What is so special about fermenting food? Fermented foods have so much to offer us to help us maintain a state of health and well-being; it’s no wonder many cultures around the globe eat them daily!

Boosts Gut Health

The fermentation process produces probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that inhabit your gut. These tiny helpers are crucial for digestion, assisting in breaking down nutrients for easier absorption. Including fermented foods in your diet can help balance your gut flora, which is vital for good digestion and overall health.

Enhances Nutrient Absorption

When you incorporate fermented foods into your meals, you’re setting the stage for better nutrient uptake. Fermentation breaks down nutrients into more digestible forms, making it easier for your body to absorb vitamins and minerals. So, fermented products not only offer their own nutrients but also help you get more out of other foods you eat.

Natural Preservation Method

Embracing fermentation means you’re choosing a natural way to extend the shelf life of fresh ingredients. This age-old process inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria, allowing you to safely enjoy foods for a longer period. Plus, you reduce food waste by preserving seasonal produce through fermentation, which is both economical and environmentally friendly.

Boosts Immune System

Your immune system benefits greatly from fermented foods. Probiotics from these foods can enhance your body’s defense mechanisms. A strong immune system is your first line of defense against pathogens. Regularly consuming fermented foods can help ensure your immune system is up to the task of protecting you from illnesses.

Offers Unique Flavors

Fermentation isn’t just about health; it’s also a culinary adventure! The process creates complex flavors that can transform ordinary ingredients into gourmet delights. Whether it’s the tangy kick of kimchi, the sharpness of sourdough bread, or the rich depth of aged cheese, fermented foods add a new dimension to your cooking and eating experiences.

Say goodbye to the time-consuming process of jam preservation and craft delicious jams in record time. Jam-making has been revolutionized for modern life. If you want fresh, nutrient-dense fruit spreads tailored to your taste buds but don’t want to dedicate an entire weekend or more to the process, quick jams are where it’s at!

Nutrient-Rich Spreads in Minutes

When it comes to nutrition, quick jams have an edge. Traditional canning can degrade the vitamins and minerals in ingredients. But with quick jams, you maintain the nutritional integrity, receiving more vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, and all the support nature has to offer.

Tailor-Made Taste

Have you ever found canned jams too sweet or just not quite to your flavor preference? Quick jams put you in control! You can adjust the sweetness and experiment with flavor combinations on the fly. With quick jams, you’re the master of your taste experience, creating gourmet-quality spreads that can transform any meal.

Time is Precious

Canning requires large batches and significant chunks of time—not to mention the challenge of achieving variety. Quick jams to the rescue! In less than five minutes, you can mix up a fresh batch, adding diversity to your pantry without the hours spent over a hot stove. A quick jam lets you savor more life moments outside the kitchen.

Eco-Friendly and Energy-Efficient

Sustainability is more important than ever, and quick jams align perfectly with this ethos. They require no cooking, hence no energy consumption. By choosing to make quick jams, you’re not only simplifying your life but also doing a small part for the environment. It’s a guilt-free culinary endeavor you can feel good about.

Quick jams aren’t here to replace the time-honored practice of canning—they’re here to complement it and so you can craft delicious jams in record time. For specific staples like heirloom tomato sauce, canning makes sense. But when it comes to maximizing nutrition, enhancing flavor, and saving precious time and energy, quick jams are a great choice.

Discover quick jam recipes at the Enjoy Your Harvest Workshop Series!

The free, 3-Day Enjoy Your Harvest Workshop Series is a celebration of nature’s abundance! Whether you’re a seasoned grower or a farmer’s market shopper, join in and get recipes filled with vitality and flavor.

Every vegetable has specific preservation methods that work well while others may not give you the desired results. This is why expert food preservationists tailor the preservation methods to each type of vegetable— so that freshness and flavor are, well, preserved in the end result. For instance, fermenting transforms cabbage into a flavorful nutritional powerhouse in a way other preservation methods can’t. But canning them? Forget it! Here are common preservation methods, plus a downloadable vegetable preservation chart to help you choose the right method for each vegetable.

