The wind is blowing mach 9 and the snow drifts have formed mini-mountains on my deck... Welcome to winter in Wyoming. People ask how we survive our brutal winters here, and honestly, I've just learned how to be content with lots of indoor projects over the years. I used to fight the long, dark winter nights, but now I sink into them. We read, we play games, we create, and we bake. And this simple, old-fashioned ...Continue Reading
How to Can Tomato Sauce (My Favorite All-Purpose Version)
I've shied away from posting a canned tomato sauce recipe forever. Not because it's hard... Not because I don't make tomato sauce... Not because I don't have tomatoes... Mostly just because I've just been too lazy to write down my ingredients any time I make a batch. So there you have it. Now that's off my chest, I feel better. Anyway. Of all the things I can (like peaches with honey and cinnamon, canned apple ...Continue Reading
How to Can with a Water Bath Canner
I got my first water bath canner at a garage sale for $1. You would have thought I'd won the lottery. I left that garage sale feeling giddy... I kept wanting to look back over my shoulder because I was certain they'd realize I'd just made off with the deal of the century. I was a newbie homesteader back then, but I was on the cusp of adding canning to my homestead skill repertoire and knew that it was going to be something that ...Continue Reading
Easy Homemade Dill Relish Recipe
I did it again. I PROMISED myself I wouldn't let my pickling cucumbers turn into monsters this year. And then I did. In my defense, I was checking the plants regularly... one day the cucumbers were the size of my pinky finger, and the next day, they suddenly resembled a baseball bat. How does that even happen? Regardless, foot-long pickling cucumbers aren't super desirable for making homemade pickles... mostly because they ...Continue Reading
Honey Currant Jam Recipe
Homegrown fruit and I do not have a good relationship. The apple trees I planted? Dead within 10 months. The blueberry plant? It didn't stand a chance. The raspberry patch? I get about a cup per summer if I'm lucky. The strawberries? Maybe a bowlful on a good year. It's not entirely my fault... Wyoming's growing season isn't exactly conducive to fruit orchards. I gave up for a while, until I started doing a ...Continue Reading
