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
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.
How to Grow Peppers and Chillies in Pots (Complete Container Growing Guide)
Growing peppers and chillies in pots is easier than many gardeners think. Whether you have a sunny balcony, a small patio or only a windowsill, container-grown peppers can thrive and produce abundant harvests. In this complete guide, you’ll learn how to choose the right varieties, pots and soil, plus practical care tips for watering, fertilising, harvesting and even overwintering your plants.
What to Sow and Plant in May: Complete Vegetable Garden Guide
May is one of the most exciting months in the gardening calendar — the soil has warmed, frost risk has mostly passed, and it’s prime time to build the foundation for a bountiful summer harvest. 🌱☀️ In this guide, you’ll learn which vegetables you can sow directly outdoors (think beans, carrots, radishes, and heat-loving squash), which crops are still worth starting indoors for later planting, and how to time your sowings so your garden stays productive throughout the season. With tips on when to transplant seedlings like tomatoes and cucumbers and how to succession-sow leafy greens for continuous harvests, this article helps you make the most of May’s planting window and set your garden up for months of fresh, homegrown goodness.
From the Garden
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.
April Reflections: Learning From Spring’s Unpredictability
April doesn’t ease you in gently. One day you’re in shorts, the next you’re back in your down jacket — and somehow the cherry trees are blooming through all of it. In these April reflections, I share how to live with April’s restless energy rather than against it: in the garden, at home, and in yourself.
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
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.
Authentic Spaetzle Recipe: German Egg Noodles in 20 Minutes
If you’ve ever visited Southern Germany, you’ve likely encountered Spaetzle—and if you have, you know how delicious they are! These traditional egg noodles, whose name translates to “little sparrows,” are a beloved staple in Southern German cuisine. The best part? They’re surprisingly easy to make at home with just four simple ingredients: flour, eggs, salt, and milk (or water). Unlike store-bought versions, homemade Spaetzle have an unbeatable tender texture and fresh flavor. The dough is pressed through a special tool (or even a colander) into boiling water, where the noodles cook in just 2-3 minutes. Serve them as a side dish with beef and gravy, or turn them into a main course like cheesy Kässpätzle. With this traditional recipe and helpful pro tips, you’ll master this classic German dish on your first try.
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.