Homegrown & Homemade
Farm fresh eggs: it’s either feast or famine around here! During the long days of summer I’ve got baskets full of eggs and I’m piling them on the kitchen table, the washing machine, and any other flat surface I can find. A good problem to have, I know… And then the days get shorter and the girls close up shop. Weeks and weeks go by …
A great way to preserve the summer’s bounty is by turning into shelf-stable, ready-to-use vegetable stock powder! Also perfect for using up past-their-prime vegetables in the back of the fridge. This method doesn’t require a dehydrator and is simple and easy to do! Although you can make a larger quantity faster with a dehydrator —> I love this one dearly! In the instructions I have outline …
There are only a few things that Karl won’t eat- and much to my disappointment, one of those is things is winter squash. He acts like I’m offending him at even the mention of putting some on his plate. It’s become kind of a joke around the homestead now- where if he asks what’s for dinner I’ll often declare, “just squash.” And then a wave of …
I am quickly becoming known as The Kale Lady. I hand out big bunches to family and friends, and make anyone who tours our garden eat a piece, especially if they’ve never had it before, and extra-especially if they try to tell me they don’t like it. I love cooking with it and try to put it in as many dishes as possible, much to …
This is like autumn in a jar. It’s tart and tangy but sweet, complex and deep with notes of molasses and caramelized sugar. And there’s only one ingredient! Karl and I have dreams of pressing cider from our own apples from our antique apple trees (someday… just have to wait for them to grow) and I think this is a GREAT way to preserve the goodness …
I do it every year. I have all these varieties of cherry tomatoes that I love, just love and have to plant. “Well, I only really need one of each plant, but I’d better make it two so that I can give some away to friends and family. If I want two plants, I’d better start four seeds just to be on the safe side.” …
If necessity is the mother of invention, a trunk-load of blueberries is the mother of this blog post. We were fortunate enough to be invited to pick til our heart’s content at a local blueberry orchard. Located on tree-lined rolling hills in the countryside, on a perfect dewy morning- we picked over 70 pounds of berries in a couple hours. And then we got home, …
This is our 4th year tapping trees and making our own maple syrup. And I’ll tell you a secret: the most trees we’ve ever, ever tapped is 4! And this year we only tapped 2! When there is still snow on the ground and it is too cold to do most other outdoor projects around the homestead, maple syrup making seems like the perfect activity to welcome in …
One thing at the top of our homestead to-do list was to plant fruit trees, especially pears. They grow well in our hardiness zone, they have amazing flavor, are quite versatile, and with the right variety they even store well. My favorite way to preserve pears is to dehydrate them. In mass quantity I slice them into wedges for dehydrating, but sometimes I like to class …
You’ve made all your favorite zucchini recipes three times over. The kids, and even the chickens don’t want to look at another zucchini. And jokes about leaving bags of zucchini in unlocked cars at the local grocery store are no longer funny. Wondering what to do with all that zucchini? Do you want to know the best ways to preserve zucchini- and better yet… What …
