frozen tomatoes
Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

How to Make Salsa with Frozen Tomatoes

What do you do when you have no homemade salsa, but you do have a freezer full of frozen tomatoes? Well of course, you do some Christmas canning and make up a batch of Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa.

Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa Emergency

Hello, my friends. Chef Blondie here. First of all, I want to wish all of you a very, very Merry Christmas. And then I want to tell you we have an emergency here at Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen. I went into the pantry to find some salsa to go with my chips. Well, guess what? There was no salsa to be had!

And if I didn’t have any homemade salsa, my grandkids would not be happy because they love their tacos my salsa on it. So, when we go over to have lunch with them it’s, “Granny, did you bring any homemade salsa?”

So, here we are today. My sous chef and I, we’re going to be making salsa. I looked in my freezer and I said, hey, we’ve got some of these frozen tomatoes from season 2023. We’re going to use those. So come along with us on this journey as we make salsa. Happy cooking!

Why we used frozen tomatoes in our salsa

frozen tomatoes

The idea of using frozen tomatoes for salsa is nothing new. I’m sure other people do it. I’m sure I can find videos on it. But we haven’t ever tried it. So, we thought the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen should give it a try.

The whole idea started back in September of 2023. The reason was, we had such an overpowering abundance of tomatoes. We had grown eight or ten varieties of tomatoes. We had so many tomatoes and we just didn’t know what to do with them.

So, we froze them. What we did was we flash froze them, then we use the Food Saver and vacuum sealed them and weighed the individual packages. We thought that someday we would figure out a way to use them.

When planning for this SFH-TK test, we determined that we needed about six pounds of tomatoes to make at least five pints of salsa. Then we selected the bags of frozen tomatoes that would give us the six pounds we needed.

The SFH TK Quest for Better Salsa

Another crucial factor in this test was to continue our efforts to improve our own salsa mix. Our current version of SFH Salsa Mix, was derived from a copycat recipe, but we’ve adapted it to make it uniquely our own. For various reasons we decided not to use dried garlic. Instead we use either our own fresh or fermented garlic.

To the extent possible, we use our own homegrown hot peppers and herbs. This year, we dehydrated our own bell peppers and our next batch of salsa mix will include them.

Now that you know the backstory on why we used frozen tomatoes in our SFH-TK Salsa, watch the video and learn how we overcame challenges with preparing the key ingredient, and how we managed to come up with the best winter salsa ever.

christmas cookies
Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Sweets

The Great Christmas Cookies Extravaganza

What happens when two friends of 40 years make their favorite Christmas Cookies together? It may be a whole lot more than you would imagine. – Watch as Chef Blondie and Miss Nancy spend a day together baking cookies and so much more.

christmas cookies

Hello, my friends! Chef Blondie here. Today, I have a special treat for you. My friend, Nancy. We’re going to be making our famous Christmas cookies. She’s going to make gingerbread cookies and I’m going to be doing my famous sugar cookies.

Why We Decided to Make Christmas Cookies Together

Nancy and I have been best friends for almost 40 years. Nancy will tell you that it started out Rocky – a little rocky. But it all worked out, and after all these years, we’re closer than ever.

If you’ve followed this blog since 2018, you well know we used to do what we call “Yard Trash Day.” (See here and here.) We would make beautiful floral arrangements out of just stuff from our yards.

But this year we said you know what, let’s do something different. So, we decided to try Christmas cookies and see how that works out. I will do rolled sugar cookies, adapted from a recipe in an old Better Homes & Garden cookbook. I’ve used this recipe for over 40 years. Because I made them with my daughter many times, and she likes them so much, I call them Kathy’s Christmas Cookies.

Nancy decided go back even further and make gingerbread men from a recipe from a very old edition of the Joy of Cooking. The recipe poses many challenges, but the end product is tasty. The old recipe includes instructions on how to make templates for the gingerbread men, and it would be great fun when done with a child or grandchild.

So, watch our video and see how much fun two old friends can have when they make Christmas cookies together.

ignorance is bliss
Farmhouse Living, Mr. Monte, Ol' Fuzz Face

Ignorance is bliss & Old Fuzz Face is the most blissful human I know!

In this post and video, Mr. Monte reflects upon the concept of ‘ignorance is bliss’ through the lens of his experiences with Old Fuzz Face. Monte believes Fuzzy embodies true ignorance induced bliss.

