Capricorn Acres

04/15/2026

Michigan

03/28/2026

No amount of oil.

03/28/2026

Garden if you can and grow extra!

03/01/2026

March - Mad by May Sarton
🌿The strangely radiant skies have come
To lift us out of the winter's gloom,
A paler more transparent blue,
A softer gold light on fresh snow,
It is a naked time that bares
Our slightly worn-down hopes and cares,
And sets us listening for frogs,
And sends us to seed catalogues
To bury our starved eyes and noses
In an extravagance of roses,
And order madly at this season
When we have had enough of reason.

01/25/2026

Canned 16 pints of pickled carrots yesterday! My kids eat these quickly so they won't last long!

Spicy Pickled Carrots:

Wash and peel 5 pounds of carrots and cut into thin sticks. Blanch carrot sticks in boiling water for 90 seconds then put into ice water to stop the cooking. Then drain when cool.

Make the brine:
5 cups vinegar (any 5% vinegar works)
5 cups water
3 tbsp canning salt

Bring brine to a boil.

To each hot pint jar add:
1/2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp chili flakes
1 garlic clove
(Or seasonings of your choice)
Carrot sticks

Then pour hot brine over the carrots. Make sure jars are hot so they don't crack!

Debubble well, leave 1/2 inch headspace. Clean rim of jar. Add lid and ring, fingertip tight.

Add hot jars to hot water bath canner. Boil jars for 10 minutes (adjust for elevation above 1000'). Then turn off heat and remove lid for 5-10 minutes.

Remove jars and place on towel on counter for 12-18 hours.

To make these without canning, blanch for an extra couple of minutes. Store them in the fridge when cooled.

01/25/2026

A simmer pot to help warm the day and keep the ice away.

01/25/2026

Yum! Love this! A great way to use up those radishes in the Spring time!

01/22/2026

01/14/2026

Now is a time to nurture hope and to believe that the sun will rise and a new day will dawn. The path forward invites us all to keep working for a brighter, more compassionate world.

So gather family and friends, call on your favorite plants, put your teapot on, and let’s keep leaning in towards the light together.

A Tea to Bring Calm 🌿
2 teaspoons Oats (milky tops)
2 teaspoons Chamomile (flowers)
2 teaspoons Lemon Balm (leaves)
1 teaspoon Lavender (flowers)
3 teaspoons Roses (petals)

1-quart boiling water over herbs. Steep for at least 15 minutes. Strain and sweeten with stevia or honey. Sip slowly through the day.

01/05/2026

Each species of fig has its own species of wasp. When you eat a dried fig, you’re probably chewing wasp mummies, too. Read about a superlative example of what biologists call codependent evolution: https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/sU16dJ