When I started reading about how to make soap, I noticed that everyone said I needed to have a digital kitchen scale. Why do I need a scale to make soap when people have been making soap for thousands of years? Eventually I learned that when people made soap historically, they used whatever oil was available locally, which usually meant lard or tallow in the U.S., coconut or … [Read more...]
Why home-canned food is safer than store-bought
A great way to preserve the harvest from your garden or your local farmers’ market is by canning food. Dismissed as old-fashioned not more than a couple decades past, today it is enjoying resurgence as consumers want more control of their food. BPA is found in hard plastic containers and the lining of cans used for commercially canned foods. Increasingly there are more plastic … [Read more...]
The perfect recipe for fall: Caramel apple butter!
Whether you have your own apple trees or enjoy visiting local orchards during the fall, this is a great way to preserve the harvest to enjoy year-round! Not only is caramel apple butter great on toast, but it is also delicious mixed into a bowl of hot oatmeal on a cold winter morning! Caramel apple butter recipe Makes 6 half-pints (jelly jars) 8 pounds … [Read more...]
Plan your garden for food preservation
by Melissa K. Norris One of my favorite things about growing a vegetable garden is being able to enjoy its fruits long after the first frost. While cold frames and a greenhouse can help in these areas, they’re not what I’m referring to. I’m talking about eating our vegetable and fruit crops all year long due to home preservation. We canned over 200 jars of food from our … [Read more...]
Variety is the spice of life
Homemade salsa with several types of tomatoes and peppers A few months ago I was being interviewed on a radio talk show, and the host asked me if we ever get bored with our food. You know, since we grow almost all of our own, we must get bored eating the same thing all the time, right? Uh, no. Not even close! The simple fact is that we have far more variety in our diet than … [Read more...]
Goals for 2012
Happy New Year! Some smart person once said that if you don't know where you're going, you'll probably wind up somewhere else. So, it is important to know your goals. After I write down my goals, I start figuring out how to make things happen, which means I make a list of all the things I need to do to reach the goal. Although we've already done a lot on our homestead, there … [Read more...]
Spiced pear butter
Last year was the first year we ever made pear butter, and it was the first time I ever ate pear butter, which I discovered is delicious. I especially like a couple tablespoons added to a bowl of oatmeal. In fact, I'm not a big fan of jams and butters on toast or biscuits, so the vast majority of our canned fruits find themselves in oatmeal or yogurt. 6 to 7 pounds pears 4 … [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 well. Sixteen out of sixteen jars sealed so far. The plastic lids are food safe and do not contain BPA, which coats the inside of store-bought cans and disposable … [Read more...]
