Are you growing jalapeños? Here’s how to make pickled jalapeños - it’s so easy! This year, we planted quite a few peppers and tomatoes, all in two rows. Sadly, one of those rows, not more than six feet from the second one, shriveled up and died. But fortunately, the jalapeño plants were all in the Keep Reading
Canning/Preserving
Canning/Preserving is a great way to stretch your bottom line when it comes to saving money. You can easily buy fruits and vegetables in season and in bulk, and work on canning them in order to have fresh fruits and veggies any season out of the year. Some of the ways to preserve foods and goods go beyond just produce. You can preserve juices as well by freezing them. You can try canning on hearty fruits and vegetables like apples, pears, peaches and tomatoes and kale. However freezing works best for berries, fruits and bananas. The recipes for canned and preserved fruits are endless and you can use them just as if you were using fresh ripe products. The best way to use the preserved are as jams and jellies but using them in smoothies and fruit pies are an viable option as well as sauces. The possibilities are endless and you can insure that your family has access to tasty produce year round!
How to Make Chipotle Peppers
That’s right! You don’t grow chipotle peppers - you make them! And it’s an easy process if you have a wood grill or smoker. Here’s exactly how to make your own chipotle peppers. Did you know that pepper names change when they’re dried? For instance, Poblanos become Anchos. Here’s a handy list: One Keep Reading
Old Fashioned Bread and Butter Pickles
Looking for a good old fashioned bread and butter pickles recipes? Better yet, want pickles that stay crisp even after you can them? This is your recipe! Every spring, I plant a few cucumber plants. Just a few - in my mind anyway - but we always seem to end up with literal bucketloads Keep Reading
Blackberry Freezer Jam Recipe
Blackberry season is here, and here's the blackberry freezer jam recipe you need to preserve your harvest - without even cooking! I loooove making jam. I always have. And of course, like any red-blooded human, I love eating it too. The problem is, it’s usually more sugar than Keep Reading
Homemade Pickling Spice
Why buy when you can make it? This homemade pickling spice recipe is super, super easy, and fantastic to have on hand for all your brining needs. If you know me, you know I’m a fan of making my own food. I even make my own ingredients for my food when I can. A few weeks ago it was home-canned chili Keep Reading
How to Can Chili Beans
As a homeschooling mom, convenience is important to me, but so is cost. That’s why I’m so excited to share how to can chili beans with you - cost effective, and easy to make a big batch so that you can have convenient cans of tasty beans on hand for weeks to come! I’ve eaten beans my whole life. I Keep Reading
Spiced Pear Sauce Recipe With Canning Instructions
This spiced pear sauce recipe takes the idea of fruit sauce, and gives it a glam makeover with fall spices that balance all the warmth and comfort of fall with the fruity sweetness of pears perfectly. How lame would you think I was if I said I watch tv shows while peeling large amounts of fruit? Keep Reading
Dill Pickle Recipe
Growing cucumbers this year? You're gonna need this dill pickle recipe for cool, crisp snacks all year long! A few years ago - in 2013 to be exact - my husband grew a lot of cucumbers. I remember the year because it was the same summer our daughter was born. And it was his garden because, well, I Keep Reading
How To Can Apples
I kind of feel like apples don’t get the attention they deserve. Every fall, the whole united states goes crazy for pumpkin spice - and rightly so - That stuff is good! - but let's not forget about the glory that is apples. There are so many things you can make with apples! One of my favorite Keep Reading
The BEST Way To Freeze Bananas For Smoothies
Bananas are vitally important for smoothie making - at least I think so! And this is the best way to freeze bananas for smoothies. I don’t know why, but for some reason, our local store goes a little overboard on bananas this time of year. They start getting a little overripe, and the store puts Keep Reading