There’s nothing more comforting than a well stocked pantry. It’s even better when the jars you gaze upon were lovingly created from reliable homestead recipes! Start building up your preserving, brewing and fermenting skills with these tried and true recipes from the Walkerland Homestead Pantry.
Raw Packed Carrots
The secret to canning delicious carrots is simple: fresh, firm produce and using the raw packed method of canning. Get the recipe here: Canning Carrots: Raw Packed Carrot Recipe
Canned Beets
We love beets. A big part of our garden is dedicated to growing heirloom varieties such as Bull’s Blood, Chiogga & Crosby’s Egyptian Beets. The hues of red, mauve & pink are gorgeous and the flavours are equally as bright and earthy. Although many beets will be kept in cold storage for fresh eating, canning plan beets is a convenient way to enjoy them in the winter. It speeds up the preparation of recipes like Borscht (beet soup). Find the recipe here: Home Canning: Canning Plain Beets
Pickled Beets With Dill
These beets are sweet and tangy and taste as fresh as the day you made them! Try to them sit for at lease three months before eating for the best texture and flavour (although we never make it this long). This recipe uses the raw packed method which maintains the perfect texture, freshness and crispness in your preserves. Find the recipe here: Home Canning: Pickled Beets with Dill Recipe
Pickled Carrots with Ginger & Dill
The fresh ginger and dill adds a touch of complexity and the flavours are subtle and delicious. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed! This recipe uses the raw packed method which maintains the perfect texture, freshness and crunch in your preserves. Find the recipe here: Pickled Carrots with Ginger & Dill Recipe
Strawberry Mint Jam
This recipe for strawberry jam is bursting with bright, fresh flavours. It captures the essence of juicy red summertime fruit and stores it up for future enjoyment. Find the recipe here: Strawberry Mint Jam Recipe
How To Render Lard
If you don’t raise pigs, you can buy lard from a butcher or local farm. Give them a call and they’ll usually arrange something with you. Often when you buy lard, it will not be rendered so you’ll need to do a little work to prepare it for use. It’s really easy to do! Learn how here: How to Render Lard
WildFlower Jelly
Wildflower jelly is a delicious way to celebrate the seasons. The possibilities and combinations that you can create are endless. We make small batches of wildflower jelly throughout each growing season, experimenting with different combinations of flavour and colour. Each batch is unique, capturing the essences of the season it was prepared in. Learn how to make it here: Wildflower Jelly Recipe
Fresh Horseradish Sauce
Fresh horseradish sauce is easy to make and the flavours are far superior to anything you can purchase in the store. If you grow horseradish, early spring is a perfect time to dig some up and make sauce! If you don’t grow any you’ll often find it in the produce section of the grocery store near the garlic. It’s usually labelled “horseradish root”. Find the recipe here: Horseradish Sauce Recipe
Healing Fire Cider Tonic
Fire cider is a spicy, raw apple cider vinegar, herbal tonic. The slow process in which you make it extracts the medicinal qualities of the ingredients creating a potent herbal vinegar. Fire cider helps to boost your immune system. It can be taken to ward off a colds or other respiratory infections. Learn how to make it here: Charlotte’s Fire Cider Tonic Recipe
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Raw apple cider vinegar is one of nature’s miracle foods. In addition to it’s many culinary uses, there are also countless health and skincare benefits. ACV is often used for things like: heartburn, digestive issues, flu prevention, inflammation, regulate pH balance, ease nausea, detoxes and the list just goes on and on. Find the recipe here: How to Make Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
Wine Vinegar
Why not make your own brightly flavoured raspberry vinegar? It’s really easy and it tastes far better than the store bought varieties. You can use fresh or frozen berries making this a handy recipe for the winter months. Get the recipe here: How to make your own wine vinegar
Raspberry Jam with Kirsch
Raspberry jam is a tart and versatile classic that belongs in every pantry. This recipe kicks things up a notch by adding a splash of kirsch. This jam is simple and quick to prepare and you don’t need to add pectin. Find the recipe here: Raspberry Jam with Kirsch Recipe
Apple Fig Chutney
This Apple & fig chutney is one of my favourite preserves. It’s pretty popular with family and friends as well. It’s jam packed with dried fruits, and seasoned with warm spices. At first glance, the long ingredient list might make this chutney seem complicated but believe me, it’s super easy to make and well worth the effort. Get the recipe here: Old Fashioned Apple Fig Chutney
Carrot Wine
This recipe makes a semi-dry white wine with a twist. It really does not taste like carrot. One word of warning: Root vegetable wines do tend to turn out stronger than fruit wines. Find the recipe here: Carrot Wine Recipe
Parsnip wine
One perk when it comes to growing your own food is that you can gather some fruit or vegetables from the garden and turn it into wine. It’s satisfying to share a bottle of wine made from food you have grown. It’s also highly economical! You should be warned however: Parsnip wine is potent (And delicious). Find the recipe here: Walkerland’s Parsnip Wine Recipe
Rumtopf (Rum Pot)
Rumtopf quite literally means rum pot. It is a traditional German method of preserving fruits of summer with sugar and strong rum. It is traditionally eaten around Christmas but if properly stored it keeps indefinitely. Find the recipe here:Rumtopf (Rum Pot): Fruit Preserved in Rum
You might also enjoy reading A Homesteader’s Well Stocked Pantry & How to Stock a Pantry like a Pro!