Natural Home and Garden

 

I have gotten two of these magazines now but I won't be subscribing. I read through them again this evening trying to make sure I give an informative review because when I got the the first of these magazines I only read a few things in, set it aside and never picked it up again. I guess that pretty much explains how I feel about this magazine. I suppose it would be useful if you knew absolutely nothing about these topics or if you have a whole lot of money, to make the perfect house and yard but that isn't likely to happen here.
Let's take a look at the one in the picture.
The Healing Honey article was just so basic. It is information that I have seen over and over again, nothing new.
The 5 Ingredient Meals, only one would I consider a meal though I supposed if you were a vegetarian the polenta fries and zucchini salad might be fine.
A Healthier Home, I must admit that I only skimmed the article. The home they showed was almost entirely done in white. White curtains, rug, chairs etc. Really? Wood furniture was one of their sustainable ideas. Not wood that truly is sustainable like bamboo, that wasn't mentioned.
Renovation Inspiration. Where the heck was that? Let me look again..................oh here it is. Two pages on a kitchen that a concert pianist and husband had totally redone. They wanted it lighter so they did all the walls, ceiling and counter top in ....yup...white. 
23 Tips to Keep Food Fresher Longer. There were actually a couple of interesting tips like to rub butter on the cut parts of cheese to keep it from drying out...but a lot of it was common sense. (Keep apples where you can see them so they will be eaten faster....sigh).
There was also an article on remaking a backyard on a budget but apparently not my budget because if I could afford a couple of halved wine barrels I likely would plant in them instead of use them as end tables (though these were cute). Halved barrels are planters here and they are expensive. 
An article on decking. I didn't read it. I can't afford a deck. 
There's another article on a houseboat.
However, there were a couple of articles on gardening. One was a lovely perfect flower garden. I think that was the weed free article which dealt with mulch mostly. Another was on growing peppers which was extremely basic because there really isn't a lot to growing peppers anyway.
Ok, you are probably tired of reading this now.
I will say that the first magazine was actually more interesting. If you like buying 5 things to make one cleaning product you would have liked their recipes for cleaners. There was a good article (a little basic) on morel mushrooms. There was an article on rain barrels that might have been useful to someone who hasn't one. There was a lovely article on a very artsy home decorated with things like a branch staircase, and very rustic furnishings.
And there was an interesting article on a farm in Brooklyn.
I know it sounds like I hated this magazine and I really didn't but to me it was just okay. Not a magazine where I am going to find any great ideas that I can put into use like I often find in GRIT or less often Mother Earth News. It just wasn't quite up my alley.