Witch Fingers for Halloween Party - Recently, I was trying to find a neat spooky treat to make for a soccer Halloween party. I found a couple of ideas on pinterest to try. As sometimes happens some of the ideas did… More
Crab Apple Jelly – Take 1 - Wednesday I decided I was going to try my hand at making crab apple jelly. This recipe, Mary Wynnes Crabapple Jelly, looked simple enough. Surely, I could do this. Jon decided to help me after… MoreWhy You Should Choose Grass Fed Beef - A year ago, we started buying our beef from a local farm/dealer, Grassfed Greensboro, that we could buy direct from. Over the last year, we have been very pleased with our switch to grass fed beef. We… More
How to Can Carrots | Pressure Canning Carrots - Danver half longs are our favorite carrots to grow. They are short, fat, and stubby and grow easier than many longer varieties. They have a naturally sweet flavor that is much more appealing which is… More DIY: Inexpensive Easy Drying Rack - Not long ago, my better half decided that we needed a drying rack when she was inspired by Magnolia Holler’s Herb Drying Rack. It would come in handy for drying our garlic and our winter… More
Crab Apple Juice - We have a crab apple tree in our yard near the driveway. Every year it is loaded down with crab apples. I do not know if it grew wild or if it was planted by… More
How to Pressure Can Green Beans - Our green beans are coming in nicely this year and not a moment too soon! We had to breakdown and buy a few cans of store bought green beans not too long ago. What a… More
Homestead Skills That Transfer Over To Survival Skills - If you are lucky enough to live on a homestead, there’s no doubt you’ve probably learned some very impressive skills. Homestead life can be tough, it can be challenging, but it can also be highly… MoreCrock Pot Baked Potatoes - A couple of weeks ago I came across a blog post for crock pot baked potatoes. I would give credit, but now I can no longer find it. I thought I had pinned it. I… More
Homestead Cooking with Carol: Bountiful Make-ahead Meals – Book Review - Although, for the last few years Jon and I have been working toward being more self-sufficient, prepared, and just living a simpler life, we are still far from experienced homesteaders. I must admit that we… More
How to Pressure Can Crowder and Blackeyed Peas - A crowder pea is any variety of cowpea bearing pods with closely spaced (crowded) seed (peas). Last year, we grew Top-Pick Crowder Peas and saved some seeds and planted them this year. We love crowder peas.… More Recipe: No Bake Cookies - Here is a recipe for a chocolate staple at our house. We have a bit of a sweet tooth when it comes to chocolate. Rather than spending a few dollars on chocolate snacks every time… More
Nesco American Harvest FD-37 400 Watt Food Dehydrator - I have been in want of a food dehydrator for some time. I used to have one many moons ago, but I never got around to replacing it. Not too long ago I found a… More Making Blackberry Jam - We were pleasantly surprised this year by the size and amount of blackberries we picked from our 2 blackberry canes that we planted last year. I made a couple of blackberry cobblers with some of the harvest.… More
DIY Kitchen Cleaner Recipes - The kitchen is the most important room in every household, and as such it must be taken good care of. The kitchen is the place where the entire family gathers every day and spends most… MoreGigantor! - Now, that’s a zucchini! It was so big that we named it Gigantor! Gigantor is so big intentionally. We were trying to let it grow enormous so that we could get some good size seeds out… More
Pressure Canner From Outer Space - Our first rows of beans/peas we planted (pintos, dragon tongues, and crowder peas) we picked and dried. This worked, but the drying process takes a while and I had cookie sheets with beans and peas all… More
Bacon Wrapped Squash | Squash Pan Fried in Bacon - Are you trying to find new and inventive ways for cooking your bountiful supply of squash, then give bacon wrapped squash a try! Sometimes with a bumper crop you start to get tired of eating… More Orange Glaze Cocktail Weenies Recipe - Perfect Appetizer Snack for Parties and Social Gatherings Who doesn’t enjoy a tasty cocktail weenie? (Vegetarians I guess) I have always been a fan, but it seems that most are prepared in some form of… More
Making Raspberry Jam - Last year was the first year that we were able to harvest any of our raspberries. We were pleasantly surprised at how many we were able to gather. Many we ate right there on the… MoreZucchini, Laserdiscs, and Meat On Sale! - The kids may riot soon if we force them to eat any more zucchini! To be quite honest Jon and I are getting a bit tired of it too and I love fried zucchini! It… More
Quick and Easy Blackberry Cobbler - Yesterday when we did our daily walk-about we were welcomed with blackberries ready to be picked! How wonderful! Neither of us have ever seen blackberries so big before. We are a little proud of ourselves.… More
Putting Up Food on the Homestead - The Importance of Preservation I grew up learning the value of preserving food for the winter and hard times. Our family grew a big garden each year and canned or froze the extra for later.… More
How to Make Crab Apple Jelly | Canning Crab Apple Jelly - Step by step guide to making crab apple jelly.Dehydrating Squash Epic Fail - Last year we had a bumper crop of zucchini. After our zucchini harvest season was long over I came across a post for zucchini chips. I thought I would definitely try it this year. Well,… More
How To Make Chicken Broth - What super-food can you make for pennies, maybe even for free? Chicken broth is healthy, very simple to make, and supports your immune system. And did I say it’s inexpensive? Whenever I make chicken for… More
How to Make Deviled Eggs Southern Style - I have always loved deviled eggs. It is one those items I expect to be at every family holiday or church covered dish meal. If you are are raising your own chickens now, you may… More
Purple Deadnettle – Harvest, Dry, Medicinal, Edible - Purple Deadnettle, Lamium purpureum (LAMIACEAE), is an early spring wild plant that can be foraged for its medicinal and edible properties. Some variations of the plant name include “Purple Deadnettle”, “Purple Dead Nettle”, “Purple Deadhead… More
Making Beef Jerky - This weekend I decided to dehydrate a batch of beef jerky. Store bought jerky is so expensive and is full of preservatives too. Since I just bought the dehydrator, I wanted to use the jerky… More
Making Crab Apple Juice for Pectin - There are several varieties of crab apples. Most people do not use the ornamental crab apples because they are so small and tedious to use, but since we had them we thought we would not… More
Benefits of Grass Fed Beef | What is Grass Fed Beef? - We are very happy to be able to finally say we are now buying grass fed beef! Friday, Jon picked up our first order of 1/16 of a cow. Just how much is 1/16 of… More
