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The Perfect Celebration of Fall FlavorsIf you’re craving refined sugar-free sweet treats, this honey ice cream is for you! It’s a great way to use that honey harvest, is perfect for hot days, and is absolutely delicious served over homemade apple pie! Even people who say they don’t like honey will enjoy this recipe. You’ll want to make this fabulous dessert anytime you’re craving homemade fresh ice cream!Why Use Honey in Ice Cream?Lots of people want to eat less refined sugar. Did you know the a …

Did you have a bumper apple harvest this year or do you enjoy vising apple orchards each fall with your family? If so, I highly recommend making a batch of Apple Jelly out of part of your bounty! This sweet, fresh apple jelly recipe is a great way to preserve some of your apple harvest to enjoy in the dead of winter.If you’re trying to be more self-sufficient, making homemade jams and jellies is a great place to start. Each year I make a goal to make, grow, can, or produce enough of at least one …

Did you know that some dehydrated foods can last up to 25 years when stored properly? While that is true, I personally try to eat my dehydrated foods within about five years for maximum nutrition, texture, and taste.There are a few ways you can store dehydrated foods to extend the shelf life. The first is by using a mason jar, canning lid, and a canning jar sealing kit. The second is by using mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. Both are effective but based on how you use your dehydrated food you m …

Create Herbal Tea BlendsWhen cool weather sets in, all of the comfort food recipes come out, but one area of kitchen comfort you may not have explored is blending your own herbal teas! Growing and gathering flavorful and aromatic plants for tea can be a year round hobby, but you can just as easily create your tea blends with ingredients purchased in bulk, peppering in your own farmed or foraged additions. Even a small amount of garden space can yield a significant amount of tea makings – a patch …

Learning to make things from scratch is one of the main goals of anyone who desires to live a homesteading lifestyle. Even if you don’t have a homestead of your own yet, learning to make things from home with whole, real ingredients can be a skill you practice! Long before you buy the farm! Begin with something simple! Like applesauce!!!What you will need: Food MillRipe ApplesStockpotUsing a stockpot, some ripe apples, and Roots & Harvest food mill and you are on your way to fresh, homemade …

I love tools that have multiple purposes. When choosing things for my kitchen, I keep that in mind! And oftentimes you can find purposes for tools beyond what they were intended or created to do!For example, I received my Butter Making Kit from Roots & Harvest and I used the butter churn to crank out some lovely homemade butter and used my butter paddles to press the excess buttermilk out of my butter and as I looked at the ridges on the butter paddles, my mind went in a totally different di …

If you’re wondering how to flavor homemade kombucha, you’ll love these ideas for using frozen fruit, fresh ingredients, or even essential oils to add a fun twist to your brew.What is kombucha?Kombucha is a fermented tea packed with flavor, fizz, probiotics, and healthy enzymes. It makes a great alternative to soda or juice and is even associated with certain health benefits.Health benefits of kombuchaThe antioxidants found in kombucha may help to prevent diseases such as diabetes, and heart dis …

Sauerkraut is one of those foods that’s simple in concept, yet quite intimidating. It’s like sourdough bread – just a few ingredients and a little time transforms these traditional foods into nutrient-rich staples. Even I, an experienced home cook, have felt hesitant to ferment cabbage in my own kitchen.That’s the beauty (and brilliance) of the Kraut Kit by Farm Steady. Everything you need to make a simple batch of sauerkraut at home comes in a convenient little kit. There’s even an instructiona …

I have spent many years making grape juice. In the past, I never used any special tools or gadgets. I would squish the grapes in a pot as they heated then pour the released juices and pulp through a sieve. It took me countless hours of work to yield just a few quarts of juice.I finally decided to upgrade and try a steam juicer. One try and I wondered why I had waited so long. It took just one hour of letting the juicer do the work for me and it was ready! I’m excited to share with you just how e …

I often wonder what my great-grandmother would think if she could see me now. In this fast-paced, technologically advanced world we live in, spending my days on our homestead rebelling against the status quo by slowly fermenting my sourdough starter to craft our homemade bread, churning butter by hand as I connect with my daughter through conversation, weighing out my vegetables while making memories with my son as we can, gathering eggs from our hens, and tending to our gardens and orchard. Thi …