Preserving the food we grow at home or buy in bulk from a local farmer can seem daunting to the beginner. We know that food safety is important, but how do we achieve it? This food preservation site from K-State has the answers. Many resources have been combined into one convenient location. Learn more about: Canning. Curing and smoking. Dehydrating. Food business. Freezing. Jams and … Continue reading Food Preservation
Homegrown vegetables are good for you, but they are frequently dirty. Veggie Wash is an all-natural cleaning spray that seems to do a good job getting the produce clean and ready to eat. For things like tomatoes, apples, and peaches, just spray the fruit and rub it clean under running water. For berries and lettuce, fill the sink with cold water, add the produce, and … Continue reading Veggie Wash
Pick up any slow cooker cookbook, and you’ll be amazed at the versatility of this simple appliance. With a slow cooker, you can combine the ingredients for anything from stew to oatmeal to cobbler within minutes, then just walk away until it’s time to serve and eat. Are there other advantages to slow cooking? Are there any hidden disadvantages? And is slow cooking safe? Let’s … Continue reading Pros and Cons of Slow Cookers
Bacon has long been a staple of the American farm family’s diet, and now modern cooking techniques have given it greater versatility than ever before. How to Cook With Bacon: Delicious and Mouthwatering Bacon Recipes by Tony James Miller shares some of these new and interesting ideas in three categories: Appetizers and salads. Main courses. Desserts. The recipes range from simple to complex, standard to … Continue reading How to Cook With Bacon
Christmas will be here before you know it! Prepare tasty treats and heartfelt gifts from your own homegrown offerings, and snuggle up on the couch for a little storytelling. Retell the story of Sod Corn Jones. Read Scripture passages about the meaning of Christmas. Make a sweet potato beetle. Encourage your child to start an EcoJournal. Give a weather diary this Christmas. Create homemade gifts … Continue reading Get Ready for December 2016
Hard to believe that November is already just around the corner! Take some time on those chilly fall evenings to learn from nature and pull inspiration from innovative farmers and gardeners. And while you’re sitting at the table with family this Thanksgiving, remember to give thanks for the simple things. Learn lessons from the bison. Discover that you can farm. Eat your egg yolks. Explore … Continue reading Get Ready for November 2016
Now we have a definition of brix: the weight of dissolved sugar expressed as a percentage of the weight of the entire solution. The next question is how we measure brix. The Refractometer As its name suggests, a refractometer operates on the principle of refraction. When a beam of light passes through a liquid solution, it bends, or refracts. The more solids (e.g., sugars) … Continue reading Brix: How Do We Measure It?
Brix is one of those topics that come up fairly frequently in sustainable agriculture. Simply put, brix is a measure of the sugar content of a plant or other substance. To be more specific, Brix expresses the weight of dissolved sugar as a percentage of the weight of the entire solution. Pure water has a brix of 0%. A solution of 5 grams of sugar … Continue reading Brix: What is It?
There are many reasons to love heritage foods, including health and flavor. But another fascinating aspect of these foods is their history. And what better heritage food to celebrate than Turkey Red winter wheat, the grain that made Kansas the Wheat State? Origins The history of Turkey Red begins in the country of Turkey, not surprisingly. By the early 1800s, it appears to have … Continue reading The Heritage of Turkey Red Winter Wheat
Are you ready for fall? Spend a little time watching the birds, caring for the animals, and stocking the pantry. Invest in a dog owner’s home veterinary handbook. Feed your backyard birds. Discover why people built round barns. Stock up for the winter. Learn about pH. Weigh the pros and cons of draft animals. Explore the K-State weather data library. Open up the breeding toolbox. … Continue reading Get Ready for September 2016
