tomato jam

Ginger is our ingredient of the season. So far we’ve shared a super simple ginger dessert and a savory shepherd’s pie minus the mash. You can find our archive of previous featured ingredients here.
*We originally published this post in 2018.*
This week, while visiting PA, I put up a few batches of tomato jam. The farm garden was overrun with tomatoes, and my jam supply was precariously low. If your counters are overrun with tomatoes, there’s nothing better than a batch of this jam. It’s absurdly easy to make, which is perfect for anyone new to canning.

Tomato jam is the jam! Bet you didn’t see that coming.

tomato_jam2b

I do find that many people are surprised at the idea of a tomato-based jam. This isn’t something to pair with your peanut butter. This is a savory and slightly spicy jam that’s serves as an amazing condiment. I like to pair it with cheese, but it’s also amazing as a spread on savory sandwiches. Think of a grilled cheese with caramelized onions and a thin spread of this amazing concentrated tomato+spice flavor. Or imagine a pulled pork sandwich with a spread of jam. Do we have your attention? This stuff is amazing.

Continue reading

Make with Me : Embroidery Kits

If you’re looking for a new project or hobby, we have a lot of great ideas in our Make with Me and DIY archives.

hook_line_tinker2

I’m so excited about these little embroidered pictures.It’s been a long time since I’ve done any embroidery, and the two small shops mentioned in this post made jumping into this craft super easy.

Continue reading

Catching Blue Crabs

If you’re following along on Instagram, you know that we’re on our annual trip to the Eastern Shore. These posts contain postcards from previous visits.

crabbing2

When we were getting ready for this year’s trip, I asked the boys what they were most excited about. Of course, they love every moment of these big adventures, but both of them mentioned crabbing, in particular, as something that they couldn’t wait to do again. Continue reading

Capital Reef Hike : Cassidy Arch

If you’d like to see more Utah adventures, click here! When we’re in Utah, we often camp on BLM land (it’s free and vast!). You can learn more about camping on BLM land in this post.

cassidy_arch_title2

In early July, after camping near the Fremont River, we visited Capital Reef and hiked to Cassidy Arch. Want to see more pics and details from that hike? Continue reading

Trees!

You can find more of our nature books recs for kids here (and for adults here!). This link will take you to some of our favorite camping gear for kids.

Trees! Right now trees are all the rage at our house. I just finished reading The Overstory (more on that soon), and it left me feeling all sorts of feelings about trees. At the same time, I found myself playing a tree-centered game with the boys, reading them a few great books about trees, and we’ve been doing all sorts of playing IN the trees. Read on to see our latest tree-related recommendations.  Continue reading

Cooking with Kids: Dandelion Cake

ETA: This was a previously-scheduled post that we forgot to delay in the midst of our shared national turmoil. By all means, if you need a bit of comfort and distraction, bake this cake. But at this time, we still think that finding your lane and taking action is important. xo

dandelion_cake2

If you haven’t introduced your kids to eating dandelions yet, this cake is a great place to start! And if YOU haven’t eaten dandelions yet, well then this will be a truly beautiful treat for everyone.

Start by sending the kids out to pick a bowl full of open dandelion flowers.

Continue reading

Do Something.

Hi there. It’s still not too late to do something.

I saw a great tweet this week reminding everyone that there’s more than one way to act. Think of the PROTESTs as a highway, and you just have to find your lane. Maybe you have funds to DONATE. Maybe you can CALL your representatives and ask for police reform and justice. Maybe you can take up the conversation with friends, and CHALLENGE their racist beliefs. Just do something.

There are many great resources out there. Here are a few links that we’ve found helpful.

Read with Me: Braiding Sweetgrass

braidingsweetgrass3
My 2020 reading has a very obvious theme: it’s all about nature and our connection to the natural world.

Braiding Sweetgrass was the first book that I finished this year. Then I read The Overstory; more on that in another post. This morning I started Nature Underfoot. And waiting in the wings is this Rachel Carson biography. It’s a theme, alright. So if you’re looking for a book about rediscovering our connection to nature, there’s no better place to start than Braiding SweetgrassContinue reading