Canning

It must have been about 10 years or so ago. I was still living in Michigan (go Blue!), the state that I grew up in, and visiting a local apple orchard. This orchard wasn’t just any orchard as it had quite an elaborate gift shop and bakery attached to it. You could get anything from … Read more

It’s time to make some delicious apple butter! If you’re lucky, you’ll be picking a few bushels right on your homestead; however, even if you don’t have your own apple trees (yet!), fresh apples are abundant at farmers markets and pick-your-own orchards this time of year. So how can you take advantage of a good … Read more

Are you ready to make some blueberry jam? If you’re a homesteader, finding a way to preserve delicious easy-to-grow fruits like blueberries should be a top goal this year. Making jam is easy, inexpensive, and can help you get the most for your dollar; and if you grow your own blueberries, you can make this … Read more

Garlic is a superstar in your garden, and pickled garlic is one of the best ways to enjoy this tasty vegetable. More and more people are growing garlic on their homesteads. It’s also easy to get your hands on garlic, even in bulk, at nearly any grocery store. However, most people use garlic solely to … Read more

Canning is a great way to preserve the foods you harvest, forage, hunt, or buy. Once you learn how to can, you will be able to keep your pantry stocked all year long. If you sell foods at a farmers’ market or run a community supported agriculture (CSA) program, foods like canned jams and pickles … Read more

It is not always necessary to sterilize jars if you plan to process your recipe for more than 10 minutes for elevations of less than 1000 ft. If you live above the 1000ft elevation, you’ll need to add an extra minute to the process time, for each additional 1000ft of elevation. It is also not … Read more

Cranberry walnut conserve is easy to make at home and preserve for use over the next year. It is also impossible to find in stores. And as a homesteader, you’re all about making as many things by hand that you can and improving the life experiences your family and you have, right? Well, let’s look … Read more

If you’re a homesteader and preserve foods, sooner or later you’re going to make pickles. When starting out with preserving foods, pickled cucumbers are often one of the first vegetables that people decide to can. Cucumbers are easy to grow en masse, and are inexpensive to purchase at grocery stores and farmers markets. And crunchy … Read more

If you’re a homesteader looking to fill up your pantry with preserved foods, dilled carrots are one of your best bets! These pickles taste delicious. Carrots are also plentiful all year round at the grocery store, and are inexpensive as well. Jars of bright orange dilled carrots will help add variety to your canned goods … Read more

These “pickled” figs are canned in a sweet brine of sugar, cinnamon and cloves. They’re better than candy. If you have access to fresh figs, you have got to try this recipe!

Eleven good reasons why you need to start canning NOW. PLUS, a $5 off coupon code for the DVD: At Home Canning For Beginners and Beyond. Don’t let fear hold you back from learning this valuable skill.