Practical Homesteading

Category: homesteading

  • Growing Everbearing Raspberries in Wisconsin: A Family Patch That Keeps Feeding Us

    Growing Everbearing Raspberries in Wisconsin: A Family Patch That Keeps Feeding Us

    When most of the garden is winding down, we’re still picking bowls of fresh raspberries. Around here, we call them “grandma berries”—and they’ve earned a place in both our fall harvest and our family story.

    Our raspberry starts came from my in-laws’ patch, which began with plants from my husband’s paternal grandmother. In April 2024, we dug out a section of sod on a south-facing hill here in southeastern Wisconsin, planted and watered the starts, and mulched around them with straw.

    Then we let them do their thing.

    And they certainly did.

    Our fairly fertile, loamy soil may have helped them establish themselves. With minimal maintenance, that patch of grass has become a prolific raspberry bed, giving us a smaller crop in July and a much larger one in October.

    The plants spread on their own, too. Red raspberries send up new shoots, called suckers, from buds on their roots. Those shoots become new canes, allowing an established patch to fill in and expand beyond its original planting area.

    Fresh Raspberries When the Garden Is Winding Down

    The fall harvest is my favorite part of growing these raspberries. We generally rely on our canned and frozen fruit rather than buying fruit from the store, and we also preserve surplus produce my sister shares with us—a story I’ve told in “50 lemons and a lesson in waste.”

    We do occasionally bring home bananas, although they usually become banana bread. Apparently, they look more appealing than they taste, at least in our house.

    The raspberries, on the other hand, have no trouble finding willing eaters.

    By early October 2025, about a year and a half after planting, our patch was producing enough berries to fill a big bowl in one morning. Later that month, it was still loaded, right when we thought the season was nearly finished.

    The kids were enjoying every juicy moment. Those berries felt like the last fresh little bits of summer, giving us a reason to step outside and see what had ripened.

    Even the kids couldn’t keep up with the patch that fall, which surprised me. I froze some of the extra berries and later thawed them to make fruit roll-ups with mango from the freezer, without adding sugar. Next time, I’ll strain out the raspberry seeds for a smoother texture.

    If your berry patch gets ahead of you, my post on freezing berries and other no-blanch produce walks through how to save the extras for later.

    A Simple Raspberry Planting and Care Checklist

    If you’re thinking about starting a patch of your own, here are the basics to consider:

    • Choose a sunny, well-drained site. Avoid places where water stands after rain.
    • Start with healthy plants. If you’re buying raspberry starts, look for disease-free nursery stock suited to your growing region.
    • Prepare the bed. Remove sod and perennial weeds, and use a soil test to guide amendments.
    • Plant at the right time. Dormant bare-root starts can go in early in spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. Tender, actively growing transplants should wait until frost danger has passed.
    • Water thoroughly after planting. Continue checking soil moisture as plants establish. During flowering and harvest, raspberries generally need about 1 to 1½ inches of water per week, including rainfall.
    • Mulch around the plants. Straw or other suitable mulch can help conserve moisture and suppress weeds without burying emerging shoots.
    • Keep the patch manageable. Thin crowded canes and remove unwanted suckers to maintain airflow and room for picking.
    • Choose your pruning approach. Everbearing raspberries can be managed for one fall crop or both summer and fall crops; the pruning section below explains each option. 1016
    • Watch for visitors. Check for beetle damage, and keep clear of active wasp nests.

    Our July and October harvests reflect this particular patch grown in Zone 4B. Harvest timing elsewhere will depend on the variety, growing conditions, and when frost arrives.

    Planning a garden around what your family actually eats?

    My “Grow What You’ll Use” printable can help you think through what deserves a place in your garden—and how you’ll use the harvest.

    Get the Free Planner

    Everbearing vs. Summer-Bearing Raspberries

    Our raspberries are everbearing, also called fall-bearing or primocane-fruiting raspberries. Despite the name, they don’t produce continuously all year. The distinction is which canes bear fruit:

    • Summer-bearing raspberries produce their crop on second-year canes. Those canes die after fruiting, while the new canes remain to produce the following summer.
    • Everbearing raspberries produce a late-summer or fall crop on the upper portions of first-year canes. If retained, the lower portions of those same canes can produce another crop the following summer. New canes grow alongside them to provide that year’s fall harvest.

    How to Prune Everbearing Raspberries

    With everbearing raspberries, you can prune for one fall harvest or retain canes for both summer and fall crops.

    For One Fall Crop

    Cut all canes to ground level after the plants become dormant in late fall, or in early spring before growth begins. The new season’s canes will produce the fall crop, but there will be no summer crop from overwintered canes.

    For Summer and Fall Crops

    Keep healthy first-year canes through winter. In early spring, remove the upper portions that fruited in fall, along with winter-damaged growth. The remaining lower portions can produce summer berries.

    After those second-year canes finish their summer harvest, remove them at ground level. Leave the new canes growing that season to produce the fall crop.

    The summer crop depends on those retained canes surviving winter; winter damage can reduce or eliminate it.

    Japanese Beetles and Other Raspberry Patch Visitors

    Our raspberries have needed relatively little attention, but we do keep an eye on a few visitors.

    Japanese Beetles

    Japanese beetles have been our biggest recurring nuisance. They feed on the leaves, sometimes leaving little more than a lacy framework. The plants can tolerate some damage, but heavy feeding can reduce the harvest, so we try to keep their numbers down.

    We tried Japanese beetle traps, but found they seemed to bring more beetles into the area. Wisconsin Extension also cautions that traps can attract more beetles than they catch and may increase damage in small gardens.

    Instead, we usually knock them into a bucket of plain water in the morning and late evening, when we find them more sluggish and easier to collect. Handpicking is a recommended control method.

    I like giving this job to my son, who approaches it with great gusto. At the end of the day, after the chickens are back in their coop, we give them the collected beetles. They absolutely love them.

    Because the beetles become chicken treats, we leave soap out of the collection bucket. An Ask Extension expert recommends collecting without soapy water when the insects will be fed to chickens.

    Chickens With a Taste for Raspberries

    The chickens don’t limit their enthusiasm to beetles. They love the raspberries, too, and their idea of helping includes getting to the ripe fruit before we do.

    Fortunately, the patch produces enough that there is usually plenty to go around.

    Ground-Nesting Wasps

    In 2025, ground-nesting wasps took up residence around the patch. Luckily, no one got stung.

    An active nest is something to keep clear of rather than disturb while picking, weeding, or tending the plants.

    A Family Planting Worth Keeping

    These raspberries have given us a lot of delicious fruit for relatively little work. We turned a section of lawn into a place that feeds us—and kept a family planting growing for another generation.

    Now our children are picking grandma berries of their own.

    Your Turn

    Have you grown plants passed down through your family? I’d love to hear what you’re keeping growing.

    If you enjoyed this look at our raspberry patch, please like and share it with someone who loves growing food. Follow along for more stories about growing food, raising kids, and building community.

    Read More: The Tomato Product I Use Most: Canning Tomato Juice for Winter

  • We Lost Control of the Weeds—But the Garden Still Fed Us

    We Lost Control of the Weeds—But the Garden Still Fed Us

    In our Zone 4B southeastern Wisconsin garden, October is when the season’s successes and misses become impossible to ignore.

    In early July, I wrote that we had spent a few hours each week weeding and that I expected the work to taper off once the garden plants grew larger, shaded the soil, and helped keep new weeds from taking over.

    Reader, it did not.

    By September, the weeds had made themselves entirely at home.

    Tired garden, the chicken is for decoration

    The paths were not neat. Some beds looked tired. A few weeds were tall enough that I began avoiding eye contact with them when I walked past. The garden did not look much like the tidy spring picture I had in my head when every row was freshly planted and full of possibility.

    And yet, when I stepped back from the mess, the larger truth was still there: this garden fed us for months, and it is still giving us food that will carry us into winter.

    It gave us meals on the table, tomatoes in the pantry and freezer, peppers for the freezer and Garden Heat, onions curing in the basement, food for the animals, and a lot of lessons for next year.

    It was not a perfect garden.

    But it was a productive one.

    Seven Pails of Onions for Winter Meals

    Seven pails of onions now means a whole lot of good meals waiting for us this winter.

    I harvested seven pails of red and yellow onions and spread them out on a table in the basement to cure. Once their tops and outer skins are dry, I will move them into storage where they will be easy to reach all winter long.

    Red and yellow onions curing in a basement after a Wisconsin garden harvest.
    Our onion curing setup. I will move these to an out of the way part of the basement when they’re done curing.

    Onions are not the flashiest crop in the garden. They do not have the bright color of tomatoes or peppers, the excitement of the first snap peas, or the immediate satisfaction of a fresh cucumber sliced beside supper.

    But they may be one of the most useful things we grow.

    They become the beginning of soups, sauces, chili, roasts, skillets, stir-fries, and so many ordinary meals that make winter feel manageable and flavorful. A good onion harvest means that, even when the garden is covered in snow, we still have a piece of it tucked into almost every pot on the stove.

    For long-term storage, onions need to cure until their tops and outer skins are dry. Mine are curing in an out-of-the-way part of the basement with good airflow. Once they are dry, I will tuck them into wooden boxes with slats and check them periodically through the winter.