Vegetable Preservation: Pickling

When it comes to preservation, pickling is often associated with cucumbers, but it’s a fantastic way to extend the life of other vegetables, too. The tangy zest of pickling brine can transform the otherwise challenging bitterness of vegetables, like bitter melon, into a delightful condiment. So, before you resign to canning, consider if pickling might be the flavor twist you’re looking for. Download the Vegetable Preservation Chart here for a list of vegetables and the best preservation methods to use for each.

Vegetable Preservation: Canning

Canning might seem old-school, but it’s a preservation powerhouse for a reason. Tomatoes, for example, flourish in the canning process, coming out ready for your pasta sauces and stews. While not all veggies are can-friendly, don’t overlook this traditional method. With proper training, canning can give you a taste of summer even in the coldest winters.

Vegetable Preservation: Dehydrating

Dehydrating vegetables is a game-changer, especially for tomatoes and most other fruit as well as herbs. By removing moisture, you intensify the natural flavors, making them perfect for dishes where you want a punch of taste even during the off season. Dehydrated vegetables and herbs are also space-savers. This is ideal for you if you’re tight on pantry storage. Keep in mind, dehydrated vegetables need airtight storage to maintain their shelf life.

Vegetable Preservation: Freezing

Freezing is perhaps the easiest method of food preservation and works wonders for a wide range of vegetables. Swiss chard and arugula, which don’t take well to canning, are perfect candidates for the freezer. You’ll maintain nutritional value and have the convenience of ready-to-cook veggies at your fingertips. Remember: many vegetables need blanching before freezing to preserve color, texture, and taste.

Vegetable Preservation: Fermenting

Fermentation is where science meets flavor, and veggies become vessels of tangy tastiness. This culinary craft transforms humble cabbage into sauerkraut and crunchy carrots into zesty pickles without the vinegar punch. The secret? Lacto-fermentation, a process where natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food creating lactic acid. This not only preserves the vegetables but also creates beneficial enzymes and bountiful probiotics.

Vegetable Preservation: Curing

This age-old method is all about drawing out moisture to concentrate flavors and harden exteriors. Sweet potatoes, for example, undergo a magical transformation as they cure, developing their signature sweetness and a shelf life that rivals a well-aged cheese. Each vegetable gets cured a little differently, but with a little patience and the right environment, you’ll be rewarded with robust flavors that store for many months.

All of this tang and flavor sounds great, right? But the key to properly preserving your vegetables lies in choosing the right method for each type. That’s why we created the Vegetable Preservation Chart–so you can see which preservation methods work best with which vegetables.

Download your Copy HERE:

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Close your eyes and visualize walking into your dream pantry, the shelves stocked full with the fruits of your labor. Imagine jars of golden apple jelly, vibrant pickled beets, rich tomato sauce… all made by you from your freshest garden produce. The colors of preserved fruits and vegetables create a mosaic of nutrition and taste. It’s more than a stocked room; it’s a testament to your dedication to your health and well-being. Here are some tips to help you Create Your Dream Pantry.

Plan Your Perfect Pantry

If your current pantry doesn’t inspire you, it’s time to make a change and reimagine your ideal space. What do you see? Perhaps shelves teeming with homemade pasta sauces, salsa, and apple butter. Or maybe you’re drawn to the convenience of freeze-dried fruits and vegetables for quick, nutritious snacks. Whatever your dream is, start with inspiration.

Gather Inspiration and Ideas to Create Your Dream Pantry

Seek out inspiration from pantry enthusiasts who share their setups online. These spaces range from simple, functional designs to elaborate displays of culinary readiness. Take note of the storage solutions that resonate with you—whether that’s neat rows of labeled jars, baskets of dehydrated snacks, or a dedicated section for your brews of flavored oils and vinegars. Let these images fuel your creativity as you dream up your ideal pantry!

