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chamomile calendula face oil

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Organic Face & Body Oil ~ Calendula Chamomile
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When in doubt, wait it out! 🎃 Though these sign

When in doubt, wait it out! 🎃 Though these signals mean your butternut and winter squash are technically ready to harvest (color change, fingernail test, etc) winter squash only continue to mature - improving in flavor and storage potential - the longer they’re left on the vine. Their shelf life countdown begins once they’re cut from the vine, so we like to store them “in the field” as long as possible - as long as you harvest them before frost! ❄️
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🧼 After harvest, washing squash to remove grime, mold and fungal spores will help prevent spoilage in storage. It’s to best to cure butternut, pumpkin, kabocha, and Hubbard squash in a warm sunny location (75 to 85F is ideal) for 7-14 days after harvest, such as in a warm sunny window, attic, greenhouse, or even right outside in the garden. Curing helps to further harden their skin, sweeten their flesh, ripen any underripe fruit, and heal blemishes - all preparing them for the best long term storage possible.
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After curing, move them to a cool, dark, well-ventilated location (50-60F) such as a garage, root cellar, or cool closet. Keep them in a single layer with good airflow around them, not piled on top of one another. This way, butternut and some long-storing speciality pumpkins or kabocha can last up to 6 months! We were eating butternut this April that was harvested last fall. 🙌🏽 Routinely check your stash, and use it preserve any blemished or softening fruit first.
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Delicata, mini butternuts, acorn, and spaghetti squash don’t benefit from curing and should be stored in a cool dark place then consumed within 2-3 months post harvest.
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I hope this is helpful! 🧡 #homesteadandchill #harvestseason

Happy Fall! 🍂 Are you getting into the baking m

Happy Fall! 🍂 Are you getting into the baking mood too? To kick off the season, we’re doing something we rarely do ~ offer a special on our organic sourdough starter! 🎉 Please use ‘FALLBREAD’ to enjoy 20% off now through Monday.
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Our starter comes dehydrated (no pressure to use it right away, and great for gifts!) and with easy step-by-step reactivation instructions and recipes. It’s a very active starter culture, essentially foolproof, and just one lasts a lifetime of baking delicious, gut-friendly, zero waste sourdough bread.
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Have you used our starter before? We’d love to hear your feedback in the comments! Also feel free to ask questions, and thank you so much for your support in advance! 💕
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#homesteadandchill #sourdoughlove

🔥Have you tried cowboy candy (candied jalapenos

🔥Have you tried cowboy candy (candied jalapenos) before? Get the recipe below & save for later! 👇🏼
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Our jalapenos were SO prolific this summer, we’ve made 3 batches and have been eating it nonstop - and I don’t even like spicy food! Cowboy candy pairs exceptionally well with cream cheese on crackers, bagels, or sourdough toast. It’s also delicious on tacos, veggie burgers, sandwiches (hellooo grilled cheese), nachos, twice baked potatoes, scrambled eggs, egg salad, pizza, cornbread & more.
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INGREDIENTS
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- 2 pounds jalapeños (about 20-25 large peppers)
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1.5 cups apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 tsp granulated garlic)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp sea or pickling salt (not table salt)
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger powder
- optional: up to 1 tsp red chili flakes or 1/2 tsp chili powder if you like it extra spicy
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INSTRUCTIONS
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Use caution working with jalapeños! I wear gloves during prep.
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1) Wash peppers and trim off stem end. Optional: To make it less spicy, core or partially core the peppers to remove the top inner membrane & seeds.
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2) Cut jalapeños into ¼” round slices.
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3) On the stovetop, combine the apple cider vinegar, sugars, and seasonings in a large non-reactive pot. Simmer on medium high until all ingredients combine, about 5 minutes. Stir regularly.
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4) Add the sliced jalapeños to the syrup, bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
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5) Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the jalapeno rings into clean jars, leaving the syrup in the pot. Fill the jars almost full (leaving at least ½” of head space) and lightly pack.
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6) Return syrup to a boil and simmer to reduce for about 8 to 10 mins.
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7) Ladle hot syrup into the jars over the jalapeno rings, leaving ½ inch to ¼ inch of head room in the jar.
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8) Either refrigerate (eat within 3 months) or can. Process in hot bath canner for 10 minutes for half pints, 15 for pints. Add 5 mins if between 1000-6000 ft elevation, and 10 if over 6000 ft.
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9) For the most flavorful results, let sit for at least 1 week if refrigerating or 3 to 4 weeks if canning.
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Enjoy! 💚

How about you? Our property is under 3 acres, but

How about you? Our property is under 3 acres, but I haven’t left the house in over 3 weeks… 😬 Livin’ that homebody dream 💁🏼‍♀️🏡😅
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#homesteadandchill #growyourownfood

