journey to a self sufficient life
Healthy soil is important for growing strong, vigorous plants that resist pests and diseases and produce abundantly. Whether you are starting with fresh, quality soil or gardening in your native topsoil, improving your soil is a continuing process. Soil is alive and made up of many parts, including mineral particles, water, organic matter, air, and microorganisms. The balance between these…
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Basil is a tender annual herb that is easy to grow indoors on a sunny windowsill, outside in the garden, or in containers on your patio. Learn how to grow basil with these tips. Basil is an annual herb that grows as an attractive bushy plant. This herb not only adds lots of flavor to recipes, but also makes an…
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Most gardeners are eager to get something growing in their vegetable garden after the long winter. Unfortunately, Jack Frost may not be ready to release his icy grip completely and can send us a couple of unexpected frosts in late spring. Tender garden plants can’t tolerate frost. So instead of losing them, protect plants from unexpected frosts with these methods….
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Microgreens are young edible vegetables and herbs harvested within weeks of sprouting. The tender greens are very flavorful and nutrient dense. Use these tips and discover how easy it is to grow microgreens indoors so you can have a continual harvest of fresh, healthy greens. What Are Microgreens? The term “microgreens” is a generic term used to describe any edible…
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Salmon Pie is a seafood version of the classic French-Canadian Tourtière, a traditional meat pie enjoyed throughout Canada and New England on Christmas Eve. If you grew up in a French-Canadian community and enjoyed meat pie as part of your Christmas Eve and New Years Eve food celebration, you may also had salmon pie. In coastal areas of Canada and…
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Drying apples is a great way to preserve the fresh fall harvest. Here are three ways to dehydrate apples for winter food storage, including air-drying, oven drying, and using a food dehydrator. While fall apple picking is a fun activity for family and friends, it may be overwhelming when you come home with so many apples. Most apples can last…
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No sunshine required to make these homemade sun dried tomatoes. Drying tomatoes is a great way to preserve the harvest and save storage space. 20 pounds of tomatoes will reduce down to about one pound of sun dried tomatoes. Drying intensifies and sweetens the tomato’s flavor making sun dried tomatoes an ideal snack if you are seeking something a little…
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Old-fashioned dilly beans are zesty pickled string beans simply flavored with dill, garlic, and spicy pepper flakes. I remember the first time I tried dilly beans. It was at a cookout with friends who were astonished that I had never had them. At their urging, I pulled one of the beans out of the jar with a fork and nibbled…
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Whether you found a great deal on peppers at the farmers market or harvested a bumper crop of chiles, you can turn that bounty into a shelf stable pantry staple that will add lots of flavor to your meals. Here are three ways to dry peppers for food storage. Got peppers? Drying is an excellent way to preserve peppers. Dehydrating…
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Ah zucchini… It’s the crop that just keeps on giving. Here are five ways to freeze zucchini so you can enjoy the harvest bounty well into winter. If you grow zucchini in your garden, you understand how prolific it can be. It is easy to go from nothing to basketfuls of zucchini in a matter of a few days. Luckily,…
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