    With any luck, I will still have onions into March, as I did last year. If not, it will not be the end of the world.

    For now, the basement table is full of them—a quiet promise of good meals to come.

    By October, the garden no longer looked like the tidy rows I pictured in spring. The weeds had taken more ground than I wanted to admit, and some plants had simply given everything they had.

    But most of the harvest had already made its way to our dinner table, freezer, pantry, dehydrator, or fermentation jars. Tomatoes became juice, sauce, tomato powder, and freezer bags for later. Sweet peppers were frozen, hot peppers became Garden Heat, and onions became a winter staple. The garden had already done much of its work.

    Not Every Crop Earned Its Space

    A productive garden is not the same thing as a garden where every crop succeeds. A few things disappointed us this year—and a few of those disappointments came with their own lessons.

    Cucumbers and Cucumber Beetles

    After last year’s cucumber crop was one for the books—and gave us plenty to preserve through lactofermentation—I was looking forward to seeing what this year would bring.

    Instead, we got enough cucumbers for one or two batches of pickles and a little cucumber salad, but nowhere near last year’s quantity. Cucumber beetles were a real problem. They fed on the plants and blossoms, and the vines declined quickly after that.

    I was sorely disappointed.

    Next year, I think we need to move the trellis and try a more intentional cucumber-beetle plan from the beginning.

    The Carrots Did Not Last

    We had so many carrots last year that we covered the remaining roots with straw and harvested them fresh from the ground into March—a lovely, low-budget way to keep a crop fresh even in the middle of winter.

    This year, not so much.

    My son got his allotment of fresh carrot snacks. He would wander out to the garden, pull up a carrot, peel it, and eat it—then I would have to remind him to clean up the carrot peels that somehow made their way all over my kitchen floor.

    But we are already out of carrots, and it is only October. I cannot pretend I am not sad about that.

    Twenty-Five Cherry Tomato Plants Were Too Many

    Finally, we made the same mistake we made last year. At the beginning of the season, the cherry tomato plants were small enough that we thought we could manage them. We also thought our son—who loves a quick cherry-tomato pasta that I can throw together in five minutes—would pick them for us so we could make the sauce.

    Spoiler alert: we could not, and he did not.

    That side of the garden became an impenetrable jungle, overrun with tomatoes to the point that other plants were crowded out. About a month ago, I finally became impatient and started pulling vines indiscriminately, tossing them to the side of the garden. The plants underneath seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and finally stretch for the sky.

    Overgrown cherry tomato plants crowding a late-season vegetable garden.
    Tomato jungle

    Consider this a reminder to myself next June: no, you do not need 25 cherry tomato plants in your garden, no matter how much your then-seven-year-old son pleads that he loves the idea of cherry tomato pasta.

    The Weeds Won Some Ground

    Back in my early July garden update, I confidently repeated something my dad has always said:

    “You win or lose the battle with weeds in the month of June.”

    I still think there is truth in that.

    I just failed to account for the fact that weeds do not care about confidence, blog posts, or a very full summer.

    We had a wet season. Then harvest season arrived. Tomatoes needed attention. Peppers needed picking. Food needed preserving. The kids needed us. Work, homestead projects, animals, meals, and all the regular pieces of life kept happening right alongside the garden.

    There were weeks when spending another few hours pulling weeds was simply not the highest-priority job.

    And so the weeds grew.

    I could frame that as failure, but I do not think it is that simple. The plants that mattered most still had enough room to do their work, and the garden continued to feed both our household and our animals.

    The lesson is not that I need to weed perfectly next year. The lesson is that I need a simpler plan for the beds most likely to get away from us when harvest season becomes busy.

    Maybe that means more mulch. Maybe it means clearer paths, fewer crops in one section, tighter spacing where it makes sense, or choosing the beds that truly need attention and letting the less-important areas be a little wilder.

    I am still learning.

    If you garden, I would love to know: what helps you keep weeds from taking over once the busy harvest season begins?

    The Garden Keeps Feeding the Farm

    The garden does not stop being useful when a vegetable is too small, too blemished, too late, or too much for our own dinner table.

    We have fourteen pigs on the farm right now, including eleven feeder pigs. Garden scraps are a meaningful part of what they eat, especially during the abundant months. The trimmings, extra produce, and bits that do not make it into our own meals still become useful food rather than waste.

    Pigs eating vegetable scraps from a homestead garden.

    Even some weeds get used. As I cleared weeds over the last several weeks, I made judgment calls about what was appropriate to feed. A morning-glory vine that appeared in the garden—possibly courtesy of a bird—did not go to the pigs after I checked on it. But some identified, non-seeded plants could go to them, and they happily tore into the stems and leaves.

    I pull weeds before they go to seed so I do not create an even worse problem next year. That matters even more because seeds can survive digestion and end up in manure.

    Before planting this spring, we spread some of our aged manure in the garden. Then, later in the season, volunteer squash plants appeared in a few unexpected spots. I cannot prove they traveled through the pigs, but it seems like a reasonable theory. A few squash seeds may have survived last year’s trip through the system and made their way back into the garden.

    It is a useful reminder that aged manure returns nutrients and organic matter to the soil, but it can also return surprises. Proper hot composting can reduce viable weed seeds, but it needs sustained heat and turning to work well.

    What the pigs do not eat mixes with bedding and manure, eventually becoming compost for future crops.

    Our chickens and two turkeys get their share too.

    That is one of my favorite things about keeping a garden alongside animals. The whole system is connected.

    A tomato that is too soft for the counter may still make a happy pig. Cabbage leaves, squash scraps, greens, and vegetable trimmings become treats for poultry. Then, in time, those animals help feed our family as well, and their waste is recycled into future crops through compost.

    When the growing season is officially finished, we will also let the chickens into the garden beds to scratch through what is left behind. They will peck at insects, turn over bits of soil, catch a mouse or two, and handle their own part of the cleanup.

    The garden may look tired now, but it is still working.

    Potatoes Are Serious Business

    We also have a separate potato garden helping carry the winter-food load.

    Potatoes are serious business around here.

    They may not be glamorous, but they are filling, versatile, and dependable. Along with onions, they are the kind of crop that makes the colder months feel more secure: real food grown close to home, ready for soups, breakfasts, roasts, skillet meals, and all the ordinary dinners that make up a winter.

    We do not grow every calorie our family will eat. We still buy flour, bread, dairy, fruit, and plenty of other groceries. But the garden provides a meaningful share of the vegetables, flavor bases, preserved food, and meal components that carry us through the colder months.

    That matters to me.

    Making the most of what your garden gives you?

    My free Grow What You’ll Use planner helps you decide what to eat fresh, freeze, dehydrate, store, share, or use up this week—before the harvest gets ahead of you.

    Subscribe to Practical Homesteading to get the planner, along with new posts about growing food, feeding a family, and making an imperfect homestead work.

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    Productive Beats Perfect

    A perfect fall garden would have clean paths, weed-free beds, and every crop arranged neatly for one last beautiful photograph.

    Ours did not look like that.

    Ours looked like a real garden at the end of a real season: a little overgrown, a little worn out, and full of evidence that it had worked hard.

    It gave us a season of meals, a winter pantry, food for the animals, and more wisdom for next year.

    I will take that over perfect.

    A Question for Readers

    What did your garden produce this year—even if it did not look the way you hoped it would by fall?

    If this post encouraged you to see your own messy garden with a little more grace, I would be grateful if you shared it with another gardener who might need the reminder: productive is more important than perfect.

  • Outdoor Wood Furnace and Firewood Prep for a Wisconsin Winter

    Outdoor Wood Furnace and Firewood Prep for a Wisconsin Winter

    On that first cool late-summer morning—the kind where you step outside and can feel fall waiting around the corner—an unstoppable itch wakes up in my husband’s brain.

    It is time to start processing firewood.

    Three years ago, when we moved into this house, one of my husband’s first priorities was finding a way to heat it with wood. He grew up heating with wood in his childhood home and often repeats the saying, “Firewood heats you many times: when you cut it, split it, stack it, and finally, when you burn it.”

    Living in Wisconsin, dependable heat is not something we take lightly. We do have a propane furnace for backup, installed the day my daughter was born. I may share that story someday, with her permission. Our main winter heat, however, comes from an outdoor wood-burning furnace.

    Preparing for winter is not simply a matter of turning up the thermostat. It is a year-round process of gathering wood, cutting it, splitting it, stacking it to dry, maintaining the system, and making sure enough seasoned firewood is ready before cold weather arrives.

    It is a lot of work, but there is something satisfying about looking at a full woodpile, even with the resident woodchucks who seem to think we built it for them, and knowing we have prepared for the season ahead.

    Oh yeah, there are definitely wood chucks living in there…

    Our Outdoor Wood Burning Furnace Setup

    Our system starts outside with an outdoor wood furnace. When the furnace is burning, it heats a continuous loop of water. That heated water travels through insulated underground piping that my husband trenched in when he installed the system.

    Our outdoor wood stove. Don’t mind the turkey coop (a repurposed corn crib) in the background.

    Inside the house, the heated loop runs through a heat exchanger attached to our propane furnace in the basement. The heat exchanger transfers warmth into the furnace’s ductwork—the same ducts that carry cool air in the summer—so the heat is distributed throughout the house.

