As I lifted my brand new pressure canner out of the box, it reminded me of an alien spaceship with all the gadgets on top... Not to mention the big, thick instruction book... *Gulp* Up until that moment, I had never even seen a pressure canner in person-- let alone watch someone use one. Thankfully, after some careful reading, I realized that the whole process wasn't as near as intimidating as I had originally thought. So, ...Continue Reading
Archives for August 2012
How to Use a Pressure Canner
PRESSURE CANNING. It's the #1 thing that strikes fear into the heart of new homesteaders... Stories of Great Aunt Wanda blowing up her kitchen with a pressure canner abound... which has resulted in a whole lot of us who are slightly petrified at the thought of using a hissing, pressurizing "bomb" to preserve food in our kitchens. And it's understandable-- if used incorrectly, pressure canners can indeed malfunction. And the ...Continue Reading
30+ Things to Do with Eggshells
To the majority of people, eggshells are simply trash. But to homesteader, eggshells are a surprisingly useful resource. You know what they say... "Waste not, want not." I personally get a big kick out of finding uses for things people normally throw away. So, I've put together a list of 9 Things You Can Do with Eggshells around your own homestead. (Holy Moly! My list started out with a measly 9 ideas, but after all of ...Continue Reading
Chokecherry Jelly Recipe
You know what I realized this past week? I. Love. Canning. No, really. Not just the "Yay, I get to pull homemade food out of the pantry in the winter" aspect, but I love the whole process-- from sterilizing the jars to that satisfying sound of lids sealing at the end. It feels so empowering to be able to preserve wholesome food for later. But that could be because I'm kind of a food nerd.... Anyway. I was recently able to ...Continue Reading