Turnover weekend 🍂 It’s been a busy and rewar

Turnover weekend 🍂 It’s been a busy and rewarding couple of days in the garden! Honestly, it’s the most time I’ve spent in the garden in a good while too. It felt awesome to be out there working together, music playing, birds singing, tending to our food, making everything look so fresh… but I’m also SO sore 😅 (I also can’t help but laugh when people assume I spend most of my time in the garden - 95% of my work is inside on the computer… so this was a real treat!)
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We cleared/harvested more, topped off beds with compost and mulch, and planted over 100 fall seedlings (which were so huge and healthy!) resulting in getting almost 3/4 of the garden turned over. 🙌🏽 There are a few things left to plant - lettuce and onions, plus direct sow crops like peas, carrots, beets etc - but the broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy, mustards, Brussels, romanesco, kohlrabi and other Asian greens are all out!
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Everyone is tucked in under hoops and row covers, safe and sound from the beaks of grazing birds. This is a the earliest we’ve done fall planting (usually wait until late Sept to early Oct) but last year our unusually wet and cold winter really slowed everything down, so we wanted to give them a nice head start this year. Thankfully the weather has cooperated with overcast days and temps in the high 60s to low 70s max, but we’re ready to bust out shade cloth if necessary too.
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Thanks for indulging these journal-style dump posts… you know, instead of purely educational or flashy reels. I used to always use IG as a way to keep track of the garden season to season and miss that.
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Happy Sunday to you!
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#homesteadandchill #growfood

🍅 Tips below!👇🏼 No time (or energy) for c

🍅 Tips below!👇🏼 No time (or energy) for canning or making other preserves? Freezing whole tomatoes is a quick and easy way to preserve them for later use. No blanching or peeling required, as the skins will slip RIGHT off later as they defrost.
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Frozen whole tomatoes are ideal for future sauce, soup, stew, curry, or even canning later. We also like to add them to the pot while cooking quinoa, lentils, or brown rice - or chopped up in a pan of sauteed veggies!
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INSTRUCTIONS
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1) Wash and dry the tomatoes, and remove the stems. If the tomatoes have a large center core (as some big beefy heirloom varieties do), use a small paring knife to cut the core out now.
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2) Flash freezing: Spread the dry tomatoes out on a baking sheet or other tray that fits inside your freezer, and freeze for several hours or overnight, until they’re frozen solid. Individually freezing them first prevents them from smushing or sticking together in storage later (but I’ve honestly skipped this step when working with firm uniform tomatoes)
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3) Quickly transfer the frozen tomatoes into freezer bags without letting them thaw; and remove as much air as possible from the bag.
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4) Store the frozen tomatoes in the freezer for up to one year. Best quality if used within 6 months.
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5) Use in any recipe that calls for cooking tomatoes, in place of canned tomatoes, or to can later (crushed, whole, sauce, paste, etc)
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6) To defrost frozen tomatoes, either allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge, at room temperature for about an hour, or under warm running water. (You may not need to defrost them at all – could be used frozen whole or grated, depending on the recipe and called-for process.)
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7) As they start to defrost, the skins should slip right off! If not, make a small slit in the skin with a knife to help ease them off.
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❤️ I hope this is useful - please save and share if so!
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#homesteadandchill #tomatoes

🌞 The sun’s setting on the summer garden 🌾

🌞 The sun’s setting on the summer garden 🌾
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As a final send off, we were graced with a stunner of a sunset the other night… like a kiss goodbye to the summer garden during our big “turnover week” and transition to fall crops. Little by little we’ve been harvesting, clearing and amending beds, and hardening off fall seedlings in preparation for this week. We won’t get it allll done at once (so much work!) but the goal is to plant out the majority of our fall garden this weekend!
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So goodbye and thank you, beautiful wild colorful summer garden friend… and hellloooooo leafy greens and brassicas 🙌🏽😻🥬🥦
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Are you doing your fall planting yet?
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#homesteadandchill #growfoodnotlawns

Weekend Harvest 🍇🍅🍆 This is what 70 pound

Weekend Harvest 🍇🍅🍆 This is what 70 pounds of organic homegrown food looks like. For the first time ever, we decided to weigh and log everything we harvest from the garden this year… and are already at 690 lbs YTD 🔥
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But long before we were growing the majority of our produce (heck, before we even had a garden to speak of) we made a conscious effort to eat with the seasons as much as possible.
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Back in grad school while we were living in an apartment, I read @barbara.kingsolver ‘s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It completely inspired me to not only eat as local and seasonal as possible, but also to embrace the concept of “sacrifice” to go without some of our favorites in between.
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I actually owe much of our origin story to that book. At the time, I had already been casually gardening for a few years, had a worm compost bin, and was working on reducing our environmental footprint - but it was reading that book that made me want to get chickens one day, and inspired me to start preserving food… even when we weren’t growing any! It was then, in our little Rhode Island apartment, that I bought our first food dehydrator and canning supplies. We visited the local farmer’s market every week, got flats of discount tomatoes, and starting learning how to make sauce and freeze soup for the long winter ahead. We went apple picking at a local farm in fall (so New England! 😅) and made our first apple butter and apple chips.
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Anywho, just a reminder that you don’t need a huge garden to eat more seasonally or practice food preservation! And supporting your local farmers is the next best thing to homegrown. In addition to being better for the environment, fresh, local, in-season food is significantly more nutrient-dense, and so much more flavorful!
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Thanks for coming on this trip down memory lane.
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#homesteadandchill #growfood #slowfood #eatseasonal #eatlocal

🦉 Our resident Great Horned Owl couple has been

🦉 Our resident Great Horned Owl couple has been hanging out on a fence near the garden almost every evening lately, lookin’ like two chubby kitties. We’re pretty sure the lighter grey one is the male and the darker brown one is the female, because she’s slightly larger and has a higher-pitched voice. A third hooter can often be heard in the distance; I like to think it’s their offspring. 🥰
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What should we name these two?
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#homesteadandchill #wildlifehabitat #friendshaped #couplegoals

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