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

I know it seems daunting, but the end results are so worth every effort you put in. Contrary to popular belief, preserving food and herbs doesn’t require great skill and expensive tools. We just have forgotten the methodologies and some of us are afraid that we might make a mistake, and that could be fatal.

… What have you forgotten? What time honored traditions do you want to keep ion your life?

The truth is that if you follow the basic rules, you can enjoy harvested items all year round, even make original and delicious gifts.

Whether you grow your own or buy locally when in season, you are getting a greater quality, higher in nutrition item then if picked before ripe and then packed and traveled to your grocery store from far away. …read more of Preserving Your Bounty here

Our diets are loaded with sugar. We may think we are only consuming the slightest bit, even on our best days, but our coffee, breads, fast foods, snacks, and even certain fruits are laden with sugars.

The worst of it is most of the synthetic sugars are difficult for the body to process and eliminate, so they often get stored as fat.

There are also some serious side effects related to high sugar intake including: obesity, blood sugar imbalances, heart disease, arthritis, immuno-suppression, and vitamin and mineral depletion. The best thing to do if you aren’t ready to curb your sugar intake is to at least choose the best quality sweeteners to enhance your diet. …read more of Natural Sweeteners: Healthy Sugar Alternatives here