Preserving
Fermentation vs. Pickling: Two Paths to Perfectly Preserved Food
Look at the title picture of the two jars of preserved gherkins. Apart from the herbs, can you see any difference? I dare say no. Same green cucumbers, same briny liquid—so what gives? The answer is that the gherkins in the left jar are preserved with vinegar, and...
Homemade Gherkin Pickles Recipe – Crisp and Tangy in 3 Days
Making homemade gherkin pickles is easier than you might think! With just a few simple ingredients—fresh gherkins, vinegar, salt, sugar, and aromatic herbs—you can create pickles that are far superior to store-bought versions. The secret to that perfect satisfying crunch? An overnight salt brine soak that dehydrates the gherkins slightly, ensuring they stay crisp during preservation. Whether you’re topping burgers, adding to sandwiches, or simply snacking straight from the jar, these tangy, flavorful pickles are incredibly versatile. Follow this straightforward recipe to create delicious gherkin pickles that can be stored in the fridge for months or preserved for up to a year.
Homemade Elderflower Syrup (simple recipe)
When it suddenly smells of summer at the end of May/beginning of June – sweet, flowery and a bit like childhood – then it’s elderflower time! And as this fragrance is too precious to enjoy just on a walk, I preserve it every year with my homemade elderflower syrup....
Recipes
Carrot pizza recipe
I harvested the first carrots and they smell and taste so good that usually I eat the first bunch of them raw. I love their sweet and earthy flavour, it's delicious! However, it would be a pity to just eat them all up like that and not use them in some more elaborate...
Three recipes for herb pesto
Aficionados of pasta and fresh vegetables appreciate the fresh and aromatic flavour of pesto. If you have fresh herbs at hand you can make some delicious herb pesto with simple means and relatively few ingredients. The big advantage compared to the store-bought...
Strawberry Dome Cake
Strawberries! Every year we can't wait for the first ripe strawberry and the knowledge that their harvesting time is limited to only a few weeks, makes them all the more precious. I think this relatively short availability and the fact that they don't freeze well make...
Gardening
What to Sow and Plant in May: Growing Season’s Prime Planting Window
The arrival of May brings warmer soil, longer days, and the perfect conditions for vegetable gardeners to truly kick their growing season into high gear. As spring firmly establishes itself across most regions, May represents that sweet spot in the gardening...
Beginner’s Guide to Composting: How to Make Compost In 8 Easy Steps
Ah compost! The gardener’s "brown gold" that is the magic bullet for all our garden problems: Wanna add nutrients to your soil? Mix it with compost. Got water retention issues? Add compost to your soil. Looking for the perfect seed-starting soil? Compost it is. In...
How to get rid of fungus gnats
Nearly everybody who has indoor plants will sooner or later make the dubious acquaintance of fungus gnats. Not only but especially in winter, those tiny black insects whirl up from the soil when we water our plants and fly around seemingly aimlessly. Unfortunately,...
Home and Body
Soapmaking Step-by-Step
Before you start making your very first batch of soap, you should be familiar with the process. Please read this soapmaking step-by-step instruction thoroughly to make sure that your first soap - and the many soaps to follow - will be a smashing success! It's most...
The Science behind Soapmaking
Soap is the oldest and most used washing detergent in the history of mankind. The oldest soap recipe that has been found is thousands of years old! And the best thing is: we still know how to make soap. The process differs a bit from that of our ancestors; after all,...
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.