“Ignorance is bliss” – Is it true?

Hi. Mister Monte here. Here’s a question for my 23,417 faithful, feline followers:

Is the adage “Ignorance is bliss” true?

After watching Old Fuzz Face move firewood today, I’m convinced that it is. – In fact, I’m convinced that Fuzzy is the most blissful human I know.

As this post and the linked video show, Fuzzy knows that there’s a problem with his method of moving wood to the shed, but because Fuzzy is Fuzzy, he just doesn’t understand how he can solve his problem.

Wood Trek – Capt. Fuzzy & the Wood Ship Cub Cadet

Captain Fuzzy starts off by discussing the effort involved in transporting wood to the woodshed. He emphasizes the distance and difficulty of the task. Despite the cold weather, he prepares for the long trip, showing his determination to complete the mission.

ignorance is bliss

Old Fuzz Face expresses frustration about the long journey through rugged terrain, wishing for a quicker route while navigating through challenging landscapes. He describes the journey as lengthy and arduous. He’s concerned about the wild and rugged nature of the surroundings. Fuzzy is especially worried about having to navigate through a treacherous gully, and he knows there are even greater challenges ahead. – If only there were a a shorter and more efficient path.

Wood Fleet Command Critiques Captain Fuzzy’s Mission

Well, once again Old Fuzz Face has proven that he’s not the sharpest claw on the paw.
When you watch the video you will see Fuzzy’s path from the wood pile to the woodshed.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or even an amazingly brilliant Maine Coon cat like me, to see the way he should have solved the problem.

ignorance is bless

Here’s the wood pile and here’s the woodshed.
In Euclidean geometry, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. This is known as the line segment connecting the two points.

My human, Old Fuzz Face, is not a problem solver. He’s a problem maker. But one must admit he’s a master of Fuzzy Math when it comes to moving firewood.


As I said before, ignorance is bliss, and Fuzzy is the most blissful human I know.

Note: Not all firewood moving events are as distressing as the one described above. See our post How to Have a Firewood Party.

Azorean bean soup
Main Dishes, Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

How to Make Azorean Bean Soup: A Comfort Food Recipe

Today, we’ll be exploring the rich culinary history of the Azores, focusing on a traditional and frugal dish—Azorean Bean Soup with Linguiça.

Azorean bean soup

Hi! Old Fuzz Face here. Welcome to the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen!

In the late-1800s and early 1900s, life on São Miguel was simple and community-oriented. Meals were often prepared with whatever was locally available, making use of seasonal ingredients and foods like linguiça sausage.

Our video will show you how to use linguiça in a traditional bean soup that tastes great and is warm and satisfying. – A perfect meal for this time of year.

By the way, don’t be worried if you don’t have any linguiça. A number of grocery chains such as Harris Teeter sell various brands of authentic linguiça sausage. And if you are really daring, try making your own linguiça using my recipe here.

Sous Chef Lessons Learned

Mr. Monte claims that I’m not the sharpest claw on the paw. I’m not saying our video proves him right. I will say that I learned three important lessons while making this about how to make Azorean Bean Soup. Watch the video to see what those three lessons were.

A Recipe on a Journey from the Azores

In 1903, my dad’s parents emigrated from São Miguel to Massachusetts. They didn’t bring much with them, and they had to start here from scratch. But my grandmother did bring one very important thing with her, that was her skill at cooking traditional Azorean dishes.

My grandfather died young, and I never got to meet my grandmother. My dad became the head of the household in the late 1920’s. I learned through my cousin Emma what types of meals my grandmother made for my dad and the family. This bean soup we’re preparing today is an example of what my grandmother would make back in those days. We think you’ll enjoy this bean soup because of its great flavor and ease of preparation.

French onion soup
Jacques Pepin, Recipe, Soups & Salads, Test Kitchen

Unlock the Secrets of Jacques’s Onion Soup Mystery Recipe

On YouTube you can find an enormous number of videos showing how to make French onion soup gratinee. For example, Jacques Pépin has at least three different videos. But have you ever seen one video on French onion soup Lyonnaise-style?

French onion soup

Hello my friends, Chef Blondie here. – French Onion Soup Lyonnaise-style is a Jacques Pépin mystery recipe that makes a great French onion soup even better.

