This hearty meatball soup was made with ground venison, home-made venison stock, and freshly foraged Cauliflower Mushrooms (Sparassis). If you aren't fortunate enough to have all of these ingredients on hand, you can make this soup using the substitutions listed in the directions. Even with a few alternative ingredients, this will still be a great... Continue Reading →
Cauliflower Mushrooms, Sparassis, are beautiful, unique and easily identified wild mushrooms. From a distance they look a bit like cauliflower, hence the name. But, they could also be likened to brains, coral or clumps of ruffled egg noodles . The later of which is by far the more delicious sounding comparison. So, let's choose to think of... Continue Reading →
Year's ago, I was discussing jelly making and canning with an elderly woman in Northwest Alabama. When I told her that blackberry jelly was my absolute favorite, she informed me that it was only my favorite because I had never had Elderberry Jelly. I didn't know it until years later, but that woman was right.... Continue Reading →
Peanuts are farmed on almost 200,000 acres of Alabama land every year and this year our family proudly added 100 square feet to that total. We scalped sod and transformed a useless piece of pristine Zoysia lawn into a micro-peanut farm and have been thrilled with our little peanut patch. I am declaring it our... Continue Reading →
Boiled fresh green peanuts are one my favorite snacks. But, the process of boiling them is quite time-consuming. After our recent Front Yard Peanut Patch harvest I learned how easy it is to can boiled peanuts. Canning is not only a great way to preserve these seasonal delicacies, it is a way to cook them... Continue Reading →
Home canned pizza sauce is a great, quick and easy way to use up extra cherry or pear tomatoes. This is a small batch canning recipe that can be whipped together with little effort. We decided to name this sauce "Sunrise" because of the bright orange color obtained from the varieties of tomatoes used. This... Continue Reading →
Old-fashioned Pear Preserves are incredibly simple and delicious; three ingredients transformed into glistening slices of fruit in a honey like syrup. This recipe is versatile and can be made with any amount of pears. So, it's great for small batch canning or for huge canning projects. This is a true preserve, one that does not require... Continue Reading →
Wild Black Elderberries and freshly picked green pears were combined to make this lovely jam. It is a beautiful ruby color and quite possibly the prettiest thing I've ever canned. In addition to being pretty and tasty, this jam has the immunity boosting, anti-viral power of Elderberries! Last year during flu season, like many Moms,... Continue Reading →
Long Beans (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis) are delicious super productive Summer vegetables that add interest to the garden and dinner plates. They are called a bean, but they don't taste like green beans. They are closer kin to the Southern/Cow Pea, but people don't usually shell them for their peas. They actually taste more like asparagus than... Continue Reading →
This bright salsa is full of flavor: made from roasted tomatoes, mixed peppers, sweet onions and just the right amount of seasonings. This is not a frilly or fruity salsa, just a really good one that captures the fresh flavors of our favorite summertime vegetables. We fill our canner with this salsa several times every Summer, but are... Continue Reading →
Digging Food 