Early July 2025| Practical Self Reliance

Hot Dogs, Cold Drinks and Preserving Summer

Summer always comes late here in the North Country, but mid-July is when we finally catch up with the rest of the country. We’re grilling just about everyday to keep the house cool, and last month’s quick dips in the pond are now whole afternoons spent floating in those same cool waters.

My outdoor canning kitchen is hard at work putting up the season’s treasures, and this year, I’m working through every single relish recipe I can find. We’ve done a dozen different types thus far, and have many more to go.

The littles aren’t complaining, everybody loves a good hot dog in the summertime.

If you are looking for recipes to help preserve the season, I created a “Summer” tag on creative canning to help you preserve this season’s produce. Thus far, it has over 100 different recipes for putting up corn, peaches, blackberries and more. And plenty of relish recipes, of course.

When we’re not splashing in the pond, I’m busy putting together new recipes and DIY guides for you. This summer, that means everything from garden planning and canning recipes to foraging guides, herbal remedies, homemade soap, fermenting projects, off-grid skills, and simple ways to live a more self-reliant life, from my homestead to your inbox.

If there’s something you’d like to learn how to do, and you’d prefer to learn it from a person (rather than chatting with an AI bot that suggests Elmer’s glue on pizza), I’m here for you. Just let me know how I can help you!

What do you want to see on Practical Self Reliance?

I would love to hear from you!

In the meantime, here’s what’s on my camera roll this month:

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My baby, snuggling her baby.

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A batch of red clover lemonade for cooling down and nourishing us in this heat. Red clover is an incredible source of minerals, and it gives lemonade a beautiful pink color. Refreshing and functional, just the way I like it.

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Strawberries and cream rolls. My kids invention, and they came out so darn good I had to share. Use cinnamon roll dough (link to my favorite at the end), and then instead of cinnamon sugar inside, you blend 8 oz cream cheese with 1 cup strawberry jam, 1 cup fresh strawberries and 1 Tbsp flour. They come out pretty savory, as the jam has less sugar than normal cinnamon roll filling. You can add more sugar if you like, or a glaze, or simply enjoy them as we do for a not too sweet breakfast.

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Some of the relish canning recipes we’re testing this week. Left to right, from top left: Mexican Corn Relish, Classic Sweet Pickle Relish, Dill Relish, Cucumber Relish, Pickled Corn Relish and Pepper Onion Relish. Thus far, the pepper onion relish is my favorite!

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My baby girl taking her little goose hatchlings for a swim. She tended them and hatched them herself, and she’s taken on the role of mama goose like a champ. Of course, when your “chores” are training geese to swim in the afternoon sunshine, it’s easy enough to work with a smile.

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Baby geese don’t have a mama’s endurance yet, so every few minutes they need to climb onto mama’s back for a break. Feathered or not, they know mama’s there for them.

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And lastly, y’ll probably know I’m not really into social media, I try to avoid it when I can, but still, I’m looking for a way to connect with readers a bit more in real time. Twitter seems like a good place to do that, since it’s not all reels (like instagram) and it’s not all AI (like facebook).

So I’m hanging out a lot more on twitter these days, and I’d love to see some of you there. Here’s my handle: AshleyAdamant

My morning coffee snuggle buddy will be there, too =)

What are you working on, harvesting, or just plain excited about at this summer? Leave me a note in the comments!

Until Next Time,

Ashley at Practical Self Reliance

PS. Here are links to a few things I mention in the newsletter:

• My Favorite Cinnamon Roll Dough

• All my relish recipes on Creative Canning