Every year, around this time, I am elbow deep in some kind of fruit. Some would come from my garden, and some would come from the forest near to our place, but from the beginning of May till let’s say end of October I am probably preparing some kind of things with some kind of fruit….
Freezer Preserving Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
It seems weird, I know, but I never got around to canning. I have, however, fallen solidly and madly in love with freezer preservation. In fact, freezer preserving oven-roasted cherry tomatoes is hands-down my favourite perk of gardening, and much of the reason why I continue doing it. Ever since I started up my planter…
15 Edible (and Delicious!) Rose Petal Recipes
Strawberry Cocoa Riesling Freezer Jam
Last year I pansied out on canning jam because I was intimidated by the idea of food poisoning. This year, I’m just flipping it off entirely. Canning for shelf-stability is a pretty precise science where well-tested recipes that doesn’t invite a great deal of playing around. It’s limiting, and boring, and many recipes taste pretty…
The Science of Whipped Cream and Butter
Have you ever wondered about how cream turns into butter, or why whipped cream and butter are different? I was thinking about post ideas, when someone said “have you done butter yet?” No, I haven’t done butter. Butter is gradeschool Homesteading 101, and everybody’s got a post on how to make butter. “Yes,” says my friend….
Vegetable stock
Make Your Own Tahini
Tahini, a paste made from roasted sesame seeds, is one of those unusual foods that has gotten slapped with the labels “ethnic” and “vegan.” That’s no reason to give it the cold shoulder. The odds are that you probably have had tahini pass your lips, though, especially if you’ve ever enjoyed a hummus dip. I…
Apple Molasses
I love historical minutiae as much as I love science. It could be a related phenomena… there is just so much to KNOW (also, keeps me thinking, helps me try to recover from baby brain…). For instance: carrots giving you better eyesight? TOTAL URBAN LEGEND. That’s right. If you grew up thinking carrots helped you…
Homemade Pectin
My friend Jennifer at Homegrown.org recently asked me to write up a 101 on making homemade pectin instead of using store-bought powdered stuff with dubious GMO ingredients. I happily complied, since I’ve got the hots for scientific research of the food variety. 🙂 You can find the entire 101 article at http://www.homegrown.org/forum/topics/making-pectin-101