As I sit here today, winter is beating at our back door. And I’m here all like, “What. Just. Happened.” Like, for real. Spring didn’t even arrive until our last frost mid-June. Then came the worst biting insect season I’ve ever experienced. So bad that much of the time we could hardly stand to be […]
It may sound surprising, but I make most of my jam during the winter months. Primarily due to two reasons: (1) Berries freeze extremely well. And since you have to mash the berries to make jam, the freezing process makes that part significantly easier. (2) From the time the snow melts until it falls once […]
Sometimes, the best things in life do come at a cost. Berry picking is definitely one of those things for us- and I don’t mean money, either. It means heading out into the woods, husband and children in tow, knowing there’s a very real risk of bears, bugs, bees, thorns, bumps, bruises, scratches, tears, and […]
A very generous friend of mine and her prolific plum tree finds me with the delightful task of seeking out new and interesting ways to use up this delicious fall fruit. And in both my search of a new recipe and my constant desire to reconnect with the ways of the past, I came upon […]
Blueberry season is winding down, and even if you aren’t blessed to live in an area full of wild blueberries as we are here, chances are you can find them at a relatively decent cost at your local farmer’s market or grocery store as they are in season. There are so many fun things that […]
Canning season is my most favorite season- and one of the longest ones for me, second only to winter ;). I typically start in June and don’t stop until after deer season closes in November, loving it all the while. And it always begins with strawberry-rhubarb jam when the strawberries are ripe and the rhubarb […]
I’m on a mission this year to try as many rhubarb recipes as it takes to find ones that my kids just love. While I enjoy rhubarb in just about every way you can prepare it, getting not one, not two, but all THREE kids to appreciate a rhubarb recipe has been a challenge. I […]
If colorful jars full of home grown food is what your dreams are made of, my-oh-my do I get you. My fascination with old food, old ways, and even old mason jars goes way back to my childhood. Hands-down my most favorite home we ever had was the 100-year old single room log cabin with […]
Winter canning is probably my favorite canning because it is in the off season. It means I have more time. It means I have a cold house that needs heating up (totally the opposite case during peak canning season, amiright?). It means I am choosing a canning project not based on the prevention of overripe […]
“Life is not complex. We are complex. Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing.” -Oscar Wilde In a world that is so fast-paced, so aggressive, so offended all the time, so self-absorbed, it can be hard to know…just where does one fit in? Where should your opinions lie? In which direction […]
