Life on the Farm
A while back I was researching topics related to home canning. At some point I found myself on a forum frequented by European home canning enthusiasts. According to one of them, the obsession of American home canners with botulism must...
Most recipes calling for eggs are geared toward large chicken eggs. But what if you have only small bantams eggs? Or extra large duck eggs, or even jumbo turkey eggs? Some recipes can be ruined by using the wrong size...
Tattler reusable canning lids continue to be the subject of controversy. Some home canners love them. Others can’t seem to make them work. So what are Tattler reusable lids? And more to the point, do they or don’t they seal?...
Ginger, along with its cousin turmeric, must be harvested before first frost. Accordingly, every fall I end up with an abundance of both. In seeking new ways to use either one, I ran across a delicious recipe that incorporates both...
The best cornmeal I ever tasted came from a fellow I met in Georgia while attending a Mule Day event some years ago. He had grown and milled the corn himself, using mules, of course. That cornmeal I brought home...
That chicken soup is magic medicine was known as far back as the 12th century, when it was extolled for its ability to relieve respiratory symptoms caused by the common cold. More recently Stephen Rennard, MD, proved that chicken soup...
Learning how to pick a ripe watermelon is an important gardening skill. Picking a fresh melon in anticipation of its juicy sweetness, only to discover the melon isn’t nearly ripe, is a disappointing and frustrating experience. Doubly so, because unlike...
One of the many reasons to keep dairy goats is to make your own yogurt. It’s not only good for you and delicious, it’s also super easy. All you need is fresh milk and a starter culture. The starter culture...
An herb that grows in the garden and can be used as a sugar substitute sounds too good to be true, so of course I had to try it. Naturally sweet stevia has now taken its place on my list...
Ginger seems like an exotic spice from a faraway place. I used it for many years before realizing how easy it is to grow ginger in your garden. My moment of epiphany occurred one year when crystallized ginger inexplicably became...
