Is it possible to have too many apples? It’s been a bumper year for apples on our Ohio homestead. We’ve made enough applesauce for ourselves and our extended family, shared some apples, and they still keep coming. Fortunately, there are lots of other great ways to preserve this versatile fruit and enjoy eating it all winter. Here are a few delicious solutions to try. Continue reading
Well folks, we have come to the middle of August, when the children are bored but not ready for school yet, and our taste buds are tired of s’mores and potato salad. (Yes, this is possible.) Continue reading
Like so many couples, one of our wedding gifts was a glass 9″x13″ baking pan. Just like the old standby ones our mothers had as we were growing up. Back then, it seemed huge for just my husband and me (although we do love leftovers). Continue reading
Dave’s stack of sorghum stalks, ready to be crushed.
(Editor’s Note: Last year, Dave Ross tried his hand at growing sorghum, then pressing and cooking the juice into the delicious old-time syrup many people remember. Here are his adventures in sorghum farming!)
Sorghum. At last the project has reached completion. From mail-ordered seeds that arrived in May, to sorghum syrup in my jars on the counter, to molasses crinkle cookies. It was a fun, educational experience, but honestly, I probably won’t raise it again. Sorghum syrup can be purchased from a local Amishman for a good price per quart. Lehman’s also carries it year-round, and that makes the effort of raising, stripping, taking the stalks somewhere to get them squeezed, and cooking down the sweet juice into finished syrup, more costly than buying it locally. Still, there was value and fun in the experience, and I’m glad I did it. Continue reading
It’s the season of abundance. The bush fruit is approaching its peak. Eggs are coming faster than we can consume them and the cow is giving copious amounts of creamy milk. Finding ways to use it all up can be a challenge. Much fruit has been juiced and gorgeous jars of crystal clear raspberry jelly grace my pantry shelves. More has been set to ferment with sugar and yeast and will provide healing syrups during the winter cold season. Eggs have been fried and deviled, pickled and poached but still they come. Cream has been churned into butter and the milk is curing into rounds of cheddar cheese. Continue reading
Kathy’s homemade soap. Find the supplies you need to make yours at Lehmans.com and our store in Kidron, Ohio.
I recently taught a workshop on soapmaking at our local folk school. I was telling a friend about it and she asked a pretty profound question: Why do you bother? Continue reading
Have you ever tried your hand at making summer sausage? Do you have extra ground meat (venison, beef, etc.) on hand in the freezer? If you have a hunter in the family or just need a creative way to make space for summer freezing, you can’t beat this recipe – especially as a delicious, impressive way to spoil Dad on Father’s Day. (Hint: Make it Friday at the latest, as the meat needs 24-48 hours to blend flavors.) Continue reading
Making fresh, creamy, preservative-free homemade butter is simpler than you think! All you need are a couple easy-to-find ingredients, the right tools and a little bit of time. Enjoy these basic recipes for small batch and big batch homemade butter, in honor of National Dairy Month!
Continue reading
I’m a summer fruit junkie. I wait for strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and nectarines to come into season every year, then feed my face with these delicious goodies. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water. Continue reading
Love to cook in cast iron? We have the recipe for you! This week’s recipe comes from our cast iron cookbook, Sizzle, full of recipes submitted by Lehman’s customers. On the menu this week is delicious golden corn bread made right in your cast iron skillet. Continue reading
