Pantry Prep

I'm part of a group on facebook called, "Riot for Austerity".  It's about using less resources, being frugal, buying new, going without and doing this differently.  (not that I'm very good at this!)  One of the recent questions posed by the group moderator was "how is your winter pantry shaping up?"  Normally, I try to grow a lot of our food, find things we don't grow or raise at our local markets or through individual farmers.  I can, dehydrate, freeze, etc.  Cook my own instead of buying processed junk.  I enjoy it.  I feel like I'm providing quality for my family.  Our children are learning where their food comes from, how it grows, what the meat we eat looks like when it's still in a pasture!  They're learning to cook at a young age (instead of their late 20s, like me).  They think I make the best bread, pizza crust, and tortillas in the world!  (only because they're fresh, I'm sure)

I've been trying to inventory our pantry and freezer and it's not as good as I had hoped.  Not to make excuses, but this pregnancy has been kinda tough.  I've been put on a modified bedrest a few times, instructed not to go out in the heat and humidity (too many contractions), etc.  It made getting out in the garden nearly impossible when temps were in the 90s and bedrest meant no canning the tomatoes when it was time.  (I asked the OB, I was told 'absolutely not') 

So, this how things are shaping up for us.  Good things:  our freezer is packed full of local meat (lamb and chicken), local berries (strawberries and blueberries), sweet corn, and peppers.  (the freezer sits on our outside porch and takes nearly no energy to run during the winter... we make up for it during warm summer months) 

Okay things:  I canned crushed tomatoes, peaches, jam, and pickled hot peppers... but not enough.   (I would have been closer if I hadn't been put on bedrest during this pregnancy) 

Better Luck next year:  Our potato crop was a bust... and our popcorn didn't do so hot, either.  Luckily, we still have a lot of leftover popcorn (it's a big source of snacks and lunches for us). 

In progress:  I found a local source for oats I need to call on and we have some wheat berries stored.  I'm sure we need more local honey and maple syrup.  (trying to phase out processed white sugar)  I'll have to pick those up at the market when I stock up on apples (to dry, store, and sauce), carrots, potatoes and butternut squash (which I can't grow to save my life!). 

But, our 3rd child is due any day now so some things are going to have to wait!

Day 5 From a High Angle

Bounty

The kids and I took a trip to the large farmers market in the city on Thursday.  We came home with all this!  10 lbs of blueberries, a dozen ears of corn, 2 lbs of raw honey, a few carrots and zucchini.  Wowzers, what a haul.  The Lord sure is good to us (His children, not just our family in particular).  I bought most everything from these beautiful Mennonite women.  I love their simple, kind, and hardworking spirits.  I always try to buy from them (it helps that they have the best produce!). 

I wanted to go pick blueberries this year, but with the heat and my progressing pregnancy - it just wasn't an option.  I was filled with joy to find this giant box of blueberries for the same price as the you-pick-it.  The berries and corn were promptly processed and froze to be enjoyed over the winter.  God is good, all the time.

Photo Challenge Days 3 & 4

 CLOUDS...DAY 3

 

 

 

Clouds... after spending the day working the small town farmers market, we (me and my mom) went back to my mom and dad's house.  We shared dinner... the kids played in the yard...I got to spend time with their adorable puppy.  Bruce came by after a long day at work to start cutting up a tree that fell in a spring storm.  We'll use the wood for heat this winter.  It was a long, but beautiful summer day.

SOMETHING GREEN...DAY 4

Green.  We found this great big snapping turtle just down the road from my parents' house. Let's call him Earl.  Earl was huge... and a bit angry.  The kids wouldn't come within 10 feet of him.  :)  (they love turtles, frogs, and such... but they had never been around a snapper and they were warned how dangerous and aggressive they can be)  My dad carried Earl across the road to the wetlands where he (the turtle, not my dad) swamp away to live happily ever after.  Well, happier than if we left him in the road to be hit by a car... turtle populations continue to shrink (due to polluted habitats, car/turtle collisions, and other mishaps with humans and predators)... at the current rate of decline, my grandchildren may never see a live turtle in the wild.  (these are old facts... hopefully they change for the better)

Random thankfulness

The kids slept in their own beds last night. It was a rare and celebratory occassion. My husband has a few days off surrounding Thanksgiving. Not only can he take time off, he still has a job to take time off from. (i realize i am using poor grammar) In the state with the highest unemployment, I am very thankful to be so fortunate.

My children are happy, healthy, and fed and loved. (1 in 5 American children go hungry, 1 in 3 in some Midwest states.) They are growing in kindness, generosity, imagination, knowledge and faith.

I hauled in a load of wood in our lawn cart (one of my favorite pieces of yard equipment we've borrowed from my in-laws). I stacked it on the porch so it'll stay when the rain and snow hit later this week. Our home is safe and warm. Heated with wood from a large, dying oak tree cut down by a friend.

I'm drying apples I bought at the farmer's market with money I made from selling homemade soaps. The peels will be make news jars of vinegar. The home preserved food and fresh made vinegar is beginning to outnumber the store-bought items in our pantry. This one of the neatest things.

I gave the chickens fresh straw and collected their eggs, sure to thank them for their contribution to the household. They like the straw and seem to think it a fair trade. The eggs are boiling on the stove. The shells will be baked and crushed for the chickens to suppliment their calcium intake. Cyclical, always cyclical. :)

My homemade soap business is doing well and continues to increase in sales. Much to my amazement. I am thankful and humbled by the response to my soaps and salves.

Our amazing family, church family, and savior Jesus the Son of God.

Apples

We were blessed with a bushel basket full of apples from some church friends. Bruce, the kids and I had the chance to go to their house one Sunday evening and get some old wood to use for our new chicken coop. Our wonderful friends gave us a tour of the house and property, showed up their garden and trees. I was thrilled when I saw the apples hanging from the trees and covering the ground. Her father had planted the trees years ago, she doesn't even know what kind they are. We ended up with wood, apples, a few grapes, a wagon and a few more gifts. Such kind people!

The apples were very tart and not the best for eating fresh. I dried about half the apples in the dehydrator. The rest were used to make apple sauce. I canned some and we ate some right away. I gave a bunch to Mary since she was generous enough to share her apple crop with us. The kids and I eat the dried fruit for snacks and I use it when I make granola. I gave my mom some of the apple sauce.

We have some of the apple peels and cores to the chickens. The girls love anything fresh and I prefer not ot give them chicken feed if I can. I used the rest of the apple peels to make vinegar. It was a lot easier than I thought. Put the peels and cores in a jar. Fill it water. Cover with a cloth. (I used a canning band and a wash cloth.) Don't use a canning lid. The microorganisms need the oxygen to work their magic. Otherwise, you'll end up with a foul smelling mess. That's what I made on my first try. :) Let it sit for 2 weeks and voila! Vinegar. I use the vinegar as a rinse for my hair. It takes out any residue from soap or styling products. I don't use shampoo, I use my homemade bar soap on my hair. We have hard well water and sometimes it doesn't rinse really clean. Commercial apple cider vinegars were a little harsh on my hair and left it feeling yucky. My homemade version is much more mild (and fruity smelling) and seems to work better for me.

We're thankful for what we have and are given and try not to waste an ounce.

~jill