Our goal this year for the garden was to try and use as much as we possibly could during harvest for our families consumption and use! Trying to think outside of the box and use, freeze, process and can as much of the plants and herbs that we could! Harvesting and roasting fresh sunflower seeds …
Canning and Preserving
Love the crunchy, yummy pickles you get with a sandwich at the deli? Learn to make your own garlic dill pickles at home – no canning required! Canning pickles is always a delicious way to use up your cucumber harvest from the garden. But, imagine stocking up on pickles without having to pull out the …
This past week I made some fresh roasted tomato and herb sauce that you may can or freeze! This recipe is easy and absolutely delicious and only calls for a couple of minor adjustments if you plan to can it! I chose to freeze this first batch so that we have a quick pull out …
Beets are one of my absolute favorite things to grow in the garden. The colors are magnificent and I love a freshly roasted beet salad. Canning pickled beets is a close runner up for me. I love anything pickled but beets have such a beautiful and earthy taste to them. You can sweeten or spice …
Learn to make your own homemade marinara sauce with meat in minutes with this easy to follow recipe! We love Italian food, but to be honest, I hate the nasty jarred sauce from the grocery store. So, years ago, I learned to make my own Homemade Marinara Sauce with meat…and without it, so that I’d …
Save the the flowers from your backyard and make this delicious day lily Syrup recipe to drizzle over pancakes and waffles throughout the year! I know, I know…you’re thinking I’ve totally lost my mind this time! But, this day lily Syrup recipe is soooo good! And if you’re willing to give it a try, you’re …
Mason jar storage for keeping produce fresh longer is a little kitchen hack I wish that I knew about years ago. If you are sick of wasting your money in the produce section than this trick is perfect for you. To think of the amount of money I have wasted over the years on produce …
This Beef and Vegetable Soup is delicious, easy to make and it’s a great way to preserve your summer vegetable harvest, too! Today, I’ve partnered with Denali Canning to bring you this yummy Beef and Vegetable Soup recipe. I realize that a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter night is still a few …
Love beef stew, but not the time and work it takes to make it for dinner? Start pressure canning beef stew instead! Pressure canning beef stew is so easy and the best part is, you’ll have it ready to eat on the shelf during the winter months. And on a cold, winter night, there is …
Love carrots, but don’t want to waste the time slicing and dicing for canning? Learn how to ferment carrots with this easy, step-by-step tutorial… This year, I’m adding fermentation to my homesteading skills, as you might have guessed when I recently shared How to Ferment Radishes. And since many of you seemed to enjoy the …
Looking for an easy way to preserve your radish harvest from the garden? Learn how to ferment radishes at home with this step by step tutorial… How to Ferment Radishes Head out to the garden and pick your fresh radishes (or pick some up at your local farmers market or grocery store if you don’t …
Do you have tons of spinach from the garden? Don’t waste it – preserve it for winter instead! Learn how to dehydrate spinach at home with this simple, step-by-step tutorial… How to Dehydrate Spinach You’ll need the following items: Fresh spinach Food Dehydrator Blender Jar First, you’ll need to head out to the garden and …
Head out to your backyard and start picking those pretty yellow flowers to make some Dandelion Honey Syrup before they’re all gone! Okay, okay…I know it’s not really honey and there’s probably a beekeeper or two out there that might come at me for calling it that. BUT, this Dandelion honey syrup tastes so much …
Mexican style stuffed sweet potatoes are a new family favorite in our house! We eat sweet potatoes fairly regularly but with kids it is in the typical forms you could imagine….fries, cubed potatoes or even whipped. But by roasting them and stuffing them you get to cut down on all that chopping and up the …
Canning mixed vegetables at home is simple to do and they’re so much better for you than store bought canned goods! You can mix and match your favorite vegetables, which is great for picky eaters. Plus, it’s a great way to use up scattered leftover veggies in your fridge or freezer. Learn how to can …
