Brew Journal

Brewing tips, coffee storage advice, and prairie coffee stories from Autumn Prairie Pumpkins in Newton, Kansas.

Kansas gardener holding a mug of decaf coffee on a farmhouse porch at golden hour overlooking a pumpkin patch

How Much Caffeine Is in Decaf Coffee? The Evening Cup in the Patch

By mid-July the Kansas heat does not really break until the sun gets low. The patch is quiet then. The vines have stopped complaining, the...

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Maggie the Autumn Prairie Pumpkins gardener enjoying coffee at sunrise beside pumpkin vines, dark roast vs light roast

Is Dark Roast Stronger Than Light Roast? A Kansas Morning Answer

The question came up on the porch this week, two bags of coffee on the step between us and the pumpkin vines already glowing in...

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Illustration of a gardener pouring pour over coffee on a Kansas farmhouse porch beside pumpkin vines at sunrise

Why Does My Coffee Taste Bitter? Fixes From a Kansas Garden Morning

The kettle clicks off at five forty. Outside, the patch is still gray and the vines are holding last night's dew like they are not...

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Maggie enjoying a fresh cup of coffee on an autumn prairie porch - Autumn Prairie Pumpkins

How Long Does Ground Coffee Last? A Kansas Kitchen Morning

There is a jar on my counter that has watched a lot of sunrises come up over the prairie. Some mornings, while the kettle ticks...

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Autumn Prairie Pumpkins, Maggie pouring fresh coffee in a Kansas kitchen with a grinder and whole beans

Whole Bean vs Ground Coffee: A Kansas Morning Choice

The kettle ticks toward a boil. Outside, the patch is still gray with dew, and the vines are waiting for the sun to find them....

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Maggie pouring whole coffee beans into a glass storage jar in a Kansas farmhouse kitchen at sunrise

How to Store Coffee Beans to Keep Them Fresh: Notes From a Kansas Kitchen

There is a moment every July morning, right after the garden walk and just before the day gets loud, when the whole kitchen smells like...

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Maggie with Autumn Prairie Pumpkins coffee beside a pail of used coffee grounds in a Kansas garden

What to Do With Used Coffee Grounds: A Kansas Gardener's Morning

There is a small ritual at the start of every Kansas morning here. The kettle ticks. The light comes up slow and gold over the...

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Maggie with coffee at the edge of a Kansas pumpkin patch with running vines at sunrise

Letting the Vines Run: How Much Room Pumpkins Need on a Late-June Kansas Morning

There is a morning in late June when you walk out to the patch and realize the pumpkins have stopped asking permission. Last week they...

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Maggie of Autumn Prairie Pumpkins holding a coffee mug at the edge of a late-June Kansas pumpkin patch at sunrise

The Hungry Month: Feeding the Pumpkin Patch on a Late-June Morning

There is a moment in late June when the patch stops being a row of hopeful little plants and becomes something with appetite. The vines...

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Maggie with morning coffee beside summer squash blossoms and winter squash on the vine in a Kansas garden

Summer Squash vs Winter Squash: A Slow Kansas Morning

There is a morning in late June when the garden splits in two. I noticed it again this week, coffee in hand, standing where the...

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Maggie with coffee on a garden bench beside a late-June Kansas pumpkin patch

Still Time to Sow: A Late-June Pumpkin Planting in Kansas

There is a particular kind of June morning when the coffee tastes like a decision.Want the answer for your own garden? Our frost date tool...

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Maggie kneeling in a Kansas pumpkin patch at sunrise, tucking golden straw mulch around young vines with a steaming coffee mug nearby

Tucking In the Patch: Mulching Kansas Pumpkins Before the July Heat

There is a particular quiet to a Kansas garden in the middle of June. The vines have found their stride. They reach now, leaf over...

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