By Angel King

Guest Contributor

Funny how things from childhood stick. I grew up in rural Miami County, Ohio, on a two-acre mini-homestead. Mother Earth News magazine was a staple in our home as it was full of fascinating articles on how to run a homestead no matter the size.

We had a huge garden, two beehives, 200 egg layers, two steers, five milking goats — milked by hand, and our favorite bantam hen. Our garden was epic, and we used some cool methods like fish oil when planting. The yield was incredible and it set into motion the need to learn preservation techniques.

My parents instilled in me the love for growing food and cooking along with a deep appreciation for herbs and spices. Without them, food is so bland. My all-time favorite herb dish is a vegetable pie with savory tarragon, marjoram, dill and basil. Just writing about it makes me want to pull out the recipe and prepare it next week.

Over the years those skills have stayed with me, some more than others. Years when I canned over a thousand jars of goods. The shelves were full of our favorite things: raspberry and strawberry jam, apple butter, green beans, pickled beets, applesauce, canned tomatoes, canned salsa, chicken broth and sauerkraut.

It’s not always about saving money, but more about the satisfaction of making great-tasting food. A jar of white chocolate raspberry jam on a winter evening with a slice of fresh bread beats out a jar from the grocery store.

Being married to a dairy farmer meant we had an abundant supply of fresh milk. Combined with the love for cooking, it sparked an idea to try making cheese at home. Not deterred by the first batch being inedible, I turned the page and tried another recipe, and it worked. This led my husband, Jim, and I to create Blue Jacket Dairy, a licensed cheesemaking facility, in 2008. And the fascination of watching milk transform into cheese never ceases to amaze me.

This column grew out of a simple love of making food worth eating. Every week I hope to share with you what I am making, growing or putting up, along with tips and hacks that have worked in my kitchen over the years.

From canning and preserving to cheesemaking, butter-making, bread-baking and everything in between, there is always something worth making from scratch. I hope you are inspired to try something new along the way. ■