Spiced Pear Butter
When we moved to our homestead, we planted lots of trees that yielded fruit we were not in the habit of eating. In fact, in 2007, we planted four pear trees, even though I had probably not eaten four whole … Read More
Reusable canning lids
Like a lot of people, I was skeptical when I first read about Tattler reusable canning lids, but I’m quickly turning into a convert. We’ve used them now for pickles and pizza sauce, and they seem to be holding up … Read More
Don’t judge a fruit by its skin
When growing your own fruits and vegetables, you need to forget a few things that you’ve been doing in supermarkets your entire life. One of those things is eschewing any produce that looks imperfect. I totally understand that you don’t … Read More
Homegrown Tamale Pie
For about 20 years, we’ve been making a tamale pie out of the cookbook, Tofu Cookery, but recently it occurred to me that this time of year we could make our own version of this recipe using produce straight from … Read More
Zucchini here, there, everywhere
Patty pan, lemon squash, golden zucchini, and scalloped squash Although we are not drowning in zucchini and summer squash this year — the picture is from last year — I know a lot of people have been blessed with … Read More
Goat Cheese and Cucumber Spread
We picked our first cucumbers of the season a few weeks ago, and I immediately remembered this excellent sandwich spread that I discovered last fall towards the end of the cucumber harvest. We’ve already had it six or seven times. … Read More
Extreme Bread Pudding
I’ve been searching for a good bread pudding recipe for my whole life, and I finally figured it out myself. My husband and I took his mother out to eat for Mother’s Day. I like to go to locally owned … Read More
Coop de Hill
Richard’s Coop de Hill sits behind his vegetable garden, near his bee hives. If you want a chicken coop that sits in one place like Grandma’s did (as opposed to the movable coop in my last post), you might be … Read More
City Chicken Condo
My oldest daughter, who now lives in a city, decided she wants backyard chickens, and we were happy to help out. After looking at a variety of portable, bottomless chicken coops online, we designed and built this one for her. … Read More
Strawberry jam
It’s June, and you know what that means? Strawberry harvest time! Even if you don’t grow strawberries, you can visit farmer’s markets or u-pick farms, and after you’ve had your fill of fresh strawberries, you can save the harvest … Read More
