When I was a child, I remember my gramma drying herbs like parsley and dill. She always combined them once they were dried, placed them in a jar and then stored it in the cupboard. She used it to season soups, stews, roast beef and anything else she cooked. I always loved the way gramma’s…
Category: A Day in the Life of a City Pioneer
Homemade Dill Pickles
The pioneers worked hard in their gardens all summer long and preserved what they could for the harsh winter months ahead by storing vegetables in the root cellar, drying, salting or by canning. Canning was first invented in 1809 as a way to preserve food for the French army. Canning is a method of preserving…
The Garden Grows
I love gardening in the summer evenings. Picking weeds, admiring the colors of the sunset, listening to the birds chirping, feeling the cool breeze brush by, picking herbs or vegetables, watering all the plants and flowers… it is all enjoyable and I am grateful I can get outside, be in nature and enjoy a beautiful…
Gramma’s Home Canned Fruit
My gramma made canned fruit every summer to enjoy throughout the cold snowy winter months when fresh fruit was not as readily available from the garden and the grocery store was much too far to get to often. I have always loved the taste of homemade canned fruit and I enjoy making it, reminiscent of…
Making Homemade Butter
Making homemade butter is simple. It just requires a churn or mason jar, whole fat whipping cream (we use the highest fat content we can purchase which is 35% or 36%), salt and cold water. We can make homemade butter fairly quickly, depending upon the amount we are making. Butter has to go through different…
Making Sourdough Starter
Making a sourdough starter is simple. It only takes a few ingredients that most of us have in our pantry and then it takes 5-days worth of patience! But why make sourdough? Sourdough is much gentler on the digestive tract because the microbes in sourdough have begun to digest the proteins and sugars in the…
Our Visit to Hope Valley
“Where was that photo taken?” is a question I get asked often. “Oh, at Hope Valley from the TV show When Calls the Heart,” I reply.The usual response is, “Where’s that? It looks neat!” or “Oh I have never heard of it, is it a real town?”Grab a coffee, and have a seat. I will…
Pulled Molasses Taffy
Looking for a fun family activity that will yield a delicious bowl of taffy? Why not try out our Pulled Molasses Taffy…perfect to make on any chilly wintery day!