How did Jacques do it? What were his mystery ingredients?

Well, if you want to learn the answer, watch as my trusty sous chef and I show you what Jacques did.

Happy cooking!

What makes this onion soup recipe better than the rest?

Of course, Jacques has many variations of the typical French onion soup gratinee. But in this recipe, which comes from the Lyon region of France, the soup is much thicker than the usual kind.

In his cookbook Essential Pepin, Jacques recounts his personal recollection.

It’s often served as a late-night dish. When I was a young man, I often made it with my friends at 2 or 3 A.M. after returning home from a night of dancing. … It looks thick and messy, but it is delicious.

The Two Mystery Ingredients

What sets this recipe apart from all the others is what comes at the very end. It is an added touch that you can perform in the presence of your dinner guests. This simple addition adds warmth to a cold evening and brings people together.

When you take the basic onion soup out of the oven, it will still be bubbling. That is when you add two egg yolks to 1/2 cup of sweet Port wine and mix well. Then you make a hole in the crusty top of the hot onion soup and pour the egg and wine mixture into the opening. As you fold the mixture in, the soup becomes rich and creamy and develops a wonderful aroma.

While your friends huddle around watching, you instantly transform your once typical onion soup into a warm and romantic dish to be shared and savoured.

Key Differences in Jacques’s Onion Soup Lyonnaise-Style

Texture: The Gratinee has a thinner, more broth-like consistency. The Lyonnaise-Style is thicker and creamier due to the addition of egg yolks.

Preparation: The Gratinee is typically served in individual bowls with a crusty cheese topping. The Lyonnaise-Style is baked in a large tureen and served from the center.

Flavor Enhancements: The Lyonnaise-Style includes port wine. This adds a sweet, fruity depth to the soup, and egg yolks, which give it a richer, creamier texture.

The Role of Egg Yolks and Port Wine

Egg Yolks: They thicken the soup and add a velvety, luxurious texture. When mixed with the hot soup, they create a creamy consistency that elevates the overall mouthfeel.

Port Wine: This adds a sweet, complex flavor that adds wonderful undertones to the savory onions and cheese. It also gives the soup a unique depth and richness that is not present in the Gratinee.

What are the two mystery ingredients in Jacques Pépin's recipe for French Onion Soup Lyonnaise style? Chef Blondie will show you what they are and why they make a difference. Adapted from the cookbook Essential Pépin
RV Trip
Autumn, RV Living, Uncategorized

The Best RV Trip We Never Had – Monte’s Revenge

Our 25-pound Maine Coon cat gave us the best RV trip we never had. He did it through a premeditated act of sabotage.

Every year in October, Miss Blondie and I take our Class C RV to Shenandoah River State Park to bask in the colors of Autumn. First we pick up our reservation pass at the Contact Station. With our pass in hand, we head directly to our RV site, hook up our utilities, and set up camp. Then we just sit back and take in all the wonders of the park in this most beautiful time of year. – And that, dear friends, was the plan for this last October 24th.

Malicious Maine Coon Sabotage

If you follow our YouTube channel, and we hope that you do, you know that Mr. Monte sabotaged our hot water system and we had to cancel our reservation. – Little did he know, that in performing his evil prank, our cat gave us … the best RV trip we never had. (To see how he performed his malicious act of sabotage, click here.)

Our Backup Plan – Let’s Have a Day Trip

Yes, Mr. Monte forced us to cancel our trip scheduled for the peak Autumn foliage. Yes, that dang cat thought he had won this round. But Miss Blondie and I resolved that we would not miss the splendors of Autumn. We would see the Shenandoah Valley at its best. – We had devised a backup plan.

A quick telephone call is all it took. Our cancelled RV trip morphed into a magnificent day of exploring and picnicking in the park. It was an unbelievably pleasant day with three of the most charming ladies I know – Miss Blondie, Daughter #1, and Granddaughter #1.

I won’t burden you with a lengthy description of all we did on our day trip. Words would only get in the way. Instead, let’s just look at some of what we saw. Perhaps someday you will be able to visit Shenandoah River State Park in October and see it all for yourself.

rye bread
Breads, Recipe, Test Kitchen

How to make Good Rye Bread even Better

We did two things to make a good rye bread even better. First, we enhanced the flavor by using our own home-milled rye berries. Then, we found a way to add the wonderful character and aroma of caraway seeds without suffering the problems often associated with seeded breads.

