SHIFTING ROOTS

home, garden, food, and prairie lifestyle

How to Make Easy and Simple Charcuterie

Have you ever looked at those beautiful images of charcuterie boards on Pinterest or Instagram and wished that somehow you could put one together?  But you felt so overwhelmed.  How do I pick the meats?  What about the cheeses?  How do I make it look pretty?  What about keeping costs down?

Every wondered how to make a simple and easy charcuterie board? I'll show you how to combine meats, cheese, fruit, and jam into a lovely platter that's perfect for a Christmas party, New Year's, Thanksgiving, or anytime! It's so simple anyone can do it. #charcuterie #appetizer

You’re in luck.

I’ve assembled an easy guide to make your perfect charcuterie board, including some options for my friends who don’t eat pork.

Don’t be intimidated.  If you’ve made a meat and cheese sandwich or set out a plate of cheese and crackers, you can do this.

P.S.- It’s pronounced char-koot-air-ree.  You’re welcome. 😉

This post contains affiliate links.  If you purchase anything, I earn a small commission at no extra charge to you.  Thanks for your support!

Entertaining this holiday season? Create a simple and easy charcuterie board using a variety of meats and cheeses. I'll show you how to make a cheese board that looks beautiful and tastes delicious. It's the easiest appetizer you'll make this Christmas; perfect for beginners. #charcuterie #cheeseboard #meatandcheeseboard #entertaining #appetizer #holiday #christmas #diy #easy #simple #recipe #beginner #tutorial #partyfood

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Fall and Winter Gardening in Zone 3: What you can Realistically Expect

Do you scroll Pinterest and see all these wonderful posts about starting a fall garden?  I know I do, and I get so jealous of all my gardening friends in warmer climates.  Unfortunately, if you live in zone 3, you can not plant a garden in September and harvest it in the winter.  (Hello week of -40 sometime in January or February!!)

I wanted to write this post because if you don’t know anything about zone 3 and are just reading gardening magazines and blogs from warmer zones, you might get the impression that you can somehow grow vegetables and flowers year round.  And while it is possible to grow vegetables in the winter with a huge greenhouse, lights, and heaters, most home gardeners don’t have those kind of resources or the money to pay a hefty heating & electricity bill all winter.

But, there are a few things you can do that you might not have thought about.

Want to start a fall or winter garden in zone 3? I'll help you manage your expectations and give you tips on what you can do with annual and perennial flowers, seeds and seed saving, vegetables, and more. #gardening #fall #winter #beginners #tips #ideas #seeds #perennials #annuals #flowers #vegetables

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Ten Fall Garden Chores to Do Now For an Easier Spring

The garden has been planted and most of your vegetables have been harvested. . .now what?  Usually I procrastinate in the garden until the first snow falls and it’s too late to do anything.  Not this year.  These are the seven chores I’ll be doing for a better garden next year.

Fall is here but gardening doesn’t stop as soon as Autumn begins!! Here's some good tips for beginners on what do with vegetables, perennial flowers, and annual flowers now, so that you’ll have an easier Spring. Less work in the garden? Yes please! #gardening #tips #beginners #fall #autumn #garden #vegetables #perennials #cucumber #chores #tasks

Disclaimer: I personally garden in USDA hardiness zone 2/3 and my advice is geared to that zone.  I’ve provided some tips for warmer climates where possible.  If there is something I’ve missed for your growing zone, please share it with us in the comments.

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How to Prepare Your Strawberries for the Winter

It’s another one of those rites of passage of learning to garden–killing the strawberries you so desperately wanted to save. Everybody loves strawberries, but nobody likes it when the strawberry plants they invested in last Spring die a slow and horrible death over the cold Canadian Winter.  Not that I’m bitter about the time it happened to me, or anything.

Here’s how you (and your strawberries) can avoid this terrible fate.

Disclaimer time: I garden in in zone 3b in the Canadian Prairies and thus my advice is best suited to that region, and also highly applicable to zones 2 and 4.  I realize that readers from many warmer zones read my stuff, so I’ve tried to account for your situation where possible.   I love comments from those who live in other places!  Your knowledge of different zones helps lots of people become better gardeners. . .which is probably why you’re here in the first place.

Second disclaimer, as of writing this post I’m 19 weeks pregnant and. . . hormonal, shall we say?  As I’m re-reading this I realize it might come off as really angry, but it’s meant to be funny.  I hope it’s funny.

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