There are several true and fast ways to preserve your fruits and vegetables. One of the easiest methods is water-bath canning, which anyone can do at home.

Having an enormous bounty this year, I needed to preserve my excess. You can also use local produce or a pick-your-own if you do not have a garden. After looking through my favorite and family recipes for the garden items I had, I decided to water-bath can my abundance.

Since I haven’t done this process in about ten years, I called experts and reread several ancient cookbooks that have been passed down for generations. I also went to the library to research any time-savers or updated tips, and to my surprise, there was hardly any information on water bath canning! So, I decided to write this series for anyone interested. …read more of Water-Bath Canning Simplified: Methods, Recipes and Tools for the Newbie or Pro here

You might ask why you would spend a weekend preserving food, it seems so time consuming and difficult. Well, the perks are unbeatable; Save money, eat healthier, impress your guests when entertaining while being less stressed to do so because you have pre-made gourmet items at hand, have great gifts to give, create memories and extend traditions to your children and grandchildren, shorten your preparation time for holiday meals and what’s best is that you made it yourself. You can even have a get together or canning party to make or swap items. The choices we make can change the world.

This article will give you an overall understanding of both methods; pressure cooker canning and water-bath canning.

For people with memories of Grandma’s pantry it is heartwarming seeing rows of homemade piccalilli, tomato sauce, soups and spreads in your cupboard. …read more of Canning Preservation Methods Expanded: Two Ways To Use At Home here

The Fair Trade initiative is a market-based approach that empowers small growers and craftspeople by organizing them into co-operatives.  Fair Trade’s strategic intent is to work with marginalized producers and workers to achieve economic self-sufficiency and environmental standards.

According to Fairtrade Labelling Organizations (FLO), as of 2007 almost 8 million producers and their families have benefited from Fair Trade projects.¹ The global market for Fair Trade goods experienced significant growth in 2008 and in the face of a global recession, realized sales of about $4.08 billion worldwide, a 22% annual increase.²  An impressive feat that can be attributed to the outstanding partnerships that have evolved between Fair Trade companies such as Alter Eco and the producer communities nurtured by international Fair Trade organizations. …read more of Purple Jasmine Rice Pudding: Fair Trade and Gluten-Free. Sweet! here

You are what you eat. Problem is, it’s hard to know what you’re eating these days – not to mention where it came from. That’s why we have to get smarter about what we’re putting in our bodies if we want to stay healthy.

Luckily, It’s not that hard to eat better: you just have to pay attention to what you eat! A good diet has many benefits: Choosing foods that are good for your body can help you live longer and avoid health problems, and it can help protect the planet.

Below, we’ve compiled a short list of the best ways to eat healthy and save money doing it – all while curbing the environmental impact of your diet. …read more of 4 Simple Steps to Healthy Eating here

From the Farmer’s Market to the Super Market- 7 Savvy Tips to set on track to a green diet that is better for you, the planet, and your wallet.

Living green is becoming mainstream, yet it’s still difficult for people to make a switch over to Organic, mostly because of the cost. Organic produce can cost up to twice as much as conventional produce because there aren’t subsidies for Organics, like there are for conventionally grown food. We think that organic food is expensive, but really conventional food is incredibly cheap.

In the United States, a very small percentage of income goes toward purchasing food: less than 10 percent in 2004, compared with 23 percent in 1929. The federal and state governments heavily participate in and financially support U.S. agricultural production.

The prices for our food are unrealistically low and consistent because of big government involvement in the form or subsidies, grants, tax incentives, etc. We pay twice for our food, once to the IRS, and once more at the supermarket. …read more of Go Organic, not Broke here