    The system also heats our hot water, effectively replacing our electric water heater for much of the heating season. There is always something especially nice about being able to take a longer shower after coming in from the cold.

    This piping comes in from the outside and hooks up to our indoor furnace, located in our basement, to distribute heat through the house

    When everything is running well, the outdoor wood furnace keeps our home comfortably around 70°F through the winter. The propane furnace remains available as a backup, but the wood furnace does most of the work of keeping us warm.

    Finding Wood Through Community Connections

    Much of our firewood begins with a phone call, a neighbor’s downed tree, or someone who has a tree they no longer want.

    My husband used to work as a tree cutter, so he has the equipment, experience, and connections to safely collect wood from trees that have fallen or that neighbors want removed. We gather wood with permission, rather than cutting down healthy trees simply to make firewood.

    That part of the process feels especially fitting for our little homestead. A tree that might otherwise be an unwanted problem for someone else can become heat for our family during the winter. It is one more example of how community connections and practical skills can work together.

    Cutting, Splitting, and Seasoning Firewood

    Once the wood is home, my husband cuts it into pieces that fit our outdoor wood furnace—usually about 24 to 30 inches long.

    Then comes splitting. Instead of using a standard stand-alone wood splitter, he built his own log-splitting attachment for the backhoe. That was not a casual DIY project: before his tree-cutting work, he also worked as a machine fabricator. He drew on the tools, equipment, and hands-on fabrication skills he developed in that work to build an attachment that fits the way we process firewood here.

    The backhoe wood splitter in action.

    After the wood is split, he uses an old hay bale elevator to move it onto the woodpile (that was visible in the earlier wood chuck sanctuary photo). From there, the wood has time to season, which simply means it dries out before we burn it.

    If you are preparing firewood for winter, cutting and splitting it early gives it more time to season before cold weather arrives. Dry wood burns hotter, more efficiently, and with less smoke.

    From the Woodpile to the Furnace

    After the wood has seasoned, it is moved onto our wood wagon and parked near the outdoor furnace for easy winter access.

    The wagon itself is a project with a story. My husband built it from salvaged materials: the running gear from an old farmstead, an I-beam from the salvage yard, sides made from old calf crates in the barn, and pipe that once served as milk lines. Even the welding wire had been left behind by the previous owner.

    It is practical, sturdy, and made from materials that might otherwise have been discarded. Eventually, we hope to add a roof so the wood stays dry and protected near the furnace.

    Repurposed wood wagon, ready for service!

    During the winter, my husband loads the outdoor furnace each day. There is a bit of experience involved in deciding how much wood to add: the outdoor temperature, the forecast, how warm we want the house, and how much wood remains in the firebox all help determine the day’s load.

    Sometimes he miscalculates, or it is difficult to refill the furnace in time. In those moments, the wood furnace burns out and our backup propane furnace takes over beautifully.

    Insulating the Upstairs

    We are also hoping to use less wood this winter because we recently finished insulating the upstairs of our home.

    We have historically called that part of the house the “corn crib” upstairs. On cold days, it was easy to see why it needed attention: no matter how much heat you make, it is hard to keep a house comfortable when warmth escapes through poorly insulated spaces.

    It did have one unexpected benefit before we insulated it. During the coldest part of winter, it sometimes worked like an extended refrigerator when I needed to keep food cold without worrying about animals getting into it.

    The new insulation should help the heat we already produce stay inside the house longer. That means less work for the wood furnace, less wood used over the season, and hopefully a more comfortable home upstairs.

    Our Wood Heat Winter Checklist

    Before winter settles in, we try to make sure we have:

    • Enough cut, split, and seasoned firewood for the season
    • A dry, accessible place to keep enough wood near the furnace
    • Underground lines, fittings, valves, and the heat exchanger checked for leaks
    • A working backup heating system
    • Insulation and drafty areas addressed where possible
    • A plan for keeping the daily wood-loading routine manageable when temperatures drop

    Ready for the Season Ahead

    Wood heat is not effortless. It takes planning, physical work, equipment, repairs, storage space, and a steady supply of dry wood. But it also gives us a sense of preparation and independence that we value.

    By the time winter arrives, there is comfort in knowing the wood is cut, split, stacked, seasoned, and close at hand. There is comfort in knowing the heat exchanger is repaired, the system is ready, and our home has better insulation than it did last year.

    And, on a cold Wisconsin day, there is nothing quite like a warm house heated by wood you gathered, processed, and prepared yourselves.

    Do you heat with wood, propane, natural gas, or something else? What is one thing on your winter-preparation list that you hope to finish before the first snow?

    If this look at our wood-heat setup was helpful or reminded you of your own winter preparations, please share it with a friend who is getting firewood, a furnace, or a homestead ready for colder weather.

    Read More Here: Buying Meat from a Farmer: A Complete Guide to Bulk Meat, Freezers, and Butchers

  • The Tomato Product I Use Most: Canning Tomato Juice for Winter

    The Tomato Product I Use Most: Canning Tomato Juice for Winter

    By the end of tomato season, there is always a moment when I look at the kitchen counter and wonder how we got here.

    At first, the ripe tomatoes feel like a reward. The first few become BLTs, tomato sandwiches, chopped tomatoes beside eggs, and slices eaten straight over the sink with salt.

    Then the bowls begin filling.

    There are tomatoes on the counter, tomatoes waiting in the garden, tomatoes that need to be picked before the weather turns, and tomatoes ripening faster than we can possibly eat them fresh.

    Sooooo many tomatoes!

    It is a good problem to have. But a tomato glut still asks the same practical question: what will you do with all of them before they go soft?

    For our family, the answer is often tomato juice. This is how I preserve tomato juice from our garden each year.

    Why I can tomato juice every year

    I make sauce too, but tomato juice may be the single most useful thing I preserve from our garden.

    We use it for:

    • Bloody Mary mix, which we make alcoholic or nonalcoholic
    • Tomato juice gently warmed with a little salt
    • Chili
    • Soups and stews
    • A base for sauce when I want to cook it down later
    • Any meal that needs a little garden-grown tomato flavor

    A shelf of tomato juice may not look as exciting as jars of salsa or thick spaghetti sauce, but it earns its space in our pantry. It is useful, flexible, and easy to turn into a meal when the garden feels very far away.

    How I make tomato juice

    I start with ripe tomatoes from the garden, picking through them carefully and setting aside any that are damaged, overly soft, or not worth preserving.

    After washing and trimming them, I heat the tomatoes until they are soft enough to run through my screw press juicer, which separates the juice from the seeds and skins.

    I have had this press for 10 years, and while I have my complaints—it is annoyingly hard to clean, and it leaks—I have not found a better setup yet. If you have a better system, tell me in the comments.

    My kids absolutely love to help: my daughter stamps down the tomato mush, and my son turns the screw-press crank.

    Here’s our setup for making tomato juice with our hand crank screw press juicer. I tend to make tomato juice outside, weather permitting, because of the messy nature of the project. My son is helping here, my daughter is nearby, fighting to use the red stamper.

    I send the pulp through twice because I want to get as much juice as is practical before moving on to the next step. Then I heat the juice, ladle it into jars, and preserve it for the pantry.

    My tomato juice canning notes
    I add 1/2 teaspoon citric acid powder to each quart jar. I also add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart for flavor. Then I fill the jars with hot tomato juice and process quart jars in a boiling-water canner for 40 minutes. This is the process I use in my southeastern Wisconsin kitchen, at roughly 900 feet above sea level. Processing time depends on altitude, so always consult a current tested preservation source for your location.

    Water bath canning, I plan to post more about the process of water bath canning in the future!

    The National Center for Home Food Preservation and Wisconsin Extension recommend acidifying tomatoes because their natural acidity can vary. Their guidance specifies 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per quart for acidification. For tomato juice, use current tested processing directions that match your jar size, product, and altitude.

    Food-preservation note
    This post shares my household process and the ways we use our tomatoes. It is not a substitute for an up-to-date tested canning recipe. Use sound, ripe tomatoes, follow current Extension or National Center for Home Food Preservation guidance, and adjust processing time for your altitude.

    When I want a thicker sauce

    I also make and preserve tomato sauce, especially when I know I want something ready for pasta, pizza, or another meal that benefits from a thicker base.

    This year, I have been experimenting with a small shortcut before I press the tomatoes. After heating them until they are soft and mushy, I use my soup ladle almost like a little weir, collecting some of the clear tomato water that rises around the cooked pulp.

    I set that watery liquid aside rather than adding it to the sauce, leaving me with a thicker tomato base before I even begin pressing. That means less time simmering sauce on the stove and less heat filling the kitchen during an already warm stretch of late summer.

    It is not a fancy tool or a perfectly measured process. It is simply a small kitchen experiment that helps me work with the harvest more efficiently.

    Because tomato sauce is thicker than juice, I follow a current tested tomato-sauce recipe when I can it rather than using the processing directions for tomato juice.

    Turning leftover pulp into tomato powder

    After I have run the tomatoes through the screw press twice, I am left with pulp.

    I hate to waste anything that still has flavor after the work of growing, harvesting, washing, heating, and pressing all those tomatoes. So I spread the remaining pulp in my dehydrator and dry it until it is thoroughly dry and crisp.

    Tomato pulp from the screw press, which I dry in the dehydrator and grind into tomato powder.

    Once it is dry, I grind it into tomato powder.

