Every spring one of the first herb seeds I sow are basil seeds. I liberally scatter them in several places in the garden. I do this for one reason…pesto! We love pesto so very much and I refuse to pay $5 for a small jar of basil pesto. So each summer you’ll find me making …
Canning beef stew is a great way to have meals-in-a-jar for lunches, quick dinners, and even emergencies. You can even use venison, lamb, pork, or other wild game in this home canned beef stew recipe. Every summer I find myself spending a few days canning beef stew, I make other canned soups and stews also …
It’s interesting living in two worlds – one being the world of teenagers and adult children and the other being the world of preshoolers. In some ways, the worlds are so very different and, in some ways, remarkably similar. I’ve also noticed that the preschool world that Esther lives in is different than the preschool …
With a house full of teenagers we’ve had to deal with the sensitive subject of acne quite often. Fortunately, none of my children have what would be considered severe acne but they’ve all had “bumps” from time to time. Now, I’m no acne expert, I’m just a mom, but I do know that no one …
“The art of giving food gifts expresses love in a way that something expensive picked up at the store simply cannot do. Homemade gifts are not cheap, but rather priceless and full of that which cannot be bought, love. Homemade food includes a bit of ourselves, our energies, our spirits, and yes, our love. It’s …
I first learned about using wood ashes in my garden from a friend from Kenya. We were walking in the garden and noticed that the kale was infested with aphids (which often happens in the heat of the summer around here). I’m always leery of using chemicals so i usually end up doing nothing. I …
Zucchini fritters are a popular summer treat that turns grated zucchini into a delicious, crispy side dish. Whether you’re an experienced home cook or a beginner, this easy recipe will have you creating delicious homestyle fritters in no time. Zucchini Fritters Recipe If you grow zucchini in your garden, you know how wonderfully prolific it can be. …
It’s been a while – a long while – since I’ve done fun sewing. Not to say that sewing drama costumes and mending ballet performance costumes isn’t fun, it’s just not that same as spending some time doing a quick project that brings happiness to your daughters. I recently recently purchased some fun fabric thinking it …
We’re not huge sandwich eaters around here but sometimes sandwiches are just so convenient, like when we’re traveling. So I’ve been trying to perfect the art of pita making…it is an art you know. And I *think* I’ve come up with a recipe and have discovered the “secret” to making pita puff up. I’m going …
We have a new favorite meal/snack here at our home….meatloaf muffins. Until about a month ago I had never made meatloaf and most of my children had never tasted it. Why? Because Carl doesn’t like it. Now, this is huge because with the expection of pickles and mustard, Carl will pretty much eat anything. It’s …
A few years ago a friend sent me some moringa trees to plant and that was my first introduction to this amazing plant. Growing moringa is easy and it can be grown as a perennial in climates where the ground doesn’t freeze and as an annual in climates where the ground freezes. They are fast …
Yes, it IS possible to make crispy French fries at home! With this delicious homemade French fries recipe you can have a crispy exterior and a fluffy interior oven fries for dinner any night of the week. I’ve been making these easy homemade fries in the oven for over 25 years and our family loves …
Have you ever read about a plant and thought “I just have to find some?” Well, that’s how I felt when I started researching growing comfrey. It’s like the all purpose herb. You can use it to fertilize your garden, trees and yard, treat wounds and even feed to livestock (in small quantities). It’s truly …
Every summer the highlight of the garden is basil. I know, tomatoes are most gardeners’ pride and joy but growing basil is ours. The reason is that we’ve probably been out of basil pesto for our weekly pizza night for several weeks, if not months. There’s nothing like homemade basil pesto on pizza. Of course …
If you’ve been a reader of SchneiderPeeps for very long you probably know that we like to make things and we also like to play games. Josiah combined both of those likes into one gift for Christmas last year. He made each family a game of Finger Twister. Never heard of Finger Twister? I hadn’t …
When we moved on our property the garden area was full of clay soil and we couldn’t find any earthworms. Each year I find less and less clay as I’m gardening and more and more earthworms. Each year we spend time and a bit of money building healthy garden soil that is loose, yet holds …
Throughout history honey has been used as a sweetener and medicinally and for good reasons, it tastes delicious and has many antimicrobial and healing properties. Over time we’ve figured out ways to alter and standardize it for the for purpose of making the processing faster and increase profits. This has lead to some confusion over …
We had to get new tires for our 12 passenger van. Normally, I’m not real excited about that but I’ve been hoping we’d need to soon so we could make a tire swing. We had one of these in another house and it was much loved – by kids of all ages. Wanna see how …
One of the fun things about having older children and a younger child is that I’m getting to revisit all those fun preschool crafts that I did with my older ones. For Christmas my children make their gifts to give to extended family and this year Esther made bug magnets. To make the bug magnets you …
Growing microgreens is a fantastic way to have an indoor garden all year long but especially during the gardening off-season. Although we can grow an outdoor garden year round, we only have a few months that are good for growing lettuce. During the heat of the summer, homegrown microgreens helps keep us in fresh greens. …