The kitchen is where simple living comes to life. It’s where home cooking meets food preservation—where you turn garden harvests and pantry staples into nourishing meals for your family. In this space, you’ll find from-scratch recipes made with whole ingredients, along with trusted techniques for preserving food through canning, fermenting, dehydrating, and freezing. Whether you’re making soup from fresh vegetables, putting up jam, or planning a pantry that supports your values, these resources will help you slow down, cook with purpose, and make the most of every ingredient. Because feeding your people well doesn’t have to be complicated—it just has to be real.
Freezing peaches is an easy way to enjoy the taste of summer all year long. Whether you want to use them in smoothies, pies, or just as a sweet snack, freezing peaches properly keeps them fresh, flavorful, and ready to use. Here are my favorite methods for freezing peaches, plus tips for the best results. …
These delicious mulberry muffins are soft, fluffy, and studded with juicy fruit in every bite. Made with simple, wholesome ingredients, this easy mulberry muffin recipe lets the natural sweetness and tartness of mulberries shine. Whether you’re using fresh-picked berries or a stash from the freezer, these muffins are the perfect way to savor the season. …
Home canning is a fantastic way to preserve fresh food, but the cost of single-use lids can add up over time. That’s where reusable canning lids, like those from Harvest Guard, come in. If you’re looking for a sustainable and budget-friendly alternative to traditional canning lids, this guide will walk you through everything you need …
Mulberry pie is one of the mulberry recipes we always try to make during mulberry season. With a little lemon juice to enhance the mild flavor of the mulberries, this mulberry pie recipe will remind you of the not-too-sweet fruit pies our Grandmothers used to make. While mulberry season is quite long, 3-4 weeks in …
If you’ve never tried mulberry pancakes, you’re in for a treat! These juicy berries add a pop of tart sweetness to fluffy pancakes, making them the perfect way to start your Saturday morning. Whether you have fresh mulberries from your summer harvest or a bag of frozen ones from last year, this easy recipe will help …
If you’re wondering if can you freeze mashed potatoes, the answer is a resounding YES! I’ve been making and freezing mashed potatoes for years, I’ve served them at regular meals, family holidays and even church potlucks. And everyone loves them. I’m going to share all the tricks and the secret ingredient for a no-fuss way of …
Cornbread is the perfect accompaniment to anything from beans and hearty soups to fried chicken. This old-fashioned cornbread recipe is the one my mom used to make and now I make when I need a quick bread side dish with simple ingredients. With crispy edges and a buttery corn flavor, this is the only cornbread …
If you’re looking for authentic, southern fig preserves, this is the recipe you need. This spiced up version of the traditional preserved fig recipe turns fresh figs into a super flavorful treat that can be enjoyed all year long. I’ve included safe canning instructions but you can also make this recipe in a small batch …
Pickled carrots are a great addition to any meal. They have a tangy flavor but the sweet carrot flavor isn’t overpowered. With this easy pickled carrot recipe you can make a jar or two for the refrigerator or a full canner load for the pantry. Plus, I’ll show you how to safely change up the …
Pickled cauliflower is a crunchy, tangy snack or addition to a relish tray. This pickled cauliflower recipe is safe for canning to make shelf-stable pickles or to make quick pickles for the refrigerator. In winter when we’re harvesting head after head of cauliflower, I like to use one or two heads to make a batch …
Freezing bananas is so very easy! No special equipment is necessary. Plus you can use the frozen bananas for so many things from baking to smoothies! Next time you buy bananas, buy extra and use these step-by-step instructions to freeze them. Fresh bananas are some of the least expensive fruit you can buy and when …
Lemon curd is for more than just topping scones, although that’s delicious, too! Use homemade lemon curd to make all kinds of delicious desserts and savory foods. Using simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry, this list of recipes with lemon curd is all you need to please the lemon lovers in …
Fideo is a traditional Mexican dish that is rarely found in Mexican restaurants. Fideo is something that most Mexican families make and, honestly, have their own variations of it. It’s something that is passed down from generation to generation. There’s no one “right way” to make Mexican fideo recipes. With that in mind, I’ve collected …
Venison is such versatile and healthy meat. It’s much leaner than beef and is a great alternative for red meat in any recipe. I’ve gathered 50 of the best venison recipes to inspire you to use this delicious meat. Historically, “venison” meant any wild game meats, today it’s used mainly to mean the meat from …
Canning chicken is easier than you might think and so very versatile. You can use it for easy meals during the busy work week, a super easy chicken salad, or as a the base of a soup or chicken pot pie. Truly the possibilities are endless. Why Can Chicken? Besides the fact that home-canned chicken …
Can you freeze figs? Absolutely! In fact, freezing figs is a great way to preserve figs during their harvest season for using all year long. Learn how to freeze figs three different ways to get the most out of your fig harvest. Because figs have a short season and a short shelf life, it’s hard …
Pickling is a great way to preserve the summer harvest, and not just cucumbers. If you’re a fan of homemade pickles, relishes, or chutneys, then you know that a good pickling spice blend is the secret ingredient that takes your preserves to the next level. Of course, you can buy little packets of pickling spice, …
This recipe for classic dill pickles is full of the flavors and crunchiness that you want from a dill pickle. This is a canning recipe, although you can make them and store them in the refrigerator instead of canning them. This recipe comes together very quickly and can be used to put up a bunch …
These sweet and spicy pickles are a family favorite as they have a perfect balance of tang, sweet, and spice. This is a canning recipe, although you can make them and store them in the refrigerator instead of canning them. We make several different pickles each year to be sure we have some of everyone’s …
These easy refrigerator dill pickles (aka icebox pickle or quick pickles) are so delicious and are a great way to quickly put up small batches of cucumbers from your garden or the grocery store. This recipe is for refrigerator dill pickles but you can make all kinds of refrigerator pickles using this recipe as a …