Are you interested in learning how to can chicken at home? Don’t stress – it’s so easy to make your own homemade canned chicken – it tastes great and it’s so much better for you than what you buy in the store! Learning how to can chicken at home is a great way to save …
If I were a superhero my weakness list would start with snacking…really. I love to graze on snacks. So instead of trying to stop that habit I have found my favorite healthy snacks to help lessen the guilt and to feel my body being charged with fuel instead! That’s right, snacking doesn’t have to be …
Looking for an easy pressure canning potatoes recipe? Look no further – this simple, step by step recipe is super easy to follow and you’ll have your own canned potatoes on the shelf in no time! We love potatoes and eat a great deal of them around here, but sometimes, it’s such a hassle to …
With St. Patrick’s Day behind us and the new growing season upon us, cabbage is at its lowest price and now is the time to stock up! And there is no better way to stock your pantry than with this delicious Bread and Butter Pickled Cabbage… This delicious Bread and Butter Pickled Cabbage is the …
My family has an addiction to cranberry sauce…especially homemade cranberry sauce. There’s no opening 1 can (or jar!) here! These people eat it right up and we always end up opening two…and yes, there is only 4 of us…which basically makes us pigs. However, by learning to make homemade cranberry sauce, you can reduce the …
Have some extra pumpkins laying around? Learn how to freeze your own homemade pumpkin puree to make pies, cakes and other pumpkin-y delicious treats year round! Okay…so, I’m done boring you with tomato recipes…for now. But, I’m back today with a little recipe tutorial for you about how to freeze your own homemade pumpkin puree. …
Looking for a new way to preserve your summer squash? Try these delicious dill zucchini pickles – your whole family will love them! Canning, canning, canning! I feel like that’s all I’ve been doing lately – Oh and making teacher stationery! Holy cow, you guys! I have been SO busy. As you all know, I’m …
Do you love the sweet and spicy flavor of Apple Cider but hate the inflated price at the grocery store? Make some Sweet & Spicy Apple Jelly to fill the craving! It’s super easy and it tastes like real Apple Cider! I’ve been on a major canning kick lately. I just can’t seem to make …
Holy cow, you guys! This Apple Scrap Jelly has got to be the coolest canning recipe I’ve ever found. For those of us that strive to use what we have and not be wasteful, this is a home run. As you know, I’ve got a ton of apples to preserve and applesauce is at the …
Looking for an easy pickle recipe that’s not full of chemicals and preservatives? Try this recipe for Sweet & Tangy Refrigerator Pickles – they taste better than store-bought and they’re healthier for you, too. We eat a lot of pickles around here. In fact, my family consumes at least a jar a week. Sweet pickles, …
Have an excess of green beans in your garden this year? Don’t waste them! Learn the steps to freezing green beans at home and you’ll get to enjoy the harvest all year long! Unfortunately, I planted my beans a little late this year and so, they aren’t ready to pick, yet. But, my neighbor has …
Learn how to can ground beef to create your own “dump and go” meals in no time at all. Canning ground beef at home is easy and so much fun! But, I hate to admit that it took me FOREVER to get started with canning my own meat. Simply put, I’ve been scared to death …
Hello! I hope you had an awesome weekend! Today, I’m sharing my favorite Quick & Easy Homemade Refrigerator Pickles. I hope you love them too! *Updated from old post. This quick & easy homemade refrigerator pickles recipe is so simple, you’ll want to make them every day! I love pickles! And when I say I …
Hello! I hope you had an awesome weekend! Today, I’m sharing a free summer canning list printable to help you keep track of everything you plan to preserve this summer. It’s slowly warming up here in Vermont and while many of us don’t even have seeds in the ground, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start …
Hello – hope you’re doing great! I’m back today with the most delicious Bread and Butter Dill Zucchini Pickle recipe! Side note: I actually prepared this post in August of last year and just never had time to post it. So, I thought now would be a great time to share this one, just before …