Have you heard of steam canning? It's an ideal approach for processing fruits and acidic foods. It is an alternative to water bath canning but cannot replace a high-pressure canner. We invite you to transform your canning experience with a steam canner. I have to admit that I never ...
Embracing Simplicity: The Surprising Ease of Plant-Based Eating
It has been five years since we embarked on our plant-based journey, initially motivated by health concerns. Doubts loomed over our ability to sustain this lifestyle as described here, but today, we can confidently say that plant-based eating has brought us simplicity, delicious meals, and numerous ...
Haskap (Honeyberry) Jam
The Haskap (Honeyberry) jam opened up this year's canning season. Its tart, sweet, rich taste is very delicious. It is also simple to make since no pectin is needed. The berries are rich in natural pectin. This year for the first time we had enough berries to make jam. Usually, we enjoy the ...
Growing Food – Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi is a humble plant in the vegetable garden, but since it is so versatile and easy to grow it deserves a spot in our growing food series. It is a very reliable, fast-growing vegetable that can be enjoyed raw or cooked. If you want to grow food, grow kohlrabi. What is ...
Planting Pickling Cucumbers in a Bottomless Pot
Today we are sharing with you the simplest way to grow cucumber which has 3 significant advantages to the traditional way—planting pickling cucumber seedlings in a bottomless pot. First, let's look into the advantages of this simple method to plant. Then we will share a step-by-step how to ...
Growing and Using Sunchokes or Jerusalem Artichokes
Sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem Artichokes, have a mixed reputation among gardeners. Some claim they will always feed you, while others would never grow them in a food production garden. After growing and using Sunchokes for several years, it is time for an update. Let's take a closer look at ...
Starting Seeds in Vermiculite
Starting seeds in vermiculite is one of many great tips from the All New Square Foot Gardening book. It is a good method that can be used to start indoor seedlings grown in soil, outdoor planting, and hydroponics. Try it and let us know if you like it. There's no one-size-fits-all ...
Early spring direct garden planting
Early spring direct garden planting is a subject that comes up regularly among gardeners. How early can seeds be directly sown in the garden? Let's look into this from a theoretical but even more so from a practical point of view. First, let me begin by saying that we are discussing early spring ...
Making and planting seed bombs
The practice of making and planting seed bombs is not new. Native Americans had mud around corn seeds to protect them from birds. Masanobu Fukuoka, a Japanese farmer, and philosopher incorporated seed bombs into the world of sustainable agriculture. He called it ‘natural farming’. With seed bombs, ...
Growing Figs in Cold Climate
Figs are a sweet treat that is usually grown in a warm climate. As cold climate gardeners, figs usually do not even cross our minds until someone shares on social media something about their figs. Growing figs in a cold climate is possible. We get asked a lot about how we grow figs, so here we share ...