RACHEL HOUGH: SQUASH JAM

This time of  year is when the garden typically starts to explode. I am feverishly trying to get all of the harvest frozen, canned, or dehydrated. But this is also the time where I tend to make memories. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time you have heard me mention Grandma Polly (my husband’s grandmother). I credit her, and her mother for teaching me just about all I know about homesteading. Grandma is getting older, and doesn’t do as much in the kitchen, as a result I am blessed to be able to do her canning and preserving for her.  Last year for her birthday I gifted her with her favorite Squash Jam. She eats it almost every morning with biscuits or toast. Last week she mentioned that she was almost out and hinted that she would like me to make some more.  READ MORE

 

 

BRENDA EMBRY: WILD PLUM JELLY

This is the first year my dad was able beat the deer and birds to his wild plums and what a treat they were!    After eating my fill, I decided that some wild plum jelly would be a good way to use up the rest of the fruit. READ MORE

 

 

RACHEL HOUGH: SLOW COOKER APPLESAUCE

If you are thinking to yourself, “I’m not ‘Susie Homemaker’ or ‘June Cleaver’, I don’t have time to make my own damn applesauce!”. You are wrong! It is literally apples, water, and a few hours in the crockpot. You can either put the applesauce in the refrigerator, or do like I do and hot water bath can it.  I know where the it came from and what’s inside it and I am happy and proud to feed it to my family and friends. READ MORE

 

 

DEBBIE ARNOLD: SLOW COOKER TOMATO SAUCE

 

One way I like to preserve this fresh taste of summer is to make this very versatile tomato sauce. I keep the flavors simple so I can use it in multiple ways. It’s good as it is for a simple pasta, as a pizza sauce, or made into a more loaded bolognese. 

While you can make this in a large soup pot on the stovetop, I think the flavor improves when it’s made in the slow cooker. Plus, it’s just so simple to do. I use whatever tomatoes I have on hand, but I do try to include some San Marzanos since they are true paste tomatoes. It’s not absolutely necessary, though. You’ll just have to take more time to reduce the liquid in the sauce. READ MORE