Of all the different means we have at our disposal to preserve meats, the most common is freezing. In our modern society, we either cook our meat fresh or put it in the freezer until we are ready to ...
Read More »dehydrating
Stockpiling 101: Which Foods REALLY Have The Longest Shelf Life?
Any thoughts about stockpiling foods in the event of a catastrophic emergency are dominated by two simple words: Shelf life. Some foods lose their nutritional value over time; others can become rancid or even dangerous if microbial or fungal growth ...
Read More »5 Edible, Wild Mushrooms Anyone Can Find (With A Little Help)
I have been gathering wild fruits, vegetables and other wild, edible plants for more than 40 years. Every walk I take into a field or forest presents me with new combinations and possibilities for something that can be consumed as ...
Read More »Hate Canning? Try These 4 Simpler Food Preservation Methods
Canning is practiced by grandmothers and mothers all over America. The sterilization of high heat and pressurization has made it the safe and preferred preservation of Americans for generations, but some people aren’t interested in spending hours over a stove ...
Read More »How To Guarantee Your Dried Foods Never Get Bugs
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been canning and preserving food from your garden for years … decades even. I remember helping my great-grandmothers shell peas and stem green beans way back when I was 3 or 4 years old. ...
Read More »9 Foods You Didn’t Know You Could Dehydrate
Many homesteaders and off-gridders dehydrate food but limit themselves to the “basics.” I am among that group, and thought I knew what could and what could not be dehydrated. Boy, was I wrong! We all know the usual stuff that ...
Read More »The Best Way To Freeze Your Vegetables (Even Your Lettuce)
As a gardener, chances are you’re always looking for ways to preserve the season’s harvest so that you can enjoy it throughout the winter months. Even if you don’t garden, you can still benefit from various preservation methods by purchasing ...
Read More »How To Grow A Garden In A Drought
Gardening in drought-prone areas is always a challenge, for one obvious reason: Plants, like people, can’t survive without water. But the good news is we can manage to grow a productive dry weather garden with a bit of planning and ...
Read More »5 Self-Reliant Skills Every Child Should Learn This Summer
In our modern world, parenting is too often done in between rigidly scheduled activities and when children can be pried away from smart phones, laptops and video games. In the midst of all of that, how do you raise a ...
Read More »7 Ways To Get Rid Of Fleas … Naturally
When we adopted two shelter kitties, we checked them carefully for fleas. Unfortunately, their long fur must have hidden the signs. Within a few days at home, both kittens were visibly scratching, and I was worried. I knew from a ...
Read More »