In an effort to get the basement ready for our contractor I've been digging through old storage and Marie Kondo-ing the heck out of our bottom floor.…

February 25, 2019 By Sarah White No Comments

This year my husband and I have decided to commit to a monthly ‘Homesteading in the City’ post to document our adventures in farming / harvesting / chicken-raising / foraging from our tiny plot of land in Toronto. So far, you've learned all about our chickens, and our favourite ways to preserve & ferment our backyard bounty. Thanks for tuning in, and we hope you enjoy our new adventures in Kombucha making from This Doctor's Homestead.  A healthy gut is the foundation for optimal wellness and I love prescribing a cup of kombucha daily as part of my patient's customized…

June 18, 2018 By Sarah White 1 Comment

It's been three years since we bought our little bungalow in Toronto and started our very own urban homestead. It's always been a dream of mine to move out of the city and live off the land, but for the mean time my husband and I are cultivating our homesteading skills on our small property in the city. While our home is a tiny 1,200 square feet, our lot is huge for Toronto standards and we've been taking full advantage of our ample outdoor space. We're currently growing blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, mint, basil, parsley, leeks, onions, lettuce, kale, tomatoes, watermelons,…

March 9, 2018 By Sarah White 3 Comments

The Backyard Chicken Diaries: #1 - The Pros & Cons  In 2015, my partner Kyle and I bought our first home; a sweet little bungalow in an old neighbourhood in Toronto. While our tiny home in the big city has brought us a centipede infestation, old appliances (babe ... if you're reading this it's really time for a new dishwasher) and many unexpected expenses, it's also allowed us to realize our dream of keeping a small backyard 'farm'. After 3 years of trial and error we now consider ourselves to be fairly competent urban farmers. Throughout the summer we grow…