March starts teasing us with warm sunny days and our thoughts turn to gardening.  There is something nostalgic about and orchard.  Given that nothing compares to eating tree ripened fruit from your orchard, it's no wonder orchards are one of the first things people tend to focus on establishing.  Fruit trees require time to mature and fruit. They  also require pruning, thinking, and spraying.  Because they are such and investment of time and money be sure you put in the time to plan and research varieties before planting.  Choose your site caref ..read more

A weed, cereal grain, leafy vegetable, and an ornamental describe the species of the family amaranthaceae. Most gardeners are probably already growing the weed species, much to their dismay, which is commonly called pigweed.  If you have trou ble with this summer annual weed then maybe you should look at growing a species with a purpose.  Amaranth is cultivated for a leafy veggie or for seed used as a grain cereal.  Unfamiliar with amaranth?  At first glance it looks like bird seed but prepared right it is delicious and nutritious ..read more

Be prepared for the upcoming canning season! Not only do you need equipment but you also need spices and other items that may not be available if you wait too long.  During COVID canning lids and jars were very hard to come by and items like dill weed and vinegar often sell out when everyone's cucumbers are ripening. So now is the time to stock up on items so all you have to do is harvest and can without lots of trips to the grocery store. Canning Specific ingredients or items:  Liquid Pectin Powdered Pectin Low Sugar Pectin Pickle Crisp Pickling Salt Fruit Fresh or Citric Aci ..read more

  When choosing seeds what you DON'T want to do is walk into a nursery and pick up any variety or the cheapest seed packet.  All seed companies are not the same!  You need to put a little thought and planning into your seed selection in order to have success.   Some of the things to look for in a seed company are:  Genetic integrity (the seed is true to type) Good germination rates Companies that provide detailed descriptions about varieties Companies that sign the Safe Seed Pledge which means no GMO seeds Price of seeds and shipping Number of seeds per pa ..read more

As the holiday season approaches finding that perfect gift for those you love can be challenging.  To me the perfect gift is first, affordable and within your budget limits.  It can be easy to get caught up in the seasons festivities and over spend. Second, the gift shows you know them personally and put some thought and love into the gift.  A gift from the heart is always appreciated and cherished.  Gardeners and homesteaders are always fun to shop for if you are into those hobbies and lifestyle choices and challenging if you are not.  So here are some ideas f ..read more

It's that time of year!  With Thanksgiving and Christmas, it means that you can probably find fresh cranberries at your market or grocery store.  What better time to can some fun holiday recipes using cranberries.   The first recipe I want to share is a conserve.  What is a conserve?  Jams, preserves, and conserves are all fruits preserved with sugar.  Basically, all conserves are jams, but not all jams are conserves.  A true conserve usually contains fruit mixed together with sugar, nuts, and dried fruits.  Nuts and dried fruits are not apart o ..read more

  White peaches are amazing eaten fresh but what do you do to preserve the abundance of peaches you harvest?  Canning is not an option. The pH of white peaches is 4.6 making it a low acid food which means that canning in a water bath canner is not safe.  There are also no safe pressure canning recipes for white peaches either. (Pennsylvania State University Extension) White peaches have a pure white or slightly blushed flesh and are sweeter than yellow peaches.  They are so amazing eaten fresh, used in salads, fruit salads, and grilled. White peaches are not recommen ..read more

Who doesn't love a homemade blackberry pie?  If you grow your own berries or have access to berries at a farmer's market this is a great and easy way to process and preserve blackberries.  Pie filling can be used as a topping on a pound cake, ice cream, crepes, or waffles.  Honestly it's amazing out of the jars but you should be good and mix it with something else.   When choosing berries they need to be firm to hold up.  Vine ripe berries are dull and very soft.  Those are perfect for eating fresh or jams but the shiny firm berries with f ..read more

  Summer sunshine in a jar would be a great way to describe this delicious citrusy jam.  The apricots and pineapple compliment each other perfectly.  You won't be disappointed.  All the canning recipes I share are from tested sources so you can be confident they will store safely.  This recipe is from MCP which makes pectin. Apricot Pineapple Jam 3 cups prepared fruit pitted and finely chopped.  You will need about 2 lbs of ripe apricots 1 20oz can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained 1/2 cup lemon juice 1 box pectin  1/4 tsp butter 8 cups of sugar m ..read more

  Most internet info suggests that pruning off suckers on tomatoes is a good practice, but if often doesn't explain when and why to prune.  Pruning tomatoes is not always a good idea or needed.  Wheteher to prune or not depends on the type of tomato and your goals.   Indeterminate tomatoes are the only tomatoes you would consider pruning. Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow vines and fruit until the first frost.  Understanding the structure of a tomato plant will help you understand what and when to prune. In this photo you can see the main stem w ..read more