As the temperatures drop nationwide, snow blankets the ground and Christmas approaches, folks all over are beginning to indulge in their favorite holiday traditions. For some, this is cheery fires and yule logs. Others cut evergreens to adorn with festive ornamentation. Still others decorate their whole houses in lights. But for many, it’s the simplest of old-time traditions … [Read more...] about Chestnut Roasting: Origins and Methods
Skills
Pickling Meat: A Pre-20th-Century Process
There are all sorts of ways to cure meat, but most at some point require cold-storage to prevent rot. There’s salt curing, smoking, drying, and good old-fashioned freezing, among many others. With one method of curing however, you don’t need to worry quite so much about how quick you eat your meats, or where you store it. Pickling meat is a way of curing and preserving it … [Read more...] about Pickling Meat: A Pre-20th-Century Process
Soap Suds Symposium
As I’m sure many of you know, we’ve mentioned goats and their uses a time or three on this website. From browsing bushwhackers to cheese creators, goats’ uses are legion. You may begin to find, however, that if you have more than a few goats, and you’re not selling anything you make, you may begin to have more milk and cheese than you know what to do with. So today, let’s talk … [Read more...] about Soap Suds Symposium
Can-Do Canning
Your garden is producing and your fruit trees have ripened, but you want to save some of the bounty for the cold winter months. How do you go about it? Turns out, the answer for storing produce is an old and simple one--canning. Or more accurately, “jarring”. Read on for how to convert your glass Mason jars into food-saving solutions. What You Need To get started you’ll … [Read more...] about Can-Do Canning
Snakehandling 101
No, this isn’t the introductory paragraph to a turn-of-the-century, “snakehandling” cult brochure. Nor will it teach you how to go into the outback and become Crocodile Dundee. If you encounter a snake on your homestead you need to relocate, however, here are a few ideas on how to wrangle the slithery little bugger. ENSURE THE SNAKE IS NOT VENOMOUS!!! This is the primary … [Read more...] about Snakehandling 101
