Regardless of whether you had a large harvest of food from the garden this year, or simply found a lot of cucumbers on sale at the grocery store, preserving food is an excellent way to provide yourself with a little more self-sufficiency in the winter months. While canning and dehydrating are common methods of food preservation, another method to consider is fermentation! Fermented foods add a unique flavor to your meals and provide you with beneficial probiotics.
For this month’s contest, we’re giving away a fermentation starter kit including a 1.3-gallon fermenting crock and the book Fermented Vegetables.
Want to learn more about preserving food at home? Check out our articles about fermentation recipes, dehydrator recipes, and our guide to canning at home.
Insteading December Contest GiveawayReady to sign up? To enter, submit your email below and share this contest with your friends via Email, Facebook, or Pinterest for an extra entry.
Past Competitions:
- 2019-11: Homesteading Starter Library: Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, The Beekeeper’s Bible, Practical Permaculture, and Homesteading: A Backyard Guide. Winner: TBA from TBA
- 2019-10: Cast Iron Cooking Set: a 5-quart cast iron dutch oven, a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, and The Dutch Oven Cookbook Winner: Jackie G. from California
- 2019-09: 3-Tray Worm Composter. Winner: Nina E. from Massachusetts
- 2019-08: Sourdough Bread Making Kit: Bread Proofing Basket, a Sourdough Starter Jar, a Dough Scraper, a Cast Iron Dutch Oven Bread Pan, and Artisan Sourdough Made Simple. Winner: Karrie L. from Florida
- 2019-07: Canning Starter Kit: Granite Ware canning set, the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, a set of 12 Ball canning jars, and Ball canning labels. Winner: Connie B. from New York
- 2019-06: 5-Tray Excalibur Dehydrator. Winner: Kari P. from New York
- 2019-05: Summer Garden Maintenance Tools: a soaker hose, a 4-claw weeder, pruning shears, and a hori-hori knife. Winner: Kayla from Pennsylvania
- 2019-04: Compost Tumbler. Winner: Deidre H. from Lethbridge, AB
- 2019-03: Seed Starting Kit: Heirloom seed bank and Seed growing heat mat and germination station. Winner: Amanda F. from Nevada
- 2019-02: Wild Edibles Foraging Kit: The Forager’s Harvest Handbook, a foraging basket, a foraging knife, bamboo work gloves, and pruning shears. Winner: Paula C. from North Carolina
- 2019-01: 50-Gallon Rain Barrel. Winner: Daryl S. from Illinois
- 2018-12: Spring Garden Prep Kit: Backyard Homesteader Seasonal Planner, a metal raised garden bed, and a hori-hori knife. Winner: Jarib B. from Oregon.
- 2018-11: Bird Feeder Kit: Handmade Cedar Bird Feeder, 16-Pound Bag of Bird Seed, and a bird feeder hook pole. Winner: June G. from Pennsylvania.
- 2018-10: Backyard Shiitake Mushroom Growing Kits: Shiitake Mushroom Farm, and The Book Mushroom Cultivation: An Illustrated Guide to Growing Your Own Mushrooms at Home Winner: Jim C. from California.
- 2018-09: Urban Homesteading Library: The Backyard Homestead, Practical Permaculture, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, and The Beekeeper’s Bible. Winner: Al W. from Minnesota and Susan A. from Victoria, BC.
- 2018-08: Gardening Weeding and Maintenance Set: Hori Hori Knife, Root Assassin Rake, Step and Twist Weeder. Winner: Kathy R. from Washington.
- 2018-07: Canning Starter Kit: Granite Ware canning kit with a blancher, a Put ‘Em Up Canning Book, 12 Ball jars, reusable lids, and canning jar labels. Winner: Nancy H. from Oregon.
- 2018-06: Summer Garden And Planter Set: Hori Hori gardening knife, a Fiskars lopper, a heavy-duty soaker hose, and two 15-inch galvanized hanging planters. Winner: Owen from Toronto, ON
- 2018-05: Tomato Growing Kit: 4 Lifetime tomato cages, an 8 pack heirloom tomato seeds, a Fiskars garden trowel, and the book Growing Tomatoes. Winner: Jacob G. from Texas.
- 2018-04: Gardening With Kids Kit: Giantex raised garden bed, a kids toolset, kids gardening gloves, two gardening books from Pantry Paratus, and an 8 pack of heirloom seeds. Winner: Dirk M. from California.
