Easy Watermelon Sorbet – with or without an ice cream maker

watermelon sorbet in turquoise ramekin garnished with lime and mint

No matter how much succession planting I try to do, our melons all seem to ripen about the same time. It’s fantastic to be able to eat as much watermelon as you want day after day but we also like to enjoy watermelon more than just one month out of the year. Watermelon sorbet is … Read more

Cucumber Lime Sorbet

cucumber lime sorbet in white ramakin dish

I know what you’re thinking….”Cucumber Lime sorbet???”….Yes, and it’s really, really good. Sorbet is traditionally served as a palate cleanser but we eat it as a dessert or as a treat on a hot summer afternoon. This sorbet recipe combines the refreshing flavor of cucumbers with the tang of lime to create a sorbet that … Read more

The Easiest and Best Way to Freeze Fresh Basil

fresh basil in ziplock bag for freezing

What is the best way to freeze fresh basil to retain the flavor and color? We put all the the popular and not-so-popular methods to the test and came up the easiest and best way of freezing basil. Personally, my very favorite way to freeze basil is in the form of basil pesto. We go … Read more

How to Preserve Figs – can, freeze, dehydrate, pickle, and ferment

cut and whole figs on wooden cutting board

Fig season is short, although it does come twice a year, so be sure to preserve figs while you can. Figs can be canned, frozen, pickled, dehydrated and even fermented! Fig season is season is something to celebrate. Like mulberries, figs don’t ship well which makes it hard to find fresh figs for sale. In … Read more

Preserving Meyer Lemons (and other citrus) in a Zero Waste Way

A bowl lemon zest on table with text overlay

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 … Read more

Can You Freeze Cucumbers? yes, you can!

Wondering if you can freeze cucumbers? Well, yes you can! Start freezing your cucumbers today to use all year long. They can be use for cucumber infused water and a whole lot more. Learn how to freeze cucumbers in a way that makes them easy to use for a variety of dishes.

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 … Read more

4 Ways to Preserve Zucchini to Use Later

A close up a pile of various zucchini and yellow squash on wooden table.

Preserving zucchini and summer squash in a variety of ways is a wonderful way to cut your grocery bill and ensure your family has organic food through the winter months. 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. … Read more

Preserving the Harvest…Peaches

Preserving peaches is an annual event here. We preserve them by canning, freezing and dehydrating so we can have a variety throughout the year.

We got seven peaches off our peach tree this year. Oh my, they were so very good! But obviously, with only seven we just ate them and didn’t even think about preserving them. So, I did what I do every year. I purchased peaches so I could actually preserve peaches for the rest of the … Read more

Tips for Preserving the Harvest

A collection of ripe tomatoes in diverse shapes and sizes, including vibrant red and yellow varieties. Text overlays the image stating, "Preserving Harvest Tips," with the website "SchneiderPeeps.com" below.

Many years ago, I canned about 30 quarts of pear chutney. I had never tried pear chutney, in fact I had never even heard the word “chutney” before that day. But our pear tree was producing a bumper crop that year and I decided it would be fun to try something new. {ahem} No one liked it…not … Read more

Preserving the Harvest….Blueberries

Want to taste summer all year? You can! Learn how to can, freeze, dehydrate and ferment blueberries to enjoy now and later.

We kicked off July 4th weekend by going blueberry picking . Yes, we have blueberry bushes but they are not producing. Last year fire ants got into the pots and destroyed the roots. We bought new plants but they are still young.  Normally, we would just go without but because of all the rain we … Read more

Preserving the Harvest…Tomatoes

There is so much you can do with your tomato harvest. Learn how to can, freeze, dehydrate and ferment tomatoes for now and later.

Preserving tomatoes is a summer tradition in many homes. But preserving tomatoes can be more than spaghetti sauce and salsa.  There are so many ways of preserving tomatoes and really, you need to do what is best for your family. Because I’m pretty simple, I mainly can tomatoes with onions and garlic and dehydrate tomatoes … Read more

Preserving the Harvest….Cucumbers

Canning pickles is not the only way to preserve cucumbers. You can also ferment, dehydrate and even freeze them.

It seems to be feast or famine with cucumbers at our little homestead. Some years I just cannot get them to produce at all and other years I’m wondering what in the world we’re going to do with them all. We’re in a feasting year this year. Normally that would be a good thing but … Read more

Preserving the Harvest…..Herbs

Preserving herbs is easy and way cheaper than buying herbs and spices already preserved. Herbs can be preserved by drying or freezing them, putting them in salt and making extracts.

One of our goals this year was to add more herbs to our garden for both culinary and medicinal uses. Many times those uses overlap. The thing with herbs is that they do not grow year round outside (even in zone 9) and they are not always ready at the same time complimentary vegetables are … Read more

Preserving the Harvest….Green Beans

Preserving green beans doesn't have to be hard or boring. Learn how to can, freeze, ferment and dehydrate green beans to enjoy now and later.

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 … Read more

Making and Freezing Pesto Sauce in Canning Jars

Making and freezing basil pesto right in the jar allows me to easily preserve basil all summer long. There are no safe canning methods for pesto so freezing pesto is the way to go.

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 … Read more