Simple Living With Nature
Cooking and preserving traditional food from scratch is one of my passions, and it’s even better if it includes homegrown, foraged, or fermented ingredients. I prefer to use whole foods and many of my recipes use herbs, flowers, and other fresh from the garden ingredients. Sourdough is another passion, and I also have a thing for cooking in cast iron pans!
When elderberry season is here I want to make ALL the elderberry things. Elderberry syrup is a standard every year for keeping our immune system healthy. Some years if I have a large elderberry haul I’ll made elderberry mead or elderberry soda. But this year I wanted something a little more simple. Ever since I…
If you’re like many gardeners, you just might have zucchini coming out of your ears during harvest season. I’ve been there before, and I’m all about new ways to preserve zucchini! I especially love it when I can use my dehydrator for preserving because it’s simple to use and a great way to store food….
Sipping a cup of herbal tea is something I like to do throughout the year, but when it’s hot outside I want something cool and refreshing. Of course, I can always make an iced herbal tea like my wildflower infusion or white clover tea, but sometimes a frozen treat is the only thing that sounds…
Elderflower season is an exciting but short lived time. Every year I try to find some way to preserve the elderflower harvest so that I can enjoy them for a longer period of time. Elderflower sparkling mead is one of my favorite things to make, but I’ve been wanting to try making elderflower liqueur (also…
White clover is almost ubiquitous in lawns and backyards, but most people don’t know that it’s both edible and medicinal. Red clover is known for having amazing medicinal benefits, but white clover is more readily available and is useful in its own right. One of the most simple and delicious ways to use the sweet…
Homebrewing is one of my favorite things to do, but I especially love it when I can incorporate foraged ingredients. I came across some nice big spruce tips recently, and when I saw them I immediately knew what I was going to make with them: spruce beer! Homemade spruce beer has been something that I’ve…
Summertime means elderflowers, and that couldn’t make me more happy! Elderflowers are easy to forage for and are a common sight in many locations (just make sure that you aren’t accidentally grabbing poison hemlock, but I don’t think they look that similar). They have a delicate floral flavor that is delightful and perfect in drinks…
As many of you know by now, making my own homebrew, specifically mead (honey wine), is one of my favorite things to do. I also love infusing flavors into different mediums, including alcohol. When I don’t have the time to brew up some wine or mead, I like to make an infused wine to extract…
Dandelion wine is an old school recipe that has been around for centuries. The yellow petals have a honey-like flavor and they make a delicious wine! I prefer to make dandelion mead, as I feel like it is even more flavorful that way. Mead is simply wine that is made with honey instead of sugar….
{This post is sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs} I wasn’t allowed to drink much soda pop growing up (thanks Mom!), but I did have the occasional root beer when we went out to eat. It was always my favorite with its distinctive flavor that was so different than the regular boring colas. Little did I…
