During the summer Mustang grapes grow all over our area. Mustang grapes are similar to muscadine grapes. We use these tart grapes to make grape jelly and juice, of course, but we also use them to make grape jam. Grape jam is usually made with whole grapes that have been seeded but I prefer to […]
Home Canned Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup Recipe
This sausage, potato and kale soup is an adaptation of Olive Garden’s “Zuppa Toscana” soup. I love making soups but when I can adapt them for canning it’s even better. Keeping hearty, home canned soups on hand as saved more weeknight meals than I’d like to admit. The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables has step […]
Probiotic Rich Fermented Dill Pickles – whole, spears, and slices
Traditionally fermented pickles are easy to make and full of probiotic goodness for your gut. Every summer we make jar after jar of these naturally pickled cucumbers to preserve for the year. When I tell people we prefer fermented dill pickles instead of canned dill pickles, they usually get a confused look on their face. […]
Preserving Meyer Lemons (and other citrus) in a Zero Waste Way
There’s a cycle that happens every year in our neck of the woods. Every November through January we have more citrus than we know what to do with. Everyone is “sharing” and hoping someone will take some oranges, grapefruit, and Meyer lemons off their hands before they go bad. Then every summer everyone is wishing […]
Canning Venison with the Hot Pack or Raw Pack Method
Neither my husband nor I grew up in a hunting family, fishing yes, hunting no. However, when we moved to this area we met many people who hunt and over the years we have become a family who eats wild game. Each fall you’ll find me canning venison as it’s my favorite way to preserve […]
Dehydrating Apples to Make Dried Apple Rings and Apple Chips
I don’t know much about apples, except that they taste really good and are really good for you. There’s also about 5o million varieties so surely there’s a variety for everyone. Apples are one of those fruits that I’ll buy year round (along with bananas) but when they’re in season and the price drops I’ll […]
How to Dehydrate Bananas to Make Chewy Banana Chips or Banana Jerky
Bananas are a staple fruit in our home because they are so very inexpensive, even the organic bananas are much cheaper per pound than other fruits. And when I can find them marked down because they’re getting brown I buy all I can. We freeze some to use in smoothies and banana bread. But we […]
How to Store Home Canned Food
We are in the depths of canning food during June and July; in fact, I don’t even bother putting our canning stuff and mason jars away during these two months. They just stay in a corner in the kitchen waiting to be used every couple of days. Then comes the task of storing all that […]
Can You Freeze Cucumbers? yes, you can!
I was talking with a gardening friend and lamenting our dismal cucumber harvest this year. We have enough for eating fresh but not enough for freezing. She asked, “Can you freeze cucumbers?” Yes, you can absolutely freeze cucumbers and it’s super easy and useful. By the way, she’s bring me some of her excess cucumbers […]
Preserving the Harvest…Zucchini
We are in the height of zucchini and summer squash season right now and while it is overwhelming at times, it’s also a huge blessing. My grocery budget is happy! Because we often have a problem with vine borers, I try to begin preserving zucchini and yellow squash at the beginning of the season. Anything […]