Homegrown & Homemade
My grandma was a farmer and an avid gardener- she always had a flock of chickens and at least one goose that always chased us down her driveway. She had a gorgeous raspberry patch, and I remember her freezer was always full of Cool Whip containers filled with homegrown raspberries. And she made the best homemade raspberry jello! Now, it was made with raspberry flavored …
I love learning new skills in the kitchen, especially ones that are “old-fashioned” … as in, something people really don’t do anymore that used to be part of everyday life, like rendering lard, cooking dried beans, or making homemade candy. (If you love to learn new skills too, make things from scratch, and give homemade gifts… read to the bottom of this post for 6 …
I love pumpkin pie– people have been baking forms of pumpkin custard for centuries. Its roots go deep, and I love that. Somehow “Squash Pie” doesn’t sound quite as appetizing… though I can tell you that I don’t think I’ve ever even made a pumpkin pie with an actual pumpkin. Botanically, all pumpkins are a type of squash. And there are many different types of …
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 …
You’d think “cookies” would be a pretty agreeable subject matter… not like religion, politics, or which direction the toilet paper roll should go. But growing up, Christmas cookies were a hotly debated holiday topic in my household, mostly because of my incredible loathing of one particular variety of Christmas cookie. A classic cookie that apparently EVERYONE else in the ENTIRE world loves. A cookie that, …
(gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, grain-free, healthy, vegetarian) When we moved onto our homestead last year, I knew that one of the things high on my garden priorities list was to establish a mint patch. People are usually quick to warn you about mint: not to plant it in a garden or flower bed, because it will take over everything. Which is precisely what I wanted! I …
Do you have at least six mondo-zucchini sitting on your counter at all times during the summer? I love to take all the extras and shred and dehydrate them. I add the dehydrated zucchini to various things all winter long- like soups, sprinkled on salads…and now, this granola. If you are looking for ways to preserve and use preserved zucchini, you’ll want to check out my …
(gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, vegetarian, easily dairy-free and vegan) Is there anything better than a warm fruit cobbler? Not really… But this recipe, by definition, is not a cobbler. It is not a crisp, a betty, or a crumble. And definitely not a pandowdy. Or a clafouti. I can’t even say clafouti… This is simply fruit, with a little added spice and honey, that is baked in …
(Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo, Vegan) A gift from the heart and from the kitchen is the best kind of gift, Valentine’s Day or otherwise. I know you homesteaders and whole-food lovers feel the same way. I love everything about these truffled walnuts. Let me entice you… buttery, nutty walnuts vanilla-bean spiked chocolate smooth and silky chocolate truffle coating rustic cocoa powder outside- have I mentioned …
