Each year I preserve peaches in a variety of ways, stashing some for us to enjoy and some to use as gifts. (I have yet to find someone who does not appreciate homemade peach jam.) In this post I’ll cover the easiest way to peel peaches, as well as canning, dehydrating, freezing, peach jam and […] The post 5 Ways to Preserve Peaches – Plus the Easiest Way to Peel Peaches appeared first on Common Sense Home. This Article Was Originally Posted at commonsensehome.com Read The Original Article Here The post 5 Ways to Preserve Peaches – Plus the Easiest Way to Peel Peaches appeared first on Total S ..read more

My husband came in from outside the first time I was canning spaghetti sauce, smiled and said the house smelled like an Italian restaurant – a good Italian restaurant. I had to agree. This sauce takes a while to cook, but the end result is delicious! It’s great for pasta, pizza or topping spaghetti squash. […] The post Spaghetti Sauce for Canning Made with Fresh (or Frozen) Tomatoes appeared first on Common Sense Home. This Article Was Originally Posted at commonsensehome.com Read The Original Article Here The post Spaghetti Sauce for Canning Made with Fresh (or Frozen) Tomatoes appeared firs ..read more

While annoying, blossom end rot (BER) is treatable and preventable. Caught early, your odds of a successful tomato crop are still good. In this post, I’ll talk about blossom end rot causes, prevention and control; plus several photos to help you ID the problem and common mistakes to avoid. There’s nothing worse than waiting for […] The post 7 Tips to Stop Blossom End Rot and Save the Harvest appeared first on Common Sense Home. This Article Was Originally Posted at commonsensehome.com Read The Original Article Here The post 7 Tips to Stop Blossom End Rot and Save the Harvest appeared first on ..read more

With his first spoonful, my husband pronounced this blueberry jam to be “the blueberriest blueberry something he had ever eaten”. In this post, I’ll share my easy, low sugar blueberry jam recipe, plus answers to some blueberry tips and common jam questions. Which blueberries are best for blueberry jam? Choose blueberries that are fully ripe, […] The post Blueberry Jam – Easy, Small Batch, Low Sugar and Very Blueberry appeared first on Common Sense Home. This Article Was Originally Posted at commonsensehome.com Read The Original Article Here The post Blueberry Jam – Easy, Small Batch, Low Suga ..read more

Tomatoes not ripening? Here are the four main reasons why your tomatoes aren’t turning red, and what you can do (if anything) to help ripen your tomatoes. Why do tomatoes turn red? Tomatoes turn red because of their lycopene content. What is lycopene? From Web MD (emphasis mine): Lycopene is a naturally occurring chemical that […] The post 4 Reasons Your Tomatoes Are Not Ripening + How You Can Help appeared first on Common Sense Home. This Article Was Originally Posted at commonsensehome.com Read The Original Article Here The post 4 Reasons Your Tomatoes Are Not Ripening + How You Can Help ap ..read more

Anyone with a blueberry patch knows that wildlife loves them as much as we do. In his northwest Wisconsin patch, my brother battles heavy deer pressure in addition to hungry birds looking for ripe berries. He came up with a great way to protect his blueberries and still have easy access to the plants. In […] The post Blueberry Netting Tips – Protecting Blueberries from Birds (& Deer) appeared first on Common Sense Home. This Article Was Originally Posted at commonsensehome.com Read The Original Article Here The post Blueberry Netting Tips – Protecting Blueberries from Birds (& Deer) a ..read more

Most summer gardens are in full swing by early July; the plants are growing like crazy and the harvest is finally coming in. The days are wonderful…. and hot. While summer vegetable crops do love heat, there is only so much they can take. Understanding how heat affects you and your crops will make gardening […] The post Summer Gardens – Dealing with High Temps in the Garden appeared first on Common Sense Home. This Article Was Originally Posted at commonsensehome.com Read The Original Article Here The post Summer Gardens – Dealing with High Temps in the Garden appeared first on Total Survival ..read more

I’m sharing my story here so you don’t make the same mistake I did, and end up with Phytophotodermatitis (PPD). Phytophotodermatitis is also known as plant and sun dermatitis, parsnip burn, and sometimes lime disease (not to be confused with Lyme disease) or margarita photodermatitis. You get it from exposure to plant sap or juice and sunlight, […] The post Phytophotodermatitis – Plants That Cause It, How to Treat It appeared first on Common Sense Home. This Article Was Originally Posted at commonsensehome.com Read The Original Article Here The post Phytophotodermatitis – Plants That Cause It ..read more

What can you do to help the bees? We'll share how to help save the bees and create a bee friendly yard for honey bees, bumble bees and native bees without spending a ton of money. Whether it's honey bees, bumblebees, mason bees or other native bees, we need our bees. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) […] The post 5 Tips for a Bee Friendly Yard – Help Save the Bees appeared first on Common Sense Home. This Article Was Originally Posted at commonsensehome.com Read The Original Article Here The post 5 Tips for a Bee Friendly Yard – Help Save the Bees appeared first on Total Survival ..read more

Mosquitoes can ruin time outside and transmit disease. In this post, we’ll discuss what attracts mosquitoes, natural mosquito repellents (including mosquito spray recipes), plants that repel mosquitoes, mosquito control tips for your yard, and ways to avoid getting bit. Why bother with mosquito control? What’s the most dangerous creature on earth? Without question the answer […] The post Natural Mosquito Repellents That Work (Plus Plants That Repel Mosquitoes) appeared first on Common Sense Home. This Article Was Originally Posted at commonsensehome.com Read The Original Article Here The post ..read more