If you’re an Andy Griffith Show fan, you probably remember Aunt Bee’s infamous homemade pickles. The ones that tasted like kerosene. Well. Apparently Aunt Bee and I have more in common than I realized. I know how to can a lot of things. Tomatoes? Absolutely. Jam? Please. Peaches, spaghetti sauce, chicken stock, hot sauce, pickled peppers? I can line those beautiful little jars up on the counter, stand back, admire my handiwork, and feel dangerously close to becoming insuffera

For my entire life, up until about three months ago, I had never made Greek yogurt. Not once. I think what has happened is that my children have grown up, and become independent human beings, and suddenly I have a lot more time on my hands. Apparently, I have decided to use that newfound time investigating all the things I could have been making from scratch for the last 30 years. Enter homemade Greek yogurt. And y’all. WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME?!?!? Seriously. How have I made i

My uncle came back from Arkansas with one of the best gifts a gardener and home canner can receive, a case of fresh Arkansas peaches. If you've ever bought peaches at the perfect moment, you know there's no time to waste. Their shelf life is short, so as soon as they arrived, it was time to get to work. Of course, the first step was quality control. Some peaches are good. Some peaches are spectacular. These are spectacular. They were a little on the small side, but they are t

It's 100° outside in Texas, which can only mean one thing...it's time to start Christmas baking. Well...sort of. Every year, I make my own vanilla extract. Because the very first ingredient in my Christmas cookies doesn't come from the grocery store in December. It starts quietly tucked away in the pantry in the middle of July. Now, almost every tutorial will tell you to buy the cheapest vodka you can find. I'm going to be the Christmas rebel here. I've done that. The vanilla

We're in the thick of summer here in North Texas, where the weather app has apparently forgotten there are numbers below 100°. By late July, my garden isn't exactly thriving. It's waving the white flag. The tomatoes are wearing the evidence of another brutal Texas summer. Sun-scalded shoulders. Split skins. The tomatoes are all but getting cooked on the vine. The peppers aren't much better, sporting little sunburns that make them look far worse than they really are. If I were

There is something deeply satisfying about looking down at a pan overflowing with tomatoes that, just a few months ago, were tiny seedlings tucked into the garden. Every shade of red, every imperfect shape, every sun-ripened tomato is a little reminder that good things really do take time. I'm not Italian, but today I'm happily channeling my inner Nonna. When your garden blesses you with an abundance like this, there is only one reasonable thing to do, make marinara. I starte

One of my favorite things about living seasonally is that every time of year has its own kitchen traditions. Spring is for planting. Summer is for preserving. Autumn is for soups, sourdough, and cozy evenings. And somewhere in the middle of the sweltering Texas heat, while everyone else is dreaming about air conditioning, I'm already thinking about cold and flu season. Every summer, I make a couple of batches of Fire Cider. It feels a little backward, standing in a hot kitche

One of my favorite ways to preserve the flavors of the season is by making fermented honey. Why do I make it? Quite frankly, because it is delicious. The fact that fermented honey is often associated with probiotic benefits and other health properties is certainly a bonus, but if I am being honest, the flavor is what keeps me coming back again and again. It is also a wonderful way to capture fruit when it is at its absolute peak. Today, my kitchen counter is lined with jars o

Pie crust. What can I say? It is either amazing or an adventure that tests your character. I have a genuine fear of the dreaded soggy bottom, thanks to many episodes of The Great British Baking Show. I can practically hear Paul Hollywood tapping the bottom of a slice and announcing with deep disappointment that it is, in fact, soggy. Tragic. It takes a lot to sway me from my mother’s tried and true pie crust recipe, but here I am… swaying. I recently heard about a trick that

From the Whimsy Hive Kitchen: When the weather turns crisp and the evenings come a little earlier, there’s nothing better than the smell of something warm simmering on the stove. Roasted Vegetable Lentil Soup There’s something about a bowl of Roasted Vegetable Lentil Soup that just feels like a hug on a cold day. It’s hearty, wholesome, and packed with flavor, the kind of meal that makes you feel cared for from the inside out. I started making this soup years ago on a chilly

When I first saw this recipe, I had two thoughts: One — this will be AMAZING! Two — this could be a taste disaster. Naturally, I had to find out for myself. Well friends, I’m happy to report that this Carrot Cake Jam is everything I hoped it would be — warm, sweet, spiced, and absolutely delightful. It’s the kind of recipe that makes your kitchen smell like fall, your spoon "accidentally" find its way into the pot a few too many times, and your jars disappear almost as fast

Ah, tomatoes. Those cheerful little bursts of sunshine are such a joy...until they all decide to ripen at the same time ! If you grow tomatoes, you know the rhythm well: nothing for days or weeks, and then suddenly, it’s tomato overload. Counters full. Baskets full. You’re trying to pawn them off on neighbors before they start getting a little too soft and wrinkly. So what’s a homegrown tomato lover to do? Here’s one of my favorite tricks: freeze cherry tomatoes whole! No bla