You many wonder why someone would bother canning dried beans. After all, they are already in a perfect storage condition, right? Well, not always. Dried beans still need water and time to cook, and if you are in a situation where time water, or heat to cook are at a premium, then dried beans are… [read more]
Canning Carrots-Stock Your Own Pantry
Growing carrots in my home garden has been difficult for me. I have tried all the tips and tricks to get them to grow, but to no avail. Then, I had a HUGE harvest one summer, a total of 32 carrots. Don’t judge…for me that’s huge! Some of the things we learned that helped… [read more]
How to Can Corn
Corn is another thing that many people typically freeze to preserve. It seems to stay a bit sweeter for some and it really doesn’t take anything to do. However, again, I have zero freezer space. Nada. Zilch. Zip. So, we can our sweet corn. I personally don’t notice any loss of flavor and the texture… [read more]
Canning Tomatoes {And How To Make & Can Tomato Paste!}
Canning tomatoes and canning tomato sauce are just one method to save those yummy, red fruits from your garden! Gardening is all about the harvest. We plant at least 50 tomato plants each year, for our family and for sharing with others. When you are overflowing with tomatoes, you have a couple of choices. I like to… [read more]
How To Can Green Beans
My garden has been producing like crazy this year! Don’t get me wrong, I am loving it, but whew! It’s exhausting sometimes. We planted 160 green bean plants this year and we even staggered it, by planting one bed one week, then another the next, and the next and so on. But you know the… [read more]
How to Can Peas
Another vegetable that has been running amok in my garden this year (thankfully!) is our shell peas. Normally, we barely have enough to make it into the house, after the kids and hubby have had their “harvest snack”. And, that’s with 200 plants! True story! Aren’t the blossoms beautiful, though? They are some of my… [read more]
How To Preserve Cherries
Cherries are such a sweet edition to the homestead larder! You can make pies and other desserts, use them in glazes and sauces for savory applications, you can add them to fruit salads, or green salads. There isn’t much you can’t do with a cherry. Here are 4 ways of preserving cherries to save some… [read more]
How to use a Pressure Canner
With so many people gardening and wanting to preserve their own food these days, we are taking back what was once a lost art…the art of canning. Learning how to use a pressure canner is easy, once you know some basics. I remember that I was once afraid to use it, due to the “horror”… [read more]
Canning Low Acid Veggies
In order to can low acid veggies like corn, okra, green beans and peas, you MUST use a pressure canner. No amount of time in a water bath canner will safely can these. And, once you get the hang of it, it’s fast and easy to do! Canning Corn: This is actually best if you… [read more]
Pressure Canning Recipes
As your garden produces, you need a way to preserve all that goodness. You can freeze, dehydrate or can your produce to store it for later use. If you decide to can your produce, you’ll need to know that low acid vegetables like peas, green beans, peppers, and corn all need to be pressure canned… [read more]