- 2018-03: Cooking With Cast Iron Set: Lodge cast iron dutch oven, a Lodge cast iron skillet, a set of 2 pan scrapers, and the book Dutch Oven Obsession. Winner: Carol M. from North Carolina.
- 2018-02: Algren Soil Saver Compost Bin. Winner: Laura L. from Oklahoma.
- 2018-01: Spring Garden Prep Kit: Groundbreaking Food Gardens: 73 Plans That Will Change the Way You Grow Your Garden, Certified Organic, Heirloom, Non-GMO Garden Seeds, a Fiskars Big Grip Trowel, and a Gorilla Cart. Winner: Sherry L. from Missouri.
- 2017-12: Fermentation Starter Kit: 1.3-gallon fermenting crock and the book Fermented Vegetables: Creative Recipes for Fermenting 64 Vegetables & Herbs. Winner: Nathan M. from North Dakota.
- 2017-11: Scratch And Peck Chick Starter Kit. Winner: Barbara M. from Arizona & Sandra K. from Arkansas.
- 2017-10: A Set Of Two Giantex Portable Cold Frames. Winner: Melissa S. from Kansas.
- 2017-09: Fall Garden Cleanup Kit: A Fiskars Stand-Up Weeder, a Hori Hori Knife, Pine Tree Tools Bamboo Working Gloves and a Fiskars Kangaroo Gardening Bag. Winner: Barbara S. from Alabama.
- 2017-08: Dehydrator Starter Kit: A 5 Tray Stackable Food Dehydrator by Excalibur, a 400 Recipe Dehydrator Bible, and a 3-Piece Set of Airtight Hinge-Lock Jars. Winner: Anthony G. from New York.
- 2017-07: Ball Canning’s Home Canning Starter Kit: A Ball Canning Starter Kit, Dill Pickle Mix, a 4-Piece Set of Ball Sharing Mason Jars, and the 500+ Precipe Guide to Preserving. Winner: Dave C. from Ohio.
- 2017-06: The Ultimate Drought Fighting Kit: A Heavy Duty Metal Hose Nozzle, a 2.5-Gallon Steel Watering Can, a 50-Foot Rubber Garden Hose by Craftsman, & a 50-Foot Soaker Hose. Winner: Jennifer C. from Massachusetts.
- 2017-05: The Epic Tomato Growing Starter Pack: Set of 4 Heavy Gage Tomato Cages, Assortment of 8 Heirloom Tomato Seed Varieties, & a Copy of Epic Tomatoes Book. Winner: Eileen B. from West Virginia.
- 2017-04: Crown Bee’s BeeWorks™ Cottage Kit: A Cedar Wood Cottage, Trays for Mason & Leafcutter Bees, a “How to” Booklet, & the actual bees themselves. Winner: Katie J. from Washington.
- 2017-03: Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company’s 25-pack Heirloom Seed Collection & Clyde’s Garden Planner. Winner: Nicole B. from Arkansas.
- 2017-02: Two of our favorite gardening time-savers: A Hori Hori Knife Gift Box and a Steel Frame Dump Cart. Winner: Jean C. from Oregon.
- 2017-01: Two sets of books on permaculture: Gaia’s Garden and The Permaculture City. Winners: Maureen L. from Oregon & Michael S. from Washington.
- 2016-12: New Country Organics 50 lb bag of Organic Layer Chicken Feed: Supplemented with Kelp, Alfalfa, & Poultry Nutri-Balancer, formulated with additional Calcium & Flaxseed, Soy-free, 7 Certified Organic. Winner: Michael B. from Indiana.
- 2016-11: Bramble Berry’s Natural Soap Making Kit: Soap Making Tools, Reusable Mold, Essential Oils & Natural Botanicals, Lye, Lather & all other soap ingredients. Winner: Rachel B. from Washington.
- 2016-09/10: Home Canning Starter Kit: A Ball Canning starter kit, a copy of Ball Jar’s Complete Book of Home Preserving, a 12-piece set of Ball Mason Jars with Lids and Bands, and a 60-piece set of Dissolvable Jar Labels. Winner: Dora M. from Michigan.
- 2016-07/08: Dehydrator Starter Kit: A Hamilton Beach 32100A Food Dehydrator, The Dehydrator Bible recipe book, and a 3-piece set of Bormioli Rocco Fido Airtight Hinge-Lock Jars. Winner: Carlin S. from Washington.