Hello, my friends.

My hubby and I have been working in the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen. Our most recent project has been to perfect a bread machine recipe using home-milled rye.

In our YouTube video, we show you how we’ve adapted a recipe for Scandinavian Light Rye Bread from The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger. We’re sure you’re going to love it.

A Few Wry Comments on Rye and Rye Bread

Rye is classified as an ancient grain, belonging to the wheat family, and it has been cultivated for thousands of years. Compared to wheat, rye contains fewer carbohydrates and is richer in vitamins and minerals, making it a nutritious choice. This is a time-proven grain that remains ever so versatile in modern baking.

Perhaps those comments weren’t so wry, but they did let you know that rye, especially when freshly milled, will help you to make a good rye bread even better. So, watch our YouTube video to see how we did it. Also, if you like the looks of that pimento cheese, check our post Pimento Cheese IHO Mom and try out our recipe.

Resources

It’s been nearly 25 years since Beth Hensperger authored The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook. The updated edition comes out this month. Check out the following link for details on The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook, Newly Updated and Expanded: A Master Baker’s 300-Plus Favorite Recipes for Perfect-Every-Time Bread–From Every Kind of Machine Paperback – October 22, 2024 by Beth Hensperger (Author)

In case you were wondering about what bread machine we used to make our rye bread, check out the following link. Cuisinart Bread Maker Machine, Compact and Automatic, Customizable Settings, Up to 2 lb Loaves, CBK-110P1, Silver,Black

See some of our other posts about bread making: Sourdough Bread for a Practical Man, Sourdough Starter for a Practical Man, and Sourdough Troubleshooting for a Practical Man.

Farmhouse Living, Preserved Foods, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

What are the 6 important preserving skills?

After harvesting and processing, the next step in a successful winter food prep is making use of preserving skills. This is key in ensuring that favorite summer foods will be there during the coming months. So, let’s talk a little about the preserving methods we used here at Serendipity Farmhouse during the week of September 15th.

Farmhouse Food Skills Category 3 – Preserving

preserving skills

Hi! Old Fuzz Face here. In the first two posts of this winter food prep series, we talked about where we get our winter food and the farmhouse food skills we use to process it. But that’s just the beginning of our winter food prep. There’s another set of food skills we’ve learned that helps us preserve the food we’ve processed.

Food Preserving Skills

Q – Okay, now that we’ve processed our raw ingredients, what do we do to preserve different types of farmhouse food products?

A – We employ a variety of techniques to extend the shelf life of food, such as canning, dehydrating, fermenting, freezing, and vacuum sealing herbs and other food products. In the future, we hope to explore smoking and other traditional techniques.

You can find any number of lists describing skills needed for preserving food. The lists pretty much agree on primary techniques, but it’s hard to find a single standard list. In our list of six preserving techniques, we show the ones that are important for us here at SFH. For other folks, the list will be different.

6 Important Preserving Skills

TechniqueDescription
CanningPreserves fruits, vegetables, and meats by sealing them in jars and heating to kill bacteria. This technique is vital for ensuring long-term storage without refrigeration while retaining nutritional value and flavor.
DehydratingRemoves moisture to prevent spoilage. This is essential for preserving herbs, fruits, and vegetables, making them lightweight, compact, and easy to store, with a long shelf life.
FermentingUtilizes natural bacteria to convert sugars into acids or alcohol, preserving food while enhancing its nutritional value and flavor. Perfect for making pickles, sauerkraut, and other fermented goodies.
FreezingSlows down enzyme activity and bacterial growth. Freezing is indispensable for maintaining the quality and nutrition of fruits, vegetables, and meats, making them last well beyond their natural season.
Root CellaringUses the earth’s natural coolness for storage. This energy-efficient method is perfect for keeping root vegetables, apples, and other hardy produce fresh over winter. (We don’t have a root cellar or basement, so we have to use the coolest places we can find in our old farmhouse.)
Vacuum SealingRemoves air from packaging or containers to extend the shelf life of foods. This method is critical for preventing freezer burn and oxidation, keeping frozen and dried foods fresh for a longer period.