    Tomato powder is one of those pantry ingredients that does not look like much but makes all kinds of food better. It adds concentrated tomato flavor and umami without adding the liquid that tomato juice or sauce would bring.

    I especially like it in jambalaya, but it is useful anywhere I want tomato flavor without thinning out the dish. I also add it to soups, rice dishes, seasoning blends, and sauces when something needs a little more depth.

    The garden gives me tomatoes. The press gives me juice. The dehydrator gives me powder. By the end, I have used nearly every useful part of the harvest.

    For a kitchen-friendly reference with preparation, temperature, drying time, storage, and rehydration charts, see my Garden Drying Guide. Thank you for supporting my mission to help aspiring homesteaders gain the knowledge they need.

    Get the Guide Here for $5

    When freezing is an option

    Sometimes, especially toward the end of the season, I have too many other kitchen projects happening at once. Yesterday, for instance, I was making pumpkin muffins for the kids to take to school, venison jerky, fruit leather, and another batch of hot sauce. I did not have the bandwidth for one more preservation project.

    So I cleaned the tomatoes I harvested and placed them in a gallon-size freezer bag to handle later. They will be softer when they thaw, but they will still be perfect for cooked sauces, soups, and juice. I talk more about freezing tomatoes here: How to Freeze Peppers, Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Berries for Later.

    Freezing tomatoes for a future winter project.

    This winter, when I have more time, I will pull them out and turn that frozen harvest into juice, sauce, or soup.

    Too much garden produce arriving at once?
    My free Grow What You’ll Use planner helps you decide what to eat fresh, freeze, dehydrate, store, share, or use up this week—before the harvest gets ahead of you.

    Get the Free Planner

    What I preserve most

    I have tried other tomato projects too, including ketchup. But most years, I come back to the things our family actually reaches for: juice, sauce, and powder.

    The work is still significant. Tomato season means sticky counters, splatters on the stove, jars cooling on towels, and the smell of cooked tomatoes settling into the kitchen.

    But when snow is on the ground, I can open a jar for chili, warm some for my husband with salt, or reach for tomato powder when a pot of jambalaya needs more depth. Those are the things that make the work feel worth it.

    The best preservation project is not always the most impressive one. It is the one your household will actually use.

    A question for readers

    What tomato product does your household use most in winter? Do you can sauce, make juice, dry tomato powder, freeze tomatoes, or preserve something else entirely?

    If this post helped you think through your own tomato glut, I would be grateful if you would like and share it with another gardener, homesteader, or friend whose kitchen counters are overflowing right now.

    Read More Here: How to Make Lacto-Fermented Dill Pickles in a Crock

  • From Garden to Market: Bringing Garden Heat to Kekoskee River Day

    From Garden to Market: Bringing Garden Heat to Kekoskee River Day

    A bottle of hot sauce does not look like much on its own.

    It is glass, a label, a bright red-orange sauce, and a small collection of ingredients. But when that sauce began as peppers growing in our garden, then became an idea, then a batch fermenting on my counter, then something I tested, bottled, labeled, and set out on a table for strangers to taste—it felt like more than a bottle of hot sauce.

    It felt like the beginning of something.

    Last weekend, we brought Garden Heat hot sauce, maple syrup, and homemade baked goods to Kekoskee River Day, a small community event in Kekoskee, Wisconsin. It was the kind of day built around food, conversation, familiar faces, and the pleasure of being outside near the river.

    I was nervous. I was excited. I was not sure what people would think.

    But I packed up the table, arranged the bottles, set out the maple syrup and baked goods, and waited to see whether anyone would stop.

    They did.

    A small-town market day

    Kekoskee River Day was the kind of event that reminds me why local gatherings matter.

    People walked through River Park, visited with neighbors, watched the activity around the river, and enjoyed a little piece of community life. I met people who wanted to talk food, gardens, cooking, hot sauce, maple syrup, tomato preservation, and all the practical questions that come up when we are trying to make the most of what grows around us. I also caught up with neighbors, friends, and everyone in between.

    There is something different about handing someone a product you made yourself.

    They can see the label. They can ask how it tastes. They can ask what is in it. They can tell you whether they like it. They can take it home and make it part of their own meals.

    That kind of feedback is more valuable than a guess made from my own kitchen table.

    Bringing Garden Heat into the world

    Garden Heat began with peppers from our homestead and a desire to make something useful from what we grow.

    It is a lacto-fermented hot sauce, made in small batches and tested before bottling. The flavor is bright and garden-forward, with a slow-building kick that tends to arrive at the end.

    One of the funniest lessons from the event was realizing that “mild” is relative.

    A few people said Garden Heat was mostly mild, with a pleasant little kick at the end. Others found it far too spicy. Living in Wisconsin, I have learned that a person’s definition of spicy can vary wildly from one table to the next.

    That is not a bad thing. It is useful information.

    It tells me that Garden Heat may be approachable for people who enjoy a little warmth in their food while still offering enough of a kick for people who want to know they are eating hot sauce. It also gives me better language for describing it to future customers: a garden-fresh sauce with a slow-building kick.

    People asked what they could put it on, too. My answer is almost anything that could use a little bright, garden-grown heat: eggs, tacos, grilled meat, chili, soup, breakfast potatoes, or a sandwich that needs waking up.

    An unexpected visitor

    Kekoskee River Day was especially memorable because an episode of Mad Dog & Merrill’s Midwest Grill’n was filmed nearby. The event itself included local vendors, food, entertainment, and the show’s taping in River Park.

    I was set up near the activity, which added a little extra excitement to the day. Then Mad Dog stopped by my table and purchased a bottle of Garden Heat.

    I am not pretending that one sale makes a business. But after all the growing, chopping, fermenting, testing, bottling, labeling, worrying, and hoping, it was a small moment that meant a great deal.

    Someone known for food and grilling saw my little bottles on the table and decided one was worth taking home.

    That is the kind of encouragement I will remember.

    During filming, Mad Dog & Merrill mentioned several times that the Kekoskee episode is expected to premiere on Sunday, October 11. If you watch local Wisconsin television, you may see me in my “Easily Excited by Pickles” shirt, acting a little too enthusiastic in the audience.

    What the day taught me

    I did not sell out, and that is okay. I did make sales, including seven bottles of Garden Heat and several jars of maple syrup. But the most valuable part of the day was watching people stop, ask questions, taste the sauce, share their opinions, and talk about what they were growing and preserving at home.

    The event reminded me that a first local market is not only about whether every product disappears from the table. It is about paying attention.

    I learned what people are curious about.

    I learned how people describe the heat level.

    I learned which products draw people over.

    I learned that baked goods can make a table feel welcoming.

    And I heard a question more than once that has stayed with me: What do you do when you have too many tomatoes?

    That question became the inspiration for another post, because this is how I hope this little project grows. A conversation at a local event becomes a useful idea. A useful idea becomes a blog post. A blog post may help another gardener or cook facing the same problem.

    That is community, too.

    I came home with less product on the table and something more useful than a perfect sellout: proof that people were willing to stop, taste, ask questions, and take a small piece of our homestead home with them.

    Garden Heat is still a small experiment. But it is becoming a real one.

    It is part of a larger hope we have for this place: to grow food, make useful things, share what we learn, and build something our family can keep developing over time.

    For now, that looks like peppers in the garden, maple trees tapped in the spring, bottles of sauce on a table beside a river, and the people who pause long enough to say, “Tell me about this.”

    That is a beginning worth celebrating.

    Local availability: Garden Heat is a small-batch, lacto-fermented hot sauce made from peppers grown on our homestead. If you are local and interested in trying a bottle—or purchasing our maple syrup—please send me a message.

  • Garden Heat at Kekoskee River Day 2026

    Garden Heat at Kekoskee River Day 2026

    I am excited to bring Garden Heat to Kekoskee River Day on Saturday, September 12, 2026!

    I plan to be set up and ready to start selling by about 9:00 a.m. at Kekoskee Village Park. I will be there while supplies last.

    What’s Happening at River Day

    Kekoskee River Day will have plenty going on throughout the day. Mad Dog & Merrill will be filming their Midwest Grillin’ show on site beginning around 10:00 a.m. The event will also include a display of Native American artifacts, local crafts and vendors, and live music following the filming.

    It is a fun opportunity to spend the day in the park, enjoy the activities, and support local vendors.

    What I’ll Have for Sale

    I will have a small selection of homemade goods available, including:

    • Garden Heat, my small-batch lacto-fermented hot sauce
    • Maple syrup, produced in small batches on our property
    • Fresh baked goods

    I will have limited quantities of Garden Heat available, so if you have been wanting to try it, I encourage you to stop by early.

    If you are interested in how we make our maple syrup, you can also read Homestead Maple Syrup Making: Sugar Shack to 66° Brix Gold.

    About Garden Heat

    Garden Heat starts with garden-grown peppers and a lacto-fermentation process that develops its tangy flavor before the sauce is bottled.

    If you would like a closer look at the general process behind lacto-fermenting vegetables, you can also read my recent post, How to Make Lacto-Fermented Dill Pickles in a Crock. While the finished product is different, the same basic fermentation principles are at work.

    An Invitation

    I will be offering hot-sauce samples, so please feel free to stop by and say hello—even if you are simply curious to taste Garden Heat or learn more about what I am making. Your support and encouragement mean a lot as I take this next step.

