Kitchen / Garden / Sanctuary - Urban Homesteading to Nourish Body + Spirit

Category: Natural Homemaking (Page 15 of 15)

How to Save Your Own Tomato Seed

How to Save Your Own Tomato Seed

If you grow tomatoes in your garden (or if you plan to in the future), you might be curious about saving your own seed. I really love seeds for some reason, and I used to trade seeds on gardenweb.com about 10 years ago. The lovely gardening community at gardenweb (wonder if it even still exists?) was the source for many of the heirloom tomatoes I still grow in my garden. Tomatoes that are called “heirloom” or “open pollinated” are genetically stable, and will produce offspring consistently like themselves (unless they’ve been cross pollinated with something else in your garden, which does happen occasionally!). Hybrid tomatoes are much less stable genetically, and if you save seed from them, you never know what their offspring will be like (which can also be great fun!).

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Philosophy Friday: Even Julia Child Made Mistakes in the Kitchen

I was recently watching a Julia Child episode on DVD, when she launched into this little sermon about peoples’ irrational fear of failure while learning to cook. I liked it so much that I recorded it and posted it so you could see it, too:

Julia Child – “Don’t be afraid of failure in the kitchen” from The Herbangardener on Vimeo.

We must not be deterred if our cooking flops, because that’s how we best learn the quirks of the ingredients we cook with, and how to combine things for the best results. I sometimes get pretty frustrated when my cooking doesn’t work out, especially when I waste good ingredients (and precious time!). But I also know that mistakes can be very good teachers…

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Kitchen Tip: Keeping Olive Oil Fresh with…Water?

NOTE: I have updated this post…access the new one here.

Storing Olive Oil with Water

We’ve all heard that heat, light, and air cause oils to oxidize and go rancid. I used to keep my olive oil in the fridge, but it would solidify and I had to plan ahead if I wanted to use it. This was too inconvenient, so I stopped doing it. Recently, I “upgraded” and bought a more expensive Tuscan olive oil at Costco that came in a dark-colored bottle. The dark color prevents the oil from light exposure (especially at the store with all its bright lights). To lessen the oil’s exposure to air, I’ve started topping up my olive oil bottle with water!

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“Pan Cookies”: Baking Cookies on the Stove!

Baking Pan Cookies on the stove

Ranger Cookies "baked" in a pan on the stove

Our apartment gets so hot during the summer, that I have to think long and hard before I decide to turn on the oven and make it worse. If I decide to use the oven, I organize myself days in advance so that I’m baking 2 or 3 dishes at once.

Recently, I had an idea. What if I “baked” cookies in my cast-iron frying pan, on the stove? I wouldn’t have to turn on the oven!

I was so excited that I tried the experiment right away, and it worked!!! It worked so well, I was shocked. First, I made up some Ranger Cookie batter using this recipe (although almost any cookie recipe would work)…

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Welcome!

Welcome to The Herbangardener! Thanks for stopping by!

This site is dedicated to nourishing the body + spirit through backyard organic gardening, traditional foodways, and homesteading in the heart of the city.

I wish I could describe my own homestead as “four lovely acres in the country, with a fruit orchard, vast gardens of veggies & flowers, a flock of chickens, and a cow.” That would be my dream!

My current living situation, though, is slightly less picturesque — I live in a drafty, one-bedroom attic apartment in the middle of the city. It’s not quite my dream, but in spite of all the asphalt and traffic, it’s still my homestead.

You can create a homestead no matter where you live! I’ve discovered that it’s as much a mindset as it is a physical setting — maybe even more so.

It’s time to revolutionize our gardens, reclaim our kitchens, and re-establish simple, balanced living.

You can do this wherever you are — even if your garden is just a pot of parsley in the kitchen window!

Growing and cooking our own food no longer holds the stigma it once did. In fact, not only is it in vogue now — it’s also a wonderful way to nourish both body and spirit, especially when we’re not able to achieve the part about simple, balanced living.

At my little urban homestead (which I share with my dear & wonderful hubby), I love playing with new ideas and learning new things, which I write about on this site. I also love gardening! For years, I’ve had an organic veggie garden in my parents’ backyard (five 4’x8’ raised beds). The neat thing is, my garden gives more than just vegetables — it provides satisfaction and enjoyment, and a deep sense of peacefulness when I’m near it. I feel so proud when I’m able to nourish my family with foods that I’ve lovingly grown and prepared with my own hands!

And so I warmly invite you to join me here at The Herbangardener, as we strive to create our own homestead-sanctuaries no matter what our present living situation may be!

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