Homesteading

Blink, and you’ll miss it. The asparagus season, that is. For gardeners, fresh asparagus and rhubarb are the first two plants to harvest each spring, but only if you’ve taken …

At first glance, plants might appear totally helpless against insects, herbivores, and other leaf-gobbling predators. Like sitting ducks, plants are rooted in one spot so they can’t do the whole …

Do you know what’s awful? Mushy canned asparagus. That’s what’s awful. You know what’s amazing? Dilly pickled asparagus. Especially dilly pickled asparagus that only takes a whopping five minutes of …

Raising chicks is exciting. There’s nothing quite like bringing home tiny, peeping balls of fuzz and watching them grow. But the brooder has been packed away for months now. And …

Sweet and spicy, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better union of flavors. So, it’s only natural when you combine the heat of fresh jalapenos with the classic sweetness of …

We’re still dealing with the heat of summer, but chilly mornings promise fall is just around the corner. With so many stone fruits in season now, it’s the ideal time …

When asparagus is in season, you better enjoy a few green stems every chance you get. If you don’t spear the chance, you’ll likely have to wait another year till …

Brussels sprouts are great. They’re like that awkward kid from high school. You know, the one with the bad acne whose mother always cut their hair; and then shows up …

If you’ve harvested a bumper crop of red onions and you aren’t sure what to do with them, no need to despair, that’s where quick pickled red onions come into …

Among my friends, I’m known as a dab hand in the kitchen and garden. However, my family knows better. They see all the kerfuffles, gardening-endeavors-gone-wrong, terrible meals, and dead houseplants …

They say you can never have too much of a good thing. If you’re a garlic lover, you’ll no doubt agree this is certainly true when it comes to this …

In the realm of pickles, one, in particular, is always in my fridge – pickled garlic. More precisely, quick pickled garlic. Because sometimes you want crisp, crunchy garlic cloves ASAP! …

Hey herb gardener, that’s a good-looking culinary herb garden you’ve got there. And is that chamomile and lemon balm for tea? Nice. As an avid herb gardener, I’m sure you’ve …

When you think of summer, what foods come to mind? Hotdogs on the grill. Tall ice cream cones with rainbow sprinkles. Warm tomatoes, picked from the vine. If we keep …

Ah, the poor zucchini. This humble cucurbit ends up being the joke of many a gardener each summer. With comparisons to baseball bats and billy clubs, its reputation for producing …

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Fuel your body first thing in the morning. It’s called break-fast for a reason. Yeah, we get it. Breakfast is kind …

Too many raspberries is a tasty problem to have and a fun one to solve. Yet, harvesting and preserving a glut of raspberries takes some planning skills, especially if you’re …

For many people, fridges and freezers are an important element of the kitchen. They are food-saving devices that store everything from ice cream to orange juice, including everything you need …

If you haven’t discovered nettle leaf powder yet, now is the time to taste the amazing flavor you’ve been missing. That’s right, nettle leaf powder is something that you eat …

Throwing out leftovers that have languished in the fridge always makes me feel guilty, especially if it was from a meal we all enjoyed. But nothing makes me feel worse …

There are things we learn growing up, not because someone took the time to teach them to us, but because “that’s just the way we always did it.”  It’s how …

Potatoes and onions are appetizing when French-fried and served up on a plate, yet there are reasons to keep a safe distance between the two in the pantry. In the …

If I could only choose one “fruit” to grow, it would be blueberries. Infinitely snackable, sweet and slightly tart but low in sugar, these delightful berries are a summertime staple …

Not all foods can last forever. Except one. That would be honey. It’s but one of the longest-lasting foods to store in your pantry – but only if you store …