John Buckingham

My Garden: Sylvia’s Seed Saving Class #3

Attending the seed saving class is one of the highlights of the month for me. Sylvia’s gardens are always picture perfect and it’s amazing to see the difference one month makes in her gardens. Of course my gardens change as well, but since I’m in them everyday I don’t see it so clearly. TheContinue reading “My Garden: Sylvia’s Seed Saving Class #3”

Frugal Tips: Made From Scratch Saves Cash!

One of the easiest ways to save money is to make your own rather than buying store bought food. Here are just a few ideas of foods that don’t take a lot of time to mix up and will save you money, Granola – Forget buying the expensive store-bought granola. Click on this link for aContinue reading “Frugal Tips: Made From Scratch Saves Cash!”

Beer Can Chicken

Too hot to roast a chicken in the oven, no reason why we couldn’t cook one on the grill. The choice was to make a Beer Can Chicken.

Pressure Canning Chicken Stock

Pressure canning chicken stock should always be cooked ready for serving, then poured into a clean, hot Mason jar, leaving a one inch head space.

My Garden: The Joys of Lavender

Ten years ago my mother and I took a trip to North Carolina. On the way there we stayed with an old family friend in Virginia. The woman was moving things around in her garden and asked me if I’d like her English Lavender plant. I had no idea whether or not the plant wouldContinue reading “My Garden: The Joys of Lavender”

Frugal Tips: Pricey Spices

Do you love oregano? I use it in so many ways. Usually there is a container of oregano in my spice cabinet. You may have noticed that the price of spices has increased and those little bottles can be so expensive. I also have two beautiful plants in my garden so I can enjoy freshContinue reading “Frugal Tips: Pricey Spices”

Scrumptious Cherry Pie

I am so thankful I had just enough cherries left over from making my Sour Cherry Cordial to make a Scrumptious Cherry Pie.

Prudent Pantry: Elusive Sour Cherries

Sour cherries grow in Vermont but their season is very short. They also seem to be a fruit tree that is easily affected by the weather. As a result some years there is not any fruit produced. Our local orchard where we usually go to pick sour cherries did not have a harvest this year.Continue reading “Prudent Pantry: Elusive Sour Cherries”

Frugal Tips: Cash for Food

I remember when I was first learning how to stay within a grocery budget. A good friend of mine took me grocery shopping with her. She had a large family and was very good at staying within her budget. What a fun time we had, and I learned a foolproof way to stay within yourContinue reading “Frugal Tips: Cash for Food”

Prudent Pantry: Freezing Strawberries

I still have strawberries coming in from my garden. As much as I enjoy strawberry jam I only want to have so many jars in the pantry for consumption and gifts! We’ve been enjoying the strawberries for dessert and for breakfast and I still have some left. What to do? I decided to freeze aContinue reading “Prudent Pantry: Freezing Strawberries”