I’ll be completely honest – I am not that great at growing onions! While we always end up with a ton of onions each year to preserve, they end up being rather small and dense. Maybe it has to do with the soil, perhaps it’s the variety we select. Whatever the reason, for the last… [read more]

Every year, we harvest at least 50 pounds of potatoes. While potatoes can be stored for quite some time in a root cellar or even a dry basement (and frankly, even just on your countertop), I like to can potatoes for several reasons. First, canned potatoes are a quick breakfast, lunch, and dinnertime staple that… [read more]

When you are first learning how to can, it can seem like a daunting task. You need to coordinate the cooking, the filling, and the processing without burning yourself or making a mistake that might cause your family to get sick. While there are risks to canning, there are also benefits. Following canning safety rules… [read more]

It’s an age-old debate, and likely one that you’ve found yourself engaged in with old fashioned canning enthusiasts and new-age canners alike from time to time. Do you need to sterilize your canning jars? The short answer…. most of the time. But if you’re unsure of whether you need to sterilize – or how, exactly,… [read more]

There’s a saying among farmers and homesteaders in my area that goes something like this – don’t ever leave your windows down or doors unlocked this time of year or you may find your car filled with zucchini. For anyone who has raised and harvested squash varieties, it’s laughable because at harvest time the squash… [read more]

If you’re a homesteader, you no doubt know the difficulty of storing vegetables, fruits, and meats over the winter months. It’s nearly impossible to grow any sort of produce during cold weather in most states, so it’s necessary to find alternative methods for storing the foods harvested in the early fall. While freezing is a… [read more]

Zucchini plants are known for being prolific growers, and you can only make so much zucchini bread! My kids may love muffins and fried zucchini slices, but they start to ask for other things after a while. You can only give so many away! So, one day, I wonder if there were ways to can… [read more]

Are you making these mistakes when you are preserving your food? Avoiding common canning mistakes to make your home canned food safer is important! Part of the homesteading lifestyle, no matter how large your homestead is, is preserving foods. Some methods of food preservation can take the form of canning, freezing, dehydrating, or fermentation. You… [read more]

Get your canning on in a FUN way by hosting a canning party! Get a group of friends together and share the work. Learn how to get a canning group started. Getting your garden produce can sometimes be a chore. There’s food to clean, chop and prepare, jars to wash, canners to fill with water… [read more]