FROM SCRATCH CLUB

I love to garden. Maybe you do too. I love to do lots and lots of things. So many things, in fact, that I am too busy to allocate as much time to my garden as I would like. If only I had an extra 2 hours a day… that would make things so much [...]

    O wind, where have you been, That you blow so sweet? Among the violets Which blossom at your feet – Christina (Georgina) Rossetti This Spring, I discovered that many of the “weeds” that grow in my yard are edible! This is exciting if, like me, you enjoy foraging for food and, come springtime, are [...]

As spring gets underway and summer looms closer, popsicles, cool salads and fruity cocktails are on my mind. This weekend is Cinco de Mayo, which also happens to fall on Kentucky Derby day – both cause for celebrations in my family! Because I won’t be enjoying any margaritas or cervezas this year with baby #3 [...]

Editor’s Note: I have the unbelievably cool job today of introducing a very special guest contributor, Greg Dahlmann, the Co-Founder & Co-Editor of the Capital Region’s best news website/blog All Over Albany (AoA for short). Greg and his partner-in-crime, Mary, have created a one-stop resource for all things- Capital Region. During a recent business coffee [...]

I have a very scary birthday coming up next year. When I think about my birthday, I am reminded of the Frederick Nietzche quote, “And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.” The only good things about this birthday are that I am not dead yet and that it [...]

$1.00 per small container of greek yogurt seems like a good deal until you learn how easy and cheap it is make your own. Last year my husband and I purchased a 9-tray dehydrator. It’s a thing of beauty in our eyes. My husband noticed the yogurt setting on the dehydrator and that was the [...]

Home Dairy…. Jams, Jellies & Preserves… Fermenting… Bacon Curing… Water Bath Canning… Bread making 1, 2, 3, 4… The Art of Tarts… Home & Body Sampler… Summertime Condiments… Food Preservation 101… Seasonal Soups… Home Brew… Baby Food… Ohhhh am I so excited to share this wonderful news! After a long organizational process, FSC is ready [...]

Making vegetable stock is so easy, yet I’m guessing that not all of you have homemade stock on hand. By the time I remember to make some stock, I only have half an onion or a single celery stalk to work with and something about buying a whole basket of fresh veggies just to boil [...]

Today I went out to the farm where I will be keeping my bees this year. I went out there to get milk but happened to see the owner working outside so we chatted for a bit. We discussed how as soon as the weather looks like it’s going to stay nice, I’m bringing my [...]

My last post about syruping included a few photos of the cinder block fireplace we built in 2011 for boiling down the sap that we collect from maple trees in our neighborhood.  When we built our current fireplace a week later, I took more extensive photos.  We changed our fireplace a little this year; we [...]

Editor’s Note: Its that time of year again- Maple Sap running! You can do it- go outside & tap your neighborhood maple trees (with permission from your neighbors of course!) Dianna is back with another (helpful) installment in her How To Maple Syrup Series. If you weren’t with us last year this time, Dianna cranked [...]

Editor’s Note: Swapper Natalie & her friend, Swapper Lindsay, have rocked the Saratoga Food Swap since they began attending a few months back. They are serious regulars now and I’m always delighted to see them (and what they bring to swap) each month! They tend to be very creative with glorious packaging and display wow. [...]

UPDATE SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2012: THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. The winner of their choice of Keeping Bees or Keeping Chickens or Home Dairy or Canning & {reserving by Ashley English is: LUCKY #3: KIMMER: “Took the poll, recipes, local food and vendor information, all make me read the blog, the local look at food, gardens, [...]

{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 [...]

Hello 2012! I am so happy to see you. 2011 wasn’t exactly the best year of my life (to put it nicely), and I’m looking forward to a fresh start. I’ve got enough energy and enthusiasm to put my wish list in action. Good thing too, because it’s long! Number One on my list is [...]