Farmhouse Preserving Skills

Here are some preserving skills we used during the week of September 15th.

Canning – Spicy Dilly Beans

preserving skills

We’ve been canning spicy dilly beans for three years now. It’s a great way to preserve those garden-fresh beans and to kick them up a notch. Sure, they can be used as a side for dinner. But with these spicy dilly beans you can also serve them as an appetizer or as a snack at lunchtime. It’s really worth the effort to can beans this way because it ensures that we will have a crunchy, tangy snack or side dish all year-round.

See our post Spicy Dilly Beans @ Serendipity Farmhouse for the recipe.

Dehydrating – Sage

Sage is an essential herb for adding flavor to dishes. Dehydrating this herb takes little time and it’s about as easy as it gets. Now that we’ve started dehydrating products from our own gardens, we can be sure that we always have a supply of aromatic, home-grown herbs to season the foods cooked in the soon-to-be-world-famous SFH Test Kitchen.

For some background on our work with herbs, see SFH-TK SKills – Herbs.

Dehydrating – Tomatoes

preserving skills

This is our first year dehydrating tomatoes. We’re compiling a list of ways that we can use them in various recipes. They reconstitute easily and they’re going to be found on top of our pizzas and in clam chowder and other dishes. Looking further into the future, we expect to turn some of our dried tomatoes in tomato powder for making tomato paste, tomato sauce, and other basic tomato products.

As we see it, dehydrating tomatoes is a way to preserve summer’s sweetness for those colder months. It’s a great way get the most from our summer garden.

Fermenting – Cucumbers

Fermenting cucumbers, or making pickles, is an excellent way to add tangy, probiotic-rich foods to our diet. During the summer we get a large number of cucumbers from our CSA. In fact, we get more than we can use during a normal week. Fermenting those excess cucumbers means we can preserve them for several months and use our own homegrown dill and garlic to add flavor. So, we end up with a healthy, flavorful treat that’s perfect for snack platters and sandwiches.

Fermenting – Garlic

preserving skills

In mid-September our homegrown garlic meets a critical point in its lifecycle. Without a proper cold storage room, this is when our garlic starts to go down hill. We’ve found a few good ways to preserve garlic from two to six months beyond this point. One way we used to preserve the garlic was in red wine. Now, we prefer to ferment our garlic. That’s because, not only does it last longer, in the fermenting process it gains the healthy benefit of becoming a probiotic.

Fermenting garlic enhances the flavor and gives it a little more kick. Now our garlic is long lasting, has great flavor, and it’s healthy. Who could ask for more?

To learn why preserving garlic is important to us, the our posts 7 Reasons Why We Want to be Garlic Self-Reliant and Garlic & Hackers.

Freezing – Okra

We dehydrate, pickle, and freeze our okra. But, we never ever ferment it. The one time we tried that, we regretted it deeply. So for now, freezing is our go-to method for preserving okra. It’s a simple, effective way to preserve this nutritious vegetable. Freezing okra ensures that we have a supply of this versatile veggie for soups, stews, and gumbos all winter long. Of course, frying is our favorite way to use okra.

For a tip on how not to preserve okra, see our post Report to St. Isidore – 2022.

Freezing – Crookneck Squash

preserving skills

Once you learn a preserving technique, you can apply it to a host of other food products. Freezing some veggies like okra is very simple and straightforward. Other vegetables, however, require an added step of blanching to lock in color and flavor. Crookneck squash requires that little bit of extra preparation. After that, it’s just like freezing okra and tomatoes.

You’ll really want to try this. That’s because everybody knows that by mid-summer they’ve seen too much summer squash and zucchini. Freeze it now, and enjoy it in February.

Farmhouse Food Skills Series

We hope that you’re enjoying this series of post and videos about farmhouse food skills.

For great ideas and ways to build your food preserving skills visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

farmhouse food skills
Farmhouse Living, SFH Food Talk & Recipes

How to improve your life with farmhouse food skills

How have my beautiful Miss Blondie and I improved our lives by learning basic Farmhouse Food Skills? – The are two answers to that question.

The first answer is quite simple. Our lives have been improved because we’ve learned and practiced these skills and techniques together. We spend our time together in the garden and the kitchen. We love each other and we work side-by-side doing what we love to do.

