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Put up, plant, and be ready.
Recipes, pantry know-how, Zone 6 gardening, and plain-spoken storm prep, from one Hoosier household to yours. No doom and no sales pitch.
Straight talk over the fence
Here is what you can count on every time you stop by.
Tested recipes only
Canning and preserving recipes follow tested guidance from the National Center for Home Food Preservation and Purdue Extension, and each post says which.
Written for Indiana
Zone 6 gardens, ice storms, tornado sirens, and persimmon season. Advice that fits where we live.
Practical, not panicky
Being ready means getting through a week without power, not the end of the world.
Honest recommendations
If a link earns a commission, the post says so near the top. Nothing gets recommended that would not be handed to family.
Pick a place to start
Start wherever your trouble is, whether that is supper, the pantry shelf, the garden, or the weather radio.
From Scratch Kitchen
Recipes, Hoosier classics, and canning you can trust.
The Deep Pantry
Stocking, rotating, and storing enough to ride out a snowed-in week.
Weather Ready Home
Power outages, ice storms, tornado season, and the car kit you will be glad you packed.
Zone 6 Garden
What to plant, when to plant it, and how to keep it alive in Indiana.
Hoosier Almanac
What is in season right now and what to get done this month.
Everything, newest first
Every post from every category, in the order it was written.
Questions folks ask
A few things worth knowing before you settle in.
Are your canning recipes safe?
They should be, because they are not made up here. Every canning and preserving recipe follows tested guidance from the National Center for Home Food Preservation or Purdue Extension, and each post links to its source. If a recipe has not been tested, you will not be told to put it in a jar.
Do you make money from links?
Sometimes. Some links may be affiliate links, which means the site may earn a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. Any post with those links says so near the top. The Affiliate Disclosure has the details.
I am not a prepper. Is this for me?
Probably. Around here, being ready means a pantry that can cover a snowed-in week, a flashlight with good batteries, and knowing what to do when the power goes out. No bunkers required.
What growing zone is Indiana?
Most of Indiana falls in USDA hardiness zone 6, with colder pockets up north and a warmer strip down south. Look up your ZIP code on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to be sure.
Is this only for folks in Indiana?
It is written with Indiana in mind, but most of it holds anywhere in the Midwest. If your winters are cold, your summers are humid, and your weather changes its mind by lunchtime, you will feel at home.
The first posts are on the way
The kettle is on and new posts are coming this fall. Check back soon.