Preserve the essence of fall with our apple butter canning recipe. Capture the flavors of the season in jars of velvety apple butter, ready to enjoy on pancakes, oatmeal, or as a thoughtful homemade gift. As the leaves change colors and fall from the trees, creating a picturesque carpet of reds, oranges, and yellows in your yard, it’s a sure sign that winter is coming. But before the snow blankets the landscape, a delightful autumn tradition beckons – apple picking! Fall is the ideal season to visit your local apple orchard, where you can pluck the juiciest apples for immediate…

Not sure what to do with green tomatoes still on the vine as the season ends? Learn ways to take advantage of these unripe tomatoes by ripening them indoors, incorporating them into tasty recipes, or preserving them for future use. As the gardening season draws to a close, you may find yourself with a bounty of healthy unripe tomatoes still hanging on the vine. When the threat of first frost looms, it can be disheartening to think that all those green tomatoes might go to waste. Fortunately, there are several ways to make the most of these gems—whether it’s using…

Learn how to make and preserve green chile enchilada sauce with this easy, safe canning recipe. Roasted peppers and onions blended with lime juice, and seasonings for the perfect homemade enchilada sauce. My peppers didn’t do well this year. They got off to a late start and then struggled to become established. Just when the plants finally found their groove and started to produce fruit, the weather turned cold, and frost warnings drove me to pluck all the green peppers from the plants or risk losing them. While I usually grill peppers and make freezer-friendly roasted green chile sauce, this…

The Basics of Marigolds Marigolds (genus Tagetes, part of the family Asteraceae) are native to the Americas, ranging from the southwestern United States down through Central America and as far south as Argentina. The center of diversity of marigold species is central Mexico. The three most common types of marigolds in cultivation are the French marigold (Tagetes patula), the African marigold (Tagetes erecta), and the Signet marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia). All three varieties are best grown in moderately fertile, well-draining soil in full sun. Marigolds grown in shadier locations or in denser, wetter soils will bloom less and are more prone…