3 Methods to Preserve the Garden’s Bounty

Image: freedigitalphotos.net It’s that time of year when the garden is busy producing bushels of beans, pecks of peppers and bask…

Ball Blue Book - guide to preserving, 2011 edition: My review

The Ball Blue Book for many years has been a much-trusted resource for canners of all levels of experience.  In fact, the first v…

Mock Pineapple

Up to my ears in zucchini, I've tried to find new ways to enjoy them and preserve them.  Well, thanks to the good ol' Nat…

Zucchini Pickles

It's been a busy couple of weeks at Chez Zen.  We went on a camping vacation and had a fantastic time.  Mr. Zen and I also ce…

Yummy Pear Recipes

This week we have been enjoying our fresh apples and pears. But there are too many to eat fresh so I enlisted the help of a frien…

Canning resources

I was asked if I had any favorite canning resources, so even though I am really new to this, I will share what I know. The first …

No much to do in the garden.

Besides for planting some carrot and baby spinach seeds there was not a lot to do in the garden. Therefore the kids and I tackled…

That moment in every canner's life....

Remember those guavas from last year? Well, I am sure I am not the first who has ever canned produce and then a few months later…

Friends are always friends

Mid 2009 was a tearful time for my family as we said goodbye to two families that have been our closest friends for many years. T…

Preserving Chillies

Today I pickled our chillies. We had about 100 of them and last year I felt so bad as we didn't get to eating them all fresh …

You scratch my back....

5kg's of tomatoes from a friend who has them rotting on the ground have found their way into this recipe from Animal~Vegetab…

Rainy day jobs

I was all ready to make an inroad into my long to do list but woke up this morning to the sound of rain. In between rainy moments…

If you came to visit me today.....

I would probably have sent you home with a cucumber. Sometimes I don't understand nature, but nonetheless I love it anyway. L…

One of those awful New Year's posts :-)

All over I see the call for New Year's resolutions and I am asking myself - "Do I need to do that too?" I have come…

Mean, mean mom and her strawberry jam!

This week I have been a mean mean mom! I always allow the children to pick & eat strawberries right off the plant as they ri…

Ask TennZen: High Acid vs. Low Acid Foods and Pressure Canning

Because of some of the questions I have received lately, I am under the impression that there are still a whole lot of people out…

Canning dried beans

Beans, beans, Good for your heart. The more you eat, The more you... Well, you know the rest. Beans (what we call "soup bean…