When I made these loaves of gluten-free zucchini bread, (actually one is zucchini bread and one is yellow squash bread!) I didn’t intend to post the recipes here… but they were just too phenomenal not to share! I planted seven summer squash plants in the garden this year, and there are only two of us… […]
Veggie-Loaded Homemade Marinara Sauce (Large Batch for Freezing)
Homemade marinara sauce chock full of homegrown veggies and tomatoes is hands down one of the BEST things I’ve ever preserved! And in the middle of the cold Winter, pulling a bag full of homemade marinara from the freezer is like pulling out a bag of sunshine! We’ve been enjoying this sauce immensely, and we’ll […]
Freezing Herbs: “Scarborough Fair” Herb Blend (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, & Thyme)
You’re singing it now, aren’t you!(If you have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s in reference to a Simon & Garfunkel song… one that easily gets stuck in your head!) Last year I experimented with a new method of freezing herbs, plus a new herb blend and it turned out FANTASTIC! I’ll be making […]
How to Grow, Harvest & Cook Heirloom Beans + My Favorite Snap & Dried Bean Varieties!
You guys want to know all about heirloom beans, I hear ya! So I’m spilling them! …the beans that is. Har har. I can’t write about beans and not include at least one cheesy bean joke, come on! No fart jokes, I promise. I’m taking you through the basics of how to grow heirloom beans, […]
How to Grow Shiitake Mushrooms in Your Own Backyard!
I’ve always been a mushroom-lover… blame it on my upbringing. I grew up in the woods, with two generations of wild mushroom foragers before me. I’ve eaten a lot of really amazing fresh mushrooms in my life- and while I love foraging for them, it’s even better to be able to grow Shiitake mushrooms in […]
Homestead Quarterly – Fall 2017: Harvest All the Things!
Our Best Harvest Season Yet! It finally feels a little bit like we’ve arrived. For four years we’ve worked hard shaping our homestead into what we imagined- building orchards and gardens, planting trees, installing mushroom logs… it has been a lot of work with little reward so far, until this year. Things are finally starting […]
{Easy} Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles Recipe
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 […]
Organic Potato Bug Control: How to Get Rid of Potato Beetles Naturally
Potato beetles showed up in my garden this year, and I was ready- here’s what I did to get rid of them organically and naturally without harmful pesticides… and it actually worked! Did you know that potatoes are on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen?” This is the top twelve produce items with the most […]
Homestead Monthly: May & June {sow, weed, nurture, and reap}
Oh, hi. Yes, we’re still here. Here’s what’s been happening on the homestead! Planting and More Planting Putting things into the earth and watching them grow has been our whole life for the past two months. And weeding.. Oh the weeding! After having our old barn buried and the ground smoothed and leveled, we found ourselves […]
How to Use and Preserve Green Garlic
You might take one look at our garden and wonder if we’re preparing to be invaded by werewolves, vampires, and other evil spirits. Currently, a good 1/6 of our garden space is planted in garlic! My next post should really be on how to combat garlic-breath! Have you seen “garlic soap” before? If you’ve tried it, I’d […]