Hello and welcome to Beets ‘n Basil!
From homegrown recipes to gardening tips and fermenting experiments, this blog is all about embracing the joy of fresh food and a greener lifestyle. Whether you’re new to the world of gardening or just getting started with homemade foods, I invite you to join me on this journey. Let’s cultivate, create, and learn together as we celebrate the beauty of simple, homemade food.
Newest Recipes and Posts
Here, you’ll find my newest fermenting experiments, recipes rooted in fresh ingredients, and tips for growing your own food.
Fermented Jalapeño Honey
Peppers have been the easiest plant for us to grow and this year we had so many I couldn’t keep up with processing them. I’ve pickled peppers, fermented and roasted peppers for hot sauce, froze them, smoked and dehydrated them for pepper flakes, paprika, and chili powder, and stuffed them for meal prep. I am…
Easy Basil Parsley Pesto
Basil is an easy herb to grow year-round indoors using a hydroponic system. Fresh basil grows quickly, elevates any dish, and pesto is a quick easy sauce or dip that can be used in a variety of ways. Pasta Sauce: Toss with cooked pasta for a quick and flavorful dish.Sandwich Spread: Use it as a…
Homemade Wood Wax
One of my goals for this blog is to share easy recipes anyone can make at home with simple ingredients. We recently bought wooden utensils and I noticed they dulled quickly and started drying out. I know there are tons of wax products out there that you can buy but I decided to make my…
Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Cups
This is one of my go to snacks when I am craving something sweet but “kind of” healthy. I tend to use firmer bananas because I prefer the texture. I keep my banana cups frozen to avoid the liquids from the banana turning my cups soggy. As bananas ripen, the starches in them convert to…
Homemade Mayo
Mayo is probably the easiest condiment to make; the secret is using an immersion blender. This recipe is simple and creates a thick and creamy mayo from a few simple ingredients. Eggs: Provide richness and act as an emulsifier, which helps to combine the oil and acid.Oil: Gives the mayo its creamy texture. I suggest…
Fire Cider
Fire cider is a traditional herbal tonic the can help bolster the immune system and can support your body in clearing congestion and colds. Drawing from folk medicine traditions, this vinegar-based tonic builds on practices of infusing vinegar with powerful herbs and spices like turmeric, ginger, and rosemary. Uses and Benefits of Fire Cider Fire…
Quick Pickles
We go through pickles like crazy in our house. They are the perfect, quick snack while waiting for dinner to be ready or right before bed. Pickles are a perfect addition to deviled eggs and that wonderful crunch on burgers. Our favorite is dill pickles but we also like spicy pickles. The history of pickles…
Banana Chips
We recently harvested our first 15lbs of bananas from our dwarf banana plant. We live is zone 9b so growing banana plants isn’t difficult but we’ve heard getting the fruit to grow to size and ripen is, however, we were successful this year! There is something so rewarding about growing your own food-knowing exactly where…
Smoked Chile Peppers
We went a little overboard with pepper plants this year and have an abundance of peppers. We have peppers of every variety- bell peppers, hatch green chiles, jalapeños, pepperoncini, Carolina reapers, Anaheim, piñata blend, and cayenne peppers. The last few weeks have been incredibly hot and our peppers are loving it! In an effort to…