Make It Happen

Your dream pantry won’t just appear; it’s up to you to bring it to life. Start by evaluating the infrastructure you have. Does it need more shelving? Better lighting? Start with a clear plan to revamp your space. Maybe add a new shelving unit or invest in some attractive, airtight containers. Consider the conditions your preserved items require — cool, dark, and dry is best for most pantry goods.

Your dream pantry is within reach! With a vision of homemade preserves, inspiration from fellow enthusiasts, and a solid plan for your space, you’ll soon be enjoying the harvest year-round. There’s no better time than now to start the journey toward creating a pantry that reflects your dreams and suits your needs. It’s not just about storage—it’s about the joy of self-sufficiency and the pleasure of a well-stocked, personalized kitchen haven.

Download the Create your Dream Pantry Guide and Done-For-You Template, so you can make your dream a reality.

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For growers, there’s never an end to learning. But sometimes we get stuck in a rut or don’t know where to go next. Whether you’re a seasoned grower or brand new to gardening, you can master your garden with the 8-Stages of the Circle of Awesome. If you spend just 15 minutes a week on a stage and rotate through these stages, your garden know-how will catapult forward.

Rotate Through

Everything in gardening is connected. When you rotate through each stage, you’ll be connecting information you learn from one stage to another. This will help you gain a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of nature than if you just focus on one category at a time.

Stage 1: Understanding Your Climate

Knowing your local climate conditions dictates everything from crop choice to the timing of planting and harvesting. Frost dates, growing season length, and weather patterns are just a few important aspects of climate to investigate.

Stage 2: Soil and Fertility

Your garden’s success hinges on the quality of its soil. Soil fertility affects how well your plants grow, their nutrient absorption, how they resist pests, and much more. By understanding soil, you can create a thriving environment that can have a huge impact on your harvests.

Stage 3: The Magic of Compost

Compost is black gold for gardeners! It’s a fantastic way to recycle kitchen scraps and yard waste into something that boosts the health of your soil. Composting reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and adds microbes so plants can grow healthier. It also helps retain soil moisture, which is essential for plant health.

Stage 4: Plants

Every plant has its own life cycle, and understanding this allows you to anticipate the needs of your plants at each stage. From germination to flowering and seed production, knowing these cycles enables you to provide the right care at the right time.

Stage 5: Water

Watering is not just about quantity; it’s about timing and using the proper method as well. Over-watering can lead to root rot, while under-watering stresses plants and hampers growth. Learning efficient watering techniques can save you time and resources and make your garden more resilient.

Stage 6: Prune and Trellis

Prune and trellis techniques help control pests and diseases and improve yields. Pruning encourages healthy growth and air circulation, while trellising can support plants and maximize your garden space efficiently.

Stage 7: Harvesting

Knowing when and how to harvest your crops can mean the difference between flavorful, nutritious produce and pithy, bitter, or lost harvests. Each plant has its own signs of peak ripeness, and picking them at the right time ensures you enjoy the fruits of your labor at their best.

Stage 8: Mindset

The right mindset can make all the difference. Patience, observation, and willingness to learn from mistakes are just a few of the mindsets that lead to a successful garden.

This circle isn’t just about learning new information; it can help you troubleshoot problems you might be experiencing in your garden! Don’t worry, you don’t have to figure out how to use the circle of awesome to troubleshoot garden challenges. We’ve done the hard work for you in this complimentary guide: Troubleshoot Your Garden Obstacles with the Circle of Awesome.

Download the Troubleshooting Garden Obstacles Guide HERE:

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When unwelcome guests invade your garden, the first step is to observe and identify them. Examine the level of the pest infestation carefully. Are you spotting a few ants marching towards your garden flowers aiding in pollinations, or are you noticing multiple red ant hills? Recognizing the pest and the severity of the situation is key to formulating an effective battle plan so you can combat pest infestations effectively.