The 2nd Answer to the Question

The second answer to the question is more complex. This answer also responds to questions posed by my son-in-law, Andy, during a recent conversation.

Andy watched the first video in this series about Farmhouse Food Skills and he read the accompanying blog post. He told me that he realized that now was a good time for Daughter #1 and him to learn some of these skills and techniques. Andy noted that he gets more out of our blog posts than from our videos. He added that he wants to come over and watch us do these things in person.

Based on what Andy told me, I decided to change my approach so that it might be more instructive. So, I’m providing links to videos and posts that explain the “what”, “why”, and “how to” dimensions of the skills we use here at SFH. This approach will help explain how Miss Blondie and I have improved our lives by learning these skills.

Category 2 – Food Processing

Q – As viewed by the staff of the SFH Test Kitchen, what skills or techniques fall under the category of Food Processing?

A – For us, there are four primary skill sets and one general set in this category.

  • General: cleaning, chopping, grinding of any type of food
  • Routine Dairy: separating cream, making butter, and other simple dairy tasks
  • Daring Dairy: making cheese, yogurt, creme fraiche, etc.
  • Sourdough Culturing: creating and maintaining sourdough cultures
  • Spice Blending: preparing spice blends and mixes

Following are six examples of Farmhouse Food Processing Skills we used during the week of September 15th. I think you’ll see how mastering each skill has contributed to the joy we experience in farm-to-table living.

Making Butter

farmhouse food skills

Homemade butter is rich, flavorful, and free from additives. For us, it’s a simple process that connects us to traditional methods. Churning butter from fresh cream provides a sense of accomplishment and yields a versatile ingredient for cooking and baking. And, when we serve our fresh sourdough bread to guests and tell them we also made the butter, they always acknowledge that extra farmhouse touch. – And don’t forget, when you make your own butter, you also get to drink that delightful buttermilk that’s left over.

See our post Julia, Butter & Serendipity Farmhouse to learn how we make butter.

Making Goat Milk Cheese

Goat milk cheese is nutritious, easier to digest than other cheeses, and is often preferred by those with lactose sensitivities. We use raw goat milk to create our own cheese and cheese dips. We’ve found that goat milk cheese freezes quite well. So, we can have our favorite homemade cheese even when fresh goat milk is out of season.

See How to make Chèvre goat cheese! for the post and a link to our video.

Making Goat Milk Yogurt

farmhouse food skills

Goat milk yogurt is probiotic-rich and supports gut health. We culture our own yogurt to ensure freshness and to avoid store-bought additives. It makes a perfect breakfast or snack option. We’ve also found that making our own yogurt is cost effective. Of course, we can use cow milk when goat milk is out of season. Also, we’ve seen that some folks make yogurt using milk powder. The staff members of the Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen are planning to try that soon.

Making Mayonnaise

Homemade mayo is healthier than store-bought versions, as it lacks preservatives and stabilizers. For us, making mayonnaise allows for customization (e.g., using olive or avocado oil, or adding herbs). It’s a staple for sandwiches, salads, and dips. – Mr. Monte, our food quality control expert, is always there when we’re making mayo. He lets us know if we’ve chosen the best type of oil for the job.

Sourdough Culturing

farmhouse food skills

Sourdough is a time-honored bread-making technique. We’ve had a reliable, mature sourdough starter for quite some time now. The slow fermentation process enhances digestibility. Everyone refers to our starter by the name of Mrs. Patmore. Maintaining, using, and sharing Mrs. P has become a living tradition here at our farmhouse. Baking sourdough loaves brings warmth to our farmhouse kitchen.

See Sourdough Troubleshooting for a Practical Man for the post and a link to our video.

Mixing Salsa Spices

We preserve the summer tomato harvest by canning salsa. We used to use Mrs. Wages brand salsa mix when canning our 12-18 pints of salsa every year. However, now we grow many of our own herbs and spices. So, we came up with our own salsa mix that combines homegrown tomatoes, jalapeño and other hot peppers, onions, and a variety of spices. Our canned salsa, with it’s homemade spice blend is a flavorful addition to meals. But the real pleasure in making it ourselves comes when sharing homemade salsa with family and friends.

See our post How to Make Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa Mix for the recipe.

