Kris Bordessa, National Geographic author/certified master food preserver

Using eggshells in the garden can improve your harvest and save you a bit of money, too. Give these ideas a try for a no-cost way to a better garden!

Making soap at home is a fun and satisfying DIY project. Better yet, making soap is easy. How to make soap at home? It’s like making cake with safety gear.

This pear butter recipe can be made on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. It’s a safe canning recipe great for adding to the pantry.

Your favorite pumpkin dessert just got better! Fresh pumpkin puree has much more flavor than store bought and it’s EASY to make. Here’s how to make pumpkin puree at home from fresh ingredients.

Too much stuff? Consider giving a gift of experiences instead of gifts this year.

This persimmon cookie recipe is an old family recipe. The cookies are a bit cake-like. Make them in the fall with fresh persimmons, or store pulp in the freezer.

Building a hen house is easy, as is raising chickens for eggs or meat. Even so, take a little advice to avoid the mistakes I made!

This cream of mushroom soup recipe is easy to make and home with real food ingredients. Serve it as a meal or use it in your favorite recipes that call for canned creamy mushroom soup.