Know Your Crop Competitor

Understanding the life cycle of the pest is your next strategic move. Learn about their breeding habits and when they are most vulnerable. When and at what temperatures does the crop competitor lay eggs and where? Where do the larva go for food? How long until it is an adult ready to breed? With this awareness, you can interrupt their life cycle at critical moments to reduce crop loss. Plot your course of action in your calendar to prepare for the next phase in the pest’s life cycle.

Recruit Natural Allies

Mother Nature offers her own brand of pest control: beneficial predators. It is an environmentally friendly and extremely effective solution to introduce organisms that naturally prey on the pest competing with your harvest. Beneficial nematodes can tackle a slew of soil-dwelling pests and lacewings can be your aerial supervisor. Deploy these allies where they can do the most good!

Tackle the Outbreak

If the pest invasion is severe, you’ll need direct action. You have choices: remove the heaviest infected areas to prevent further spread and/or release your recruited predators near the hot zones. In some cases, cover cropping and intercropping can help. There are many methods of managing and preventing crop competitor infestations. The tactical decision depends largely on the nature of the infestation and your personal approach to managing it. Whatever your choices, sprays and dusts should be your last resort, even organic ones.

You can reclaim your garden from pests by observing, understanding the life cycle of that crop competitor, employing natural allies, and using strategic intervention. Remember to give your solutions time to unfold. Keep monitoring the situation, but avoid the temptation to take further action too soon. The key to success is a blend of knowledge, nature, and timing. With these steps you can take back your garden with a thoughtful approach.

Discover the 5 key mindsets to successfully managing crop competitors:

This complimentary eGuide shows you the 5 key mindsets for an organic garden that thrives!

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Download the 5 Keys to Successful Pest Managemnet for the Organic Grower

You might not notice these insect allies at first, but their presence is a sign of nature doing pest management for you. When you understand the role of these powerful beneficial predators, you’ll start looking before squashing every bug beneath your shoe.

Lacewings

Lacewings are a secret weapon against many soft-bodied crop competitors we call pests. These delicate insects may look harmless, but their larvae are voracious predators, eagerly consuming those that would wreak havoc on garden plants.

Lacewing larvae are particularly effective in controlling aphid populations, but they don’t stop there. They also feast on mites, mealybugs, caterpillars, and many others. They are a reliable garden buddy and keep a wide array of potential threats in check. With lacewings on patrol, you’ll notice a significant decrease in the pests that used to nibble away at your precious plants.

Minute Pirate Bugs

These tiny titans of pest control are small but mighty, so don’t let their size fool you; minute pirate bugs punch well above their weight in the garden defense league. Minute pirate bugs target thrips, spider mites, and whiteflies, among other pests. Their small stature allows them to navigate the intricate architecture of various plants, seeking out and eradicating pests hiding within. Natural pest control helps prevent the spread of plant diseases that weaken and kill your plants,  not to mention your harvest!

Assassin Bugs

These silent pest eliminators are the stealthy operatives of your garden’s defense system. They employ a “wait and pounce” tactic to capture a variety of insects. True to their name, assassin bugs are formidable foes to beetles, caterpillars, and flies, to name a few. Their sharp beaks pierce their prey, and inject a substance that liquefies the insides of pests, which are then sucked out. While a bit graphic in description, don’t worry–you’ll barely notice these ninjas stealthily moving about. Introducing assassin bugs to your garden means enlisting a powerful force capable of decimating pest populations that would otherwise damage your prized harvests.

(Image below is an assassin bug in the nymph stage)

Creating a garden that attracts these generalist predators means less work for you and more time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Instead of reaching for chemical pesticides and paying in money and time every year, encouraging these beneficials provides a natural solution to your crop competitors.

Discover how to support beneficial insect populations in your garden so they can do the work for you!

Download the 5 Keys to Inviting Beneficials into Your Garden. This free eGuide shows you how to partner WITH Mother Nature and discover garden friends you never knew you had! 

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