- 2016-06: Urban Homesteading Starter Library: The Beekeeper’s Bible, Urban Homestead, and The Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens. Winner: Marlene B. from Ohio.
- 2016-05: Felco Pruners, Oyster Mushroom Grow Kit, and Practical Permaculture Book. Winner: Nancy W. from Texas.
Tyfor my chance to win
I don’t make Home made bread that much because it never turn out well it’s to hard don’t no what I do wrong to it! Would love to learn more about making Bread or anything else I love to bake and all ways up to something new!
I used to help folks troubleshoot their sourdough when I had a youtube channel (I had a sourdough tutorial, back in the day). What doesn’t seem to work out with your loaves? Can I help?
Not sure if this means I’m entering giveaway but I hope so!
Love to win this!
yum. sourdough bread is the best.
I like sourdough, but the commercial stuff is expensive, plus I don’t /can’t know everything that is in it. If I do my own, I am in control!
I love baking bread and sourdough is amazing!
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i signed up for the newsletter! Hope that means i’ve entered the giveaway! i just recently got into bread baking and would love to learn to make sour dough! Thanks for the chance!
Hi!
To enter, make sure you go to this page: https://insteading.com/blog/this-months-giveaway/ and enter your email below the image of the sourdough kit.
Good luck!
Leigha
I have always wanted to prepare Sourdough Bread for me & my family. I’d love to win this awesome giveaway. Thanks for the opportunity and chance.
Wow! I spent a lot of time just reading this page before entering the contest to win the composter. It is really interesting and I have added it to my save folder. I really enjoyed reading about hummingbirds as I have a lot of them coming to my feeder and flowers.
That’s wonderful to hear! Glad you found us. 🙂
Leigha
Have been looking to start composting for some time. Fingers crossed I win this month!
Thanks for entering! Good luck! 🙂
-Leigha
Like the others, I’m not sure that I’ve entered your giveaway, just by signing up to your website. I’d LOVE to have a vermi-composting sys!! Luckily, in Central Texas, we don’t have to put the garden to bed in the Fall. So, many of your Spring gardening tips still work for us where we don’t expect first frost until mid -Nov.
Hi Martha!
To enter, make sure you go to this page: https://insteading.com/blog/this-months-giveaway/ and enter your email below the image of the worm composter.
Good luck!
Leigha
Thanks for the chance to win a worm composter!
Would love to win this garden essential!
This wonderful prize would be great to win. I love to bake.
I would like to have cast iron as I understand it’s better for cooking and does not leach minerals.
I would love to win a cast iron set as I understand it’s healthier and it doesn’t leach minerals into the food.,
I would love this!!!
Ready to start cooking with some great cast iron cookware. Born and raised around cast iron cook’s. This cast iron cookware set would really be awesome to begin my own journey of cooking with cast iron.
This would be lovely and I love the deep red color.
This would be a wonderful win!
I tried to enter this contest a day ago, but I did not see my comment listed, so I am entering again. I’d like to use cookware which is healthier in terms of not leaching any material into the food which cooked in it.
I’d love to add this to my cookware collection. I love to cook and bake, so this would come in so handy. Thank you.
I would love some cookware like this 🙂
I would love cookware like this!
I luv this !!!!because I luv cookin,Thank u for this opportunity!!!!
I would LOVE to win. Absolutely love cast iron cookware as well. Thank you!!
This cookware looks awesome! I love to cook! Thanks for the chance!
I sure could use this cookware set and thank you for the chance .good luck everyone ??
I know that Cast Iron Cookware is the best!
Love this cast iron is my favorite
This would be aweso.e my pans are so old
I would love to have these pans. I would cook for every one.
my husband is the cook in our home and would love this! thanks…
I would love to win. i love to cook !
love cST IRON
would love to add to my collection !
Would love to win this set.
When I try to share, it brings up Octobers Sweeps instead of Novembers?
Hi!
Thanks for bringing that to our attention. It should show the November contest now. 🙂
Leigha
There is nowhere to enter my email to win a contest
Hi Alesandra!
When you’re on the contest page click the email box where it says “Sign up for our Newsletter” and a dropdown will appear to allow you to add an email.
Let me know if you’re still having issues!
Leigha