Homegrown & Homemade
This is autumn in a crockpot. You know how I know that? Because it’s autumn… and I went right outside and harvested the sage from my herb garden. We picked the apples from our tree and the onions from our garden just a couple weeks ago! And because when I walked into the house and was hit with the smell of herby, apple-y, slow-braised meat, …
If there’s anything I’m a connoisseur of, it’s likely caramels. It’s my favorite flavor of anything and everything, anywhere. I will without a doubt always order the caramel-flavored whatever it is. A couple of years ago, I discovered that I could make caramel… and I got really good at it. I make the best salted caramel sauce, the best salted caramel buttercream frosting, and the best …
For some reason I keep picturing a group of big burly men- wearing red flannel shirts and dark denim jeans held up by suspenders, and all sporting the type of beard that birds try to nest in… returning from a day filled with chopping wood in the dense and misty old-growth forrest, they sit around a crackling fire eating spit-roasted pork and drinking out of …
Did you know that almost every time I make this Tomato Basil Frittata (which is pretty often), Karl goes around saying “frIIiiTTtaTTa” in his best Italian accent (which is pretty bad). Must be the scent of fresh basil getting to his head. During the winter when we were eating only preserved eggs, this frittata was all we ever had- because it is so good that we …
Leave it to a beekeeper to drizzle golden sweet honey on top of ice cream! Honey pretty much goes on everything though, so you can’t fault me. Meat? Yes- honey-glazed ham, honey bbq wings. Vegetables? Yes- honeyed carrots, honey dijon dressing on cobb salad. And now, ice cream. Our beekeeping club has a booth at the local county fair every year, where for years and …
I get excited about a lot of things in life- like my first batch of homemade lard soap turning out awesome, finding a new product to keep deer away from our apple trees, or discovering Aronia berries… and even better, discovering that I can grow them myself. I love when I can grow things myself! These berries are becoming popular because of their incredible nutrient content. They certainly aren’t …
For many homesteaders and farmers, chickens are more than backyard pets- they are meat and eggs to feed the family, or possibly a source of income. The reality of farming is that if a chicken isn’t producing or earning her keep, then she’s got to go. They’re business, not something you name and let sit on your lap (oops!). Or maybe you got stuck with a mean, …
Spinach and Feta Eggs are my new obsession. We eat a lot of eggs on the homestead. Raising our own laying hens is so rewarding- they’re such characters, and the eggs that they produce are worlds above anything store-bought. There’s nothing like gathering an egg and cracking it – still warm- into the pan. This is what homesteading is all about! It’s really too bad …
(paleo, gluten-free, grain-free, rustic) I’m pretty sure that these meatballs could cure the plague. Whatever it is that ails you, these meatballs will fix it. These super-hero meatballs are special in another way: they go with everything. A universal meatball! They aren’t Italian, not Greek, and certainly not Swedish. But they could be! Serve them with marinara, with tzatziki, or with brown gravy. Put them …
There was a time when cabbage was the king of vegetables… I’ve always thought I was born in the wrong time-period. No complaints here about the indoor plumbing, but I find myself drawn to objects of another time- whether it be an old-fashioned rug beater, blue mason jars, the 50s radio we keep in the bathroom, or… vegetables. Who is with me?! I dream about a …
