produce

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 [...]

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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 [...]

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How to Plan Your Garden

March 21, 2011

In our Gardening 101 series, we’ve talked about a lot of different things so far... how to select seeds for better success, growing herbs, gardening based on where you live, square foot gardening.
I know that the process of planning what and how much and when and where to plant everything can be one of the [...]

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Finding a Local Farmer

March 15, 2011

Written by Kate Tietje, Contributing Writer
With spring just around the corner, that means it’s time for outside activities!  Gardening is a big one we’ve been talking about in the last couple of weeks.
But maybe, for some reason, you aren’t planning a garden.  Maybe you don’t have the space, or the time.  I understand that!  I’m [...]

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Using Four Frugal Foods from the Produce Section Creatively

December 3, 2010

Written by Cara, Contributing Writer
As we have been focusing on eating grain free meals to help with some health issues, I've had to learn how to shop for other foods besides grains that are filling, healthy, and easy on the budget! Since we aren't using bread or rice as a 'filler' for meals, we've [...]

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Loving My CSA: Learning to Eat a Variety of Seasonal Produce

July 5, 2010
First CSA box

Guest Post Written by Nicole Bennett
My first experience with swiss chard was about a year and a half ago. That Martha Stewart, I thought, she always has the strangest ingredients in her recipes. Shortly after that, however, I subscribed our family to a local farm's CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), and little did I know how [...]

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Understanding Communited Supported Agriculture (CSA’s) and Their Benefits

June 25, 2010

Guest Post by Kate
If you want to provide cheap, fresh, local produce for your family, you only have one option, right? To grow it yourself.
But what if you don’t have time? Or energy? Or you have a brown thumb? There are farmer’s markets, in some areas, but then you’re paying retail price for all [...]

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1000th Post Party Giveaway: Deluxe Excalibur 3900 9-Tray Dehydrator ($220 Value)

June 18, 2010

It's been a hard secret to keep, but at last I can announce that after the smashing success of our Excalibur Dehydrator giveaway last fall, it's time to give away another one!
I've owned a 9-Tray Excalibur for about a year and a half now. I keep it on my kitchen counter the way that most [...]

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Organic Food on a Budget

May 26, 2010

Written by Angela Beery, Contributing Writer
Now that the spring season is upon us, it is the perfect time to talk about fresh, local produce! Many exciting opportunities are ahead of us in the coming months.
I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to taking a stroll down to the farmer’s market, grilling [...]

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Questions to Ask at Your Local Farmer’s Market

May 19, 2010

Photo by shaggyshoo
I grew up in West Michigan where the local farmer’s market was always a highlight of the summer.  Early on Saturday mornings my sisters and I would head to the market with mom to buy yummy, fresh, and local produce, and THE BEST cinnamon rolls from a Mennonite family to eat on Sunday [...]

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