Canning and Preserving
Tips, tricks, and recipes on how to can and preserve your harvest.
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How to Render Pork Fat for Lard- Ninja Foodi Version
Lard is an important fat in many homesteaders kitchens. From biscuits to moisturizer, animal fats have long been used in a variety of ways on the homestead. Today I am going to show you how to render pork fat for lard in the Ninja Foodi. You can substitute the Foodi for any slow cooker or heavy bottomed pot and it will do just fine. One of my goals this year is to reduce the amount of items I have to purchase from the grocery store. I have stopped purchasing self rising flour, vanilla, brown sugar and now I am no longer purchasing cooking fats! Why? Because the sum of the…
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How to Make Vanilla Extract at Home
The cost of everything seems to keep going up and up and up now a days which means we have to learn how to be frugal with the items we purchase from the grocery store and ensure we are getting the most bang for our buck. Today at the grocery store vanilla extract costs about $9 for a 2 oz bottle. That seems excessive to me, so instead of purchasing the bottle from the store, we are going to learn how to make vanilla extract at home for less than $2.50 an ounce! What is Vanilla Extract? Vanilla extract is simply a mixture of alcohol and vanilla beans that is…
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How to Can Apple Pie Filling
Grandma’s apple pies and fried apples are always the best, and she has a secret to making both of these dishes quick and easy! Today we are learning how to can apple pie filling ya’ll! Shew! What a few months this has been. Holy moly! We are finally living in the farmhouse after two whole years of renovations, blood, sweat, tears, pandemic and everything else you could think of in between. This started out as a project that I thought would only take 8 months and boy was I wrong! With that being said, make sure to check in on our Instagram to keep up with all the decorating that…
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How to Can Peaches Step By Step
Summertime is peach time here in Virginia. We love to buy local peaches from Mrs. Bonnie down the road and spend the next few days creating delicious recipes. One of our favorite things to do is can peaches. Canning peaches is an easy way to enjoy a taste of summertime all year round. Peaches also do well in the freezer! Freezer peaches make great cobblers and pies, while canned peaches are great for snacking anytime! Gathering what you need to can peaches As with any canning adventure it is best to gather all the necessary items prior to starting. There is nothing more stressful than trying to find something when…
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How to Clean and Store Sour Cherries
Sour Cherries are an early summertime treat at the farm. Not only do the birds love them, but so do the kids. Tangy, tart, and a little sweet, these little red jewels are a favorite that can be a little trick to process. Learn our tricks on how to clean and store your sour cherries. On the Farm One of the deciding factors for me when we purchased the farm was the 200 plus year old cherry tree that graces the hill. This monstrosity of a beauty is the quintessential tree that all farms should have. It is big and casts wonderful shade making it a perfect reading spot. Its…
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Easy Strawberry Jam without Pectin Recipe
Strawberries scream summer decked out in their bright ruby red flesh and bright green hats. Picked straight from the vine is always a special summertime treat. This simple recipe for strawberry jam without pectin brings back the taste of summer no matter what time of year it is. A few weeks back my husband and I purchased two flats of strawberries to support our local cheerleading team. Our kids love strawberries and we couldn’t pass up the chance to help out. We were all so excited when we got the call that they were in. Knowing that although my kids can crush a two pound container of strawberries in just…
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How to Freeze Carrots
Freezing carrots is one of the best ways to preserve the carrots natural flavor, color, and nutrients. We will show you how easy it is to freeze carrots for future use in those weeknight meals! Carrots are one of those veggies that seem to multiple in my fridge. I am not really sure how it happens, but it happens, but it inevitable does. When this happens, there is only one thing to do, freeze carrots. Why Freeze Carrots Freezing carrots is an easy way to preserve this sweet root veggie. It takes only a few minutes and minimal equipment to save carrots for future use. I love to can, but…
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15 Awesome Gifts Your Gardener Will Love (2021)
We all have a gardener in our life. Whether they grow a potted plant in their apartment, a box garden on their porch, or a full fledge garden in their homestead’s back yard, we have the gifts your gardener will love! The holidays are fast approaching and we know how stressful it can be to buy the perfect gift for everyone on your Christmas list. Never fear! Today we will be breaking down our favorite gardening items that are great for gifting to the gardener in your life. Gardening Books Your Gardener Will Love Books are a great way to amp up the confidence of new gardeners or used as…
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How to Use Herbal Remedies on the Homestead (an Interview)
With cold and flu season upon us, what better way to prepare the homestead for winter than with Herbal remedies. These remedies are what our ancestors used before modern medicine came into play and continue to be a great way to keep your family happy and healthy on the homestead. Herbs are a multi purpose plant at the homestead. They can be used to make mouthwatering recipes, in cleaning, and as medicine for animals and homesteader alike. There are many different uses of herbs in medicine and wellbeing that we will talk about today. Before we meet our homesteader let’s learn a little more about herbs and their uses…
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Preparing for Winter on the Homestead- Dehydrating Food
This time of year is an especially busy one for homesteaders as they prepare the homestead. As winter closes in, there is a lot of prep work to make sure your family and animals have what they need for the coming months of cold weather. While supermarkets remain open, most homesteaders pride themselves in their ability to remain self sustaining through the long cold months ahead. Here at Hackett Hill Farm, we are partnering with fellow homesteaders to bring you a new series to the blog, focused on preparing the homestead for winter. This week we have Emily from Halfway to Homesteading joining us to talk about how her and…
