How to Make Beef Heart Jerky

One of my favorite things about being a modern-day homesteader is practicing old-fashioned, long-forgotten skills. Making beef heart jerky falls under two categories here:1. The practice of preserving meat through drying it.2. Eating the whole, entire animal and wasting nothing. By the way, this jerky recipe works well with lamb or pork heart too! If you’re new to cooking with or eating organ meat, go …

Is Buying a Freeze Dryer Worth It? + List of Things to Freeze Dry!

I love preserving. My cup is filled with every jar of tomatoes, every canister of fruit leather, and every bag of frozen green beans I put up. As another valuable tool for squirreling away the precious food we grow and harvest, having a freeze dryer has been a dream of mine for years. A bucket list homesteading item for sure! Disclaimer: I am an affiliate …

My Favorite “Tried and True” Vegetable Varieties & Seed Companies

One of the things I like most about gardening and growing veggies is trying new varieties every year… just waiting for something to come along and blow me away. And once it does, it makes the permanent list– my “must grow every year” list. That’s what this is. My very favorite vegetable varieties, that I’ve collected through trial and error over 15+ years of gardening! …

Gluten-Free Thumbprint Cookies with Jam

I can’t think of a better way to showcase homemade jam than baked into a buttery shortbread-esque gluten-free thumbprint cookie. Even better if you’re making them to give to friends and family! These are everything I hoped for from a gluten-free thumbprint cookie… just like the ones I used to eat at Christmas time years ago when life was simpler and I could eat all …

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe (with Pasture-Raised Organic A2/A2 Milk Powder)

Living in the cold North means we’re no strangers to a steaming cup of hot cocoa! Shoveling snow, tending the animals in frigid weather, chipping ice off the sidewalks… all deserves hot chocolate! What do you call it– hot chocolate or hot cocoa? There’s probably a technical difference, but I use the terms interchangeably! I love hot cocoa, but I don’t like most packaged mixes …

Preserving Tools & Supplies to Stock Up On Now

Preserving season is upon us! So many people have jumped on the “raise your own food” bandwagon recently, and I think that’s fantastic! Come on in folks, the water is mighty fine! I am glad that so many people are taking an interest in providing for themselves. I know that once we got a taste of homegrown food, we were forever spoiled and don’t want …

Strawberry “SUN” Jam – The BEST Jam Ever! No Pectin, No Canning, Lower Sugar

I don’t want to sound too dramatic when I say this, but Strawberry Sun Jam is life-changing jam! Once you try this, you will never want to have any other jam again. Strawberry Sun Jam is going to ruin all other jams for you! If you’re okay with that, than feel free to read on… And not only is it the best jam ever, Strawberry …

Cranberry Raspberry Baked Apples (Sweetened with Maple Syrup!)

This may seem like a simple dish to make, and don’t get me wrong it is… but I’ve actually been perfecting these fruity baked apples for OVER TWO YEARS! I’ve finally nailed it, which is why I’m finally sharing it! Sorry for the wait, and for teasing you all these years over on Instagram saying I was going to share the recipe soon! :) This …

Fluffernutter Chocolate Peanut Clusters with Homemade Maple Marshmallows

Imagine salty peanuts and bouncy homemade vanilla-maple marshmallows tossed with just enough chocolate to hold them together! These chocolate peanut clusters are hands down my favorite holiday treat. Karl’s too! “Fluffernutter” chocolate peanut clusters are named after the childhood favorite peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich. I’ve actually never had one of those, but I do love the name! And peanuts and marshmallows make a …

Homemade Bone Broth & Stock Hybrid Recipe

Nothing compares to homemade bone broth! And I feel like I’ve unlocked the secret to making the BEST chicken bone broth of my life. I’ve been using this particular method for a couple years now, and I won’t go back to using any other because it so good! So if you find that your homemade bone broth is lacking in flavor, or if your bone …