    I am excited to keep building a business around the food we grow, preserve, and make at home. If you are coming to Kekoskee River Day, I would love to see you there!

    If you are planning to attend Kekoskee River Day, what are you most looking forward to seeing or doing?

    If you know someone who will be at Kekoskee River Day, I would be grateful if you shared this post and helped them find my booth.

    Read More Here: Buying Meat from a Farmer: A Complete Guide to Bulk Meat, Freezers, and Butchers

  • How to Make Lacto-Fermented Dill Pickles in a Crock

    How to Make Lacto-Fermented Dill Pickles in a Crock

    Jump to Recipe

    Every summer, there comes a point when the cucumber patch stops being charming and starts producing faster than we can reasonably eat.

    At first, the cucumbers become snacks, salads—because, Midwesterner at heart, I still think they are excellent dipped in ranch dressing—and something to slice alongside dinner. Then the counter begins to fill up. A few cucumbers become a pile, and suddenly it is time to decide what to do with them before they grow too large, soften in the refrigerator, or get lost behind the milk.

    That is when I make crock pickles.

    These are not quick refrigerator pickles made with vinegar. They are lacto-fermented pickles: cucumbers packed in a salt brine with dill, garlic, onions, and seasonings, then left to ferment slowly. The result is a tangy, savory pickle with a flavor that is different from a vinegar pickle—less sharp, more complex, and deeply satisfying alongside a sandwich, a plate of meat and cheese, or a simple summer meal.

    I like fermentation because it gives the harvest a slower rhythm. In the middle of a busy garden season, there is something satisfying about checking a crock, watching for bubbles, smelling the brine, and waiting for ordinary cucumbers to become something else.

    What Are Lacto-Fermented Pickles?

    Lacto-fermented pickles are made by submerging cucumbers in a salt brine and allowing naturally occurring lactic-acid bacteria to ferment the vegetables. As fermentation progresses, those bacteria transform sugars in the vegetables into lactic acid. That acid creates the familiar sour flavor and helps preserve the cucumbers when the ferment is made and stored properly.

    Wet brines work well for fermenting whole vegetables or large pieces of produce, including cucumber pickles. The salt concentration, clean equipment, temperature, and keeping vegetables submerged are all crucial in this process.

    Lacto-fermented pickles are different from vinegar pickles in the following ways:

    Vinegar picklesLacto-fermented pickles
    Acidity comes from added vinegar.Acidity develops naturally during fermentation.
    Often made as quick refrigerator pickles or canned using a tested vinegar recipe.Fermented in a salt brine with time and proper conditions.
    Flavor is bright, sharp, and vinegar-forward.Flavor is tangy, savory, and develops gradually.
    Storage depends on the tested recipe used.These pickles are refrigerated once they have fermented to the flavor you like.
    Vinegar strength and processing directions matter for safety.Salt concentration, temperature, clean equipment, and keeping vegetables submerged matter for safety.

    This post explains how I make salt-brine lacto-fermented pickles in my kitchen. There is no added vinegar. If you are new to fermentation, I encourage you to read guidance from a university Extension service or another reputable fermentation resource before starting.

    What I Use for Crock Pickles

    You do not need a fancy setup, but you do need clean, food-safe equipment and a way to keep the cucumbers below the brine.

    Here is what I gather:

    • Fresh pickling cucumbers
    • Fresh dill heads, dill seed, or dried dill
    • Garlic cloves
    • Sliced onion
    • Optional banana peppers
    • Pickling or canning salt
    • Water
    • A clean glass jar, crock, or food-safe fermentation vessel. I like using a gallon-size olive jar that I have cleaned carefully
    • A food-safe weight and cover
    • Optional seasonings, such as peppercorns, dried red pepper, or pickling spices
    • Optional clean raspberry leaves or grape leaves

    Use a cover that keeps out dust and insects while still allowing fermentation gases to escape, unless you are using a fermentation lid designed for that purpose.

    I use raspberry or grape leaves because they contain tannins, which have traditionally been used to help pickles stay crisp. They are optional, and I enjoy using them when I have them. Fresh cucumbers, proper brine, suitable temperature, and keeping the cucumbers submerged matter much more than any crispness add-in.

    Use pickling or canning salt rather than table salt or flake salt. Pickling salt dissolves cleanly, while additives in some table salts can cloud the brine and flake salt does not measure consistently by volume.

    My Crock-Pickle Process

    I start with cucumbers that are as fresh as possible. Small, firm pickling cucumbers are ideal. Once cucumbers begin to sit around for several days, they are less likely to make the crisp pickles everyone hopes for.

    1. Wash and trim the cucumbers

    Wash the cucumbers well. I trim a very thin slice from the blossom end—the end opposite the stem—before placing the cucumbers in the brine.

    For larger cucumbers, I cut them into halves or quarters so the pieces ferment more evenly. Whole oversized cucumbers can be less pleasant in texture and harder to use once fermented.

    2. Prepare the crock

    Wash the crock, container, plate, weight, and utensils well with hot, soapy water. If you choose to sanitize food-contact surfaces with bleach, follow current label directions and food-safety guidance for dilution. Let the equipment drain or air-dry before it comes into contact with the cucumbers or brine.

    I place some of the dill and seasonings in the bottom of the crock or jar, then add the cucumbers. I tuck in garlic, onions, optional banana peppers, and clean raspberry or grape leaves.

    I do not ferment only cucumbers in the brine. The onions, garlic, and peppers change right alongside them. By the time the cucumbers are tangy and ready, the onions have softened and become pleasantly sharp, the garlic has mellowed, and the peppers have taken on the same salty, sour flavor as the pickles.

    They are delicious tucked into sandwiches, added to a charcuterie board, chopped into potato salad, or eaten straight from the jar alongside the cucumbers.

    3. Make the salt brine

    This is the one part of the process where I stay consistent.

    For each batch, I make a brine with:

    • ½ gallon water
    • ¼ cup pickling salt

    I start with a little hot water so the salt dissolves more easily, then add cool water until I have the full half-gallon of brine. I let the brine cool before pouring it over the cucumbers.

    This is a salt-brine ferment, not a vinegar pickle. The salt creates the environment where lactic-acid bacteria can do their work while the cucumbers, garlic, onions, peppers, and dill slowly develop their flavor.

    If you use a different type or brand of salt, calculate your brine by weight or follow a tested recipe designed for that specific salt rather than assuming volume measurements will transfer exactly.

    4. Keep everything under the brine

    This may be the most important practical step: the cucumbers need to stay submerged.

    Keeping the cucumbers below the brine limits their exposure to air and helps prevent surface mold and spoilage. The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends keeping fermenting cucumbers 1–2 inches beneath the brine. In a crock, a clean plate that fits inside the container can be weighted with sealed jars of water; a properly sealed food-safe bag filled with brine can also serve as a weight.

    I have used food-safe zip-top bags filled with brine, as well as glass fermentation weights. Both work very well.

    I check mine regularly. Cucumbers bobbing above the brine are not a small cosmetic issue—they are more exposed to air, mold, and spoilage.

    5. Ferment until they taste right

    Fermentation is not instant, and warmer is not always better.

    In my kitchen during the warm part of summer, I typically begin tasting the pickles after about a week at room temperature. Small cucumbers are usually ready first; larger cucumbers, halves, or quarters may need several more days. If you are fermenting in a cooler basement, the process may take longer.

    The best guide is the pickle itself. I look for a pleasantly sour, tangy flavor; a change in the cucumber’s color and texture; active bubbles early in the process; and brine that smells clean and pickle-like.

    Warm temperatures speed fermentation, but temperatures over about 80°F can make cucumbers soften more quickly. If your kitchen is very warm, begin checking earlier and move finished pickles to the refrigerator promptly.

    Every batch is a little different, so I pay attention to the actual cucumbers: the smell, the brine, the level of sourness, and the condition of the vegetables—not only the number of days on the counter.

    6. Check the crock regularly

    During fermentation, the brine may become cloudy and bubbles may appear. Those can be normal parts of active fermentation.

    Check the container regularly. A little surface scum can occur during fermentation, but any growth should prompt a careful assessment. If you see mold or are uncertain about what you are seeing, do not assume the batch can be made safe by removing what is visible.

    If the pickles become soft, slimy, or develop a disagreeable odor, discard them. When in doubt, I do not try to save a batch. Cucumbers are replaceable; food safety is not.

