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…

Of all the things we have done...

It is storming outside, a real wild wet Cape winter storm. I woke at 5.30 with one thing on my mind - my chickens! They are safe …

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 …

My many slaves :-)

And no, I am not talking about my children! Growing veggies and cooking from scratch adds time into my already very full day. I t…

Green cleaning ~ homemade laundry soap

For a couple of years I have been focussing on what we bring in to our home - organic whole foods for instance. But a whole '…

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…

Learning from Grandma

No matter where I go I always like to learn and find a better way to live. We have just got back from a wonderful peaceful time w…

How to blow a child's mind with a radio

Ever wanted to astound and amaze your kids? Well, here is a way to do it using something you probably already have - a radio. Wh…

Zucchini Madness

Garden update: We have very few tomatoes hanging on to life. With all the dampness, the late blight hit the tomatoes hard. Yellow…

Kroger Challenge: Update through 9/20

For those of you keeping up with the Kroger Challenge : On my return trip from Nashville, I stopped in Cookeville for a refuel an…

Kroger Challenge: Road trip - saving on gas?

Technically, this is supposed to be a grocery challenge, but a crisis came up with my work and I had to high-tail it to our Nash…

Kroger Challenge: Ground rules and 1st shopping trip

Last night, I kicked off the Kroger Challenge - to see how far I can make $1000 go. But I'm not doing this frivolously. I…

Why do you call it Irish Stew, Mom?

We had rain all morning so I couldn't get into the veggie garden until late afternoon. Besides for pulling up lots of weeds, …

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…

Saving 75% at Kroger - a walkthrough

I am not a coupon queen. There are some people out there who can get ridiculous amounts of things for free with coupons. They h…

What to do with apples, part 2: Applesauce

I'm still dealing with the abundance of apples we picked at the orchard. All the apple pie filling I made is in the freezer.…