Thanks to @senorcoconut for nominating us to be a part of Dave's Top 5 Post Contest. At the bottom I'll nominate 5 people so be sure to check- one may be you!

We joined steemit a little over a month ago and some of our early posts got left in the dust! We didn't have all you awesome people following us that we have now. So I was really excited to make this post to share some of the quality posts that we made in the beginning that didn't get seen by many people!

My Personal Top 2017

1. How to Grow & Make your own Herbal Medicine: Tinctures

"First choose which plant you would like to grow. You can pick an herbal medicine you already take or think about something you would like support for in your life. One thing that I focus on is Immunity Boosting. You can do some research or consult an herbalist. Narrow this down to a plant that you’re either familiar with or one that attracts you. Look into its growth habit (does it like shade or sun, need a lot or a little water, what kind of soil does it prefer), which part of the plant you’re focusing on (herbal medicine is made from seeds, bark, leaves, roots, stalks, fruit of the plant), and how long it will take to produce (will it grow successfully in one season or should you wait to harvest it after 1 or more?)."

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I chose this post because I LOVE making herbal medicine and one my reasons for being on steemit is to empower others to learn how to make their own medicine too!

2. Why I am a Recovering Vegan turned Homesteader

I was a strict vegan for eight and a half years. I didn’t grow up this way, but my culture made me do it... I grew up thinking potatoes and ketchup were sufficient vegetable content to make an almost carnivorous diet balanced and that drinking a half gallon of coke slushy wasn’t ridiculous. At 19 after landing in Bangkok 2 days prior I had a dream that literally turned me vegetarian overnight. I almost didn’t believe myself when I said I’m going to stop eating meat, but just like that I did. Once I was introduced to concepts of karma, the spiritual effects of diet and the numerous atrocities of the BIG AG animal industry I was hooked.

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This is a post written by Ini and is an intimate account of his transition from vegan to meat eater on the homestead (and hunter!). We made this post early on and not may saw it, but it's an integral part of his journey.

3. Off Grid Homesteading Composting Toilet: Clay Plaster, Slip Straw, Stone & Salvaged Wood

Humanure
We had read John Jenkins Humanure Handbook (See part 3 of this post) and were fairly familiar with our options. The simplest method is the bucket system, where 5 gallon buckets are filled with humanure, urine and sawdust and emptied into an outdoor composting bin. Having no running water, and looking into the future where we didn’t want one more chore (emptying and cleaning buckets), we opted for a double bay system in a standalone building.
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We Love this post and think it's one of our best! We also definitely want to promote composting toilets and DIY building! You can do it!!!

4. Step by Step: Making your own Sprouted Sunflower Seed Cheese

If you’ve never sprouted or fermented anything before, this would be a good place to start. This is a quick recipe, yields consistent results and doesn’t require any extra knowledge or specialized equipment. If any step towards health is to be effective, it must be something that integrates easily into our lives.
Sprouting and fermenting may be two of the easiest at home ways to improve digestibility, bio-availibility and optimizing nutrition of the foods we nourish ourselves with. Sprouting removes phytic acid which blocks absorption of minerals while increasing enzymic activity and improves the capacity for the body to use the nutrients by waking them up from a slumber.

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Ini wrote a book called Sprouts: Live Well with Living Foods and sprouting is a blessing in our household ALL the time!! Don't miss this awesome post that deserves to be seen again!!

5. Imaginarium

From hither and tither to Misses and Misters

I send out a call in shouts, sing-songs and whispers

An invitation of sorts, extended to all

No one excluded, no one too small

Too round or too flat, too short or too tall

Open to all this most special of places

All faces, all races, all colors and creeds

To get there of course there’s nothing you need

Except the desire and willingness to proceed

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This next one is one that totally didn't get seen! This is a poem that Ini wrote that I have always felt a lot of life in. I hope someone reading enjoys it :)

Thanks for taking a look at some of our 2017 posts!

There's still a few more hours left for others to participate in this contest, and if you don't get to it by then, feel free to still make the post!!

I nominate:

@schoonercreek
@theferalone
@therightsideofup
@ozarkdogwood
@trucklife-family

Thank you to @rocking-dave for making this awesome GIF^^ & having this contest!!