Answers and guides across 16 topics, plus free calculators, quizzes, and tools.
Simmer fresh cranberries with sugar and water for about 10 minutes until they burst. Here is how I make, flavor and store cranberry sauce.
Slice firm apples, toss them with sugar, cinnamon and a thickener, and cook until glossy. Here is how I make apple pie filling and store it.
Halve acorn squash, scoop the seeds, add butter and brown sugar, and roast at 400 F for 45 to 60 minutes. Here is my full method.
Roast a small pie pumpkin, scoop the flesh, blend until smooth and drain it. Here is how I make pumpkin puree and store it safely.
Cook apples down with cider, sugar and spice until thick and dark. Here is how I make apple butter on the stove or slow cooker and store it.
Roast halved spaghetti squash cut side down until just tender, then fluff with a fork. Here is how I cook it in the oven, microwave and more.
Water deeply, give full sun, and buy plants still in bud. Here is how I keep potted and garden mums blooming for weeks and surviving winter.
You can make apple cider at home with a stockpot, a mix of apples, and a few spices, or press it fresh. Here is how I do both safely.
Clean the seeds, dry them well, toss with oil and salt, and roast at 325 F until golden. Here is my method for crispy pumpkin seeds every time.
Fall leaves are free compost gold if you shred them and balance them with greens. Here is the right ratio, the fastest methods, and the mistakes to avoid.
The first frost can end your garden in one night. Here is how to read a frost forecast, which plants need covering, and the covers that buy you extra weeks.
Kale, cabbage, leeks, carrots, and spinach all shrug off frost and taste sweeter after it. Here are the best winter vegetables to grow and when to plant them.
How to dry fresh herbs at home by air, oven, dehydrator or microwave, and how to store them so the flavor lasts a year.
Whole pumpkins last 2 to 3 months; carved ones often under a week. How to pick a lasting pumpkin and make it last longer.
How to overseed a cool season lawn in September: timing, mowing, prep, seed choice, watering and mistakes to avoid.
