Learning to make lye soap the cold-process way is a rewarding experience. Not simply because you can brag to your friends that you have made homemade soap, but because you know that you’ve learned a practical skill; a skill that will benefit you even if you never make another bar of soap. It’s a basic […]
self sufficient
Canning Cherries-Best Freezer Cherry Almond Ice Cream
The best thing about making cherry almond ice cream is eating it! Plucking pits out of cherries with paper clips, sticky red juice splattered over counter-tops and walls, glass jars that must be washed and kept hot in sputtering vats of water lest they break when boiling fruit is added to them is not. But, […]
Thanks, Jake
For weeks, I’ve known that murder was on the horizon. My father had purchased a turkey tag and he was going to use it. Toms, jakes, and hens have been frequenting the yard all spring. They hardly stood a chance against a man in his pajamas with a mask and a gun. Jake’s […]
January in Review – Attending a Birch Bark Basket Class
Recapping the month of January brings to mind the basket weaving class that the girls and I attended. The class was educational, informative, and fun. I became interested in the seminar when I learned that the demonstration would be making baskets with birch bark. I’ve been collecting birch bark, hoping to do something creative with […]
Homemade Fireweed Honey Recipe
I made some fireweed honey, just like the Alaskan homesteaders used to do. As you can imagine, living on the frontier and away from civilization was tough. Foodstuffs normally found in stores were difficult to get. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. The homesteaders got creative and used what was readily available. […]
Marlene’s Homemade Huckleberry Jam Recipe
Nothing compares to the wholesome goodness of a jar of homemade huckleberry jam. The aroma and flavor are out of this world! And the knowledge that you made it fresh yourself is very satisfying. Jump to Recipe ________________________________________________ Summers are warm and sunny in Montana, but the growing season is short. Everything grows like crazy […]