Hi Reader

Our holiday weekend was spent doing what holiday weekends apparently look like around here—processing chickens and canning broth.

I found 14 quarts’ worth of broth hiding in the freezer, so I canned all of that just in time to make room for the chickens we processed on Sunday.

This was our second round of meat chickens this year, and luckily, the kids did most of the work. We’ll have to surprise them with a little extra money as a bonus because they did a boatload of work—and they worked hard!

Sometimes we like to surprise them when they really step up, and I was so impressed with them.

Having their help also gave me the time I needed to keep working on all the bounty the garden has been throwing at me.

The tomatoes have been painfully slow to ripen this year, but the frost is holding off—and boy, am I glad!

The eggplant, on the other hand, has gone way beyond my expectations, especially after beetles nearly destroyed the plants early in the season.

It’s funny how the garden changes every single year.

Something always does amazingly well. Something else decides it has better things to do. There is always a setback, a surprise, and something new to learn.

And that weather? It has a mind all its own. It sure keeps ya on your toes.

It’s also a good reminder that some years, certain crops grow like gangbusters—and other years, not so much.

That’s why I’m always preserving what God gives me.

When God Provides, You Preserve.

That is a saying I hold onto tightly.

But preserving the harvest doesn’t only mean canning, freezing, fermenting, and dehydrating.

Sometimes it means saving the seed.

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Right now, I’m letting parts of my garden go—but I’m doing it on purpose.

It may look messy. There are plants flowering, bean pods drying, vegetables growing past the stage when you’d normally eat them, and seed heads standing all over the place.

But that garden is holding a secret.

It is already growing next year’s garden.

This year’s plants are producing the seeds I can save, store, and plant again. One tiny seed can grow into a massive plant, feed your family, produce hundreds more seeds, and begin the entire cycle again.

God’s design is absolutely amazing when you stop and really pay attention to it.

I’ve created a brand-new page all about seed saving, including:

• Why saving your own seeds matters
• Which seeds are easiest for beginners
• How to choose the strongest plants to save from
• The difference between heirloom, open-pollinated, and hybrid seeds
• What cross-pollination can mean for next year’s plants
• The three seed-saving methods: dry, wet, and fermentation-style

I also added completely free printable seed packets to help you label and organize what you save.

Because you may be absolutely certain you’ll remember what is inside that little envelope.

You will not.

By February, every single one of those tiny brown seeds will look exactly like all the other tiny brown seeds. Ask me how I know.

You can learn about seed saving and download the free seed packets here:

​https://foodprood.com/seed-saving/​

But you don’t have to save everything this year.

Start with one plant. One variety. One packet of seeds.

That’s how your own family seed collection begins.

Now I’m hoping to find time between all the things to record another video showing you what is happening in the garden—and the secret it’s holding.

The ground bees and yellow jackets have been out in full force this year. It is honestly the worst I have ever seen. Going out to harvest has been almost nightmarish—and I’m a beekeeper!

Sheesh.

Still, I’m going to try to get out there and show you what is really happening inside that messy, end-of-season garden.

Laura

Old fashioned ways in a modern world.

P.S. Would you like to see a video about seed saving and the secret my garden is holding? Hit reply and let me know!

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