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...]
How to Make Shrubs, or Drinking Vinegar
During a recent heat wave, Brian and I found that water was not replenishing our bodies or quenching our thirst. We did not have any of our homemade sodas on hand, so we searched through cookbooks to find a simple, refreshing drink that we could make with ingredients we had on hand. We found shrubs. Shrubs, or drinking vinegar, were popular during the 17th and 18th centuries, and have enjoyed a revival in recent years, not only in home kitchens but also in cocktails. A shrub can refer to a type of fruit liqueur, or a non-alcoholic beverage made from a sweetened, vinegar-based syrup. The addition of vinegar preserves the fruit syrup, and also adds a tangy and … [Read more...]
Winter Squash Cheesecake Recipe
I love cheesecake, and back in Oregon when we were milking Alpine goats, I made it regularly with our soft goat chevre. I adapted a recipe from Donna Hays, and instead of using ricotta and cream cheese, I just substituted chevre. This winter squash cheesecake recipe is one of the most delicious cheesecakes I've ever made, and the fact that it's made with almost all locally grown ingredients makes my heart soar with delight. On my birthday five years ago, when I was 9+ months pregnant with Everett, I made an enormous cheesecake, cut half for myself, and saved half for my good friend Kerstin, whose birthday is the day after mine. Kerstin lived uphill from us - up a … [Read more...]
Five Foods to Store for Winter
Stocking up on storage crops in the late summer and early fall, and storing them for winter eating is a great way to get local, organic food at a lower cost and higher quality than what you might find in supermarkets. In addition to growing many storage crops in our garden, we like to visit our CSA farmer and local orchards in October or November and come home with enough vegetables and fruit to last us through much of the early winter. In the Autumn months, food becomes our primary home interior decoration! Squash sits on top of any available surface, garlic and onions hang from the wall in long chains or braids, and sweet potatoes are piled in boxes under our bed (the coolest spot in … [Read more...]