Plums are a delicious summer fruit that come in various colors, flavors, and sizes. One thing they all have in common is that they spoil fairly quickly, so the window to enjoy them fresh is quite short. The good news is that plums can be made into delicious jam and other preserves. In this blog ...
Picking Fruit and Berries at Their Peak
As fruit and berry growers in a home garden, it's important for us to pick the fruit when it is at its optimum stage of ripening. But how do we know the best time to harvest? This blog article is a home gardener's guide to picking fruit and berries at their peak. Climacteric and not climacteric ...
Russian Dill Pickles Recipe
Pickled cucumbers are a specialty enjoyed worldwide, with each country having its own unique variations. This Russian dill pickle recipe features a delicious pickled cucumber that you should definitely try for a variation of flavor. What makes this recipe special is that it uses garden ingredients ...
Build a root cellar in the basement
A root cellar is an excellent addition to any homestead. Ideally, it should be built into a hillside, featuring an entry space and a cellar room. However, most of us do not have that option. Modern houses often lack a cold room. What can you do? Build a root cellar in the basement. A relatively ...
Rhubarb in Syrup Canning Recipe
Rhubarb is a favorite for cold-weather gardening. It thrives in our Zone 3 garden and produces an abundant harvest. Having a few more recipes to preserve this crop is always beneficial. This rhubarb syrup is delicious and very simple to make, allowing you to capture a bit of summer in a jar. And of ...
A midsummer walk through a productive urban garden
Take a midsummer walk through a productive urban garden in this video. On our blog, we share many how-tos about growing food in small spaces. In the video, you can see how everything works together in a cottage garden style, where vegetables, herbs, flowers, bushes, and trees thrive side by ...
Sour Cherry Jam Recipe Without Pectin
This delicious sour cherry jam recipe without pectin comes from my long-time best friend. We both grew up on the same narrow street in a small town. Even though we have moved to different towns, countries, and continents, our friendship has never been lost. Friendship like ours is seldom, and it is ...
5 Ways to Preserve Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs
Food preservation is essential when living in a cold climate with a short growing season. To eat homegrown food all year round, we must store it away. Here are five ways to preserve vegetables, fruits, and herbs that we use on our homestead to enjoy homegrown food throughout the year, both in season ...
Exploring the Best Garden Bed Design
There are numerous ways to design a garden bed, and over the years, we have experimented with quite a few different models. In this blog article, we will review garden bed design techniques and share our top recommendation based on our experience, explaining why it stands out. The garden ...
Steam Juicer, a Simple Way to Preserve Fruit and Berries
A steam juicer is a simple and effective way to preserve fruit and berries. If your garden yields more produce than you can use or preserve through other methods, a steam juicer can be a great solution. Enjoying a glass of homemade juice is not only refreshing but also a delightful way to ...
