Welcome to Seasonal Simple Life
Join me in creating a self-sufficient, sustainable life through gardening, preserving, and simple living.
Every season offers fresh opportunities to grow your skills and reconnect with nature’s rhythms. 
Latest Posts
June Garden Tasks: 10 Essential Jobs for a Healthy Summer Garden
Originally published June 2024 • Updated June 2026 with expanded June garden task and FAQs. The...
June Reflections: Living Seasonally in Early Summer
June invites us into abundance — long days, first harvests, strawberries in the kitchen, wildflowers on the table, and sunlight to soak up whenever we can. In these June reflections, we explore seasonal living in early summer, from gardening and preserving to simple self-care rituals and ways to embrace the joy of the season.
Dry Hands After Gardening? A Gardeners’ Hand Care Ritual to Protect, Clean & Repair
Gardening nurtures the soul but can be hard on the hands. Discover a simple natural hand care ritual to protect, clean, and restore dry gardeners’ hands using gentle homemade remedies and seasonal self-care practices.
From the Garden
Garden Tasks in May: Essential Jobs for Your Vegetable Garden
May brings warm sunshine and the end of frost—finally! Your garden explodes with growth, but success depends on 11 essential tasks this month. Learn how to protect seedlings from hungry slugs, harden off indoor starts for transplanting, fertilize heavy feeders with homemade nettle manure, and time your sowings perfectly. From mulching techniques to pest protection and smart watering schedules, this guide ensures your May garden thrives all summer long.
May Reflections: Growth Without Overwhelm
These May reflections are part of the Seasonal Reflections series — a year-long practice of living...
How to Grow Cucumbers: The Complete Growing Guide (Seed to Harvest)
Growing cucumbers is one of the most rewarding experiences in a summer garden. This complete guide walks you through every step — from choosing the right variety and planting seeds to caring for plants, solving common problems, and harvesting crisp, homegrown cucumbers.
From the Pantry
13 Ways to Use Orange Peels at Home — From Food to Cleaning
Discover 13 creative zero-waste uses for organic orange peels! From candied treats and flavored oils to natural cleaners and body scrubs, learn how to transform orange peels into useful products that save money and reduce waste. Never throw away an orange peel again!
Non-Bitter Orange Marmalade (Just 3 Ingredients!)
Traditional marmalade too bitter for you? This easy orange marmalade recipe changes everything. With just fresh orange juice, zest, and sugar—no pith, no bitterness—you’ll have sweet, glossy marmalade in about 30 minutes. Perfect on toast, in yoghurt, or as homemade gifts!
How to Preserve Quince: 5 Easy Methods for Beginners
Quince may seem intimidating at first—hard, tart, and inedible when raw—but this golden autumn fruit transforms into something magical when preserved. Whether you’re making fragrant quince paste, jewel-toned jelly, or simple quince compote, preserving this heirloom fruit is easier than you think. In this beginner-friendly guide, you’ll discover simple techniques to capture quince’s unique flavour and fill your pantry with homemade preserves that will last for months.
From the Kitchen
Traditional Christmas Pudding Recipe (Better Than Store-Bought!)
This traditional Christmas pudding recipe is rich, chewy, and bursting with the flavors of warming spices, brandy, and tangy citrus. After years of testing, I’ve perfected this recipe—and it’s so much better than anything store-bought! Packed with an array of dried fruits and steeped in your favourite spirit, this impressive showstopper will awe your family and guests. The only catch? Christmas pudding needs at least 4 weeks to mature, so don’t wait—let’s get started on creating this delicious British tradition that’ll become your new Christmas favourite!
Vanillekipferl Recipe (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies)
When my mom baked Vanillekipferl each December, their vanilla scent filled our house and my brother and I could barely resist sneaking them warm from the oven. These traditional Austrian vanilla crescent cookies are more than a recipe—they’re a holiday ritual. Let me show you how to make these beloved Christmas cookies that disappear faster than you can bake them.
Saint Martin’s Geese (Martinsgänse): A Traditional Sweet Treat For St. Martin’s Day
Every November 11, we bake Saint Martin’s Geese to celebrate St. Martin’s Day—sweet, fluffy pastries shaped like geese that recall childhood memories of lantern processions and community gatherings. Learn the legend behind this German tradition and follow my step-by-step recipe to create these delightful treats in your own kitchen.
Home and Hearth
Orange peeling soap
Earlier this year, I got my hands on some organic orange peel... well, ok: a lot of organic orange...
Green Mint Soap: Beginner Recipe
This mint soap beginner recipe was the first soap recipe I made and it's still one of my...
Soapmaking equipment
To start with soapmaking, you only need some basic soapmaking equipment. Later, when you are...
About Me
Imagine growing your own herbs on a windowsill, turning summer tomatoes into winter comfort, or creating your own gentle soaps with ingredients you can pronounce.
These aren’t impossible dreams—they’re your next small steps toward a more self-sufficient life.
Whether you’re planting your first seeds or you’ve been gardening for years, every season offers fresh opportunities to grow your skills, reduce your footprint, and reconnect with the natural rhythms that sustain us all.
Hi, I’m Angela, the “face” behind Seasonal Simple Life. Welcome to this blog!
Do you dream of creating a colourful and lively vegetable garden where you’ll cultivate all the vegetables you want?
Without chemistry but diversity and many tried and tested varieties that will fill your harvest basket with healthy and tasty fruit and vegetables?
In the evenings, the flavour of freshly cooked tomato sauce flows through the house; winter will come, eventually, and your pantry won’t fill on its own…
Do you want to live a seasonal simple life, decorate your house, craft things that make you happy and add beauty to your home?
Let’s do this together!
If you want to learn more about me, click here.