The Best Fruit Crisp Topping Recipe (gluten-free or regular) + Mixed Berry Fruit Crisp

This fruit crisp topping recipe has been a looong time in the making! I’ve been tweaking it for years every time I make it, and it’s finally ready to share. Here’s what I love about it– it’s browned and buttery, wonderfully sweet, and not crumbly like plain granola. I want a fruit crisp topping that holds together and eats more like a cookie than just …

How to Grow Popcorn: Planting, Harvesting, Drying, Storage & Popping

All about how to grow popcorn: one the absolute funnest things I grow in my garden every year! Homegrown popcorn is not only colorful and delicious, but unwrapping each ear feels like opening presents on Christmas morning. I didn’t start out as a great popcorn grower though. My first couple years I only got spotty, ugly ears… now I grow a ton of incredibly beautiful …

Seedy Beet Crackers (gluten-free or regular)

These beet crackers are my absolute favorite homemade crackers– made with a hearty helping of beets! Even beet-haters will like these (trust me, I live with one). The beet flavor is very muted and these crackers don’t have a strong beet taste… which I appreciate because I wouldn’t call myself a beet lover either. More like a beet-tolerater. I do like adding beets to my …

Apple Butter Granola Recipe (or Pear Butter Granola!)

I’m not a fan of bland granola… I want it to be chunky and loaded with flavor — and this apple butter granola is perfect! I’m a granola snacker, which means I prefer to eat it as a sweet treat or dessert instead as a breakfast food with milk poured over top. WATCH THE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO MAKE APPLE BUTTER GRANOLA HERE! What …

How to Freeze Zucchini (Shredded, Chunks, and Noodles)

Wondering how to freeze zucchini, and if its even worth it?! I might be biased (I did write a book on freezing your harvest, after all) but that’s a big ‘ol YES! Come late summer, we joke about leaving bags full of zucchini in unlocked cars at the grocery store… but don’t worry, it doesn’t have to come to that. There are many ways to …

How to Freeze Dry: Butternut Squash Soup, Hash Browns, and Strawberry Bananas

Since getting my freeze dryer a few months ago, I’ve been able to freeze dry all sorts of things. While I enjoy doing “fun foods” like cheesecake bites and ice cream, the reason I got my freeze dryer was for the practical purposes of preserving food and creating healthy convenience and emergency foods. Disclaimer: I am an affiliate with Harvest Right. If you find this …

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 …

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 …