Cranberry jam might be my favorite type of jam, aside from strawberry jam. I only make cranberry jam in the winter when fresh cranberries are plentiful (and cheap) in the stores. The base of my cranberry jam is just like the strawberry jam I make. This recipe is great for beginners, trust me. You reallyRead more
Maple syrup time is on its way, and I couldn’t be more excited. Every year, Andrew and I tap our own trees, and we’ve spent time trying different maple syrup supplies to figure out what we like. The first time my husband tapped our maple trees, he whittled taps out of large sticks – seriously!Read more
Tomorrow is 2019; I really can’t believe it! 2018 flew by as we added Jolene to our family, Andrew changed work shifts, and I grew my freelance writing career to new heights. Wow! It was a great year. Now, I’m looking forward to 2019. I love a new year. Everything is fresh, and you startRead more
Christmas is upon us. That means you have several weeks ahead to plan and purchase all of the gifts for your loved ones. If your loved ones are gardeners, I have a list of some fantastic gifts they will LOVE! It’s no secret that I love gardening, which is why half of the posts onRead more
Root cellars are a low-maintenance method of food preservation that requires no extra work on your end. Storing fruits and vegetables in a root cellar helps to preserve freshness in the least labor-intensive way possible. Doesn’t that sound awesome? One thing to know is that you want to store ONLY the freshest, best food possible,Read more
Vegetables struggle to grow in the winter for two reasons. The first you might guess, and that is the cold weather. Many plants don’t do well in cold temperatures. The second factor is shorter days with less sunlight. Knowing your Persephone Days allows you to calculate the right days to plant your fall garden. WhatRead more
The 2018-2019 homeschool year is close to the horizon for our family, and that means it is time to start stocking up on my favorite homeschooling supplies. I won’t lie – I love to buy school supplies. I chalk it up to the years I spent pretending to be a teacher and my parents purchasedRead more
Different chicken breeds have different space requirements. Chicken owners with large farmers or homesteads don’t need to worry about the breed they select, but backyard homesteaders need to pick chicken breeds for small spaces. Picking breeds with smaller space requirements will keep your flock happen, which means happy chickens. Happy chickens lay eggs, which isRead more
Composting reduces trash output and provides an excellent soil amendment for gardens. Compost adds nutrients back into your soil, but not everything belongs there. In fact, understanding what not to put in a compost ensures that the end product is safe for your garden use. In your compost, you want to put brown and greenRead more
Growing zucchini is popular because zucchinis are one of the easiest plants to grow in your garden. Most gardeners can plant a few zucchini seedlings and watch the plants grow rapidly without any issues. I love zucchinis. Aside from tomatoes, zucchinis are the one vegetable that screams summer to me. I love dicing up zucchiniRead more