Welcome to week one of Preserving the Harvest which will be a twelve week series on preserving fruits, vegetables and herbs to use throughout the year. My goals isn’t to teach you everything you need to know about every preservation method or every fruit or vegetable. My goal is to encourage you to not see …
Note: Once a week I share a popular post from the archives. This post was originally published in August 2011. Saturday morning when we woke up was the first day that we were all home, all day together in a long time. My boys were very tired from youth church camp and so they slept …
I have a confession to make. Until a couple of weeks ago I had never made snickerdoodles. {gasp} My family has survived this travesty…but just barely. So when Granite Mill Farms offered to send me a bag of sprouted grain spelt to try, it was the perfect opportunity to put my issues aside and make some snickerdoodles. …
ok, we (as in I) have fallen in love with making rope baskets. There is something fulfilling about taking something utilitarian (the rope) and creating a beautiful and useful basket. However, you know you’ve crossed a line when you “demand” that the kids take the new rope harvest basket out to collect eggs instead of …
Making your own granola is a great way make sure that you’re not eating questionable ingredients and it’s so much cheaper than store bought granola. This easy slow cooker granola recipe takes some time, but it’s almost all hand’s off time. When I make granola, I make a really big batch. As long as it’s …
We’ve had a very busy week around here….it’s performance week for our homeschool drama club. This will officially bring our 2014-2015 school year to a close. Oh, we still do math and reading throughout the summer but all of our outside of the house classes and activities are done for a few months. It’s a …
We love having people over to our home. Often my kids will ask if they can have a game night or dance with their friends. We also have things to celebrate with a lot of friends and family, like birthdays, graduations, Eagle Scouts and holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. We will also often have just a …
We recently had to apply for new life insurance. We’ve had the same policies since before Esther was born and well, since she’s only 5 they won’t last until she’s out of college. When we did the phone interview the person asked about how often we go to the doctor. When she found out that …
Because of having several family celebrations recently, I’ve become very aware of our grocery budget. And Carl has become very aware of how often the “chicken bucket” has been full lately. It certainly isn’t out of control but it could use a little more planning, executing and attention. During our season of unemployment I was keenly …
Twice a year (at Christmas and at the end of the year) parents everywhere are wondering what to give their child’s teacher as a thank you gift. Sometimes it can be hard, especially if money is tight or we have a quite a few teachers we want to give gifts to. Also, we want our …
Creamy broccoli soup is comfort food at it’s best. With garden fresh (or frozen) broccoli, cheddar cheese and cream this soup comes together quickly and uses items you probably already have on hand. It’s been months since we picked the last large broccoli head from the garden but broccoli continues to make smaller heads after …
There are so many uses for beeswax that go beyond beeswax candles and salves – those are fun but so are lotions, growing mushrooms and wood polish. Let’s explore what beeswax is, where to get beeswax, and how to use it in your home and for your body. We have beeswax…and a lot of it. …
Since buying our property a little over three years ago we have been adding fruit trees a little at a time. When we moved here there was a mature Meyer lemon tree and two mature pecan trees. Also, our neighbor has a mature mulberry tree that over hangs our property that he lets us pick. …
I love playing around with different ferments. My family thinks it’s weird but that’s okay. I have a slaw recipe that I learned from a friend from Kenya and I wondered what it would taste like as lacto-fermented sauerkraut. It’s tastes great. My family isn’t big slaw or sauerkraut. When I make this slaw I …
Note: Once a week I share a popular post from the archives. This post was originally published in June 2012. We planted several different varieties of tomatoes this year. We planted Rutgers, Romas, Purple Cherokee, Lemon Boy, Yellow Pear and Yellow Cherry tomatoes. They have all done well and after the season is over I’ll share …
Last month was National Hot Breakfast Month and I participated with nine other bloggers and some amazing sponsors to celebrate. It came at a great time for me. I found that I had gotten into a rut of having the same couple of things over and over each morning. But I really couldn’t think of any …
We’ve been growing swiss chard for several years and it’s become a family favorite. Swiss chard is one of the few greens we can grow well into the summer without it getting bitter or bolting, it helps cover the transition between our winter and spring gardens. Swiss chard is a great source of vitamins K, A, …
Looking to peel and segment grapefruit to get to the delicious pulp? Using these tips, you can peel a bunch in no time. We love grapefruit and fortunately, we have a great supply from our trees. But I’ve noticed that my kids often grab oranges or apples because they’re easier to eat. So I started …
Welcome to our Wednesday Night dinner preparations – an “omelet bar”, actually these are last week’s but this week’s are pretty much the same. Breakfast foods are usually quick to put together which makes having breakfast for dinner a easy option on a busy night. Wednesday nights we have AWANA and youth group up at …
Note: Once a week I share a popular post from the archives. This post was originally published in June 2012. This week we’re going to make a traditional pillowcase dress. If you’ve never really sewn before this will be a great first project. I had intended to use an actual pillowcase for this dress but …