Prepped Living Blog

The garlic scape salt was such a hit, that we decided to try another herbal salt. While the garlic scapes are not yet ready,  we currently have chives growing in our garden. After looking online for recipes, we found two - one for chive salt and one for chive blossom salt. We did not have enough blossoms for the chive blossom recipe, so we decided to make the chive salt and toss in some of the blossoms for an extra bit of color. First, we wilted the chives for about 2 hours to lessen the amount of moisture in them. Then, we blended approximately 3/8 cup of chopped chives with 1 1/4 cups of salt. This was more than the recipe called for, but we wanted a strong flavor. After blending, we spread the mixture out on parchment paper on a baking sheet. We pulled the petals from the blossoms and sprinkled them over the salt. We put the mixture in the oven at its lowest setting (170 degrees) for 1 3/4 - 2 hours. We opened the oven every 30 minutes and stirred the salt mixture to allow even ...

We have been enjoying a rather warm stretch these past two weeks. It is too early to safely plant most seeds and starts in our area, but we have several perennials that have come up and are thriving: Comfrey Tarragon Orange Mint Parsley Lemon Balm In addition to the items pictured above, we also have strawberries, sweet mint, oregano, walking onions, tulips, miniature irises, columbine, yarrow, lavender, rhubarb, and echinacea coming up or growing well! We also planted garlic last fall, and it has come up as well: Garlic What is growing in your garden? Are you in an area where you have been able to plant your garden already?

We haven't posted an update on projects since last summer - 9 months! - so we thought it past time that we made a post. The list will not likely be complete since it has been so long, but here are a few highlights from the last nine months: Food Preservation Canning -  Condiments -  Mixed Berry Jam, BBQ Sauce, Hot Sauce, Cowboy Candy Fruits, etc. - Apple-Pear Juice, Apple Juice, Pears, Spiced Pear Sauce, Apple Sauce, Tomatoes, Cranberry Juice Meals - Turkey Pot Pie Filling, Kung Pao Chicken, Beef Bulgogi, Beef Cubes, Turkey, Meat Broth Freezing - Plums, Berries, Meat, Bone Broth, Onions, Hot Peppers, Green Peppers, Herbs, Celery Dehydrating  - Onions, Microgreens, Plums, Apples, Herbs for Tea, Culinary Herbs, Celery, Celery Leaves, Tomatoes Sewing/Knitting - Child's Cloak, Potholders, Baby Quilt, Knitted Stocking Cap, Modifying Clothing Extracts and Liqueurs  - Coffee Liqueur, Lemon Extract, Vanilla Extract (both vodka-based and bourbon-based), Maple Extract Fo...

We love making vanilla extract and recently made two new extracts: lemon and maple. Why would we make our own extracts? First, it is much more affordable than purchasing them in the store. Second, we can be assured that the ingredients are clean with no fillers or unwanted chemicals. Vanilla - We use a lot of vanilla in nearly all of our baked goods and enjoy different flavor profiles. We keep two "flavors" on hand: a vanilla infused in vodka or Everclear and a vanilla infused in bourbon. You could also do it with rum, which sounds amazing! We keep two containers for each type of vanilla - one container for use and one container in which we  infuse the vanilla. For the first jar, we purchased a glass oil/vinegar set with the pour tops. We keep the vodka vanilla in one and the bourbon vanilla in the other. These containers make it easy to dispense and measure the vanilla without spilling. The second jar is what we use for the "mother" container (the jar in which we ...

A while ago, we reported on the blog that we made coffee liqueur with used coffee grounds. The result was a strong coffee liqueur. We used it in several mixed drinks, but the flavor was not quite like most coffee liqueurs. It may be due in part to the fact that I used vodka to make the liqueur rather than rum. A few weeks ago, we ran out of coffee liqueur and wanted to either get or make some more. We have a friend who makes a wonderful homemade coffee liqueur, so we asked him for the recipe and gave it a try. This was a more mild liqueur that makes a better mixer than the previous recipe we tried.  What are the benefits of making your own liqueur? First, you know what the ingredients are. Second, you control of the quality. Third, it is more economical than purchasing a brand name liqueur, especially if you use an economical brand of rum. Just remember, though, that the quality of your ingredients will affect the quality of the results! Here is the recipe we used: Coffee Liqueur I...

When my husband and I first got married, we bought a very inexpensive set of china (think much less expensive than a regular set of dishes) so we could have enough dishes to host our families during the holidays. One of the first times we used it, our guests made fun of us for serving them on such nice dinnerware. They insinuated that we were showing off by using nice dishes. I was hurt and became reluctant to use the dishes again. This was the only set of dishes big enough for larger family gatherings, however, so we used them on occasion. I found myself feeling the need each time to explain why we were using our china set – we weren't trying to show off, they were just the only dishes we had enough of to serve everyone, and even though they looked expensive, they were really in expensive, etc. There was no reason we shouldn’t use our dishes, but that early experience made me wary of the criticism that would come with simply enjoying the use of something beautiful in our home. W...