I have been canning foods at home for over 15 years. During that time, I have made my share of mistakes – hot jar on a cool counter, letting my finger tips get a little too close to the boiling water in the canner, forgetting to skim the foam off my jam – all mistakes that many of us have made, but none of them that could be fatal. Knowing the basics of canning safety will allow you to confidently fill your pantry shelves with delicious home canned foods. Saying that home canning can have ...
Better Than Bakery Blueberry Muffins
I absolutely love blueberries. They are one of my favorite fruits, and I have yet to have them in a way I don't like, but my favorite has got to be when they are baked into blueberry muffins or coffee cakes. Unfortunately, many homemade muffin recipes produce dry, dense muffins, with little flavor. That is not true of this blueberry muffin recipe! These muffins are the perfect marriage of blueberry muffin and coffee cake. Large luscious blueberries, mixed with a ...
Organizing Girl Scout Badges & Awards
This is my second year as a Girl Scout leader. This year, I have a multi-level troop of 25 Daisies and Brownies. Unlike the older Girl Scout badges which are sold individually, Daisy petals are sold in sets – 10 petals & 1 center, so when you make a purchase you need to store the remaining petals until they are earned through out the year instead of buying as you go. My Brownies are also working on several retired badges, so as I find them on eBay I need a safe place to store everything. ...
Preparing for Weather Emergencies
Now that the winter weather has arrived, its important to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature can throw at us. In the winter months, weather emergencies typically consist of snow, ice, power outages, or burst pipes. I think it is important to be prepared, however being prepared shouldn’t happen in the 48 hours leading up to a storm or weather event. When you wait to prepare until the last minute, you end up going into stores that are sold out of generators, ...
Evolution of a Garden Plan
In 2008, my husband & I put in our first garden. There was no garden plan, just me spending about $30 on random veggies I thought I would like to grow. We tilled the ground (which was a nightmare - a lot of clay), and I marked out the beds and planted. My oldest son was only 7mos old at the time, and I thought I'd be able to do it all. Other than the tomatoes, our garden was an absolute disaster! I didn't realize how much I didn't know about gardening. For starters, we had a huge tree ...