View the first video in this series of Farmhouse Food Skills here.

Be Prepared, Farmhouse Living, Preserving, SFH Skills

What Farmhouse Food Skills are important to you now?

Now is the time to sharpen your farmhouse food skills. Why? The harvest is coming in. Tomatoes, okra, green beans, jalapeno peppers, and many types of herbs. The seasonal clock is ticking. It’s time to prepare for winter.

For a practical man like me, and for a practical woman like Miss Blondie, that means it’s time to get to work. That’s just what we did, and that’s what we’re continuing to do.

Scale & Scope

As I’ve told you before, and as I often have to remind myself, Serendipity Farmhouse is just that. Even with its vast 1.203 acres, It’s still just a farmhouse. It’s in no way a farm. There might be enough land to support a small homestead, but Miss Blondie, Mr. Monte, and I don’t see that as our goal. Nope, we just want to lead a quiet, practical life, doing what we can and loving what we do.

It’s all a matter of scale and scope. In our case, we’re definitely a small-scale operation. We’re not looking to be entirely self-sustaining or self-reliant. And, when it comes to scope, we only grow the things we want to grow. We look to our local rural community for other things we need. We go to Reality Farm for beef, milk, and eggs. For the vegetables we don’t grow ourselves, we get them at our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

20 Farmhouse Food Skills & Techniques

So, considering our scale and scope, we may have more or less work to do than you do when preparing for winter. Nevertheless, over the last two weeks, we’ve had just about all the work we can handle. Consequently, there was no time to write posts or make videos. It was the Autumn crunch.

farmhouse food skills

In just one week, we could see just how many farmhouse foods kills were needed to handle our small-scale operation. We have a personal list of 20 essential farmhouse food skills and techniques. Miss Blondie and I used 14 of them to complete one week’s worth winter food preparation tasks.

We’ve broken that group of 20 skills and techniques down into five basic groups or categories. Let’s take a look at them now and see which skills came into play during the week of 15 September.

farmhouse food skills

Food Acquisition

Here at Serendipity Farmhouse, we have a general food acquisition plan. Because SFH is not a farm or homestead, we acquire the majority of our standard provisions from commercial outlets including Sam’s Club, Aldi, and Walmart.

We have the great blessing to live in an Oasis of Fresh Food. So, we obtain a large portion of our fresh vegetables, fruit, meat and dairy locally. Our main sources are: our local Consumer Supported Agriculture (CSA), Reality Farm, and other local sources.

Of course our own vegetable gardens provide an abundance of our favorite vegetables and herbs. And we’re also learning how to forage for berries and other things. So you see, our food acquisition plan ensures a sustainable and diverse food supply. Of course, if the need arose, we would also include hunting and fishing in our plan.

During the week of 15 September, we focused on harvesting food from our gardens, obtaining vegetables from our CSA, and using goat milk from Reality Farm.

Food Processing

These are the techniques involved in transforming raw ingredients into usable food products, which may include cleaning, chopping, grinding, cooking, and combining ingredients. This category includes more advanced techniques like making cheese and yogurt.

Preserving Techniques

Methods employed to extend the shelf life of food, such as canning, pickling, fermenting, drying, and smoking, to prevent spoilage and maintain nutritional value are preserving techniques.

Food Storage

Food storage includes Strategies for storing food safely and effectively to maintain freshness and prevent spoilage, including refrigeration, freezing, root cellaring, and using airtight or vacuum sealed containers.

Cooking

Cooking is the art and science of preparing food through various methods such as baking, boiling, frying, grilling, and steaming, focusing on flavor development and nutritional preservation. Cooking from scratch and using seasonal ingredients make this a creative art.

Don’t Forget Your Wood Stove

As I said earlier, the seasonal clock is ticking. It’s time to prepare for winter. So, don’t forget to make sure your wood stove and chimney are cleaned and ready for use. Also make sure you have an adequate supply of firewood stored away where it is dry and accessible.

If there’s an ice storm or other winter weather problem, you might lose your power. But don’t worry. If your wood stove is working it will provide the heat you need and can provide an emergency cook stove to use until the power comes back. – It’s happened to us, and the wood stove was there to keep us warm.

Following is the first in a series videos that will examine four farmhouse food skill categories in detail.