Blog
Wild Blackberry Jam
Does anything say summer more than Wild Blackberries? I don’t think so. We are lucky to have many wild vines here on The Butterfly Hill. This is the reciepe that I have used the most, after much trial and error. It’s very simple and easy to do with what ever amount of fresh summer fruit you have. It only has two ingredients, yea it takes… Read More »Wild Blackberry Jam
Soil
There are 6 basic types of soil. Sand, Clay, Slit, Peat, Chalk, and Loam. Sandy is fine and has great drainage. It tends to be acidic and doesn’t have many nutrients. If you have sandy soil adding peat, mulch and manure will add needed nutrients, and keep them from running off. Clay is dense and drys out in the summer. In the winter it holds… Read More »Soil
Seed Preservation
As your favorite flowers and vegetables bloom, don’t forget to harvest some of those seeds! I put several jars on the table in the garden and as the flowers wilt, the seeds are collected. (Don’t forget to label the jars so you know whats, what!) The easiest way to collect those seeds is to DeadHead the flowers. You simply cut off the flowers when they… Read More »Seed Preservation
All about Fall
Join me on October 3rd at 10 am for a live event on Fall! We will go over the fall plant, seed collection, and harvest preservation. facebook.com/thebutterflyhill or learn more at The Butterfly Hill.com Learn more about our community
Preserving the harvest
So we’ve grown all this food, how do we preserve it? What do you do with all the zucchini, or tomatoes? I have found that you can only make so much zucchini bread, so what to do with all of the rest? I prefer canning over freezing. I find that my stores last longer when can. I resisted canning for the longest time. I remember… Read More »Preserving the harvest
Canning
I prefer canning over freezing for preserving food. I find that the veggies taste better and last longer. Not to mention, you know exactly what’s in the jar! First, get a giant pot of water on the stove to boil. Then wash all the jars and lids and rings. I wash more than I need, nothing is worse than having everything ready to go and… Read More »Canning
Making Umeboshi
Umeboshi are Japanese salted plums. We have three plum trees here on The butterfly Hill that had not been pruned in many years. Since I was learning what we have here on The Butterfly Hill first, I wanted to know how to take care of the trees and cure its fruit. After much research, it was decided, the trees needed to severely cut back to… Read More »Making Umeboshi
California Hazel Nut
This journey has been magical from the start. It started as a Butterfly project and has evolved into Permaculture Homesteading. One of the very first steps is learning what surrounds you. If you are lucky enough to have California Hazel Nut shrubs, go buy a lotto ticket! Also known as the Western Beaked Hazel, Western Hazel, Beaked Hazel. Latin name Corylus Cornuta variety Californica. They… Read More »California Hazel Nut