    Print Recipe
    Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

    Ingredients
      

    • Fresh pickling cucumbers enough to fill a clean gallon-size jar or crock
    • ½ gallon water
    • ¼ cup pickling or canning salt
    • Fresh dill heads dill seed, or dried dill, to taste
    • Garlic cloves to taste
    • 1 sliced onion
    • Optional banana peppers
    • Optional peppercorns dried red pepper, or pickling spices
    • Optional clean raspberry leaves or grape leaves
    • Extra prepared brine if needed, to keep all vegetables submerged

    Equipment

    • A clean, food-safe gallon jar, crock, or fermentation vessel
    • A fermentation weight, small plate and weight, or food-safe zip-top bag filled with brine
    • A cover that protects the ferment from dust and insects while allowing gases to escape, unless using a fermentation lid designed for that purpose

    Method
     

    1. Wash the cucumbers well and trim a very thin slice from the blossom end. Cut very large cucumbers into halves or quarters.
    2. Wash the fermentation vessel, weight, cover, and utensils thoroughly with hot, soapy water. Allow them to drain or air-dry before use.
    3. Add some dill, garlic, onion, optional peppers, spices, and optional raspberry or grape leaves to the bottom of the vessel.
    4. Pack the cucumbers into the vessel. Add the remaining dill, garlic, onion, peppers, leaves, and seasonings throughout the jar or crock.
    5. Make the brine by dissolving ¼ cup pickling salt in ½ gallon water. Use a small amount of hot water first if desired, then add cool water to reach the full amount. Let the brine cool before using.
    6. Pour enough cooled brine over the vegetables to cover them completely.
    7. Add a weight to keep the cucumbers and other vegetables fully submerged beneath the brine. Leave a little headspace at the top of the vessel.
    8. Cover and ferment at room temperature, away from direct sunlight.
    9. Begin checking and tasting after about 7 days. Small cucumbers may be ready first; larger cucumbers or pieces may need several more days.
    10. Once the pickles are pleasantly sour and tangy, refrigerate them. Keep the vegetables under the brine during storage.

    Notes

    • A room that is too warm—especially above about 80°F—can cause cucumbers to soften more quickly.
    • Cloudy brine and small bubbles are often normal during active fermentation.
    • A little surface scum can occur during fermentation. If you see mold or are uncertain about a batch, do not assume it can be made safe by removing visible growth.
    • Discard pickles that are soft, slimy, smell rotten or unpleasant, or otherwise seem questionable.
    • The onions, garlic, and banana peppers become deliciously tangy too. Use them on sandwiches, charcuterie boards, potato salad, burgers, or alongside a meal.
    • Use pickling or canning salt. Do not substitute flake salt by volume because its density varies; additives in other salts can cloud the brine.

    What Is Normal – and What Is Not?

    Often normal during fermentationDiscard or seek reliable guidance
    Cloudy brineSoft or slimy cucumbers
    Small bubblesRotten, foul, or unpleasant odor
    Sour, pickle-like smellVegetables left above the brine
    Gradual changes in color and flavorVisible mold or growth you cannot confidently identify
    Mild surface scum that you assess carefullyAny batch you do not feel confident is safe

    If you are new to fermentation, begin with a reliable salt-brine fermentation method and pay close attention to the recipe’s recommended salt concentration, temperature, and storage guidance. It is the easiest way to learn what a healthy ferment should look and smell like.

    My Best Tips for Crisp Pickles

    Crispness is usually the biggest question with homemade pickles. These are the habits that make the biggest difference for me:

    • Start with very fresh, firm cucumbers.
    • Use small pickling cucumbers rather than oversized slicing cucumbers.
    • Trim the blossom end.
    • Use pickling or canning salt in a consistent brine.
    • Keep the cucumbers completely submerged.
    • Ferment in a suitable temperature range.
    • Use raspberry or grape leaves if you enjoy that traditional practice, but do not rely on them in place of proper fermentation conditions.
    • Refrigerate the finished pickles once they reach the flavor you enjoy.

    The best pickle batches begin before the crock ever comes out: with cucumbers picked at the right time and used while they are still firm and fresh.

    Why I Keep Making Them

    Canning, freezing, and dehydrating are all useful ways to handle a harvest, but fermentation feels different to me.

    It is slower. It asks for a little attention instead of one long afternoon of work. I like opening the crock, checking the brine, and knowing the cucumbers are changing a little every day. I like that it turns a summer overflow into something we can enjoy later, one crunchy pickle at a time.

    And I like that no two garden seasons are exactly alike. Some years the cucumbers come in steadily. Some years they seem to appear all at once. Some batches are crisper than others. But every time, the crock gives me one more way to use what the garden provides.

    One reason I enjoy traditionally fermented pickles is that, unlike vinegar pickles, they are a living ferment while they are fresh and refrigerated. Salt-brine fermentation is driven by lactic-acid bacteria, which transform the vegetables’ natural sugars into lactic acid and create that familiar tangy flavor.

    I enjoy them first because they are delicious, but I also appreciate that fermentation brings living cultures and a different kind of complexity to the food. The exact microorganisms in fermented foods can vary by batch and storage method, so “fermented” does not automatically mean every batch contains proven probiotic strains or creates the same health effects for every person.

    My husband also remembers his grandmother making crock pickles and sharing them with the family. I love that this kind of preservation carries more than food forward. It carries the memory of a kitchen, a season, and the people who taught us how to make something from what was growing.

    I shared more of that family story here: One Jar at a Time:  A legacy in Brine.

    Plan Before the Cucumbers Pile Up

    If your garden is beginning to produce more than you can use fresh, download my free Grow What You’ll Use: A Simple Garden and Harvest Planner for Real Life. It includes a place to track what is ready now, decide what to eat fresh or preserve, and make a manageable plan for the harvest.

    Get the Free Garden and Harvest Planner

    And if you are deciding how to preserve extra vegetables, you may also find these helpful:

    A Note for New Fermenters

    Fermentation can feel intimidating at first, but you do not need to learn every preservation method at once. Start with one reliable salt-brine method, clean equipment, good cucumbers, and the patience to let the process happen.

    Do you make fermented pickles, vinegar pickles, or both? I would love to hear what you add to your crock—and whether you use grape leaves, raspberry leaves, or another trick to keep your pickles crisp.

    If this post helped you feel more confident about using a cucumber harvest, please consider liking it or sharing it with a gardener, pickle lover, or friend whose cucumber plants are beginning to take over.

    Read More Here: How to Freeze Peppers, Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Berries for Later

  • How to Make Dehydrated Meals for Camping and Busy Days

    How to Make Dehydrated Meals for Camping and Busy Days

    This is the third and final post in my food dehydration series. In the first post, I covered How to Dehydrate Food at Home: Air Drying, Oven Drying, and Dehydrators. In the second post, I shared How to Dehydrate Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs From the Garden.

    One of the most useful things you can do with a dehydrator is make simple meal bases that can be rehydrated later. They are especially handy for camping, but they are also useful during busy weeks or anytime you need a quick meal from pantry ingredients and have a way to boil water.

    The basic idea is simple: cook a meal you already enjoy, make a double batch while you are already cooking, then dry the extra portion in thin layers. Later, you can turn it into an easy meal with a little boiling water.

    For a kitchen-friendly reference with preparation, temperature, drying time, storage, and rehydration charts, see my Garden Drying Guide. Thank you for supporting my mission to help aspiring homesteaders gain the knowledge they need.

    Get the Drying Guide for $5

    Why Dehydrated Meal Bases Are So Helpful

    Dehydrated meals are lightweight, compact, and easy to pack. That is why they are popular for camping and hiking. They can also be a simple option when you want meal ingredients that do not take up freezer space.

    I like this method because it lets me make the most of work I am already doing in the kitchen. If I am making a pot of rice and beans for dinner, it is not much harder to make extra and prepare some for the dehydrator at the same time.

    Choose Low-Fat Foods for Dehydrated Meals

    This method works best with low-fat foods. Rice, beans, vegetables, tomato-based sauces, and many simple seasonings dry well and rehydrate nicely. I include a guide on how to use a pressure cooker to prepare rice here and a guide on how to cook beans here.

    I avoid using this method for fatty foods, creamy sauces, oily foods, or meat unless I am following a tested recipe written specifically for dehydrating and storing those foods. Fat does not dry the same way moisture does and can go rancid during storage.

    For this reason, I usually focus on vegetarian meal bases when I am making dehydrated meals at home. The good news is that you can always add fresh toppings, cheese, avocado, or a cooked protein later when you are ready to serve the meal.

    How to Dehydrate Cooked Rice and Beans

    Cooked rice and beans are two of the easiest meal ingredients to dehydrate. They are inexpensive, filling, and easy to use later. I cover how to use a pressure cooker to cook rice here and how to cook beans here.

    Because rice is already cooked, I spread it onto dehydrator trays soon after cooking. If I cannot dry it right away, I cool it promptly and refrigerate it until I am ready to use it.

    Spread the rice or beans in a thin, even layer across a dehydrator tray. Break up clumps so air can move around the food. I typically dry meal bases at about 145°F, checking them regularly as they get close to finished. Drying time will vary depending on how wet the meal is, how thickly it is spread, and the type of dehydrator you are using.

    Dry until the pieces are hard and no longer feel soft or moist. If your meal is saucy or has small pieces that might fall through the trays, use a solid tray liner or fruit-roll sheet made for your dehydrator.

    Once dry, let everything cool completely before placing it in an airtight container or freezer bag. Label it with the contents and date.

    When you are ready to use it, start with roughly equal amounts of dried food and boiling water. Cover the bowl or pot and let it sit for about 10 minutes, then add a little more water if the meal still seems dry or firm. Larger pieces and thicker ingredients may need more time.

    Easy Dehydrated Meal Ideas

    Vegetarian Jambalaya-Style Base

    A vegetarian jambalaya-style base is one of my favorite options. Make a batch using rice, beans, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and seasonings. Keep the mixture low in fat, then spread it in a thin layer on dehydrator trays.

    When you are ready to use it later, add boiling water and let it rehydrate. You can enjoy it as-is or add a freshly cooked protein when you prepare it.

