Clementine's Homestead

08/16/2024

Today: a Half bushel of pickling cukes yields 24 pints of spears. I pickle the chunks that get trimmed for size in a separate jar. I had a quart too much brine - so I canned that for future use. Spicy Spears 🥒🥒🥒

08/14/2024

Todays project: repaint and repair the chicken coop while there are no chickens.

08/14/2024

Made some tomatillo/tomato mild salsa yesterday. Kids don’t like spicy - 🌶️🌶️🌶️

08/14/2024

Made some grapey goodness yesterday - 🍇🍇🍇
Do you turn your jelly jars over for 5 minutes to sanitize the lid, or water bath process for 5 minutes?

06/30/2024

The most powerful fertilizer for onions, tomatoes and peppers. 200% higher yield

1. Banana Peel Fertilizer: Banana peels are rich in potassium, which is essential for fruit development.

2. Preparing Banana Peel Fertilizer:
Chop banana peels into small pieces.
Bury the pieces in the soil near the base of the plant or soak them in water for a few days to create a liquid fertilizer.

3. Applying Banana Peel Fertilizer: Use the banana peel pieces directly in the soil or pour the banana-infused water around the plants.

4. Eggshell Fertilizer: Eggshells provide calcium, which strengthens plant cell walls and promotes healthy fruit growth.

5. Preparing Eggshell Fertilizer: Crush dried eggshells into a fine powder using a blender or mortar and pestle.

6. Applying Eggshell Fertilizer: Sprinkle the eggshell powder around the base of the plants or mix it into the soil.

7. Combining Fertilizers: For best results, combine both banana peel and eggshell fertilizers to provide a balanced nutrient supply.

8. Frequency of Application: Apply these homemade fertilizers once a month during the growing season for optimal fruit production.
Enjoy a Bountiful Harvest

Use these simple homemade fertilizers to enhance the fruit-bearing capacity of your plants and enjoy a more productive garden.

03/25/2024

Please don’t poison your yard and ground water. Leave the dandelions alone- or use them to make edibles like fried dandy blooms, sautéed greens, roasted roots. Full of antioxidants and Vitamins.

03/25/2024

Pulled some ground meat (turkey pork and beef) out of the freezer, mixed, and put up 8 pint jars of meat ready for chili or spaghetti!

03/08/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/NDDJ6RmcN1WYeHbN/?mibextid=WC7FNe

When you think of growing food in pots, carrots probably aren't your first thought. But if you follow these steps, you can get huge carrot harvests in containers: https://www.ruralsprout.com/grow-carrots-in-containers/

01/17/2024

01/16/2024

Held our second pressure canning class. Potatoes and green beans for Mackenzie and carrots for Melinda!

01/07/2024

Held my first introduction to pressure canning yesterday. Really enjoyed seeing how excited the participants were when they heard the jars full of bone broth pinging. Mackenzie is in Denver, and Melinda is in Tampa! They prepared the broth ahead of the class and we went through the canning process together!! We stayed online the entire time.

12/29/2023

Today I’m pressure Canning golden broth from a ham bone. I chill it to evenly distribute the fat between my jars. Twenty five (25) minutes 10lbs pressure.

10/15/2023

Every time.

Tell all your non canning friends!

Today someone mentioned that running a burner for 3 hours was a crazy waste of money.
This one stove burner has run from 9 am continuously till now and it isn’t done. I have another 2 hrs for this lot and likely another 2 hours after that if not more.
Yes it’s using electricity.
Yes it is a pain to babysit.
To make this make sense I want you think about the items you are canning.
Is it useful to your kitchen?
Does your family enjoy eating it?
Then do the math quickly. Add up what that canner of food would cost you fresh then if you bought it processed commercially. Often the costs of electricity plus water plus the cost of the food is a small fraction of commercially processed items.
Then think about what was put into the foods you canned. Zero preservatives, dyes etc.
How it was handled-processed in your kitchen not a factory.
Also remember you are leading by example. Your kids are seeing what goes into their foods and maybe, just maybe some knowledge will stick.
So yes it does cost money to run the stove. But for me the benefits outweigh the costs every single time.

10/06/2023

Safe canning practices dictate that HOW you process food for home canning depends on WHAT you're canning.

09/19/2023

I’ve seen many posts asking about storing empty jars. So I’m sharing the wisdom of my grandmother. She taught me this in the 1960’s and I have been doing this ever since.
These jars are not sealed as this is water. It is clean water that can be used for washing or for consumption. If you are concerned about stored water, remember, IT’S WATER. You can boil it before consuming it. As long as your source is safe, the water should be safe.
�These are my ‘empty’ canning jars. If you notice, they aren’t really empty. They are filled with water. �My grandmother always said that an empty jar takes up just as much space as a full one. NEVER put an empty jar on the shelf. If you don’t have anything to can or store in it, fill it with clean water.�This has come in handy many times. In February 2021, here in Texas, we had a deep freeze. We were without power and water for about a week. We kept warm with a fireplace and blankets. For water, I had my canning jars. Even the small 4oz jelly jars had water in them. �The stores were out of bottled water, so no one could get any for over a week. I had some neighbors who knew I had jars full begging me for my water. I had shared this wisdom nugget and been ridiculed for it. I see posts in other groups and videos saying to stock up on bottled water. I’m doing what my grandmother said. I’ll keep my empty jars full of water

09/17/2023

Water bath canning, step-by-step beginner-friendly tutorial. Printable checklist to help you learn. It doesn't have to be hard or confusing.

09/12/2023

How to freeze apples. tips and tricks to keep apples from turning brown. What I think is the best way for freezing apples, and other options that will work.

09/10/2023

Canning Meat: Learn How to can meat for your pantry. Beef, Venison, Chicken, Fish, Soup, Broth and more. Raw or hot pack, ground or cubed.

09/05/2023

Canning Tomatoes; Learn how to can tomatoes in either the pressure or water bath canner. Easy method with sure safe success.

08/29/2023

There is a lot to know about the Michigan Cottage Food Law before starting your own home food business.
Join MSU Extension to learn what foods are allowed to be sold under the Michigan Cottage Food Law and how to start your own business. Learning how to start selling your homemade foods at craft fairs, farmers' markets, or from your own home?
Register by visiting https://events.anr.msu.edu/MICottageFood2023/

08/24/2023

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08/20/2023

We did a half bushel of tomatoes - Salsa day 40 8oz jars of medium salsa- one full gallon of beautiful tomato juice. More tomatoes tomorrow are turning into pizza sauce! 🍅