Our Busy Acres

19/05/2024

Of all the things I’ve planted this year, my sunflowers might be exciting me the most 🌻🌻🌻

14/05/2024

The cucumbers and zucchini are officially exploding around here. I don’t have quite enough to do large batch canning right now so we’re just playing around with some different recipes to stash in the fridge and eat right away. Today I’m trying out a new recipe. Crystal over at wrote a fantastic book called “Freeze Fresh” and it’s loaded with recipes to preserve your harvest in the freezer or fridge. It’s a staple on my shelf and linked in my Amazon store.

What’s coming out of your garden this week?

24/04/2024

One of my biggest food preservation goals for this summer is to freeze dry as many fresh herbs as possible. I planted more basil than I ever have, with the intention to freeze dry it in bulk for cooking and gifts. I had no idea how exceptional freeze dried basil was until I did a batch last year as the garden was winding down and the basil was about to bolt. What had I been missing out on?!! In years past I always made pesto or froze it in ice cube trays with olive oil. While I will still be doing that, the majority will be dried and put in jars. The flavor is such an explosion when it’s added to soups and sauces. It’s almost more intense than picked straight from the garden. I could go on and on about how much I love it preserved this way, but I’ll pause there.

I’m also actively working on preserving mint and rosemary. We grow such an abundance of it and often times goes to waste simply because I forget about it. They grow and grow and I never think to harvest the bulk of it. I mainly just use for immediate needs. No more. The is going to get a workout in this summer 😆 I’m hoping to make all kinds of teas and gifts later in the year!

I absolutely love this machine!

09/04/2024

My kids and I in put A LOT of miles. I always make sure to have my car kit stocked and ready for whatever life may throw our way. Although emergencies happen, my car kit has mainly come in handy for everyday life. A random car sick kid (or dog), an impromptu picnic, skinned knees at the park, forgotten things on a camping trip! We have used nearly everything in my car kit at least once. I love being able to say “hang in I’ve got that in the back!”

I usually check and update mine in the spring and fall. I always rotate water as it gets very hot here and I don’t like water to sit in the heat. Your car kit will also be relevant to the areas you live. Northern friends- you may have things in yours I would not need in mine down south. Ice scrapers, extra blankets, etc. Prepare according to your individual needs!

My list is just some ideas, take from it what you need and add what I missed. The idea is to get thinking and get prepared 😁

03/04/2024

Someday they will stack their boots up neatly and I might just cry.

Someday my coffee might get drunk while it’s still piping hot and I will miss the days of needing a warmer plate.

Someday they will start on their own schoolwork without needing reminders and routines laid out. I won’t be facing the insurmountable task of teaching small humans to read. The challenges will be entirely different, yet equally as daunting. But then somehow, it will all just work out.

Someday I might actually have time to post relevant, informational content again 😂 until then, catch me in my random stories.

Someday I’m going to look back on these slow days that seem to move at lightening speed and be so thankful that we really soaked them up.

Just a mid week reminder mommas that the days used to be long, but every year they get shorter and shorter and the years- forget it, blink and they are gone. Soak it up 💕

02/04/2024

This breakfast casserole deserves a permanent square on my page. We made this on Easter Sunday and it was a big hit. The flavors are so rich and deep. It can easily be made the night before! I saw this recipe on page and it was an instant save. Here’s a brief rundown-

Ingredients-

10-12 Bacon
10 eggs
Salt + Pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Large white or yellow onion thinly sliced
2 tbsp butter
5-6 mini croissants
3/4 cup shredded white cheddar
3-4 tbsp cream cheese

Layer ingredients and top with dollaps of cream cheese

Cover and bake for 30-40 min @350

I took the foil off of mine for the last 10 min

Head over to her page to see a full video of the assembly process!
Croissant

26/03/2024

It’s that time of year friends! U-pick farms are one of our family’s favorite activities to kick off the summer season. Sometimes the best ones are off the beaten path, unadvertised and hidden on backroads. After years of searching out some of the best, I have found a few tricks. Facebook is my friend when it comes to finding the hidden gems.

I often log onto Facebook and specifically go to my local moms groups, homeschool groups, wives and mothers groups etc. Within the group I go to the search bar and type in a keyword like “berry farms” or “u-pick farms” and often the search results will yield any conversations or comments that include that key word. This actually led me to one of my favorite, unadvertised farms I’ve ever found and it was strictly through word of mouth on Facebook.

