Canning vegetables is a great way to preserve freshness and enjoy healthy, tasty food all year round. Preserving vegetables in jars or cans involves preparing the produce and using a water bath or pressure canner to preserve them. However, not all vegetables are suitable for canning. Therefore, knowing the best ones to preserve in cans is key to successful canning.

Using different types of spices in your cooking can turn a bland dish into a one bursting full of flavor and aromas. There are all sorts of spices you can use in many cuisines from around the world. The list of aromatic spices is almost endless. Some fragrant spices include cumin, nutmeg, cardamom, and cinnamon to give dishes a wonderful aroma and taste. To add a bit of kick or heat, you could spice up a meal with garlic, chili, ginger, or mustard seeds.

Planting vegetables to harvest in the fall lets you enjoy healthy, fresh vegetables long after hot summer days have passed. The time to plant fall crops is in mid- to late-summer. This gives your fall root vegetables and leafy greens time to grow and mature. Then, in your fall vegetable garden, you can have delicious crops such as kale, Swiss chard, carrots, broccoli, beets, peas, and cauliflower ready for picking.

Powdery mildew is a fungal plant disease that causes leaves and stems to look like they have a dusting of flour on them. Plant foliage with powdery mildew develops white, chalky-looking patches that make the leaves look diseased. In time, the leaves start to turn yellow and may drop off. Powdery mildew may not kill a plant, but the white, dust-like fungus makes plants look sick.

Cactus soil is a combination of organic and inorganic ingredients to create a fast-draining, low-fertile potting mix. The best soil mix for cacti should mostly consists of ingredients like perlite, gravel, grit, or crushed granite to help aerate the soil. Indoor cactus plants need to grow in potting soil mix different from regular houseplant because they need a fast draining soil. It’s straightforward to make cactus soil yourself, and it’s cheaper than buying a commercial cactus potting mix.

Using different types of herbs in cooking adds wonderful aromas to dishes, gives them freshness, and adds a depth of flavor. You can add dried herbs or fresh herbs when preparing any meal. Woody herbs such as thyme, rosemary, and oregano can add a Mediterranean flavor to sauces. Soft herbs such as basil, coriander, and parsley give meals a beautiful fragrance. You can also add fresh herbs to salads, stir into cooked foods, and use as toppings.