Homegrown & Homemade
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 …
For many homesteaders and farmers, chickens are more than backyard pets- they are meat and eggs to feed the family, or possibly a source of income. The reality of farming is that if a chicken isn’t producing or earning her keep, then she’s got to go. They’re business, not something you name and let sit on your lap (oops!). Or maybe you got stuck with a mean, …
Spinach and Feta Eggs are my new obsession. We eat a lot of eggs on the homestead. Raising our own laying hens is so rewarding- they’re such characters, and the eggs that they produce are worlds above anything store-bought. There’s nothing like gathering an egg and cracking it – still warm- into the pan. This is what homesteading is all about! It’s really too bad …
(paleo, gluten-free, grain-free, rustic) I’m pretty sure that these meatballs could cure the plague. Whatever it is that ails you, these meatballs will fix it. These super-hero meatballs are special in another way: they go with everything. A universal meatball! They aren’t Italian, not Greek, and certainly not Swedish. But they could be! Serve them with marinara, with tzatziki, or with brown gravy. Put them …
There was a time when cabbage was the king of vegetables… I’ve always thought I was born in the wrong time-period. No complaints here about the indoor plumbing, but I find myself drawn to objects of another time- whether it be an old-fashioned rug beater, blue mason jars, the 50s radio we keep in the bathroom, or… vegetables. Who is with me?! I dream about a …
I made something incredible the other night. Out of vegetables! Even Karl liked this Cobb Salad (read: big huge bowl full of vegetables)… and he’s still working through his vegetable-haters rehabilitation program. He’s conquered salad greens, asparagus, kale, and even Brussels sprouts! This year we’re working on squash. He gets so sad whenever I try to feed him squash, like I’ve done the most horrible and unthinkable thing. …
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, …
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 …