I also encourage everyone to go to your local farmers market and make friends!! I talk to everyone and ask lots of questions. They are connected and happy to tell you all they know. They will point you in the direction of where you need to go!

I say it a million times, find your local farms! Source local produce. Teach your children food does not come from a grocery store. 🍓

15/03/2024

Mylar bags are one of my favorite food preservation methods. They will significantly extend the shelf life of many foods, up to 20+ years.

✨🇺🇸I use the ones from . Use discount code * ourbusyacres to save 10% on your purchases.

For more information, check out my story highlight on Mylar. I give a step by step tutorial and answer some FAQs!

12/03/2024

Share this tip with the fellow butter lovers in your life! I have been storing butter in my freezer for years. The convenience of having a butter supply is 👌 Do I ever buy it at full price? Heck no! Wait for the deals and stock up then. I simply toss it straight into the freezer, in its original packaging. People ask how long it’s safe to store and my answer to that is… most likely a year- but ours has never lasted that long 😅 I typically keep it in 6 month rotations.

My favorite places to stock up on butter:

☑️ Aldi
☑️ Sam’s Club
☑️ Costco

The grass fed butter at Aldi is an amazing price!! Beats most big box stores 😉😉 wait for the sale

If you have other butter tips- drop them below ⬇️

11/03/2024

Freeze drying alllll the strawberries this time of year! Have you checked your local supermarket? The grocery deals on strawberries are popping up everyone as strawberry season kicks into high gear.

One of our favorite ways to preserve them is using our freeze dryer. I also freeze them in vacuum seal bags, as well as make strawberry jam or fruit leather! So many ways to capture the in-season flavor to preserve all year. Don’t sleep on the sales.

What’s your favorite way to preserve strawberries?

05/03/2024

A bit of a reminder today, that even during an emergency, homemaking does not pause. Your family will still need to eat and your preps will be useless if you have no way to cook them during an emergency situation. Whether you have a generator fired up during a power outage or not- it’s going to be important to have powerless cooking tools on hand. Remember- generations of women before us cooked like this as a way of life. Planning ahead and having these items on hand is a critical step in prepping. Some items I included would be used in a more long-term grid down scenario. Others would be immediately needed.

Sit down, grab a pen and paper and make a list. Make a plan. Every family’s cooking situation will look different. Grid down cooking for a family of 6 will have drastically different needs than a 2 person household. Plan for different scenarios and weather. Will you be grilling outside? Cooking over an open campfire? Heating food over a woodstove? Using a portable stove? Do you have backup fuel? What types of cookware can be used safely in these situations? Take stock of what you have and prioritize what you need.

My favorite place to look for cast iron and manual kitchen tools is second hand stores and garage sales. Keep an eye out!

Talk to your spouse and develop a serious plan of how you would cook during an extended power outage. Have more than one option in place.

04/03/2024

If you’ve been a part of my community for a while, you always hear me say this- but this is a great time of year to be reminded. Get connected. Find your community of local farmers and growers.
How do you do this? ⬇️

•Type a simple search in Google
•Search FB, join local groups and ask questions in the forum
•Search Craigslist
•Go to your farmers market and start talking to people

Helpful websites—

www.localharvest.org
www.eatwild.com

28/02/2024

Part 2 of FAQ in my DM’s. So often times, in a world of social media scrolling, we want the quick fix.

We want to just order the course, sign me up, tell me how to do it. And yes there are times it is important to rely on step by step instruction, but there is also a time when we need to look at our unique situations and take action based off what serves our family’s needs in the best way.

The smallest and first steps toward better preparedness start by taking action to assess your home, your space, your needs, your budget, your goals. Taking action to write things down, talk to your spouse, clean, clear, organize, put ideas into forward movement. Taking action to seek out the stores, the products, the companies that align with your needs.

Notice the word action being used over and over again? We have become a society of consumers, not doers and my message in all of this is to quite simply, just start. Start somewhere.

26/02/2024

I receive this question in my comments and DM’s quite often. My goal is to change people’s perspective and understand that preparing is not something you do in anticipation for a major event. Yes, of course those things could happen. But, it doesn’t take a trained eye to look around the world right now and see there are major things unfolding.

They are unfolding slowly and swiftly and if you are not in the mindset of getting your home in order, I will continue to encourage you to do so. This means food storage, water storage, medicinal preps, skills, a home library that includes books, maps, hard printed recipes, critical thinking, personal protection, awareness, and above all faith.

23/02/2024