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Kitchen & Garden Tips

lemon balm in basket

Amy Fewell is a wife, mother, homesteader, and author of ‘The Homesteader’s Herbal Companion’ & ‘The Homesteader’s Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook’ living in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She is also the Founder of The Homesteaders Of America. The following is an excerpt of a previous Instagram takeover.

woman smiles in kitchen
blueberries in white bowl

If you’re curious about growing herbs on your homestead but you’re afraid you’re going to kill “all the things”….start with lemon balm! It truly is just plant and forget about it. It comes back every single year bigger and better. And the harvests make your basket look like you’re a pro. Lemon balm is very citrusy and smells delicious. It’s great in teas, flower arrangements, and I even like to rub it on when I’m in the garden as a natural insect repellent!

 

Blueberry tip! If you have some unripe blueberries when you first pick them, leave them out on a cookie tray for a day or two and they will ripen right up! We picked about 13 lbs of blueberries yesterday. These will be going into the freezer for later use. But I might make a nice blueberry treat this week, too.

fresh homeade pasta sauce

Pasta sauce doesn’t have to be complicated. A few jars of crushed canned tomatoes, some garlic, onion, and a nice big handful of basil. You’re good to go. I’m patiently awaiting my tomatoes from the garden this year. While I love canned pasta sauce, there’s something about throwing a sauce together for dinner in a jiffy that makes it taste even better. So fresh. So full of pretty colors.

 

We planted over 70 tomato plants this year. Yikes! And while that might seem amateur to some, it’s about four times more than we have ever planted before! My only concern is, how on earth am I going to wrangle a toddler while canning all the goodness. Give me your best homestead mama tips!

 
blueberries in basket

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