Homegrown & Homemade
This has been the year of the fruit leather, and my favorite so far is this plum and crabapple fruit leather… it’s sweet and tart, with a gorgeous color, plus it is very pliable and tender (a great quality for fruit leather, as some can end up as tough as… well, leather). I’m on my third batch already and it seems I haven’t even made a …
For years I’ve tried making pickles- everything from bread and butter refrigerator pickles to classic dills… and for years I’ve never found a recipe I have fallen in love with, until now. I didn’t realize how much my general lack of pickling skills was weighing on me- I mean, a homesteader should be able to make a great pickle, shouldn’t they?! Well, I feel like …
Basil: the quintessential smell of summer around here! If only there was a way to preserve it… Oh, but there is! And I’m not talking about basil-scented soap and basil hand lotion. I can’t quite decide if these products are a good way to get a basil fix, or completely weird?! While I agree that there are quite a few foods that fall under both the …
Freeze lettuce?! You might think that sounds crazy. I think it’s genius! Vibrant lettuce, grown organically, picked fresh that very day from your own garden is full of nutrients… preserve them! Of course, a couple of beautiful lettuce heads from the farmer’s market are also worthy candidates for freezing. This all started last year in May when I planted the garden. I am not usually one to throw …
Farm fresh eggs: it’s either feast or famine around here! During the long days of summer I’ve got baskets full of eggs and I’m piling them on the kitchen table, the washing machine, and any other flat surface I can find. A good problem to have, I know… And then the days get shorter and the girls close up shop. Weeks and weeks go by …
A great way to preserve the summer’s bounty is by turning into shelf-stable, ready-to-use vegetable stock powder! Also perfect for using up past-their-prime vegetables in the back of the fridge. This method doesn’t require a dehydrator and is simple and easy to do! Although you can make a larger quantity faster with a dehydrator —> I love this one dearly! In the instructions I have outline …
I am quickly becoming known as The Kale Lady. I hand out big bunches to family and friends, and make anyone who tours our garden eat a piece, especially if they’ve never had it before, and extra-especially if they try to tell me they don’t like it. I love cooking with it and try to put it in as many dishes as possible, much to …
If necessity is the mother of invention, a trunk-load of blueberries is the mother of this blog post. We were fortunate enough to be invited to pick til our heart’s content at a local blueberry orchard. Located on tree-lined rolling hills in the countryside, on a perfect dewy morning- we picked over 70 pounds of berries in a couple hours. And then we got home, …
This is our 4th year tapping trees and making our own maple syrup. And I’ll tell you a secret: the most trees we’ve ever, ever tapped is 4! And this year we only tapped 2! When there is still snow on the ground and it is too cold to do most other outdoor projects around the homestead, maple syrup making seems like the perfect activity to welcome in …
One thing at the top of our homestead to-do list was to plant fruit trees, especially pears. They grow well in our hardiness zone, they have amazing flavor, are quite versatile, and with the right variety they even store well. My favorite way to preserve pears is to dehydrate them. In mass quantity I slice them into wedges for dehydrating, but sometimes I like to class …