    Before drying
    After drying. I know it looks less than appetizing, but it’s truly delicious when you add water back.

    Rice and Bean Taco Filling

    Rice and bean tacos are another easy option. Cook rice with beans, corn, peppers, onions, taco seasoning, and tomatoes or tomato sauce. Dry the finished mixture in thin layers.

    Later, rehydrate it with hot water and serve it in tortillas, over lettuce, with tortilla chips, or as a quick burrito bowl. Add avocado, cooked ground beef, cheese, or sour cream when serving to make the meal more filling.

    Dried cooked black beans
    Dried cooked rice.

    Soup and Stew Bases

    You can also make dehydrated soup or stew bases using dried vegetables, beans, rice, pasta, and seasonings. When it is time to cook, add water or broth and simmer until everything is tender.

    These are especially nice for camping because you can pack a full meal into a small bag.

    Simple Steps for Drying Meal Bases

    1. Cook a low-fat meal you already enjoy.
    2. Make a double batch so the extra work is minimal.
    3. Spread the cooked food in a thin, even layer on dehydrator trays.
    4. Break up clumps and stir occasionally as it dries.
    5. Dry until the food is completely hard and no longer feels moist.
    6. Let it cool completely.
    7. Package it in airtight containers or bags and label with the date.
    8. Rehydrate later with boiling water or add it directly to soups and stews.

    Want a kitchen-friendly reference?

    My Garden Drying Guide includes printable preparation, temperature, drying time, storage, and rehydration charts for garden produce and simple meal bases.

    Get the Printable Guide Here

    Storage Tips for Dehydrated Meals

    Keep dried meal bases in airtight containers and store them in a cool, dark, dry place. Smaller packages are helpful because food begins taking on moisture from the air once a container is opened.

    I also like to package meal bases in one-meal portions so I can grab exactly what I need without opening a larger container.

    For longer-term storage, especially if I am making meals well ahead of a trip, I prefer to keep sealed meal bases in the freezer until I am ready to use them.

    Be sure to label your bags with the contents and the year at a minimum. Also add the rehydration instructions if they’re not straightforward.

    Before storing meal bases for a longer period, I like to check the container after a day or two for any signs of condensation. If moisture shows up, the food needs more time in the dehydrator before it is stored again.

    As with any home-preserved food, check it before using it. If you see moisture, mold, or anything that looks or smells off, throw it away.

    A Simple Way to Save Time Later

    Making dehydrated meal bases is one of those small projects that can pay off later. It takes a little extra time on cooking day, but it gives you something useful for camping trips, busy nights, and days when you need a simple meal without much planning.

    This is the conclusion of my food dehydration series, but it is only one of many ways to preserve a harvest at home. Whether you freeze, dehydrate, or eventually try canning, each method is another way to make the most of what you grow.

    If you are just getting started with dehydration, you can also read my posts on choosing a drying method and preparing fruits, vegetables, and herbs for dehydrating.

    Do you make homemade dehydrated meals for camping, hiking, or busy days at home? Share your favorite meal ideas or ingredients to dehydrate in the comments.

    If this post was helpful, please like and share it with a friend who enjoys camping, hiking, gardening, or making homemade food for later.

    Read More Here: Our Simple, Budget-Friendly Camping Setup for Family Road Trips

  • How to Dehydrate Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs From the Garden

    How to Dehydrate Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs From the Garden

    This is the second post in my dehydration series. In the first post, I covered How to Dehydrate Food at Home: Air Drying, Oven Drying, and Dehydrators. In this post, I’m focusing on how to prepare fruits, vegetables, and herbs before drying them.

    Once you have chosen a drying method, the next step is preparing the food. Not every fruit, vegetable, or herb needs the same treatment before it goes into the dehydrator.

    Some foods can be washed, sliced, and placed right on the tray. Others benefit from a little extra prep, such as blanching or an acidic dip to help preserve color. Once you learn a few basic preparation methods, it becomes much easier to work through whatever your garden is producing.

    If you would like a printer-friendly reference to keep in the kitchen, my Garden Drying Guide includes expanded preparation, drying time, temperature, and storage charts for garden produce.

    Get the Guide Here for $5

    How to Prepare Fruit for Dehydrating

    Fruit is one of the simplest foods to dehydrate. Start with clean, good-quality fruit, and cut it into similarly sized pieces so it dries evenly.

    Many fruits can go directly onto dehydrator trays after washing and cutting. Arrange the pieces in a single layer without touching or overlapping.

    Most fruits dry well at about 135–140°F. Since dehydrators vary, use the closest setting on your machine and check food regularly as it gets closer to being finished.

    Berries

    Berries are one of my favorite foods to dehydrate because they are easy to prepare and so useful later. Make sure they are well dried after washing so you are not adding extra moisture to the dehydrator.

    Whole blueberries and cranberries have thicker skins, so they usually need to be cracked before drying. A brief dip in boiling water followed by a quick dip in cold water can split the skins and help moisture escape.

    Strawberries are also wonderful to dry. Hull them first, then slice them into even pieces so they dry more evenly. Dried strawberries are especially good in trail mix, oatmeal, muffins, and homemade granola.

    Cherries

    Cherries are one of my favorite dehydrated foods. They take a little more prep because they need to be pitted first, and they can take quite a while to dry. But the end result is worth it.

    Once pitted, place the cherries in a single layer on the tray. Dried cherries are wonderful for snacking, trail mix, oatmeal, baking, and homemade granola.

    Dehydrated cherries are a wonderful dried snack.

    Apples

    Apples are another favorite, especially during apple season. The easiest way I have found to prepare apples is with a Johnny Apple Peeler. It cores, peels, and slices apples all at once, which makes the job go much faster.

    After slicing, apples can be placed directly on the dehydrator trays. If you want to help prevent browning, dip the slices in a mixture of equal parts bottled lemon juice and water for a few minutes, then drain them well before drying. This step is optional, but it helps the apples keep a lighter color.

    Dried apples are great for snacking, baking, oatmeal, and homemade trail mix.

    I use a Johnny Apple Peeler to core, peel, and slice the apples in thin strips for the dehydrator.
    Stack the pieces neatly on a dehydrator tray. You can optionally dip them in a lemon juice/water mixture to prevent browning (I don’t).
    After 8-12 hours, you get these delicious chips that are perfect on their own or in trail mix!

    How to Prepare Vegetables for Dehydrating

    Vegetables can take a little more preparation because many benefit from blanching before drying. Blanching briefly heats the vegetables before they go into the dehydrator. It helps preserve color and quality, slows enzyme activity, and can help vegetables dry and rehydrate more evenly later.

    If you need a refresher on the basic blanching process, see my post, How to Blanch and Freeze Broccoli and Other Garden Vegetables.

    Vegetables that often benefit from blanching or cooking before drying include:

    • Green beans
    • Broccoli
    • Cauliflower
    • Carrots
    • Corn
    • Peas
    • Celery

    After blanching, plunge the vegetables into ice water to stop the cooking process. Then drain them well before arranging them in a thin, even layer on dehydrator trays. Too much moisture or overcrowding can slow down the drying process.

    Most vegetables dry well at about 135–140°F. Not every vegetable needs blanching, though. Onions, garlic, peppers, and herbs can usually be dried without that extra step.

    Peppers (including cayenne) do not need to be blanched before drying.
    While blanching is not necessary for dried celery, the process helps preserve the vibrant green color.

    Herbs Are One of the Easiest Foods to Dry

    Herbs are one of the easiest places to start if you are new to dehydrating. Basil, mint, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, and rosemary dry much more quickly than most fruits and vegetables.

    Wash garden herbs gently if needed, then dry them very well before placing them on trays. Extra water on the leaves will make the drying process take longer.

    Herbs need a lower drying temperature than fruits and vegetables. I usually dry herbs between 95–115°F so they hold onto more of their flavor and aroma.

    Once the leaves are brittle and crumble easily between your fingers, they are ready to store. I like drying herbs because a little goes a long way, and it is such a satisfying way to preserve a garden harvest. It is also nice to have homegrown herbs ready to use during the winter.

    A Note About Drying Times

    Drying time can vary depending on the food, the thickness of the slices, the humidity in your home, and the type of dehydrator you use. Use any recommended drying time as a starting point, but always check the food itself before deciding it is finished.

    Thinner, evenly cut pieces usually dry more consistently. When in doubt, let the food cool before testing it, since warm food often feels softer than it will after it cools.

    Simple Dehydrating Preparation Guide

    Use this chart as a quick preparation guide. Drying temperatures and times can vary a little by dehydrator model, so always check your machine’s manual and the food itself as it dries.

    FoodHow to PrepareDrying TemperatureSpecial TipGood Uses
    BerriesWash, dry well, and place in a single layer135–140°FCrack thicker-skinned berries such as whole blueberries and cranberries before dryingSnacks, smoothies, baking, trail mix
    StrawberriesWash, hull, and slice into even pieces135–140°FKeep slices similar in thickness for more even dryingSnacks, oatmeal, muffins, granola
    CherriesWash, pit, and place in a single layer135–140°FExpect a longer drying timeSnacks, oatmeal, granola, baking
    ApplesWash, peel or leave peel on, core, and slice135–140°FDip in lemon water if you want to reduce browningSnacks, oatmeal, pies, trail mix
    Blanched vegetablesWash, cut evenly, blanch, cool, drain, and spread on trays135–140°FKeep layers thin for better airflowSoups, stews, casseroles
    Peppers and onionsWash, slice, and spread on trays135–140°FThese usually do not need blanchingSoups, chili, skillet meals
    HerbsWash if needed and dry thoroughly95–115°FDry until crisp and crumblySeasoning blends, cooking, tea

    Want a kitchen-friendly reference?

