Long before pressure canners or water-bath-canners existed, people preserved food by drying it. In fact, anthropologists have found dried corn and squash dating more than 6,000 years ago in ancient caves and dwellings. Home-canned foods do have a certain charm. ...
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5 Things To Do With “Extra” Tomatoes
A bountiful harvest is a good thing… right up until you have too much of a good thing going on. Strong tomato plants will deliver just that – all the juicy, succulent tomatoes you can handle, plus all you can ...
Read More »A Healthy Garden Is A Rotated Garden: Crop Rotation And Record Keeping
Old-timers in the garden will tell you that the best way to maintain healthy soil in your garden is to rotate your crops from one bed to another from year to year. Farmers from generations past knew that this practice ...
Read More »Space-Saving Gardens
Gardening is one of the most satisfying activities you can find. Whether you garden as a hobby or a way of life, the process and the results are both immensely satisfying. Fresh air and exercise are guaranteed, while either beautiful ...
Read More »Shade Gardening
You probably have one of these frustrating spots in your garden, your yard, or on your property: it’s very shady and nothing will grow it seems—at least nothing except dirt and moss. Gardening in the shade can be tricky, depending ...
Read More »The Dos And Don’ts Of Compost
Composting can be a great way to add inexpensive fertilizer and nutrient-rich soil to your garden, as well as an eco-friendly way to reduce the amount of waste that you produce. Composting is also very easy, although it takes a ...
Read More »Why It’s The Perfect Time To Try A Local And Organic Diet
Health seems to be on a general decrease in North America. Each year we’re swarmed by statistics of the high obesity rates, increasing incidents of high cholesterol, and poor cardiovascular health. But what on earth is going wrong? As the ...
Read More »How To Make Homemade Grape Juice
My mother introduced me to most of the fruits and vegetables I grow on my property today—with the exception of grapes. Why she never grew them, I don’t know. Perhaps someone had convinced her they were a high-maintenance, troublesome crop. ...
Read More »Growing The Next Generation of Gardeners
Interest in gardening doesn’t just happen. Children gain interest in gardening by being out in the garden with their parents, grandparents, and/or older siblings, following them around, asking questions, and being allowed to get their hands dirty. I gained my ...
Read More »Mastering The Fine Art Of Foraging
When I was a child, late summer and fall meant two things: harvesting and canning the food in our family’s garden and scouring the hills around our country home for other good things to eat. In particular, we were fond ...
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