One of our most beloved Autumn traditions is pressing apple cider. Some we refrigerate to drink in its sweet, raw, unpasteurized form. The rest we ferment into hard apple cider. Today my husband Brian joins me to share how to make hard cider in just a few easy steps. Hard apple cider is just sweet apple cider that has had its sugars naturally fermented into alcohol. It is one most local drinks you can make since you don’t need to buy any imported ingredients like sugar. And, you are hearkening back to our American pioneer roots, when John Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed) walked the land, starting nurseries on the frontier, selling apple trees to the new settlers so that they could … [Read more...]
The BEST Fire-Roasted Jalapeño Fermented Hot Sauce Recipe
Tantalize your taste buds with this smoky fermented hot sauce recipe. This easy homemade hot sauce will be a table staple and makes for a creative food gift! One of our favorite ways to preserve hot peppers is to turn them into a lacto-fermented hot sauce. This condiment graces our table every night, and while I’m not the type to add hot sauce to my pasta and meatballs like my husband Brian, I appreciate a bit of spicy tang on my pork tacos and egg burritos! This year we decided to shake up our usual homemade hot sauce recipe and fire-roast the jalapeños before fermenting for a bit of smoky flavor. The results: Ah-mazing! Here is our fermented hot sauce recipe to make and to … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Preserve Fresh Herbs to Eat and Enjoy all Winter Long
When I wander around my garden, even in these last days of summer, I still see fresh culinary herbs ready to be harvested and eaten. Some herbs, like dill and cilantro, have reseeded, making a second crop. Others, like my perennial sage, are leafy and full and ready to be harvested. The problem is, I can't possibly eat all of these herbs before a killing frost hits! I need some unique and creative ways to preserve fresh herbs to eat and enjoy all winter long. Fortunately, there are many ways to preserve herbs, from drying to fermenting to freezing. In this post we'll explore 7 ways to preserve herbs, capturing their intense, unique flavor to enjoy through the winter. 7 Delicious Ways to … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Plant and Forget Garden Experiment
This summer we spent almost three months living in Vermont. The timing was less than ideal for a gardener, but we had a fabulous work trade opportunity to take advantage of, and family events to coordinate around. So this hard-core gardener did what any plant-obsessed person would do - I planted a garden in Missouri in May before we left, grew another garden in Vermont, and came back to Missouri three months later to learn the results of my ultimate plant and forget garden experiment. I had already gardened in Missouri for four summers, so I knew a few things: Weeds were going to be my downfall It could rain regularly, or it could be droughty Certain crops thrive with little to … [Read more...]
Setting Up a Homestead Kitchen on a Budget
Setting up a homestead kitchen on a budget may feel like a daunting task, especially if you're starting from scratch. Admittedly, there are a lot of specialized tools that homesteaders use on a regular basis that you might not find in your standard department store, some of which cost hundreds of dollars. Fortunately, there are creative ways to make setting up your homestead kitchen more affordable. This post was written in collaboration with the company Gumtree to share some ideas on how to set up a homestead kitchen on a budget. What will you need for your homestead kitchen? Setting up a homestead kitchen begins with the usual kitchen items - a set of good knives, cutting boards, … [Read more...]
Ginger Honey Switchel Recipe
Do you ever find yourself reaching for a glass of cold water after a particularly hot and sweaty garden weeding session and find that water is not quite thirst quenching enough? This Ginger Honey Switchel Recipe is a refreshingly tart, probiotic beverage that is not only thirst quenching, but easy to make with ingredients you may already have at home. Switchel, which is a traditional drink also known by the names Haymaker Punch and Ginger Water, is made with only a few simple ingredients - ginger, apple cider vinegar, and natural sweetener such as honey, maple syrup, or molasses. Using apple cider that is homemade or contains "the mother" imparts probiotic benefits, while ginger adds a … [Read more...]
Calendula Tallow Soap Bars
Today I welcome Jan Berry of The Nerdy Farm Wife. Jan's gorgeous new book, Simple & Natural Soapmaking is now available, and she has joined us here to share her Calendula Tallow Soap Bar recipe, similar to the all-natural recipes you will find in her book. This natural soap recipe features tallow, which adds hardness and skin conditioning properties to soap, along with calendula flowers, for their skin soothing properties. I’ve given a couple of options for scenting with essential oils, but you could also leave the bars unscented, if you’re sensitive to fragrance. Before you make this recipe, you’ll first need to make a calendula oil infusion. To do so, fill a canning jar … [Read more...]
7 Organic Ways to Add Fertility to your Garden
To grow the healthiest vegetables and fruit, and to have a garden that is productive and disease-free, it is important to build fertility over time. Also, in the mid-summer, I often find that my garden needs an extra boost of fertility to maximize production and health. Over the years, I've experimented with many ways to add fertility to my garden, and here are a few of my favorites. 7 Ways to Add Fertility to your Garden 1) Comfrey Tea, Compost Tea, and Manure Tea While you would not want to drink these teas, liquid fertilizers for your garden, often called "teas," are a great way to add fertility to your garden. The basic gist is to add water to some well-composted manure, some … [Read more...]
Creating a Homestead Business: Legalities and Liabilities
Before your turn your homestead passion into a business, learn about the risks and responsibilities of creating a homestead business in this article. Today I welcome Deborah Niemann of The Thrifty Homesteader. I first learned of Deborah in 2009 ish, when she was blogging at Antiquity Oaks. Deborah's blog was a wealth of information about goats, and one of our go-to sources when we were raising Alpine dairy goats. She is the author of Homegrown and Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-Reliant Living, which was originally published in 2011, and recently re-released with fresh information and new chapters. Deborah has graciously agreed to share some of her experience … [Read more...]
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