    My Garden Drying Guide includes printable preparation, temperature, drying time, storage, and rehydration charts for garden produce.

    Get the Guide Here for $5

    How to Tell When Food Is Dry

    Fruit should be dry enough that no moisture can be squeezed from it. It is often leathery and pliable rather than brittle. When folded in half, dried fruit should not feel moist or sticky inside.

    Vegetables are usually finished when they are brittle, crisp, or leathery. Herbs should crumble easily when rubbed between your fingers.

    Test food after it has cooled completely, since warm food often feels softer than it will once it reaches room temperature. Once food is dry, let it cool completely before packaging it in airtight containers.

    I usually label each container with the food and date so I can keep track of what needs to be used first. Store dried food in airtight containers in a cool, dark, dry place.

    Next in This Series

    In the next post, I’ll share one of the most useful ways to use a dehydrator: making simple meal bases that can be rehydrated later for camping, pantry meals, or busy days at home.

    What are your favorite fruits, vegetables, or herbs to dehydrate from the garden? Share your go-to foods and favorite ways to use them in the comments.

    If this post was helpful, please like and share it with a friend who enjoys gardening, dehydrating food, or preserving the harvest.

    Read More Here: How to Make Homemade Venison Jerky: Smoked vs. Dehydrated

  • How to Dehydrate Food at Home: Air Drying, Oven Drying, and Dehydrators

    How to Dehydrate Food at Home: Air Drying, Oven Drying, and Dehydrators

    I love the many different ways food can be preserved at home and enjoyed throughout the year. In my last three posts, I covered different methods of freezing garden produce. Today, I’m starting a new preservation series with one of the oldest methods: dehydration.

    Dehydration removes most of the moisture from food, which changes its texture and helps it keep longer when it is dried and stored properly. Some foods become chewy, some become crisp, and some can later be rehydrated and added to soups, casseroles, or other meals.

    In this dehydration series, I’ll cover three simple topics:

    Want a kitchen-friendly reference?
    My Garden Drying Guide includes printable preparation, temperature, drying time, storage, and rehydration charts for garden produce.

    Get the printable guide here for $5

    There are several ways to dry food at home. Some are simple and inexpensive, while others take a little more equipment. The important things are gentle heat, moving air, and enough time for moisture to leave the food before it has a chance to spoil or mold.

    Drying Methods at a Glance

    Before we get into each method, here is a quick look at the different ways you can dry food at home.

    Drying MethodBest ForWhat You NeedBenefitsThings to Keep in Mind
    Air dryingHerbs, stale bread for croutons or bread crumbsCookie sheet, drying rack, or hanging bundles; a dry indoor space with airflowSimple, inexpensive, and requires no special equipmentBest for herbs and dry bread rather than fresh produce; protect food from dust and moisture; do not overcrowd pans
    Sun dryingFruit in hot, dry climatesDrying racks or screens, insect protection, and consistent sunshineTraditional method with no electricity requiredDepends on hot, dry weather; bring food in at night; protect it from insects and animals; not practical in every climate
    Oven dryingSmall batches, tomato paste, and foods you want to dry without a dehydratorLow-temperature oven, racks or trays, and careful monitoringUses equipment many people already ownWorks best if the oven can hold about 140–150°F; moisture needs a way to escape; can use more energy and requires close attention
    Dedicated dehydratorRegular dehydrating, garden harvests, larger batches, and more consistent resultsElectric dehydrator and traysConsistent airflow and temperature control; useful for larger batchesCosts more upfront; round models may need tray rotation, while rectangular models often provide more even airflow

    Air Drying Food at Home

    The most basic drying method is air drying. This works especially well for herbs such as basil, mint, and parsley. You can spread clean, dry leaves in a thin layer or hang small bundles in a dry place with good airflow until they are fully dry.

    I have also used this method very effectively with old stale bread. I cut the bread into cubes for croutons or crumble it for homemade bread crumbs, then spread it on a cookie sheet in a dry spot out of the way and stir it from time to time. It is a simple way to use bread that might otherwise go to waste.

    The key with air drying is not to overcrowd the pan or pile the food too densely. Food needs plenty of room for air to move around it. Stir small pieces occasionally, and make sure everything is completely dry before putting it away.

    Dehydrating old bread for crutons or bread crumbs couldn’t be easier

    Sun Drying Food

    Sun drying is another traditional preservation method, although it is not one I have used enough to give much personal advice about it. Between my roaming chickens and other curious homestead critters, I am afraid my food would be gone before I got the chance to enjoy it myself.

    Sun drying is similar to air drying, but it depends on consistently hot, dry, sunny weather. It is most practical in climates with very low humidity, which is also not here in southeastern Wisconsin. In more humid areas, food may mold before it has a chance to dry thoroughly, so an oven or dehydrator is usually a more dependable choice.

    If you do try sun drying, protect food from insects and animals, bring it in at night, and watch the weather closely. Because sun drying depends so heavily on the weather, I see it as more of a traditional option than an everyday preservation method for my own kitchen.

    How to Use an Oven as a Dehydrator

    Before I owned a dedicated dehydrator, I used my oven often. It works, although it does take a little extra attention.

    Spread food in a single layer on oven-safe drying racks or trays. If your oven can be set as low as 140–150°F, that is ideal for many fruits and vegetables. Prop the oven door open slightly so moisture can escape, and check the food regularly.

    I still use the oven method when I make tomato paste because it works so well. Creating tomato paste from juiced tomatoes takes time, but the slow oven heat helps cook down and dry the tomatoes into something thick, rich, and caramelized.

    Oven drying can be less efficient than using a dedicated dehydrator, and not every oven holds a low temperature evenly. Check food regularly, especially toward the end, so it does not scorch or become overly brittle. Always follow your oven manufacturer’s guidance, and do not leave a propped-open oven unattended.

    If your oven’s lowest setting is 170°F, it can still be useful for certain projects. Just check food often, since the higher heat can dry the outside more quickly than the inside.

    Why I Prefer a Dedicated Dehydrator

    My favorite method is using a dedicated dehydrator. These machines are made to move heated air steadily over the food, which helps it dry more evenly. They also make it much easier to control the temperature, which is helpful when you are drying different kinds of food.

    There are two common styles of dehydrators. Round or stacked-tray dehydrators usually move air vertically through the unit. Rectangular dehydrators generally move heated air from the back across the trays.

    I have used both kinds, and I personally prefer rectangular dehydrators. For me, the results seem more even, and I find the trays easier to load. I like being able to spread food out in a single layer without trying to fit everything around a center opening. The biggest downside is that rectangular dehydrators are usually more expensive.

    Here’s the rectangular dehydrator that I use.

    Horizontal-airflow dehydrators can be especially helpful when you are drying different foods at once because the air moves evenly across the trays. Vertical-flow models can work well too, but they may require more tray rotation for even drying.

    Basic Tips for Dehydrating Food

    No matter which drying method you use, a few habits make a big difference:

    • Start with fresh, good-quality food. Drying will not improve food that is already bruised, moldy, or beginning to spoil.
    • Wash and prepare food before drying.
    • Cut pieces into similar sizes so they dry evenly.
    • Arrange food in a single layer without overlapping.
    • Stir small pieces or rotate trays when needed.
    • Let dried food cool before testing it or packaging it.
    • If you are unsure whether something is dry enough, give it a little more time. It is better to dry food thoroughly than to store it with hidden moisture.
    • Remember that warm food can feel softer than it will after cooling.

    Fruits should usually be leathery or pliable, with no moisture squeezing out when pressed. Vegetables are often dry when they are crisp, brittle, or leathery. Herbs should crumble easily between your fingers.

    Storing Dried Food

    Let dried food cool completely before putting it into airtight jars, containers, or bags. Label each container with the food and date, then store it in a cool, dark, dry place.

    If you notice moisture collecting inside a container after a day or two, return the food to the dehydrator before storing it again. I usually label each container with the food and date so I can keep track of what needs to be used first.

    Taking the time to cool, label, and store dried food properly helps protect your hard work and keeps it ready to use later.

    Properly dehydrated food typically keeps for 6 months to 1 year at peak quality when stored in a cool, dark, and dry place. While safe to eat for longer if kept completely dry, quality, flavor, and nutrients begin to fade after 12 months

    Dehydrated jalopeno peppers make a wonderful (if potent) spice addition and keep a long time in a dry dark space.

    Next in This Series

    In the next post, I’ll cover how to prepare different foods for dehydration, including fruit, vegetables, herbs, and a few of my favorite garden foods.

    Have you ever dehydrated food at home? I’d love to hear which method you use most often—an oven, a dehydrator, or something simpler like air drying herbs.

    If this post was helpful, please like and share it with a friend who enjoys gardening, preserving food, or stocking a pantry for later.

    Read More Here: Zone 4B Vegetable Garden Ideas: What We Planted in 2026