Preserving Food

September at Our Home

September 29, 2011

I can hardly believe that fall is upon us already, but the beautiful crimson leaves outside my window attest to the fact that it's true. I am always sad to see the summer go, especially since we had such a short season of truly warm summer weather here in the Pacific Northwest, and yet I [...]

Read the full article →

Gardening with Herbs 101: Harvesting Your Herbs

September 8, 2011

Written by Meg Dickey, Contributing Writer
Our weather may not be showing signs of Autumn, but our plants and gardens are certainly indicating it is time for harvesting!
If you have been consistently using your herbs throughout the summer, you may not feel you have many to preserve for the winter season (my catnip has been well-used [...]

Read the full article →

Small Batch Dehydrating for the Summer Bounty

September 5, 2011

There's a woman who lives a few blocks down from me with this miraculous garden that seems to go from a freshly tilled plot to a wildly abundant gardener's delight in about one month flat (my husband keeps telling me not to be jealous because she probably uses Miracle-Gro or something of the chemical-sort).
She grows [...]

Read the full article →

How to Peel Peaches and Tomatoes for Canning

September 1, 2011

Although I've been canning for 4-5 years now, it was only about 2 years ago that I learned this simple trick for peeling peaches that has made canning an easier task. I was missing out!
My 6 year old and I made this short video the other night, while peeling 40 lbs of peaches. She's behind the [...]

Read the full article →

Preserving the Harvest: Sweet Fruit Chutney

August 12, 2011

by Meg Dickey, Contributing Writer
Summer, and the fruit it brings, has a way of overwhelming many of us. If you've got a pile of peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots or any other kind of fruit sitting in the middle of your table, you need to figure out a way to deal with it!  One of the [...]

Read the full article →

Planning What to Preserve

July 8, 2011

Written by Kate Tietje, Contributing Writer
Are you new to preserving food -- or maybe just curious about it?  Maybe you'd like to give it a shot, but don't really know where to start.
I was in your shoes last year!  It was my very first year preserving food for my family.  I had no idea what [...]

Read the full article →

5 Ways to Use Blueberries this Season

July 1, 2011

Written by Stacy K, Contributing Writer
Full of flavor, sweet and nutritious, a blueberry in season is one of summers greatest pleasures.
Fresh blueberries are delicious on their own and need no special preparation. However, they do go bad quickly, so it’s important to have a plan for using and storing them in order to minimize waste.
Below [...]

Read the full article →

Dry to Preserve: A Quick Guide to Dehydration

June 17, 2011

Written by Stacey T, Contributing Writer
So you’ve started your garden, and other than a few minor hiccups (which always seem to happen regardless of skill or experience), things are probably going pretty well, right?
Are you preparing to preserve the fruits of your labors (pun intended)?  Preserving your own food is [...]

Read the full article →

Preserving Food with the Lactic-Acid Fermentation Method: Sauerkraut Tutorial

April 12, 2011

Written by Sharon Kaufman, Contributing Writer
The original cabbage patch kid...
For as long as I can remember, I've loved sauerkraut. As a small child, my mom served it on a regular basis with roast and mashed potatoes. I would scoop out a hole in my mashed potatoes, fill it in with sauerkraut and then dish on some gravy. Oh, what [...]

Read the full article →

Plan & Plant Now for Sustainability, Freedom, and a Backyard Revolution

March 29, 2011

I am not an expert gardener and have only spent the last few years taking a stab at preserving what we eat and eating what we preserve. Every year, though, I grow more and more excited because every year we are learning, producing, and preserving more.
I have learned that amazing things can happen when you [...]

Read the full article →