Picking Cherries

Picking Cherries in Oregon

We had the opportunity to participate in our church’s Pacific Northwest mission trip a few weeks ago. Rather than flying to Washington, we decided to embark on a family trip and drive to Washington and back again. Talk about an adventure! Aside from two people trying to get into our hotel room on two separate…

jams and jellies

J is for Jams and Jellies

Who doesn’t like a sweet jam or jelly on a hot buttered, homemade biscuit (check out the recipe)? Seriously. It’s that extra goodness that makes a biscuit that much better. Of course, you could go out and buy some jelly, but why not make it at home? It’s easy, affordable and tastes even better using fresh…

canning lemon marmalade

Canning Lemon Marmalade

I’ve had the privilege of helping my former employer this past week…not with anything work-related but with canning! The past two weeks have been spent canning lemon marmalade using lemons from her Meyer’s Lemon tree. I’ve been canning since 2007 and doing what we can from a homestead, self-sufficient perspective for many years. While working…

venison stock

Venison Stock

One of the ways we utilize our harvested venison is to make venison stock from the bones. Once I’ve de-boned the rear leg quarters, I’ll get the venison stock going. It’s a great way to use the bones, especially when we have roasts or other cuts that we’ll use for soup or stews…or even gravy. And, I…

hot pepper butter

Hot Pepper Butter

I LOVE this hot pepper butter recipe. While the recipe says butter, this is more like a hot mustard…and very sweet. It’s a fabulous way to use excess peppers from the garden. Plus, you can adjust the peppers to make it hotter or milder, based on your family’s preference. The key is to simply keep…

strawberry jam

Strawberry Jam

If you want to make strawberry jam, this is the simplest way and requires very few ingredients. 2 pounds fresh strawberries, washed and stemmed 4 cups sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice In a bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berry. If you prefer a smoother jam, you can dice/puree…

bread in a jar

Gingerbread “Bread in a Jar”

I heard about this years ago but did not give it much credence.  To be honest, I wasn’t sure if the jars would seal properly or if they would truly be safe to eat.  Well … I have been corrected in my thinking.  Yesterday I was meeting with my team from the Seeds of Faith…

canning venison stew

Canning Venison Stew

Canning venison stew is a great way to preserve your harvest and provide meals for your family later…without taking up room in the freezer. 4-5 pounds venison 1 tablespoon oil 3 quarts cubed & peeled potatoes 2 quarts sliced carrots 3 cups chopped celery 3 cups chopped onions 1½ tablespoons salt 1 teaspoon thyme ½…

pomegranate apple jelly

Pomegranate Apple Jelly

Pomegranate Apple Jelly is a delicious jelly…plus it’s very easy to make. Don’t double the recipe because it won’t set correctly, so you’ll need to make multiple batches if you have a lot of juice. 2 cups pomegranate juice 1 ½ cups apple juice 5 cups sugar 1 box pectin Combine the pectin and juices…

Canning Mustang Grape Jelly

One of our summer “to do’s” each year is to pick mustang grapes and turn them into jelly. We ran out of Mustang Grape Jelly a year or two ago and we couldn’t find any wild grapes in our usual spot. So, this year we completely ran out of our homemade jelly/jam (all the strawberry,…