I love my dehydrator. I admit, there was a bit of a learning curve using it. Not so much and dehydrating – that’s simple. Most things you either slice and dehydrate, or a few things you have to blanch briefly first then place on the dehydrator —Easy! No, the learning curve was more in how… Keep Reading
Canned Purslane — Eat the Weeds!
This years garden. . . well, it hasn’t been exactly a flop. I’ve gotten quite a few tomatoes, cucumbers and squash out of it. However it hasn’t been an EXCELLENT garden, and I haven’t had a ton of excess to can. First the weeds got ahead of me, then the late blight hit the tomatoes,… Keep Reading
Freezing Corn on the Cob
I’m preserving up a storm here at the Frugal Village Homestead. . . Sweet corn is in season, so I decided it was time to freeze some corn on the cob. Although I don’t plant corn myself, our lovely village is surrounded by dairy farms. For those of you who don’t know the connection–dairy farms… Keep Reading
Processing Tomatoes for Sauce
This weekend I processed tomatoes and made my own tomato sauce! Since my gorgeous tomato plants were decimated by Late Blight (grrr!) I purchased tomatoes from our local farmers market. I purchased two 25lb boxes of Roma tomatoes for $19 each. We started out by washing them. Buddy helped me to lay them on some… Keep Reading
Frugal Fun: U Pick Blueberries
Have you ever visited a “U Pick”? Here in Upstate NY we are lucky-there are lots of “U-Pick” places. Raspberries. Strawberries. Blueberries. Apples. Pumpkins. Not all at the same time of course! It’s a great, inexpensive way to buy your fruit–and pick your own is a fun outing for you and the kids! Just last… Keep Reading
Reader’s Question: Forgot to Process Canned Figs
Dear Frugal Upstate I am in a real pickle. Yesterday i put up 16 jars of figs, boiled the lids and jars, filled them, but did not water bath them. Can I do that today or is it too late. I am so upset, I guess i was tired and didn’t follow through. Please advise,… Keep Reading
Reader’s Question: Water Boiling Off While Canning
Dear Frugal Upstate, I am new to canning and processed cherries in quarts. While I was processing the water boiled out of the canner and even though I started out with 2″ of water I ended up with only 1/4 in. over the jars after processing. The jars are sealed. Are they safe? What is… Keep Reading
Stretching Dinner: Using Starches
As grocery prices continue to creep up I think all savvy household managers are looking for ways to stretch their grocery budget. Especially if they have, oh, a teenage male in the house! In most grocery budgets meat and dairy take up a big chunk of the available funds. Many frugal living articles and books give… Keep Reading
My Weekly Bread Baking Method
I really enjoy baking my own bread. Home baked bread tastes better than that fluffy white airy stuff from the store, makes the house smell fabulous while it’s cooking, gives you complete control over the ingredients (hey-I can pronounce everything in it!) and, let’s face it, it gives me a feeling of satisfaction knowing I… Keep Reading
Free Food: Foraging Dandelion Greens
For years I have wanted to try picking & cooking dandelion greens. Despite the fact that I grew up in the country, and our yard was constantly full of cheerful yellow blooms, I had never eaten them. I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to get around to trying them–I guess the… Keep Reading
