Our Favorite Fermented Dill Pickle Recipe (The Perfect Crunchy Pickle)
Some years, the garden just decides to give you a gift. This year, for us, that gift was cucumbers. And more cucumbers. Thanks to a perfect PNW summer, our Boston Pickling and White Wonder vines were incredibly productive, and every day brought a new harvest. When you’re swimming in cucumbers, there’s only one thing to do: make lots and lots of pickles! Our preferred method is lacto-fermentation. It’s a simple, ancient technique that creates a […]
A Must-Use Resource for Pacific Northwest Gardeners
As gardeners in the Pacific Northwest (specifically Zone 8b), we know that our growing conditions can be unique. Finding advice tailored to our cool summers and mild, wet winters is key to a successful harvest. That’s why I always recommend the Edible Gardens Workshop Series from the Pierce County Conservation District. If you live in the area and haven’t checked this program out, you are truly missing out on a wealth of local gardening knowledge. […]
Embracing the Slow Season: Winding Down the PNW Homestead
Here in the Pacific Northwest, the shift from summer to fall can feel incredibly abrupt. One moment we’re harvesting daily, and the next, the familiar wet and windy weather has returned, and the trees are rushing to shed their colorful leaves. It’s a clear signal that the busy season of growing, harvesting, and canning is over. While it can feel a bit sad to say goodbye to the garden, this is a vital and […]
Canning Lids 101: A Guide to Finding and Safely Using Your Supplies
If you’re a home canner, you know the feeling. The garden is overflowing, your countertops are piled high with beautiful produce, and you go to the store only to find the canning aisle completely wiped out. The struggle to find jars and—especially—lids is real, and it can be incredibly frustrating. During past shortages, we all had to get creative, freezing more produce and exploring alternatives. That experience taught me a lot about the importance of […]
Deliciousness in Fruit Form
This week I was able to get 20 pounds each of Elephant Heart Plums and Freestone Peaches. This has made for a busy weekend of processing and canning. We processed and froze the peaches for future use. Then we processed the plums for plum jam. We have discovered that plums have a lot of natural pectic so we decided not to add any and to add very little sugar and cook it down until it […]
Our Favorite Bread and Butter Pickles (Sweet, Tangy, and Crunchy)
When you have a garden that gifts you with a mountain of cucumbers, you learn to get creative! While we love our classic fermented dill pickles, this year we decided to dive into the world of sweet and tangy bread and butter pickles. We started with a fantastic base recipe from Chef John at FoodWishes.com and, after a few tweaks to get the sweetness just right for our taste, we landed on this incredible recipe. […]
No-Waste Recipe: How to Make Kimchi from Beet Greens
A large glass jar filled with vibrant, red beet green kimchi, fermenting on a kitchen counter.
Beauty in the Garden
A little break from the busy gardening season to enjoy this beauty that bloomed today. Never thought I could grow things I have only seen in floral arrangements. It makes it all worth it to have beautiful things to look at and delicious things to eat.
A Wise Man Once Said…
“We can’t solve all the world’s problems, but we can solve some” – Joel Salatin http://www.polyfacefarms.com/ Check out his appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience.
Hello Beautiful!
Look what I found in the garden today. These are so pretty I have to classify them as flowers AND vegetables. These are the Spring Blush Tendril Peas from Baker Creek. http://www.rareseeds.com Can’t wait to see if the pea is a different color, stay tuned for an update on that once they arrive.