FROM SCRATCH CLUB

  There are many ways to garden. Some people buy plants from a nursery, your local farmer or garden center, which is a great option for many. I have done this in the past, primarily with annuals flowers (like pansies and petunias), tomatoes and peppers.* Last year, I decided to try my hand at starting [...]

Even though the ground is covered with snow and ice and the sun barely shines, January is the time to plan your garden.  There are four essential tenets of good organic gardening; have a readily available water source, keep on top of the weeds, feed the soil and rotate your crops.  Crop rotation is probably [...]

UPDATE: 7:30am Saturday February 4th: THE WINNER IS SARA and she requested “What to Eat” By Marion Nestle! Therefore, we know have “An Everlasting Meal” and “What to Eat” in our 2012 FSC Book Club selections. CONGRATS SARA! Please email us at fromscratchclub (at) gmail (dot) com. The winner of the FSC bonanza (bookmark, full-color [...]

In the spirit of our {4 Saturdays, 4 Giveaways} extravaganza, let’s talk books. We all have so many books that are dog-eared and covered with tomato sauce, having been read and referenced over and over. We have even more books on our to-read list for 2012: from light-hearted memoirs to food policy primers and everything [...]

:: My girls on a fall day, loving our backyard :: It’s here. Moving Day. As you read this, I’m watching four super-strong men load all of my worldly possessions into a moving truck. I’m selling my house today, and tomorrow I’m buying a different one. My new house isn’t too far away – two towns [...]

Editor’s Note: Weaved throughout the next couple of weeks there will be recaps & interviews from Erika & Liz from their amazing weekend at NOFA-NY’s (Northeast Organic Farming Association New York) Winter Conference held in our hometown of Saratoga Springs, NY. It was a 3 1/2 day conference filled with ‘new farmer’ mixers, half/whole day [...]

2011 was a year of amazing growth for me personally and for the tiny bakery my husband and I opened in April of this year. After 25 years of working in restaurants (full and part-time; mostly on, sometimes off), I’m learning how to manage our very own bakery/café – not an insignificant challenge for someone [...]

{Our main garden in quiet rest} After the big fall harvest my garden, my husband, and I am ready for a break. We begin to put most all things outdoors to rest, batten down the hatches, and embrace winter. Our minds take a respite during the month of November and December from gardening but once [...]

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS GIVEAWAY CLOSED AT MIDNIGHT JANUARY 27th, 2012. FIND THE WINNERS HERE. -Christina   Ohhhhhhhhhhhh….Do I love this book! I’m going to leave this book review short & sweet. I promise. Molly Steven’s All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking is one of my kitchen bibles, along with How to Cook Everything, [...]

The time has come to announce our first {4 saturdays, 4 giveaways} winner of An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Alder. Random.Org has selected the winning comment to be… . . . …wait for it… Jennifer H: This is amazing – hubby and I just finished a delicious goulash dinner (made almost entirely from local ingredients [...]

Although it was a good year, 2011 went by in a bit of a blur for me. This year, I am hoping for a more manageable pace that will support a healthier, more peaceful year for my family. I don’t usually set goals each new year, or make resolutions, but I came up with a [...]

Never tell your resolution beforehand, or it’s twice as onerous a duty. – John Selden I have always believed that once you put your intentions out in the world, you are twice as responsible for making them fruitful. And because of this, perhaps they are more likely to. Whether through cosmic intervention or personal obligation, [...]

2011 was the year of food, for me. Food blogging, food swapping, exploring food preservation methods and diving into the world of acquiring local foods. It was during 2011 that I stumbled upon the FSC food swaps and found a place among kindred spirits. 2011 was also a year of hardship: my mom was diagnosed [...]

Editor’s Note: This is our second week of reflective posts contemplating the start of a new year. We are putting these lists, reflections and helpful links out onto the interwebs to keep ourselves accountable and hopefully, to inspire your food/gardening/homesteady-related antics in 2012. Take it away Dianna! -Christina My New Year’s resolution is to fast [...]

Editor’s Note: On December 29th, my 36th birthday, I asked our fabulous Facebook community to get us to 1500 “likes” by January 1st. We had, I think, 11 to go. I said if we made it to 1500, we would host 4 giveaways on 4 consecutive weeks to celebrate. Did we hit 1500? Yes yes [...]