Lauren Neumann grows herbs, cucumbers, tomatoes, cantaloupe and cherries. Photo: Courtesy of Lauren Neumann
It's not a homestead, but Chaska homeowner and sourdough aficionado Lauren Neumann shared snaps of her vegetable garden.
What they're saying: "I don't think we've bought a loaf of bread in four years," says Neumann, who tells Axios she sometimes cans her veggies and buys most meat, chicken and eggs from Minnesota farms.
Pro tip: One alternative to home canning, which can take ample work and run food safety risks if not done correctly, is to freeze your produce, Minneapolis homeowner Bob Aldrich says.
🥫 Here's how he preserves a full box of farmers market tomatoes every fall, storing them in the basement freezer:
Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Using a sharp knife, slice a shallow "X" across the top of the tomato, about halfway down.
Drop five or six tomatoes at a time in the pot, boiling them for about 90 seconds. Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon. Once cool, skin and roughly chop them.
Place two cups of chopped tomatoes into a quart-sized freezer bag. One box of tomatoes yields around 20 bags, each the equivalent of a 16-ounce can.
