It’s not hard to tell that it’s pig processing time around here. We are actually nearing the end of it, with a few projects left to complete. I have 30 pounds of pork belly sitting in a maple brown sugar cure in the refrigerator as we speak, destined for the smoker in a couple of […]
Raise your hand if you will pretty much die if you don’t eat breakfast in the morning. That would be me. Some of my most difficult moments are in the morning before I’ve eaten, and the kids are bugging me for breakfast. It’s pretty much understood that mom needs some fuel in the tank before […]
The perfect pie needs a perfect crust. One that is both beautiful and delicious in all of its flaky glory. Yes, flaky. If you are a person, flaky is not good. But if you are a pie crust, you are exactly who you should be. And all other pie crusts will envy you. Now, making […]
There’s a wintry mix covering our little homestead, the kids have the first snowman of the year standing in the yard, and I have warm homemade beef stew settling in jars on the counter top. But around here, “beef” comes in many forms…most often by way of deer or bear. So technically I have “venison/bear […]
There are few animals over whose skin I will fight for at a meal. Turkey is one of them. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s the only one. Crispy, heavenly, basted to perfection. Are you nodding your head right now? You know what I’m talking about. If not, you haven’t had a good turkey. One […]
It’s no wonder tomatoes are the most popular thing (I say thing because it PAINS me to call it a fruit rather than a vegetable and yet I hate to be incorrect at the same time) to grow among gardeners. You can make SO so so many things with them. SO. MANY. THINGS. Its versatility […]
It’s time for another update from the garden! Some quick background for new visitors: I garden in NE Minnesota where we have a very short growing season. I use hugelkultur raised beds and apply permaculture methods throughout my garden. Nearly everything I grow are heirloom varieties and all are organically managed- no chemicals, pesticides, or […]
Good morning and welcome to a new How-To Monday! Today we’re going to be discussing bone broth and how to get it into your diet. Bone broth has been used for centuries, long before its effectiveness was even understood. Who hasn’t heard the suggestion that we should eat a bowl of chicken soup when we […]
There is no season I look forward to more than canning season. Except maybe gardening season, but the two go hand in hand, don’t they? It makes me as anxious as my kids are for their after-nap-treat. And as the canning shelves start getting lighter and my boxes of empty jars begin to stack up […]
It’s that time of year. I’m guessing that if you haven’t yet placed your seed order for the upcoming gardening season, you’ve at least thought about it. Because even if you might be under piles of snow at the very moment, spring is just around the corner. For some of us, that corner is a […]
