Seeds need heat and water to start the growing cycle This year in December, I finally got around to harvesting the seeds from my Fall pumpkins. When I opened them up, there were seeds sprouted inside. I had forgotten how amazing gourds are. They were saved in root cellars and sustained people all winter long. As long as the skin is not compromised, they will… Read More »Sprouted Pumpkins
This Season’s Favorite! Delicata squash is without a doubt this year’s favorite grow. I got a starter at a swap early this spring and put it in a pot in the vegetable garden. We got several fast-growing squash and ate them all so quickly, that I have been storing up on them at our local farm stand. You can preserve them by putting them in… Read More »Delicata Squash
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
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
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
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
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
Homesteading is not for sissy’s. The naysayers will be many. Don’t listen, don’t get discouraged. Follow your own heart and do what it takes to make your dreams come true. I have had so many failures in all my new adventures. But I don’t really think of them as failures. Simply a try. Try and Try Again! and again, until you succeed. Seeds are a… Read More »Your gonna do WHAT?!
I try hard to maintain a waste free kitchen. I save all scraps from veggies. You can use the butts of celery, carrots, potatoes, beets, onions and garlic, ( as well as the skins) broccoil, squash anything really. I have a tub in the freezer that I use to store until I get enough to make a stock. I cut the pieces so they will… Read More »Making veggie stock from kitchen scraps
We have a cherry tree here on Butterfly Hill. It was gangly and had not been pruned in many years. So there were not many cherries at all. This year I decided to try and save some of the cherries for us. The birds get most of them. Flash tape was put on the lower branches we could reach. I knew that I would not… Read More »The 1st Cherry Harvest