Baking and Cooking tips for the home cook. We know that the best meals are often made at home. We’re here to share the simple tips and tricks that can make a big difference in your kitchen adventures. This section is filled with easy-to-follow advice. Designed to help you save time, avoid common mistakes, and get the most out of your ingredients.
On our homestead, roasted garlic is a kitchen staple. We spread it on homemade bread, mix it into mashed potatoes, or stir it into soups and sauces for that deep, earthy flavor only slow roasting can deliver. If you’ve ever grown your own garlic or picked up a bundle from the farmers market, roasting it […]
Roasted Garlic Recipe: A Simple Homestead Staple Read Post »
Did you know you should be picking your tomatoes at first blush, not the peak of ripeness? There’s nothing like the flavor of a homegrown, vine-ripened tomato. But if you’re anything like me, you’ve lost more than a few red tomatoes to curious critters, pecking birds, or splitting skins. Once that bright red color starts
How & Why Picking Tomatoes at First Blush Is Best Read Post »
Here is a simple recipe for baking powder all home cooks should know how to make. If you’ve ever run out of baking powder mid-recipe or started wondering what’s really in that little can from the store, this recipe is for you. On our homestead, we love knowing what’s in our food and making pantry
Baking Powder 101: Homemade, Aluminum-Free, and More Read Post »
Finding the best way to store fresh mint leaves is a good idea for every home cook or gardener with large harvests. If your herb garden is overflowing with mint plants this season, you’re not alone. We’re in the same boat! While mint is a versatile herb we love tossing into iced tea, mint pesto,
Expert Tips on How to Store Fresh Mint Leaves Read Post »
Here are our Expert Cleaning Tips for Wooden Utensils Care. There’s just something special about using wooden utensils. They’re strong, long-lasting, and made from natural materials that feel great in your hands. But to enjoy your favorite wood utensils for years of great use, you need to give them proper care. If you’re a wooden
Wooden Utensils Care 101: Expert Cleaning Tips Read Post »
Wooden kitchen utensils are not only heat resistant and gentle on cookware, but they also bring aesthetic appeal to your kitchen with their natural colors, unique designs, and smooth texture. In recent years, more people have made the switch from plastic utensils and metal spoons to natural, eco-conscious alternatives. We love using our wooden utensils.
Top Picks for Best Food-Safe Wooden Kitchen Utensils Read Post »
Did you know you can freeze rhubarb? If you’re lucky enough to have your own rhubarb plant or pick up fresh rhubarb from the farmer’s market or grocery store during late spring or early summer, freezing it is a great way to enjoy its tart flavor all year long. Freezing rhubarb preserves its bright color
Easy Way to Freeze Rhubarb for Fresh Flavor Anytime Read Post »
Tips to store green bell peppers. If you’ve ever brought home fresh produce home from the grocery store only to find them soft and wrinkled a few days later, you’re not alone. They are part of the fresh produce food group that can go bad quickly without proper storage. Luckily, a few simple tips can
How to Store Green Bell Peppers: Tips That Really Work Read Post »
Make beautiful colors with natural and easy ways to dye Easter eggs. One of my favorite parts of the Easter tradition is gathering around the kitchen table with the whole family to dye Easter eggs. While the store-bought kits are convenient, there’s something extra special (and fun!) about using natural ingredients right from your pantry,
Natural and Easy Ways to Dye Easter Eggs Read Post »
Our printable seasonal produce guide for fruits and vegetables helps you track what’s growing month by month. So you can plan your meals, pantry storage, and garden efforts around what nature is already doing. When you’re living closer to the land—whether through gardening, preserving, or supporting your local farm stand—knowing what’s in season can be
Printable Seasonal Produce Guide for Fruits and Vegetables Read Post »
Let’s talk about sourdough discard 101 and how to add it to your favorite recipes. If you’ve started your sourdough journey, you’ve probably run into the same question we all have. What do you do with all that sourdough discard? On a homestead, where nothing goes to waste, tossing it just doesn’t sit right. The
Sourdough Discard 101: Add It to Your Favorite Recipes Read Post »
Why Are My Cucumbers Bitter? There’s nothing more disappointing than harvesting what should be a crisp, refreshing cucumber—only to discover it has a bitter flavor. Bitter cucumbers are a common issue among gardeners, leaving many wondering what went wrong. Cucumbers are one of the most popular vegetables to grow in a home garden, second only
Why Are My Cucumbers Bitter? Causes and Solutions Read Post »
Learning how to clean a cast-iron skillet or cookware for that matter is crucial for maintaining its non-stick coating and preventing rust. If you have any cast-iron cookware, you know that proper care is essential for keeping it in good shape. These durable cast-iron pans require seasoning to maintain their nonstick surface and prevent rust.
How to Clean a Cast-Iron Skillet: Expert Tips Read Post »
A healthy sourdough starter smell is the foundation of delicious homemade sourdough bread. However, beginners often struggle with identifying whether their starter is thriving or failing based on its scent. My daughter and niece have both become quite good at growing their own fermented dough and coming up with lots of recipes for the discard.
Understanding Sourdough Starter Smell and Troubleshooting Read Post »
Is there such a thing as effortless cleanup for bread making? If you’ve ever baked sourdough bread, you know that sticky bread dough has a way of clinging to every surface it touches. From bits of dough stuck in your large mixing bowl to stubborn residue in your starter jar, cleaning up can feel like
Effortless Cleanup: Tips for Taming Sticky Sourdough Dough Read Post »
Find out how I peel hard boiled eggs virtually every single time. Peeling hard-boiled eggs can be tricky, especially if you’ve encountered egg whites that stick or shells that refuse to come off in larger pieces. But don’t worry. With the right cooking methods and peeling techniques, you can achieve perfect hard-boiled eggs every single
How to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs Easily Every Single Time Read Post »
Store fresh eggs safely and maintain their quality and flavor. Knowing the best practices for fresh egg storage can help extend their shelf life and ensure you’re getting the most out of every single one. Whether you have your own backyard chickens, shop at the local farmers market, or buy eggs from the grocery store,
How to Store Fresh Eggs: Keep Them Safe and Fresh Read Post »
How to get rid of fruit flies when you can’t figure out why they showed up in the first place? These little pests seem to quickly show up at the first signs of something rotting. What are they? Fruit flies, or Drosophila melanogaster, are tiny pests that seem to multiply overnight, especially around food sources
How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies: Tested Methods that Work Read Post »
Good crisp salad greens are key and knowing the best way to store lettuce and keep it fresh and crisp for weeks is a must. If you’ve ever brought home lettuce from the grocery store or harvested it fresh from your own garden, you know how fast those vibrant leaves can lose their crispness. Whether
The Best Way to Store Lettuce to Keep it Fresh for Weeks Read Post »
Render pure lard from pork fat and create a liquid gold. It’s a rewarding process that connects homesteaders to traditional cooking practices. When I was first married years ago, my mother-in-law taught me how to render lard. She just used a roasting pan to melt the fat at a very low temperature. On the farm,
Simple Steps to Render Pure Lard for Cooking and Baking Read Post »
