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That Homesteading Mama
Garden to Table & Food Preservation Recipes
Food Preservation
From Soil to Shelf: Old-Fashioned Lumbee Bell Pepper Jam (Using the Whole Pepper!)
Summer means gardens are overflowing! If you suddenly find yourself with more peppers than you know what to do with, try this! It's great on crackers with cream cheese, collard wraps, or collard sandwiches. SN: there is also a blog post about making collard sandwiches! My absolute favorite way to preserve this sweet summer harvest is by making a big batch of small-batch Bell Pepper Jam. If you’ve never had true, Southern-style pepper jelly or jam, you are in for a massive t
Old-Fashioned Lumbee Chow-Chow Relish: With a Modern Twist
Author: Anastasia N. Oxendine If you peek into the pantry of any traditional southeastern North Carolina homestead, past the pressure-canned green beans and the rows of sweet jams, you are almost guaranteed to find a few jars filled with a bright, beautiful golden-flecked mixture. I’m talking about Old-Fashioned Lumbee Chow-Chow Relish. Chow-chow is the absolute king of Southern condiments. It’s sweet, it’s tangy, it has a tiny bit of a vinegar bite, and it packs an incredibl
Preserving the Abundance: The Lost Art of Waterglassing Eggs
If you’ve ever raised a backyard flock, you know the "Spring Surge." One day you’re buying eggs at the store, and the next, your counters are overflowing with more than you can eat, sell, or give away. Before the era of the electric refrigerator, homesteaders didn't let that abundance go to waste. They turned to waterglassing—a traditional preservation technique that can keep eggs fresh on the shelf for 12 months or more. An "Old-School" Heritage Skill Waterglassing isn't a n
Garden to Table Cooking
The Collard Sandwich: A True Taste of Lumbee Heritage and Resilience
On the homestead, we learn to treasure every part of the harvest. We celebrate the deep satisfaction of turning simple ingredients into nourishing meals. But some dishes do more than just feed the body; they tell the story of where you come from. For me, few things are as culturally meaningful as the Collard Sandwich—a true staple of my Lumbee heritage from North Carolina. If you’ve never had one, you might be picturing a cold-cut sandwich with a leafy garnish. Think again. T
From Soil to Shelf: Introducing Our Summer Garden & Preservation Series
There is a specific kind of magic that happens between May and October. It’s the season where the quiet planning of winter meets the frantic, joyful abundance of a Carolina summer. On our homestead, the kitchen transformation begins—the counters disappear under baskets of tomatoes, the scent of wild garlic fills the air, and the canner bubbles in the background. This year, I am taking you behind the scenes of our entire process with my new series: From Soil to Shelf. I
Not Your Mama’s Greens: The Vibrant, Quick-Cook Lumbee Collard Tradition
**Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.** When most people think of Southern collard greens, they imagine a big pot simmering for hours with a smoky ham hock. That is a wonderful, classic method! But in Robeson County, North Carolina, home of the Lumbee Tribe, there is a distinct and equally cherished way of cooking these greens that flips the traditional sc
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