by Lisa Matthews | Oct 25, 2016 | 2016 Fall Gathering, advice, DIY, education, fall, family, gathering, homesteading, lifestyle, sessions | 
In addition to the afternoon sessions, discussed in more detail, here and here, we have several working exhibitions lined up for the morning hours of the 2016 Fall Gathering. Join us from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. at the Matthews homestead near Miller for a full day of fun,...				
					
			
					
											
								
							
					
															
					
					 by Lisa Matthews | Oct 19, 2016 | 2016 Fall Gathering, advice, DIY, education, fall, gathering, homesteading, lifestyle, sessions | 
F or those of you just now learning of the upcoming Fall Gathering, you can read about other speakers in this post. In addition to the four speakers previously introduced, we have four more who will also be offering educational sessions on various topics. We hope you...				
					
			
					
											
								
							
					
															
					
					 by Lisa Matthews | Oct 11, 2016 | 2016 Fall Gathering, advice, DIY, education, fall, gathering, homesteading, lifestyle, sessions | 
With the 2016 Fall Gathering quickly approaching, it is time to introduce some the topics that will be covered in the afternoon educational sessions. Today you will meet half of the presenters and see what information they will be sharing. Topics being covered by...				
					
			
					
											
								
							
					
															
					
					 by Lisa Matthews | Oct 9, 2016 | 2016 Fall Gathering, advice, education, fall, family, gathering, homesteading, lifestyle, sessions | 
On Saturday, October 29th, we will be hosting the 2016 Fall Gathering at our rural Miller farm. We have several local people collaborating to provide a morning of educational exhibitions on various topics that support a self-sufficient lifestyle and back-to-basics...				
					
			
					
											
								
							
					
															
					
					 by Lisa Matthews | Sep 18, 2016 | canning, carrots, garden, homesteading, lifestyle, pantry staples, preservation, pressure canning | 
I love growing my own food in the garden to can, but let’s be realistic for a few minutes.  There are times when there is a “crop failure” and you simply do not get enough of one item to can up for your family.  There are also those that...				
					
			
					
											
								
							
					
															
					
					 by Lisa Matthews | Aug 30, 2016 | canning, cooking, DIY, fruit, pantry staples, peaches, preservation | 
The last project in my Peach adventure of 2016 was Peach Pie Filling.  I like the versatility of having my peaches canned in syrup as described in this post.  I can use those for eating, making pies, making peach fritters, peach dumplings, etc....				
					
			
					
											
								
							
					
															
					
					 by Lisa Matthews | Aug 25, 2016 | canning, cooking, DIY, homesteading, jam, peaches, preservation | 
After buying 175# of wonderful Missouri peaches recently, we set about to preserve them to be enjoyed for months to come.  We canned several quarts of peach halves to enjoy with ice cream, cottage cheese, yogurt or just a bowl and spoon.  Details on canning those can...				
					
			
					
											
								
							
					
															
					
					 by Lisa Matthews | Aug 15, 2016 | canning, DIY, fruit, homesteading, peaches, preservation | 
Sometimes a person is just in the right place at the right time, and ALWAYS a person will benefit from a network of like minded people.  Both of these worked together for us a couple of weeks ago, when friends called to say they had found a source of beautiful...				
					
			
					
											
								
							
					
															
					
					 by Lisa Matthews | Aug 11, 2016 | advice, balance, family, homesteading, lifestyle | 
I would love to say I have a wealth of Wisdom, but actually, this post is more about aging and my observations of the changes that aging makes on the homesteader than real wisdom.  Some say with age comes wisdom, and that is true to a point, but there are so many...				
					
			
					
											
								
							
					
															
					
					 by Lisa Matthews | Jul 25, 2016 | canning, cooking, DIY, gardening, green beans, growing food, homesteading, preservation, pressure canning | 
Our green beans have been a big disappointment this year.  It seems that some years are just not good gardening years, despite the best of intentions, hard work and knowledge.  A friend came to our rescue and offered up some of her green beans that she did...