Preserving · Recipes

Canning Dilly Beans

My favorite bush beans to grow are Provider Beans. They hold up to their name here in West Virginia, and they came through the heat dome in great shape, then got to putting on beans when the temp dropped back into the 80s. They are solid, thick beans that grow to the perfect length for… Continue reading Canning Dilly Beans

Homesteading · Preserving · Recipes · Urban Homesteading

Canned Apple Butter

Apple butter takes planning - you will need hours to cook it down, but as long as you keep an eye on it, you can get other things done at the same time. I go for a big pot of it so that I can have seven jars for the winter. I used "seconds" for… Continue reading Canned Apple Butter

Homesteading · Preserving · Recipes

Canned Sliced Dill Pickles

There is a satellite location for a local farm, just down the road from us, that runs a market in season in Shenandoah Junction, WV. I often get deals on produce considered "seconds" - maybe a bit ugly, but it preserves just fine, for a bargain. I stopped in today and they had the end-of-season… Continue reading Canned Sliced Dill Pickles

Preserving · Recipes

Strawberry Balsamic Preserves

It had been years since I had used Sure Jell pectin, and I found something disturbing. The packs no longer have the folded-up paper directions for making jam. Instead, the box tells you to go to the website for directions; that URL just takes you to a landing page on Kraft's website. I had to… Continue reading Strawberry Balsamic Preserves

Preserving · Recipes

Carrot Cake Jam

Moving is hard for cooking. A new kitchen, and it's nowhere near where it was. Even the stove is different. I spent 7 years on a propane stove, able to do nearly anything I wanted. Until we have it plumbed, this house is electric—and worse, it came with a glass top stove. If you can,… Continue reading Carrot Cake Jam